Sky Fall [ReaderxGeneralHux&KyloRen]

(26) push the sky away

I usually don't put notes at the beginning of a chapter, but I wanted to warn you that there is some heartbreak ahead.

Ren, or rather his reflection, stares at you. He senses the conflict raging inside of you. Slowly, he comes closer until he's standing right behind you. You turn around, your shoulder brushing his chest. He smells of sweat, and ash, and cedar.

You tilt your chin up to look at him. His dark eyes are like an abyss, calling for you.

"You saved me." Ren states.

Automatically, you smile and make a dismissive gesture: "Please."

"Give yourself some credit." He insists, his hand brushing the outside of your thigh.

"Alright. I saved your ass out there." It makes you chuckle to talk with the Supreme Leaser like that.

There is just the hint of a smile on Ren's lips when he puts his hand on your waist. It feels heavy. Your eyes widen at the gesture, and you mirror it, your hand resting on his hip.

"Now tell me," he nods towards the living room, "what happened?"

Right. For just a second, gravity shifted, and you felt nothing but his presence. It brought a certain peace with it.

"Armitage, ehm..." You clear your voice and let your head hang down. The sadness returns, crushing over you in waves. You let go of Ren and step aside. Hugging yourself, you look at your shoes and tell him: "Hux betrayed the First Order."

You expected him to yell, or destroy something, to lose his temper, to insult you, to tell you it's your fault as well. That you slept with a traitor. That you didn't see...You sob.

"I didn't know." You whimper. "How could I miss it?" Shaking your head, you try to stop yourself from crying.

Ren doesn't do any of the things you expected him to do. He quietly waits until you are able to look him in the eyes.

Then he gently lays his hand on the side of your face, wiping the tears off your cheek with his thumb. The affectionate touch sends shivers down your spine, and you tighten the hug around yourself.

"How do you know?" Ren speaks up, his voice steady and dark.

You sigh. You don't have the heart, the strength, to explain everything. It hurts too much to say it aloud. Instead, you take Ren's hand off your cheek and push it to the back of your head. Then you lean against his chest. Your forehead resting against his pectoral.

You take a deep breath and open your mind to Ren. This time, he doesn't dig into your memories – he lets you guide him. You show him what you found out today. What you saw, and what you heard.

His hand on the back of your neck holds you close to him. He caresses it reassuringly as he watches. Even though you let him in, it's still uncomfortable and you're glad that he's trying to make you feel better.

When you're done, he immediately retreats out of your mind. Nevertheless, he doesn't let go of you. His gentleness keeps surprising you. Almost timidly, he presses a kiss to the top of your head.

"I will take care of it."

You shake your head as you finally look at him again: "No. I will."

- - - - - - - - - - -

To your left, not visible to the person opening the door, are several Troopers as well as Ren standing by. He gave you five minutes. Firmly, you knock on Hux' door.