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It was the middle of Kylo’s sleep cycle when he was woken by a sudden chill in the room. He shifted groggily from his sleep, realizing he had kicked off most of the sheets over the course of what he had imagined was a bad dream. Thankfully, he couldn’t remember it, but he could only imagine the scenario that had plagued his mind. So many horrible things had happened that haunted him in his waking and sleeping hours, it was a wonder he ever slept at all.
As he lazily pulled the blankets over his body, he became aware of a presence--an avian creature in the process of making a nest. He had never seen anything like it before. It was small and had feathers that were sleek in parts and fluffy in others. Its impossibly large eyes closed as its sharp little teeth tugged at frayed bits of cloth. It was then that he became aware that the bond had opened.
This creature was wherever Rey happened to be. It was making its nest at the foot of her bed.
Glancing to his left, he took in her sleeping form. She had been fully dressed and wearing a poncho, covered in a threadbare blanket and shivering slightly. It occurred to him that wherever she was, she was freezing, hence the reason he felt a chill. It didn’t help that he opted to sleep nude. He covered himself more fully as she stirred awake.
“Oh, hello, Ben,” Rey murmured as she rolled towards him. She blinked her eyes a few times before jolting up. “Ben?!” Her tone became shocked, almost panicked as she realized they had connected while asleep.
“Relax, Rey, I’m not going to do anything,” he offered kindly. “I’m curious though, what the hell is that ?” he asked, pointing to the foot of the bed.
Rey followed his line of sight, and he felt her surprise through the bond as she realized it was the first time he was able to see something in her environment other than her. The creature continued building its nest, hardly fazed by Rey’s earlier jumpy reaction. Rey laughed softly, gracing Ben with a smile--one he had never seen before, and he wasn’t sure if it was directed at him or at the creature.
“That’s a porg. I can’t imagine you’ve ever seen one of them before. They’re all over the place here,” she explained, shifting slightly and leaning forward with an outstretched hand as the creature hopped towards her curiously.
“Where is here ?” Kylo asked with a smug grin, hoping she’d give away her location without realizing she had done so.
“Clever thought, but you know I can’t tell you that,” Rey answered, cradling the porg as she drew it closer to her chest.
“You can’t blame me for trying,” Kylo responded with a shrug, twisting in bed to face her and the tiny creature she held.
Rey hummed in response, stroking the porg’s feathers as it nuzzled against her touch.
“It’s so ugly it’s actually kind of cute,” Kylo admitted with a laugh.
“Like you?” Rey asked, joining in his laughter, though her eyes said something else entirely as they raked over his bare chest.
“Hey now, aren’t Jedi supposed to be the good guys? Aren’t good guys nice ?” Kylo retorted with a huff.
“I did say I thought you were cute, do what you will with that,” Rey admitted, blushing slightly and setting the porg down on her opposite side, watching it waddle away.
“Yeah...I guess you did,” Kylo agreed reluctantly. He felt a blush burning his own cheeks.
“Feels like the connection is fading. Goodnight, Ben,” Rey offered, gracing him with another smile, though this one was somewhat shy. Her soft blush made her freckles stand out, and it occurred to Kylo that she looked positively stunning whenever she smiled and blushed like that.
He had brought that out of her. Not the porg. Not her friends. It was all for him .
“Goodnight, Rey,” he whispered as her image faded.
Lying back against his pillows, he reached out, feeling the warmth where Rey had been mere moments before. His fingers traced over something soft and he picked it up, holding it up in the dim lighting and finding that he was holding a feather from the porg Rey had been cradling. Shaking his head, he couldn’t help but grin at that. Their bond was most certainly the strangest thing he had ever experienced, but at times like this, he couldn’t be more grateful for it.