RESISTANCE ━━ k. ren ✓

xlii

*Ben's POV*

It was really quite a sight to see, the infamous Kylo Ren and his lover landing at the Resistance base. Astrid had Force connected with Rey to tell her we were coming. Or rather she was coming.

Rey got all excited and asked if she had left me. Astrid's face had fell and she promised to explain everything to Rey when she got to the base.

Now, we are gliding to a stop. The base in on Ithor, a planet I've never been to. It's got green forests and blue lakes. It's pretty enough.

A crowd has gathered beside the landing pad, waiting for Astrid. Most of them know her after all.

I land the ship with a slight bump, and I wake Astrid. She fell asleep halfway to the base. In her arms still lays Annie. Astrid won't let her go.

I press a button on the dashboard and the ramp to the ship lowers. Astrid stands up, and I go to grab Matthew. He's slumped to the side, his suit wrinkled from the wedding.

He wakes up at my touch, wildly looking around.

"It was a dream. Tell me it was a dream." He says, his voice pleading. Before I even know what I, doing, I've enveloped the boy in a hug.

"I'm sorry." I whisper. "It was real."

Matthew lets out a strangled sob.

Astrid walks up to the two of us, cradling Annie.

"Let's go." She says. I nod and slowly pull away from Matthew. I help him up from the couch and the three of us walk down the ramp.

As I said before, it was really a sight to see.

A cheer goes up as the Resistance members as they watch Astrid walk down. And then they see me. The entire base goes silent.

I bite my lip. This was maybe a bad idea.

The Battle of Crait flashes through my mind. How many Resistance did I kill?

I figure pushes through the crowd. The first thing I see are the buns in her hair.

"Rey!" Astrid yells. The scavengers eyes light up. She glances to Astrid's arms.

"Who's that?" She asks. Astrid pauses.

"Can we go inside? Do you have a bed?" She asks. Rey nods, and turns towards the base. Astrid follows her.

I stand on the ramp for a second before I wrap my arm around Matthew's shoulder and follow Astrid.

We find the two girls in the medbay. Annie is now lying on a hospital bed and Astrid is quietly explaining to Rey what happened.

The scavenger goes through a whirlwind of emotions before finally deciding on a look of sadness. She glances up at me.

"I suppose the two of you will be staying here for a while." Rey says. The question is aimed towards me, but Astrid answers.

"Yes. I'm not going back. I can't go back."

Rey sighs. "You'll have to talk to Leia. This will not be easy because of him." She jerks her head towards me.

"I'm willing to pledge loyalty or whatever I need to do." I say. "If Astrid is staying then I will too."

"That's what I figured." Rey mutters.

"Can we have a funeral for Annie?" Astrid asks. "I just want to bury her somewhere."

Rey shakes her head. "We can't bury her here. There's creatures in the forest that will dig her up and uh...eat her. We can cremate her though." Rey adds the last part as an after thought.

Astrid nods her head.

"Ok." Rey sighs. "I'll go talk to Leia. How many rooms do you need?"

"Two." I say. Rey nods and leaves the medical bay. Now, it's just the three of us. I usher Matthew over to a seat. The boy sits and hangs his head in his hands.

Astrid glances at me and looks away, fidgeting with the band around her finger.

"What's wrong?" I ask her.

"Rey. Leia. The Resistance. They do not approve of...this." She says, gesturing between the two of us. "Maybe this was a bad decision. I might be putting you in danger. They want to kill you Ben." She whispers.

"No they don't."

Astrid nods fervently. "I read their thoughts. Yes they do. And...if anything happens to you, it'll be my fault." Astrid casts a sad long look behind her at Annie. "All of this is my fault."

Instead of arguing with her pull her into a hug. I rest my cheek on top of her head.

I murmur 'I love you' into her hair, but Astrid doesn't notice.

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By the time Leia has set up our rooms, night has fallen. Astrid locks the door behind us, making sure no one can get in, no one can hurt me.

Our room is small, nothing compared to what we had on the Finalizer. I don't mind, and neither does Astrid. Thankfully, there's still a connected bathroom.

Astrid climbs into bed beside me, but doesn't lay down.

I watch her fidget with the waistband of her shorts.

"What is it?" I ask, grabbing her hand and stilling it. It seems I've been asking this question a lot lately.

"I-I want you. Here. Now." She says. There's no fear in her voice. She's sure.

I raise both eyebrows. "Now? After what just happened?"

She nods. "I don't want that man to ruin what I have. I don't want anything to ruin what I have." She says.

I look into her eyes and suppress a grin.

Where there's usually tenderness and sweetness, there's now longing and lust.

I pull her towards me, and roll on top of her.

She takes in a shaky breath, and steadies herself, her hands on my shoulders.

I bow my head, my lips grazing her neck. "Are you sure?"

I can feel her shudder, then nod.

Slowly, each piece of clothing is removed. Then it's bare skin sliding against bare skin.

I rake my eyes down her body. She's holding her breath, waiting for my approval.

I kiss her, long and hard, as a sign of my acceptance.

As the night progresses, the pain gives way to pleasure. We learn each other's every corner. Nowhere is left unexplored.

Finally, I roll off of Astrid, breathing harshly.

She plays with a piece of my hair, rubbing it between her fingers. I sigh contentedly and close my eyes. This is what happiness is.

I hug her tightly and we fall asleep like that, tangled together under the sheets and blankets.

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Here you go you thirsty ppl <3
Also, sorry for not updating yesterday, i was grounded

word count: 1103