Allegiance | Kylo Ren

XV

When I showed up to therapy the next day in full armor, Mason didn't protest. Together we walked to the therapy room, where he sent me out on another fifteen-minute walk, following the exact same schedule we did the day before.

The hallways were quieter today. I only passed two other troopers in the space of ten minutes, and they didn't seem to react to my presence at all, passing by with only a curt nod exchanged between us. That was a relief—I was already growing tired of the constant resentment from my fellow troopers.

At about twelve minutes, I decided it was time to start heading back to the room where Mason was waiting. I made my way through the halls with ease, thinking once again about names.

The sound of footsteps made me glance up. At once, I froze.

Kylo Ren was making his way towards me, in his full masked and cloaked glory. Something about his posture told me that he was not in a friendly mood. His pace was quick, and I was in his way. In one fluid movement, he raised his hand and used the Force to shove me against the wall and out of his path.

"That's a rude way to greet a friend." I teased quietly, not intending to be heard.

Kylo stopped dead. Slowly, he turned to face me.

"What did you just say to me, trooper?" His voice was cold through the mask.

"I—" My eyes widened. He didn't recognize me.

Shit shit shit shit—

He raised his hand and lifted me into the air by my throat. My hands clawed at my throat, panicking as I felt my airways close. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. Black began to crowd my vision as oxygen debt reached my brain.

As one last desperate attempt to reach him, I pictured our hospital room in my mind.

The white walls, the white floors, the white beds. Kylo laying on his cot, glaring at me as I tried to convince him he needed a doctor. His eyes trained on my face as my shaking hands tied messy stitches in his side. Sitting on his bed with his fingers pressed to my temples, sharing memories. The way he rolled his eyes when I asked if I could braid his hair.

He dropped me, swearing under his breath. I collapsed on the floor, gasping and coughing as air filled my lungs once more. I pulled off my helmet to increase my supply of oxygen, my chest heaving as I slumped against the wall.

Kylo looked around before kneeling in front of me and quickly removing his mask.

"Are you alright?" His eyes were dark.

I nodded, my breathing beginning to even out. My fingers rubbed absentmindedly over the skin on my throat. I could tell there would be bruises forming soon.

He made a face. "That was stupid of you. I can't tell you apart from the other troopers when you're fully dressed."

"It's not my fault your instinct is to strangle everyone who talks to you!" I couldn't help but protest.

The ghost of a smile crossed over his lips, then disappeared. He glanced around again, making sure we were still alone. "I need to make some kind of alteration to your armor so I can tell you apart from the others. So this won't happen again."

My head fell back against the wall, making a thud. I grimaced slightly at the pain that bloomed in the back of my skull. "That would only make things worse."

He frowned. "Worse?"

I couldn't meet his gaze. "The other troopers hate me right now. They think I'm receiving special treatment, like I'm better than them or more deserving or something."

There was a pause before he spoke, offering me his hand. "Why do you care what they think?"

I took it gratefully, allowing him to pull me to my feet. "It's not easy being suddenly different when you've lived your whole life being told you're no different from the person next you."

Kylo shook his head slightly, saying nothing. We began to walk down the corridor together, in the same direction he had been heading before. His pace was slower now, less rushed. I kept my helmet off, tucking it under my arm, and he hesitantly did the same with his mask.

"Is it strange for you?" I asked, giving him a sideways glance. "Being out of the hospital wing? Being back in action?"

He frowned slightly. "I was only there for three days."

"Oh, right." I kicked myself internally for forgetting that. "I was there for a week." When he said nothing, I continued, feeling like a babbling toddler. "But that's really good, because I was supposed to be there for about three weeks, which would have felt like an eternity."

Kylo nodded. "Yes, I had never tried it on another person. It worked exceedingly well, I think."

I stared at him, confusion making my head swim. "Wait—what? Tried what?"

His eyes met mine briefly. "Before I came here I received some lessons on using the Force for healing. It has its limits, and I had only ever used it on myself, but it looks like it worked pretty well for you."

I stopped dead. "You—You healed me?"

He shrugged, turning to look at me but not stopping walking. "A bit. I was tired of hearing the doctors complain about how severe your injuries were."

I jogged a few steps to catch up to him, not sure I believed his reasoning but grinning all the same. "Thank you."

"Yes, well," He looked around. "Where is it you were going?"

"Oh!" I winced, wondering how much time had passed. "I was on my way to physical therapy. I should probably get back."

He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. We exchanged a glance before pulling on our helmets. There was a pause as two troopers passed, straightening their posture and quickening their step upon recognizing Kylo. When they were gone, I flashed Kylo a quick salute. He gave a curt nod in return, and we went our separate ways.