Author's Ranting Babbles: Happy weekend y'all! Have another chapter!

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Their game had calmed down from that previous misadventure, like Kylo Ren suggested, their 'Timeout' clause should be removed in order to prevent another… mishap. Ash eagerly agreed, mainly due to the chance of her not being able to say 'no' next time.

However, Kylo Ren was still relentless when it came to their little game. Even when he barely touched her, sometimes accidentally, Ash found herself losing. He was right, her willpower was nowhere near his. If she wanted to win, she was going to have to play by his rules and she had to do it sooner rather than later, she was giving in.

The dark and heavy presence on the other side of her apartment door that morning was enough to make her not want to answer. However, she knew hiding was almost impossible when they were so connected to begin with. "You know I can just open this on my own, right?" The distorted voice said from the other side.

Reluctantly, but for different reasons other than not wanting to see him, Ashlyn opened the door. "How can I help you, Commander?" Almost immediately as she opened the door, she began to feel the pull towards him.

"Can I come in?" He asked.

"I'd rather you didn't." She mumbled, knowing she really didn't have a choice as the Commander walked right in anyway. "But please, make yourself at home." She said sarcastically as the door slid closed. Now, she was trapped in the apartment with him.

Kylo removed his helmet, gently placing it on the coffee table before plopping down on her couch. His legs extending to the coffee table as his feet rested to the right of his helmet. "I'm not here to cause problems." His smirk said otherwise. "I actually need your assistance."

"You know, the proper way to do this is to issue a formal request to my department, which will be answered in three to four business days."

He quirked an amused brow. "Does my request not get elevated to a lesser wait period? I am the Commander, after all."

"Now it's five to seven days." Ash retorted. "Demand for my services just went up. If you want it done now, I can always send Taka." She was teasing, he knew it, but it didn't make his glare any less menacing. "Oh, come on." She laughed. "Only you can mess with me? If you can't take the heat-" He was still glaring, which caused her to roll her eyes as she walked over to him and promptly sit on his lap, straddling his hips. "Get over yourself, Ren."

His hands found her hips almost immediately as she sat. "I'm surprised you're being so bold, considering what happened earlier this week. And let's not forget your dreams either." She was still having those hot and heavy dreams, of course he was still listening in on them.

She groaned. "Just once, can you not invade my privacy?"

"I try not to, but I'm starting to grow suspicious that you're broadcasting those dreams on purpose now." Kylo said with an evil smirk. "Which is fine, I'm enjoying them."

"Pervert."

He simpered. "They're your dreams, starshine."

Ash grabbed his hands from her hips and laced her fingers with him, the contact on her hips being a little too much for her to handle at the moment. However, now this contact managed to feel more intimate. She was really setting herself up for failure at this point. "What do you need?"

"Besides you?" He was making her blush on purpose. "I'm actually here for a real reason. I had put this off for quite some time. My ship needs tending to, the cooling unit is malfunctioning again."

Ash frowned, knowing why it had taken this long to fix. She wouldn't let the events of the flight crew member bring up old wounds. "Didn't I repair that not too long ago?"

"You did." He said flatly.

Ash bit her lip, sensing exactly what was the cause of the malfunction. "You broke it, didn't you?"

Now he was frowning. "Not exactly."

Ash was laughing. "I think that's exactly what happened."

Kylo Ren let go of Ashlyn's hands and grabbed her hips again, this time tossing her off his lap and onto the couch as he moved on top of her, keeping her from moving. She was still giggling as he did so. By the stars, her laugh was infectious to him. "Will you fix my ship?" He asked again, his tone light as she controlled her laughter, yet unable to hide her smile.

"Fine, I'll move your request up to today, Commander." She said teasingly.

"And not Taka-" He said, bitterness in his voice as he said the man's name. "Or anyone else. Just you."

Her smile became almost reminiscent of that smile that always made Kylo Ren crumble, as she ran her hand through his dark locks affectionately. "Just me." She confirmed.

There it was again, that urge to lean down and kiss that smile off her lips. He wanted to, he desperately wanted to. But, Kylo Ren had a game to win. He sighed, his head falling in the space between the back of the couch and her neck. That was too close of a moment; too close of a risk where Kylo Ren could have lost then and there. "I would appreciate it if you could give in already." He said dryly.

"You could always give up too. Two weeks without training will go by fast." She offered.

"So would two weeks training." Kylo countered, his warm breath tickling her neck as he turned his head ever so slightly in her direction.

Her smile widened as she realized he was struggling just as much as she was. "Commander, as much as I'm enjoying your company. I have work to do." He lifted his head to look at her again, smirking as he did.

"You're right, I have things to attend to today as well."

"Do you?" She asked cautiously, having a bad feeling.

"I have to oversee the uncooperative head of maintenance and make sure she's not sabotaging my ship as she fixes it. I hear she doesn't like me very much."

Ash groaned as Kylo Ren got off her. "Of course, you can't make this easy."

"I have a bet to win." He reminded her as he grabbed his helmet.

"If you distract me while working, I can't guarantee I'll do a good job." Ash warned him.

"You have a natural gift for repairing things, I think you'll be fine." He said, replacing his helmet over his head. "Best get to work, Ms. Novafall." Without another word, Kylo Ren left her apartment, giving Ash a moment to breathe and ultimately feel the loss of the other Force User that was just in the same room.

It was then Ashlyn realized she knew exactly how to win this game. All this time she had a secret weapon, yet she hadn't realized just how powerful it was until this week. She had seen it in his thoughts and just now in the way he reacted to her in that moment, it was suddenly obvious. She knew how to make him crumble to a pile of nothing. Ashlyn Novafall was going to play dirty, she just needed to figure out how to outwit Kylo Ren.

To Ashlyn's surprise, Kylo Ren did not meet her at his ship. In fact, he wasn't anywhere to be found in the nearby area. This was both a relief and yet at the same time a cause for alarm. What was he planning? Gosh, maybe she was paranoid?

Ash still had a job to do, regardless of whatever he was up to. If he was even planning anything to begin with. Knowing him though, he was. She would bide her time and focus all her concentration on the task at hand, while trying not to think about the ways she could make Kylo Ren overall lose their little game.

Ash boarded his personal ship, rolling her eyes at the moment she saw the slash marks on the wall. No wonder the cooling unit was busted, again. She wasn't fixing the cosmetics, she already decided that that headache was not worth the struggle. Instead, it was more important to fix the inner workings.

First, Ash removed the panel covering the wirings and internal workings of the cooling unit, placing the panel off to the side as she began to work. She was almost relieved to see most of it was still intact say for a few couplings that needed to be replaced. She had the tools and material to do so; this wouldn't take her too long.

The interior of the ship was disgustingly warm, combined with Ashlyn working it was getting unbelievably hot in the ship. She unzipped the top of her jumper, knowing the belt would hold it in place, as she slid out of it, now in her tanktop as she lied on her back and continued working on the components that had fried from the abuse Kylo Ren so gracefully bestowed upon it. At least, she was somewhat cooler now as she worked.

She heard the heavy boots making contact with the metal of the ramp. Her moments of peace were fleeting as the footsteps could be heard in the front of the ship, slowly making their way back towards where Ashlyn was working. "Is my ship finished yet, Ms. Novafall?" The distorted voice asked.

Ashlyn rolled her eyes. "Commander, you know I hate talking to you with your 'mask of doom' on." She said, her focus still on the wiring as she lied on her back, looking up at complicated wiring.

She could hear him removing his helmet. "Mask of doom?" He repeated with amusement as he gently placed his helmet down on the floor. "How's my ship coming along?"

"Well-" Ash began. "You did a number on it this time, but it's nothing I can't fix." She wiggled out from underneath the wiring panel and sat up now, forgetting she had removed the top part of her jumper and was now just in a black tank top on her upper half. "I am going to need to get new wiring and another circuit board, this one fried completely-" She realized then he was staring. "What is it?"

He said nothing as he shook his head, shrugging slightly as he tried to find something else in the room to focus on other than her chest. He had seen her so many times in a tank top, yet today was different and it probably had more to do with their current game than anything.

"I'm pretty sure I have the parts back in the office." Ash said as Kylo Ren offered her his hand to assist her. She graciously took it, and with one easy pull he helped her to her feet. Ash brushed the dirt off the back of her jumper, unaware of the man watching her as she did it. She looked back up, offering a smile. "You're staring." She said a little more accusingly now.

"Can you blame me?" He asked, his tone full of that joyous sarcasm he was known to muster.

Ash rolled her eyes. "If you can't keep your eyes up here, Commander." She said, pointing to her face. "Then maybe you're too distracted to be here." She then feigned shock. "Wait, are you-" She began. "Are you starting to trip up at the finish line?"

He scoffed. "That's an absurd proposition."

"I think you're on the verge of losing!" Ash exclaimed playfully. "I can't believe it, the great Kylo Ren is slipping."

Smirking, he grabbed Ashlyn, pulling her close to his chest before dipping her. His one arm behind her back, holding her in place as his other firmly supported her neck. She was laughing now, as he held her there. Her arms slowly reaching up and gripping his shoulders. "You're playing with fire, Ms. Novafall." His tone dark but teasing. "I think it's time we finish this little game." His expression turned to a more daring tone. "Stay with me tonight."

"You think that's a good idea?" She asked skeptically.

"I think it's an awful idea." He chuckled. "Two enter and only one will win."

She grinned, not backing down from the challenge. "I'm game."

"This is the part where you lose." Kylo said, standing upright once more and bringing Ashlyn with him as he did.

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" Now Ash was pulling out all the stops. "I'm going to win this." A sense of determination in her tone. Someone was going to lose tonight.

"We'll see, starshine." He purred before backing away from Ashlyn completely. "Fix my ship." Kylo Ren grabbed his mask, raising it above his head to place it where it belonged. However, just before he did, he winked at Ashlyn, confidence spewing from his walk as he left the ship. He knew he was going to take it all and tonight would only prove that. Ashlyn was in trouble, but she wasn't going down without a fight.

Fixing the ship was fairly simple, especially since she wasn't in charge with changing any of the cosmetics of the interior. She was going to leave it as is, not her problem at the end of the day. Ash was maintenance and Kylo Ren did not specify that fixing his ship meant fixing that as well. Good grief, she realized, she was starting to sound like him. Making up different rules that only applied when it was for personal benefit and nothing more. Then again, playing his game was also the only way she could win their bet. She would have to do something that would throw him off guard completely, something that would send him over the edge.

She knew what she had to do, but executing that plan was the problem. Phase one would have to begin now as she began to think about the outcome of this little game. What would the outcome be? Surely, it would fall to the ultimate ending and the two would end up tangled in his bedsheets.

She began to worry then as she couldn't remember the last time she had been intimate with anyone. That word was an ugly word 'intimate'. What did it mean? Yes, the two were growing more and more intimate in how they acted toward each other… but did that mean… was she going to… with Kylo Ren? She couldn't even fathom kissing him a few weeks ago, now she was thinking about sleeping with the guy.

She was overthinking it and it was clearly blowing up in her face. She knew if she didn't stop panicking sooner rather than later, the Force User in question was going to stick his ugly nose into her business. That was a lie… he had a really cute nose. "Dammit, Ashlyn!" She hissed out loud, receiving a weird look from people passing her by.

She quickly averted their gazes and rushed down the hallway towards the maintenance bay and where her apartment was. She had to calm her nerves down. Surely, this wasn't something to freak out over, right? They both knew this game was ultimately going to lead to this… so why was she losing her mind over it? She wasn't ready. It was okay that she wasn't ready… but she had to be. She had to beat Kylo Ren at his own game and chickening out was not an option. It couldn't be, she'd never live it down. For women everywhere, she had to win this. She had to prove she was stronger.

Ash disappeared into her apartment, her heart racing from adrenaline and nerves as the door closed behind her. What the hell was she doing? She couldn't go through with this. She only proved that when they nearly lost control the other day. It was too fast… and yet so easily she fell into this game, the idea of winning intoxicating and poisoning her mind.

Perhaps they didn't have to sleep together, perhaps the end goal wasn't that. She just needed him to lose and be done with it. However it was so hard to stop, when their hormones went wild and the sensation of touching was so overwhelmingly good… it was hard to see the outcome going any other way… and it scared her. It excited her, but it ultimately scared her.

What if it was awful? What if she was awful? What if he was awful? The worst part is he probably wasn't because of course he wouldn't be. He's said she wasn't the first person to share his bed before… so he's probably more experienced than she was. "Why the hell am I worried about disappointing Kylo Ren?!" She asked to the empty apartment that thankfully did not answer her back.

She inhaled deeply, trying to calm the nerves and butterflies that swarmed her stomach as she tried to think of anything but the situation at hand. She knew what she had to do to win. She had to beat Kylo Ren at his own game, but if she had the guts and brains to do so, that was a whole other issue.

When the time came, and most of StarKiller retired to their quarters, Ashlyn quietly wandered the halls and up to the 100's. Her heart was still racing in her chest as she made her way to Kylo Ren's apartment. Upon the door sliding open, Kylo Ren could feel her anxiety enter his apartment as she wandered in. The door closing behind her, he knew she was thinking this was going to end one way or another.

He was sitting quietly on the couch, reading a book Ashlyn was not too familiar with, his attention on the pages as Ash stood there awkwardly. "Are you okay, starshine?" He asked, his tone light but teasing.

Ash folded her arms across her chest, slouching slightly to try and ease her worries. "I'm fine. Totally fine. Cool actually." She said, realizing she was rambling as she nervously brushed her hair behind her ears then returning to her previous stance. "Just here to do what I said I was going to do."

He peered over his book, amusement on his face as he asked. "Which is?"

Ash shuffled on her feet again. "Win the…" She couldn't find the word. "Thing."

"The thing?" He asked.

"You know what I mean." She said.

He nodded. "Right, that thing." Kylo's attention returned to the book. "Make yourself comfortable, unless you plan to stand there all night."

Ash said nothing as she willed her feet to move, she couldn't let him intimidate her. She had to win, even if she was nervous. Slowly, Ash wandered to the couch, sitting down next to Kylo Ren. Her body was turned just enough to face him as her elbow rested on the back of the couch, her head resting on her hand as she looked at him.

"Did you fix my ship?" He wasn't dumb, he sensed her nerves. It was cute all the same. His brave Ashlyn Novafall was nervous about that.

"I did." She confirmed. "Should be running normally again."

Kylo gently sighed as he closed the book he was reading before placing it down on the other side of him. He looked at Ashlyn with that knowing look, the look that saw through her every time as he smiled sympathetically. "What are you doing, Ashlyn?" She hummed in reply, unsure of what he meant. "I could feel you freaking out for the last couple of hours. You don't need to be freaking out."

"I'm not freaking out, who said anything about freaking out?" Ash said quickly, only to groan as he gave her a pointed look. "Alright, I'm freaking out! Are you happy?"

"While I do love watching you squirm and being the cause for it, no. I don't like you freaking out, especially over that."

Ash shifted in her seat, sitting forward now and looking down at her lap. Her hands clasped together to keep them from nervously shaking. "You must think I'm being ridiculous."

"You are." He laughed. "Your worries over this are unwarranted. We already determined this after last time, if you're not ready, I'm not going to force you."

She deflated slightly. "I know that, it's just this whole bonding thing is so strong. I want to do it, it's not like I don't. I'm just scared it's-"

"Too soon?"

"Exactly." She agreed.

Kylo leaned over, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. "I know you may think I'm a monster with animalistic tendencies. Granted, it's hard for me too when it comes to resisting the temptation." He explained. "I am a man, after all." Ash laughed slightly, trying her best not to think of their last encounter in that regard. "But I do have some control, as opposed to contrary beliefs of last last time, and I won't make you do anything you don't want to. Regardless of what the bond makes us feel. Only when you want to is when we can reconsider."

"It's this stupid game." Ash said. "You're too good at it."

He grinned. "At least you're finally admitting it."

"I guess I am." She said sheepishly. "You were right, you're better at this than I am."

"You flatter." Kylo said, taking the compliment and ignoring the clear and present danger in front of him.

"I'm serious." Ash said, looking up at him. "You're just really good at tempting me. I don't know how I've lasted this long."

"Give yourself some credit." He said.

"There's not much credit to give." She said with a shrug. "But it might be time for me to throw in the towel." Ash mindlessly took his hand into hers as she sat up. She was still unbelievably close to him, close enough that either one could end it at any moment. "Thanks for being so understanding." And there it was, that smile. That smile Kylo Ren had come to be rendered useless against. The smile he had only seen a handful of times, but when she did it, he was hers. He'd kill a thousand men just to be able to see that smile every day. Unadmittedly, it was what drew him to her in the first place. The reason he got himself into this whole mess. He was utterly powerless against it and before he knew it, he was leaning in and kissing her.

It was a sweet and gentle kiss, one that Ashlyn had always prefered over their heated ones. It meant something other than passion, it meant so much more. She felt just a twinge of guilt that such a perfect moment would have to be ruined as they pulled away and her warm smile turned more into a gloating smirk. "Maybe your will isn't as strong as you think." She said. "I win."

Kylo's expression immediately dropped as his brain began running a mile a minute as he tried to analyze what had just happened. "No, that's not-" He actually stuttered as he tried to make sense of it all. "You said you were giving up."

"But I didn't actually give up, now did I?" She reminded him.

Then he realized exactly what was going on. She used him. She played him like a damn fiddle by coming to him and acting vulnerable. And then the smile? She used that smile against him. He exhaled sharply, his body stiffening, Ashlyn began to grow concerned that she had really overstepped her boundaries here. Then, he said something she never expected. "I'm impressed."

That was her plan, she knew she couldn't beat him in a battle of will. He was stronger than her, he played dirty and used his sexuality to mess with her. He knew she was uncomfortable with it and unable to fight back the same way. However, if she played his game and used his mind games against him, she could win. It was dangerous, considering she could slip up and lose so easily. Yet, she pulled it off gracefully. Ashlyn played dirty and she won.

"Are you even really nervous?" Kylo asked, still trying to piece everything together.

"Oh no, that's real. If it weren't, I don't think I could have really played that off as well. You would have seen right through that." Ash laughed.

"And yet you still tricked me." He said in disbelief. "You and your wicked smile."

Ash blushed slightly. "I figured that was your weakness earlier when we were on my couch and the last time we were in the cavern." She said. "You almost lost and I realized I had a secret weapon."

Kylo frowned as he processed everything. Ashlyn didn't have to overly sexualize the situation. In fact, all she really had to do was be herself and it was enough to knock down the towering giant. In that realization, Kylo Ren had learned a few things. One of these things was that Ashlyn could keep up with him in a match of wits. The other was that he really liked Ashlyn for more than just the physical fun of it. Something he never thought he could ever feel for another human being, or something he'd ever want to. Ashlyn was beginning to mean more to him than he could possibly comprehend, and it was terrifying.

This simple girl had more than just the Force, she had something more valuable. She had the ability to rip the monster known as Kylo Ren at the seams. She was becoming a weakness and if anyone were to find that out, that could be a huge problem for him later. She was a risk, one he wasn't sure he could give up now.

"Don't be too mad." She said sweetly, pulling him out of his thoughts as she tried to make light of his losing. "Now you can do whatever you want without the fear of losing."

Kylo's brow raised in amusement, she had that wonderful problem of her sentences always being left open to the imagination. A flaw of hers that he loved to run with. "Anything?"

Her eyes went wide. "Within reason!" She yelped as Kylo Ren tackled her and for the second time that time, he was on top of her on a couch. "I said within reason!"

"You said anything I wanted." He reminded her, his face so close to hers.

She dared to ask. "And what is it you want?"

Kylo Ren thought for a moment, exaggerating the pause before answering which caused Ashlyn to laugh. "I think you know what I want." He answered.

"If I did I wouldn't be asking." She teased.

He answered truthfully. "I'm okay with what I have right now."

Ash's smile fell slightly as she looked up into the dark, brown eyes of the man she had so many complicated emotions for. She should hate him, everything in her being should have despised him after all he had done. Yet, she didn't. She couldn't. There were things about Kylo Ren that she didn't understand and probably would never get to. How he could be so cruel and so wonderful all at once. At the end of the day, she realized everything she did want was right there in front of her. She let go of her inhibitions for just a moment, letting the walls down and gave in to it. Force Bond be damned, she was truly enjoying this moment with the man she never thought she could feel anything for. She showed him as much by leaning upwards and giving him a quick peck to his lips.

Ashlyn Novafall realized in that moment, she would do anything for this man and he truly meant more to her than she could have ever prepared for.

But like everything else in her life… nothing gold could stay...

Final Thought: I love ruining cute moments with vague warnings of things to come! Remember to review and see y'all next time!