Rey was having such a strange dream. She was in a desert. The golden hills spanned on for as far as her eyes could see. Endless. The air was bone-dry and the sand beneath her feet was scorching hot. She couldn't remember how she had gotten here. She only knew that she had been here a long, long time.
Alone. Suddenly she realized how terribly alone she was. A pain blossomed in her chest. She started to feel panicked and frenzied. She needed to find someone.
No, not that. Someone needed to find her.
Her family.
She remembered now. She had been abandoned on this desert wasteland by her family. They were coming back for her.
All she had to do was wait.
So she waited. And waited. The years went by in a blur. They never came.
Her loneliness grew until it crushed her.
Rey woke from her sleep to find tears streaming down her cheeks. That dream was a painful reminder of the loss she'd suffered; of the time she had spent in the Foster Care system. She had been so lonely, just as she had in her dream.
A sudden pang of frustration shot through her. She was stronger than this. She had overcome all the obstacles that had been in her path and she had become successful. She had a job and a home. She had a life.
But no family. Just a cat that hated her guts and only accepted her help when there was absolutely no alternative.
Rey was facing the window, and the light that was pouring in from between the cracks in the curtains indicated that it was morning. Rey decided she didn't really have the strength to get out of bed right now. She closed her eyes, sighed, and flipped onto her other side and away from the window.
She froze when something pressed against her forehead. Something soft and warm and tiny.
Her eyes snapped open and she stared in bewilderment at what was before her.
Kylo was resting on a pillow right next to her head. He was sprawled out on his side, looking more relaxed than Rey had ever seen him before.
And one of his paws was pressed to her forehead.
When their gazes met he retracted his paw and gave her a single soft meow. Then, he placed his head down on the pillow, sighed, and closed his eyes.
Many questions ran through Rey's mind. How long had he been there? When had he started sleeping next to her? Was he waiting for the right time to smother her like Finn had predicted?
Had he put his paw on her forehead as a warning? It didn't seem that way. He had been too… Gentle about it. He hadn't hissed or growled. He had meowed at her.
Had he put his paw on her forehead to somehow comfort her? Had he sensed her distress? Had he maybe been trying to help her?
Rey didn't know, but it didn't stop her from muttering a small, "Thanks."
Kylo grunted in reply, his tail flicking once.
Their relationship took a dramatic turn after that morning. Suddenly she noticed Kylo entered and stayed in any room she was in.
Though he always had this air of 'I'm completely here by accident' every time she noticed him.
Today he had decided to lounge in a new and surprising location.
On Rey's desk as she worked.
He moved as quietly as a shadow, so the girl startled when suddenly there was a cat where there had not been one before. He sprawled out right over her papers. He had a look in his eyes that clearly read 'I dare you to try and move me.'
While their relationship had certainly improved, Kylo continued to show her his displeasure in the form of nips and light scratches.
So instead of fighting him, Rey closed her laptop with a sigh. She rested her elbow on her table and met his eyes.
He offered her a small, somewhat tentative meow.
She reached out and scratched him behind the ears. He began to purr.
This time he didn't run away.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed! I couldn't shake this feeling that while I was having a fun time developing Kylo Ren's character into this cat form, I wasn't doing much of anything to show more of Rey's character. Her dream there was my way of (hopefully) inserting Rey's character a bit more into this universe. As always, everyone's support and love for this strange little fic of mine continues to make my day!