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Chapter Text

Ben Solo doesn't give a fuck about his bad reputation in the office. 

His coworkers might turn on their heels and go back the way they were walking from, secretaries lower their heads and start typing on their keyboards, interns cower into walls when he passes by them. It doesn't bother him. At the end of the day he's the best fucking financial manager this company will ever have and there's no denying the productivity of his department increased as soon as he got the job. 

If they call him "Satan's right hand" behind his back thinking he doesn't know it, let them. His six-figure salary more than makes up for it. And if he goes back home to an empty bed, he doesn't let that affect him either, he knew going into his field of work that if he ever wanted to do well for himself he'd need to sacrifice a few things. A personal life being on the top of the list. 

"Johnson!" He barks at the woman stationed outside his office, she's carrying his usual coffee order in one hand and a tablet on the other. "What's my schedule for today?" 

"'Morning sir! You have a meeting at nine and a lunch date with a new investor." 

He drops his coat over the couch on the corner of his office on the way to his desk. Johnson takes the article of clothing and hangs it on the clothing rack by the door, she does that every day. It's probably part of her omega nature, taking care of everyone and everything even if she's not asked to. Ben keeps his mouth shut, mostly because he can't afford to lose another secretary. 

"My coffee?" He throws her a look. She seems to have realized she still hadn't given him the coffee, carefully putting it in front of him. "Thanks," he mumbles. 

Pure, dark coffee. With a dash of cream she sneaks inside, thinking he won't notice it. The first time he'd tasted it on his drink he'd frowned and looked up at her, but she'd batted her eyelashes innocently and he pretended not to notice it. Later, he'd overheard her talking to someone in the break room that she'd begun to add a dollop of cream on his coffee to sweeten his mood. 

It's true that he'd let Johnson off the hook more often than not compared to previous secretaries, his tolerance was way higher because she's a competent worker and he doesn't mind having her yapping at his feet from time to time. He's even amused by it. 

So he lets her stay, as long as she keeps doing a good job. 

"Anything else?" He mumbles over the rim of his coffee cup. The liquid's steam fogging up his glasses, transforming Johnson's silhouette into a blurry figure.

"No, sir." 

He takes a sip, licks his lips at the sweetened liquid. "Why are you still standing here, then?" 

He watches as her cheeks redden, she tucks a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Right, I'll be just outside." 

"That's what I pay you for." 

The door shuts softly behind her, the only remnants of Johnson being her gentle barely there scent with a heavy wash of suppressants on top. He finishes up his coffee, then turns on his computer to go over the data he'll be presenting at the meeting one last time.

___

"Rey, remember when I pretended to be your boyfriend to get you out of that terrible date last month?" Finn says as a way of greeting. 

Rey, who had been making copies of some papers, leans against the machine and shrugs. As if he can see her through the phone call. "Yeah, what's up?" 

"Remember how you said you owed me one?" 

She almost rolls her eyes. "What do you need?" 

"Poe wants to go on a couple's retreat, it's three days starting on Friday." 

"What about Babi?" Rey asks, looking at the papers to see if the copies are done. 

"That's why I'm calling," her friend says. "We need a babysitter." 

"No way." 

"Rey, you owe me!" 

"This is serious, Finn! I'm not a good option." 

He sighs, she can picture him running a hand over his face. "Please, our babysitter will be busy this weekend and there's no one else we trust enough to leave her with." 

"Finn…" 

"And you're an omega, you probably have some deeply buried maternal instinct that'll come forth when you most need it," he says in a joking manner. 

Rey scoffs. "You know I hate when people use my designation to make assumptions." 

" And you're her godmother, in case you forgot," he adds. Rey groans. 

"I thought being a godmother meant spoiling the baby with pretty clothes and taking pictures to post on my instagram account," she says, picking up the stack of copied papers with one hand while the other one holds the phone to her ear. If her boss catches her chatting on the job he'll chew her ear off. 

Finn laughs. "Oh, if only it worked like that." 

"Ok," she says with a huff. "But I need to watch, like, a thousand tutorials on how to take care of babies." 

"I believe in you," her friend answers, a smile evident in his voice. "Thank you, Rey, you're the best." 

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever." 

___

On Thursday afternoon Finn calls Rey to check if she's still up for babysitting. "What if I'm not?" She asks jokingly. 

"Then I'd say you're shitting me," Finn rebuffs. 

"I'm still at work, though." 

"Can't you ask your boss to let you go early?" 

She can't help the little laugh that comes out. "Right, you don't know my boss. I had to take this call in the bathroom because he'd have a fit if he saw me speaking on my personal phone." 

"Ugh, he sounds awful," Finn chimes in solidarity. 

Rey stares at her reflection in the bathroom's mirror, she's looking a little worse for wear today because of the upcoming heat on her near future. The suppressant pills she takes every day at seven p.m. sharp are almost over and before she starts a new pill card the doctors recommend one week of pause for the heat to happen, keeping her body healthy and running smoothly. She hates the damn thing, especially because there's no one to help her through it, but it's something she's learned to deal with early on in life. 

"He's not that bad," she comments distractedly, one hand inspecting the dark circles under her eyes. The bathroom light makes her look even paller, like a sickly person. 

"Sure, if you say so. Can we drop Babi at your workplace?" 

That brings Rey's attention back to the conversation. "What? No." 

"Don't they have a daycare or something she can stay in until you're free to go?" 

"Yes, but they know I'm not a mother and I never filled any paperwork to bring any kids to the daycare." 

"Meaning?" 

Rey rubs the back of her neck, pressing into a tender spot that makes her hiss. "Meaning I can't just show up with a random kid, it's bureaucracy but it's how things work around here." 

"So you hide her under your table," Finn suggests. "She's a quiet baby, she'll probably stay asleep in her car seat." 

" I can't have a baby in the office ," Rey rebukes, feeling incredulous her friend would even suggest that. 

"Well, Poe and I need to go now or we won't arrive on the retreat in time." 

"I can't !" 

"C'mon, Rey, she's so sweet. You won't even notice she's there." 

"You'll owe me big time, Finn Storm," she adds in an ominous voice. 

She can hear the smile in his voice when he says,"Thank you, peanut!" 

Rey scrambles out of the bathroom, rushing to her desk where Mr. Solo is standing next to (she hopes not for a long time). 

"Sorry, sir, bathroom break!" It comes out a bit winded as she takes her seat behind the desk, smiling up at him with an innocent face. 

"You always take your cellphone to the bathroom, Johnson?" He raises one dark eyebrow. 

She throws her phone into the top drawer of her table, feeling shame lick up her neck and color her cheeks. He probably knows she was on the phone, but won't push it. It's something she's noticed with him, that he seems to let a lot of her shit go even when she knows he knows. 

Maybe it's because he's an alpha and she's an omega. Maybe, inadvertently, he gives her special treatment even if his special treatment still sucks ass. At least she doesn't get yelled at or humiliated like some of the people in the office, he's a stern boss and never smiles but he's always fair to her. It's the only time she'll accept special treatment because of her designation. Rey has no interest in being on Ben Solo's shit list. 

"I need you to call this number and cancel the dinner reservation for tomorrow," he says, pushing a piece of paper over the desk. Her eyes focus on his fingers for one moment too long, mind going places it has no business visiting. 

"Yes, sir." 

"Next time you need to answer a phone call, you don't have to go hide in the bathroom." He looks down at her with amusement in his eyes. 

Rey clears her throat, feeling embarrassment clog up her windpipe. "Thank you, sir." 

He turns on his heels and goes back into his office. There's a big floor to ceiling window with a view to the cubicles, the blinds are open so she can see him going back to his seat behind his big desk and hunch forward to read something on his computer screen. Watching Mr. Solo in his natural habitat is like her own personal brand of trashy TV, she just can't keep her eyes away for long. They always turn to look inside from her privileged position next to the door and right in the window's path, but as expected nothing too dramatic goes down inside. The most scandalous thing she's ever seen was Mr. Solo eating a donut, which shocked her because with his personality she'd imagined he didn't have any sweets ever. 

Thankfully, Mr. Solo has another meeting this afternoon which gives her lots of free time to grab Babi in the reception area and hide her baby carrier under her desk. Of course, people will see her walking in with a baby but they won't tattle on her. At least she hopes they won't. There's also the baby crying logistics, but she can't really control that, so she'll just have to wait and hope that Babi keeps her cute little baby mouth shut at least until Rey can leave for the day. 

She watches as Mr. Solo leaves for his meeting, not even throwing her a glance on his way to the conference room. Rey doesn't take it personally, he hates the people who will be on the meeting with him today, another reason why she doesn't want to test his patience. He may have a high tolerance window when it comes to her, but it still doesn't mean she gets to do whatever she wants without any consequences. 

Finn is waving like a crazy man in the reception area, Poe and him are wearing matching floral shirts and khaki shorts — it looks cute as hell. Rey rushes over to them, knowing that she has a limited amount of time to hide Babi before Mr. Solo comes out of his meeting. 

"Hey, look who's here!" Finn says in his baby voice, reserved only for his daughter and husband. "Auntie Rey!" 

Rey grabs the car seat, smiling down at her goddaughter. She's the cutest thing she's ever seen. "Hi, baby." 

"Thank you for doing this," her friend says, pulling her into half hug. "We need this mini vacay." 

Poe smiles behind his husband, waving in a friendly way. She waves back. "Sure, no problem." 

Finn smiles. "I owe you one." 

"You do." She smiles back. 

"There's everything she needs in here," Poe comments, handing her a baby bag that she slings over her shoulder. 

They say their goodbyes, Babi is thankfully asleep and doesn't notice her dads have just left her with the Auntie she's not even that used to seeing on a regular basis. Rey hopes she stays that way until the clock hits five and she can leave. In the lift back to her floor, she realizes that she's putting too much hope on the fact that her goddaughter will stay asleep. 

As expected, when she enters the workplace with a baby everyone turns to look. Some of the women come over, asking questions about the baby's name and if she's Rey's. After satiating the curiosity of her coworkers, she dashes back to her desk where she hides little Babi under it and prays that she stays asleep. 

The next half hour goes smoothly. She doesn't have much to do so close to five and, so she opens up solitaire on her computer and starts playing. It's only when she hears heavy footsteps coming in her direction that she looks up and sees her boss storming her way. She quickly exits the game, smoothing the front of her blouse to have something to do with her hands. 

"I need a copy of these," he says as a way of greeting, dropping a heavy pile of papers on her desk with a loud thud. For a moment she just stares, waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

Then Babi starts crying. Rey closes her eyes, cursing the universe for this sick joke, the baby was doing so good! Why did Mr. Solo have to drop a heavy pile of papers on her desk and wake her up? She screams at the top of her lungs, probably scared shitless that she's in a strange environment without her dads and just had a rude awakening.

"Is that — " Mr. Solo's eyes narrow, looking down at her desk as if he can see through it. Then, he leans forward, where he can clearly see Babi's baby feet kicking up in the air from where she lays in her car seat.  

" Shh ," Rey coos, bending down to pick her up. "It's okay, hey, I'm here." She tries to hold her steady, bouncing her up and down on her lap. 

She can practically feel all eyes on her back. Probably feeling sorry for her now that Mr. Solo is standing right before her, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. She's so fucked. 

"Is she yours?" 

Rey is tongue-tied, because the answer is yes — in a way. Poe and Finn obviously can't reproduce, so they asked her to be their surrogate. The egg wasn't hers, but she did carry Babi in her womb for nine months and went through the painful experience of labor to give her best friend his baby. 

"You're doing it wrong," he says before she has time to come up with an answer for the previous question. "Give her here." And to her absolute shock, Mr. Solo extends his arms, wiggling his fingers in a way that suggests she hands the baby over. 

"Sir?" 

"Please," he says. "She's too loud." 

Without thinking too much about it — Mr. Solo probably killed her and she's hallucinating this entire thing in the afterlife, probably — she hands Babi over to her boss and watches as he holds her with one arm. 

"You're going home," he points out, looking down at her desk where the pile of papers sits ominously. "I'll have an intern take the copies for me." 

"I can — " 

He shoots her a look. "You're going home." 

She shuts her mouth, nodding. 

Mr. Solo walks into his office, closing the door behind him. Babi's cries are muffled, but soon she stops crying altogether and Rey wonders if he has some magic baby whisperer skills that no one saw coming. As she powers off her computer, she can see him pacing his office with the baby in his arms through the window, Babi looks up at him with a curious expression that looks adorable. 

Rey gathers the baby stuff, both the car seat and the baby bag Poe had handed her earlier, and knocks on Mr. Solo's office's door. "Come in," he calls from inside. 

"Hey." She pokes her head in. 

"What's her name?" He speaks as if in a trance, looking down at the baby in his arms like she holds the world in her smile. It's incredibly hot. 

She chastises herself. Stop thinking with your omega brain. 

"Babi. It's hindu." Rey steps into the office and closes the door behind her, still a bit amazed that he managed to calm her down so quickly. He truly is a baby whisperer. "She's not mine," she says, eating some of the distance between them with her feet. "I'm babysitting for my friends, just for this weekend." 

"I can smell you on her," he states, point blank. Well, guess there's no beating around the bush with Mr. Solo. 

"I was the — um, the surrogate." He nods, looking back at the baby in his arms. "A glorified incubator," she adds jokingly. 

But her humor falls flat with Mr. Solo, of course. He just tilts his head to the side a little, then asks: "Do you need a ride home?" 

She opens her mouth to politely decline, but then thinks better of it. Rey really doesn't want to take the bus and the subway with a car seat and heavy baby bag slung over her shoulder. It would be stupid to decline a perfectly good offer from her boss, who's still holding onto Babi as if she's the answer to all the world's hardest questions. 

"Yeah," she says instead. "Thanks." 

"No problem." 

And that's how they end up walking out of the office together with a baby. Not exactly how she imagined things would go down if he discovered Babi's presence, but she's not complaining. In fact, she's pleasantly surprised at the discovery that her boss apparently has a soft spot for cute babies. 

Rey can practically feel the stares on her back as she walks away with Mr. Solo, she doesn't even want to know what they'll assume happened between the two of them. Her boss has grabbed the baby bag and proudly wears it slung across his chest, he's also carrying the car seat with a wide awake Babi inside. 

They take the elevator down to the garage floor and she follows after Mr. Solo's long legs, ending up on the passenger seat of his car with Babi's car seat strapped to the backseat. Her boss throws a glance at her when he enters the car, she raises one eyebrow in a silent question. 

"Shouldn't you drive at the back with the baby?" 

Oh . Rey feels her cheeks redden. 

"Right," she says, unbuckling her seatbelt and feeling incredibly stupid. "Sorry, I'm not good at this." 

She hops into the backseat, smiling down at Babi who looks up at her curiously. There's a chew toy in her mouth, probably something Mr. Solo fished for her from the baby bag while she was too distracted getting into the front seat and thinking of how strange this whole situation was. 

"Your address?" She meets his eyes on the rearview mirror, spilling out her street's name. 

They ride in absolute silence, only Babi's babbling and her chew toy's noise filling the space between Rey and her boss. When they reach her apartment building, he parks a couple meters from the front door and she's left wondering what on Earth is he doing when he unbuckles his seatbelt and moves to open the backseat door to take Babi's car seat out. 

"I'll walk you to your door," he says, already picking up the car seat. She scoots out of the car from the same side, staring dumbly at him being so... bossy . Rey's used to him ordering her around, of course, he's literally her boss, but she would never dream — couldn't even comprehend why him taking the reins now was so incredibly sexy. 

What's wrong with her? 

As promised, he walks both of them up and stops just outside her apartment door as she awkwardly fishes for her keys inside her bag. She throws him a weak smile after rummaging for what must be two whole minutes, but he's a champ and doesn't say anything. Until he does. 

"Where's the key, Johnson?" 

She's in full panic mode now, turning the contents of her purse down on the floor to rifle through all the shit she keeps inside. There's no way she's this out of luck today — no fucking way. 

"I can't…" She trails off, giving up on finding the key that's probably still hanging on the key hook next to the front door. So close, yet so far. 

Mr. Solo exhales next to her. She dares to look up at his face, which is already turned down in her direction. "I can't leave you here," he says. 

"It's my home." The answer is dumb, but it's true. She might be locked out, but one quick phone call to her landlord and he'll be right over with a spare key. "I'll call my landlord." 

"Babi needs to sleep." 

Rey furrows her brow. "She can sleep in the car seat." 

Mr. Solo points with his chin at the door. "Do you even have a crib in there?" 

Her head snaps to him, eyes narrowing. "Do you ?" 

Silence. 

He does . 

Mr. Solo looks down, to where his shoes look so starkly out of contrast with the dingy carpeted floor of her building's corridor. He looks almost sheepish, another image she won't be able to get out of her head — she's always thought about him as being this force of nature, unapologetically rude and loud. 

He's really showing a whole other side of himself today. 

"I can't — you're my boss ," she blurts, looking at his knees because she's still crouched on the floor with the contents of her purse strewn all around her. 

He clears his throat. "I just want to help." 

Looking up to meet his eyes, she finds he's being genuine with his offer. There's too much softness in his expression for him to be acting with second intentions. 

"I still need to call my landlord," she says, pulling her cellphone from the mess in front of her. 

"You can call him in the car." His hand appears in front of her face, a clear offer to help her stand up. She looks at it for a second too long, he curls his fingers into a fist and drops his hand. 

Rey needs to process everything that's going on. Not only her (mostly) asshole boss is being strangely attentive to her and the baby, he's also showing her an entire new side of his personality. She can't deny that he's a handsome alpha man that has made her sweat on a few occasions, like when he went to work smelling of rut only to leave early — because of said rut. That had been the first time she'd realized that her hormones were stupidly compatible with her boss's. It makes her stomach do somersaults, and while she may look calm and even a bit aloof on the outside she's definitely having a mini breakdown on the inside. 

Which, of course, he wouldn't know anything about because he can't read minds and therefore doesn't know she didn't take his hand because she's overwhelmed and not because she doesn't want his help. In fact, she's so grateful he's there — it's really good to have someone else take control sometimes, especially in stressful situations. But she doesn't tell him any of this, just silently picks up her things and throws them back into her bag, then gets up on her own. 

"Let's go, then." 

He nods, turning on his heels and going the same way they came from. With a car seat in one hand and a baby bag slung across his chest. What is real life anymore? 

She follows after him, throwing one last glance at the apartment door behind her. 

___

"He's not picking up," she tells her boss from the backseat, redialling Plutt's phone. 

"Keep trying." 

A groan leaves her mouth. "I am." 

He meets her eyes on the rearview mirror. "Try harder." 

His tone sends a wave of goosebumps through her forearms, which has her cursing under her breath. This is not a good time to be aroused by her boss's dominant streak. 

Finally, after what must have been six tries, her landlord picks up the phone. "What?" 

"Hey, um, it's Rey from apartment 203," she starts, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "I got locked out." 

"What do I have to do with it?" 

Mr. Solo keeps throwing glances through the rearview mirror, lips pressed into a pouting expression. She averts her eyes, trying not to focus on him right now. 

"I was wondering if you'd have a spare key?" Rey prompts, infusing her voice with hope. 

"No, call a locksmith," he says, then hangs up. 

She pulls the phone away from her ear, staring at the screen with an incredulous expression on her face. Mr. Solo must have noticed it, because his voice is the next thing she hears. 

"What happened?" 

Rey shakes her head, still digesting Plutt's dismissive attitude. What a fucking ass! She's not only incredulous now, she's also pissed. She knew her landlord was a piece of shit, but this is pushing the limits of assholery. "He just hung up on my face!" 

"He what ?" Her tone makes her look up, seeing the way his hands tighten around the steering wheel. 

"I'll have to call a locksmith," she says, changing the topic. "But it will have to wait until tomorrow, I don't think there are locksmith shops open right now." 

"What a shithead," her boss states, tone serious. 

"It's fine," she sighs. "I'm used to it by now." 

"You shouldn't have to be used to it," he growls, startling her. "Treating an omega in need like that," he huffs, hands tightening around the steering wheel again. "Is he an alpha?" 

"Why does this matter?" She shoots back, watching as his shoulders tense even more. 

"Because it does," he raps. 

"Well, he's a beta — " 

"That explains it." 

Rey's eyebrows bunch together. "What are you saying?" 

Mr. Solo huffs, she feels like he's trying to contain his tone when he speaks. "Any respectable alpha wouldn't turn away an omega in need." 

She takes that information in, turns it around inside her mind for a moment. Then, she says in a small voice: "Is that what I am?" 

Their eyes meet in the rearview mirror again. 

"You're not a charity case, if that's what you're asking me." 

Babi babbles something from her seat, calling her attention to the baby who's gotten her into this situation. She offers her goddaughter her pinky finger, which she promptly squeezes in her little fist. 

"Thank you," she says after a good few minutes of silence. 

Mr. Solo nods, turning into a new street with gorgeous brownstone houses. "You're welcome." 

And for a moment, it feels like something fragile has just woven itself between them. 

Chapter Text

Mr. Solo's house is one of the nice brownstones that reek of money. He parks in front of the building, turning to look over his shoulder at Rey and Babi on the backseat. 

"We're here," he says, as if it wasn't obvious already. 

Rey grabs the baby bag and leaves him to take Babi out of the car, they climb up the front steps and he opens the door to his house and waits for her to enter first. 

His house is not only beautiful on the outside, it's even more so on the inside. There's a lush rug under her shoes, beautiful landscape paintings on the walls and a very tasteful and elegant style of furniture in the living room. She turns to him, wide-eyed at the beauty of his home, and he offers a quick tug of his lips that could barely be called a smile. 

"Home sweet home." 

"It's beautiful," she whispers, eyes snagging on the piano pushed to one wall. "Do you play?" 

He puts Babi's car seat down on the floor, next to the couch, and moves closer to her. "Not so much anymore." He shrugs. 

"I've always wanted to learn," she pensively remarks. 

Mr. Solo looks down at her hands, which are fidgeting with the hem of her blouse. "You have good hands," he points. "Just need a teacher now." 

She huffs out a laugh, then quiet descends. There's no denying how awkward all of this is, especially when all she can smell is his scent—much stronger inside his own home, of course—and feel as if she's an intruder in his territory even when he willingly invited her there. 

"Do you want to see...the crib?" 

Rey's head snapped to him, who stood by Babi's car seat with a sheepish sort of expression she could only interpret as unsureness. Like he expected her to deny him. 

"You didn't tell me why you have a crib," she says, focusing on the way he shifts his weight from one leg to the other. Uncomfortable. 

"You're a smart woman." He picks up Babi's car seat, moving toward the staircase. "I'm sure you'll find out why." 

She follows after him, eyes studying the muscles of his back as he climbs the steps with Babi's car seat in hand. The baby herself is almost asleep, eyes droopy and fighting to stay open. 

"Is it your crib, like, did you sleep in it when you were a baby?" 

He glances over his shoulder. "No." 

They stop in front of a closed door, Rey's next question dies on her lips when he pushes it open and the room before her takes shape. It's the most delicate nursery she's ever seen, in subtle tones of lavender and white, the furniture is a modest cream color and there's a shelf with plushies in it. A fluffy circular rug lies right in front of the crib, and there's an armchair pushed to one corner of the room, next to the window which is covered by a sheer white curtain. 

"This is so beautiful, Mr. Solo," she lets the words slip out of her mouth. Taking in the room a second time, noticing the hand-painted animals decorating a stripe of white paint bisecting the lavender walls into top and bottom halves. 

"Please." He takes Babi out of the car seat, the baby is so small in his arms. "Call me Ben, we're not at the office." 

Rey raises one eyebrow. "Ben?" 

"That's my name," he explains, putting the baby on the crib. Rey shoves away the errant thought that he looks like he'd be a good father, he's so delicate with a baby that's not even his. "Well, it's a shortened version of my name." 

"Benjamin," she states and he nods, throwing her a sideways glance. Rey had seen his name imprinted on documents before, also on the silver plate glued at his office door. But she'd always imagined "Ben" was such a simple way of calling a man like him. 

"Are you hungry?" 

Rey blinks, not expecting to have had her train of thought so abruptly interrupted. There's a low rumbling in her stomach, she realizes now. "A little bit." 

"I can order something." He walks her out of the room, leaving the door half open behind him. "So we can hear if she cries," he explains after she throws him a curious glance. 

Right, she forgot he's actually good at this. Unlike her. "Are you a dad?" 

The question slips past her filter and slaps him across the face, she's horrified by her own curiosity. Mr. Solo—Ben—looks at her with an unreadable expression, his lips thinning into a hard line. 

"I'm not." 

"I'm sorry—" she says at the same time, lowering her eyes to the floor. "It's not my business." 

"It isn't." 

___

Ben orders chinese and they wait for it in the living room, watching a rerun of Indiana Jones on the TV. Rey is curled up in one end of the long couch while he takes up most of the spade on his side. She can't help but throw a glance or two every now and then, as if to reassure herself he hasn't moved an inch. 

The food arrives and he silently guides Rey to the kitchen where they eat on the island, digging into the little box containers with chopsticks. Once they're done, Ben orders her back to the living room while he cleans up. 

Rey fidgets with the remote control, feeling out of place in her boss's living room. When he comes back, he stands in the archway dividing the kitchen from the living room and just looks. 

"What's wrong?" 

She lets out a tight breath. "This is weird." 

"Why?" He takes one step into the room, approaching her slowly. 

Rey gives a dry laugh, no humor behind it. "You're my boss and I feel like I'm intruding—like I'm taking too much space." 

He shakes his head. "I offered my help. You're not intruding on anything." 

Before she can open her mouth to counter his argument, Babi starts crying. They exchange a look, heavy with unsaid words, before they climb up the stairs to see what's wrong. Rey can feel him at her back, a silent shadow that feels so foreign to her even if she knows her boss for almost one year now. 

She'd never seen this side of him before, the soft, nurturing side of an alpha. She'd never seen this side of any alpha before. 

"What's wrong, baby?" Rey coos, taking Babi out of the crib and gently rocking her from side to side. 

"I think she's hungry." Ben points to the baby's little hands, digging into the front of her blouse as if she can pull out a tit to suckle. Rey feels her cheeks heat. 

"Mmh, there's a bottle in the bag—just need to heat it." Rey makes to leave the room, but her boss puts an arm out, blocking the door. 

"I'll grab it." He juts his chin toward the armchair in the corner of the room, light from the street outside trickles inside gently giving a soft cozy atmosphere to the space. "Go sit." 

She obeys, because what else can she do? Babi is still crying in her arms. Rey goes to sit, putting the baby on her lap, and tries to sing a song or two to distract her goddaughter before Ben comes back with the bottle of formula. 

As soon as the sucker is in Babi's mouth, she stops crying and starts giddily pulling the formula into her hungry mouth. The corners of Ben's mouth hitch in an almost smile, he stands there with arms crossed looking down at the baby in Rey's arms. An expression of—she can't quite place what emotion is behind it. 

"Ben?" Rey's voice sounds small. He turns his attention to her face. "Why do you have a crib in your house?" 

He's silent for so long, she thinks he won't answer it. She almost speaks up again, begging for his forgiveness from her nosiness, but then he sighs and opens his mouth. Shuts it. Debating what to say. 

"I hope— had hoped it would be used one day," he says softly, almost too low for her to hear. "Now I doubt it ever will be." 

"Babi is using it," she offers dumbly, knowing it doesn't compare to what he's insinuating. But he smiles tightly, looking down at the baby in her arms, almost done with the bottle. 

"I'm glad she is." 

"I know it's none of my business," she starts, averting her eyes. "But how—"

"You're right," he cuts her off. "It's none of your business." 

She feels something heavy falling inside her chest. Like an anvil dropping so low it hits her feet. Embarrassment colors her cheeks, she's glad for the dimness of the room. 

"But I want to tell you." It comes out hoarse. Rey feels a flicker of hope light behind her ribcage, a flutter of butterfly wings caressing the inside of her stomach. 

So very gently, he pulls Babi out of her arms and taps her on the back until she burps. Then, he deposits her back on the crib and moves to the door, knowing that Rey will be right behind him. 

He walks to the end of the corridor, where he pushes another door open and flicks the light switch on. Rey needs to hold back a gasp at the scene within. She's seen this type of room before, in magazines or scrolling through Pinterest . 

A nest room. Designed for an omega, it's a very high luxury thing to have one of these in your home. Rey turns to look at Ben, it's like she's seeing him for the first time. 

Only very caring alphas do this for their mates. 

She notices the room is empty of personality, like it's waiting for someone to come inside and make it their own. There's a sleeping pit in the middle of the room, soft blankets and pillows stacked against the sides, making for a pretty cozy looking place for nest building. In one corner there's a short dresser with lots of drawers, probably for storing more blankets, and a bay window to let the sunshine in when it's day time. 

It looks perfect. 

"It's never been used." Ben's voice cuts through the silence, pulling her eyes back to him. His profile looks even more stern now, like he's trying to put up a front. 

"It's really pretty," she says, looking for a reaction. His eyes momentarily meet hers, a spark of something behind them. 

"Do you—I mean, you can—" He splutters, waving one hand around the room. 

"Yes." 

Without being told twice, she steps into the room. Her bare feet touch the soft carpet, relishing the feeling. It's no secret omegas like soft and fluffy things, whoever designed this room got everything right. She can imagine spending a heat here, cocooned in the safety of a strong alpha's arms, lying in the soft mattress in the sleeping pit; feeling the sunlight kiss her skin. 

She plops down into the pit, crawling to the center of the mattress, and does a sort of snow angel in the middle of the pillows and blankets. When she opens her eyes again, Ben is standing over her, a soft smile on his lips. 

"How does it feel?" 

"Perfect." 

He nods, hands shoved into his pockets. "Is it weird?" 

Rey sits up. "What's weird?" 

"That I have all this—" one hand gestures to the room around him "—and no mate." 

"I'd say it's very thoughtful." 

"Not creepy?" He adds in a mockful tone. 

"Do I look creeped out?" 

Ben shrugs. "Maybe you're a good actress." 

"Trust me," she laughs awkwardly. "I'm not." 

"If you say so," he says, moving back to the door. "You can sleep here, if you want to." 

"But—then it won't be unused anymore." She wants to tell him that then his future mate won't be the first one to use this room. Rey knows she should push it, that she wouldn't want another omega sleeping in her nest room before her. But Ben looks like he's heard all her unsaid words and, frankly, it doesn't seem like he cares. 

"This room was made to be used by an omega, Johnson." Are his parting words before the door closes behind him. 

She plops down against the mattress, then curls into herself when the space looks too big for just one person. For some reason, she goes to sleep imagining strong arms holding her from behind. If they even for a moment resemble Mr. Solo's arms, then she doesn't inspect it too closely. 

___

When she wakes up, the first thing she notices is the emptiness of the mattress she's sleeping in. All night she'd imagined, perhaps even dreamed, she'd been in someone else's arms only to be confronted with the harsh truth once sunlight filtered into the room and woke her up. 

Rey pads her way out of the room, down the corridor to where her goddaughter is. When she gets there, Ben is already sitting with Babi in his arms on the armchair in the corner of the room, one bottle of formula in his hand that she clings to while looking up at him. 

Her heart skips a beat. 

"Good morning," she croaks out. Ben looks up, meeting her gaze near the doorway. 

"Morning." 

"I—uh, eggs?" She blabbers, still not really knowing how words work. It's too early to think and there's a handsome man holding a baby so very tenderly a couple feet from her. 

The corner of his lips lift up. "I'll be right down." 

Rey nods, her legs moving on their own accord to the kitchen downstairs where she plops down on the island seat. She's staring out the window above the sink when Ben enters the room, Babi firmly tucked at his side while he holds her with just one arm. 

Her eyes can't help but catalog the muscles lining his arm. When he catches her looking, she averts her gaze and pretends she'd been admiring a vase in the middle of the kitchen island. 

"Eggs and bacon?" He asks, opening the fridge door to take out the ingredients. Rey notices he still hasn't let go of Babi. 

"Why don't you give her to me?" She opens her arms, ready to take the baby. 

"I think she wants to be with me." He shrugs. And sure enough, Babi has her little head laying on his shoulder and her hands are playing with the ends of his hair. She looks entirely too comfortable in his arms. 

"Why is she so attached to you?" Rey didn't mean to sound jealous, but it's hard when your goddaughter prefers to be in a stranger's arms than her own (very) loving godmother. 

Ben laughs, pulling a skillet out of a cupboard. He moves Babi to the other arm while he ignites the burner and cracks a couple of eggs open against the skillet's rim. How he manages to do all that with just one hand is really a talent. 

"I guess she's missing her dad," he says, using a spatula to scramble the eggs. "Is he an alpha?" 

Rey nods. "One of them is." 

"She has two dads?" There's a note of surprise in his voice that she instantly dislikes. She's ready to put him back in his place if he's about to spill vitriol, but he just nods and mutters under his breath. "Cool." 

Feeling herself relaxed, she starts tracing abstract lines on the island's marble surface until there's a steaming plate of scrambled eggs before her. 

"What about the bacon?" She asks, throwing him a glance. 

He bounces Babi up in his arm. "Turns out cooking with just one hand can be a challenge," he says with a smile. Then, kisses Babi's head. "Can you go with Rey for one second, sweetheart?" 

For a moment she feels time freeze to a stop around her. All she can see is Babi's little arms extending toward her, then Ben's soft look when he sees the baby in her arms—he called her by her name. Not Johnson. Rey . 

It feels like a big shift just occurred. It feels like it should have been something monumental, not just a slip of the tongue—like he should have given her a warning. Rey knows it's stupid and utter madness, but her world feels like it's ben tipped to one side and she can't find anything to hold onto so she won't fall off the edge. 

The smell of bacon invades her nostrils. Then Babi is bouncing up and down on her lap, babbling in that baby tongue about something that Rey doesn't have the brain power to work out what it is. Ben brews some coffee, his back so well defined in the white shirt he chose to wear—she'd never seen him in such casual clothes before. 

It all feels weird. Like she's got her face pressed against a window and is looking at something she has no business looking at. 

"Rey?" His voice pulls her out of the trance-like state she'd put herself in. "Bacon?" 

She looks down at the skillet with sizzling bacon in it. Nods. He plops two strips of the crinkly goodness on her plate, then adds one big heap on scrambled eggs on the side. She accepts the fork he offers her, taking a big bite of her breakfast for lack of anything else to do with her hands or with her mouth. She doesn't even know if she can talk right then. 

"Good?" His eyes are on her, studying her reaction. 

Babi looks at the food with interest, a little bit of drool escaping her mouth. Rey puts her fork down and stares back at him. Where had he been hiding this side of himself? Why not show it to others? 

He's starting to look concerned, eyes going from the plate of food before her to her face, like he's trying to connect the dots on where he went wrong. She probably has a big crease between her eyebrows from how much she's bunching them together. 

"Ben, this is perfect." 

Relief washes the previously concerned look from his face, he smiles softly before putting a forkful of the food into his own mouth. They finish their food just in time for Babi to need a change of diapers, Ben says he can take care of it and rushes upstairs with the baby leaving the clean up duty for Rey. 

When he's back, she's almost done with putting the dishes into the dishwasher. "I would have done that," he says to her back. 

"You cooked," she remarks, closing the dishwasher and starting its cycle. "It's only fair that I cleaned." 

He's looking at her with a furrowed brow. "I can clean after myself." 

Rey laughs, wiping her still wet hands on her pants. "I've no doubt you can." 

For a moment, she thinks he'll say something else but he shakes his head and walks back out of the kitchen. She follows after him, landing a seat next to him on the living room couch. "Where's my goddaughter?" 

"Upstairs in her crib." Her crib. An involuntary shiver runs through Rey's body. "She needed a nap, she was getting grouchy." 

"I should probably call the locksmith," she says with a sigh. "See if he can come by the apartment today." 

Ben frowns. "But you don't have a crib." 

She raises one eyebrow. "I think Babi can sleep in the car seat for a few days." 

"Or you could let her stay here. You would stay too, obviously." He clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't want to make it weird, so I understand if you don't—if you feel more comfortable in your apartment." 

It takes her a moment to process the fact that her boss just offered his home for her to spend the weekend. And he didn't even blink an eye, just straight out posed the suggestion like it wouldn't be a big inconvenience. 

"I couldn't impose on you like that," she says timidly. 

"It's not imposing if I'm offering it freely." 

Their eyes meet across the small distance between them on the couch, she can practically feel his body heat seeping into her own skin. It makes her slightly dizzy, like she's been sipping from a bottle of champagne all morning and the consequences of imbibing alcohol are currently catching up to her. But she's as sober as a rock, it takes her only a moment to realize that it's his scent —his pheromones, that are having this effect on her body. 

It's not wise to accept his offer. She shouldn't. There's no problem in having Babi sleep in the car seat for one day or two, plus she could change her diapers on the bed—she absolutely didn't need Ben's fancy changing table to do it. His closeness had already become worrisome in the way her body started to react to it, tempting fate sounded like the worst idea ever. 

But she still says yes. 

And pretends she doesn't notice the change in mood that occurs in her boss. How happy and carefree he seems to be for the rest of the day, spending quality time with Babi while cartoons play on the TV as background noise. The scene looks endearing, and she almost forgets that he's the same asshole who yelled at Grace Pratt for being late for a meeting in such a harsh manner that made the woman hide in the bathroom later for a cry. 

But as she gazes upon the same man now, she wonders why he doesn't let this side of himself appear more often in the office. 

___

She wakes up to Babi's cries in the middle of the night. When she pads into her temporary room, Ben is already there, cradling her against his big chest and rocking her back and forth. 

"I think she's missing her dads," Rey says, rubbing the sleep off one eye. 

Ben looks over his shoulder. "What do we do?" 

For a moment, she panics. This is why she didn't want to babysit, she has no idea what she's supposed to be doing or how to fix things when they go horribly wrong—

"Wait," she says, an idea coming to mind. "Follow me." 

She's glad that he doesn't question her, only does as she asks. He follows her into the nest room, where she's already down on the sleeping pit, arranging the pillows and blankets in a way to form a small crib where Babi can be placed inside. 

Ben catches up on the idea, smiling. "That's ingenious," he says, handing the wailing baby to Rey so she can deposit her in the safe nest she made. 

Babi's screeching stops as soon as she's cooconed in the nest, Rey wipes the tears off of her goddaughter's chubby cheeks and hums a low melody to put the baby back to sleep. Ben starts to walk out of the room, but it's stopped by a voice. "Where are you going?" 

He turns back, he can feel Rey staring at him even if the dim lit room impedes him from seeing her features. Clearing his throat, he straightens his back, and says, "Heading back to my room." 

"Babi likes you." Spoken so quickly it almost feels like there's something unsaid. I like you too . "You should get down here." 

He stays a long moment by the door, as if considering the pros and cons of getting into a nest with an omega and a pup that aren't his. In the end, instinct seems to run its course because he slowly makes his way to them. 

Rey watches as he dips his foot inside, then the other. He crawls on his hands and knees to where she's cuddling Babi in the nest, then he's right there—big body directly across from her on the nest she's so carefully made. 

"Good?" He whispers, arms tucked beside his body. 

She lets out a breath, settling deeper into the comfort of the nest. "Good." 

___

"Hey," Rey says into the phone when it rings on Sunday afternoon. She saw the name on her screen and felt something heavy settling on her chest. 

"I hope my daughter is still alive." Finn's joyous tone filters back, rankling her heavy heart. "We're almost to the city, a couple more hours and we'll be there." 

"Oh, okay." 

"You don't sound happy," Finn notes, "I thought you'd be more than ready to pass her back to us." 

"It's not that," Rey exhales harshly. "I'll tell you later." 

"O-kay." He elongates the first syllable, blowing out a breath. "See you soon." 

"And I'm not in my apartment," she quickly adds before he hangs up. "I'll text you the address." 

" Now , I'm intrigued." 

___

Rey watches as Finn and Poe carry Babi to their car from the front porch of Ben's house. Her friend blows her a kiss and his husband waves from behind the wheel, Babi is knocked out on Finn's arms. 

That heaviness in her chest only grew more and more after she hung up the call with Finn earlier that day. She went back to the living room where Ben had Babi laying on his chest, sleeping peacefully, while he gently played with the little curls on her head. The image tickled some primal instinct inside of her that practically screamed at her to give Alpha a pup. 

She didn't know how or when the change happened, but now whenever she saw Ben all she thought about was his hands and how gentle they are when holding a baby, or how sweet his voice gets when he coos and talks to Babi; how she'd woken up next to him in the nest room he had built to a future mate—a thought that only served to sour her mood whenever she dwelled too deep into it. Because at the end of the day, this was only borrowed time. 

And she asked herself, more than once, if this wasn't only her instincts talking, if she could change her opinion about a man who'd been nothing but rude in the workplace. But the more she thought about it the more she could see the little cracks in his tough façade. Like that time he'd helped Martha carry some heavy binders to her office without being asked to, or when he'd drove Paul home every day for a month because his car was at the shop; then, there was that time he surreptitiously brought her a donut from one of the meetings he attended because he'd caught her crying in the emergency exit staircase. 

He'd always been Ben. The one she knows now. He just tries to hide the softer parts of him at work, maybe because his boss is a sly bastard that chills Rey's blood, or maybe because he needs to pretend to be a tough guy so he won't be chewed up and spit out by others. Rey recognizes that behavior. It's the behavior of someone who has been taken advantage of before and now tries their hardest to appear mean. She knows it because she was like that, before she realized how bitter keeping up that act was making her. 

When the door closed behind them and she found herself alone with him, that part of herself—the one that had been instigated in the time they'd spent together, the one that had existed even before that, if she was being completely honest...that part urged her to take a step into his personal space and place her hand on his chest. 

"Thank you, Ben." 

He looks down, brows furrowed. "Rey?" 

"Let me repay your kindness," she whispers, looking into his eyes. She sees the moment he understands the meaning behind her words, watches as his lips curl and he gently pushes her away. 

"No," he says, voice firm. "I won't take advantage of you, Rey. I did what any good person would've done." 

"But you didn't." 

He looks back at her, hands dropping from her shoulders. "What?" 

"You didn't do what any good person would have done. You did what was right for you , because you are a good person, Ben." She takes a big gulp of air before continuing, "Even if you try to hide it most of the time." 

"Rey…" 

" You are , and you can't hide it from me anymore," she cuts him off before he spills something he'll regret saying later. "Not when we've slept in the same room." 

Now it's his time to take a big breath. She watches as his defenses come down, one by one, and his shoulders slump forward. "I'm so tired." 

She presses her nose to the middle of his chest, breathing in his scent...the heady vetiver scent that had come to signify his presence in a room, a smell that had become so familiar even before she lived under his roof for this weekend. Her arms wrap around him next, pulling him closer to her, and his arms slowly snake up her back, his hands settling on her neck as he tilts her head up. And then his mouth is there, breathing the same air she exhales, their lips almost touching—until they touch. 

And it's a whirlwind of feeling. Touches, pulls, tugging off clothes, walking blindly to where the couch is until she plops down on the couch or maybe he pushes her down, there's no telling what is what because they're moving in a synchronized dance that had been waiting to happen for a long time. 

His lips close around a hardened nipple, sucking it into the warm embrace of his mouth. Rey throws her head back, tugging on his hair as she squirms on his lap. He changes his attention from one breast to the other, his hands exploring the expanse of her torso and back, one firmly grasping her butt while the other massages the tit that's not in his mouth. She feels cherished. 

Good alpha, that voice inside her head says. 

Ben stills beneath her. She looks down, dazed and confused as to why he stopped. 

"What?" She asks breathlessly. 

"Say that again," he demands, voice dangerously low. His eyes are pools of desire, burning hot wherever they lay their attention on her body. 

"Say what?" It takes her a moment to understand that maybe she said that out loud— "Oh." 

" Say it ." 

"Good alpha," she whispers, cheeks burning. 

His mouth closes over hers, prying her lips apart so his tongue invades her mouth, she basks in his licks and kisses, feeling her mind blank out whenever his tongue comes back inside her mouth. Rey feels like she won't survive much longer if he doesn't get inside her now. She conveys her desperation by tugging at the front of his pants, where she can already feel the bulge of his erection sitting between her splayed legs. 

"Please, please, please," she chants, a litany of words that the more she repeats the more it loses its meaning, maybe please is not even a word anymore—he shuts her up with another kiss, spreads them sporadically down her neck and torso until he's placed between her legs and she's keening with coiled want that has no place to go. 

He kisses the inside of her thighs, then her stomach. His hands open her wider, legs hooked over his shoulders. "Brace yourself," he says with a cocky smirk, then goes down on her. 

She might have screamed louder than was necessary. 

His tongue was quickly becoming her favorite part of him, that clever muscle that licked her so good, it makes her scream now. Her hands are buried in his hair, so soft under her fingertips, she remembers thinking it would be soft before all this happened, when she first saw him and thought he was handsome. 

Ben's finger prods her entrance, she keels when she feels it entering her and clenches around the digit like it's a life-saver. He growls against her cunt, sucking her clit into his mouth with a touch bit of aggression that just makes her wetter. She can feel her slick running down the crack of her ass, probably drenching the cushion and ruining the couch, she can hear it in the way Ben's finger pumps in and out of her at a rapid pace. Her inner walls tighten, she can feel the telltale signs of an orgasm tickling her lower belly. Rey rides her boss's face, tugging on his hair, until he puts another finger in and stretches her out deliciously, then with no warning, she cums. 

" Fuck !" She exhales, chest heaving. Tremors wrack through her legs, turning her into puddy in Ben's embrace. 

And he's maneuvering her, putting her on top while he sits under her. Through the fog in her mind, she notices he's gotten rid of his pants and his cock is free and so hard , it juts up proudly, spreading pre-cum on his stomach. She moves her hand before her body, touching the head of him. 

He hisses. 

"Rey," he says in a low voice, she can tell he's holding back from giving into his instincts. The same ones that have her rubbing herself against him, her lower lips slicking his length up and down. " Rey , baby, please stop." 

Her hips obey him, even if she doesn't want them to. He's looking wrecked, hair tousled and mouth red from kissing, wet from her slick. It's a very enticing sight, one that has her involuntarily clenching around nothing. 

"I'm—I can feel a rut creeping in," he says through heaving breaths. "I need you to—I have a chastity collar upstairs." 

She stares at him, brows furrowed. "You don't want to bite me?" 

He must have heard the disappointment in her voice. "Rey, we're still sane enough to know that would be a bad idea right now." 

"I want the bite, alpha." 

Ben hangs his head, shutting his eyes. "Fuck, omega, you're making this so hard for me." 

She touches his cock, giggles. "Yes, I am." 

He chuckles back, nuzzling her neck. She can feel his lips closing around her mating gland, sucking on it until she's trembling with need under him. Her hands grasp at his chest, nails digging into his flesh. 

"Be a good girl and wait here." He pushes her off his lap, walking to the stairs where he disappears moments after. It's a funny sight, Ben's bare ass walking around his house as if he isn't hard as rock with a needy omega waiting for him on his couch. 

She's pouting, with arms crossed, by the time he comes back. He's holding a chastity collar in one hand and a packet of condoms in the other. He smiles, throwing her the collar. "Put that on for me, omega." 

Rey looks down at the collar, feeling its weight on her hands. It's made of black leather and sturdy enough to not rip apart if an alpha tries to tug it away or bites down on it. She looks back at him, a frown marring her features. 

"Why'd you have this?" 

"I never used it before," he says, sensing that's what she really wants to know. "I have it as a precaution," he continues. "For moments like this." 

She scoffs. "And I should believe you?" 

He bends at the knees, coming face to face with her still sitting on the couch. "Smell it." 

Rey throws him a look, but brings the collar to her nose. Starch leather. If someone had used this collar before, it would reek of their scent, but there's not even a hint of someone else's smell on it. She can't hide a smile. "Good," she says. 

He helps her put the collar on, pressing a kiss to her mating gland before the leather covers it. She shivers, then seeks his mouth with her own. They start the slow climb back to sexual arousal, her legs splayed around him, his arms wrapped around her waist. 

She grinds down on him, rubbing her clit on the head of his cock. He moans, kissing her harder. When she's almost mindless with want, he has the good sense of taking a condom and rolling it on. She frowns, wanting to feel him against her, but respecting his boundaries. 

When the head of his cock slots into her entrance, she can tell it will be a tight fit. Ben grits his teeth, eyes locked on the place where her cunt was slowly taking him in, and when he's finally sheathed inside he allowed a small groan to escape. Rey leans forward against his chest, feeling so full it makes her limbs feel like lead from how good it is. 

Slowly, very gently, he thrusts up. Rey moans, mouth closing around one of Ben's nipples. He growls, pulling her hair so her head tilts up to face him. "You feel like heaven, Rey." 

She smiles drunk on endorphins, eyelids heavy with pleasure. "Please fuck me." 

And he does. Oh, he does. 

Rey knows that her screams might be obnoxious to the neighbors, but she can't spend the energy it would take to care about it right then. All she can do is lay there under this big, amazing alpha that smells like a peaceful morning in the countryside and fucks her like a stormy summer night. 

She's lost count of how many times he's made her cum, on his tongue, on his cock, on his clever fingers, it's all too much and she's utterly spent by the time he finally allows himself to pop a knot inside her. He groans into her neck, biting where her mating gland would be if she wasn't wearing the collar. 

"I want to bite you, omega." His voice is gravely and dangerous, pure alpha. 

Her mind is clear enough for her to deny him. "You can't, remember? You made me put this on." 

"I'm a dumbass," he says, "please take it off." 

She giggles, then moans when he thrusts his hips up, his knot snagging tightly against her cunt's walls. " Ben ." 

"I'll bite you and make you mine," he whispers over the heated skin of her chest, licking her breasts and nipples. "Then I'll keep you in the nest and knot you full of cum." He hums, as if approving of his own fantasy. "Yes, you'll be full of pups in no time." 

Her breath hitches. That primal instinct inside of her clapping its hands in approval. "I want that so much, alpha." 

An approving growl. 

"But you're in your rut," she says, smiling down at him. "And you're going to regret biting me once you're in your right mind again." 

"Never." 

"You will," she insists. "I'm your secretary, remember?" 

"I've always wanted you." 

Rey pauses. Ben is back to kissing her, tongue dancing with hers while her mind goes over his words over and over again. When he's done and seems to be distracted by her breasts once more, she tugs on his hair to pull his attention back to her. 

"What do you mean by 'I've always wanted you'?" 

He smirks, kissing the tip of her nose. "Ever since you walked into the office and I caught a whiff of your smell, I wanted you. Then, when I got to know you a little better…" he trails off, distracted by her tits again. She pulls his head back up, forcing him to finish his line of thought. "I knew you'd make a good mate." 

"What." 

"I didn't know how to approach you," he goes on, without being prompted to. "But I knew I wanted you. And you always seemed so distant, untouchable." 

"I didn't know," she says. 

"I've always wanted—" he shuts his eyes, shakes his head. "I've always wanted a mate, Rey." She nods encouragingly, caressing his cheek with her fingers. "I'll be a good partner." 

"I don't doubt it." 

He touches her forehead with his. "I want to try to be a good partner to you." 

"Yes," she says, too quickly. He chuckles. "Please." 

"Really?" 

She nods, bouncing on his lap—he groans. His knot is almost down, and he's still painfully hard inside her, courtesy of his rut. "Yes, really." 

He looks at the collar around her neck, tugs on it. Rey gently pries his fingers away, smiling. "But not now, Ben. We have time." 

His eyes meet hers, hope lighting his face up. "Promise?" 

Rey kisses him. "Promise." 

___

"So, why were you at your boss's house?" She can practically see the wiggling brows on her friend's face, even if they're talking on the phone. 

"It's a long story," she says, looking down at a sleeping Ben draped over her body. They'd moved their activities to the nest room, they'd barely left it since his rut began the day before. Sometimes he would wake up and go to the kitchen to fix them something to eat, his alpha nature much stronger during the rut, urging him to provide for his mate—who was technically not his mate, but close enough. 

"I have time," Finn quipped, cutting through her line of thought. "Spill the tea, sis." 

She laughed, fingers playing with Ben's hair. "Well, it all started when you left Babi with me on Thursday…"

Chapter Text

It's going to be the first heat they'll spend together. Ben's rut ended not a week ago and here she is, having to take the dreaded break from her suppressants to let her heat take its course. 

"It might trigger another rut," she tells him, looking down at the empty suppressants pill bottle. 

Her boyfriend's arms wrap around her, pulling her into a very needed hug. She buries her nose in his shirt, sniffing his scent and allowing it to calm her down. Heats have always been hard for her, especially because she spent most of them alone with only a sex toy for company. 

Now she has a boyfriend, but it's still a daunting thing. She's never had heat sex before—she never wanted to, the thought of letting someone see her at her most vulnerable scares her. Plus, she's pretty sure that she must look horrendous during her heats; all sweaty and needy, not sexy at all. But Ben wants to be there for her, so she'll let him. 

"I don't mind," he says, kissing her cheek. 

They had gone to the mall and bought some stuff for the nest room, new blankets and pillows and a couple of plushies for the sleeping pit. Rey arranged a picture of Babi and put it on a frame above the dresser, she smiled at it then and thought to herself that one day she'll line the top of that dresser with pictures of babies. Her babies. 

But she's only been dating Ben for a couple of days, they have literally only gone on one official date. They have plenty of time. 

The heat leave papers are signed, Ben signing his name on the partner's line and taking his own leave from work. They'll have to work that out, Rey doesn't think his boss is happy about their new relationship, in fact, she's pretty sure she's heard Snoke screaming at Ben through the phone when he'd called to take his rut leave. 

She brought it up to Ben, but he'd just shook his head and told her not to worry about it. It was hard not to though, especially if his stability at work was in jeopardy because of her. When she'd told him that, he pulled her in for a kiss and told her he didn't mind losing his job if it meant he got to keep her. Of course she blew him after that. 

It's no surprise that the sex is great, she has no idea where Ben learned all the clever things he does with his hands and mouth but she's very glad for it. His cock is for sure the biggest one she's ever seen or had inside her—not that she's had many sexual partners before him to compare—and whenever she feels it getting hard when she's laying on his lap or cuddling on bed, she promptly takes care of it for him. 

Finn and Poe want to meet Ben to thank him for taking care of "their girls", Rey already told them she'll set up a brunch date whenever their schedules allow for it. Which it won't for a while seeing that her heat is just around the corner and she'll be a mess for four days. 

Her contraceptive shot is still working, she makes sure to check in with the doctor when she goes to take the prescription for her next dose of suppressants, which means that she won't have to worry about any accidents. 

Everything is set up her ready for her heat, snacks line up the cupboards of Ben's kitchen, ice cream sits on the freezer, cozy clothes wrap her in a warm bundle and her boyfriend makes a list of romantic movies they could watch while they wait for the inevitable moment her body will turn into a horny mess. 

Her foot is on his lap, his hands massaging it while a generic insta-love story plays out on the flat screen of his living room. Rey can already feel the telltale signs of her heat creeping up to her, like the hypersensitivity to touch or her sense of smell being heightened. Ben's spent is like a dose of endorphins straight to her veins, she smiles contentedly and snuggles deeper into the couch cushions. 

Then, the first cramp comes. 

"Fuck," she breathes, bringing a hand to her lower abdomen. "It's starting." 

Ben pulls her other foot into his lap, giving attention to that one now. All the while Rey's body starts reaching to his touch by producing slick. They've prepared for that too, covering the couch with a crinkly plastic cover and lining the mattress with the same thing before putting tons of blankets atop to make it more comfortable. Rey doesn't even want to think about the amount of laundry they'll have after this, but Ben assured her she shouldn't worry about it much less be ashamed of her body's natural fluids. 

"It means you're healthy," he had said, putting an end to her worries. 

Now, she feels the slick slowly drip into her sweat shorts—she's not wearing underwear because what was the point of putting it on if she'll only take it off—and soon it will form a wet spot between her legs. Ben's nostrils flare once, his grip on her foot tightening just a smidge. 

He continues to give her a massage, hands trailing up her ankles and calves, kneading the skin of her thighs. Somewhere along the lines this has gone from innocent to sexual and now he's climbing over her, hands tugging down her shorts only to throw it over his shoulder. A giggle escapes her, arms going around his neck to pull him into a kiss. 

"Will you take care of me, alpha?" Rey has no idea where this came from, probably from the deepest recesses of her omega hindbrain. Ben's eyes darken, his grip tightening around her waist. 

"Yes, omega." It's her answer before his lips crash against her. 

At this point they've kissed more than enough times already, but she's still surprised by his skill and ability to make her thoughts scatter whenever their tongues are touching. His scent spikes, arousal mingling with the comforting smell of him, and she wraps her legs around his hips to push their groins closer together. She's happy to feel hardness meeting her cunt, still clothed, but exactly where it needs to be. 

"Please," she says, tugging on his sweatpants. "I want it." 

He growls, nibbling her ear. Then, his cockhead is pushing its way inside and she mewls her approval, nails digging into Ben's shoulder blades. His back undulates under her touch, his movements just as erotic as what they're doing, she loves to watch his back muscles moving whenever he's working himself in and out of her. Rey trails a finger down his spine, feeling him pick up his pace. 

Ben moans and nips at the skin of her neck, keeping a safe distance from the mating gland. They'd agreed she'd only wear the chastity collar if his rut was triggered, but if not she'd remain collarless because frankly it isn't nice to have a strap of leather wrapped around your throat.

Rey pushes him off her only to straddle him on the couch, using the backrest's support to hold her weight as she mindlessly rides her boyfriend's dick into oblivion. By the time she comes, he's already popping his knot and they stay there together in companionable silence until the cramps start again and they go for round two. 

At some point in the night, Ben turns off the TV and carries her to the nest room where she promptly fusses over the state of the blankets and pillows until she arranges them in a way that feels just right. At her expectant look, Ben says, "It looks perfect, sweetheart. Is that for us?" 

She nods, patting the empty spot beside her on the nest. He enters the sleeping pit, careful not to mess up her careful work, and lays down next to her. Rey plants kisses on his face, starting with his forehead and going down his nose, peppering his cheeks with it and finally landing on his mouth. His hand is holding the back of her head gently, a sweet and tender atmosphere hanging around them until her hand finds his cock and starts pumping it. 

Ben moans, tightening his hold on her hair. "Naughty," he breathes, throwing his head back. She smiles, kissing his mating gland. 

When he's rock hard and ready, she slides his dick into her and rides him again. Her omega apparently likes being on top and having her alpha look up at her with dreamy eyes, she preens when his hands knead her breasts, words of praise falling from his mouth. "So good for me," he murmurs, "so soft and warm." 

Rey loses count of how many times they have sex, her stomach rumbles after many rounds of it and Ben is out of their nest in one second, he hurries out of the room butt naked only to return moments later with snacks and water bottles. They eat while they talk, a blessed moment of clarity in the middle of her heat frenzy, but when they're done she's already under her omega's influence again, pushing on Ben's chest and going down on him while simultaneously pushing her cunt on his face. 

They go to sleep panting and sweaty, her legs wobbly from all the orgasms. 

Ben wakes her up in the middle of the night, the chastity collar in his hand. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. But I think you'll need to put this on." 

She reluctantly puts it on, locking the collar and hiding the key in the bathroom cabinet so he won't be tempted to open it. Rey notes down where she put the key on a post-it and sticks it on her purse, turning it to face the wall so Ben won't see it. When she's back in the nest room, the blankets and pillows have been rearranged by him. 

"I made it even fluffier for you," he tells her, nervously looking up at her from where he lays on the sleeping pit. 

Rey smiles. "It's even more perfect, thank you." 

If her omega likes being on top, she will simply need to deal with Ben's alpha and his utter need to pump into her while she lays on her back. They snarl and nip at each other, battling for dominance on bed and Ben usually wins, except for the times she feels like he purposefully lets her get on top. 

He's a much more attentive lover in his rut giving that his needs are now the same as hers, his hands are practically always touching her; bringing her to climax with their clever movements or massaging her sore limbs or just caressing her sensitive skin when they're locked together by his knot. 

The first and second day are much of the same, but it's on the third day that Ben's alpha seems to take the reins for most of the sex they have. She's on her back a lot, his teeth bite her breasts in the absence of skin to nip at her neck, his thrusts are deliciously aggressive and his groans are pure porn to her ears. Her omega is practically glowing from all the attention, she whimpers and licks his mating gland and does everything to be good for him. 

"I want to mount you," he says when they're done with yet another round of mind-blowing sex. Rey's in a rare moment of clarity, fingers trailing circles over his chest, but apparently he's still very much being controlled by his alpha urges. 

"Okay," she tells him. 

They never tried that position, it's a very vulnerable state to be in. Especially for an omega in heat. She knows the leather strap will protect her mating gland from a bite, but it's still a bit unnerving to have him mount her like an animal. To not look at his face while he languidly strokes her inside with his cock. 

She gets on her hands and knees, the blankets are a soft and welcome presence against her skin. Ben grips her hips from behind, kneading the globes of her ass before thrusting deep. She wails, clutching the blanket closest to her. This angle is... everything . 

His chest presses against her back as he pumps into her, his pace a frenetic speed that only serves to push her faster into a climax. Rey unbelievably comes so quickly she sees white dots on her sight, Ben's thrusts have not stopped or slowed down and she's suspecting she might come again sooner than expected. 

"D'you like your alpha's cock?" He groans against her ear, licking and nibbling at it. "Like when I mount you?" 

"Y-yes," she moans. 

"I'm gonna pump you so full of cum, omega," he snarls, skin hitting skin. "You'll be heavy with my pups." 

She whimpers, shutting her eyes at how good it feels. It's almost unreal. When she does it, she can see the imaginary pup—black hair like their father's and freckles like hers. It makes her cry. She wants that so much. 

"Please," she begs, not even knowing what for. "Please, yes, please." 

Ben grunts, knot snagging into her cunt walls and cum painting her insides white. She moans, milking him of every last drop of it. 

They cuddle together, him wiping her tears away and murmuring apologies if he was too aggressive. She assures him it's nothing of the sort and tells him about the little baby with stark dark hair she saw in her mind's eye. 

"One day," he says, kissing the tip of her nose. 

She smiles, kissing him on the lips. "Promise?"

"Promise." 

___

ONE YEAR LATER...

Ben kicked the door to his house open and carried her inside like the newlywed bride she was. They were both smiling from ear to ear, stupidly happy for finally having officiated their relationship in the eye's of the law. 

Not that they hadn't been doing everything a husband and wife did before; Rey had moved in a couple of months into their relationship and soon little bits and pieces of her own personality started showing in his house— their house now. Their house for a while. 

They'd gotten married at court in a small ceremony where just his parents, poe and finn were present. Despite his shaky relationship with Han and Leia, they were there and thanks to Rey's gentle probing the bond between son and parents was slowly being rebuilt. 

Their jobs didn't survive their relationship, Snoke put an ultimatum on Ben—break up and keep your pockets lined with money or get out, claiming he would be distracted by Rey. He'd chosen to quit and Rey followed in his footsteps. It wasn't hard for Ben to find another job, he was good at what he did and had made a name for himself in their city. 

Rey decided she wanted to pursue an education and enrolled in online classes for a business degree. They had their little life all planned out before them, and the nursery room would remain empty for a few more years. 

But there was something they could anticipate. The mating bite. 

During her heats and his ruts they'd always been careful to use the chastity collar when necessary, though lately they'd been a bit less worried about a bite since both of them couldn't see a future without the other anyway. 

They'd waited to do it though, and it seemed fitting that it happened during their wedding night.

Ben practically tore her 50's style knee length white dress, which earned him a glare and light scolding from the woman wearing it. "This is Dior you're handling, have some respect." 

He laughed, kissing her neck. "I thought your name was Rey." 

She lightly slapped his arm, chuckling as well. "Idiot." 

As much as he loved to engage in friendly banter with her, now was not the time. His growing erection pressed into the folds of her dress, an article of clothing that would look rather dashing on his living room's floor. 

He expressed such sentiments to his wife but she told him not to dare. So he took her in a caveman's hold and dragged her cute ass upstairs, where he plopped her down on their bed. 

"Let's get you out of it," he said, hands already working on the buttons down the back. Rey couldn't stop giggling and kissing his cheek and neck, certainly leaving bright red lipstick stains on his skin. 

When the dress was officially off, he took the care to drape it over the chair in front of Rey's vanity table so she wouldn't rip his balls off for wrinkling her precious Dior. He took the opportunity to shrug off his suit jacket and shoes, then started working on the tie as Rey spread herself on the bed. 

She was wearing a sexy one-piece lingerie in his favorite color, red like the smudged lipstick of her lips. Every time he looked at her, he was stunned by her beauty and right now he was positive he could kneel by the foot of the bed and eat her out for eternity if she asked him to. 

"Fuck, you look hot." 

Rey kicked her legs up playfully. "You have such a way with words, my love." 

Ben smirked, getting into bed with her. "Only around you, sweetheart." 

She giggled. "I feel special." 

"You are," he said, then kissed her on the lips. "I love you." 

"I know." 

"And?" He promoted, poking her in the ribs. 

She laughed, snapping his fingers away. " And I guess I love you too." 

He hummed, lowering his fingers to where her cunt was barely covered by the lace of her lingerie. "What would make you sure, omega?" 

Her breath hitched at his use of her designation. She always did that, and it never failed to drive him crazy. The smell of her arousal gently filled the room, making his smirk grow even bigger. 

"I don't know," she kept a straight face even as his fingers found their way inside her cunt, dragging in and out of her. "Maybe you could give me some ideas?" 

Ben pretended to think it over, using his free hand to stroke his cheek. "I have a couple in mind." 

Rey moaned, eyes fluttering closed as he picked up the pace. "P-please share." 

He leaned over her, kissing the tip of her nose. "I'd rather show you." 

Her slick was all over his hand now, warm and fragrant making his mind dizzy with lust. He needed a taste, just a quick thing before he could even think about burying his cock inside her. 

She moaned and keened for him as he went down on her, thighs squeezing his head and feet pushing down on his back. His own hands were kneading her firm breasts over the material of her lingerie. 

When he felt her cum on his tongue, Ben slowly dragged himself up her body and kissed her with her taste still in his mouth. She sighed into the kiss, nails digging into his back. 

"I need you to fuck me, alpha." 

He rumbled an assent, voice gravelly and words lost to him, it probably sounded more like a growl than anything else. Her lingerie was gone in a second, the beautiful piece looked sexy as hell in his wife but nothing would beat feeling her bare skin against his as their bodies molded together in pleasure. 

Twin moans escaped their lips as he nudged the head of his cock in her cunt, her walls welcoming him in a warm and tight hug that never failed to rob him of breath. 

"I swear you feel better every time," he said, giving a few tentative strokes. 

She smiled, pushing some of his hair behind his ears. "Less talking, more fucking." 

And Ben was nothing but an obedient husband. 

Their fucking escalated into a frenetic speed, Rey's cries mingled with his own groans of pleasure as they both reached for their climaxes. She dug her fingers on his ass, urging him to go deeper, faster. 

"Bite me," she whimpered. His cock twitched inside her, the more animal side of his brain taking the reins for a moment. 

He slipped out of her, but her little cry of protest was barely heard over the jumbled mess that were his thoughts bite bite bite mate mate mate . He could feel his rational side giving way to the animal, completely falling back on his instincts. Ben flipped Rey onto her belly, she immediately arched her back, sticking her butt in the air. 

"Good omega," he whispered, pulling her hips closer to his groin. "So needy for my cock." 

"Yes," she breathed. "Yes, alpha." 

His nose found its way to her hair, pulling in lungfuls of her scent. As he sheathed himself back into her waiting cunt, he slid his nose to the little gland on her neck where her scent was the sweetest. 

He started with gentle strokes, then picked up the pace as more and more of his lust clouded his vision. Rey felt pliant under him, utterly responsive to every touch and stroke. It wasn't long before his mouth found its way to the precious little spot at her neck. 

Her mating gland. 

It was angry red, begging for attention, pulsing with blood. 

Ben licked it, making Rey keen loudly. "YES!" 

He licked it again, suckling on it as if it was one of her sweet tits. She kept swearing and moaning under him, her cunt walls fluttering around his cock in a telltale sign that she was close to release. 

His teeth sunk into her mating gland as soon as he could feel her cumming, amplifying her pleasure and reaching his own as a rush of endorphins entered his bloodstream and his knot snagged into place. 

They shared their climax for a couple of seconds, him mounting her in the animalistic way all alphas claimed their omegas in the past. He hated that he couldn't see her face, but they had gotten used to cuddling in this position while waiting for his knot to go down. 

Rey's fingers lightly traced patterns over his arm.

"I love you," she said quietly into the room. 

Ben touched his lips to her temple, hugging her closer to his chest. "I know." 

___

FIVE YEARS LATER...

Rey stared at the pregnancy test in her hands. 

There were no words to describe her joy. Ben would absolutely freak out—in the good way. They'd been trying for a while now, ever since Rey got established on her new job and Ben had earned that promotion, they could even start planning on buying that new house they'd been flirting with in the suburbs. 

A new start for a budding family. 

But it seemed like they'd need to push back on that plan for a little while, at least until the pup arrived. Rey brought a hand to her still flat stomach. 

She needed to surprise Ben. 

With the experience of someone who'd watched countless videos on YouTube of women surprising their husbands with pregnancy reveals, Rey took her car keys and went out to buy some essential items. 

She stopped at a shop that sold baby's clothing, opting for a pale blue onesie and a white pair of shoes so small they fit on the palm of her hand. She had to wipe countless tears of joy as she carefully arranged the pregnancy test inside a gift box, the onesie folded over it and the shoes resting atop it all. Then, she wrapped it all with a bow and waited for Ben at the living room couch. 

It didn't take long for him to arrive, smiling over his shoulder at her as he closed the front door. "Hi, gorgeous." 

Rey smiled. "I have a surprise for you." 

He cocked one eyebrow, looking at the gift box in her lap. "It's not my birthday," he said. 

"I know." 

"What's this?" He pointed at the gift with suspicion. 

"Open it." 

Ben sat on the empty spot next to her, loosening his tie and kicking off his shoes as she placed the gift on his lap. He gave her a funny look, but obediently started working on the bow. 

She kept her eyes trained on his face as he opened the box and saw the moment that confusion gave way to surprise, then his eyes snapped to hers. "No way." 

Rey nudged him on the ribs. "Keep going." 

Her husband's massive hands took the baby shoes out of the box, they looked even smaller in his palm. His eyes studied the onesie next, pulling it out of the box only to uncover the pregnancy test. 

He dropped the things back on the box, putting it aside. For a brief moment she thought he didn't like it, that he wasn't happy with the news—but they'd been planning it...then, when he turned his attention back to her she could see tears lining his soft brown eyes. Her own heart sang at the sight of this big man, her alpha, reduced to tears over the fact that they'd be having a pup. 

"Please tell me this is not a prank," he said, hands going to her belly. 

She laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "It's not." 

Ben's mouth closed over hers, gently prying her lips apart for his tongue to meet with hers. She would never tire of kissing him. They would be old and gray and she'd still swoon like a teenage girl whenever his lips met her own. 

"A pup , Rey," he said with a big smile on his face after they broke away from the kiss for some air. "The nursery will finally be in use again." 

It had been years since Babi had slept in that same nursery. She was a cute little girl now, too big for cribs and slept on a toddler bed bought specifically for her and placed on a guest room they had modeled for her when they needed to babysit for Finn and Poe. After all, she was Rey's goddaughter and the catalyst to Ben and Rey's romantic relationship. She'd always have a place in their home and in their hearts. 

But this was their pup, one he had put in her belly.

"I love you so much," he told her, kissing her lips once more. Then, looking down at her belly, he said, "And you too, little pup." 

Rey laughed, stroking his cheek. "Thank you." 

"I should be thanking you, sweetheart." He took her hand and kissed her palm, closing his eyes to stave off more tears. "You breathed life back into my sad little existence, you gave me love and a purpose. You chose me to be your mate and now you're choosing me to be your pup's father." Ben shook his head, locking eyes with her. "Thank you , Rey, for loving me." 

Her eyes softened and her heart skipped a few beats at his confession of love. "You make me the happiest omega alive." 

"And I'm the happiest alpha because of you." 

Rey climbed on his lap, wrapping her arms and legs around him. "Then I guess we're even." 

He smirked, hands feeling down her back and closing around her ass. "I guess we are." 

"Now take me upstairs and fuck me into the mattress, Ben Solo," she said in a light tone, as if she was asking him to take her out for dinner. 

He chuckled, already standing up from the couch with her wrapped around him like a little monkey. "As you wish, Mrs. Solo." 

♡ THE END ♡