faderift | A kick in the teeth is good for some [Closed]

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A kick in the teeth is good for some [Closed]

WHO: Kylo Ren and Rey
WHAT: Just a sparring match between two Force users
WHEN: Early Solace
WHERE: Gallows Courtyard
NOTES: Violence - these two don't hold back much

With their warm up routine finally done, Ben found himself breathless as he stretched and watched Rey as she did the same. It had become a routine for them, when time permitted, to spend time together like this. He liked the feeling of adrenaline that made his lungs expand and contract, his limbs burning lightly as he stretched them post-jog. They ended up in the Gallows' training yard where all the swords and shields and other tools were kept.

He enjoyed coming here to quietly go through his training or to meditate with Rey. It allowed them a minute to turn their thoughts off, to just feel one another's presence, and those around them, within the Force. He was never more at peace than when they meditated. Yet, he finds himself wanting to do something different. He straightens from stretching down to his feet to look at Rey, his brown eyes full of purpose.

"Spar with me. Your choice of weapon." Not that they didn't both carry their light sabers, of course. There were plenty of metal or wooden weapons here too. He gestures silently with an outstretched hand for her to come at him, once their weapons had been decided.

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Rey can't help the smile that spreads across his face as his hair obscures his features. She reaches up with one hand, pushing his dark curls back as she lifts herself up enough so she can press her forehead to his, her hand settling at the base of his skull.

"They don't know you like I do." Part of her likes that, that there is this part of him that only she is allowed to see. It did complicate things, however, especially when it came to her trying to convince people that she was safe with him and actually wanted to be with him.

There was a clever retort in him somewhere, but it's forgotten when she pushes his hair out of his face and she lifts herself up to press her forehead against his. He moves back enough to give her space but doesn't go far when her hand moves to the back of his head.

He bites his lip, hesitating for just a moment before pressing his mouth to hers. His hands move to her shoulders and then to her cheeks, his leather gloves that he often trained with preventing him from touching her skin directly. A moment later he comes back to himself, realizing how exposed they are out in the courtyard.

"Rey," he whispers her name and kisses her again before pulling back slightly, his ears buzzing - his everything buzzing, really.

When they're together like this the rest of the world often fades into the background for Rey. Much like it had each time they'd connected through the Force, everything else seems muted and distant. It doesn't matter to her that they're lying in the dirt in the courtyard, and she kisses him like they're in their own bed.

It's only when he pulls away a little that she refocuses, feeling his emotions swirling together with hers, that concern at where they're currently positioned. She lets out a breath, moving in to kiss him again, before dropping away from him, laying flat on her back again, as that's really the only direction she has to go in.

"Shall we call it a day on the training?"

His breathing becomes shallow as soon as she pulls away from their kiss. He wouldn't mind kissing her again but his want for privacy overruled that desire. He sits back before removing himself from Rey completely, at first remaining crouched beside her before straightening to his full height and reaching out to take her hand and pull her to her feet.

"Let's call it a day."

She takes his hand and lets him pull her to her feet without really thinking about it, absently brushing dirt from her bare shoulders once she's standing. She exhales, looking at Ben and a slow smile creeps across her face.

"This would be the down side of our moving out of the Gallows. We have to go all the way home to get clean, or use the group baths." Which Rey doesn't love the thought of. The hot springs under Skyhold had been just as bad. Group bathing is never going to be a concept she's on board with.

He hasn't even bothered trying to get the dirt off of himself. He was more focused on her and the way she looked with her hair slightly mussed and little bits of dirt smeared on her skin. His hands drop to her waist and he pulls her into his space, fingers hooked into her belt to keep her there.

"Then we'll just have to hurry home." He whispers, leaning into her without completely closing the distance. "I don't like the idea of sharing a bath with strangers either."

He wouldn't even need to hook his fingers into her belt to keep her near him, his pull is magnetic to her. Everything from the way he looks at her to the tone in his voice as he whispers into their shared space keeps her right where she is. Tongue rolling between her lips to wet them she slides her hands up to his shoulders, her fingers hooking into his suspenders.

"Maybe we should get our things then. We'll miss the boat and have to wait until it comes back if we aren't fast."

"I'll get your bag then." He pulls away, looking around for any discarded items from said bag and putting what supplies she needed back into it. The staves are placed neatly with the rest of the training equipment and after a few moments her bag is pulled onto his shoulder.

"Do we have everything?" He turns to look at her, adjusting the bag more comfortably around his arm.

She can't help but watch him with some amusement as he goes about getting her bag without prompting, and putting things back where they came from. She's always been a self-sufficient person, but it's nice having someone who does things for her without prompting. It's funny that that someone is Kylo Ren.

When he turns to look at her she widens her smile and walks towards him, holding her hand out to him.

"The dogs, and I think that's everything."

"Ah. Caedus, come!" He calls out for the dog and for the energetic mabari came bounding towards them, his tongue hanging out of his grinning snout, and Padawan followed behind. With that settled, he reaches out to take her hand.

"Let's go home, then." His fingers slip between hers with practiced ease as they start toward the docks. Already he could feel some of the grime from their training start to set in. He was sweaty with dirt streaking his skin in places. She hadn't fared any better.

Rey smiled as the dogs came running, falling in to step at Ben's side. She used to think it was awkward, walking with someone while holding their hand (or running) but now it felt natural. She squeezes his fingers gently as they walk.

Luckily the ferry hasn't left yet and they're able to get aboard for the short ride across Kirkwall's harbor. Rey likes to stand along the side of the boat and watch the hustle and bustle around the docks, as well as the water going by, so she moves to the rail, pulling him along with her.

He allows her to tug him along without complaint. Once they have their own spot to themselves on the boat, he stands beside her and leans against the railing to look out at the water. Kirkwall was always dingy and dirty and gray, but he's known there to be crystaline blues for oceans in other worlds and on other planets. He wanted her to see those things someday.

"Do you like living near water more than the desert?" It's a seemingly random question, but one with a point to it.

"I couldn't even imagine this much water when I was in the desert," Rey replies, with a half laugh. She's gotten used to it, but she still loves it. Where Ben sees a dingy gray city and murky water, Rey sees a city filled with life that never would be possible on Jakku.

"Here... we have basins full of water. It's free, we don't have to trade things for it or fight over it. People go hungry still, but... being thirsty is so much worse."

"True." He nods along with what she's saying, in complete agreement. He's seen pieces of her life on Jakku through their Bond and heard about it with her own words, but it doesn't stop him wishing for more for her. For the both of them.

"I just... wish I could show you so much more. Like Chandrila, or so many other places." He almost wished they were home, that they could be like this and no war separated them. He wished she had said yes to him. "Kirkwall has water, yes, but everything in this place is still harsh and gray."

"I guess it doesn't really matter. We're here, after all," he adds.

She should be surrounded by bright green and plush grass, with flowers and sunshine. Kirwall was currently humid and gray and foggy and that just didn't work for him. Still, she's happy here and he can't deny that he is happy here, specifically because of her.

"Here, sure. But this planet is so different in each region. I've seen different places, beautiful places. Kirkwall is beautiful, too. You just have to look at it right," Rey replies, leaning against him and wrapping her arm around his waist as she looks out over the water, a soft smile on her face.

"Like our home."

He slips his arm around her as she moves in to do the same, bringing her close to his chest. His gaze moves to her instead of the water rippling out around the ship. He was mapping out her features and memorizing them, not for the first time.

"Mm." he hums out an answer, leaning in to embrace her with both arms and holds her against the rail of the ship as they looked out together. "I guess it's not so easy for me to see beauty in things like that."

The gray walls, the gray water, the smells and the sights of the city around them - none of it appealed to him. He was most at peace in their home, of course, but then Rey's flowers and the little touches they had done to their home gave it life that burned brighter than the walls that held the city in.

She smiles as he wraps his arms around her, holding her as they looked out across the water. There's beauty even here, in this moment between the two of them, but she knows how he struggles to see things the way she does.

"You're not alone in that. Most people just think this place is a dump." Leave it to the girl who grew up on a dump planet to find beauty in it.

"Maybe you can show me all the things you find beautiful in it and I might change my mind." He considers that to be a challenge, honestly. There's so much he dislikes about Thedas and their current situation, but having her like this is the one advantage to it.

It was easy to ignore that they had both finished training and were sweaty and dirty when he could hold onto her like this. He wasn't always a big fan of public displays, even when he initiated them, but he liked the proximity. He liked being able to hold onto her.

"Or maybe if you look hard enough you'll find the beauty yourself," Rey replies, her eyes focused on the docks as they grow steadily closer. She knows he is capable of finding beauty in things where it might not be obvious. He finds her beautiful, after all.

"Maybe. I do get a bit of tunnel vision sometimes." He focuses on mostly negative things and things he hates, but when she's around his focus is all on her - like right now. The dock creeps on him before he even realizes and once the boat makes port, he pulls back from her enough to realize that they're back from the Gallows.

"We're here." He supposes she already knows that.

She had noticed that they'd docked, but his comment just makes her smile a little as she pulls away from him. She keeps her hand in his as she tugs him towards the gangplank.

"This is one of the beautiful things, by the way. Traveling by boat, enjoying the view." She glances back at him with a small smile, before following the dogs off the ship and starting towards their home.

He follows her where she leads, falling into step with her once they get off the boat and are on the docks. He, like his father, could drive probably any vehicle put in front of him but he had never thought there any beauty in traveling and seeing things. Perhaps he could have paid more attention in all those years of space travel, but he didn't. Being inside his own head so often clouded him from the things around him.

"Flying was always my preference, but you're right. Even if I still think Kirkwall is a dump." He echoes her words with a smile and squeezes her hand lightly, the two of them walking together. Home was further in town, but he liked the walk. He liked being able to take the time with her.

"The view was nice in space, too," Rey replies, absently swinging their hands a little as they walked. She loves this time, the two of them together, just walking and talking like they're entirely normal people. Like the way they had met wasn't when he'd been chasing her through a forest.

"Kirkwall isn't a dump, though. It's lived in. There's history here." She's always been a fan of people finding homes in places where life had been hard before. It's how she'd lived her life, though the circumstances in Kirkwall were quite different.

He lets out a huff of laughter at her assessment of Kirkwall. He liked history and he liked the learning of it all, but that was a stretch for him to say things like that as if it were positive.

"You sound like Luke. Didn't it house slaves or something?" He shakes his head a bit, clearly not impressed with what little he does know of Kirkwall. The fact that it's risen above it's horrible past does give him a bit of an impression, though. Maybe there might be hope for him too.

"Yes. But the slaves took it from their masters," Rey replied, smiling absently at a local that she was familiar with as they passed by, before looking back at Ben. "It's an important lesson, I think. If you try to oppress a people because you think they're less than you are, eventually they'll rise up against you. Because there's always more of them."

She feels to an extent that it's something that applies to what's been happening within the Inquisition as of late, with the Rifters and mages.

A kick in the teeth is good for some [Closed]

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