The Other Trainee - A Ben Solo Story

Lets see how you can move

The next few days at the temple were pretty standard. Nothing special really happened. You didn't see much of Ben either. Only briefly in training classes. You'd come to learn he didn't eat with the rest of you either. Very rarely anyway. Marla said he didn't really talk to many people. That lately he had been more distant with the other students. You were becoming afraid that he had forgotten you, that you were going to become just a student he never speaks to, like the rest. You didn't want that to happen. Sure you had Marla, but you didn't want to lose him. There was something between you and Ben. You knew it. You could feel it. And you were sure he did to. You hoped he did anyway.

You got dressed ready for training and started making your way to the temple, meeting Marla half way there and another guy called Mason who was nice enough. Him and Marla seemed pretty close. You hadn't really talked to Marla about Ben. Something about what you and him were {not that you were anything} seemed like it should be kept between you and him. That's probably a bad sign right? You headed into the great hall with Marla and Mason, quickly glancing round the room for him, but you couldn't find him anywhere, so you made your way to an empty space at the back of the hall. Luke began talking and explained that today was an extension of yesterday's fight training, which Ben was absent from. Luke talked for a while, seemed like longer than it was, and instructed you all to pair up. You looked around, seeing all the other students pairing up, and starting to make their way to the fight training room. You tried to follow but Luke stopped you, and asked you to speak with him for a moment. {shit shit shit shit shit}

"Y/N." Luke exclaimed. You nodded nervously, walking slowly towards him. You stood in front of him and he looked you up and down, then right into your eyes. Then he smiled, kindly, softly almost,
"How have you been finding it here?" He said politely.
"W-what?" You were taken a back. You didn't think he'd ask you that at all. He looked at you. "Well, I'm um, I, like it, here." You sputtered out.
"You, like it?" He said, confused at your brief statement.
"Yeah, I guess," you smiled, "I, um, I like the beach. I go for a run there every day."
"Mmm, that's good, but how are you finding the training?" He said gently. You paused. Swallowed the lump in your throat.
"It's hard. And, I miss my parents." Luke nodded and considered you for a moment.
"Y/N, I took a risk admitting you to my training, and I see potential in you. You have talent, clearly. I think you just need to focus. To.. try, can you do that?" You took a breath. Nodded.
"Yes. I can, I can do that." Luke smiled, patted your shoulder and walked out of the room. You were left standing in the hall. Your head started pounding. Spinning. You really just wanted to run out of the room and leave. You couldn't do this. You weren't going to be able to do this. You wanted to go home. You couldn't-

"New girl?" You turned your head to the doorway of the hall. Ben was there. Ben was standing there. Looking at you. Your breathing became heavy. Your whole body lit up. He was there. He was standing there. He looked, beautiful. But tired. Half of his hair was tied back, a few stray pieces framing his face. He started making his way towards you. Slowly. "What you doing standing there all by yourself?" He was getting closer to you. He stopped a few metres from you. "You okay?" He looked concerned. Like, for real. Concerned. Worried. "What's wrong?" You opened your mouth to speak but nothing came out. Ben studied you. Looked deep into your eyes. Your breathing was getting more and more out of control. You looked away from him, down at your feet.
"Y/N?" Tears started to build in your eyes. You had no idea what had bought this on, you were fine a second ago and now it all felt like it was too much. You were getting too, close? Attached? You didn't know how to describe it but you were too much of whatever it was to Ben, and you were rubbish at the training and you just couldn't breathe or think or-

"Hey, hey hey, shhh, it's okay. I'm here" Ben had walked right up close to you. He was taking your hands into his and a shot of electricity shot up your spine from his touch. You looked up at him. "It's okay. I'm here. I'm here. Just breathe, I need you to breathe. Can you do that for me?" He knelt down in front of you, but he still felt so tall compared to you. You looked into his eyes and nodded. Trying to slow your breathing, he was doing the same, helping you get into a rythm. You started to calm down, to relax a little. He was here. Ben was here.

"There you go. You're okay. I'm here." Ben smiled at you softly, concern still prominent in his eyes. He looked towards the door then back at you. "You gonna be okay here on your own? I'll be back in two seconds, I promise." You nodded, he squeezed your hands then stood up, jogged towards the door and left the room. You stayed there. Trying to stay calm. Trying not to cry any more than you were.

It had been less than a minute and you already were wishing Ben would come back. You wanted him there, it had been days since you'd seen him. You wanted him to come back. You looked towards the door, seconds later Ben was there, walking back to you. A huge feeling of relief washed over you. He took your hand again,

"Come on." He nodded his head towards the door and started leading you that way.
"Where are we going?" You asked. He slowed his pace right down. You might as well just be standing still.
"We're going to do the fight training." You sighed.
"Really?" You didn't feel up to it. "I hated yesterday's session."
"Well that's just because you weren't partnered with me new girl." He winked at you. You smiled softly. Then, in the back of your head again, you heard 'you're going to be okay. I'm not going anywhere'
You looked at him and smiled, tears filling your eyes a little. He squeezed your hand a little, letting you know he was still there. "I'm gonna show you how to actually get something out of fight training, I think you need it."

He lead you into the fight training room, it was a little bigger than the hall, the floor was made of mats. There was some exercise things dotted around the edges of the room. {exercise things? Weren't you the fitness geek} everyone was already paired up, with Luke standing at the front giving another speech. You and Ben snuck in at the back and found a space in the corner, kind of away from everyone else, he had let go of your hand as you'd entered the room. You both stood facing the front about a foot away from each other, listening to Luke's very very long speech. Once he'd finally finished and given everyone instructions, you and Ben stood to face each other. God he was pretty.

"Okay new girl, let's see how you can move." You felt and entire shockwave go through your body, one that couldn't have been natural, Ben smirked at you and you shook your head, rolling your eyes slightly. {cheeky bastard} Ben laughed a little, "okay okay, seriously though. Firstly, forget everything Luke said" Before he could finish his sentence you cut him off-
"What? Forget everything Jedi master Luke Skywalker just said and instructed us to do?"
"Damn, don't tell me you're a teachers pet." Ben said with a grin.
"Ha ha very funny. Seriously what are you talking about?" Ben smiled, a genuine smile this time, not a cheeky smirk.
"Look I've been here a while now, and my mother had thought me a lot about the force and the Jedi before I even came here, and yeah Luke's great and smart and wise or whatever, but his methods and ways don't work for everyone. Especially me, and from what I can tell so far, they're not gonna be for you either." Why was he so hot when saying a long sentence?
"Okay.. so what are your methods Solo?" You asked. His eyes darted to yours when you said his last name. He stopped and smiled.
"Well, my methods are, you do exactly as I say." As he said it, he stopped all his movements, his face went blank and he stared right at you, looking you up and down slightly. Your heart skipped a beat. Well, it felt like about 10 beats. You inhaled deeply, let out a long sigh, keeping eye contact with him, with Ben Solo. You grinned.
"Tell me what to do then Solo." He grinned back.

Ben was right. He knew his shit. Everything he told you to do made so much more sense than what Luke had been saying. He helped you channel the force to help with fighting. He even got you to start channelling your emotions into it, it made you feel powerful. Strong. You kind of loved it. He was good at the fighting. Very good. But he never hurt you not once, always checking he hadn't bruised or cut you in anyway. It was fun. Really fun. He walked you back to your quarters, asked if you were feeling better, which you were, thanks to him. And told you how he was always there if you needed anything. You thanked him, he smiled and made his way back to his own quarters. Lesson had run over and it was starting to get dark already. You ate dinner with Marla, Ben didn't show as per usual. Then a few hours later you headed down to the beach for a run. Once you were finished you sat on the sand a few meters from the waters edge, watching the waves come in and out. You started to think about your parents, about home, and you found yourself starting to cry. For no real reason, just tears, falling down over your cheeks. Despite Ben making you feel better it was still all too much. Everything was too much. And you weren't enough for it. You wanted to see your parents. You wanted them back. You wanted to see Ben, you wanted to talk to him-

"Y/N?" Your head shot around and Ben was standing at the bottom of the pathway down the cliff, staring at you. Ben was here. Ben Solo was here. He was with you again. He walked over to you, sat down next you. "What's wrong?" You looked at him. Right into his eyes. Hesitated before speaking, and then he wiped away a tear from your face. So you spoke.