Chapter Thirty-Three: Concentrate

"Use the sound to drown everything out. Feelings, conflict, whispers. Just let them die off."

Rey couldn't work through her surprise; it was as overwhelming as the room's thrum. Kylo Ren could be clear? Concise? Calm?!

"Stop thinking about me," he chided. "Look inward."

Rey fidgeted, almost bumping her knee against his. "You can already sense so much now," she mumbled without realizing.

"Your mental barriers will become stronger if you still your mind, not weaker," Kylo Ren assured. The air between them shifted as he lifted a palm to stop her inevitable protest. "Believe it or not, I know what I'm talking about."

"Is this a lesson from Master Skywalker or Snoke?"

Kylo Ren lowered his arm. "Luke was a bumbling, inept teacher." A trace of anger deepened his voice. "And Snoke excels only in cruelty."

"Which are you?"

Leather creaked as he leaned forward. "Neither. I've surpassed them both."

Rey shied away, feeling the first ebbs of his body heat along frame. "Lucky me."

"Indeed. Now, stop talking and concentrate."

She frowned. "Give me space. You're too close."

"You know," he said, sounding almost rueful. "You don't always have to have the last word."

She squirmed in her seat, resisting the urge to open her eyes. "Yes, I do," she whispered, feeling his awareness tickle her own, discerning what she wouldn't say.

"Only with me," Kylo supplied. "Maybe I'm your weakness."

Rey shook her head, batting away his intrusion with a mental shove. She was deciding on something more biting than 'are not' when an exhale brushed her face. He had leaned towards her again.

"Quiet your thoughts," Kylo preemptively hushed. "Let your feelings settle. I won't be able to hear anything if you show restraint and control."

"Hear? Don't you mean steal?" She muttered.

"And you say you're not dramatic?"

Rey blew her bangs. "Stop being manipulative for two seconds," she reprimanded. "It's normal to want my own thoughts to myself."

Conceding with a cough, Kylo Ren continued, "Fine. Then let the tension leave your body," he coached. "Focus on the hum. It helps block out all the chaos when you're first trying to reach for peace."

Instead of voicing her incredulity—Kylo Ren at peace? Ha!—she did as she was told, allowing the engine's constant whir to wash over her, pretending it was whipping, desert sand hitting the sides of her AT-AT on Jakku. The droning filled her head, pouring in and sweeping everything away, leaving a serene hush.

Rey lost contact with her limbs, unaware her lips fell open, and her breathing slowed. She didn't know how long she sat and savored the quiet, but it felt too fast when his voice crept back in.

"Now call the room to your mind," Kylo Ren urged. "Examine it. Look for what you missed."

Rey conjured the space, roaming bins, droid ports, and control panels. The area shifted, growing dirty and dented, and a hatch in the ceiling with a ladder appeared. The compartment became even more packed, jammed with smuggled goods. A wookie's cry reverberated overhead, and she gasped.

"You did this on the Falcon," she whispered. "When you were still Ben Solo." She felt the Force around her, fanning out everywhere. "That's why you don't see the mess in here."

"Stop searching for me," Kylo Ren repeated. "What do you see here on the shuttle?"

There were too many barrels and containers in the way. Rey couldn't spot anything amiss. She wanted them gone and let the hum filter back in, clearing the floor like it had her mind. The bins disappeared and left neglected—but empty—steel behind.

Free of clutter, she spied QT-5 still by the hyperspace computer, a small pile of mismatched tools near her base. Rey felt a smile creep across her face.

"QT's a scavenger," she breathed. "She's got quite a collection going."

Kylo Ren hummed in affirmation. "It needs a memory wipe again."

"She's fine," Rey corrected. "Everything she's assembled can be used here on the engines."

"Rey," he said softly. "Open your eyes."

She did so, and her jaw fell wide. Every container hovered in mid-air. Spinning in her seat, she surveyed the barren floor, stunned.

"D-Did I…?" She turned back.

Kylo Ren flashed his teeth in the start of a smile. "You did," he proclaimed.

Rey's eyes widened at his expression, and the bins all simultaneously crashed back to the ground.