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A vicious storm had been battering the base for days, so the first sight of the sunlight sent the rebels all but tripping over each other to get outside. Not one to stay still for long, Rose found Rey and asked if she wanted to go explore the planet they’d found themselves on. It was full of colorful plant life with plenty of small coves and hideaways that Rey couldn’t wait to see so she readily accepted and, after telling Finn what direction they were headed, set off to get the lay of the land.
They weren’t out but a few hours when the clouds and wind returned, setting Rey on edge. Something about the weather just seemed wrong, like they needed to find shelter quickly. Everything in her was telling her to turn back, but Rose begged her to stay out just a little while longer; against her better judgement, Rey accepted. The moment the rain started, Rey looked up and heeded the foreboding feeling that’d been getting worse as the minutes dragged on. She grabbed Rose’s hand and bolted just as a flash of lightning tore across the sky.
They had run for over a mile when they finally burst out of the trees and could see the base in the distance. “Thank the Maker for bright lights” Rey thought to herself as she and Rose fought to keep upright in the mud. As they neared the base, the doors opened for them and they literally slid back in, falling to the floor the moment they were through. They hadn’t had a moment to catch their breath before Finn and Poe were upon them, yelling at the top of their lungs.
“Rose, are you okay?!” “Are you insane?!” “What if you’d gotten stranded out there?!” “Why you didn’t you take a comm with you?!” “You saw the clouds, why didn’t you come back then?!” “You’re the last Jedi, you’ve got to have more common sense than that! We need you to take down Kylo Ren!” “Doesn’t the Force give you some warning before you pull dumb shit like that?!” “What if Rose had gotten hurt, Rey?!” Their voices overlapped and Rose and Rey didn’t make eye contact with either of them or each other as they were pulled off their feet and led to the mess hall where they were given cups of hot caf. When the boys had finished their scolding, Rey went to her room, leaving Rose to cuddle with Poe under the oversized towel he’d gone and gotten her while Poe had chewed Rey out further for being irresponsible.
Willing herself not to cry the entire way there, when Rey finally entered her quarters, she let her guard down and cried. She was in pain, shaky and exhausted; it was all she could do to drag herself to her fresher and take a quick shower. She had just curled up under her blankets, letting the last of her tears fall when the sound stopped in the room. Looking around, she found him at the end of her bed. His hair damp and straggly, wearing loose black pajama pants and a gray t-shirt, looking down at her with something that seemed like worry etched on his face. “Are you alright? I felt your pain and anger, what happened?” he asked quietly.
The mere sound of concern in his voice made her tears begin anew. She could’ve laughed at how taken aback he suddenly looked if she weren’t wallowing in her misery. “I’m sorry for crying. Rose and I got caught in a bad storm today and even though I wanted to turn back before it hit, I got blamed for putting Rose in danger. They didn’t even ask if I was okay.” Her last words were whispered but punctuated by quick memories that Ben could see play out, including the last where Poe left Rey feeling guilty and dripping on the floor while Rose was being wrapped in a towel, hugged close by Finn. He didn’t need any further explanation.
“But it doesn’t matter, I’ll be okay. You don’t have to pretend like you care, Kylo Ren!” she said, trying to put some malice into her voice though it was exceedingly obvious she didn’t feel that way. Ben made a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat to let her know he heard her and moved away. Rey, now wiping her face with the end of her pillowcase, watched as he walked over to the other side of the room, grabbing a pillow and a blanket. She assumed it was in a closet or something she couldn’t see. He looked down at her thoughtfully and quirked an eyebrow up at her, as if to ask, “May I?” to which she lifted her head and nodded.
He set the pillow down over top of hers and spread the blanket out over her. Then, to her surprise, lifted the blankets and lay beside her before pulling her in and holding her tight. “It’s okay to want to be cared for, sweetheart. She may have the trai… Finn... but you’ve got me. You’ll always have me. I promise.” he spoke in a low tone, directly into her ear making her shiver with an emotion she refused to name.
Her immediate instinct was to push him away and fight him, but then the heat from his body encompassing hers sank through her nightshirt and it instantly melted away any animosity she may have felt about the situation. She smiled to herself and buried into the pillow he’d given her to hide the blush she knew he’d be able to feel through the bond, only to be immersed in his scent. “Stars, this is from his bed!” she thought as she shamelessly nuzzled her face further into the pillow.
Suddenly she heard a chuckle behind her. “You’re going to suffocate yourself. I promise it’s not going anywhere.” She would’ve jumped if his arms didn’t tighten around her at that same moment, giving her a hug. “And neither am I” he whispered into her hair.
She sighed happily, wanting nothing more than to stay here with him for the rest of her days. No sadness, no pain, no war, nothing. She pulled her arms out from her little cocoon of blankets and held her hands out. She let out a relieved sigh for the shaking had stopped and while her feet and ankles were still a little sore, it was nothing compared to earlier. Feeling Ben’s sense of calm and sheer joy through the bond, she snuggled back in and let herself be selfish, just for a moment. “He’s right. Rose may have Finn, but she’ll never have this” she thought as Ben’s soft snoring started up behind her. With a sleepy smile, she sent a prayer of thanks to the Force for allowing them this time together as she too drifted off to sleep.