A Lesson to Learn

Chapter 11

When he finished, Rey handed him a hair tie that was on her slender wrist and he wrapped it around her hair to secure the braid. He let his hands rest on her shoulders and leaned down until his lips were just touching the outside shell of her ear as he purred contentedly, "All done, Little One. Now don't take them out tonight, okay? I want to undo the braid. Is that okay?"

Rey nodded, unable to form the words after his whispering and caring, attentive treatment had left her both relaxed and covered in goosebumps. Even if she hadn't realized the true intimacy of the act, Kylo was sure she had felt it through his actions, and the satisfied thrum of her emotions through the bond made him break out into a joyful toothy grin as one word echoed in his mind, mine.

***

As people began to arrive Kylo started to feel overwhelmed. He could sympathize with Chewie who had gone from greeting everyone excitedly to realizing he had had enough as he hid under the table. Kylo was somewhat soothed by Rey, who had somehow felt his anxiety and grabbed his hand, stroking her thumb across his skin, and by the braid that shone brightly on the crown of her head. He was proud of his work, and he beamed with pride when people complimented Rey on it and she would search for his eyes and thank him for his art. She called it art. She appreciated it. She was showing it off. She was showing him off, using the word boyfriend and partner. Kylo could not be happier (all uneasiness brought on by social interactions aside).

Kylo met more live people in the first hour and a half than he had ever met in his immortal life. As the devil he was usually overseeing things or causing chaos, never taking time to interact with mortals unless it was for some sort of end game or when they had already passed on and he was deciding their fate with his mother. Leia was the one who usually judged the souls and Kylo would usually decide their punishment. But actually listening to these humans and trying to remember things they said was a new experience. He didn't really care about what any of them had to say, but he knew Rey would be upset if he just tuned out her friends so he tried his best. Kylo was definitely not cut out to be a social butterfly, and he thanked the stars once more that usually his Little One was a homebody. He wasn't sure how much he could put up with and appearances only did so much. By the time they settled in to watch the first movie, Kylo had been seconds away from throwing Rey over his shoulder and locking them both up in her room.

***

Rey was having an amazing time. Cuddled up against Kylo's warm body as they watched the movie, she took the time to look around the room and admire her friends and loved ones. Poe and Finn were giggling under a blanket on the opposite side of the couch, taking advantage of the low light setting. Rose was shooting daggers at them with no real malice behind her eyes, getting ready to slap their legs and tell them off for not being subtle. BB and Amilyn were huddled together over a bowl of pizza rolls, Amilyn holding BB in her embrace given that BB was the biggest scaredy-cat in the room (even more so than Rose when it came to scary movies). There were others there too, some First Order regulars who she had come to befriend over time (like Cara, Cassian and Jyn Erso), some family and neighborhood friends (like Baze and Mon Mothma), and other people who her friends had invited at her request (Halloween was a holiday to be shared, after all).

Barely watching the movie, she thought about the new set of pictures she had waiting for her on her computer. Kylo and her, all dressed up looking ridiculous, making eyes at each other and stealing kisses, Kylo chasing after her mouth when she turned away so that they could have one picture where he wasn't all over her. Kylo had grumbled at that but turned towards the camera to appease her for a few shots before he dove back in to pepper her face and neck with kisses. Rey couldn't find it in herself to be angry.