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JL x
Jay's day had unfolded in much the same away as it had yesterday, she woke, she was escorted to Chamberlain's office by Kylo, she organised what she could, she was escorted back, they ate together. Nothing out of yesterdays routine, nothing to throw any adventure into the mix.
Until she heard the words she hadn't expected to hear for a few days, at least.
"What would you like to see first?"
The question came completely from out of the blue, and she stared up at Kylo blankly, not understanding the context of the question. He folded his napkin neatly and pushed his tray away from him before elaborating
"Your tour? What would you like to see first on your tour of the ship?"
He stood and held his hand out to her, which she took immediately and followed him as he led her through to the familiar blinding white of the hallway, and away from her private rooms. As they walked he laced her arm around his, and they continued side-by-side.
"I thought you were planning on doing this in a few days time, and during the day?" she asked curiously
He gave her a half-smile and explained
"I came to the conclusion that it might be more pleasant for you if there weren't so many personnel around, some areas can be extremely busy during the daylight shift and I wouldn't want you to feel overwhelmed at the sight of it all"
She had to agree with him, she looked forward to the prospect of a private tour with him where he didn't need to assert his dominance and sovereignty in the presence of his soldiers and officers.
As they made their way at a leisurely pace through the ever-repetitive corridors and galleries, Jay really became aware of her surroundings for the first time since arriving. Through the few doors that remained open she saw evidence of a military presence, barracks, meeting rooms and holding cells littered the deck they walked on, and she suspected they made up the majority of most other decks too. This was not a passenger ship, it was a tried and tested war vessel, a true Star Destroyer.
Making their way down multiple levels via the turbo lift system and through another set of inner passageways, they arrived at a glass partition overlooking what Kylo explained to be the main underbelly hangar, where the vast majority of their single light fighter craft were kept and launched from. Jay looked over the vast array of machinery in awe, even on this one ship she saw more armaments than the expanse of her home planet's entire fleet.
"It's impressive" she stated as she turned back towards him.
He looked back from beyond the glass and answered her, his face turning serious for a moment
"It's necessary"
She saw a glimpse of the 'professional' Kylo for a second as he spoke, as kind as he could be towards her behind closed doors, that Kylo would always be there. Jay didn't know how it was possible for the most hated man in existence to have a hidden warmheartedness, but it was there. He was not a 'good' man, but despite his vicious allegiance to his duty and brutality, she liked him.
Hearing the entry doors hiss behind her, she turned quickly to see three men walk in, two studying the screens on the tablets they held, flanking the other. They were all dressed similarly, the familiar steel-grey uniforms of Order officers, though the one standing between the two others donned a long darkened trench coat and no headwear. He was tall, pale and slim, definitely not built for combat, but she could see just from his stance and the cold look in his eyes how he would've been a good fit for a commander in the First Order's arsenal.
All three stopped dead in their tracks as they looked up from their business and spotted the pair.
Jay turned back to Kylo, who wore a look of seething disgust upon sight of the intruders, and she saw fire dancing in the depths of his pupils. He motioned for her to stand beside him, and she did without hesitation, drawing immediate attention from the middle member of their group.
She cringed under his burning gaze
Kylo was the first to speak, simply muttering the man's name
"Hux"
Hux's eyes never left her
"Ah Ren, at last I meet your new plaything"
He said it with malice dripping from his tongue, still focused entirely upon her. His accent was similar to her own, and his manner reminded her of her own people. She didn't break eye contact once, standing tall.
Kylo stared Hux down, daring him to continue, which he did, foolishly.
"I did wonder when you might bring her out to show off your new toy, I'm surprised you've let her escape your bed already. Pretty little thing, isn't she?"
Jay heard the quiet creaking of leather as Kylo balled his gloved hands into fists beside her
Hux had either not noticed the signs of anger rising within him, or didn't care. He continued his assault and stalked towards her, with all the intent and focus of a predator circling its prey.
"Aren't you lucky Ren? Our Supreme Leader did a fine job in selecting her, she's a little more refined than the whores that have graced your quarters before, isn't she? Yet I suspect she still has quite the bite on her"
He cracked a sadistic grin in her direction, she didn't respond. She was too preoccupied in thought. She had already presumed, and accepted, that her betrothed may have taken other women to his bed, obviously women hired for that specific task by Hux's description, but hearing it firsthand still floored her. Was she to be seen as nothing more than an upgraded 'whore' of his by the Order?
She snapped back into reality as she saw Hux reaching for a loose wave of hair by the side of her face
"Yes, yes" he said, reaching out, "very pretty thing..."
Jay leaned backwards slightly, but she had no need to, she heard another flex of leather by her side. Before he could touch her, he found his hand frozen in pursuit.
Jay looked down to see that Kylo's right hand was no longer balled tightly, and instead was flexed around an invisible shape, as though he was holding them, squeezing them. She looked up to see Hux clawing at his own neck, struggling to breathe. Kylo stepped towards him slowly, now the predator himself
"If you ever touch her, if you ever threaten her, if she feels so much as the slightest breath of yours touch her skin, I will exterminate you"
He relaxed his hand and Hux dropped to his knees, his face returning from bright maroon to its natural pale porcelain hue. The two officers by his side did nothing to help him stand, making a point to look anywhere but in Jay's direction, lest they suffer at Kylo's hands as well.
Hux stood with some difficulty, trying to maintain his dignity, and spun on his heel to quickly march from the room, his entourage following in haste.
A moment of silence fell before either of them said a word, then they both spoke at once
"Are you alright?"
"Thank you"
Kylo looked intently at her and repeated his question
"Are you alright?"
She let out a breath and smiled at him
"Yes, I'm fine. He's..." she struggled to remain polite, "...quite the character, isn't he?"
Kylo let out a short laugh and shook his head, clearly in disbelief that she could stay so calm about the man he so despised. He held his arm out to her again, and she took it
"Come with me, I need to let off some steam after that encounter, and it'll be more entertaining for you than listening to me list every model of fighter you can see from that window"
She allowed him to maneuver her away from the hangar and back into the lift. They only ascended two decks before exiting, and almost immediately she'd been led through a set of wide metal doors, into a large room filled with some of the strangest contraptions she'd ever set eyes upon. They were all intended for hand-to-hand combat training, that much she could tell. Most were scarred with burn marks or chunks missing, they were well-used and wounded.
Kylo dropped her arm after leading her to a collection of low benches
"You may want to sit, I often find myself getting carried away once I start my training routines and could take longer than you think"
She sat as he removed the heavy cloak draped over his shoulders and dropped it beside her on the bench. When she looked back up from where he'd placed it she found him removing his stiff tunic and undershirt. Eyes widening, she quickly averted them and grabbed the cloak, concentrating very hard on folding it neatly, and rather slowly. He noticed her shift her attention rapidly and chuckled lowly to himself before walking away. She moved on to folding the rest of his discarded clothes.
When she finally looked up from her overly-perfected folding, he was further away from her, stretching. His lower half remained, thankfully, fully clothed. She could certainly see the warrior in him from this perspective. The muscles rolled in his back as he moved his torso, and she found herself unable to look away. He moved with such grace and poise as he started his maneuvers, and she was enthralled by the performance.
She jumped as a bright red light lit up the room and the accompanying noise sounded, she hadn't even realised he was carrying his iconic weapon about his waistband. The saber sliced through the air and threw sparks across the room as it met its targets. It was hypnotic.
He battled with his immobile opponents for an eternity, she had no idea how long she had been sitting, captivated by him, but she realised it must be reaching the early hours of the morning by now. Still, she watched.
Eventually he took a final swing at one of the few remaining dummies and stopped, breathing deeply as he regained his breath and powering down his saber. Jay admired the way the curve of his biceps reflected the dim lighting above, the glow dappled over his shoulders and down his hard chest, shadows forming in the shallow valleys of his abdominal muscles. She wasn't afraid to think the truth, he was a magnificent spectacle.
Turning towards her and finding her staring at him, he held his hand out and motioned her towards him
"Do you want to try?"
She was slightly taken aback, but stood excitedly and made her way forwards. He led her over to an undamaged target and grasped her shoulders, facing her towards it and keeping himself behind her. He brought his hand round to her front, holding the disarmed saber out for her to take, which she did, more hesitantly than she expected.
Once she held the handcrafted weapon she brought it close to her face, peering at the wiring and fine detail around the handle, he quickly pushed it away so that it faced outwards. She hadn't realised he had been leaning over the shoulder she pointed the barrel over. Turning her head, she apologised, and he responded with an amused smile before she faced forwards once more.
"You know" he started, "you must have made an impact on me, I've never willingly let another living soul hold my lightsaber, and I certainly would never allow anyone to do this..."
He placed his hands atop of hers and ignited the weapon, she winced as she felt the heat from its blade radiate over her face, but his solid body behind her prevented her from jumping backwards. He pressed into her and nudged her forwards, keeping the saber at arms length, until she reached the target.
"Okay, now get a feel for the weight, if you don't recognise the pull it has on your arms you won't have a chance of hitting anything"
She adjusted it slightly in her grip, and he let go of her hands and moved his down to her wrists for a moment, allowing her to get a feel for it before moving back up to secure her palms around the handle, only to prevent the weapon from leaving her hands as she swung backwards.
"Now concentrate"
His voice was low, almost a deep whisper
"You're going to swing backwards over your right shoulder, not too far or I'll lose my good arm"
She chuckled, he was beginning to develop a sense of humour.
"Follow my actions, and as I bring your arms forwards you take over, swing it with as much power as you can and stop as soon as you've sliced through. Don't let go"
He brought her hands up to the height of her shoulders and bent her wrists slightly so the saber would curve backwards marginally. As he did, his left arm encircled her, and she found herself pressed tighter against his front, she could feel his chest rise and fall with every breath.
"Now"
He started the swing and released as she approached the target. In one swift swipe the saber cut through the sold metal, which hit the floor with a satisfying thud, and sparks flew away from them over the polished floor. She stood there frozen in position, waiting for him to power down the weapon. He reached around her again and took it from her, the light retracting and the room again descending into semi-darkness. He clipped it back into position on his belt.
"Oh dear maker!" she exclaimed, turning around to face him, he stayed close to her. "That was incredible! I've never done anything like that before, I've never even held a weapon! Thank you! Thank you so much Kylo!"
She threw her arms around his neck without thought, and he stood stationary, in total shock. As soon as he came-to he found his own arms wrapping themselves around her waist and holding her there.
"Any time"
It was all he could manage.
At the sound of his voice she realised how close they were and her eyes opened wide, she pulled back a little and craned her neck to look up at him while he still held her waist against his. They stood like this for what could only have been seconds, but felt so much longer, searching each other's eyes for any indication of what should be their next move.
She didn't need to wait long for him to react.
His eyes flickered down to her lips and back up several times, she could sense the conflict in him, he was desperately trying to make a decision.
He made it, and his lips came down on hers with the softest pressure.
His hand traced upwards and settled in the nape of her neck, before making its way to the side of her face and cupping her jaw.
He was gentle, unsure, conflicted.
Jay stood stock-still and shocked for a moment, before melting into him and retracting her elbows down to rest on his chest so that she could hold his face between both of her palms. She returned the gentle pressure on his lips and there they stood, embraced.
It was short and sweet, and after a few seconds he pulled back, breathing unevenly and blinking at her. When she gave him a small smile he relaxed a little and cleared his throat.
"We should be heading back, time got away from us again"
His words came out in a slightly hoarse whisper, and she nodded, dropping her hands to her side and stepping back a fraction.
Kylo stepped around her and gathered his clothing from the bench she had been sitting on, not bothering to re-adorn it, and they made their way back to the turbo lifts. They were silent on their ascent back to their occupancy deck, but it wasn't uncomfortable.
Arriving at her doors, they said their goodnights. Before she had a chance to reach up and place a peck on his cheek as she had done before, he took her hand in his and placed a light kiss upon her fingers, just below her knuckle, quickly turning away and making it to his own quarters in record time.
As she entered hers, she allowed herself a moment to breathe, resting against a wall for support.
What had just happened? Why did they both suddenly move so quickly? What would this change?
Questions flew at breakneck speed inside her mind, and she walked distractedly towards her bed, knocking her hip against the dresser as she moved. She cursed the inanimate object and threw her clothes onto her chair in frustration.
Collapsing down onto the mattress, she lay flat on her back, legs hanging over the edge and arms splayed wide.
She didn't get more than an hour of sleep that night.
