Stronger Together (Kylo Ren x Reader | Maia)

Obstacle Course

Kylo, Hux's estate

I expected to find my uncle in a room somewhere, but found the four humans still sitting around the table, Chewie laid out in the grass nearby, his face toward the stars beginning to shine through the evening sky. It didn't surprise me they were still catching up, just the five of them. It must feel like a rare experience.

"Hey kid," Han said.

"I was hoping for a favor," I began without preamble as I took the head chair. It was a beautiful night, and I wished it were just Maia and I sitting out there drinking and laughing.

"Okay," he said cautiously.

"Maia wants me to teach her."

Luke frowned and leaned onto his elbows, examining me closely. "She wishes to be your apprentice?" Hearing it from his mouth had me understanding why Maia had laughed. It did sound ridiculous, for a hundred reasons. Maia was no one's student.

"No. She simply wants to know."

"That's quite a shift," Leia said softly.

"I was hoping you guys could help me in a crash course."

Han and Lando looked a little surprised I was asking them too, as they were obviously not sensitive to the Force. Chewie stood and stalked over—and my heart hurt.

This was what family was supposed to be like: always ready to be there for each other. It did not feel... normal, or even right.

I had once been upset that they seemed to like Maia without any effort. They had each been so unquestioningly supportive of her, I believed they had found her more lovable than me. As if they wished they had been given her at birth, instead of me.

But as I looked at the people in front of me, the people I had once loved so very deeply, it was as if a veil had been pushed aside.

They did like Maia, this was true.

But they did not know her, they had no reason to love her. Except for the fact that I love her. They knew that from the start. She was the reason I came to them, after all—multiple times now.

Maybe they did see her as their daughter. Because in a normal life, that is what she would have been. They have accepted her for who she is, because they were unable to do so with me.

"We'll help," Leia said. I heard the 'but' before she even said it. "But I do hope we're not training an enemy."

"I'm sorry, are we not talking about the same person? Do you want to know how much this shit tears her up?"

Which was why I wasn't feeling particularly good about training her. More power meant more lives at her mercy, and though I didn't doubt she would try to do good, I did not, for some inexplicable reason, want any more blood on her hands. So, my irritation bubbled to the surface, wishing they could understand.

"She cries in the fucking shower every day, Mother. And the days she commits an offense against literally anyone, are physically painful to feel her guilt. If she would betray anyone, it would be me."

"Okay," Father said quickly, holding up his hands. "Hold on, son. First, I think Maia would rather die than do anything against you. Second, your mother was joking—however," his voice dropped a pitch, beginning to sound more regretful than urgent. "The last person we ever imagined would one day become our enemy, certainly did."

He wasn't wrong, I supposed. I nodded slightly, feeling my irritation start to drip away.

"What do you have in mind?" Leia asked, and it dawned on me that my parents, despite their raging differences, were actually really good for each other. They seemed to... even each other out. And though Maia and I were nothing like them, it was similar to our relationship. I wasn't sure it was a good thing, but I shoved the thought away and stood.