Morning came as it generally did when in deep space; arbitrarily, with only a quiet but irritating beeping announcing its arrival.
A soft metallic crunch and the droning ceased.
Rey's stomach seemed to drop out of her body when she realized she was not alone in her bunk.
This wasn't possible…All of their other meetings had been so relatively brief. Could he really have been there all night?
A slow, steady intake of breath above her head and a rough palm settling at the small of her back told her enough.
Rey was maybe freaking out. A little.
She had hugged people, yes. But this was not a simple hug between friends. This was a very large, not very friendly man. Who was very shirtless.
'And very much not really there,' her mind offered. It didn't help the burning of her cheeks. It kind of made her want to punch herself.
A sharp sniff chilled Rey's blood.
Why had she thought it could be as simple as giving a pained man comfort during his worst nightmares?
'Are you alright?' It was fumbled out, pushed lazily across their bond before he had fully regained his words. Something warm twisted in her belly.
He could feel her…well. She didn't know exactly what this feeling was. But he was in tune enough to sense it before his eyes had even pried themselves open.
'I-I'm fine.' She wondered how even the voice of her mind could betray her.
"What…" He started, shifted, drew in a tight breath, "…are you doing?"
"You had a nightmare," it was the simplest answer she could give, in the flattest tone she could manage. Her body was still frozen in the same position she'd woken up in, with one hand spread flat against his bare chest.
She worked to ignore the flutter she could feel beneath her fingertips.
"Rey…"
"I just," she drew a breath and some courage with it. "You were in pain."
Silence stretched on for a long time. Maybe he was trying to recall the nightmare in question. Maybe he was wondering why she cared. Maybe he was puzzling out why she thought this particularly compromising position would help him. Maybe it was disbelief.
Another, longer inhale.
"I'm not wearing pants."
"Oh."
If Rey felt frozen before, she may as well have been encased in Carbonite now. She considered very briefly the fact that she had never seen a man naked. Not in person at the least.
A sick feeling crowded around her stomach, but she knew it wasn't hers. A weakness sapped at her muscles. Disgust. Powerful, all consuming. But not for her.
Entirely for himself.
He left her arms empty in a panicked jolt, clutching a sheet about his waist as he moved away. 'Repulsive creature.' The thought was not her own, but it echoed loudly enough to be overheard.
Rey wondered when she had started crying.
"Why?" It was the only thing she could manage through the rolling agony pulsing through their bond.
He glanced at her over his shoulder, already across the room at what she could only assume was his dresser. Rey distractedly realized she recognized one of the old scars on his shoulder from his nightmare.
He was like a powder keg in all other situations, but now. Now his eyes moved over hers as though his mind was not a storm. As though he were basking in its aftermath.
"Why what?" He dared to reply. Rey couldn't tell if it was a challenge, or genuine confusion - his pain was so loud.
"Have you always thought of yourself this way?" She pressed on. Could feel the way his stomach clenched, his skin chilled, how he needed his suit, his cowl, his boots, his gloves, his helmet-
'No,' she said clearly. Authoritatively. He could not hide again. Not like that. She wouldn't allow it.
It was then that he appeared stricken. Brows drawn together and upward. Eyes searching hers. Confusion. Shame, in such a thunderous chorus
She wondered how much of her feelings he could sense over the intensity of his own.
Empathy. Caring. A distant tingle she couldn't place. Things she had never wanted to feel for him before.
The door to her room opened with a hiss, pulling her eyes from his. By the time she looked back, he was gone.
BB-8 rolled in, excitedly announcing he had found her favorite flavor of nutrient bar for breakfast.
She pretended to have an appetite for food.