Transformation: Becoming Ben Solo (A Reylo Fanfic)

Chapter 7 - Revelations

Rey walked across the hangar toward the Falcon, spying Chewie on top of the ship, electrowelding a piece into place.  "Hey Chewie!"  she called.  He moved his safety mask out of the way, and trilled back to her.  "I know, I know.  I'll get started on that right away.  She won't fly much longer if we don't fix it.  That TIE did a number on us!"  Grabbing a tool belt, she headed under the ship and opened an access panel.

She and Chewie had been out scouting for supplies a few days ago when they came across a small First Order cruiser, and got a bit too close.  They took some fire before they were able to jump to light speed.  Luckily the damage was relatively minor, but still, they had to be more careful.

It didn't take her long to begin removing the damaged components so she could inspect the fried wiring.  Her mind began wandering to Ben.  It had been two weeks since they last connected, and she found herself wondering about the kinds of things he did all day, how he dealt with his staff, and whether he still acted like the mighty but erratic Kylo Ren to the First Order.

Recalling their last Force bond connection, she realized how much different, how much better it had been than almost all the others since Crait.  He was still sullen, and prone to anger, but he now seemed to be open to talking, which was a huge relief.  She could see a bit more Ben Solo than before.

She had also been thinking – a lot - about what he had been trying to tell her before Poe interrupted them.  About wanting to change things in the First Order.  That had to be a good sign, right?  But she was still confused.  He had explained a bit of what he meant – wanting to move away from ruling through fear and death, but what possibly could have brought about such a drastic change in him?  He was the Supreme Leader, the mighty Kylo Ren – the Dark Prince – bringer of death and destruction.   Since Crait, he had relentlessly pursued the Resistance, intent on ending them once and for all.  What had changed?

Lost in thought, it took a few seconds for her to realize that everything had gone silent.  Looking around, she could see a pair of legs clad in tall black boots at the other end of the Falcon, and she soon saw his face as he bent over to peer at her underneath.  Putting the components on the ground, she wiped her greasy hands on her pants and made her way over to him.  They just looked at each other for about 30 seconds or so, and she found herself starting to get lost in his eyes, before Ben looked around him at the Falcon and finally spoke.  "Are you ever not working on this piece of garbage?"

Annoyed at his attitude, she told him  "It takes a lot to keep her flying, but its worth it."  she paused.  "And we took a few shots from some TIEs this week."  His eyes widened and his face darkened as he looked down at her, clearly about to say something.  She held up her hand , "It's a long story, let's not get into it."  Sighing, she went on  "Come on, let's go inside."  Ben followed her to the ramp "Chewie, I think I'm going to lie down for a bit."  He barked back at her, and Ben's face went white before following her up the ramp.  "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."  He told her quickly.

Wrinkling her brows, she realized that it probably had something to do with Chewie, so she just let it go.  When they reached the Captain's quarters, which she had secured for herself, Rey closed the door and went to sit on the bunk.  Following her in, he stilled for a moment before looking around the room briefly – his face impassive.  She could have sworn she saw him take a deep breath and suppress a shudder before settling himself beside her, looking down at the floor.  "Is there still Wookiee hair on everything?"  he asked.

Surprised, she bit back a smile. "No, I managed to get rid of most of it, quite accidentally – bit by bit – all over my clothes."

She could see the corner of his mouth twitch up ever so slightly.  They sat there for a few minutes, staring down at the floor.  Both were silent, waiting for the other to speak.