Rekindled (A Star Wars AU Fanfic)

Part 1, Chapter 6

Luckily (or maybe unluckily) the evening seemed to be flying by. Once dinner had been served and the dining tent left trashed as if a herd of rabid porgs had blown through, what was left of the festivities commenced. Remii was beginning to worry again. Normally by now, her family members would've already approached her and asked the same questions they always did because social awkwardness demanded it. And yet, no one had even dared to approach her with Kylo Ren at her side. She wasn't sure how she'd propose it, but Remii felt compelled to ask him to accompany her to every social interaction she attended. All it took from Kylo was the simplest glare for the aunt Remii didn't like and the conversation-killing step-grandma to back off. It was like magic.

"You're really good at that, you know," Remii muttered, Kylo lowering towards her. 

"What am I good at?"

"Making people I find uncomfortable piss off."

Kylo expelled a puff of air. He was slowly giving up on fighting against the smiles Remii was warranting. Besides, it hurt more to mask them than to just let them happen. And it felt good to smile. He had to admit, he was pleased to hear that he himself didn't make Remii uncomfortable. At least as far as he knew.

The pair watched as the cousins once again took to the field outside, firecrackers and lighters in hand. Unsurprisingly the majority of the attendees took to the open bar while conversations galore bounced around the tent. Remii was used to a hundred different voices at once but when she knew that most of them would become intoxicated within the hour...

"I think I need some air now," she whispered. Luckily Kylo wasted no time, placing his hand on Remii's bare back as he lead her to the exit. He didn't think anything of it at first until he felt Remii's skin begin to warm under his touch. He smirked, his own beginning to warm.

As they reached the end of the tent, Kylo felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He didn't even give it a second thought as he looked down at Remii, who eyed his pocket immediately. 

"Do you need to take that?"

"No," Kylo shook his head, his hand now drifting to her hip. Remii's focus had shifted thus she hadn't noticed yet, as was evident by her lack of reddened cheeks. "It's just work."

His phone continued to buzz until he silenced it himself. Then it buzzed again. 

"I think you should take it," Remii shrugged. 

Kylo rolled his eyes as they headed outside. He knew it had to be Hux or the boss and he'd much rather speak to neither. Remii hovered near the tent's flap as they walked into the dark. By now the sky had become a deepening midnight blue, the first few stars blinking awake. The night life on the lake chirruped happily as Kylo neared it. He looked back at Remii as he grabbed his phone. "Don't go anywhere."

Remii paused, staring at him before crossing her arms and nodding. Kylo swore that even in the dim light he'd seen a faint blush streak across her face. She really was easy to please.

As Kylo regrettably turned to the screen sure enough it was... "What do you want?"

There was a pause on the line, followed by small skittering and a sharp breath from... "Have you lost all possession of your manners in your time of absence?"

Kylo didn't waste a breath, not with Hux. Every breath used in conversation with him was wasted. "You have about two seconds before I hang up. Surely by then you'll have found your reason for bothering me."

Another sigh. The contempt was undoubtedly mutual. Kylo shot a glance at Remii over his shoulder - still there. "The boss wants to speak with you."

Kylo cringed as he picked up on the sound of jagged purring through the phone. That blasted creature. "Well the boss will have to wait. I'm busy."

"'Busy' is a word that doesn't exist in your category, not for him."

"How long have I been gone that you're now his boot-licker? I'll contact him when I can contact him."

The call could've ended then, it should have. But of course, Hux needed to expel every reason he had to irritate Kylo. "You're breaching protocol, Ren. You were supposed to update the customer profile upon pickup."

Hux wasn't lying, Kylo hadn't completed the job receipt. To him, this evening was no longer a job the moment he saw Remii's name on the registry. He'd written down the information yes, but he wasn't going to share it with Hux or his boss. The information they already had on Remii was all they would get, the rest Kylo would keep for himself. He'd decided that the moment he left for her place, no matter which way the evening would unfold. 

"Careful Hux, I'm delaying. I hope it isn't a struggle for you to stay in your lane, otherwise you may be eligible for reevaluation."

A silence, stone cold. Kylo could feel the ice and dagger-sharp glare through the phone. "Update the profile." Call ended.

Kylo slid his phone back into his pocket after an urge to block Hux's number came and went. 

And when he turned around, Remii was gone.

Kylo cursed under his breath as he marched towards the tent. He was done with her disappearing. He was however pleased to see that she hadn't gone far but not at all pleased with whom she was speaking with. Or more specifically, who was speaking at her. It looked as though Remii had barely gotten a word in, her arms crossed tightly, her jaw shifting, her eyes glossing. Kylo had summed up this particular family member to the equivalent of his boss so by comparison, equally as hated by Kylo himself. He watched as Remii turned her back on this uncle, approaching Kylo without even sending a glance to anyone. Kylo looked at her, at her lowered face to mask her reaction, at her white-knuckled grip on her arms, at her trembling lip.

"What did he..." Kylo began, looking up to meet the man's gaze. "What did you say to her?"

"Ben..." Remii muttered, shaking her head. But Kylo continued.

"What did you say to her?" Kylo hissed. He took a few steps forward, only stopping once he felt a tug on his lapel. Kylo looked at Remii, at the deflation on her face and her grip on him. He breathed from his nose, clenching his jaw as the man turned back to the party with a merry grin plastered to his face as if nothing had happened. Kylo wanted to kill him. This man had been causing problems since day one, at this point Kylo would actually prefer Uncle G. He was sure Remii felt the same way. 

Remii lead Kylo back outside, keeping her grip on his suit until they were once again alone under the stars. 

"What did he say to you, Remii?" Kylo lowered his head closer to hers, a tremble washing over his hands. He wanted to make contact, to comfort her. He watched as Remii's eyes quickly filled with tears, her focus flying over to the lake. She squeezed his ring on her thumb, her throat bobbing as she fought against the tears. He'd seen her do this before, recently. It bothered him that she didn't just... "Remii, it's okay to cry."

Remii's nostrils flared as she shook her head, catching the tears before they could trickle. She still didn't look at him. "No," she breathed. Her legs starting jittering - she was doing everything in her power not to cry. "I hate crying in front of people."

Kylo's eyes never left Remii's, no matter how much they wandered. His voice softened. "Why?"

Remii shook her head again. "I don't like looking vulnerable. Especially in front of you."

"Why?"

"Because I need to be strong." Finally Remii's gaze found hers, although hers was still dodgy. "Because you're the one who called me a baby."

It was true, he had. But... Kylo finally allowed what his body begged him to do and carefully took Remii's face in his hands. The intimate contact immediately halted Remii's shuttering and her eyes flashed open - wide, observant. She looked back and fourth between his left eye to his right as he spoke lowly, "I called you that because you're innocent Remii, not because you're weak."

Now the tears fell, but perhaps for a different reason all together. It was possible that at this point Remii had completely forgotten about her uncle as she stared into Kylo's eyes, feeling his thumbs catch her tears and wipe them away. Ben allowed the tears to fall, but he didn't let them consume her. Remii liked that that trait of his had followed him.