Ren: A Collection of Kylo Ren One Shots

{OC Request} Ben Solo

A/N: Shoutout to @pettyprincxss who requested this idea! DM me if you have any requests, as well (:

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"Stay away from Ben Solo."

Breathing heavily, I dug my fingernails into my palms, barely feeling it at all through the thick calluses there. The humid air of Veorillia licked against my skin and seemed to tighten the tension between the brooding man and myself. My father always had a distaste for the Solos, and as the years passed with more visits from the well-known smugglers, his prejudice with them only grew.

Veorillia was an outlier of a planet that relied on trades and bargains from travelers. Until recently, my father had been the largest provider for these deals.

Now, Han Solo and his son had taken the crown.

"I don't want you seeing that Solo kid," he spoke firmly, solidifying the disapproval of yet another one of my childhood friends. His hands worked carefully against the wires of a First Order blaster, attempting to repair a circuit that should have retired weeks ago. This was his everyday job-- stealing broken First Order weapons to resell for profit. When he was working, it was pointless to argue with him.

"You never want me to play with anyone," I mumbled, dropping my chin to my chest. "Ben Solo isn't like his dad-- he doesn't want to be an arms dealer."

His brick wall of a personality didn't budge. "I don't care what he does. Just stay away from him."

I left the withered tent in a fuss, knowing perfectly well that I wouldn't get anywhere trying to persuade him differently. The Solo's ship had already landed for their monthly visit; Ben would definitely be waiting for me at the docks.

I could care less what my father thinks of him. Ben Solo was my friend.

As I rushed away, only glancing over my shoulder once to make sure no one was secretly watching me from afar, I caught up to the ragged crowd in the marketplace already making their way toward the docks. There, I knew they would be meeting with the ever infamous Millennium Falcon and its shipment of goods for trade. I could care less about the wares and instead divided my attention on finding the boy that had helped deliver them.

"Athena! Hey, Athena!"

Ben had found me, first.

"Ben!" My bulky arms easily enclosed around his lean body. "Welcome back!"

The black-haired boy smirked his father's grin, the only resemblance that linked the two together. Though he was twelve-- mind, only a few months older than me-- he had always fit in with the adults. He was tall, his face structure more mature than most teens, and he always, always kept himself groomed. Especially his hair, which I couldn't help but reach up and ruffle.

"Hey, knock it off," he grumbled, pushing my hand away from his head. He tried to flatten my masterpiece, and I laughed at the poor effort.

"Ah, shucks. I missed you, too," I smiled brightly in return.

He hmphed then punched my arm lightly. "Whatever, short stuff."

We followed each other through the growing crowd on the docks, weaving through merchants and buyers yelling out their prices for junk. It was always a game of dominance with Ben and I-- who could lead the longest, run the quickest, climb the highest. Over the years of playing cat-and-mouse, we had come to accept that we were equally as stubborn, and equally as skilled.

"Hey, Athena," he said, his turn leading through the chaos of the small desert town. "I need to tell you something."

I stared at his back, knowing that underneath the tan tunic and leather vest was a lean, muscular body. To say he hadn't grown over the years would be misleading. I would never admit to often thinking about our swimming excursion last month-- when he had suddenly ripped off his shirt and jumped into the canal on the outskirts of town. At the time, I hadn't noticed my flush cheeks and the strange feeling in my chest when I watched him bob in the water. I couldn't afford such irrational delusions to cloud our friendship.

Now, I was quickly reminded of the feeling. A familiar heat burned in my face, and I was glad that he was ahead of me.

"Um, sure," I tried as normally as possibly. "What's up?"

We were on the side of a neighborhood tent now, free from the confines of the marketplace. Ben plopped on the dirt floor, sitting crossed-legged in the sliver of shade the tent could provide. I fell down next to him.

"I'm leaving," he said suddenly, ending with a sigh.

I scoffed and brought my knees up to my chest. "Yeah. You and your dad always leave after five o'clock--"

"No," he interrupted, shaking his head. "I mean I'm leaving for good. Mom's sending me away."

Uncomfortable silence fell as I replayed the sentence in my head. Over, and over again. Mom's sending me away. "W-What?"

"I'm going to live with my uncle," he continued quietly, stretching his neck as he looked up at the sky. "It's... far away, I guess."

"Why?" I didn't want to believe him.

Ben shrugged. "My uncle is supposed to teach me how to be a Jedi. But I don't want to--"

"A Jedi?" I scorned, scrunching my face. "That's stupid."

He chuckled. "Tell me about it." 

The conversation ended there, both of us studying the cloudless sky above as if waiting for an incoming meteor to pummel us into the ground. At least, that'd be an interesting way to end this friendship, rather than Ben just up and leaving me. Our monthly visits were already straining-- now he was saying that he wouldn't even be here for those? Would I ever see him again?

Though my heart was slowly shattering, I suddenly laughed, earning a inquisitive look from Ben. "I guess my dad got his wish, after all."

"Huh?"

"My dad," I chuckled to keep back tears, "told me to stay away from you."

Ben exhaled and closed his eyes with a slight smile. "Oh."

He leaned closer, his head dropping to my shoulder as his eyes remained closed. I could only stare at his face, very aware of his warm breath on my arm. I withheld my desire to brush his hair, to touch his full lips with a fingertip. I wouldn't let this image-- my last image of him-- be interrupted by selfish one-sided emotions. Ben was my friend, and now more than ever, he needed me to be just that.

"You're my only friend, you know," he whispered the truth that I somehow already knew. "I'll miss you."

We stayed like this for the rest of the day; curled up, tired, and regretful. When the marketplace began to die down of noise and Ben had to leave, the weight of his head on my shoulder seemed to stay. We waved our last goodbyes, him from the Millenium Falcon and I from the dirt Veorillian floor.

Though I quickly wiped it away, I couldn't help the tear that sunk down my cheek.

***

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this quick one-shot from Ben Solo's childhood (:

Shoutout again to @pettyprincxss for the request! Make sure to check out their story which continues with the OC, Athena!

Don't forget to vote and comment xx

-sav