Allegiance | Kylo Ren

XXXII

The sound startled both Kylo and the girl; their battle stopped completely as they turned to find the source. I curled myself into a ball, my face on fire, tears of pain running down my cheeks and making the burn hurt even worse.

Both lightsabers were sheathed; their buzzing noise cut off. I heard rapid footsteps as who I assumed was the girl fled. A hand landed on my shoulder, and I instinctively curled into a tighter ball, letting out a whimper as my face continued to feel as if it were ablaze.

"Cal, we need to get you back to the ship." Kylo's voice was firm.

I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling faint. I cringed as Kylo pulled me to my feet, his hands under my arms. He pulled me around the edge of the city and through the undergrowth until we had reached the ship we had arrived on. I think I blacked out a couple times as I stumbled alongside him, the pain causing my vision to blur and become spotty at times. We only stopped when we reached the very back of the ship. He gently lowered me to the ground and kneeled beside me. He pulled off his mask.

"Cal, lower your hands." He instructed, his dark eyes fixed on my face. "I need to see how bad it is."

I kept my hands clamped reflexively over my singed skin, my eyes brimming with tears. He sighed softly and pulled my blood-soaked fingers from my face with a strong hand. His breath caught in his throat as he examined the gash running across my face and the trails of blood running down my jaw and neck.

He glanced over his shoulder, in the direction of the battle. I followed his gaze. Flashes were still igniting the trees, but the yells were growing fewer. The siege was almost at an end.

He pulled off one of his gloves and held his exposed hand over my face. This time, the tingles felt more like hot coals running over my skin. An involuntary moan of pain left my lips, and he grimaced.

"I know this hurts. But I need it to close, or you'll lose too much blood." He pressed his lips tightly together as he continued the healing. I squirmed in place as the stinging resumed.

I could physically see Kylo's energy leaving his body as he focused on healing me. His shoulders slumped and his eyes dulled, but he remained fixated on his work. Only the sound of marching footsteps behind him caused him to stop. He quickly pulled his mask and glove back on, standing as his soldiers returned to the ship.

They silently returned to their assigned spots, having accomplished their mission. A single trooper, however, passed by their normal position and made their way wordlessly to the back of the ship. I stared warily up at them, the gash in my face pulsating. Kylo tensed slightly at the unexpected presence of the trooper, his hand hovering over his lightsaber. The armored figure bent over and placed my helmet next to me on the ground. I gazed at it for a moment before giving a curt nod of thanks to my fellow trooper. They returned it before turning and assuming their position in line.

The flight back to base seemed to take an eternity. Every slight bump reignited the fire in my face, and I felt trickles of blood drip down my skin, soaking into the neckline of my shirt. When we finally landed and the ramp lowered, Kylo pulled me to my feet again. We followed the troopers out, his arms wrapped tightly around my shoulders and torso. My head fell forward, exhaustion beginning to accompany the pain, creating a swirl of fatigue in my mind. I frowned as we passed the hospital wing without hesitation.

"Mason..." I mumbled, trying to suggest that we go see a doctor but unable to mumble anything more than a name.

"You don't need him." Kylo snapped, now essentially dragging me as we made our way to the elevators and down the hallway to his room.

Once inside, he settled me gently on his bed, my back against the wall and my legs splayed out in front of me. He tore off his mask and cape and threw them aside, disappearing into the bathroom. He returned a heartbeat later with a wet rag in hand.

I closed my eyes as the cold fabric dabbed softly across my skin, mildly soothing the burning sensation that had branched throughout my face. He cleaned the outsides of the gash, carefully avoiding the spots that were still raw. When my face was clean enough, he raised his hand again, and the tingling sensation returned--softer this time, like a feather brushing over my skin.

My eyes opened, catching sight of his concentration as he healed me. I couldn't keep a light smile off my face.

He frowned in confusion at my expression. "What?"

"Usually this is the other way around." My voice was ragged. "Usually you're the one trying to bleed out and I'm the one trying to stop you."

Kylo shook his head slightly at my observation. I examined his face, my eyes tracing the long pink scar that ran down the side of it. My fingers rose to brush it gently. He jerked his head away slightly, caught off guard by my sudden touch.

"Are we going to have matching scars now?"

His eyes flickered to mine. "No." His voice was startlingly weak, and I noticed that it was becoming a conscious effort for him to keep his hand raised.

I pushed his hand down. "Stop. You need to rest."

He frowned and shook his head, raising his hand again. "No, I don't."

I took his hand in both of mine. "Please. You're exhausting yourself. I'll be fine."

"I don't want you to have a scar like mine." As soon as he said it, he looked like he wanted his words back, as if they weren't intended for me to hear.

I cocked my head to the side. "Why not? It doesn't matter to me."

"It matters to me." He looked away.

I gave a small smile. "There are worse things than scars."

His eyes searched my face, a question in his expression. But he didn't speak. Instead, he kicked off his boots and lay back on his bed. I brushed a piece of hair off his forehead, feeling a rush of affection for this boy who seemed so determined to keep me safe. I curled up next to him, letting out a sigh of relief at the new absence of pain in my face, and gave in to sleep.

******

A/N:  I feel like my characters sleep a lot.  I should probably try to change that.