Title: Chu!

Date Added: June 13, 2019

Rating: K+ (everyone)

Description: Kylo hears strange sounds disrupting his day... almost like Rey sneezing.

Kylo guided his X-wing down the canal of the Death Star simulator and steadied his thumb on the trigger. He had ordered the simulation built to test himself against his late uncle's skills out of the frustration that he could no longer test himself against the man himself.

Luke Skywalker had made this shot with nothing more than the force to guide him, and he had destroyed one of the greatest weapons of the Empire in the process. Kylo had learned to perfect the shot and made it everyday to demonstrate his superiority.

At least, that's what Kylo told himself.

Just like every other time, Kylo closed his eyes as he approached the mark. He reached into the force, waiting for the exact right moment.

"Chu!" exclaimed a familiar, feminine voice.

Kylo's eyes opened in shock and bright red lights flashed all around him as the simulation announced his failure. He blinked, growled at the evidence he had been shocked into veering off-course into the Death Star itself, and climbed out of the simulation, reaching through the force to find which woman dared interrupt his training.

No one was there. No one, not male or female, was in that part of the ship with him. He scanned the logs of the simulation, trying to identify what sound recordings had been used, but nothing was amiss there. Frowning, he cautiously reached out via the force to that forbidden place where he had once been welcome. As usual, since Crait, he found a wall.

The voice had sounded like hers… Of course, there was no way she would reach out to him again.

Kylo rolled his neck to release some tension and climbed back into the simulator, restarting it and clearing his thoughts of phantom voices. This time, there were no distractions, and he got the shot.

Kylo forgot about the odd sound as the morning went on. Training and meetings aplenty distracted him. Even when a dull meeting between General Hux and the financial officers went a full hour beyond schedule, Kylo's thoughts were not on the strange sound he had heard that morning. Granted, he admitted the new super-weapon plans Hux had come up with were rather… audacious? daunting? Ingenious? Not inspiring. Kylo had never felt less inspired to kill populations en masse. Even Hux had admitted in private that the weapon was wholly impractical for their strategy and had primarily been introduced to give the engineers a challenge and convince the First Order that Kylo and Hux had not strayed too greatly from Snoke's warpath since taking over.

They had.

Regardless, the financial officers argued that the costs were beyond what could be budgeted. Cheap insults had flown, and Kylo struggled to stay awake for what he ultimately determined was nonsense, given that Hux had never intended to build the weapon in the first place. However, justifying the budget for the weapon's construction would serve as an excellent excuse for avoiding other military excursions. Kylo was tired of the war. He was tired of the First Order.

He was tired.

He stifled a yawn when he heard it again.

"Chu!"

Kylo sprang up from his slouch and stared wide-eyed at the other men, who gaped back at him uncertainly. Hux recovered first. "Ren, what on-"

"Shh," Kylo said. He looked around frantically. "Did you hear it?"

"Hear what?" one of the other men asked with some consternation. They looked at each other in concern, and Kylo overheard one of them mutter that their new Supreme Leader must be touched in the head. Hux kept his eyes steady on Kylo though, ignoring the men.

"Ren," Hux said after a moment of silence. "Is this about… her?"

"Her? Who's her?" a different man asked. This broke briefly into a discussion on what woman could possibly have claimed Kylo's thoughts when Kylo reached his hand up and put every member of the financial team in force choke holds.

Silence fell across the room. Hux took in what happened to the other men and lifted an eyebrow at Kylo.

"Now that I have your attention, everyone but Hux can get out," Kylo said calmly, and he released his grip. The other men collapsed, gasping for breath, and then scattered from the room, leaving Kylo Ren alone with his second-in-command. Hux frowned and carefully approached Kylo. "Is she here?"

"I knew I would regret telling you about her," Kylo muttered, rubbing his brow.

Hux rolled his eyes. "Enough whining. I need to know if you present an active security risk. Tell me, Ren. Is Rey spying on us through you?"

Kylo sighed, counted several deep breaths, and explored his bond through the force. "The way to her remains walled shut, as you know it's been since Crait."

Hux sneered. "Yet you heard something. What did you hear?"

Kylo pursed his lips. "I don't know for certain it was her." Hux rolled his eyes at this. "I don't, Hux. I only heard a brief high-pitched sound… it sounded like 'chu.' That was all."

"Chu?" Hux asked. "Like… Ah-chu? Like a sneeze?"

Kylo considered this and carefully nodded. As he and Hux faced each other, he saw Rey flash into existence behind Hux with her hand to her nose and her eyes squeezed shut.

"Chu!" Rey said, and she disappeared again.

Hux glanced at where Kylo had seen Rey. Upon finding nothing of interest, he glanced back to Kylo, whose eyebrows were pinched together in thought. "You saw her, didn't you?"

"I saw her," Kylo confirmed. "She did, in fact, appear to be mid-sneeze, and then she disappeared again."

Hux frowned. "Did she see you?"

Kylo shook his head. "Her eyes were closed. If I'm not mistaken, she may be connecting our bond without realizing it when she sneezes. Or, perhaps, she struggles more to maintain the wall when physically distressed."

Hux rubbed his chin in thought. "Which is more likely? After all, the former is a mild nuisance, but nothing truly problematic. However, the latter… Ren, you're suggesting this bond you share with the scavenger may constantly be open were she not fighting to keep it blocked. The implications of her having such easy access to you, and from you to her…"

"I know," Kylo snapped. He ran a shaky hand through his hair. "I don't know which it is though. Our bond had been growing stronger before Crait, so it's possible it became constant, but the effort necessary for her to block me constantly…"

Hux folded his hands behind his back and straightened his posture. "You still care for her."

Kylo flinched. He did, but what more could he do? He had already stalled the war. He had tried sending invitations to meet with her through traditional means. He had an approximate idea of her location at all times thanks to tracking the Resistance, but he could hardly just walk in and demand she give him another chance that even he wasn't sure he deserved. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rey pop into existence again. "Chu!" she said, and she disappeared. Kylo gazed longingly at where she had appeared.

Hux rolled his eyes. "Well, as both your friend and your second-in-command, I strongly recommend that you let her go."

"I don't know how," Kylo said. "It's been three months since Crait, and I think about her every day."

Hux groaned loudly enough that Kylo knew he was meant to hear it. "You do understand that when you asked me to be your confidant, I was expecting something slightly more interesting than whining about your pathetic failure of a love life."

"Hux," Kylo growled.

Hux shrugged his shoulders. "Then do something. We both know you're no longer the creature who would fling me across the room in rage. Does she know?"

"You know I've had no contact with her since Crait," Kylo said.

"Chu!" Rey said, flashing in and out of existence. Kylo moved closer to where she had been, wondering if he should touch her the next time, just to reassure himself that she was real.

"Perhaps we could kidnap her," Hux said.

Kylo snorted. "We've been over this. Assuming you could even manage such a task, it's far too dangerous for the First Order, and she wouldn't thank me for it."

"Could you go to her?" Hux asked.

"Not without being taken hostage or killed, and I don't think she would take kindly to what I would have to do to defend myself to reach her."

"Perhaps meet somewhere neutral?" Hux suggested.

"She's ignored all attempts at communication. She won't even talk to me through the bond. Why would she meet me somewhere?"

"Chu!" Rey sneezed in and out of their existence again. This time, she had been so close to Kylo he could smell saltwater in her hair and feel the momentary heat of her body.

"I haven't done anything to deserve it, but I wish she would give me another chance," Kylo said.

Hux sighed and threw his hands up in exasperation. "What is it you force users like to say? May the force be with you?"

"Chu!" Rey said again. Her sneezing seemed to be getting worse, and her face had been red with the effort, and yet she had looked pale elsewhere.

Kylo frowned. Rey was not just sneezing a little, she was sick and getting worse. "Hux, pull together a med kit for treating respiratory infections and bring it to me."

"She does appear to need it, doesn't she?" Hux said.

Kylo nodded as Rey sneezed yet again. "It's the least I can do for her. I just hope she lets me."

Rey's sneezing followed Kylo the rest of his day and progressively grew worse. Sometimes, she had bad coughing fits as well. On at least two occasions, Kylo saw her open her eyes long enough to see him. The look of utter fury she gave him blocked all of his thoughts until she was gone again. He had the med kit now, but he never succeeded in offering it.

Eventually, Kylo gave up accomplishing any other work and retired to the privacy of his room, where Rey's occasional respiratory fits haunted him as he attempted meditation and other forms of relaxation throughout the day. He almost undressed for the shower to help drown out her distractions, but he quickly dropped the idea when he recalled she had sometimes opened her eyes.

Better not to visually assault her when he still wanted her good opinion. He had refused to put on a shirt in the hopes of throwing her off balance back when she thought him a monster, but too much had happened between them since then. He didn't want to do anything that might push her away.

Bedtime came.

Kylo sat fully-clothed on his bed, sighed, kicked his boots off, and fell backwards onto his pillow. The med kit sat unopened on his night table. Rey still had not appeared long enough for him to approach her, and she moved constantly, as if afraid he would catch her if she stayed still. She wasn't wrong, but he only intended to force the med kit on her so that she could treat her cold.

He didn't want to hurt her.

The rage he had felt at her rejection had burned out quickly following the battle at Crait, leaving only the ashes of regret for his actions and a desire to make himself worthy of her, as if such a thing were possible.

He didn't want to hurt her, but she had no reason to know that.

He realized that Rey wouldn't even let herself rest. She had been moving for hours at this point, ensuring he could not get a fix on where she would appear next. Sighing, Kylo forced himself to close his eyes and fall asleep to the sound of Rey's coughing and sneezing fits around the room. Maybe if she knew he was asleep, she might allow herself to rest too.

The room had dimmed for the night cycle when Kylo next opened his eyes. His back was sweating, and a thin, muscular arm was wound tightly around his waist. Someone far too warm shivered against him.

Every nerve in Kylo's body spazzed as he processed that Rey must have snuggled up to him in her sleep. However, his excitement at finally being near her again faded the next moment when he registered how high her body temperature must be. He gently twisted around, verified Rey was there, and touched her forehead to confirm that she had a raging fever. Her teeth chattered as she shivered against him.

Kylo absently stroked her hair before sitting up and reaching for the med kit next to him. Rey whimpered and pulled herself closer to him, resting her head on his thigh and tucking her legs around his own. "Cold," he heard her say in a weak, hoarse voice. "So cold." Her touch was like a firebrand, causing him to sweat instantly from the contact.

"You have a fever, Rey," Kylo said. He dug around in the kit for fever-reducers and opened the bottle of water that had been included. "I'm going to help you sit up and take some medicine to bring your temperature back down."

"So cold," Rey muttered again. She gave no indication she had heard Kylo, but she didn't protest when he wrapped an arm around her waist and hoisted her up to lean against him.

Kylo frowned. He didn't know if she would choke if he put the pills in her mouth while she was so far gone. He didn't even know if she knew how to swallow pills, but she clearly needed medical treatment, and he didn't know what else to do.

"Rey, I'm putting the medicine in your mouth next, it's a pill to lower your temperature, and I'll give you water to help you swallow it, okay?" He gently tucked the pill onto her tongue and brought the water to her fevered lips. The second the liquid made contact, she reacted, drinking greedily and swallowing. "Good girl. That was the first half of the dose. Now for the second half." He repeated his steps, trying not to think about how intimate this felt or how her soft lips felt. She swallowed the second pill and trembled.

"Ben?" she said a moment later. Her eyes flashed open with a burst of adrenaline that faded as quickly as it came. Her eyes drifted shut again. She struggled to open them several more times before giving up and letting them stay closed. "Is that you, Ben?

"Yea, it's me," Kylo said softly. He brushed her soft hair out of her face, tucking it gently behind her ears while she remained propped up against him.

"Are you…" she coughed and took a few steadying breaths. He thought she had drifted off again when she murmured.

"Rest. You're sick," he said. He shimmied backward with her until he could lean against the headboard of his bed. He positioned her to sprawl against him with her head against his chest in a reclined position. Vaguely, he recalled his mother doing something similar to him when he was a little boy. Something about letting the sinuses drain. Rey still coughed off and on, but her coughing seemed to settle some.

"Are you going to kill me?" Rey asked quietly with her eyes closed.

Ben sighed and rested his head on top of hers, nuzzling her gently, wishing the circumstances were different. Wishing they were not at war with each other. Wishing he had never given her reason to fear him. "No, I'm not going to kill you. I'm trying to help you. Sleep."

"I'm scared," she said, her face contorting into a sob, and then she was coughing again.

Kylo winced and waited for the fit to pass. He hugged her to him and kissed the top of her head. "I promise I won't hurt you while you're sick, Rey. Please, trust me on this. You need to rest." He glanced at the med kit next to him and picked it up again to put it within easy reach before rifling through its contents. The fever reducer he was familiar with, but there were several other medicines in there. "Would you like some cough medicine? There's a decongestant in here too." Hux had warned him not to automatically use everything at once when giving him the box, but given Rey's condition, Kylo felt multiple medications may well be justified.

"You have medicine?" Rey asked, her eyes opening as she looked at Kylo for the first time since he had woken with her next to him. She was still very hot to the touch, but the conversation seemed to have made her more alert. "The Resistance was all out."

"Can you lean against my headboard for a moment? I need to make sure I get the dosages right," Kylo said.

"I can't see it. I don't have a headboard where I'm sleeping," Rey said.

Kylo lifted Rey's hand in his and pressed it against his headboard. "Can you see it now?" She nodded. "Good. I'm going to help prop you up." He slid an arm under her knees and his other behind her back and gently lifted her until her back was to the board beside him. He then carefully removed his support, ensuring she slumped against his shoulder instead of onto the bed, before turning to face the predicament of how much of which medicines to give Rey. Thankfully, the remaining medications had liquid forms.

As Kylo worked with Rey to spoon each medication into her mouth, his mind furiously sorted through the different possible explanations for why the Resistance would be lacking such basic medicine and what it could mean for the Resistance and the war as a whole. He was tempted to ask Rey outright, but he feared disturbing her as she was clearly drifting off between each time he administered medicine. He put the med kit back together when he was done and wrapped his arm back around Rey, tucking her into the nook of his shoulder. Her temperature was improving now, as was her cough, and her breaths fell regularly and quietly against him.

Kylo thought over his options for resolving the Resistance's medical supply question and sighed before using the force to summon Hux. A few minutes later, his redheaded general entered Kylo's private bedchamber with only a yawn to betray that the man had likely been asleep when Kylo summoned him.

Hux's jaw dropped slightly upon seeing that Kylo was not alone, and he narrowed his eyes. "Is that..?"

Kylo was mildly surprised Hux could see her, but he nodded and gazed at Rey's sleeping face a moment before returning his attention to Hux. Kylo merely glanced at the spot next to his bed, and Hux approached it quietly before sitting down on the edge. "What is she doing here?" Hux asked in a soft voice.

"The bond. It appears it's constant now. She couldn't keep up the walls while this sick. She's both here and wherever the Resistance is, as am I, I expect," Kylo said. He looked around to see if he could see anything on her end the way he had seen the fire and Luke the one time they touched hands through the bond, but he found nothing unusual.

"Fascinating," Hux said, studying them. "And somewhat disturbing. I suspect, however, that you did not invade my sleep and summon me simply to discuss the mechanics of your force bond."

Kylo grinned wryly at that. "Hardly. She mentioned, before passing out, that the Resistance had no medicine available."

Hux frowned. "Interesting. My most recent intelligence reports that the Resistance has been quiet of late, but nothing to suggest they wouldn't have medicine. However, I have heard rumors of a nasty respiratory plague going through the system where they are located. There are even quarantines preventing departure from certain planets. Perhaps they simply ran out of supplies treating their own?"

"Perhaps," Kylo said, thoughtfully studying Rey. "Hux, how are our supplies?"

Hux sighed. "You want me to see if we can spare a shipment to rescue the Resistance?" Kylo nodded. "Ren, why even bother claiming we're at war with them when you pull measures like this? You're bloody holding the hero of the Resistance in your arms, and instead of trying to kill her or disarm her, you're treating her cold symptoms and giving her back rubs."

"I'm not-" Kylo looked down and realized that he had, indeed, been rubbing her back since she had curled in towards him. She had her right arm wrapped across his waist again as she slept peacefully. He hadn't realized.

"Look, I'll take care of it. I know the scavenger means a lot to you, as does your mother, but you can't keep riding the line like this, Ren. I'm not going to make some big speech about how you're weak for not whole-heartedly wanting to kill your attachments like Snoke did, but you owe it to your people to decide where you stand, where we all stand."

Kylo gave a curt nod, acknowledging Hux's request. He didn't know what to say or do. He had not expected Hux to be such a staunch ally following Crait. They certainly had been at odds during the battle of Crait and during their time under Snoke, but they had since become partners, of a sort. Neither of them had been as bloodthirsty after Snoke's influence had been removed, and the reality that Kylo had strong connections with the two biggest figures in the Resistance curbed their desires to make a serious effort to hunt the ragtag group down.

Still, there was a difference between ignoring your enemy and outright aiding them.

"I can order some chicken soup for her," Hux said into the silence. "For when she wakes up."

Kylo felt a wave of warmth for his red-headed friend and partner in the First Order. Before Rey, he had thought himself lost to the darkness. Before Hux, he had thought himself lost without Rey. It was peculiar having Hux's support, but it made the galaxy a brighter place. "I'm not sure she will stick around to eat once she can shut me out again," Kylo said.

Hux's eyes hardened, and he crossed his arms in front of him. "Ah, so this tender display is not of her choice. I didn't think you were the type to take advantage of a girl, Ren, and a sick one at that."

The warmth Kylo felt evaporated just like that. He glared at Hux, though the man had a point. Rey would never have consented to being held like this by him if she weren't so sick. She had spent half the day evading him during her sneezes, after all, and kept the bond shut to him the three months prior. "I had to hold her upright to give her the medication, Hux."

"And now?" Hux asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Elevation is recommended to let the sinuses drain. My mother used to do it for me when I was a child." Kylo saw the skepticism in Hux's expression and sighed. "Hux, I'm not holding her for my own satisfaction. I may have been a monster in many ways, but I have never been that kind of monster."

Hux studied Kylo a moment before releasing the tension in his eyes. He nodded and dropped his arms to his sides. "Good. I'll order that chicken soup up right away along with quarantines for you and myself. Next time you have a viral guest, please consider warning me before asking me to join you. I would have worn a mask to protect myself."

Kylo grimaced. He had not even thought about the consequences of inviting others into the space. He half considered apologizing to Hux, but he expected such a gesture would only annoy the general.

"Thank you, Hux," Kylo said. Hux nodded and left the room.

Kylo sighed and looked down at Rey to find her eyes slightly open. "You're awake?" he asked. Fears ran wild in his mind as he realized she might flee or attack, but her steady gaze kept him calm. Rey nodded softly against his chest. Kylo breathed again. If she was aware and staying, she trusted him at least a little bit. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Rey said in a flat tone. "Thank you."

Kylo bit his lip. He wasn't quite sure what to do now that she was awake and still sprawled out against him. Should he offer to change positions? Was that weird? Was staying weird? What was she thinking? Did she somehow forget who she was with?

"Um, if you want to stay, Hux is getting some chicken soup sent up," Kylo finally said.

Rey was silent, but the hand she had draped across his waist began playing with the fabric of his shirt, and her eyebrows drew together as they always did when something puzzled her.

"I thought you wanted to hurt me," Rey said after a time. Her voice was vulnerable, and she looked away as she said it.

Kylo squeezed her to him without thinking, and when she turned a confused and wary face to him, digging her chin into his ribs in the process, he blushed and put his hands on the bed away from her, limiting their contact to that which she maintained. "I'm sorry," he said, thinking of how he forced the hug on her. His thoughts drifted to Crait and the Supremacy. "I'm sorry about everything." Rey maintained eye contact with him, and he trembled with regret.

Her eyes widened, and she pushed up slightly to look at him more closely, her face only inches away from his own. "Are you sick too? You're shaking."

Kylo gazed at her, mesmerized by her proximity, until he finally processed her words. He looked away quickly and huffed out a laugh even as he winced. "No, I'm not sick." He recalled Hux's concern about Rey getting them sick. "Not yet, anyway," he corrected. He felt like he should say more, something to explain the turbulent emotions coursing through him, but he didn't know what. He didn't want to risk scaring her away again.

Rey frowned and rested her head on his chest again so that she faced his stomach. "Is it okay that I'm here?"

"Yes," Kylo said. He wondered that she asked, given he had offered the galaxy to her before. Did she not know he would do anything for her?

Rey nuzzled her head against him and adjusted her arm on his waist to better curve against him. She slid her other arm under his back, clasped her hands together, and hugged him tightly. "Thank you. Chicken soup sounds nice."

Kylo froze. "You're… Why are you embracing me?"

Rey practically jumped off him to sit up and face him with wide eyes. They no longer touched, and Kylo felt his stomach plummet. Was this it? Was she shutting him out again now? Rey went slack a moment, caught herself, shook her head briefly as if to clear it, and faced him again. "Should I not?"

Should she not what? Embrace him? Oh.

Kylo's lips parted as words failed him. Of course, she shouldn't. She was terrified of him, right? She had told him as much herself when she was still feverish. He certainly enjoyed having her close, but what did it all mean? She wasn't here by choice. She had shut him out since Crait, and only her illness kept her from blocking the bond now. Would she cut him off again once she recovered enough? Did the prospect of losing her tomorrow change how close he wanted to be today?

Rey's eyes softened as she watched him. "What's wrong? What are you thinking?" Rey asked.

Kylo's racing thoughts froze out in white, and the simplest truth tumbled forth from his mouth. "I don't want to lose you again."

Rey studied him for a moment, then shifted her gaze to where his right hand gripped the bedsheets next to her. Rey took her index finger and idly traced the bones in his hand with it. "Why do you think you will lose me again?"

"You blocked me," Kylo stated. His heartbeat hastened as he watched her voluntarily touch him. The dissonance between her earlier terror at him and her current physically affectionate behavior made him want to cry and throw up all at once. Which was real? Which was fake? Could things have changed again between them that rapidly, or was she just making the best out of a situation she couldn't control? He felt like he was in some nightmarish fantasy, and he tried to bring reality down again lest he be even more disappointed upon waking. He jerked his hand back from her touch. "You blocked me for three months."

Rey froze her hand and stared at it. "I won't apologize, Ben. I thought you wanted to kill me. We know what you ordered on Crait, Ben. You said no quarter-no survivors."

"I'm sorry," Kylo blurted out.

Rey held up a hand to stop him. "I know." She sighed and pulled her hand back into her lap, then looked up to meet his eyes. "I know now. I didn't earlier. I thought you would kill me if you caught me." She bit her lip and glanced down for a moment before facing him again. "But you didn't. You didn't kill me. You… saw me passed out and feverish and nursed me back to health. You don't even want to kill the Resistance anymore. I couldn't believe you plotted with General Hux to send the Resistance extra aid. You even lost sleep to hold me upright enough that I could sleep." She smirked. "And you apologized."

Kylo blushed, trying to remember everything he and Hux had discussed while they thought Rey had been asleep. "I hadn't realized you were awake that whole time."

Rey looked up and met his eyes. "I was, and I could see and hear Hux for some reason. He knows about the bond. You told him."

Kylo tensed up, fearing her judgment. "You were gone. I was losing myself, and Hux had too much influence. I either had to kill him or make him my ally, so I took a chance."

"And you're friends now," Rey said. "I'm happy for you." She forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes, and Kylo wondered what had happened with her own friends for her to appear so bittersweet.

She coughed once, gasped, and fell into another coughing fit. Kylo watched in horror as her skin turned red while she struggled to breathe, and tears and snot ran down her face by the time she recovered. He didn't know what more to do, but he dug out his handkerchief and offered it when she looked up again. She took it without a word, and he watched in silence as she blew her nose and wiped up her face.

"I have water," Kylo realized. He grabbed the water bottle and held it out to her. Rey's eyes lit up. She grabbed it eagerly, unscrewed the cap, and downed it within seconds. Another coughing fit followed, and she sighed in relief when it was done. "The Resistance is short on water too?" Kylo asked.

Rey blushed this time. "A tribe of locals came to us begging for water and supplies for their sick. Our own people started falling ill the next day, and the entire region was placed under quarantine before we realized how badly off things were. No ships are allowed out, and no one wants to come in and risk becoming infected."

Kylo nodded. "I'll tell Hux to send water too."

Rey closed her eyes and parted her trembling lips as emotion overwhelmed her. "Thank you, Ben."

"You're welcome, Rey."

Rey took a moment to recover and studied him. "I want to get more sleep," she stated carefully. She bit her lip. "Can I borrow your chest again?"

Kylo's eyes shot wide open. "Uh, yea, of course. Umm…" He leaned back against the headboard and held his arms up and out to make room for her.

Rey smiled with relief, crawled to his side, and curled up against him with her head in the nook of his neck. Her arm rested across his chest now. Ben kept his hands away from her, and she snorted. "It's okay to hold me, Ben. It's easier to stay in place that way. You can rub my back again too if you like. It felt nice."

Warmth surged through Kylo, and he carefully tucked an arm behind her with a hand on her waist and held her to him. Though Rey coughed a little, her breathing soon fell even and quiet against him. Not much later, Kylo fell asleep too with his head nestled against hers.

Across the galaxy…

Poe Dameron had been looking all over the Resistance base for General Organa with no luck. He had tried the flagship, the overcrowded sick bay, the camp they set up on the planet… Everywhere, and he couldn't find her. Everywhere, except the Millenium Falcon. "Of course!" he said to himself and jogged off to the ship. Rey and Chewbacca were staying there, and Rey had fallen sick recently. The General must be checking on their little jedi.

When he got there, he found the ramp closed and both Chewbacca and General Organa speaking urgently outside. Not one to eavesdrop, Poe announced his presence as he jogged up by shouting, "General! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Poe Dameron, you're a sight for sore eyes," General Organa responded. "It's good to see that nasty virus hasn't knocked you down."

"My folks always said I was too brash to let myself fall ill. How is Rey doing? I heard she got it, but I'm sure she'll be fine. That's the toughest girl I've ever seen. Finn, on the other hand, is so sick, that he's been whimpering anytime someone turns the lights on. Say, is Rey available? I'm sure she could use the laugh at hearing how Finn is doing."

Leia exchanged an uneasy glance with Chewbacca, who grumbled and looked away. "I'm afraid that won't be possible," General Organa said.

"What? Why not? Don't tell me she's worried about how she looks. I mean, I know some girls do, but this is Rey we're talking about. She's practically one of the guys!"

"There's been an unexpected development," General Organa said and folded her hands in front of her.

Poe frowned then as he realized he may have overestimated Rey's ability to throw a cold. "Is she alright? Does she need help? I mean, I know the planet's under quarantine and all, but I'm sure I can find a way through-"

"No, she's got help," General Organa said with the strangest expression and… was that an eyeroll? "Don't you worry about her, Poe. We've got it under control. Go look after the others. That's an order."

Poe didn't leave right away. His thoughts were going a mile a minute, suddenly realizing how peculiar it was that both Chewbacca and General Organa were standing outside the ship with the ramp closed and Rey inside… And if Rey were getting help in there, then who was giving her the help?

"Now, Poe," General Organa said in a voice that allowed no argument.

Poe scampered off, occasionally glancing with concern at the ship behind him.

"Well that's managed," Leia grumbled to Chewbacca as Poe left hearing range. "Now I just need to figure out what to do about finding my son asleep in bed with Rey. Thank you again for coming to me first, Chewie."

Chewbacca grumbled.

Leia snorted. "Her fever's gone, she's barely coughing, and there's a First Order water bottle beside them… not to mention how they're all wrapped up together like lovers. Somehow, he learned she was sick and cared enough to make a point of helping her. The force works in strange ways. Still, how did he get here?"

I wrote this while recovering from a sinus infection. Hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you think!