𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑-𝐎𝐈𝐃 | Kylo Ren

chapter eleven

"You're insuferable, you know that." I sigh, unable to let a small smile cross my face. I knew Ben wouldn't let anything happen to me. And knowing Rey was safe with Finn, Chewie and Han, meant I could relax, even if it was just for a moment. It had been a long day.

"Come here." He says. For reasons unknown, I do as he says, and get up to stand right in front of him. He smiles at me and reaches for my waist, pulling me to sit on his lap.

My breath catches in my throat as his eyes graze my lips before drifting back up to meet my own. I smile shyly before his lips meet mine in a soft kiss. His hands wrap around my waist, pulling me even closer to him, and I cup his left cheek, letting my right hand tangle itself with his dark hair. 

After a moment, he breaks away and leans his forhead against mine, both of us breathing deeply. 

"I'm sorry I took you with me like that. But there was no time to discuss." He whispers, taking a lock of loose hair from my ponytail and twirling his finger around it. 

"It's okay. For now. But I am going back." I whisper back, giving him a pointed look.

"I know." He smiles lightly. 

"So, where are we going?" I ask, looking into his eyes. 

"For now, we're going to bed." He says, a sparkle in his eye. Before I can say anything, he stands up, picking me up with him and takes me through the ship to his rooms.

I laugh as he throws me onto the bed. I sit up, legs crossed as I watch him remove his cloak and jacket. I can't help but stare at his bare chest, his muscles making him look so much bigger than he ever was before. 

"Like what you see, huh?" Ben grins. I blush furiously and turn away, pulling back the covers and hiding under them.

"Just go to sleep you, big moron." I mutter, gerting comfortable under his warm covers. Ben chuckles again and I feel him getting into bed beside me. His arm reaches over and wraps around my waist before pulling me into him.

"I'm glad I have you in my arms again." He says into my ear. I blush once more, but can't help but feel my heart flutter.  I turn around so that I am looking right at him, much closer then I thought.

"I'm glad you do too." I say back reaching up to peck his lips.

_______________

Rey.

"He took her." I whispered into the silent room. Finn turns to me, eyes wide. "He just took her."

"Rey, she'll be okay." Finn says.

"How do you know that?" I ask, worry lacing every word.

"He cares about her. A lot." Finn says, sitting down beside her. "He would never hurt her."

I think back to our conversation in the hallway. They had grown up together. Aster had grown up with the Solos and never told her.

"How can we be sure?" I ask.

"When Aster was here, I asked her how she escaped. I wondered, you see, how she was in such good spirits for someone taken by the Supreme Leader. He saved her from his own men, healed her, and refused to use the Force on her to get the infromation he had been looking for for years. He knew she had that information, but acted in her favour. She even ran away from him, and when he sees her again, he doesn't get angry or lash out, he is sad. Want's her back." Finn goes on. "Now, if that isn't the behavior of a man in love, I don't know what is. She'll be okay, Rey. She even said so herself." Finns gaze meets mine, a small smile gracing his features.

"Thank you, Finn." I say, smiling back. "You're right. For now, anyway. But she can't stay with him forever. He's the Supreme Leader, and I know Aster hates the First Order. She'll be back. She must be." I say determined, standing up with Finn in tow.

"Alert the Ressistance. Starkiller base is gone, and we have a mole."

_________

Ben.

I watch as Aster sleeps peacefully in my arms. Her breath coming out in small soft breaths against my hand as she leans her head on my arm. She's so beautiful and I can't believe she is with me. 

Taking her was a calculated risk I was willing to take, but I knew it complicated things immensly. She was my weakness, and the Ressistance knew this now. But sending her back with them, would make her even more of a liability. At least now, I could make sure no one got to her. Unless she of course contacted the Ressistance herself, something that wouldn't surprise me. I would figure out how to deal with that if it happened. But now, she was waking up.

"Good morning." I say, my voice husky from sleep. She turns to me, cheeks pink, looking up at me with big eyes. 

"Morning." She whispers. "I can't belive that wasn't all a dream. I'm actually here, with you." Her eyes flit between mine before moving down to look at my chest. Her small hand reaches out from under the covers and presses against my chest. 

"Your hands are tiny." I laugh. She gives my chest a small slap. 

"No, your chest is just big, that's all." I take har hand from my chest and intwine it with my own. "Whatever you say, love." Her cheeks go pink once more and her eyes move away. The scar going through her left eye catches my attention. I reach my thumb up to trace it, and her eyes dart back to mine.

"How did you get this?" I whisper, anger and sadness bubbling up at the pain in her eyes.

"It was a long time ago. When I first arrvived on Jakku." She says, eyes moving away from mine and to my chest. "My parents had just sold me, and I was lost and confused. Constantly scared and in total dispair as to what had happened. I couldn't believe they had actually sold me into slavery, on Jakku of all places."  I think back to life on Chandrila, and only a faint memory of her parents makes itself known. I had met them once, and they had been utterly uniterested in Aster and her life.

"So, when I was given orders to work, I was reckless. Stupid. I refused to do what I was told, and Unkar saw fit to punish me like this."  She begins to fiddle with my fingers, eyes down. "He had never liked how I looked. Called me a freak. Guess he saw an oppertunity and took it. After that, I became the exemplary slave until Rey freed me." She sighs and moved her eyes back to look at me.

"I'm sorry that happened to you, Aster." I say, bringing her hands to my lips and kissing them. Trying desperatly to reign in the anger rising in my chest. I wouldn't scare her now. I just couldn't.  "He's a dead man walking." I say, eyes intensly meeting hers. She swallows deeply but says nothing. To try and get rid of the tenseness building up in my shoulders, I sit up, pulling her up with me. 

"Let's eat something." Aster says, I nod. Food. Good idea.