~ 𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 ~ A Ben Solo/Kylo Ren Story

6.

~~~~~

Celeste woke up lying down on a cot in an infirmary. Her head ached. Damn, she was unconscious a lot recently. She sat up, to find that she wasn't alone. A man that looks oddly familiar stood at the foot of the cot, talking or giving orders to a stormtrooper.  They made eye contact.

"I see you're awake," She nodded, "Ren is angry. You could practically smell it," He sneered. Vega, despite herself, snorted. The man looked pleased with himself for making her laugh.

"Who are you?" She asked, wincing as she swung her legs off the side of the cot. 

"General Hux," He said, straightening his jacket slightly.

"So I take it you don't like Ren either?" She asked.

"Not particularly. I think he's well aware of that though, that damn mind-reader," He scowled. 

"He seems immature."

"A gross understatement, miss...?" She paused, considering if she should tell him her name or not. Whatever, he seemed alright. Someday, he might be able to get her off this ship. Why was she even on here anyway?

"Oh, Celeste, Celeste Vega," 

~~~~~

Kylo's boots clicked loudly on the pristine floor of the ship. That girl better not be dead already...

He pushed open the door to the infirmary without warning, surprising both Celeste and Hux. He was awkwardly close to her, and she looked ever so slightly uncomfortable. A quick scan of his mind showed that he was thinking some rather unsavory thoughts. It was to be expected, this was the only young, attractive female he'd seen in anything other than stormtrooper gear or a First Order uniform in months, maybe years. Ren's blood boiled, though he didn't quite know why. He better not have done anything to her, if he was the reason he had to exterminate a force user with such potential...

"You're awake. Are you strong enough to stand?" He asked through his mask. Vega stood and looked at her feet briefly, bending her knees and doing a little hop, before looking up and nodding. It was rather cute. He groaned internally and waved the thought from his mind. Attachment meant weakness, and attraction led to the attachment. 

Kylo gestured for Celeste to follow him and noticed Hux rolling his eyes and mumbling something. He whipped around and clenched his fists, pressing against the general's neck threateningly, his signature tactic. 

"Care to repeat that, General?" He growled, raising an eyebrow under his mask. Hux shook his head. 

"It's nothing."

"I hope, for your sake, that you are right, and that it is your last time saying nothing such as that. You wear on my patience."

~~~~~

Ren and the girl walked side by side. She was still unstable, and much as he hated to admit it to himself, he regretted lashing out so harshly and so soon in their training. He could barely live with himself as it was, but now the way she was looking at him...She made every action overly careful and calculated as if he was an easily startled animal. Which--in all honesty--wasn't far off from his personality, but that's beside the point. 

She confused him greatly. Why was she on the ship? Who the hell was she? Why was the force so strong in her?

Suddenly, he was pulled out of his thoughts, when he felt her stumble over his long (read: obnoxious) cape and fall into him. He turned in a split second and held his arm out for her to catch herself on. She looked up, petrified. Their height difference was very obvious now. 

"Sorry," She mumbled, standing quickly, letting go of his arm instantly, as if it had burned her. She made an effort to walk about a foot more behind him now, careful of where she placed her feet. He could feel the embarrassment seeping off her. Her face was tinted pink, and her thoughts were suddenly scrambled. He remained silent until he stopped in front of her door.

"Listen to me," He commanded. Her eyes snapped out of their haze and she looked up at him. "Don't let Hux get too close to you. I sense he does not mean well." He warned, choosing his words carefully. 

"H-he seemed perfectly nice to me earlier," Celeste retorted, her brows furrowing slightly. Kylo felt his anger beginning to burn inside him.

"You do not have the control to read his mind as I do. Trust me when I say you'd rather not hear what he was thinking," 

"Try me," She demanded, crossing her arms. She suddenly seemed a solid three inches taller, her confidence evident. He rolled his eyes behind his mask. 

"Might I remind you..." Ren started, taking a step closer to her, "You are my pupil. My inferior. You have seen and felt how I react to back talk. I will not hesitate to be harder on you in the future." She seemed to shrink again but internally remained indignant. 

He's been nicer to me than you have!  Celeste thought, arms tightening around herself. Ren, for once in his life, decided to let it slide. She needed to respect him, but she didn't have to like him. That was his feelings about everyone, and that was why Hux got under his skin so much. Such a sneering, short little man annoyed him to his core. 

And he's cuter than a man covered in a mask, anyway. She thought, quieter this time, laughing internally. This time, Kylo couldn't conceal his rage. His fist clenched. 

"Tomorrow, 7 AM, training room. I will have someone escort you once again."

~~~~~

Kylo paced around his quarters, his mind going a million lightyears a minute. He froze suddenly, recalling the reason for Celeste's slight fall earlier. He stood in front of his closet and mentally measured the length of his capes. 

He called for a stormtrooper to retrieve his personal tailor. Because of course, he has one. 

"I need the length of all of my daily-use capes shorter by 4 inches off the bottom. By 6 tonight." He commanded. The woman nodded, gathering his garments quickly and silently leaving. 

Kylo sighed and sat in a chair facing the outside of the ship, gazing at the stars. He was unaware that in her room, Celeste stood inches away from the glass of her windows, drinking in the galaxy as well. For a brief few minutes when everything on board was quiet and peaceful, their heartbeats matched. Calm and slow, a rare occurrence for either of them, they were oblivious to their internal connection. 

A/N: Hello! If you're enjoying this story so far, please consider leaving comments, votes, add it to your reading lists, or even follow me for more stories in the future. It really means the world to me, and I love seeing everyone's comments and thoughts! This story is currently under editing, and your support keeps me motivated to continue. If you like my writing style, be sure to be on the lookout for more, similar stories in the future! Thank you! :)

EDITED