Darkness At Dawn • Kylo Ren [1]

Ⅻ

"Pain, suffering, death I feel. Something terrible has happened."

∫

Obsessive?

It couldn't be that. She wasn't the kind to immediately try and get control of a situation that looked risky. The darkness of his dorm headquarters soothed her anxiety as she stared absentmindedly at the ceiling. His bed smelt like him, a mixed variety of everything Ben Solo had ever found an interest in.

You'd think that Ben Solo missing in action wasn't that big of a deal, he was rebellious and seeked a great adventure that Elara would not always go on. After sixteen years of knowing someone, you begin to understand their thoughts and emotions, you see their fears and passions but Ben was slowly beginning to keep everything to himself.

The heavy feet awoke Elara from her dazed thoughts as a beaten Ben walked into his dorm, shocked to find Elara laying on his bed.

"What happened to you?" Elara gasped, jumping to her feet.

He wiped away the blood dripping from his lip with his hand. "I got into a fight, that's all."

She laughed wickedly. "That's a pretty bad fight."

Ben pulled off his sweat soaked cloak and tossed it to the side. He removed his black sweatshirt, letting his scratched and bloodied back breathe.

She went to the bathroom sink and wet a cloth, shaking her head at his foolishness. "You can't stay out of trouble, can you?"

Ben sat down on his bed, a miserable look on his face. He put his head in between his hands and held his breath, hoping to calm down his constant shaking.

"Who started the fight?" Elara returned to his bedside and began to dab lightly on his bleeding lip. Despite her constant care for him, her facial expression became bitter. "Did Kentaro do this?"

"You don't need to pretend Elara, I know you know I wasn't with Kentaro." Ben grumbled.

"Why did you lie to me?" Elara began to clean the dirt off his face. "It's almost dawn, I was up all night worrying about you."

"You don't need to." He promised his best friend. "I'm fine."

Elara rolled her eyes. "This is not fine."

Ben hissed when the cloth came into contact with his split lip. "I had things to do."

"What things?" She pushed, moving herself into the bed so she could tend to his back wounds.

"You don't have to know everything I do." He snapped, squeezing his eyes shut as his back began to sting.

"I don't, but I should when you stay out all night and lie." She sighed in defeat. "I just care too much."

"Elara do you remember when Juno died?" Ben changed the subject.

"I think about him every day." She responded as Ben turned to face her.

"Do you remember how I didn't even ask if you wanted me to hold you, I just did it?" He questioned, leaning in slightly so his forehead was touching hers.

Elara nodded her head slightly, unsure of what he was getting at. "I do."

"Someone died." He whispered softly. "So I want you to hold me."

Elara blinked once to make sure she heard him correctly but his face said it all. He was in a great amount of pain and no amount of mediation could make it go away. She placed her hand against his shoulder, pushing him against the bed and laid her head on his bare chest, listening to his fast heart beat. A terrible tremble escaped his lips which caused her to look up at him in complete a disturbed awe.

"Don't look at me like that." He begged. "Don't look at me like I'm breaking."

"You'd be surprised to know that that's not what I'm thinking Ben." She confessed. "In fact, I'm not sure I'm even thinking about what's going on inside your head."

When her eyes met his gaze as they lay there staring at each other, time stopped. Time seemed to stare Elara in the face, amorphous, blind, infinite, without frontiers. Not a single sign revealed that she was staring at darkness behind the glass mask. The tension was like a window, she was on one side looking at him with confidence. The confidence of a woman who knew how to fend for herself but wanted nothing but him. Him and his dark eyes.

He noticed her and she noticed him, and they kept on noticing each other until Elara sent him the faintest hint of an alluring smile. No further words were necessary.

He pressed his lips against hers and just like that, she was kissing him back. Elara had never kissed him before...and it was like a fiery unknown. She imagined it many times; how it would go, who kissed who first, the setting, the light exposure, everything.

When they pulled away, both inhaling and exhaling deeply, the two couldn't help but share an astonished look. There was a moment in between where they just stared at each other, comprehending and accepting what just happened and then, they went back to kissing.

It was Ben who had the most dominance, doubling his passion with each kiss. His lips moved everywhere, kissing her neck, jaw, anywhere that he could expose. It didn't sound like much, since they were just kissing and nothing more but this moment was for every time Ben should've kissed her or Elara should've kissed him.

It was sensational.

∫

The morning always has a way of creeping up on anyone at the worst moment possible. The sun just touched the gleaming sky of Coruscant and the two warm bodies lay on top of each other, knotted together like a bad hair day.

Bad timing seemed to be the thing they were best at as Kentaro desperately knocked on Ben's door, banging loudly and obnoxiously. "Master Solo! I'm ready for practice."

Ben groaned, hiding his face in Elara's neck. His hair was messy and tousled everywhere, his voice raspy from sleep. "What time is it?"

In disbelief, Elara rolled onto her back and wiped the sleep away from her eyes. Her hand went to her bruised and raw neck, all Ben's fault. "Seven in the morning."

"I have to go." He muttered against her skin, sending a shiver up her spine. "I'll be at your headquarters before the sun goes down." He stood up, stretching out to grab his cloak. "I promise."

"One more thing before you go." Elara sat up lazily, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I won't let you in if you are all beaten and bloody again."

Agony played smoothly against his face but he played it off with his signature cocky smile. "I can also promise that." He opened his door to Kentaro, who was probably ready to get to training three hours ahead of time.

"Oh." Kentaro looked at Elara. "Good morning Master Jane."

"Hello Kentaro." She responded with a daze.

"I'll see you later-" Ben paused. "Master Jane."