The dual suns had just finished setting over the island as Kylo Ren stepped out of his spacecraft, which he finally had to himself on this trip.

His mission was simple: return to the island where Luke Skywalker had sought refuge those many years, and destroy the sacred Jedi texts that were held there.

Kylo scowled as he surveyed his surroundings, all so lush and green and teeming with life- so very different from the cold, Spartan landscape of the weapons he was used to calling home.

The island wasn't very large, and he knew he would have no problem finding the texts if he simply used the force, but he was keen on exploring on his own, at least for now.

He was sure the land held various secrets, and he would be sure to uncover and destroy them all one by one.

Ever since the First Order's defeat on Crait, Kylo had been tense. He was secretly glad to get some precious time away from Hux and the army.

It hadn't been helping that every now and again, he would find himself startled awake in darkness, only to find a stone-faced Rey meet his gaze, then quickly turn away.

The force continued to connect the two, and she was adamant on acting like he wasn't there until it passed. Kylo wasn't sure which emotion he felt more regarding their meetings: betrayal, or rage.

Being hurt wasn't entirely new to the Skywalker heir, but he never thought the scavenger from Jakku would be the reason his chest felt so tight in his weakest moments.

The light had faded entirely from the sky, and Kylo felt a chill come over the island.

It was as the darkness enveloped the land that he was able to make out a faint light in the distance.

He unclipped his lightsaber from its holster and began the trek over to the source of the light, hoping to interrogate the island natives on the whereabouts of the texts he sought.

After descending numerous flights of stone stairs, Kylo came to a clearing surrounded by several stone huts. He could see the light he had been following within one of the structures; a small fire had been burning inside, the smoke pouring out from a small hole in the hut.

The Supreme Leader ignited his saber and cautiously approached the stone dwelling, the light from his weapon bathing the scene in red.

He stooped a bit to enter the house, and looked around, using his lightsaber as a torch.

The hut was empty, save for a rucksack and firewood. There was no one currently using the fire; the Knight of Ren could only assume an island native had been there previously and had stepped out for whatever reason. That at the very least meant there were beings on this island that could give him answers.

Kylo found himself gazing blankly into the fire, the flames licking the small twigs and leaves of the kindle in an almost nostalgic way. The scene reminded him far too deeply of his fated time with Rey where they had touched hands by a fire quite possibly in this very same hut.

At that time, he had felt welcome, and accepted; as though he had met a kindred spirit.

His sentiments of yearning and warmth were fleeting, however, and they soon burned quickly into irritation.

Kylo tore his stare from the fire and briskly strode back into the clearing, not bothering to check through the bag in the stone house.

He felt as though he was being gripped tightly around the ribcage; it was an uncomfortable feeling that he recognized as the anger that he dealt with much too often.

Kylo stomped through the small gathering of dwellings and up another set of precarious stone steps, the scenes of untouched nature under the starry sky taking his mind off of Rey momentarily.

It was at that moment, as if the force was out to be his undoing, that he found himself locking eyes with Rey herself, perched on a flat stone and sharpening a knife.

There was something different about this particular connection, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Rey was actually looking at him this time; studying him, more accurately. Her eyes were wide as they darted from his face, down to his boots, and then to the horizon that stretched out behind him.

Kylo's previous rage ignited as Rey wordlessly stared, not a word spoken between the two.

"What, now you want to notice me?" he began, breaking the thick nighttime ambience that the island held. "Now that you're afraid of what I might do?"

"It's too late," Kylo said through gritted teeth, his hand back at his lightsaber out of reflex, and his brow furrowed tenfold. "Luke Skywalker is dead, and I am on his precious island to destroy the last artifacts of the Jedi religion. There's no one to teach you, nothing for you to learn. I've won."

Rey, oddly enough, didn't seem to react at all to the Sith's words.

Her large eyes, so mysteriously bright in the moonlight, turned to match his steely gaze once more, and she finally spoke.

"You're really here, aren't you?" she said in astonishment as a moment of realization simultaneously came over Kylo.

He could clearly see Rey's surroundings, and her voice filled his ears in real time, no longer an echo in his mind from no matter where she stood.

Rey was really here on this island with him.

She quickly stood up and unclipped her own new lightsaber, her mesmerized expression harshening to distrust.

Kylo was quick to react, and he summoned Rey's apparently recently crafted lightsaber to his free hand before quickly dropping both his and her weapons to the ground, which earned him a confused look from the brunette.

"What do I have to do to get you to talk to me?" Kylo asked in an almost pained voice, taking a step closer to the woman, who only took a step back in turn.

"We have nothing to talk about," Rey replied tersely, brandishing the knife she had previously been sharpening. It was no match for a lightsaber, but it got her point across.

Kylo's expression was, as usual, far too readable for Rey; she had seen that expression a few times before. She knew he was upset, but she was upset as well. They couldn't just act like nothing had happened; it was too late, as Kylo had said.

Her features softened as she studied his face more, however. What she saw before her wasn't the face of Kylo Ren, but rather the lost and forlorn face of Ben Solo.

Kylo had so many things he wanted to say in this moment, but no idea how to say them. To say they had nothing to talk about was strictly a lie on Rey's part; he knew she was hurt, but was it not her who had turned her back on him when he had offered her a place by his side?

"Please don't say that," the black-haired man pleaded in a soft voice, taking a small step forward once more. Rey did not step back.

"You frighten me, Ben," the Jedi whispered, her voice leaving goosebumps on Kylo's neck in its wake. "You're too unpredictable. I thought you could be trusted, and I was wrong."

"And I thought you could be reborn with me," the Skywalker heir spat, struggling to keep himself calm. Rey visibly recoiled at his words, her eyes even wider.

"There's nothing wrong with the you I had already met," she replied earnestly, a glimmer of wetness fresh in her eyes as she attempted to blink it away, only causing a tear to roll down her flushed cheek.

"The me you had met was a monster," Kylo said in a hushed tone, weakly reaching for Rey's hand, and with it, her warm familiar touch. "You said it yourself. That me was reborn by the force, by our connection. I wanted you by my side."

It was as Rey took his larger hand in hers that he found the courage to add, "I still do."

The brunette woman felt herself take another step, until the two were chest to chest; she found herself drawn to his dark eyes, and in his features, she saw Han Solo.

Her heart felt heavy and she pulled away from him, more tears threatening to spill out from her eyes.

"No," she said hoarsely, turning away from the sight of Kylo's outstretched hand, his expression helpless. "I still can't trust you."

Rey force pulled her lightsaber back to her hand, and Kylo did not stop her.

Without looking back, she sprinted over the hill and out of sight, only leaving behind her sharpening tools to remind Ben that she had even been there.

He sucked in a lungful of cool night air in a vain effort to steel his nerves. He sharply exhaled.

Kylo promptly ignited his lightsaber and slashed at the ground, leaving a burning scar on the island's lush floor.

"You frighten her," he thought helplessly, echoing Rey's words in his head over and over. He had made a point to wait and break down when he knew she was out of earshot, but he had broken down nonetheless.

Maybe Rey was right- he hadn't changed and would never change, and was certainly unworthy of her trust.

Kylo felt in his gut that he had hurt her, regardless of the truth. Maybe he had been too selfish in asking Rey to abandon everything for him; but, he had been willing to do the same.

The dark haired man walked back to the stone hut he had found from earlier, only to find the fire had faded to mere embers, and Rey was nowhere to be found.

Kylo set up camp for the night by the charred kindle, and once again took notice of the small rucksack in the corner of the hut.

He grabbed the bag and looked inside; it contained various clothes, a toothbrush, and some hair accessories.

It was no doubt Rey's bag. He was very familiar with the grey vest that lay on top of the contents.

Underneath the clothes, he found two pieces of a lightsaber, and the familiar and unwelcome sensation of rejection bubbled up from his memories.

She had kept the saber, which made sense, as it had been her only one at the time. It had nothing to do with Kylo, he was sure.

He turned the handle over in his hands, the memories still fresh and the hurt still running deep. Having had enough, the man shoved the two pieces back into the bag and flung the sack across the hut, scowling as he stared into the fire he had rekindled.

Kylo knew the time was late, but he didn't feel tired in the slightest. His mind was, much to his disdain, still full of Rey. He wondered where she was sleeping that night, since he was certainly at her campsite.

He thought briefly about using the force to locate her and confront her again, but he didn't want to fight anymore. He didn't want her to be afraid of him or to think he was a monster. It was funny - it didn't matter what anyone else thought, but if Rey perceived him that way, it bothered him to no end.

Kylo spread his cape out on the stone floor like a mattress and tried his best to rest on it, his eyes closed but his heart heavy. Tomorrow was a new day; maybe he and Rey could start over.

Meanwhile, Rey was sprawled out restlessly in a makeshift lean-to she had hastily put together. She knew Kylo was in her place of refuge, and she knew he had wanted to find her there. She wasn't going to make the same mistake twice; it had been a stressful night for both of them. As it stood, the best course of action would be to get the hell off of the island while he was on it.

The thought of leaving filled her with motivation but, oddly, also made Rey feel anxious. Her and Ben, alone together on a remote island, sharing a hut and sleeping by a campfire; the thought melted some of the coldness that the Jedi currently had in her heart, and she found herself drifting off to sleep, dreaming of such a scenario.

The calm night didn't last long, and midnight came quickly and violently. Kylo awoke in a chill, only to find his fire extinguished and a heavy blizzard outside. He immediately sat up and flung open the hut's steel door; he was met with a blast of wind that nearly knocked him back onto the furs and cloths he had scrambled together during the mid-night drop in temperature.

His face dropped as he thought of Rey, and he whisked up his cloak from the floor and bundled it around his shoulders, pulling the hood up for good measure. He stepped outside and looked around; how could the weather be so dramatically different? It had been only the least bit frigid when the wind blew earlier.

Kylo closed his eyes, and reached out; he could sense Rey, but he was not quite sure where. The wind whipped his face, which was already a rosy red from the frosty air, and he wished numbly for his mask.

After some painful hiking, the First Order leader found himself in front of a large cave, and he knew she was within. At the very least, she had been wise enough to find shelter.

"REY!" Kylo yelled into the darkness of the cave system, feeling cold and a bit desperate. There was no reply except for the wind, and Kylo begrudgingly switched on his saber for light and trudged deeper into the cave.

He came upon a dying fire rather quickly, but no signs of the scavenger that had probably lit it.

It was then that he noticed a rather sharp disturbance, and he felt the lightning heat of a lightsaber coursing mere inches from his neck; Rey was behind him, guarded, and looking quite worse for wear.

"I thought I told you we had nothing to discuss," she said in a strained voice, the shivering of her body obvious from the tone.

Kylo ducked and quickly matched his own lightsaber to hers, turning the tide; Rey bit her lip but pressed back, fear in her eyes.

With one stroke, Kylo swung wide and hard, knocking Rey's weapon to the ground. She scrambled to pull it to her, but by the time she had, the dark-haired man had deactivated his own lightsaber and clipped it to his belt.

"Do you truly not wish to fight? You, the man who fights over everything?" she said facetiously, and her words were met with a sigh.

Kylo wordlessly shrugged off his cloak in turn, and tossed it to Rey, who let it fall in front of her with a frown on her face.

"Take it," Ben said, turning his back to her and taking the first few steps out of the cave. "Follow me."

Rey picked up the clothing, which was surprisingly soft yet heavy, but stood her ground.

"No," she replied defiantly, wrestling with herself to throw the garment on the cold ground again; however, his body heat had warmed up the cape, and it felt like heaven in her numb hands.

Kylo stopped walking, and simply peered over his shoulder, trying not to show whatever cold he felt in his face.

"Do the Jedi desire death so badly? Stop making my job so easy," he joked in a cruel way, his words coming out as wisps in the frigid weather.

"It's like a tundra out there. You'll need more than a fire to stay warm," he continued, absent-mindedly rubbing his gloved hands together in the cold. "Come back to the hut, unless your pride is worth more than your life and your precious Resistance."

Rey blinked, mixed emotions running through her mind, but mostly annoyance worn on her face.

"Don't you want me dead, Ren? Didn't you try to kill me once you knew I wasn't going to be your pawn?" she asked, malice lacing her words, but also a hint of melancholy.

Kylo took a deep breath, trying to steel his nerves. Now was not the time for fighting, no matter how Rey's words got to him. The freezing air certainly helped persuade him against firing back, as it was getting harder to stand still by the second.

"I do," the Dark Jedi answered, a resigned look worn on his face. "But I want to be the one to free you from your ill fated existence."

Rey just blinked at Kylo, either too cold or too shocked to reply. The cloak in her hands was losing heat fast, and Kylo saw it tremble in her hold, and sighed again.

"Put on the cloak, and follow me," the tall man ordered for the last time, taking another step towards the outside. "If you don't, I'll order an airstrike on this island like I should have done in the first place."

Kylo turned back one last time and added, "Need I remind you that you don't have a ship and I do?"

Wordlessly, Rey swung Kylo's cloak around and wrapped it around her shoulders, a sigh of relief escaping her at how warm and heavy it felt.

The cloth trailed on the snow behind her as she walked, due to their large height difference, and Rey felt both emotionally and physically small in this moment.

The two stepped out into the snow in silence and trudged back to the small stone settlement, where Kylo cursed himself for not starting a fire before he had left.

Rey plopped down on a blanket and wrapped Kylo's cape around her like a sweater, shivering quietly as Kylo touched his lightsaber to the new firewood he had thrown on the ashes of last night.

A small flame started, which in no time grew larger and ate at the wood, and Rey breathed a heavy sigh of relief as she felt the fire warming her toes.

She took a deep breath, and found herself blushing a rosy pink, but not because of the cold this time.

Kylo's cloak smelled like him; it was a warm, leathery scent, yet masculine and comforting. It had been a while since she'd been so close to his scent, and it resurfaced memories she had only mulled over late at night, while her chest was tight.

She raised her head to see Kylo staring at her from across the room, and he quickly looked away and pretended to be warming his hands when their eyes made contact.

There was a short, somewhat awkward pause until Kylo finally said, "Now that I have your attention, I have a question for you."

Rey's eyes widened and she stared intently at her rival's hopeful face, his scent and warmth still wrapping around her like a blanket.

"I'm listening," she responded steadily, adjusting to how strange it was to hear Ben's voice in the same small room, both listening to the same crackling fire.

Truthfully, Kylo had a million questions swimming around in his mind. The main one that came to light was, "Can we forget everything that happened?"

But, he knew that wouldn't lead to anything but more silence and tension. So, Kylo decided to ask the second thing on his mind.

"Are you still cold?" he questioned Rey, who just stared back, somewhat dumbstruck.

"Do you want your cloak back?" the brunette replied with a question of her own, confused as to why Kylo would ask her something so off-topic.

"It's a yes or no question," the dark-haired man said in turn, his patience already wearing thin.

Rey pulled Kylo's cape tighter around her and felt heat rush to her cheeks as she saw just how intently he was staring at her.

"I'm still cold, yes, but I appreciate you lending me this," she said quietly, turning her attention back to the burning fire separating the two.

Kylo hesitated, blood rushing to his cheeks as well, but for a different reason.

"I'm cold, too," he said quietly, keeping his gaze on Rey's pretty face, which he saw was noticeably redder than usual.

There was an awkward pause between the two, until Rey said, "So, do you want your cloak back or not?"

"Keep it for the night," Kylo said, slowly standing up. The jedi surveyed him cautiously as he paced slowly around the perimeter of the fire, towards her.

"What are you doing, Ben?" Rey asked the Skywalker, goosebumps forming on her skin as he approached her.

Kylo stopped in front of Rey and stood idle for a second, debating on whether or not he should follow through with his somewhat risky plan.

"I'm sitting here," he said awkwardly, looking hopefully at Rey and the empty space beside her.

"You're sitting...next to me?" Rey reiterated, trying to figure out just what Kylo's intentions were.

"For warmth," he added, trying to explain his motives to Rey without explicitly saying "I want to sit next to you, please."

Rey made a face, and began to remove Kylo's cloak, looking bothered.

"I'm not your personal space heater," she retorted, but the Dark Jedi quickly stooped down to her level and put his hand on hers to stop her from removing the garment.

"I said to keep it," he muttered, but held his tongue when he saw the guarded look on Rey's face.

Rey sighed, taking Kylo's hand in her own and scooting over to her right a bit. Kylo felt butterflies in his stomach at the sensation of her hand on his yet again.

It was almost funny how easily she took his hand in this moment, yet had made her decision so quickly to turn it down in Snoke's throne room. The memory soured Kylo's mood just a tad, but he was still determined to patch things up tonight.

"Do you want to sit next to me?" the brunette asked, knowing full well the answer.

"Yes," the dark-haired man replied, and Rey pulled his hand towards her, leading him to sit next to her, his thigh flush up against hers.

Wordlessly, Rey took her hand from Kylo and draped his cloak over both of them, sharing the warmth of the fabric with him.

"Can you see my future right now?" Kylo asked jokingly, revelling in how warm and soft she was beside him.

"No," she replied, a smile dancing on her lips.

"I wouldn't want to if I could," she then added in a hushed voice, her gaze shifted downwards. "I'm still unsure of what to do."

"About what?" Kylo asked, adjusting himself to face Rey, his chest suddenly feeling rather heavy.

Rey gulped, peering over at Kylo out of the corner of her eye.

"About you, about me. About us, I suppose," she said.

She could feel Kylo tense beside her, since his leg was pressed against hers; she felt immediate regret, and reached her hand out to him again, anticipating.

"Please," she started, her voice threatening to break as she blinked back tears, her amber eyes boring into his onyx ones. "Can we start again? I want to be able to trust you."

Kylo stared back and tenderly brushed his fingertips against hers, the electricity of the moment running across his skin and right to his heart, which he found was pounding in his ears.

"I want you to help me," Kylo whispered, moving his fingers from her hand to her cheek; Rey flinched slightly at the contact, but eased into his caress and cursed herself for being so quick to cry around Ben Solo.

"I will," she promised, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face against his shoulder, fresh tears staining his shirt.

Kylo wordlessly snaked his arms around Rey's waist in turn and held her tight, the room completely silent save for the fire and Rey's muffled sobs.

The two broke apart after a few seconds, and Rey found the courage to rest her head on Ben's shoulder as they continued to stare into the fireplace, not sure of what they should say.

Kylo was feeling a bit conflicted; he felt the familiar pull to the light, as he always did, but it had always made him uneasy as well.

He was content for the first time in a long time with Rey up against him and no one to answer to. However, his tiredness was beginning to get to him, and he had planned on staying the nights on the island in his space cruiser.

Kylo hesitated, then wrapped his arm around Rey's shoulder, taking a deep, shuddering breath as he did so.

Rey sat incredibly still in the moment, her heart beating a million miles a parsec. The First Order Leader's arm was large and comforting, and she inhaled deeply, relief flooding her senses.

Ben's earthy scent was one thousand times better in person, and she snuggled closer against him, nervously biting her lip as she allowed her hand to rest right above his knee, which earned her a slight shiver from her dark counterpart.

"Is this too much?" Rey asked anxiously, scared that she had crossed whatever boundaries they were constantly rewriting, but Kylo aggressively shook his head and held her tighter to him, and Rey could feel the erratic beating of his heart in his chest.

"I want you to come to my ship with me," the dark haired man said, his cheeks and chest flooded with heat, but his body still very much registering the fact that it was freezing outside. "I have heating, a bed, food…"

Kylo trailed off, scared to look at Rey's face and see the reaction she was having to his words.

Rey studied his every feature, trying to catch the slightest tell, the smallest giveaway that Kylo was planning on betraying her.

She trembled against him, but Kylo sat still out of fear.

"I want to trust you, Ben," she pleaded, her voice barely audible above the bonfire. "I can't know you won't turn me in to the First Order."

Kylo's grip around Rey's shoulder tightened, and he clenched his free fist, weighing the options on his mind.

"I am done with the First Order," he claimed, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to promise Rey that he could abandon what was now his home.

Rey furrowed her brows and lifted her hand from Kylo's thigh, considering his words.

A warm, soft bed was definitely one of her favorite things since leaving Jakku, and it was certainly preferable to sleeping on the stone floor of the cold hut.

"How can I know you mean that?" she asked, scanning Ben's eyes for answers.

"Search my mind," the taller man offered, not wanting to lose Rey a second time. He desperately reached out to her through the force, wanting to prove he had no intent of tricking her.

He sincerely wished to spend the night with her and mend their broken bond.

Rey sat next to him in silence for a brief moment, then stood up and looked to him, then the door.

"Shall we go, then?" she asked restlessly, reaching for the cloak that she had accidentally let fall to the floor.

Kylo took her outstretched hand and stood up, grabbing the cloak himself; he draped it around her shoulders and clasped it at the front for her so it wouldn't slip off.

Rey gave the Dark Jedi her first genuine smile since she had arrived on the island as they linked hands and ventured into the frigid night.

They walked in silence, Kylo leading Rey by the hand as they trekked over the lush island, now covered with a layer of powdery snow.

The pair quickly arrived at Kylo's command shuttle, and hurried in to get out of the cold.

Rey looked around curiously, enjoying the central heat of the space craft. She had never been on Kylo's ship before, so she was eager to see the design and controls.

She could feel her eyelids growing heavy, however, so maybe she should find the bed he spoke of first.

Kylo was standing awkwardly by the bay doors, watching Rey in his ship as though it were a dream. A good dream, but still outlandish and improbable.

Yet, there she was - smiling and exploring his ship, which he was suddenly very glad he had ordered to be cleaned before his trip.

The brunette saw Kylo's transfixed reflection in the ship's viewport, and she whipped around to face him, slightly embarrassed that she had started walking around his property without a word.

"Do you like it?" the Dark Jedi asked diffidently, breaking the silence between the two.

Rey nodded and pulled the man's cape off, outstretching her hand to give it back to him.

"Thanks again," she expressed, taking the opportunity to walk up to Kylo, who seemed even more uncertain than her.

His face was filled with anticipation as he wordlessly opened the door closest to the two; Rey gave him a quizzical look, but peered in the now revealed room.

It was a small area with dark grey walls, dim yet warm lighting, and a singular queen-sized bed.

"This is my bedroom," Kylo explained, taking his cloak from Rey and draping it across a chair.

He brushed past her and walked over to the metal dresser in the corner, pulling out some clothes.

Rey stood, perplexed, staring at the bed; it hadn't dawned on her that they would be sharing a mattress.

"Are you okay with sharing the bed?" the Jedi managed to say, her voice sounding much less confident than she would have liked.

Kylo sucked in a lungful of air; he had been so blinded by the happenings of tonight and so excited to have Rey on his ship that he had nearly forgotten about the fact that they would have to share a bed.

"I can sleep somewhere else," he offered, deciding that the rug in the hall might not be the worst choice.

"No, it's...it's alright," the brunette woman insisted, walking over to the bed. She made a move to sit on it, but quickly stopped herself.

"Sorry, my clothes are still wet from the snow," she explained, noticing Kylo's questioning gaze.

The dark-haired man looked pensive for a second, then said, "Would you like to borrow a shirt?"

Rey could feel the blood rushing to her face all over again as Kylo offered her one of the garments he had taken from his dresser earlier.

"I've already borrowed your cloak, I couldn't possibly-," she began, but Kylo threw the shirt to her, and she reflexively caught it.

"I told you not to worry about that," he snapped, but in a light-hearted tone. "You can borrow whatever you like. I'm going to go change."

Rey looked at Kylo quizzically, his shirt held tightly in her hand.

"Change into what?" she asked, honestly confused.

"Night clothes," the dark Jedi replied simply, and he slipped out of the room, using the moment of privacy to catch his breath.

He disrobed quickly and quietly, and as he did, he mulled over every moment he and Rey had spent together since he had first arrived on the island.

The hug, the hand holding, her head on his shoulder, her hand on his thigh…

The last bit caused memories of her touch to make his skin tingle, and he felt his whole body grow hotter as he thought about what it might feel like if she did something similar in bed.

Kylo gulped. He couldn't deny it any longer. Whether he wanted to or not, he had feelings for Rey.

He had known this for a while, somewhere in the back of his mind, but he had been able to ignore it what with his orders from Snoke and the plans to wipe out the Resistance once and for all.

But now, all those things had come to pass, and he was alone on Ahch-To with the very woman he had spent many a night awake in bed thinking about.

Whether or not he should act on these feelings or - dare he say it - tell her about them, he had no idea. Rey had returned his touches, and his advances in the hut; could that be a sign that she felt similarly? Making assumptions was never a safe bet.

Kylo swallowed hard, and checked himself over in the glossy shine of his ship's viewport before knocking on the door to the ship's sleeping quarters.

"Come in," a sheepish voice said from inside, and the dark Jedi opened the door and stepped in, his eyes wide at the girl sitting on his bed.

Rey was wearing his black t-shirt, which came down to around her mid-thigh, and she had her hair down in a middle part, framing her face neatly.

Rey stared at Kylo as well; he was wearing black sweatpants and nothing else, most likely because she was wearing his shirt. She admired his bare chest and was reminded of their Force connection in which he had also been half naked, and a blush crept up on her cheeks.

Kylo did his best to keep his gaze on Rey as he meandered over to the bed and plopped down on the edge beside her, his heart thudding quite violently in his chest.

He had never seen her in such casual attire, and the fact that it was his shirt made him enjoy it all the more.

He was at a loss for words; he knew what he wanted to say, but he didn't want to push things too far.

Rey turned away and smoothed over one of the bed's pillows, just to do something with her hands; she stole a glance at Kylo, and moved a little closer, their thighs now pressed up against each other once again.

"Can I touch you?" she said in such a small voice that Kylo hadn't even been sure he was hearing her at all.

Kylo felt his breath hitch in his throat and he nodded, intertwining his fingers with Rey's own.

Rey's head rested against his shoulder again, and she placed her free hand on the inside of his knee, lower than where it had been in the hut but further on the inside of his leg.

Kylo's heart was racing, and he could sense that Rey's was too; he felt like his chest might explode as the brunette began moving her thumb in a circular motion, innocently massaging his leg, and he couldn't stand the tension any longer.

"Rey," he began, his voice husky and deep, and his breathing rather shallow. "I have another question for you."

"Mm?" the Jedi replied contently, her movements becoming more rigid.

She was afraid she might have made him upset, made him want her to stop; she felt as though every move she made could cause her to fall off the edge and lose Ben all over again.

She gasped as Kylo rested his hand on her bare thigh and turned to face her, his eyes flickering with a passion she hadn't seen in them before.

"Can I kiss you?" Kylo asked, his optics restlessly observing Rey for any and every reaction she had to his question.

Rey was floored. Of everything she thought he was going to say, that had been one of her secret wishes, not a possibility.

"Yes," she replied breathlessly, and Kylo wordlessly took her face in his hands and pressed his lips to Rey's, revelling in how soft she was.

Rey kissed him back, needily and desperately, and she soon found herself on her back with Kylo propped up above her, his hands now in her hair and by her waist.

The Jedi grew frustrated at how little of Kylo she was getting and how much more she craved, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss her deeper; he swiped his tongue along her lower lip in turn, wanting to taste and feel her more.

Rey's tongue eagerly met his, and the kiss deepened; the need for air grew more pressing, but neither of the two dared separate.

Rey's hands wandered down Kylo's back, feeling every taut muscle tense and flex under his smooth skin as he reacted to her touch. The dark-haired man placed his knee between her legs to steady himself, and Rey outright moaned at the contact.

It was then that Kylo pulled away. He was out of breath, and half a mind to kiss her again until morning broke.

He surveyed Rey, who's chest rose and fell with every breath she took. Her hair was not nearly as straight and neat as before, and her shirt had been hiked up during their positioning; Kylo quickly looked away and Rey sat up and adjusted herself, her face a deep pink.

She grabbed Ben's hand and held it tight, willing him to look her in the eyes.

"Sorry," the dark-haired man said, and Rey cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry for what?" she said, still somewhat out of breath.

"I took it too far," Kylo answered, running his hand through his hair, his cheeks burning with color.

He was trying hopelessly to calm down, trying not to look as aroused as he felt, but knowing it was not working in any galaxy.

"You didn't take anything too far," Rey assured him, stroking his arm gently, her gaze wandering downwards; her knees felt weak as the noticed a sizable bulge in the lap of Kylo's sweatpants, and she could feel her heart drop to her stomach.

The dark jedi noticed her gaze and shifted his position, noting that her hand had stopped moving up and down his arm and instead hung limply against his tricep.

He was almost too embarrassed for words; he was turned on, it was true. The kiss had left him burning hot and craving more, but he couldn't risk pushing Rey too far. That had been the downfall of their relationship in the throne room, and the pinpricks of that fear pierced his mind even now.

"I did," Ben continued, his dark eyes smoldering in the shadows of the room, boring intensely into Rey's brown ones. "I should have told you how I feel first."

The words finally managed to fall from Kylo's lips and not just run through his head. He was so close to letting go and conveying to Rey just how much he truly did care; he could see it in Rey's captivated expression that she knew what he was trying to say, but couldn't quite believe it.

"And how do you feel?" the jedi asked softly, her face kept intentionally blank, quickly hiding any anticipation she was feeling.

She wanted this moment to be entirely decided by Ben himself. She didn't want any pretenses or false claims, didn't want to know what Snoke or Hux or Luke or anyone had instilled in him.

She wanted his own voice and mind for once.

Kylo took a deep, trembling breath, and searched his thoughts for the right thing to say.

"In your mind, I had seen that you desired someone to belong to. I want to be that someone. I care for you, Rey."

Kylo stumbled over these words, and he thought he might be going into cardiac arrest. His head was light. His hand grabbed at his shirt over his chest, only to realize he was topless. Rey was just staring at him, and he didn't know if that was good or bad. He prayed it was at the least something in between.

Rey eventually gave him a kind-hearted grin, and she decided to take his face in her hands.

Kylo's mouth hung open, and Rey kissed it shut, pressing their lips together in a chaste yet passionate caress.

"I care for you, too," Rey replied, breaking away and relishing the sweet yet shocked expression on Ben's face. "That's why I want you to come back to the resistance base with me."

Kylo raised his eyebrows, staring at the former scavenger in disbelief.

"Back to the base? I can't," he started sharply, earning a troubled look from Rey.

"You told me you were done with the First Order," the brunette reminded him, her face unwavering as she looked him dead in the eyes, pleading.

"I'm not going to march back to my…," Kylo trailed off, his eyes shutting slowly as he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Back into the hands of the enemy. They want me dead."

"I'll tell them you've changed," Rey petitioned, gripping the dark-haired man's arm firmly, her eyes alight with the same fire he had seen when she had first urged him to the light.

"That you've turned," she continued adamantly. Her features softened to almost sadness, and she gave him a wary expression. "You have turned, haven't you?"

Kylo felt himself on the verge of a collapse; he grabbed a fistful of the bed sheets and looked at Rey's familiar face, wondering if would even be able to renounce the dark.

"Help me," he all but begged, his voice hoarse. "I'm conflicted."

Rey simply nodded, stroking his arm once again.

"Just trust me," she assured him. "Come with me. I won't let anything happen to you. If they arrest you, then they arrest me, too."

Kylo took Rey's hand, almost by instinct at this point. He nodded back, and then yawned, glancing at the digital clock mounted on the wall.

It was about two in the morning, and he suddenly felt very lethargic.

"I trust you," he murmured, lying back on the bed, his arms outstretched.

Rey followed suit and rested her head on his arm, pulling the covers over the two.

Kylo felt himself melt into the bed along with his heart; he felt light and carefree with Rey's head on his arm as she whispered "goodnight" to him.

"Goodnight," he said back, not yet wanting the night to end, but hoping there was even more in store for them in the morning.

He turned off the one light in the room and quickly drifted to sleep with the jedi beside him, deciding to put his worries on hold for the night.