the moon is not only beautiful
Title: the moon is not only beautiful
Summary: They divide the universe between one another.
Pairing: Ben/Ilana
Rating: PG
Word-Count: 700
Points: 7
Notes: For jjverse challenge 10: Big Bang.
Ben takes a moment to lay on his back, vulnerable as the position is. He half expects Ilana to fly at him again, gun blazing, that look in her eyes. When she does approach, his hand goes to the rifle at his side. Easy, she says. I…I’m not going to do anything. But no matter what happens, Ben is still Ben. And he would run out of hands before he could count how long it’s been since he trusted another human being.
She stretches out next to him. Behind them, the camp falls asleep. One by one, each member heads into a shelter, sleep drawing a curtain over them all. Ben thinks how this might be his bed for the night, beneath the stars, the smoke from the fire stretching out and into the skyline, beneath the horizon, into the sea. Above him, the stars beckon.
My father once gave me a star for my birthday, he murmurs, the memory coming back slowly. They were poor. It was before they came to the island. Ben was five. He and his father crawled onto the roof. Roger pointed to the sky and whispered, Pick one. This was before he became unbearable. Before life became too hard. Things were simpler when they were alone.
With people around, Roger got dangerous. It had always been that way.
You can’t give someone a star, Ilana says quietly, looking at him. Ben shrugs. How?
How do you give someone a star? She nods. Oh…well…do you want one? He sits up, looking at her. Ilana pushes herself onto her elbows, giving him a little grin. She nods. He used to tell me that…stars belonged to the universe. But we could all share them.
That’s nice.
He was a nice man…a long time ago. Ilana nods, understanding. Which one do you want? She sits up straight, crossing her legs and staring at the sky, contemplating each patch of stars, watching them closely, like they might shoot away before she can have one. Finally, she settles on a bright one and points.
That one. Ben looks at it closely and nods.
It’s yours. My gift, to you. Ilana giggles, a noise he never thought he’d hear from her. It’s almost silly, really, the way they’re laying in the sand, giving away the universe. She turns to him and whispers, Thank you. He shrugs. No really. No one’s ever given me a star before. Ben finds himself laughing along with her, their shoulders shaking and the whole world feeling like a joke to their ears. The wind blows through them, sending a chill down his spine. They both stand.
I suppose we should sleep. A logical statement. Forced into the natural space they’ve created between them. It feels right, this kinship. This divvying up of the heavens between them. Goodnight. He gives her a nod and turns to go. She calls his name quickly, rushing forward before he can leave her behind. Ben turns and meets her lips, feeling her arms wrap around him.
It’s been too long since he trusted someone. And too long since he kissed another. Since he kissed a woman. He remembers being young and pressing a mousy-headed girl against a tree, feeling her hands like Ilana’s, but hearing a different voice, calling her by a different name.
Ilana whispers quietly into his lips, mutterings of I’m sorry, I’m so, so, sorry. And he can only nod. Nod because he just wants her close and there and just wants, like he never has before. His hand flutters across her side, under her blouse. She gives a small groan, pulling him to the sand once more, straddling his waist. Resting her head on his chest.
Wow. She laughs that girlish giggle again. Amidst everything - Locke, the grave, Jacob - he finds her endearing. Not a day has passed since she tried to kill him. And yet, here he is, holding her to his chest. He leads her to the fire. Neither of them can stand to be covered by anything. Not a shelter, not a blanket. He lays down next to her, arms around her waist, lips pressed softly to the back of her head.
7 points
Summary: They divide the universe between one another.
Pairing: Ben/Ilana
Rating: PG
Word-Count: 700
Points: 7
Notes: For jjverse challenge 10: Big Bang.
Ben takes a moment to lay on his back, vulnerable as the position is. He half expects Ilana to fly at him again, gun blazing, that look in her eyes. When she does approach, his hand goes to the rifle at his side. Easy, she says. I…I’m not going to do anything. But no matter what happens, Ben is still Ben. And he would run out of hands before he could count how long it’s been since he trusted another human being.
She stretches out next to him. Behind them, the camp falls asleep. One by one, each member heads into a shelter, sleep drawing a curtain over them all. Ben thinks how this might be his bed for the night, beneath the stars, the smoke from the fire stretching out and into the skyline, beneath the horizon, into the sea. Above him, the stars beckon.
My father once gave me a star for my birthday, he murmurs, the memory coming back slowly. They were poor. It was before they came to the island. Ben was five. He and his father crawled onto the roof. Roger pointed to the sky and whispered, Pick one. This was before he became unbearable. Before life became too hard. Things were simpler when they were alone.
With people around, Roger got dangerous. It had always been that way.
You can’t give someone a star, Ilana says quietly, looking at him. Ben shrugs. How?
How do you give someone a star? She nods. Oh…well…do you want one? He sits up, looking at her. Ilana pushes herself onto her elbows, giving him a little grin. She nods. He used to tell me that…stars belonged to the universe. But we could all share them.
That’s nice.
He was a nice man…a long time ago. Ilana nods, understanding. Which one do you want? She sits up straight, crossing her legs and staring at the sky, contemplating each patch of stars, watching them closely, like they might shoot away before she can have one. Finally, she settles on a bright one and points.
That one. Ben looks at it closely and nods.
It’s yours. My gift, to you. Ilana giggles, a noise he never thought he’d hear from her. It’s almost silly, really, the way they’re laying in the sand, giving away the universe. She turns to him and whispers, Thank you. He shrugs. No really. No one’s ever given me a star before. Ben finds himself laughing along with her, their shoulders shaking and the whole world feeling like a joke to their ears. The wind blows through them, sending a chill down his spine. They both stand.
I suppose we should sleep. A logical statement. Forced into the natural space they’ve created between them. It feels right, this kinship. This divvying up of the heavens between them. Goodnight. He gives her a nod and turns to go. She calls his name quickly, rushing forward before he can leave her behind. Ben turns and meets her lips, feeling her arms wrap around him.
It’s been too long since he trusted someone. And too long since he kissed another. Since he kissed a woman. He remembers being young and pressing a mousy-headed girl against a tree, feeling her hands like Ilana’s, but hearing a different voice, calling her by a different name.
Ilana whispers quietly into his lips, mutterings of I’m sorry, I’m so, so, sorry. And he can only nod. Nod because he just wants her close and there and just wants, like he never has before. His hand flutters across her side, under her blouse. She gives a small groan, pulling him to the sand once more, straddling his waist. Resting her head on his chest.
Wow. She laughs that girlish giggle again. Amidst everything - Locke, the grave, Jacob - he finds her endearing. Not a day has passed since she tried to kill him. And yet, here he is, holding her to his chest. He leads her to the fire. Neither of them can stand to be covered by anything. Not a shelter, not a blanket. He lays down next to her, arms around her waist, lips pressed softly to the back of her head.
7 points