The night felt like it would never end. His bed felt cold, terribly lonely and so far away from Rey. It had been so long since he'd slept on his own. He tossed and turned, and yearned to be beside her. To smell her sweet scent, have her hair tickling his face, her warm body pressed against his, a comforting weight. Ben finally gave up and meditated for a while. He reached out with the force and ended up following the thread of their bond. He hesitated but finally brushed up against her shield. It was flimsy and blurry. He could tell that she was sleeping, deeply under the barrier around her mind. It was such a slow healing process, and he wished that he could do something for her.

Usually when she was this deep, there was no emotion except calm, but she was uneasy. He would say restless if she weren't so near comatose. Her connection to the force was frayed and it felt like little pieces of shadow were embedded where it was usually such a pure light. He didn't know if it was from her hurting, or from the sith's influence-possibly a combination of both. He gathered up all of the light he could manage, and gently soothed the bond. Slow, featherlight strokes, smoothing out the dark fragments until he felt the pressing of the dark on himself. He knew he would be no help to anyone if he let it take over, so he let go, and hoped that it would settle her some. Anything he could do to make it a bit easier for her.

Full of restless energy, the swirling darkness that was his-he always tried to keep it pushed down- along with what he'd drawn away from Rey left him anxious and jittery. He needed some sort of release. He briefly considered his blade but remembered that her shield between them was thin and he didn't want any pain to bleed over to her. He wanted to hit something, destroy-the dark energy wouldn't let him settle.

He gave up trying to sleep or meditate and wandered down the silent halls of the academy. It was later than he thought, in that quiet, stillness that came before the dawn. Ben only wished that this new coming day would heal things between him and Rey. If she could let him in, and give him a chance to explain, then things would be okay, he was sure of it.

He found himself at the door of the training room, and figured this was a fair way to get rid of some energy without affecting Rey. He picked up a practice saber, and went through the forms, at first slowly and controlled, then faster and sloppier, but with so much power. He slashed the air, what he often felt like in his head. Dealing with an invisible enemy that was slippery-there one minute, gone the next-and his physicality didn't do any good.

Sweat ran down his face and neck, eventually soaking his hair. He shoved it behind his ears but it fell right back in his face. The salty stinging only fueled his frenzy. There were times that pain focused him, made him feel in control of darkness. But really, it was not him in control, but it felt like he could do anything, be anyone. He finally put down the saber, but the jumpy feeling in him wasn't satisfied. He wrapped his hands and went to a practice dummy, and started blindly punching, his breathing became ragged, and he gritted his teeth to try to stop tears from leaking from his eyes.

"What did that dummy ever do to you, Solo?"

Ben swiped at his eyes under the-hopefully convincing-ruse of pushing his hair from his eyes. He turned, a smirk on his face. "His face reminded me of yours, Dameron."

"Well the real thing is here now, wanna give it a go?" Poe asked. Ben had always been close to Poe growing up, but when he was sent to the academy they didn't see each other much.

"What brings you here hotshot? I hear that you're trying to live up to your mom's name," Ben asked. He went to grab some water, and tossed his shirt to the side.

"If you didn't want to fight, you could have said so. You don't have to get undressed for me, although I always appreciate a nice chest," Poe said, his voice cocky and self assured. Poe was such a flirt. He didn't care-man or woman-he had a flattering comment. He had a rugged charm and if Ben ever thought about men that way, he probably would have had his first kiss years ago.

"Oh, I do. Thought I might distract you, I've been working out you know," Ben shot back, fists up by his face, circling Poe.

"I can tell. Nice muscle development there, especially those abs." Poe raised his own arms, and feigned to the right. He broadcast his movement and Ben easily stepped aside.

Ben's ears were red, like they always were when Poe went on like this. Ben wasn't afraid that Poe would make a move or do anything besides a few overt comments, but it still embarrassed him that someone would see his body and actually like what they saw. It rubbed against what the other students at the academy said about him, but he also knew that Poe didn't say things that weren't true. If he didn't find Ben's chest attractive he wouldn't say anything about it, just find something he did admire to hone in on and compliment that. He only hoped that Rey could one day come to see him like Poe did. That is if she would ever let him back in her room.

"So, who's this girl that Ben Solo is in love with?" Poe asked, and Ben dropped his hands in surprise. He stammered and Poe took the opportunity to get in a hit to Ben's solar plexus. The air rushed out of his lungs and he stood there dazed. "Dude, you okay? I thought you'd seen that coming.

"I'm good," Ben said, shaking his head. "Where did you hear about Rey? How long have you been here, anyways?"

"Just got in. Mom got a call from Han and Chewie. The Falcon's hyperdrive was acting up and they didn't have the parts. So we gave them a lift. Han said she is pretty and for whatever reason she seems to like you. Oh I didn't miss that quip about my flying skills, it isn't a disgrace at all to be second only to Shara Bey."

Ben blushed again at the mention of Rey liking him, and hoped that she really did. That this whole misunderstanding was because she really did care for him as more than a friendship level and she was hurt that he could have romantic feelings for someone else.

"So, Rey, huh? Han said it was some kind of force thing but wouldn't elaborate on that. He then went on to mention that you spent most of your time, including all of your nights in her bed," Poe waggled his eyebrows, and Ben took advantage of his distraction and sweeped Poe's feet out from under him.

"Force. I am just sleeping with her. Han gave me a kriffing sex talk while she was still unconscious. What do you people think I am?"

Poe hopped to his feet, and circled Ben. "A 21 year old dude? Nah, just kidding. But she's doing a lot better isn't she? That's what Han said. Some kind of brain injury?"

Poe broadcasted his next kick, and Ben blocked underhanded lazily. "Yeah, she's moving her arms now, with full control of her hands. Gods Poe. You should have seen her when I found her, I thought that I was too late."

"Found her on Jakku, right? The outreach with your mom? That when the freaky deaky force stuff began?"

Ben snorted and got up in Poe's space and quenched his connection to the force to temper his hit. He wouldn't pull punches with the other padawans but Poe had no connection to the force, but he was scrappy and could keep Ben on his toes if on even ground. "Han's words or yours?

"Eh, just because I don't understand it, I don't pretend it doesn't exist like your old man," Poe jabbed towards Ben's face and was blocked again.

"Yeah, I suppose. It's called a force bond. We connected when we first touched, and then I felt that she was in trouble. We brought her to Luke and the rest is history," Ben said as he aimed a hit at Poe's stomach. He only got small contact to his side since Poe danced out of the way.

"So, that history you mentioned… You sleep in the same bed with her. Has she given you your first kiss yet?" Poe spun around with a roundhouse kick and Ben barely blocked in time. His fatigue was setting in, and Poe was nosy. Always had been really, but Ben had never had a girl he was interested in, much less the possibility that she also fancied him.

"No kiss," Ben gritted out. He advanced with a knife hand that Poe easily swiped away. But he blushed red remembering the dream kiss, and how much he wanted it in real life. But she'd never shown any indication that it would be welcome. "We hold hands sometimes, and she loves for me to hold her. I think that it gives her a lot of comfort. She grew up from a young age by herself on that forsaken planet. But it's not like that," Ben explained, leaving out the part that he wished it would be more, at least once she'd healed.

"Hmm. I see," Poe said. He slipped past Ben's defenses and wrestled down to the ground, pinning his shoulders.

Ben wasn't sure what exactly Poe saw, but he slammed down the desire to force push Poe off him. He'd gotten a little spoiled practicing all of the time with force weapons and augmenting his hits with it as well.

"When do I get to meet her?" Poe asked, extended a hand to Ben, who was laying on his back staring at the celing of the training room.

"I don't know," Ben sighed.

"Why? Embarrassed of your best friend without the magical force?" Poe asked, only a twinge of hurt in his tone.

"It's not that. She won't see me right now. Actually no one but Luke, and that is for healing," Ben answered quietly.

"Aw, man. That sucks. What happened?" Poe asked.

"Let me shower and I'll fill you in. Meet you in the mess hall in twenty?"

Eating was the last thing he wanted to do, but he had little water and no food since breakfast with his mom.

Force, had it been less than twenty four hours?

Longest. Day. Ever.