Work Text:
Rey squeezes her eyes shut, wishing and hoping against everything that both her problems would vanish into thin air the moment her eyelids fluttered open. Yet the pain in her lower abdomen persists, and the annoying visage of the Supreme Leader remains right in her line of sight. Growling, Rey sneers before turning on her now-crowded bunk, her back exposed to an enemy of the Resistance. She feels his hesitation, his hurt at her cold greeting. But how can she feel bad after all that he’s done to them...to her?
Ben calls out her name, attempting to get her to face him. She remains turned from him with great effort, the sound of her name falling from his lips nearly wiping away her righteous anger. Instead Rey stares deep holes into the walls of the old Corellian freighter.
“I wish you would talk to me, even if it was just to yell at me,” he whispers, his fingertips millimeters away from the flesh on her back.
Oh how her skin sings for him, craves and begs for his touch whenever he’s near. She wants for nothing more than to lean into Ben’s hands, comforted and held by the one person in the galaxy that truly understands her. Rey’s held on the last few months, always denying him the attention he so desperately craves. But tonight’s proving difficult.
Her monthly cycles, now regularly and frequently appearing due to a consistent food diet, bring with them sharp pangs of discomfort. At first she didn’t know what they were, afraid she was dying from something she ate. Until Rose explained what she was experiencing, Rey sincerely believed she would die. She found nothing quite helped the pain but a massage and a heated pad resting atop the aching muscles. Tonight the cramps ache more than usual, and with Ben so close she wants to lean into his large, warm hands that are so near to her.
“I want to yell at you, trust me. But people are sleeping,” she answer snarkily, rolling her eyes. Thought it would dangerous for him to see her surroundings, Rey wishes he could just so that he’d know when not to say stupid things that would irritate her further.
Rey gulps, shutting her eyelids as memories of firelit hut dance through her mind as she feels his hand shift position. Shrinking into herself further, she pulls the thin blanket tighter around her slim shoulders. Another layer between her and him.
Cold, recycled air filters it’s way in through the ventilation system somewhere above their heads, sending a shiver down her spine. A sharp pang in her stomach nearly causes Rey to bolt upright. A muffled groan slips past her lips, hanging loud and clear in the air of the shared sleeping quarters. Luckily no one wakes up tonight although a few bodies stir in the semi-darkness.
The enemy besides her stiffens with worry, his ungloved hand firmly resting on Rey’s bicep. She wants to shrug it off in disgust, but the comfort of his caress overwhelms and drunkens her. Another groan quietly slips past her lips.
“Rey, what’s wrong?” he asks, scooting closer towards her on the crowded bunk.
His body warmth attracts her own like a magnet, pulling her towards his broad chest to find relief. The body-to-body contact intensifies through the bond, somehow multiplying the physical sensation and transforming it into an emotional experience as well. The bond expands, content and relaxed and so different from the tense connection Rey had grown to know since she’d slam the gangplank door on Ben’s face. Is this what it’s supposed to be like? she wonders.
Without saying anything, Rey roughly grabs one of Ben’s huge hands. Pinching a large finger between two of her own, she brings his hand to rest on her lower abdomen. Over where she imagines her uterus is, to help massage away the cramps and the pain. Let him be helpful for something at least.
But of course he doesn’t understand, instead lays there stockstill with his hand spread across her belly. Rey almost rolls her eyes, but stops when she feels the intense emotions leaking through his end of the bond. Curious, she takes a peak; all she finds is a pinch of happiness, a spoon of confusion, and a whole cup of unworthiness.
Almost scoffing, Rey questions out loud, “Why in the Maker would you ever feel unworthy of touching me?”
“I don’t understand,” Ben says, pulling away his hand and his warmth. Growling, Rey puts him back into place. Securing him, she returns to spooning him.
A few moments of awkward silence passes between the two Force users, breaking only when Rey curls into herself for the third time in a handful of minutes. Sweat beads at her forehead, slowly trickling down her tanned skin. A shudder rocks through the former scavenger; she draws closer to Ben, tightly holding onto his hand as she firmly presses her eyes shut once more.
Taking a deep breath through her mouth, Rey simply states, “My cycle is rather bad this time around.”
Immediately understanding, Ben begins to gently knead at her lower abdomen. The painful cramps have Rey’s guts feeling twisted in a more intense way than usual, to the point where Ben expresses concern over the strength of them as his fingers hover over. He pulls his hand back.
“Just keep kneading,” Rey whispers through gritted teeth. She forces Ben’s hand back, holding it there by his wrist. The figure of Rose squirms in the bunk next to hers before settling into peaceful slumber again.
Ben does as told, the warmth and strength of his fingers slowly weaving a sleepy spell around Rey. Without thought, she turns to face him; a hand cups his cheek, briefly and softly brushing the pad of her thumb across his parted lips. The shocked expression is worth everything, the closest Rey’s ever seen Ben to actually smiling. At least she knows his lips work.
“You’re so beautiful,” she says sleepily, leaning closer towards him. Ben’s topaz eyes reflect his curiosity, his confusion, his fear as Rey slowly gets closer. Their foreheads touch as his fingers continue digging into the soft flesh of her belly, more physical contact anchoring them to one another.
Rey feels his mind stretching and expanding, exploring and settling within the crooks and crannies of her soul. Even the spots she does not know of yet, Ben is already there waiting for her. He’s seen more of her than even she has.
Their breathing begins evening out, a constant and steady flow of up and down. The familiarity, the consistency of it all works Rey towards exhaustion. The pain in her stomach lessens, the drowsiness nearly overtaking her. Miraculously, she manages to barely keep her lids open when the new day cycle begins.
Ben’s large arm looped around her waist, her fingers digging into the fabric of his sleep shirt. When she wakes up, they can go back to being enemies again. But for now, they find serenity in one another’s embrace.