Author's Note: A reminder that these are all unrelated and non-linear!
A scream shrill enough to be heard across the galaxy split through time and space and made Ben's ears ring.
"Stop screaming, it's just me," he quickly exclaimed, putting his hands up defensively. Casually, he turned a full one eighty to the wall behind him and studied it. "How was your day?"
The scream squeaked to silence. Dripping wet and frozen in horror, a completely naked Rey was fresh from the shower, her clothes a few feet in one direction and her towel in the other. "Are you -I'm- can't you see this is a bad time?!"
The steam dampened Ben's hair and it drooped against his forehead. "It's not like I planned this. Get dressed. I'm not looking." Patience and kindness marked his tone, a sharp contrast to Rey's ire. Internally, though, he was screaming, too. Rey was usually fixing something or talking to someone, working out or reading in bed. Seeing her naked had been perhaps the last thing he actually expected. Of course Ben occasionally worried whether the Force would rudely connect them at a sensitive time. He had his answer, and at Rey's expense. Her strong legs, taut stomach, tantalizing collarbone… Ben cleared his throat and conjured an image of General Hux to cleanse his mind. That's better.
Huffing, Rey lunged for her towel. "I- I'm not in the mood for conversation right now. Go away!"
"Don't be upset," Ben chuckled. "This was bound to happen." Without moving his head, he stole a glance over his shoulder. A long arm was struggling through a tunic in his periphery. "I'm sure you'll catch me in a compromising situation at some point."
"Don't look!"Rey shrieked, reaching for a bottle of shampoo and hurling it toward him. It sailed through his projection and hit the wall. The lid burst off, sending a spew of pink gel into the air. "Ugh!"
The bathroom faded away and Ben stared once again out the window of his ship. "How unsettling," he murmured to himself, guarding his thoughts from the image of Rey's breathtaking body in case she returned. Any sense of privacy he knew fell away. Wiping a smidge of shampoo from his tunic, he turned and went about his day.
Rey was prepared.
From the moment she got out of bed to when she got back in it, she acted as though the Force was about to thrust her into the spotlight.
She dressed quickly, but gracefully and, to the best of her knowledge of the art of seduction, sexily. One long arm reached gracefully through her tunic, then the other. Her hips swiveled back and forth as she pulled on her leggings, and she bent provocatively while reaching for her boots. When fully dressed, she glanced in the mirror. After the fact, the reverse strip-tease felt ridiculous, but in the moment it made her feel in control, and that was worth something. With the possibility of Ben showing up at any time through their Force bond, Rey decided to own everything she did. Embarrassment couldn't touch her if she was always expecting an audience.
A chill ran down her body as she remembered lumbering clumsily out of the shower only to have Ben appear. It only took a split second for him to avert his gaze, but she could still see the slight arch of his eyebrow and way his lips parted. Truly, he'd been an utter gentleman. It only added to the strange frustrating eroticism of the situation.
Rey wasn't ashamed of her body or the fact that Ben had seen it. It was strong and beautiful. She could free climb up the side of an old star destroyer and outrun most anyone. When faced with the most powerful Force user in the galaxy, Rey adapted to his fighting style and nearly struck him down. Yes, her body was a marvel worthy of adoration. Ben's reaction only confirmed that further.
She couldn't bring herself to be mad at Ben. No, Rey was mad at the Force. Of all of the moments in her day – training with her saber, training new recruits, enhancing the Falcon, going for a jog – the Force chose to show her in a vulnerable situation. No weapon, no position of power, no way to display her strength and spirit. As if baring my soul weren't enough, now I've bared everything.
Sighing, Rey sat back and brushed hair away from her face. No, she had nothing left to hide from Ben Solo. Relief settled over her. Your turn, Ben.
Karma was delivered sooner than expected.
That night Rey twirled and trained with her staff, practicing for who knew what battle awaited. She brought the staff down toward a training dummy, but instead it landed with a thud on a red mattress that appeared from thin air – and just inches from the bed occupant's head.
Ben jumped from sleep, swearing and summoning his saber. It ignited immediately as it touched his fingers, but Rey snickered at the sight.
Shirtless and with eyes as wild as his hair, Ben blinked several times. "Rey?" he exclaimed in confused anger. "What are you doing?" His voice was a hoarse rasp. The red glow of his saber disappeared and he let it clatter back onto his nightstand. Sheet marks joined the long scar on his cheek. He hastily wiped at wetness at the corner of his mouth before getting back into bed.
"Training," Rey replied with a smile, trying not to look at the dark spot of drool on the pillowcase or the way certain locks of his hair stood on end, jutting out at strange angles. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
"Mmm," Ben mumbled. His eyes squeezed shut, he pressed a pillow to his face and groaned. "I wish you hadn't come. I'll never get back to sleep. It took hours," he moaned with what Rey judged as desperation. Crying out in frustration, he threw the pillow across the room. It landed with an unsatisfying puff. He collapsed against the mattress and pressed his face into it. "Fuck!"
Unafraid, Rey perched on the side of the bed, uncertain how he'd react to the closeness. "Bad day?"
Ben gingerly turned his head and squinted up at her. "Have you ever had a migraine, Rey?" He voice was suddenly calm and soft, the outburst over and done.
"No," she shrugged, noting the sweat glistening on his face and neck. "Are you having one now?" She resisted the urge to reach out and brush the hair back from his forehead.
"Yes," he whispered, bringing his hands to his shield his eyes from the faint light. "Nothing works. Nothing helps. I don't have time to wait it out. Tomorrow's important." He winced. "Sound hurts. Light. Movement. Thinking. Everything hurts. I feel sick."
"That sounds terrible," Rey whispered, hoping her words didn't aggravate him further. "I'm sorry." As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she could see that he truly was in agony. Her delight at catching him asleep dissipated completely. She suddenly felt foolish for fretting about Ben seeing her in the shower. Considering the state he was in, the Force had been kind to her.
Squinting at Rey, Ben exhaled slowly and purposefully. A strange look of pleading passed his face. "Help me," he begged. "Use the Force. Please. Please. You have to, Rey. I'd do it for you. Use it on me. Please."
Certain that her seeing him so helpless would bother him later, Rey decided to treat him with the decency he'd shown her in her moment of embarrassment. "I- I'll try," she whispered. "Hold on."
Ben felt Rey appear and surprise radiated off of her, but pretended not to notice. He continued rinsing the shampoo from his hair, shaking his head to clear stray suds from his eyes. Hot water trickled down his chest and he swallowed, deciding how to handle the encounter. What was he supposed to say as the silence dragged on and he felt her eyes on his back? Plus, he'd caught her in the shower. It was only fair that he not chastise her for the same. At last, he cleared his throat and turned to face her. "Payback, is it?"
"I'm, I'm," Rey stumbled, wide eyed and unblinking. "No? No! This is not payback. I didn't know- I- No," she finished, finally dropping her eyes to the floor and bringing a hand to shield her face. "You look better than last night. I'm glad."
Ben switched off the shower and squeezed excess water from his hair. The blush in Rey's cheeks brought a smirk to his lips. "Thank you, by the way, for that. It's unfair I can't use the Force on myself. I'll have to keep you around to get rid of the headaches, hmm?"
"I suppose so," Rey muttered. "You're welcome." She moved to look up at him, but stopped herself. "So what- erm, what's that important thing you had to do today? You mentioned last night?"
Puddles formed under his feet as Ben stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel. "Are you really going to stand here and carry on a conversation?" he mused as he towel-dried his hair. "I guess I tried the same with you. Makes things less awkward, I suppose."
"Doesn't it, though?" Rey laughed, looking up and immediately squeaking. "Ben! Are you really going to stand there naked? You've had more than enough time to put that on, good lord."
"You don't have to look if you don't want to," Ben replied easily. Then his lips pulled into a broad grin and he cast a wolfish look in her direction. "Thank you."
"For what?" Rey snapped. When Ben chuckled, she exclaimed, "Are you laughing? You? Laughing?" and looked up in surprise. Again, she cried out upon seeing him naked and finally spun about, hands plastered over her eyes. "Ben!"
Nodding, Ben wrapped the towel around his waist. "I'll remind you I wasn't expecting company. Sorry to have offended you, but I should think otherwise. There. I'm decent."
Distrust pouring from every ounce of her body, Rey remained facing the door. "What are you laughing at?"
"I see what you're thinking, remember? I'm flattered."
With an indignant shriek, Rey lunged at the counter, blindly grabbed a bottle of hair product and launched it at him. This time the bottle exploded on contact. Purple liquid erupted everywhere, splattering them both. Ben merely stepped back into the shower, still simpering even as Rey struggled to close their connection.
"I wouldn't object if you did," Ben called after her as she faded back into her own realm. What a morning, he thought, utterly shocked by the sheer raunchiness of Rey's thoughts. Her final desire rang in his mind for the rest of the day: I should just rip that towel away and join him.