Only able to nod, Ben turned to kiss the palm of her hand, his breath stuttering in his chest as his hips gave their first tentative roll. With a low whine, he bottomed out again, and again, moving slowly, feeling the way she clenched around him, every gasp and every flinch, and adjusting accordingly.

"You didn't belong with me, Rey," he whispered into the shell of her ear. "You never did. I belonged with you. Always."

Before he'd known her, before she'd been born into existence, their fates were intertwined. But he's gotten it all wrong: She'd never been destined to rule at his side. He was destined to stand by hers.