The Art of Broken Pieces

13 Secret Porgs

Ben woke slowly, jaw aching, aware of a disconcerting silence. It took him a moment to realize that he was still listening for the hum of ships' engines where there were none to be heard. The bed beside him was empty, and he ran a hand through sleep tangled hair, slowly unwinding himself from the blankets. He supposed that Rey had probably gone out to see her friends, though it was strangely irritating that she hadn't woken him to let him know.

Standing, he stretched, pulling his shirt off over his head and deciding that the first order of the day was to find a shower in his luxurious prison. Heading out into the hallway he paused as he heard voices echoing from some room down the corridor. Rey and... a woman's voice he didn't know.

Frowning, he followed the sound of voices.

Rey was inelegantly clasping a fat baby, whose chubby, soft arm was flailing about. Rose was beaming, animatedly waving around a multitool as she took apart the food synthesizer, which had broken, right on cue, just before breakfast.

"...and Finn was just absolutely useless," she said. "Poe had to practically carry him home. He cried more than the baby. It was really sweet. Hydrospanner?"

Rey juggled the baby to one arm and handed the tool down to Rose. She kept searching the baby's face, noticing new things. Finn's nose and brow, the shape of Rose's eyes. The fat cheeks ubiquitous to all human babies. The child's skin was a gorgeous golden brown, and so impossibly soft it didn't feel real.

She felt Ben a moment before he appeared, his curls in shambles, big body filling in the doorway. Rey held her breath as Rose looked up, her eyes widening at the sight of him. She scanned him head to toe, then looked at Rey, then back at Ben.

"You're really tall," she said. "I thought it was the boots."

He blinked at her, glancing at Rey and the baby in confusion. "I... who are you?" He hadn't exactly expected anyone that Rey knew to just... drop by. Especially with a child. Caught off guard, he stood in the doorway helplessly, feeling oddly trapped and off balance.

Rey stared at his shocked face, then at Rose, crouching on the floor beside the half-dismantled synthesizer, her eyes wide with shock as she took in the full force of Ben Solo, half naked and barefoot, his hair still mussed from sleep. Rose blinked. She turned her head slowly toward Rey, then lifted her eyebrows.

"Okay," she said quietly. "I kind of get it now."

Rey barked out a laugh, which turned into a harder laugh, which hurt. She winced and laughed, leaning back into the countertop and clinging to the now-crying baby as she struggled not to drop it.

"Does that thing have an off switch?" Ben complained, brows drawing together in annoyance as the baby wailed loudly. He shifted uncomfortably, moving into the kitchen and leaning back against one counter, crossing his arms. "I still don't know who you are." He said, voice cool as he regained his composure.

He glared at Rey. "And stop that. You'll hurt yourself."

Rose stood up, dusted herself off. "I'm Rose Tico," she said. Her eyes narrowed, and she stepped up to him, brandishing her hydrospanner. "And I'm not afraid of you."

Rey got her composure back together and held the baby back out toward Rose. "Take her, I—I think I need to sit," she said around another wincing laugh. Rose looked at the baby a moment, then looked at Rey, then gave Ben another head to toe scan. "No, I think we need to talk, actually." She snatched the baby and shoved it into Ben's unsuspecting arms.

"This probably makes me a terrible mother, handing my baby to the former Supreme Leader of the First Order. But for some reason, I think you'll behave."

Then she proceeded to drag Rey into the living room, where she wheeled on her.

"WHAT?" Rose hissed.

Rey leaned in, confused. "What, what?"

"You two!" Rose said. "You're—oh my god. You're sleeping with him."

Rey closed her eyes, feeling at once embarrassed and amused. "Well, not since I got shot. Which has been annoying, because it only started about...a week before I got shot, so..."

"WHAT."

"You're surprised that I am, but you're also surprised it didn't happen sooner?" Rey said.

Rose shook her head, mouth agape. "Well...I mean...If I were inclined at all to sleep with him, I think it would have happened pretty fast. You see him, right? I mean, his face is a little weird, but-"

"His face is not weird."

"It's totally weird. But his—" and Rose waved her hand at her torso "And I assume his—" she waved her hand lower "—everything else...I mean. Put that on a recruitment poster."

Rey snorted. "What, not happy with your own husband?"

Rose lifted her eyebrows. "My husband is a gorgeous slab of densely-muscled dark chocolate man and everything that is sexy and perfect to me. But that—" and she pointed toward the kitchen "—is an apex predator." She narrowed her eyes. "I'm just saying I get you. And I will back up at least the physical side of this relationship."