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At the end of the day he blamed Dameron, for all of it, the whole thing. Oh, and his mom for stubbornly sticking to the terms of his grandparents’ Will. And Grandma Paddy (a little bit) who had had the clause put in that he needed to be married in order to inherit.
Well, ok, maybe not Grandma Paddy, who had left him the sweetest little letter explaining that her Benny was a homebody who needed marriage, kids, in fact the whole nine yards in order to be happy and reach his full potential.
Wow, and he thought she knew him.
He was a rutting stag, a raging bull, a tiger, just like Grandpa Ani had been. After all, wasn’t that why Snoke had wanted him, him and his fabled Skywalker blood?
There was, of course, that treacherous little corner of his brain (which he needed to eradicate) that contained some inconvenient memories. Such as grandpa coming home from work laying down his briefcase and sweeping up into his arms an ecstatic toddler, Ben beside himself with joy at having grandpa home.
Grandpa, who then clasped his wife to him, pressing sloppy kisses onto baby Ben’s chubby cheeks as he crowed with laughter, and smackeroos onto his wife’s lips while squeezing her ass.
Grandpa, who then took off his jacket and tie and rolled up his shirtsleeves and helped with dinner and dishes, and later read bedtime stories to his only grandchild.
No, nope, not going to go there. Sentimental recollections of the past weakened you. You had to kill them in order to be who you were meant to be. Or so his mentor, Snoke, had taught him.
Yeah, Dameron was definitely down for this. Sticking his nose into where it wasn’t wanted. Sliding into the library at his mom’s law firm after a truly spectacular fight between Ben and his mom. Leia stalking out, grim faced and white lipped, saying, “Tell, Snoke ‘nice try’, but not even Kylo Ren can overturn a Will written by Anakin Skywalker.”
It filled him with rage that she’d guessed Snoke had been needling him. And something else. A warm feeling blossoming in his heart. Pride that his grandfather, the sweetest, kindest grandpa that ever there had been, had written a document at the behest of his wife that not even Snoke with all his resources could overturn.
Then Dameron spoke up, muscling in on the family drama, making it all about him.
“Hey, Benny, why don’t you just give in and get married?”
“Hey, Poe, what if I don’t wanna? Anyway, I haven’t got time for all that shit, I’ve got a career to think of.” He snarled the words at Dameron across a conference table so highly polished the surface shone like glass.
“Then you don’t know what you’re missing out on,” Dameron’s tone was soft and reflective. Of course Dameron would believe in all that mush having recently been married himself, to a former soldier, a homebody like Grandma Paddy had believed her grandson to be.
He would have sneered, only he’d spared them five minutes of his time on their wedding day and seen how happy they were together. You didn’t shit on stuff like that, it was a sacred thing. Grandpa had taught him that.
He gathered up his messenger bag, a precursor to stomping his way out the building, slamming as many doors between here and the elevators as he could find.
“A business arrangement, then,” Dameron’s tone was a musing one, as if speaking to himself.
“What?”
“A business arrangement. Someone who you can say you’re married to without actually being married to.”
“Oh, yeah. Well if you can find someone willing to do that who’s not a gold-digger, let me know.”
“Oh, I will, Benny-boy, I will.”
Ben didn’t stick around to hear anymore of Dameron’s bullshit, but that was the thing with Dameron, he could put ideas into your head that nibbled away like a maggot in the brain - it was why he was such a good defence lawyer. So Ben strode away and didn’t think anymore about Dameron’s absurd idea. Anyway, not more than two or three times a day over the few days that elapsed before he heard from him again.
Yeah, this whole situation was all on Dameron, the entire thing.
Well, maybe it was on him too, just a little bit. After all, he could have just dismissed Dameron’s call, but the guy didn’t respect boundaries, was notorious for it, and so he picked up.
“Benny!” Maker, if anything was going to set his teeth on edge it was Dameron at his brightest and breeziest.
“What?” he snarled down the phone, a funny little fluttering starting up in his chest.
“Benny, I’ve got a female, a bona fide one hundred percent female who is willing to take you on — for a price.”
“Oh, you’re back on this nonsense, are you. Forgive me if I’ve no time to waste on your bullshit.”
Of course, that was his cue to end the call and block Dameron’s number, but for some inexplicable reason he didn’t kill the call. He never figured himself of a curious nature, but there was a little voice at the back of his mind which set to work wondering what sort of woman would want to settle down with him. On a purely business basis, of course.
So he listened, and protested, and threatened to kill the call at least two times, but in the end allowed himself to be persuaded to ‘just come take a look’ at Rey.
“This is all very reprehensible,” he had a clear recollection of saying that.
“Benny, buddy, relax. I’ve got this.”
Oh, why had he listened? It was almost like he wanted to be married.
So he’d turned up at a medium rated restaurant clutching a bouquet of twelve yellow roses wrapped in cellophane and sporting a big purple bow, feeling like he should run but for some reason his feet weren’t getting the message. And that’s when it happened, he saw the girl.
She was chatting animatedly to Dameron, but seemed to know the instant he arrived at the hostess station that he was in the room. She broke off whatever she was saying and turned toward him, gazing at him with wide eyes, the distance between them being no distance at all, not really. And then she smiled and his stupid feet carried him directly to her, completely ignoring the hostess’s greeting and inquiry - although for once he didn’t mean to be rude.
“Hi,” he was stood directly in front of her now, only the table between them, “I brought you these.”
He thrust the roses toward her and she looked at them in astonishment at first, throwing him into agonies of self-doubt. She took and stroked the blooms with a slim, elegant finger while he wrestled to find the right apology for getting his choice of flower so wrong. Then she looked up and gave him such a radiant smile he thought his heart would stop beating.
“These are lovely. I love flowers, plants too.”
Looking back, he must have been smiling, because he was suddenly aware his face was aching. Long neglected muscles being stretched out and exercised. And then the words came forth, a torrent of them.
“I’m glad. I loved them as soon as I saw them. The yellow reminded me of sunshine, and I thought of your name and made a play on words, ‘Rey-of-sunshine’, so I bought them for you. I chose the colour of the bow too, but that was just because I thought it went well with yellow roses. I figured it out myself, the whole thing.”
Now that she was before him he could see that she was aptly named, for she was golden of skin, with freckles, and her eyes were green and had brown and gold freckles in them too.
She was smiling up at him, not appearing to find his words cringeworthy at all.
“Why thank you. The sentiment is delightful.”
His face started hurting again, he distinctly recalled it.
“Hey is that a British accent I hear? I love British accents. You’re a Londoner too, aren’t you, I can tell.” He cringed once more. He was gushing.
This made her laugh, “Aren’t you full of questions.”
He was abashed then, ever so slightly, sliding in beside her without waiting for an invite to join them, oblivious of Dameron, determined to charm the pants off her. Well, not right then, obviously. Not in a restaurant. Not literally. Not yet.
No, that came later when he caught sight of her hot bod (multiple times) and had an overwhelming desire to claim her. With her permission, of course. If he’d tried without it, she would have taken him down. Like she’d told him when she found out he used the name Kylo Ren at First Order, going into a peal of laughter as his ears heated up and turned red with embarrassment that she’d discovered one of his little conceits.
“Oh, that sounds so big and bad. You know, right, I could take that guy down in a minute?”
Her eyes were dark and predatory, her nose scrunched up, eyes narrowing, and it did all kinds of things to him. Tingly things.
Yeah.
So he was working toward getting a second date while helping her place her order, the roses placed by her side on the banquette, when there was a kerfuffle at the hostess station and a man came barrelling toward them.
“No, Poe, just no! Peanut, come home right now. You don’t have to do this.”
It was Poe’s husband and Rey’s bestie. He snarled at Ben too, and for once Kylo Ren wasn’t dominant, only Ben Solo was present in the room, who took hold Rey’s hand not wanting to be parted from her.
She took charge, ordering, “Sit down, Finn. It’s ok, everything’s ok.”
The man looked both confused and belligerent all at once, allowing Poe to hug him and push him into the booth before he attracted any more attention.
The relationship between Rey and Finn was a profound one he was to learn, based on shared trauma.
Finn, the elder of the two, aged out the system, and with his earning power in the military was able to track down Rey’s grandfather and rescue her from a bad living situation. The old gentleman had not lived long past her eighteenth birthday, and this had impacted directly on her education - she was due to start her final year but was struggling to the point she may have to give up chasing her dreams and just get a job.
Finn had offered to bankroll her, but he was married now and she wouldn’t divert money rightly meant for his and Poe’s future.
She obviously had seriously underestimated how much Poe, at least, earned. However, whether tens of thousands or millions, it was the principal of the thing and she was adamant. She had a stubborn streak, his future bride.
With Finn’s coming the chance that this may be a real romance, a real marriage, faded. Finn concentrated minds as to why they were there in the first place, and Ben, at least, felt constrained. So when Rey let go his hand in order to eat, he made no demur and inched away from her in increments. He felt bereft. Then Poe took charge and he was no longer master of his own fate.
They would get married and live as a married couple, but without the physical consummation of their union. Rey would occupy his guest room.
As her spouse, he would pay off her student debt, pay her tuition fees going forward, and provide her with an allowance so she didn’t have to worry about finding paid employment and could concentrate instead on getting the best degree she could. There was also a pre-nup drafted by Poe, Finn absolutely insisted on it.
The day she moved into his apartment it was like light was filling it for the first time, pushing back against the dark grey’s and black’s, lighting up the contrasting neutrals. All her worldly goods were in a battered old duffel bag, made of fabric not leather, and a terminally ill back pack. By far the greater part of her possessions were her text books and project files.
He decided they needed a honeymoon to get acquainted, and they headed south for ten days in the sun - one week was too short and two weeks too long.
Snoke took the news of his marriage and subsequent nuptials with a graciousness that set Ben’s hackles up and his teeth on edge, expressing a wish to meet the new Mrs Solo as soon as may be convenient. Ben took a vow to defer that meeting until the twelfth of never.
They then set off for the sun, the newest Mrs Solo trundling a new suitcase, Louis Vuitton, of course, containing amongst other things some new sets of lingerie gifted by her husband. Ben had been appalled when he emptied the washing machine to find worn grey underwear and mismatched ancient bras. And anyway, ought not lingerie to be washed by hand using a special detergent? He was pretty sure it was.
He arranged with maintenance to install a drying rack in their bathroom while they were away.
He was having to finish work at five every evening, too. His wife didn’t know how to cook much beyond noodles, which she messily slurped up with the bowl tucked under her chin. Well, at least she didn’t chew with her mouth open - or attempt to talk with her mouth full of food. Small mercies, because she ate like she was in an eating competition.
He anticipated Snoke hauling him over the coals on a charge of lack of commitment to his career but no reproof was delivered, and he worked a couple of hours from home every evening to meet all deadlines.
The resort was lovely, with every amenity you could wish for. Indeed, there was no need to step out the compound, except his wife expressed her preference for golden sand - located just outside the resort walls.
With this arrangement he was perfectly happy - the first day of their stay.
In spite of his booking a twin bedded room, the suite they were to occupy had only one bed. Being in every other way superior to every other room in the complex, and it being a really big bed besides, Rey overcame his scruples, and by dint of putting a pillow right down the middle brought the matter to a close.
Well, it would have worked if someone kept to their side of the bed, and he didn’t wake up with his arms full of girl draped across his chest and his hands full of Rey’s ass cheeks, she softly purring (snoring?) in his ear as he woke up kneading them. It was bad enough that she wore tiny jersey short shorts to bed which clung to her ass, and a one-more-wash-and-I’m-shredded tee-shirt leaving nothing to the imagination, she being braless underneath, but these nocturnal travelings did nothing to placate his inner wolf. Rey always gravitated to the warmest spot in any room - usually meaning him.
So when she said she’d made friends already and would meet up with them while he did a little work for Snoke, he was fine with that, needing some time to calm himself down - until he went in search of her and found her in a teeny tiny white bikini playing beach volleyball with the guys.
There was a natural break in play while they all took a drink, and he stomped over to where she was, laughingly tilting her head back and drinking deep from her Chilly’s bottle, dazzlingly golden in the white bikini and bright sunshine, hair pulled up in a ponytail. The sight made him grumpy.
“Look at you,” he scolded, “have you got any sun protection? Where is it, I’ll do your back and legs?”
“Oh, that’s ok,” she flashed him her wide grin, “Mikey did it for me.”
He did a double take of the high cut bikini bottoms his wife was wearing, exposing a fair expanse of the twin globes he had just that morning been fondling, and sent a death glare to where she indicated ‘Mikey’ stood. Provoking a peal of laughter from his irreverent spouse.
Ok, he needed to set some boundaries here, among the guys, although there were some gals among them too. Taking up position where he could see and be seen when the game recommenced, and discouraging victory hugs and gratuitous congratulatory butt slapping by means of a darkling scowl.
After that he kept his wife close, Snoke and First Order be hanged. Fortunately, his wife seemed to enjoy his company too.
By the end of the honeymoon they were more appropriately attired for bed, the silk pyjamas he had bought for himself were unbearably hot when you were draped in girl every night, and he might have caught a tan if you squinted and he was in the right sort of light.
It had provoked amusement in Rey when he put sunblock on his nose and lips every day, but he was unapologetic; his nose was large and his lips were full - like grandpa’s. She enjoyed slathering factor 50 on his chest and back though, once she caught sight of its vastness and he’d done a little flexing of it for her benefit. A private show, naturally. An au naturel private show.
The gals on the beach volleyball team admired it too, once he’d taken to turning up in just board shorts for the game, displaying his large and muscular everything. Rey made sure she was on his team then - every time.
They returned to the city well-rested and content, Rey so golden she glittered, her suitcase containing more bikinis bought from the hotel’s high end boutique, after each wearing rinsed out by Ben and put out on their balcony to dry. She’d also bought herself a new backpack. There was just their schedule to negotiate, and to pick up the threads of their lives. Oh, and a visit from his mother to deal with.
Leia had remained ominously silent when he’d petitioned for release of the trust fund and assets left him by his grandparents. He hadn’t bothered to inform her the details of his marriage or that he was about to depart on honeymoon.
She must have heard from Poe of his return, because she wasted no time turning up on his their doorstep with a cock and bull story about needing to make an overnight stay - like every form of transport in the city had simultaneously gone on the fritz so that she couldn’t be conveyed the couple of miles to home.
She was there to snoop!
Of course, that meant he and Rey must share a bed while his mother occupied the guest room, and he was aware of her beady eye upon him like she was expecting this to be a problem. Ha! He heard her shuffling through guest room’s closet too, like he wouldn’t share his own space with his wife.
She was taken aback at the drying rack in the bathroom, it being draped at the moment with multiple scraps of lace - he was still catching up on laundry. Not that she needed to know that. He saw her jaw lose some of its tension.
He’d put down his briefcase and stripped off his jacket and tie, rolling up his shirt sleeves; he had a dinner to prepare. Rey was home shortly, and he saw no reason to not press a smacking kiss to her lips and squeeze her ass until she squeaked. He saw his mom’s eyes narrow. So what, mom!
He also saw no reason to deviate from their agreed routine. This left Rey floundering a little, torn between making awkward small talk with his mother and checking on what was cooking. She inevitably came home famished and needed to be fed tidbits of food else she expire from lack of nourishment, in spite of him packing a substantial lunch for her and sending her off with a good breakfast, and he just knew she snacked throughout the day.
The need to be fed won out and she perched on her usual stool, munching on whatever came her way.
This forced his mom to come down to their level, she was after all an uninvited guest, and she set the table for dinner, opening a bottle of wine and gradually mellowing under its influence. Ben frowned down her attempt to pour Rey a glass. His wife would rather not, preferring soda, as well as being a complete lightweight.
After dinner he made a start on dishes, updated his shopping list electronically and then departed to his cubby to finish off some work. Consequently he didn’t see Rey until it was lights out - he had every reason for confidence his mom would be satisfied with her new daughter.
“Benny,” she hissed as they were turning down the bed, “what is your mom doing here and why did you leave me to deal?”
“She’s checking up on us,” he rumbled back, unable to whisper to save his life, his voice a deep baritone.
“Well, yes,” she hissed back, “so you thought it was ok to leave me alone with her?”
“No worries, sweetheart. You charmed her, didn’t you?”
“Benny, that’s beside the point. Yes, she gave me a kiss goodnight, but she wanted to know stuff like how we met, how long we’ve known each other, that kind of stuff, the stuff that could get us both into trouble.”
Her voice had risen slightly. Time to placate his irate spouse, which he did by giving her his dorky grin which he knew by now she couldn’t resist. It worked. She gazed at him, biting her lip so she didn’t grin back. He got a pillow thrown at him though and would have instigated a pillow fight - except mom.
He treated her to a view of his bare chest instead, when he exited the bathroom having pulled on the silk pyjama bottoms. She retaliated by wearing the top that went with it, just long enough to hide whether or not she was wearing underwear.
He was going to struggle getting to sleep tonight.
The upside was his mom authorised the transfer of his inheritance. The downside - she made a sleepover at their place at least once a week. If she thought she could pressure him through Rey to play happy families, well, that was never going to happen. He resisted any invitation to visit the family home, and Rey, to give her her due, never pressured him but declined on their behalf with a sweet smile, no offence.
This meant that his mom was an eyewitness to the transformation of his apartment. Along with the bright cushions and cozy throws and plethora of fuzzy socks in the laundry hamper, came plants brought piecemeal from Finn and Poe’s as Rey tested out his tolerance of greenery and colour.
The first was ‘string o’ pearls’ cascading down from his bookcase, then rapidly multiplying succulents upon their kitchen windowsill, orchids and ferns in their bathroom, a weeping fig and swiss cheese plant in their living room.
They were going to need a bigger place, with a garden.
They socialised too with the guys and gals from beach volleyball who lived in the city - not Mikey. There were some things Ben Solo just couldn’t move on from.
Hux came across them during a raucous get together in a bar not too far from First Order offices. He gave one of his snarky remarks and before Ben could answer back one of the gals snarked right back, a tiny fireball of a woman named Rose. Hux looked taken aback and walked off without saying another word.
“Who’s your friend with the stick up his ass?” Rose demanded, and could be seen later berating him at the bar.
He tried to hide his happiness at First Order, knowing that it would disgust Snoke and be seen as a sign of weakness, but somehow it seemed to leak out of him. Just like in the days when his grandparents were alive, providing a safe cocoon for young Ben to flourish in.
He supposed it was this and Hux’s telling tales, all born out of jealousy, that provoked Snoke into bringing the trap down on him, at a team briefing.
It was unusual for Snoke to attend one of these, usually calling Ben in later for a full personal report. And anyway, it was also customary, as a courtesy, to make a request to sit in so as not to undermine leadership. When Ben saw the imposing chair set at the head of the table, he relegated to the bottom, he guessed he was in for it. Snoke did not disappoint.
He had started the briefing, acknowledging Snoke’s presence, who inclined his head graciously, and commenced proceedings. It didn’t take long for the hammer to drop.
In the midst of one of his team giving an update, Snoke’s voice was heard, bitter and sneering.
“Kylo Ren,” his colleague’s voice faded to nothing, “when I found you I had such hopes. And for a while, a very little while, I thought I had found my Vader as Palpatine had found his.”
Snoke paused to curl his lips back in a sneer, exposing unlovely, yellow teeth. The guy was worth millions yet had teeth like that.
“Yes, yes, my very own Vader, ruthless, merciless, a legend in his own lifetime. So I took a chance and poured money and talent into shaping you, setting you on the path to greatness.”
Ben locked eyes with Snoke, keeping his features neutral, letting the whole bullshit of what he was about to hear wash over him.
“But how you’ve disappointed me, just as Vader disappointed Palpatine, all over a piece of pussy.”
At that Ben’s jaw tightened, at the insult to his grandmother and at the insult to Rey, his wife.
“Get rid of her,” Snoke’s tone was vicious. “Get rid of her and get your head in the game. You married her to get your inheritance. You’ve got your inheritance. Now I say, get rid.”
Every head in that room was dropped, staring at the papers before them like it was their only reason for living. Only Ben’s eyes were raised, and Snoke’s, glaring into his.
“First off,” Ben was amazed at how calm his voice sounded, “my grandfather’s name was Anakin Skywalker, and he didn’t need Palpatine or the likes of you to make him great. He knew the law and that’s what he practiced, the law. My grandmother strengthened my grandfather, and my wife strengthens me, and if you ever speak so insultingly about my grandmother or my wife again, I’ll bitch slap you in front of the entire office.”
Someone tittered, angry colour flooded Snoke’s cheeks.
“I’ll have your licence for this, and have you on a charge of assault.”
“I don’t think so,” drawled Ben, “it’ll be a slap across the chops I give you, not a punch,” he indicated the various cctv cameras dotted around the room, “and there’ll be plenty of witnesses to prove just that.”
“I know the law, Snoke. Do you? Cos I’m guessing you’re a piss poor lawyer, that’s why you need to set yourself up as something you’re not. I heard your dick’s not up to much either. Maybe that’s why you’re so dead against men with dick’s bigger than yours getting some action.”
Ben paused, as if thinking something over, “And I guess that covers most of humanity.”
There was clear sniggering around the table, the men’s shoulders at least shaking trying to control their laughter.
“Get out,” Snoke snarled, “get out, Ren, you’re fired.”
“I don’t think so, Snoke, I quit. And by the way, the name’s Solo, Ben Solo.”
Ben preened a little at his delivery of that last line. Maybe Rey would be amenable to a little role play? He had a tux.
He walked out of the office with a bounce to his step, sloughing off years of trying to be someone he wasn’t, was never meant to be, wouldn’t have become had his grandparents lived to help him through his troublesome teens.
He had Dameron to thank for all this, providing the catalyst for change. Introducing him to Rey, the wife he now adored. Yeah, and Grandma Paddy, (a little bit), for believing her grandson was a homebody who needed marriage, kids, the whole nine yards, in order to be happy and reach his full potential.
He entered their apartment whistling a happy tune, toeing off his shoes and stripping off his jacket, throwing his keys into the brightly decorated bowl Rey had put on the stark chrome console table for that very purpose.
“Hey, someone’s happy.”
Rey was stood in their bedroom doorway, dressed in skinny jeans, the ones that clamped his hand against her ass as if with a magnetic pull. About to pull on a white boyfriend shirt, showing her tanned skin and the white lacy bra that made her look virginal and untouched. The one that woke up his inner big bad wolf.
“Hey, yourself. I just quit Snoke.”
Her face broke into a wide smile, everything about her glowed with pleasure at his news, her skin, her eyes. He’d reached her by now.
“So I’ve time for a little extracurricular activity, if you know what I mean.” He grinned wolfishly at her.
“And I’ve got class, mister.”
“One class, how important is one class?” He nibbled at her shoulder, placing kisses along her shoulder blade. She didn’t blow him off, rather she shivered. He reached her ear, nibbling and sucking, his arms winding around her fragrant, perfect self.
“You can catch up, and I’ve some interesting ideas for role play.”
She moaned and he knew he had her, the way he’d had her the second night of the honeymoon after allowing her to explore his hot bod. When she’d jumped his bones and told him she was on holiday and intended to deny herself nothing, certainly not the moody looking hot guy she’d caught a glimpse of at Finn and Poe’s wedding. She’d been so enamoured of him she’d lost concentration and missed out on claiming the last portion of gourmet Mac ‘n’ Cheese she was at the buffet table specifically to snag. That night, at her insistence, they’d consummated their marriage and consummated it most nights since.
He picked her up then and carried her to bed, kicking the door closed behind them so they didn’t disturb the neighbours down the hallway too much.
They needed to buy a house, with a garden.
+++++
Armitage Hux didn’t know what hit him that evening at the bar when he met Rose Tico.
She took him home with her and it seemed to him he walked around in a daze every day after, really having to concentrate on being obnoxious. With Ren gone, he felt the full burden of Snoke’s venom and spite and it threatened to break him.
Of course, he couldn’t keep it from his girlfriend, who got him to spill the tea while nestled against her breasts as she carded through his hair. His tech girlfriend who, when she heard the extent of Snoke’s evilness - and his mistreatment of her Armie - hacked the shit out of First Order servers.
She’d taken down First Order within a year, marrying her Armie just as soon as he got out of prison.