At some point during the night, I woke with a start, unsure of where I was. I quickly sat up, my heart racing as my eyes tried to adjust to the darkness.

Nearly instantly, I was wrapped tightly in strong arms, and I found relief.

"Kylo," I whispered, sighing quietly as I lay back down.

He grunted once, mumbling something incoherently before his hands made their way across my body, reaching beneath my clothes to caress me.

My breath hitched as my elevated heart rate now had a new reason to exist. I quickly disrobed, suddenly needing to feel his flesh against my own. His already bared chest causing intense excitement to roll through me.

As soon as I pressed my lips against him aggressively, his eyes opened wide and a growl escaped his lips. His nostrils flared as he took control but sleep was still evident in his gaze.

In his half awake state he expertly navigated my body. His mouth, his hands, his desire, it all called to me perfectly. Whatever darkness had awakened me was lost entirely. There was only one thing that mattered now.

Giving myself into him completely, I soared into ecstasy, shouting his name before collapsing back into him.

"Kylo," I repeated breathlessly.

He hummed softly before pulling me tightly to him. Within moments, his breathing was a gentle snore. I laughed silently before closing my eyes and sinking fully into him, lulled into sleep at the sound of his heart slowing back down.

The next time I woke, it was light. I was no longer wrapped in warmth, the bed next to me was cold.

Sitting up, the sheets slid down my body, exposing my naked flesh to the chilled air. I shivered, pulling the blankets back up to my chin while my eyes scanned the room.

"Kylo?" I called out.

He shuffled from the bathroom, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He was encapsulated with innocence, and I couldn't stop the giggle that escaped my lips. His matted hair stuck up in all directions. His boxer briefs were barely on, revealing a tuft of hair peaking out the top.

"Mrmph," he managed to say as he collapsed back into the bed, wiggling under the covers.

"What are you doing?" I asked when he sighed, settling back into the pillow.

"Too early. Lemme sleep."

I blurted out a laugh. Glancing at the time, I noted that it was 45 minutes before we would have been training. Was he always like this in the mornings?

"Just need coffee. Wakes me up," he mumbled in response to my thoughts.

I turned, smacking him lightly on the chest.

His eyes snapped open, his nostrils flaring as his iris adjusted to his emotions and the lights. His brooding glare was intimidating, but I wasn't going to let him throw a tantrum again. We needed to learn to work together. We needed to not let our emotions get away from us when we were together, at least not without discussing it.

His expression shifted to a frown as he continued listening to my thoughts. With a sigh, I focused on blocking him, shifting myself to face him on my side. For a brief moment, I saw fiery passion pass across his eyes, then he smirked, reaching his hand out to lightly brush my cheek.

"Is that what you plan on thinking about everytime you need to focus the Force?" he asked, teasing me.

I held tightly to my focus, forcing down my annoyance.

"Probably," I replied, controlling the muscles in my face.

His eyebrows shot up quickly, then settled back down.

"Naughty girl," he practically purred.

His sultry tone caused my heart to skip a beat, but this time rather than losing control of my block, I pushed my way passed his, feeling his intense desire as his mind went wild.

Unable to stop the blush on my cheeks when I heard how vulgar his mind could be, I quickly backed out of his thoughts, leaving my own block up.

In the silence before he could ask the question that hung on his protruding lip, his stomach rumbled loudly.

"You need to eat," I quickly said, slipping a shirt and pants on and walking to the table. "I knew that wasn't enough food to satiate you last night. Here, this should still be safe to eat," I said, tossing some tapioca pudding at him.

He caught it with ease, frowning at the container in his hand.

"I'm not sure I even like tapioca pudding," he mumbled, sliding his feet over the edge of the bed and sitting up.

"I don't care," I replied, walking over to open it and stick a spoon in the contents. "Eat."

Once again, anger quickly passed over his features, but I didn't miss it. Rolling my eyes, I pulled out the spoon and held it to his lips.

"If you don't want me to take charge, then you need to prove that you can take care of yourself," I continued, holding a bite next to his mouth.

His miniscule pout deepened ever so slightly before he reached up to take the spoon from me. Rotating the spoon, he analyzed the contents closely.

"What are these little balls in it?" he grimaced, still refusing to try it.

"Tapioca. Just eat it."

I crossed my arms, refusing to stand down as I attempted my best mom look.

He tried a full-blown pout, but I simply raised my eyebrows at him.

His eyes searched my face for a moment before he sighed with resignation. I did my best to not change my expression as he slowly brought the spoon to his mouth. With one final glance at me, he sighed, then shoved the contents into his mouth.

His jaw started to move around as he explored the foreign food. A smile pulled at my lips as I observed him trying to decide if he was going to swallow.

"It's slimy," he mumbled, chewing awkwardly.

The laugh I had been attempting to stifle escaped just as someone knocked at the door.

I quickly dropped my arms, stepping behind Kylo.

"What!" his voice boomed.

"Your coffee, sir. You, um, didn't call for it. So-"

"LEAVE IT!" he shouted.

I involuntarily flinched, but I didn't think he'd seen. When the shuffles and scattered apologies died down, Kylo ran a hand through his hair, failing miserably at taming it in any way.

With an annoyed sigh, he went to the door, scooping up the tray left outside. On it were two cups and an entire carafe. He scooped it up swiftly, bringing it to the table and pouring a cup.

"Do you want some?" he asked suddenly as if he was remembering his manners.

I smiled broadly.

"Oh, no. Thank you. I'm more of a tea drinker."

His nostrils flared and his hand reached for the phone. I quickly reached out to stop him.

"Drink your coffee. I'm going to go clean up, and then we can grab a real meal. You need to eat."

I leaned forward, gently kissing his scar. I chuckled softly when I pulled away and caught the look of confusion. When I turned to walk away, his hand snapped out, grabbing my arm and aggressively pulling me towards himself as he stood.

Before I could protest, he slammed his lips to mine, roughly squeezing my ass. I pulled away to gasp, surprised by the deep pain.

"I'm in charge. Not you," he growled along my jaw.

I quickly leaned forward biting his ear, pulling it before taking it between my lips and placing my hand over the growing bulge in his briefs.

"Oh?" I asked seductively, squeezing my grip around his cock.

His body shuddered nearly imperceptibly and I smirked. He glowered at me, releasing his grip on me. I did the same, stepping back to look at him more fully.

Before I could stop myself, words fell from my lips.

"I will take care of you."

"What?"

"I won't leave your side. Ever. I don't care what you did or what you might do, I won't lose you. And if that means tying you down and forcing you to eat, so help me I'll do it."

He stared incredulously for a moment. I could sense his indignation, but instead of anger, a small chuckle escaped.

I frowned at him, feeling like he was making fun of me.

"I'm serious, Kylo," I replied, dropping my wall and letting him in.

This time he gently prodded my thoughts, and I let him while attempting to follow along his connection. It almost felt like a caress. I moaned, letting my eyes fall shut.

Alright. But you're agreeing to the same. Got it?

When I opened my eyes to glare, I suddenly found him barely an inch from my own face. My anger faltered as I got lost in his eyes.

"Fine."

I let my hands trace up his sides, pulling him into a hug with some force. For a brief moment, I felt extreme sadness while I held him. His block was back up before I could even think about opening my mouth to mention it.

"I will keep you safe," I whispered.

He squeezed me more tightly into him but didn't reply. I didn't need him to, anyway. Just being held with such care told me more than any of his limited words would. We would get through this together. We would win.