Stockholm on Starkiller | ON HOLD

09: Mind Games.

He was waiting for her, sitting on one of the benches beside the lockers. His helmet sat upon his bundled up clothes, leaving him in his black trousers and a matching black tank top. Her step faltered for the quickest moment, caught off guard at his lack of clothing. Kylo looked up, meeting her gaze with his own. His eyes were unreadable at the moment, passive and calm. Slowly, he stood.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, slowly walking towards her. A brow rose at his question, and she gave him a sheepish look with the shrug of her narrow shoulders. It seemed to say,

'I've had better days.'

Kylo pursed his lips at this, before nodding his head slowly.

"Sit with me." He said, although it sounded more like a demand. Knowing Kylo as she did, it was probably the latter. She followed him into the center of the room, watching him sit down on the black mat with his legs crossed. She fought the small smile that threatened at her lips;

The infamous Kylo Ren, sitting Indian style in nothing but a tank and pants. He looked up at her, his brows raising as he motioned her to sit. For a second there, he looked innocent.

Avatra sat right in front of him, mimicking his position as she met his gaze expectantly.

"I want you to speak to me with your mind.' Kylo spoke up after she was situated. Avatra's emerald eyes grew wide as she heard this,

"Bu-" Her voice escaped her lips in a rasp, and Kylo was quick to hold a hand up, stopping her.

"Don't speak, remember?" He interjected. Avatra quickly clamped her lips together, nodding her head.

"This is an opportunity. You can't speak to me with your voice, so do it with your mind." He explained.

She hadn't the slightest idea on where to start.

"Focus on me. Think about me. Project your thoughts towards me." He said, slowly. His eyes were piercing into hers now. Avatra nodded at his words, swallowing deeply before slowly closing her eyes. 

Focus on him.

She tried hard to clear her mind of anything unrelated to him. Her thoughts had plenty of things to say about Kylo. He was harsh, and sometimes cruel. But he had a side that he does not show. She liked to believe there was still good in him. In a small moments time, he was the only thing that ran across her mind.

Think about him.

She did just that; She thought about his face. It was the first thing that crossed her mind. The small beauty marks that adorned his pale skin. The curvature of his jaw, the fullness of his lips. The way his hair managed to fall perfectly into place around his narrow face. His hazel eyes that held more emotion than she ever thought possible. 

Project those thoughts.

Kylo sat across from her, his eyes attempting to read her expression.

'Kylo.'

It was a faint whisper in his ear, like a brush of wind. But he heard it.

Kylo slowly closed his eyes, a small smile forming on his lips.

"I hear you." He commented.

'Do you hear me?'

Avatra heard his voice in her head, and it was unusually soft.

'Yes.'

"Longer sentences. I want you to tell me something." Kylo stated. She slowly opened her eyes, seeing him sitting in front of her with his lids closed. His face was relaxed, and his posture was straight. She took a second to look at him, slowly bringing her lower lip between her teeth.

'I forgive you.'

She could see him tense as she thought this, and slowly his eyes opened, meeting hers. They held their gaze for a moment, Avatra staying strong as she lost herself in his hazel orbs. Kylo was the one to break the connection, averting his eyes to the ground. It grew silent, the sound of their soft breathing the only noise in the large room.

"I know." He replied after a moment, before slowly bringing his eyes to hers again. There was something different he held, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. The tension in the air shifted as he spoke.

"You are a danger to me." He confessed, holding his glare on her. A look of surprise graces her features, before her soft brows knit in confusion.

"I know you feel it. The doubt inside me, the conflict. You've said so yourself." He continued, slowly looking away from her as his eyes aimlessly scanned the room.

"I don't understand it myself yet....You bring those thoughts to the surface, and I continue to doubt myself even further....There is something about you..." His words trailed off as he met her eyes again. His brows were pulled up, his lips pursed as he simply stared at her. His usual dark and stoic demeanor was gone, replaced with a soft expression that seemed to pull at her heart.

She was absolutely stunned;

He was admitting to it. She knew he was conflicted, what she did not know was she was having an effect on him. Her presence was a danger, as he said. But what does that mean, what will happen now?

"We will continue our training." He spoke up. Avatra quickly rose her brows,

"I can still read your thoughts." He added, before slowly pushing himself up off the ground. He towered above her, before reaching his hand out, palm up. Her face grew flush as she looked at his outstretched hand, before reaching out and taking it, her hand completely engulfed by his.

He slowly pulled her up so that she was standing in front of him.

"I am still determined to train you, despite the effect you have on me." He commented, looking down at her with his emotionless mask. It was a good one, at that. It covered up years of emotion and pain.

"There is something else I wish to try, but I warn you now, it will be painful." He said, his eyes still on her. Avatra simply nodded at this, looking back up at him.

They stood less than a foot apart, and she could feel his hot breath ghost over her. Normally, she would be intimidated by this. 

But she knows more about Kylo Ren than most do.

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