Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ben wanted to take care of Rey, because he’d seen the chaos of her studio apartment and her diet that was almost entirely comprised of fast food; the best person he knew deserved better. Ben refused to believe her when she argued that fried chicken was a dietary group or that cereal and nachos were valid options for all meals of the day (together or separately). Maybe she wanted groceries? Fruit smoothies? Healthy, pre-prepared meals? He could compromise with Subway.

It was embarrassing how his inner Alpha would beg for the smallest scraps of Rey’s attention. The way the three brain cells owned by his Alpha hindbrain pushed him to look after any pitifully small aspect of her life during her heat. That maybe he’d be able to provide for her in some minuscule way. That he wasn’t completely useless. That maybe he could be caring instead of needy. He just couldn’t help it. Ever since Poe Dameron had introduced them at her brother Finn’s birthday two years ago. He’d first caught her scent then; it was like he’d been living underground his entire life and here she was, smelling of sunshine, laughing and defending Hawaiian pizza. He was a lonely barren rock pulled helplessly into her orbit.

Every social interaction since then had been a struggle for self control. Don’t stare. Don’t sniff her hair. Don’t lick your lips. Stop scowling at the alphas in the vicinity, it’s just Poe and Hux. Stop looking at her neck. For fuck’s sake Solo, don’t be a creep. And then she’d look at him with warm hazel eyes, her lips would part, and she’d laugh and the whole cycle would begin again. She turned him into a hormonal disaster with the social skills of a high schooler and an all-round emotional trainwreck. He was a 32 year old with a crush. He hated it. And yet here he was, greedily begging for more.

Her chat bubble changed into ellipses and his alpha—his poor pathetic Alpha—thrilled at the thought that our Omega was right there, on her phone on the other end of the conversation, her attention focused on him. Not yours, he reminded himself instinctually.

Never his. He’d tried, at first. But she’d ignored any attempt to show signs of interest. Poe knew; he wielded that knowledge for precision-guided jokes at his expense that made Rose giggle and Hux smirk. Finn just looked at him with pity. His parents knew, for god’s sake, and he wished he could unhear everything his mother had ever said about making future grandchildren.

And he thought Rey knew. Until six months ago, when he’d overheard her say Poe helped her with her heat, and his heart broke. She’ll never think of us that way, his Alpha had whined until Ben managed to shove it inside a mental box marked “Repression”. He worked more. He ate cleaner and ran further and lifted heavier things. He even tried dating, but after two first dates who smelled like soap—after which neither Ben nor the other party could be bothered following up—he admitted defeat. He didn’t think he could handle the embarrassment of his regular barista witnessing any more of his failures.

And if he had gotten in touch with Rey right before her heat to ask if she needed anything, then he was just being a considerate friend. A friend who wanted to make sure she was properly fed and properly satisfied. A friend who wanted to bend her over every surface in his apartment and knot her in every room. Fuck. He groaned, put his head in his hands and didn’t look up until he felt the vibration of his phone.

Ben Solo: Is there anything you need for this heat?

Rey Palpatine: nope im fiineeee!!! just waiting 4 my 5 guys to get here then str8 to bed 🥰😋🍔🙏

Ben’s brain shuddered to a halt, and in that moment of distraction, his Alpha broke free of its mental box. He ran a hand through his shaggy hair and started to pace, glowering at his phone.

Five Alphas at the same time?

Maybe one per day?

Five is too many.

What if they all go into rut at the same time? They could hurt her!

What was she thinking?

How to fight five people at once?

Did he know any of them? Why wasn’t he invited?

Five?!

He finally looked up from his phone and realised two things. Firstly, his jaw hurt because he’d been clenching his teeth and making a low growling sound the entire time he was pacing. Secondly, that his pacing had brought him to his front door. Fuck it. He grabbed the keys to his Audi from the hall table to his left, pulled on a pair of sneakers, and left for his car.

The drive to Rey’s apartment was a whirl of agitation and disquiet and did little to calm Ben. Every other driver felt like an obstacle denying him his Omega. Fuck, not his. YES, OURS said his Alpha. His hand gestures increased in obscenity and his swearing got louder.

He slammed into a carpark outside her building; if he had room for anything in his brain other than his hindbrain screaming mine mine mine he’d be ashamed of the lopsided parking job. But he was focused on his goal. He strode straight into the lobby (Our Omega’s home is unsafe, grumbled his Alpha) and mashed the elevator call button. After ten seconds of his Alpha screeching at him, Ben headed for the stairwell instead, taking the stairs two, three at a time until he was at the fifth floor.

He stopped at the landing, puffing a bit from his run when he saw him. A skinny college age man in a red t-shirt, knocking on Rey’s apartment door. Brown haired, scrawny, and otherwise nondescript, he looked like a—what was that word Rose had first called Hux—fuckboy who didn’t deserve Rey. Ben’s Alpha howled.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

He was making that growling sound again. And just at that moment, Rey opened her apartment door and stuck her head out. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open with surprise as Ben stalked furiously towards them. His heart leapt; she was all right.

Ben’s focus turned to the intruder. Fuckboy had a similar expression of shock. Definitely just a boy—gangly and afraid—and Ben towered over him. He shrank back, and Ben’s Alpha was smug. Ben glared some more.

“Where are the other four?”

Fuckboy looked confused. Ben sniffed the air. The boy was a Beta. How could he possibly provide what Rey would need during her heat? To Ben’s relief, he didn’t smell like her. He didn’t smell any Alphas on her either, which mollified his Alpha. In fact, there was a distinct lack of Alpha smell anywhere. Good, he had arrived in time.

He studied the shocked tableau before him. Rey was leaning out towards the man and Fuckboy was reaching towards Rey, carrying a paper bag that smelled of something oily and salty. They were both staring at him, mouths agape. Ben snatched the bag away.

What is this shit, hissed his Alpha. Ben agreed.

Rey mouthed “thanks” to the boy and he began backing away from Ben, who immediately moved to stand between him and Rey. Once he was out Ben’s reach, Fuckboy took out his phone and snapped a quick photo before fleeing down the stairs. Was he going to press charges? Ben wondered. He immediately dismissed the thought; he had a far more pressing concern and he could afford to settle out of court.

Rey grasped Ben by the shirt and dragged him into her apartment. She pulled the bag off him, throwing it onto her kitchen counter before whirling around to glare at him. Her pre-heat pheromones made her smell fuller and sweeter than usual—like an orchard in midsummer—but it was layered with the acidity of adrenaline. It was a cocktail of heat and anger and a tinge of fear and it put Ben on edge.

Rey stepped closer. She stabbed her finger into his chest, emphasizing her words.

“What. The. Hell. Was. That?”

Ben crossed his arms, unrepentant. “He was one of your guys, wasn’t he?”

“What the fuck are y—“

They were interrupted by a buzz from inside Rey’s hoodie pocket. She pulled her phone out, took a single glance at the screen, tapped it, then shoved the device into Ben’s face.

He saw a photo of himself standing and scowling like he wanted to rip the photographer’s arm off. He was holding a paper bag—knuckles white in a stranglehold grip—and behind him, Rey’s head was sticking out, open-mouthed in alarm.

“Your order was dropped off,” the message below read. “Please refer to this photo your Dasher provided to see where it was left.”

Fuck. His Alpha agreed.

Rey pointed at the paper bag. “He was bringing me Five Guys.”

“Rey,” Ben said in a small voice. “What’s a Five Guys?”

Rey’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s like a burger… place.“

“Ohhhhhh…” Shit.

His face and ears were burning. He needed to apologise. He needed to change his name and move to outer space. He wanted to panic. He could see Rey’s eyes widening with the same realisation and had to make it better with something, anything—

“Rey I’m so sorry I didn’t mean—“

“No, not five guys, Jesus!“

“I got jealous and—“

“Oh my god, how would that even w—“

“Whatever you’re into, no judgment–“

“One guy is plenty—“

“I’m impressed but—”

“Usually no guys even—

“Not that I’m in but if that’s—“

“Their bacon cheeseburger—“

“If that’s how you roll—“

“I don’t even know five people who’d—“

This word vomit wasn’t the apology he needed to give, but once he got started he couldn’t stop until he could finally say his piece.

“I want you—“

Rey hauled Ben down by the collar, stretched up on her toes, and kissed him hard.

Chapter Text

She was kissing him.

Ben’s mental cacophony cut out. His forebrain froze. While it was in the process of realigning itself to this new reality in which Rey wanted him—was kissing him this very second—his Alpha took over; his left arm wound around her back to draw her closer while the right angled her face towards him. He kissed her again—greedily and hard—pulling her head forwards as his lips and tongue ravished her mouth. She pushed up against him with a groan, her mouth opening wider and her tongue meeting his. Her scent bloomed around them, bright with summer peaches, nectar-sweet with heat. Her hands moved down his back and under his shirt, eager for bare skin.

He pulled away from her to look her in the eyes. He needed to know for sure.

“I’ve wanted this— so long— are you sure you—“ Ben waved his hand between them. His brain was having trouble processing higher order tasks right now. Like completing sentences. He hoped she understood.

Rey grabbed his hand and pulled him to her couch, pushing him down and straddling his lap.

“Ben— Alpha— yes, please,” she whined as she shrugged off her hoodie. She braced her hands on the back of the couch on either side of his head and kissed him hard enough for their teeth to clack.

Sentences were overrated.

Ben growled and pulled her tight against him, his hands going under her shirt and the back of the waistband of her leggings in a quest to explore all of the softness of her curves. He heard her gasp as she ground herself against his erection, and he moaned.

Being in her home and with her on top of him, he was surrounded by Rey’s warm sunshine scent, now mixed with the salt and musk of her arousal. Ben closed his eyes and basked in it, following her scent to the gland on her neck and whispering dirty oaths to his Omega—gonna take you and fuck you and knot you, sweetheart—into the top of her collarbone. He sucked the skin next to the gland, dragging his teeth and he felt her shudder. Her hands ran through his hair and tugged deliciously. He moved his right hand up, caressing her ribs until he reached her soft breasts. She pulled away from him to toss her top away impatiently, and he immediately moved his head down to kiss a nipple. Fascinated by the way it immediately hardened, he ran his tongue over it. Rey whimpered; he repeated the action and delighted in all the different noises he could get his Omega to make.

He could feel her slick leaking onto his pants as she rutted against him. He kissed her once more firmly before standing, pulling Rey with him as he urgently tugged off his shirt. He carried her several steps to place her onto her bed on her back. She quickly stripped off her ruined leggings.

“Alpha,” she pleaded. “God you smell so good…”

He paused to take in the sight. Her brown hair was laying messily across the bedspread. Soft tanned skin and freckles everywhere, smooth legs splayed open with slick glistening across her thighs and forming a rough semicircle of damp on the bedding. Her head was tilted to show him her neck glands and her scent was so strong he could taste it; he wished he could live off it forever.

“Beautiful,” Ben whispered. Ours, his Alpha said. Make her ours.

Eagerly ripping off his remaining clothes, he  climbed between her legs. He kissed her again and again, short and sloppy and eager. He lay over her and pressed himself hard against her; desperate to reduce the space between them to nothing as though making up for the months their bodies had spent not touching. He groaned as he felt his cock slide against her body, lubricated with slick and sweat.

“Please, sweetheart, let me—“ Knot you. Worship you. Love you. Keep you.

Rey locked her legs around him, grinding desperately against his cock. The tip slid in and they both groaned with the sensation. He pushed in slowly, deeper as her head tipped back; he wanted to savor her light mewls and the soft grip of her cunt. Rey whined impatiently. Her nails dug into his back and she thrust up against him. Ben smirked at her impatience, nipping at her neck before taking control; planting both of his arms on either side of her for leverage, he sank himself fully into her. They both let out a sigh—finally, he was where he needed to be—and he took a moment to relish her warmth before beginning to move.

Rey was already writhing desperately under him. He thrust into her short and sharp and she groaned his name.

“So responsive.” Ben’s voice felt like gravel. “Such a good Omega for me.”

Rey’s nails dug in further and Ben increased the depth of his thrusts.

“So good, letting me look after you.”

He could feel her tensing up, her body’s grip around his cock becoming tighter and her moans rising in pitch.

“My perfect girl— Fuck Rey—“

“Oh god Ben—“ she cried out. She went tense and still for a moment and then—keening, shuddering, slick overflowing—she came around him. He couldn’t move; could only feel the hot waves of her orgasm stroking and squeezing him as she cried his name over and over.

When he could finally withdraw from her—her hazel eyes blissed out and slightly unfocused—he turned her over and pulled her onto all fours. She pushed her ass up and spread her legs eagerly; he slid his erection back into her and she thrust back to meet him. 

“God yes—“ he growled. “Take it. Take my cock.”

She wailed in time with each hard thrust. He watched avidly as his cock plunged in and out of her over and over, wet with her slick. His grip tightened on her hips as he slammed into her, their bodies squelching obscenely while an exquisite pressure built up inside him.

He could feel the beginnings of his knot creating glorious sparks of friction around his cock. Ben’s vision tunnelled on the mating gland on the back of her neck. He fell onto her back—elbows on the bed, chest caging her in—and forced himself to bite her shoulder instead, his teeth digging in as she screamed and convulsed.

The feel of her finishing on his cock pulled him over the edge. His knot swelled as he started filling her with his come; every surge of his cock was ecstasy. As his knot pulsed and locked them together, words began to overflow from him; she was beautiful, perfect, good, precious.

He pulled them to lie on their sides and drew his arms around her—his sunshine, his good girl, his perfect Omega. Rey curled into his body, sated for the time being.

“This… feels right.” Rey said with a small smile. Ben kissed her cheek and nodded.

“Thanks for…” Her nose scrunched up a bit. “Thanks for… being here. Caring. Even if I owe that delivery guy a massive tip.”

Ben chuckled from behind her. “I’d apologize, but that would imply regret.”

Her tone turned contemplative. “You know, I’ve never spent a heat with an Alpha before.”

Ben’s brow creased. “What about Poe? For your last heat? I thought you said...” He grimaced.

“God no, he smells like spinach. He just brought me some food beforehand and… oh my god.”

Rey turned her head back as far as she could and stared at Ben.

“Ben… please tell me you’ve heard of In-N-Out.”