into the darkness - kylo ren / ben solo

chapter ten - hope

Aurora woke up at about five in the morning. She hadn't slept very well, and felt terribly exhausted. She was also very hungry, realizing she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast the day before. She decided to sneak into the kitchen, and opened her door slowly, peering out into the hallway.

To her surprise, Kylo was slumped over, leaning against the wall outside of her door. He must've fallen asleep knocking all night. She was tempted to just leave him there, but she felt bad. It wasn't his fault that he didn't return her feelings, so she decided she wasn't angry with him. Just sad. He was definitely a heavy sleeper, because as she dragged him down the hallway toward his room, he stayed sleeping.

She got him into the room and used all of her strength to push him onto the bed. He lay there, limp, and then when Luna tucked him in, she could smell the alcohol on his breath. That would explain him falling asleep in the hallway. She must've stressed him out quite a bit if he had stopped for alcohol on the way home. She was struck with a pang of guilt, and then made her way to the kitchen. She would make up for her behavior the night before.

She prepared a large breakfast for her master, consisting of pancakes, eggs, and hashbrowns. She hoped he would enjoy her efforts. She had also made him a cup of coffee. She brought a tray with her to his room. She knocked on his door, wondering if he'd be awake by now. Kylo answered with a groan, and she opened the door to find her mentor sitting up in bed, looking absolutely miserable, running his fingers through his hair.

She entered the room and set the tray on the bed next to him. He thanked her awkwardly, and she nodded, walking towards the door in an attempt to leave before he could say anything about the night before. "Luna," he said softly, and she stopped in her tracks. Damn it, she almost got away without having to deal with another one of his lectures. He motioned for her to sit next to him on the bed. She reluctantly turned around and made her way over, sitting as far away from him as possible.

"I lied yesterday," he said suddenly, causing her to freeze up. "I do love you. But I lied to you because I thought I was protecting you. I wasn't, I was just being selfish. I was afraid of my own feelings," he practically whispered. He leaned closer to her and rested his hand on her shoulder. "I love you," he repeated, rubbing her shoulder gently with his thumb. She stared at him in dismay, unable to speak.

Her eyes lit up, and she scooted closer to him. "Really?" she whispered in awe, butterflies filling her stomach. She could barely believe it.

"Truly," he said softly as he pulled her closer to him. She laid down next to him, settling down and resting her head on his chest. "We're going to have to kill him, you know," he sighed, wrapping his arm around her. "He won't let us go. And he knows now. He can sense it through the force."

Luna frowned and held her finger up to Kylo's mouth. "Shh, just let me have this one peaceful moment. We'll talk about it later."

This earned a smile from Kylo, and they spent the rest of the afternoon cuddling in bed together, sitting in silence.