Rey's perspective

"Did you model your helmet after Kylo Ren?" Rey asked, tactfully remaining focused on the task before her. Ben had set her to designing her own mask while he worked on the other pieces for her uniform. She was pleased to see that the tools they'd found on D'Qar had come in handy.

The sharp ting, ting, ting of a hammer on metal ceased momentarily. "Yes," she heard his soft voice come from behind her.

"It's a good design," she commended. Her tongue poked out the side of her mouth as she scored through a strip of thin plating.

"Thanks."

She glanced back at his less-than-enthused tone. "You don't have to be ashamed of it, you know."

"I know."

"But you are, aren't you?" She set down her instruments. "Why do you flagellate yourself over things you never did?" she asked gently.

He didn't answer immediately. "I know I didn't do them," he replied, voice pitched low as he focused on the anvil before him. "But I'm capable of them. More than you realize."

"But the events in the vision didn't come to pass. I mean—your participation in them."

He nodded, a furrow forming between his brows. "I know," he said again, even softer.

She frowned at him thoughtfully. "You know what? I don't think you're capable of them."

He met her gaze with a confused frown.

"I don't," she repeated. "What if General Hux came in here, held a blaster to your head, and demanded that you fire Starkiller Base on Ajan Kloss? I don't think you could do it. Moreover, I think you would refuse him. You wouldn't fall to that darkness."

"You sound so certain."

"Well, would you?" she countered.

He hesitated.

"It would horrify you," Rey answered for him. "It's written all over your face. It would split you in half to do something so terrible." She leaned back against the workbench to face him fully. "In fact, I'd wager it nearly split you in half in the vision. You may have fallen to the Dark Side, but underneath it all, you were still you. And by nature, you are a gentle person."

He seemed frozen where he stood, his eyes trained on her unblinkingly. That alone told her how badly he needed to hear this.

"You said yourself that Snoke—or Palpatine—had started whispering to you when you were just a boy," she continued. "And I remember you telling me that your parents shipped you off to Luke when you were very young, before you were ready to leave them. You had to grow up fast, and all the while you were dealing with something much bigger and much darker than any of the adults around you realized. It's no wonder the Dark claimed you. It stole you. The more I think about it, the more I don't think you had much choice in the matter."

His gaze dropped to the floor. "There's always a choice," he muttered.

"You were a boy. You were alone. You were lied to and manipulated into believing Snoke was your friend. No one else listened to you or offered you a place to belong."

"I was weak," he bit out.

"Who wouldn't have made the same decision, under those circumstances?" She studied him closely. "But circumstances are different now. You learned from the vision. You grew stronger from it, and chose differently. And this time, you most certainly are not alone."

He huffed as he studied the hammer in his hands. She could feel the waves of emotion rolling off him. He was still hurting very badly.

Pushing off the workbench, she crossed the room to him. She gently took the hammer from him and set it down, then threaded her arms around his waist. He stiffened beneath her, but she didn't let go.

"One day, you won't hate yourself anymore," she told him. "You'll see just how amazing you are, who I see when I look at you."

"You're delirious," he murmured. His words rumbled deep in his chest.

"No. I'm more certain of this than I've ever been of anything else." She rested her chin on his sternum and looked up at him.

His face was drawn and serious, but his eyes were deep as they took in her features. Ever so gently, he carded his fingers through her half-loose hair, tucking the strands behind her ear as he studied her. She didn't think she'd ever seen such tenderness in him before. She didn't think he'd ever been able to show it. She didn't know if it had anything to do with her words or her presence, but she felt a strange sort of peace in him, in this moment.

She cuddled into his chest, resting her ear over his heart. His arms came around her to gently cradle her body against his, and he simply held her. He sighed, a bone-deep, dark-expelling sound, and she mirrored him, her breath aligning with his. His particular comforting scent filled her lungs as her eyes drifted closed.

They stood there for a time, feeling one another's warmth as they breathed. Rey had spent enough time alone on Jakku to understand the deep longing for human touch; she suspected Ben understood it as intimately as she did. She reveled in the strong band of arms cinched around her, the slow rise and fall of his chest beneath her cheek, the sound of his heartbeat in her ear, the gentle gust of air as he nuzzled his nose in her hair and breathed her in.

She reached behind him to trail her hands up and down his back, letting her palms glide over the muscles there, aiming for comfort more than anything else. Just another way of touching, of showing love. She felt the long muscles ripple beneath her hands as he enveloped her more fully, one hand splaying across her back while the other came up to cradle the back of her head. He dropped a kiss on top of her hair, then pressed his cheek against the same spot.

She squeezed her arms around him. "I love you, Ben," she whispered.

He slowly kissed her hair again, then dipped his head to kiss her temple, then her cheekbone, then finally touched his cheek to hers. "I love you, too, sweetheart. More than you know."

She knotted her fingers in the back of his shirt as a sudden rush of emotion overwhelmed her. She'd been alone for so long, isolated and lonely and hurting, in parallel to him. She needed this man just as much as he needed her, whether he knew it or not, and hearing those words from him now… Warmth bloomed in her heart and spread to every extremity, and tears sprang into her eyes. She bit her trembling lip and squeezed her eyes closed.

He seemed to sense the swell of her emotions, because his arms tightened around her and he held her fast, curling himself around her protectively while she sorted herself out. She buried her face in his chest and breathed him in, letting the scent of him fill her and calm her. The scent of home. The air slowly filtered out of her in a long sigh, taking her tears with it.

She shifted within the circle of his arms and pressed a kiss to the muscle over his heart, then pulled back to look up at him. He smiled down at her—a lighter version of the same boyish smile from that morning. He gently wiped away the remnants of her tears with the pad of his thumb, smoothed the hair away from her face, then bent and met her lips in a slow, sweet kiss.

It was the first time he'd initiated a kiss. She marveled at the softness of him, yet again wondering how someone so tough on the outside could be so gentle on the inside. He held her as if she were made of finespun glass, carefully cradling her face in his hands as his lips brushed against hers. He was warm breath and soft lips and hard planes all at once. She breathed him in as her hands skimmed up his chest, over his shoulders, to curl behind his neck. Kissing him felt as natural and as necessary as breathing. She would never get tired of this.

He curled his arms around her waist and drew her flush against him as he slanted his mouth across hers. The mix of sensations—the press of his lips, the puff of his breath on her cheek, his hands carding through her hair and smoothing down the back of her shirt—made her knees weaken and her heart flutter. She sucked in a breath and fisted her hands in the collar of his tunic, steadying herself as she kissed him back.

His breath stuttered in response, and his hands knotted in her shirt, digging into her lower back and pulling her firmly against him as his kisses grew more insistent. The flux of his breath was heavier now, brushing past her cheek and stirring the loose strands of her hair. She reveled in his intensity, felt it stirring something within her, and without thinking, she nipped his lower lip with her teeth.

His reaction was instantaneous. He sucked in a sharp breath, and then the dam broke and he was falling in, crushing his mouth to hers. She opened her lips to him, wanting more, and he delved in, stroking his tongue against hers in a fast, hot swipe. She hadn't been expecting it, didn't even realize it was something she wanted, but the surprisingly intimate touch had her coiling inside, had her fingers tangling in his hair and her mouth moaning into his as she sought him out again. The way he held her, his unrelenting strength and searing heat, the way his lips bruised hers, his tongue sliding against hers, their breath coming in quick gasps now, but she needed more—

When he broke away, she barely had time to protest before his lips landed on her neck in an open-mouthed kiss. He kissed a trail down her neck, but this time the kisses were sloppy as his tongue laved against her, tugging gently at her flesh. She felt the rasp of his teeth against her skin, and she gasped at the maddening sensation. Stars, he was driving her insane.

She was panting by the time he reached the juncture of her neck and shoulder, and she bit back a moan when he dropped another hot, open kiss on her clavicle. He nipped at her flesh, dragged his tongue over the spot, then bit down, and she gasped aloud. If it hadn't been for his arms around her, she was certain her knees would've given way.

And then he was stepping backward with her, stumbling across the room to the workbench. He lifted her to sit on the worktop, then grasped her hips and yanked her to the edge. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him in, digging her fingers into his shoulders as she reclaimed his lips.

Their kisses were feverish and desperate, lips dragging, teeth clacking, tongues meeting again and again. She clung to him when he went back to her neck, kneading his shoulders and squeezing the fabric of his collar. He groaned against her collarbone as he bit down on the tender flesh.

That tight coiling was building. She was shuddering, tensing, grasping. "Ben…"

With a guttural moan, he ripped his mouth away from her and dropped his head onto her shoulder, panting hard. His entire frame was shuddering.

Wondering fuzzily at why he'd stopped, she reached for the bond, but he quickly stopped her.

"No, no. You don't need to go in there right now." His voice was low and rough.

"Why not?"

"You don't need to see what I'm thinking about."

She pulled away and met his gaze.

His eyes were on fire.

It was the most confident she'd ever seen him. The muscles in his jaw ticked as he pressed his lips together, his nostrils flaring with his heavy breath, but his eyes positively burned into her. There was a new certainty in their depths, and her heart leapt at the sight.

"I'd wager it's exactly what I'm thinking about," she murmured.

His gaze sharpened. "Rey…" he breathed warningly.

"I know." She placed her hand over his heart. "But I love you. You're mine. And I want you, but if that's something you can't do yet… I understand."

His eyes fell to her lips. "I still think you're delirious," he whispered, leaning in slightly.

She grinned. "Perhaps a little, this time. You kissed me quite breathless, after all." She leaned forward and pressed a quick peck to his lips. He nearly followed her for more, but caught himself.

He studied her for a moment, darkened brown eyes taking in her features as his expression sobered. "I do trust you, you know," he finally said.

"I know. Your wariness isn't a conscious choice." She smiled. "It's okay, though. I'm not going anywhere."

He smiled back. "Thank the Force." Straightening up, he braced his hands on either side of her knees and sighed reluctantly. "Shall we work some more?"

"I suppose we'd better."

…

The rest of the afternoon was spent making considerable headway on Rey's armor. She'd made great strides in designing her helmet, and now she had the basic shape down. It was coming to resemble a mix between a Mandalorian mask and a Stormtrooper helm. Every so often, Ben interrupted her to try out the piece he was currently working on. He would hold the cooled metal up to its corresponding body part, eyes narrowed as he mentally noted what to adjust next, then went back to the fire. His fingers often grazed her skin as he returned to his task.

There was a heightened sense of awareness between them now. Rey could feel it in the way he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye when he thought she wasn't looking. She could feel it in the way her pulse sped up when he drew near. It went beyond the bond. It was as if that thread had attached itself to both of them, and it pulled taut whenever they were too far apart, always trying to bring them back together. Now that they'd realized their feelings were reciprocated, the thread had become like a multi-fibered rope, strong and insistent.

She wondered sometimes if it was the Force itself. Did the Force act in matters like this? Did it recognize kindred spirits and work to bring them together? Did it encourage the joining of two people, in every sense of the word?

Because she knew the coiling she felt deep in her core at the thought of him was a real and strong physical desiring for him. She'd heard of such acts back on Jakku—even regrettably witnessed it once before quickly turning away—but it had never seemed so… desirable. Forced, maybe. Painful, perhaps. Never consensual or loving. But the galaxy got populated somehow, and she figured there wouldn't be so many beings in every far corner if one half of the galaxy's population objected to the act so much.

But something told her it would be different with Ben. Everything was different with Ben. She knew intrinsically that he would never hurt her—at least not consciously. Kriff, he was the one who kept stopping things from going farther, not her. He was so careful, so considerate. He wanted to be sure this was what they both wanted. His thoughtfulness was very much appreciated, but she already knew she wanted him in every sense of the word. She'd known for quite some time. She could wait for him, though.

And actually, she probably needed to make a trip to the med bay and see about getting an implant, just to be prepared…

She was broken from her reverie when she realized Ben had asked her something. She blinked at him. "Sorry?"

"Are you getting hungry?"

In a manner of speaking, she thought ruefully. "I could always eat," she replied, putting her tools down.

She slipped her hand into his on the way through the base to the mess hall. They'd worked through the day to early evening, judging by the amber light and lengthening shadows outside. She hadn't realized how much time had passed. No wonder she was hungry—they hadn't eaten since early that morning. She'd gotten spoiled to a regular intake of food since leaving Jakku, even if it was just standard rations, and usually her stomach alerted her to mealtimes like clockwork. She must've really been distracted.

They sat at their regular table, side by side, and silently tucked in. Ben seemed almost as hungry as her for once, wordlessly focusing on his food even if he did still eat very precisely. He was fastidious in everything he did, but she was glad to see his appetite returning.

Beneath the table, she leaned her leg against his. He didn't visibly react, but his leg pressed back against hers.

Finn and Rose joined them a while later, settling on the opposite side of the table. Finn immediately started eating, although Rose's eyes flitted from Rey to Ben before dropping to her tray.

"What did you do with Poe?" Rey asked, noting that the pilot was conspicuously absent.

Finn shrugged, still focused on his food. "I guess he's still checking over the stolen transport."

"Rose, did you look at whatever he wanted to check?" Rey inquired.

Rose shook her head. "I think Han and Chewie were in the hangar working on the Falcon, so he asked them."

"Honestly, they've probably got more knowledge of working parts than I do," Rey said.

"How about you two?" Rose asked. "Did you get a lot of work done?"

"We did." Rey smiled at Ben. She was about to tell her friends about their progress on her armor when her attention was diverted by Rose's quiet gasp.

"Rose?"

But her friend was looking at her neck. Rose's dark eyes snapped up to Ben. Through the bond, Rey felt his confusion morph into mortification. A dull flush crept up his neck, tinging the tips of his ears red. Frowning, Rey met Rose's wide gaze.

"You, um, have a bruise on your neck," the engineer murmured.

"A what?"

"A what?" Finn echoed, looking up and frowning.

Rose tapped at her own neck to indicate the location. "A bruise. Just there, under your collar."

She saw Ben's head duck in her peripheral vision. Self-consciously, she reached up to fiddle with her collar as she realized what had happened. "I do, huh?"

"Mmhm." Rose was starting to grin.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Finn spoke up.

"Well, it's about damn time," he declared, putting his utensils down. He pointed a finger across the table at them. "You two have been dancing around each other for months now, making yourselves and everyone else around you miserable. I might not completely understand the attraction—no offense, mate—but Rey, you've got way more in common with Solo than you do with Poe." Finn pointed at Ben. "He's been making eyes at you since the first day we showed up at the Resistance." He redirected his finger to point at Rey. "And don't think I didn't catch the looks you were giving him back when you didn't think anyone was looking. I told Poe from the beginning you weren't interested in him, but would he listen to me? No. Of course not. But hey, whatever makes you happy. I'm just glad you finally figured it out." He looked across the table at Ben. "Just don't hurt her again, okay? She's my honorary sister. I've had combat training and I know how to use it."

Even through his hair, Rey could tell Ben's ears were completely red by now. "Yep," he agreed mildly.

Rose was openly beaming at them. "I'm so happy for you!" she squealed. "It really is about time, though."

"Did everyone else know?" Ben muttered, avoiding everyone's eyes.

"Yeah," Rose said, grimacing sympathetically.

"Yeah, pretty much," Finn agreed.

Rey could feel Ben through the bond, nearly drowning in intense embarrassment at being so exposed. She linked her fingers through his and leaned against him.

"Hey," she said softly. "It just means we don't have to hide. Like I said before: Let them see. I'm not ashamed to be with you. Quite the opposite."

His gaze fluttered down to meet hers. "I'm not ashamed either. Just… unaccustomed to the idea and the attention it will surely warrant."

She caught a glimpse of something—the jeering of children's voices, the feelings of rejection and loneliness. Something else from his past that he'd not mentioned to her yet, something else she would need to work with him to overcome. Her hand tightened in his.

"I love you," she whispered. "And I am proud of you. We don't have to announce it from the rooftops or send out a galaxy-wide broadcast or anything like that. But Finn and Rose aren't going to tease us or be cruel about it."

"Well, I might tease you a bit," Finn said. Ben snorted appreciatively.

"You're among friends, Ben," Rose chimed in. "We want the best for you. Both of you."

Finn nodded in agreement. "We're happy for you, Solo. Truly. You both deserve this."

Rey pressed a dry kiss to his sleeve, then propped her chin on his shoulder and gazed up at him. He gave her a little lopsided smile.

Across the table, Rose squealed again.

A/N: Finn's just telling it like it is.