A Lesson to Learn

Chapter 11

Among demons, it was common to braid a partner or child's hair to show faithfulness and special bonds. It stopped demons from hurting each other over mates and misunderstandings, which was common among such a physically strong and naturally aggressive and mischievous species. Demons loved to fight and fighting over someone's hand was just about as romantic as it got in his world.

Different braids had different meanings, some reserved for good friends, others for family, and others for lovers, mates, or husbands and wives. Both females and males could wear braids, and Kylo's hope was that one day he could teach Rey to braid his hair and leave her mark on him, just as he would leave his mark on her. It would soothe his possessive nature to symbolize his commitment to her in this way, so he set out a plan to get Rey to allow him to braid her hair. Kylo was pretty sure he could convince her to do it. It was an innocent enough gesture, she wouldn't know the real meaning behind it (yet), and it would stop him from doing something stupid like snapping at somebody or casting an ill fated spell on an innocent and unsuspecting friend of Rey's.

When Rey finally texted him to come over later in the afternoon, he popped out of her apartment, revealed himself, and knocked on the door. She greeted him excitedly with a kiss to the lips before grabbing his arm and hauling him to the kitchen so they could start setting up. The party officially started at 6:00 pm and consisted of movie marathons (including Halloween classics such as Scream, Halloween, and Trick 'r Treat), games, and generally socializing and good fun. Rey had asked him to come over early for finishing touches and cooking prep help.

Once they had settled into an easy routine of prepping the oven, cutting different foods and putting others to defrost, Kylo glanced over at Rey and took the plunge. "Could I braid your hair for tonight?"

"Braid my hair?" Rey repeated with a confused smile. "I didn't know you could braid!"

Kylo laughed nervously as he responded, "Yeah, my mom was really into it. It's a big thing for our family. I know it's weird. I just thought you would look nice with one and I know you like your hair getting played with...." And I'm going to go out of my mind crazy if I can't mark you for tonight, Kylo added in his head.

"Yeah, sure. Why not?" Rey shrugged as Kylo let out the breath he was holding. While it didn't hold any significance to Rey, it meant the world to Kylo. Even though she didn't know it, she had just accepted one of the most personal and private forms of bonding for his species. He would cherish it even more if she let him take the braid out, the ultimate act of intimacy reserved for the closest of partnerships. Kylo's heart raced at just the thought. He had never braided anyone's hair other than his mother's and his sister's.

As their prep came to a standstill while they waited for things to defrost and ovens to preheat, Kylo led Rey over to the couch where he softly asked her to sit on the floor between his legs as he brushed through her medium-length hair with his fingers. She closed her eyes as he gently teased out her knots, prepping her hair for the braid. Kylo took the time to run his fingers through her silky locks, stopping every once in a while to massage her scalp or run his hands over her shoulders and neck to knead out any tension there. He could feel Rey relax as she hummed happily, slumping back against the couch. Kylo decided on a simple braid that indicated she was taken and off limits, though he yearned for the more complicated braids that indicated they were mates or husband and wife. Those could wait for now.

He split her hair into parts and worked them over one another, creating a visually effortless tight pattern. The reality was more complicated, but he had lived a portion of his immortal life practicing different braids in the hopes that one day he could use them on a partner before he became disillusioned with his loneliness and devoted himself solely to his job. Kylo let out a sigh of relief that those days and doubts were over. He had Rey now.