Kiddo | Kylo Ren

I. Stepping Stones

Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. 

The first few steps you took off of the crowded shuttle and onto the cold metal floor of the Finalizer base reminded you of a fairytale you used to read as a child. The story of Rapunzel- specifically the way she hung from her tower by her long hair, just a few inches above the ground, cautiously stepping down onto the green grass for the first time in her life. 

It had been so long since you've been here- the cold steel hangar of the Finalizer base. 

The ride there was cramped, to say the least. Six large, bruiting knights taking up the entirety of the cock pit and common area for several hours straight was not exactly comfortable. 

But none of that mattered now- not with how large the hangar you were idly stationed in was. The sounds of boots stomping and jets racing through the air above you filled your senses. A large inhale of air and a swift shut of your eyes was all you needed after the painfully crowded excursion you had just been through. Room for your chest to inflate, your neck to crane backwards until you heard a slight pop, and-

"Ryo!" a loud voice called out from the exit of the shuttle.

You turned, seeing Shiloh. He was dawning his full armor as always, holding a large black duffle bag filled to the brim with something that seemed- pointy. Heavy. Probably the knights weaponry stacked together in an unorganized pattern. 

It was always strange to see the knights weaponry thrown so mindlessly into a bag or on the floor. As if they weren't huge, menacing weapons that could cut someone in half. You could almost hear the screams of their victims emanating from them sometimes- trying to count how many people your brethren have hurt would take an eternity.

Shiloh was standing tall near the steps leading down the shuttle, looking at you with a cautionary face that was screaming "do you think you can catch this? It has important things in it" while clutching the seemingly heavy bag.

You nodded at him, reaching your arms out in front of you in a position you thought  would be stable enough for you to catch the large bag in the air. There was doubt in the back of your mind though. The bag could possibly topple you to the ground, or land just a hair in front of you and shatter anything important in it, but you pressed forward anyways, giving Shiloh a thumbs up and a sweet smile- you could catch one lousy bag, right?

Wrong. The black bag came flying through the air quicker than your eyes (or weak arms) could process. It was almost like your seemingly-friendly knight had purposefully wanted to see you topple over, the bag crushing you as you hit the ground with a loud thud. 

Ouch.

You grunted in pain, baring your teeth for a moment as you eyed the damage; the bag was fine because your body broke the fall, but your elbow wasn't. You heard a faint "sorry!" from the distance as Shiloh dipped back into the shuttle to grab another bag. Before you could give him a slight smile and a look that weakly says "I'm okay," your eyes had focused on something else in the distance .

Four familiar dark figures, standing in a loose circle around the one specific dark figure you had originally come to the Finalizer for. 

"Kylo!" you shouted, a large grin sweeping across your face as you spotted his blank charcoal mask turning towards your direction. 

Normal you would have noticed how menacing he looked. Normal you would be embarrassed you were still on the floor wrestling with a bag of inanimate objects.

But you weren't the normal you right now; you were the excited you. 

Ecstatic, even.

You knew it was weird to linger on the floor- but shifting under the bag until you had enough room to scramble to your feet took more effort than you thought necessary. It didn't matter though. Your adrenaline was pumping, and before you knew it, your feet were scurrying under you, quickly making their way to Kylo and his surrounding knights. 

You didn't mind the conversations you may have been interrupting, nor did you care what they had to say. You haven't seen Ren in what, four years? Maybe five?

He was standing as tall as ever- looming over the other knights around him in an all black suit of padded armor with a thick cape lightly flowing behind him. You only took a quick second to admire his height before you hastily pounced on him, grabbing his shoulders for support and squeezing him tight.

He was as still as a rock beneath you; almost like the hug hadn't shifted his stance an inch. But you didn't mind-  you knew he was enjoying this by the way his arms snaked around your waist for support.

"Hey, kiddo" he whispered to you through his electronic mask.

The mask was cold against your ear. Hearing it for the first time in so long sent shivers down your spine. He gave you a light squish before setting you gently back on your feet. Maybe your weight was too much for him- or maybe, just maybe, he set you down to drink in your looks he barely got to see before being pummeled. 

His mask shot down towards your eyes, then your neck, then torso, and then finally your lower half. You wished you could his expression right now. Was he possibly enjoying your features? Admiring maybe? Or just simply creeping? 

"You've grown" he jeered through his mask, eyes tracing back up to meet yours.

His words pulled you out of your inquisitive state. He was admiring you, but not for the reason you were thinking. His arms suddenly pulled out from behind your waist and immediately connected to your jaw, slowly tilting your head upwards to get a better look at your face.  

"That's what happens when you don't see someone for four years, dummy."

You gave him a light-hearted punch to his shoulder. He didn't move an inch- but you weren't expecting him to.  His impeccable posture and broad shoulders engulfed your entire line of sight. He was- huge. Maybe bigger than the last time you'd seen him, but you couldn't quite remember. 

He gave you a light brush on your shoulder, his modulated voice speaking through the mask:

"Welcome to the Finalizer base, RyRy."

Your old nickname. How sweet.