Allegiance | Kylo Ren

LVIII

Waking up in Mason's room was strange. For a heartbeat after I opened my eyes, I had absolutely no idea where I was. I wasn't in the barracks, and I wasn't in Kylo's room. I wasn't even in my room at the Resistance base—no, this was someplace new. I sat up slowly, glancing around cautiously, before I caught a glimpse of a sleeping Mason next to me and everything made sense again.

My movement must have woken him, because his green eyes flickered open and met mine. A slow and sleepy smile made its way across his face.

"Morning." He mumbled into his pillow.

"Morning." I replied softly, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

He pulled himself into a sitting position, blinking the sleep out of his eyes. The sight of his bare torso promptly reminded myself that I was barely clothed. I peeked around the room, quickly locating the clothes that had been intended for me to sleep in piled messily on the floor. I reached over and grabbed them between two fingers, quickly pulling the shirt over my head.

Mason watched me with a knowing smile, but to my relief, he elected not to tease me about my sudden insecurity. Instead, he stood and began pulling on a fresh change of clothes.

"Are you coming with me to the medical wing today?" He asked from underneath the dark gray shirt he was pulling over his head.

"Maybe later." I began to redo my tousled braids. "I have a few people to check on first."

He gave me a curious glance, probably guessing who I was talking about. "You know, you don't have to take care of everybody."

I smiled softly. "I'm not sure you get to say that, Dr. Mason."

He grinned sheepishly. "That's different. Taking care of people is my job. You do it for fun."

"It makes me feel useful." I said, shrugging. "If I can't help my friends, what am I good for?"

He sat down beside me, watching my fingers for a moment as they wove my hair into neat braids. "You're a good person."

I finished my third braid and leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips. "I think we both know you've saved more lives than me."

Mason's smile faltered. "That doesn't make me a better person."

"It does." I countered, starting my fourth braid.

He thought for a moment. "I may have helped more people, but you've helped fewer people more thoroughly."

"So where does that put us?" I couldn't help but laugh lightly.

"A tie, I think." He grinned and kissed me again.

"That seems fair." I smiled against his lips before pulling away and finishing off my fourth braid.

He waited patiently until I had finished my fifth and final braid, securing them at the crown of my head and combing my fingers through the loose ends that fell around my shoulders and reached the middle of my back.  Then he extended his hand for me to take. I intertwined our fingers and together we walked down the hallway until we reached the split in front of the medical wing.

"I'll see you later, Cal." Mason kissed me softly, his lips lingering against mine for a heartbeat before he pulled away and disappeared into the hospital.

I watched him go, a small smile across my face. When he was gone, I went straight to the barracks.

There were a few troopers loitering inside, Malia among them. She glanced up as I entered, and a wide grin passed across her features.

I flashed her annoyed look, already knowing what she was about to say.

"Where were you last night?" She wiggled lightly, guessing my answer.

"I think you know." I rolled my eyes and pulled a change of clothes out of my drawer. As comfortable as Mason's clothes were, I probably shouldn't be seen walking around the base in them.

"How is he? As dark and mysterious as ever?" Malia teased, watching me closely.

I frowned at her, suddenly confused. "Who? Mason?"

Her eyes widened. "Oh. I thought you were with someone else."

I glanced around to make sure we were out of earshot before hissing, "Kylo? Why would I spend the night with him?"

Malia shrugged, smiling uncomfortably. "Sorry. I forgot about Mason."

I narrowed my eyes at her, pulling on my clean shirt. "Did you?"

She put up her hands defensively. "Sometimes I forget which one you're dating."

I gave her a dubious look. "What is that supposed to mean?"

She gave a nervous giggle. "You spend a lot of time with both of them."

"That's what you do with friends." I finished changing and cast her one last glance. "I'm going to go get some breakfast."

I was relieved when she didn't follow, mostly because I wasn't on my way to the cafeteria. Instead, I made my way to the lifts and retraced my footsteps to Kylo's door.

I was about to push it open as I usually did when Malia's words echoed in my head. Did I treat Kylo like my boyfriend? The thought made me uneasy. So I knocked softly.

He opened it after a moment, looking disheveled. "Since when do you knock?"

I shrugged, blushing slightly. "How are you feeling?"

Kylo stepped aside, letting me enter his room. He frowned as I passed. "Fine. Why?"

"You seemed a little stressed out yesterday." I gave him a half-smile.

He made a face. "Recounting old horrific memories tends to do that."

I giggled softly, leaning against the edge of his bed.

"Are you okay?" He countered. "You seem... nervous."

I gazed at him, trying to assess the emotions surging through my chest and comparing them to those when I was alone with Mason. They were disturbingly similar.

When I didn't respond, Kylo frowned and took a step towards me. "Calia? What's wrong?"

I shook my head, offering him a slight smile. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong."

I could tell he didn't believe me, but I couldn't dwell on the thoughts for long. He would only delve into my mind and figure it all out. And that would ruin everything.