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Rey shifted in her bed, a gross, aching feeling growing in her belly. Her throat felt tight, and she felt a mounting pressure in her head. She was breaking into a cold sweat.
She tried breathing slowly; in and out, in and out, but it only made her feel fidgety. She felt like she maybe had eaten something foul, but she hadn’t consumed anything new recently. Was she getting sick? That was plausible, but nobody would be available to help her until morning.
Her mind raced as to what could possibly be happening to her. She could maybe wake Finn or Poe, but she was afraid of looking foolish if it was nothing.
She felt a click, and groaned in the middle of her hyperventilating. Really? Right now, when she was vulnerable and sick?
She didn’t feel well enough to acknowledge his presence, so she stuck to keeping her eyes closed, holding her knees to her chest.
“You could at least wave,” Kylo Ren said. She let out a groan, and she felt his concern spike. Concern? Coming from him? She barely had time to finish the thought before more belly pain hit her, and she shivered.
“Rey,” He spoke. She shivered again, although she wasn’t cold, feeling like she was falling deeper and deeper into a rabbit hole. Was she dying? Maybe that was it. That thought did nothing to quell her anxiety.
Her face scrunched up and she sniffled. She was slowly but surely retreating into her mind, afraid to deal with her physical issues right now.
“Rey,” He repeated, sitting down on the bed and looking at her as she faced away from him. Her breath still felt shallow and came in ragged breaths. She felt light-headed, even though she was trying her best not to feel anything. “Rey, can you hear me? Are you in danger?”
Rey barely heard him, rocking on her side without even thinking about it.
Kylo let out a breath. Slowly, he took a hand and placed it on her shoulder. She whimpered at the touch and grabbed his hand, desperate for something, anything to ground her. His gaze softened when she moved to bring him closer to her, a question in his eyes. She was too deep into her fit to see it.
He took a chance and rolled her over, stopping short at her face. She was crying, and it broke his heart, for a reason he couldn’t quite place.
He pulled her up towards him, and despite herself, she welcomed the touch. Really, she encouraged it, unconsciously grabbing him as he rocked her back and forth.
He wasn’t entirely sure what to do, so he shushed her and hoped she would calm down. “Breathe,” he whispered, moving the hair out of her eyes as she buried her face in his chest.
Slowly but surely, Rey became less rigid, breathing more slowly and loosening her grip on Kylo.
He went to put her down, but a whisper stopped him.
“Ben,” Rey whispered, nuzzling closer. “Not yet,” she pleaded with him, and he obliged, setting his face on her head. He wanted to plant a kiss there, but he didn’t want to cross boundaries, so he slowly rocked her until she went limp with sleep.
She was no longer fitful, and he thought she was nothing less than beautiful. He had an idea, going to his closet in his own room and grabbing a cloak. He tucked it around her so she didn’t feel the need to shiver. He sat back down and watched her peacefully until the bond fizzled out.