Interlaced - Reylo one-shots/drabbles/etc

rey takes ben's hand... and his heart

an alternate version of the throne room scene... of what I wished would have happened.
* fluff ahead!! *

. . . .

"Rey."

She swiveled back to face him, watching how his sweaty black locks were sticking to his forehead. His whole face gleamed with sweat, but his eyes were not tired or angry; in fact, he looked desperate.

"Ben?"

He took a wavering step towards her, shoulders trembling with every breath he took. Rey found that she tightened her grip on Anakin's lightsaber, but she didn't make any move to attack him. As a matter of fact, she couldn't even find the strength within herself to ever strike him again. Not after what he had done for her.

"I want you to join me."

Rey blinked.

"Ben..."

Another step forward.

"Let the past die. Snoke, the Resistance, all of it." She tracked the way his throat bobbed as he spoke, his face any ever dead giveaway to his raging emotions. "It's just us now."

Rey stood her ground, clenching her hands in fists. She couldn't find the right words to say, the ones that would make sense.

But Ben was moving towards her, ever so slowly, and Rey felt her heart skip a beat when he extended a hand to her. Flashbacks of their night in the firelit hut came back to her, their weepy eyes, surged through her memory.

"Please," Ben said, his voice unusually weak. "Please."

Before he had a chance to say anything else, Rey surged forward, colliding against him with her hands furled in the collar of his shirt. She yanked his head down so his lips collided with her's, an instant groan leaving his mouth at the unexpected kiss. She found her hands sliding past his collarbone to nestle gently in his hair, holding his head down to her as she kissed him fervently.

He was as hesitant and slow as ever with the physicality of the action, only returning the kiss when her hands were tangled in his hair. Rey could feel the way his hands gingerly wrapped around her back, tugging her close until they were melded into each other. He was soft and incredibly gentle, his plush lips moving in a way that had her legs trembling.

In a galaxy where she had been searching her whole life for meaning, for a home, she was suddenly finding it in him.

Rey broke away first, her chest heaving as she slowly retracted her arms. Ben was slower, gently leaning away from her until they stood eye to eye, only their clothes brushing. His hazel eyes were wide, his pupils blown, and he was looking down at her like she was the whole galaxy. His galaxy.

"Come on," Rey urged, finding his hand. "We need to get out of here."

In a moment of stunned silence and realization, Ben nodded and ran side by side with her as they flew from the murder scene. The whole ship was coming apart at the seams, sections of the Supremacy blown to bits and floating off into space. Rey could only cast a few anxious glances past the wide expanses of windows, spotting the Resistance transports in the distance. They were safe. Finn and BB8 and Leia and everyone else would be okay.

Running with Ben at her side, even with the ship coming apart, even with a thousands unanswered questions between them, she felt safe.

"Escape pods? Shuttles?"

"There," Ben said, pointing down a gleaming steel hallway.

Hand in hand they ran until Ben practically collapsed against a control panel, punching in a series of numbers that caused the door to slide open in front of them. The door opened to a docking bay that was completely coming apart. Bodies littered the ground and ships hung precariously from wires.

"This way," Rey heard Ben say, leading her towards a small shuttle transport.

Rey knew Ben could fly, probably even better than she could. He was Han's son, after all.

So in the chaos around them and in the uncertainty of their future, she let Ben take control as they fell into the cockpit, Rey strapping herself in and manning the copilot's seat. She couldn't help but let her jaw part in awe as she watched Ben's hand flicker expertly over the controls, soon enough sending them hurtling into hyperspace.

When they were hurtling at thousands of miles through translucent blue and white streaks, Rey let herself breathe. From the moment she had shipped herself in that small cargo box to Ben, she hadn't been able to breathe. With her back pressed to the seat, she hung her head back, closing her eyes and letting the calm wash over her.

"Are you hurt?"

Blinking, Rey forced herself to sit up and look at Ben. His gaze was wavering, uneasy, but he seemed genuinely concerned. She saw the way his eyes traced up the new wound on her arm, one that would definitely scar.

For the moment, she didn't mind. It was a reminder of the sacrifice Ben had made for her, and the one her him.

Rey shook her head. "No. I'm fine... are you...?"

Ben did the same. "I'm okay."

"Ben..." Rey started, but realized she hadn't known what to say, so instead she rose, standing beside Ben who was checking over the controls.

"Why did you kill Snoke?"

Ben stilled. "... I had to."

Raising a brow, Rey shook her head. "He was your master. I thought he was... everything to you."

Ben suddenly turned to face her, his eyes blazing. "He's not... he's not."

She saw his gaze flit to her lips and reached up to grab his face again, tugging him down to meet her halfway. For some odd reason, she felt Ben sob when she kissed him with such tenacity, and pulled away immediately.

"I-I'm so sorry, I'm all new to this and I didn't know-"

Hands clasped her's. "Rey."

"Ben?"

He was crying. "You're everything to me. Everything."

Her whole body trembling, Rey collapsed against him, feeling the warmth that immediately took captive of her body in his large embrace. They fit like a perfect puzzle piece, with her arms wrapped around his waist and his chin nuzzling the roof of her head. She even found a few tears herself marking her cheeks.

"What about the fleet? Finn? Leia?" Rey murmured against his shirt.

Ben took a long moment to respond. "They should be fine. I doubt with what happened with the Supremacy, and my disappearance, they would risk anything going after them."

Digging her fingers into his shirt, Rey nestled closer, burying her nose in the scent of his clothing.

"Why did you decide to come? To run away with me?" Ben's voice sounded pained, so Rey leaned away, putting distance between them so she could see his face.

"Because... no one understands what I am. Who I am. The things I feel. You were the only one who ever really listened, and understood."

Rey watched as Ben's eyes twinkled in the passing starlight.

"Can you kiss me again?"

Warmth blossoming in her chest, Rey took her time gently matching her arms around his neck, letting her fingers find his hair. He hummed contently and watched her with dark eyes as she leaned close, meeting him halfway to kiss him gently.

It wasn't like their first, in the heat of the moment and in a rush of emotions. This one was more meaningful.

So Rey took her time, gently moving her head so he could kiss her deeper, guiding his hand to her own face, where his thumb moved in circles to dry her tears. She stepped closer, feeling her hips connect with his as he bravely slung an arm around her waist, nearly lifting her off her feet.

When they finally broke apart, Rey felt like she had kissed him for eons, and she would gladly do it all over again.

They had so much to talk about, so much to uncover, but for the moment, Rey was content with this. Only this.

Because when Ben looked down at her, his arms caged around her small body, she found the half of her soul that had been missing all along.

Her home.