~ 𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍 ~ A Ben Solo/Kylo Ren Story

9.

~~~~~

Celeste was still shaken from both Hux's unwanted advances and Kylo's sudden friendliness to her the night before. She was looking forward to training, maybe he'd be nicer to her from now on? She made sure to get there early and started warming up, doing little hops swinging around her lightsaber absent-mindedly. It was just an extra that he had on hand, red, of course. It had a detailed handle and was shorter than the average lightsaber. She lazily jabbed forward and pretended to dart back from a swing.

Kylo walked into the room just before they were supposed to start. His voice betrayed his surprise that she was already present. 

"Hey. I had a question. Am I allowed to ask those yet?" She asked, a hint of sass in her voice. She knew he rolled eyes under his mask. 

"What is it?" 

"Well, I was wondering, I've been training physically, right? But when do I get to train mentally? Like lifting rocks, reading minds, and making it so you can't read my mind anymore?" She asked confidentially. She knew she was progressing quickly, and that pleased him. Plus, he seemed to like her more recently.

"Not until you're ready. You are still unstable, putting too much mental strain on you could dama-"

"Hey come on! I'm ready! I'm so ready! I promise," Vega pleaded, taking a step closer. 

"You're not listening. It is not a matter of if you think you are ready or not. I know you think you are, but I promise you are not. And when you're still so untrained, a pupil, it is better to be able to read your mind anyway." He sounded impatient. 

"That's not fair," She said, crossing her arms over her chest, "It's not fair that you can read my mind and I can't read yours. It's a violation of trust." He scoffed. 

"I am your master, you will respect me. I see no reason as to why you would need to read my mind,"

"Well how about to find out why you're still so mean and condescending!" She exclaimed. He felt her annoyance building. He was curious as to what she would do when pushed to the breaking point. He remained silent. She did too, closing her eyes and reaching out her hand. He was too surprised to react as she pushed herself into his thoughts. 

"Ben!" 

She saw a long, dark, skinny bridge over a seemingly bottomless pit. She felt Ren's internal turmoil, the conflict inside him. He longed to take the man's hand but felt something inside of him reaching for his lightsaber. He knew what he was about to do, he was just stalling so he didn't have to do it. 

She saw him as if in slow motion, pulling out the lightsaber. She blinked, and suddenly, the man had fallen off the skinny bridge, clutching his side, face full of betrayal. She had no way of knowing, but she could feel that he would not survive. 

Kylo stumbled back, panting. Celeste noticed she was shaking. 

"Do that again, and I will kill you," He growled, with no hesitation in his voice, raising her up from her neck and holding her against the wall. She struggled, kicking her legs frantically, eyes frightened. 

"I can-I can't breathe," She spluttered. Her vision began to close into a pinpoint. Suddenly, Kylo froze, as he saw her body go slightly limp. He dropped her as if she had burned him. 

"I-I'm..." He started, watching with scared eyes as Vega coughed roughly and rubbed her neck with both hands, inhaling desperately. Once she had regained some of her composure, she looked up at him. Her face was terrified. That wasn't a choke intended to simply knock someone out. He could have killed her. And they both knew it. 

~~~~~

Celeste felt an unfamiliar emotion coming from Ren. Regret? Hurt? Both? She didn't feel too terribly bad for him, he had just almost killed her, after all. He seemed remorseful. She could feel the self-hatred seeping out of him strongly. He hadn't apologized though, and she figured he wouldn't ever.  

She noticed her the lightsaber wasn't ignited, but still in her hand. She dropped it as she stood, wrapping her arms around herself and rushing out. She assumed training was over...

~~~~~

Kylo paced around his room anxiously. He couldn't have the girl terrified of him, she would never progress as fast as she had been before if she was constantly on edge. Perhaps the Supreme Leader was wrong about her being able to make him more patient. She was just testing his patience and tolerance to an irritating degree. He yearned to apologize, to find her and explain himself, or at least make excuses for what she'd seen...But he knew he couldn't.

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