Rey was eating breakfast when she saw him collapse.
She sighed, put down her food, and walked over to see what type of idiot wandered around the desert in black robes.
The man had long sweat drenched hair and looked like he was injured.
Rey kicked him.
He groaned.
She kicked him again. "Get up." He was too large for her to carry.
The man forced himself up, his movements slow and careful. She had been right about the injuries. It looked like he had been shot in the side by a blaster.
"Follow me. I'll help you clean–"
He brushed his hair out of his face, and Rey lost the ability to talk.
He was pretty.
Not in the way the occasional cocky trader in Niima outpost was pretty. His eyes were unexpectedly vulnerable and his lips looked soft.
Soft was not something Rey was accustomed to. Soft didn't survive on Jakku.
...
The man didn't say a word to Rey as she helped him dress his wound. He followed her instructions like a man desperate for direction would. It was unnerving.
"Thanks," he said in a deep but quiet voice.
"Anyone would have done the same."
"No," the man said, shaking his head, "they wouldn't."
"I would have done the same for anyone."
"That, I believe." He looked at her intently. "There's something about you…"
"I didn't get your name."
The man stared past her at the wall of her home. There was nothing interesting about that wall. She wondered what he was thinking about.
"It's Ben."
Rey didn't know whether to believe him – only a fool would give their true name that easily – but his words rang true.
...
It had been a week and Ben hadn't left yet.
And Rey hadn't asked him to leave.
It was nice having company. She was so tired of being alone.
Besides, he had proved helpful. Ben had proved to be a decent scavenger.
He also cleaned up well. They had gotten him new clothes – beige and brown – and he had been able to wipe away the worst of the grime. Nobody was ever truly clean on Jakku.
...
Ben had nightmares. The type of nightmares he had learned to hide, which was why it took her so long to notice. He looked like he was holding back screams, and the only sound he made was the occasional whimper.
Now that she had noticed, Rey wanted to do something to help. She had heard once that it was dangerous to wake a person up from their nightmare – that they could mistake reality for the dream and lash out – so she slid beside him on the makeshift bed, more a pile of blankets than a real bed.
Rey wasn't sure if she should touch him, but he leaned into her first as if he craved touch. She couldn't stop herself from leaning back. She too craved touch.
Rey rested her head on his chest and heard his breathing slow down. Her presence soothed him.
She fell asleep to the steady rhythm of his heart.
...
A hand was stroking Rey's hair. She leaned into it and moaned. A deep chuckle made her realize this wasn't a dream.
She opened her eyes and noticed she was sleeping on Ben. She had drooled a little on his chest.
He didn't seem to mind because he continued stroking her hair. "I was surprised to wake up with company–"
"I–"
"I didn't say I minded. It was nice."
Rey blushed. "You were having a nightmare. I wanted to help."
"You did," he said with a hint of awe. "I've never felt so well rested."
"Me neither."
"I'm not a nice man."
Rey sat up, mourning the loss of his hand in her hair. "You've been nice to me."
Ben looked down at his lap. "I've done terrible things.
Rey shrugged. "We all do terrible things to survive. What do you want to do?"
"I want to stay here with you."
Rey grabbed his hand, and he looked up at her. "Then stay."
...
They fell into a routine after that. They scavenged in the morning, traded in the afternoon, talked in the evening, and then curled up together to sleep.
Rey could scarcely remember how quiet Ben was in the beginning. She loved the sound of his voice.
He had been to so many places that she wanted to visit. Maybe once her family came back they could travel together.
For everything Ben said, there was so much more he didn't say. She knew nothing of his childhood, his family, or what brought him to Jakku.
...
"I'm ready to tell you who I am," Ben said in the early morning, far too early to get out of bed.
Rey rolled onto her side, facing him. "I know who you are."
He shook his head. "You only think you do."
Rey kissed him. It was nothing like she had imagined their first kiss would be, and she had imagined it many times since she first saw his face. Instead of passion, this kiss was about comfort.
His lips were as soft as she had imagined.
Rey pulled away. She needed to express herself in words before getting lost in his touch. "Your past won't change the way I feel about you. I know who you are now."
Ben's eyes were wide. She wasn't sure if the kiss or her words had stunned him more. "I don't deserve you."
"You're the best thing that ever happened to me. I don't care what you think you deserve. I have been alone for so long. I deserve this."
Ben smiled. "You deserve everything."