These Violent Delights

Chapter 16: You're My Guest

You sat in the military sector with General Hux and the Supreme Leader, rethinking your decision to stay alive.

Surely Hell is more pleasant than this.

When you agreed to behave, you didn't know that your psychopath captor would start treating you like a companion. And yet, after you changed into your jumpsuit—and tried to rapidly dry the wet spot on the back—Kylo was waiting in his kitchen with first-aid supplies to bandage the cut on your hand and hip. At first, you wanted to insist that you go to the medbay instead, but you bit your tongue; although cooperating was only temporary, it was still your new normal.

So, you obediently stood there as he took his time inspecting the wound on your hand. It was an artificial gash, more inconveniently placed than painful, but he insisted on cleaning it before applying an ointment and wrapping it in gauze. When you had to partially undress to give him access to your hip, you kept your eyes on his chest the entire time he worked on it. Things felt way too awkward after your momentary lapse in judgment in his bedroom.

Sitting at the General's table, you peeked over at Kylo. Despite your awkwardness, he appeared perfectly normal, almost too normal, as if the two of you were friends now. You had looked at him like he was crazy when he led you through the Finalizer without Force-compelling you, as he took his time pointing out certain things he thought you'd like. He showed you the throne room, hololibrary, and a cafeteria equipped with more food than you'd ever seen in your life. Trying your best to be civil, you pretended to be interested, but the only thing you wanted to see was the exit. Alas, he gave you a tour the entire way to the military sector.

This buddy-buddy treatment didn't end when you were led into Hux's private dining hall. When you tried to take the seat farthest away from him and Hux, Kylo grabbed your wrist and directed you to sit right next to him. It took you a moment to stop resisting, but when you did, he beamed at you like a proud pet owner.

You looked down at your plate and frowned. You were hungry earlier, but your appetite eluded you once you realized you had to spend the next hour with General Hux and Kylo. So, here you were, pushing around a grape with your spoon—you couldn't be trusted with sharp utensils, yet—as you obediently sat next to him.

"And for you, Supreme Leader?" a soft, feminine voice asked, and you snapped your head up at the sound. You were so wrapped up in your own misery you didn't realize that a pretty, petite stewardess walked in with a cart of beverages.

"Coffee. Black."

You rolled your eyes and set down your spoon. Of course.

"Yes, sir," the girl said, grabbing a mug to pour him a cup.

Across from you, Hux undressed the stewardess with his eyes. When he saw that you caught him, he gave you a sickening smile while cooing at her. "Ava, darling."

Ava looked at him, eager to please. "Yes, General?"

"Please get our guest some tea. Perhaps something...herbal, to alleviate her temper."

Ava nodded and strode away, and the General turned his head, watching her every step. After a few moments, he leisurely settled his gaze back on you. "Quite the treat, wouldn't you say?"

The smirk on his face made you nauseous. "Not my type."

"Ah, of course—my apologies," he crooned, saying your name and gesturing to the Supreme Leader. "Clearly, the tall, dark, and homicidal alpha male is more your type."

"He's not my type," you corrected, disgusted. "He's my captor, and I'm his prisoner."

"No, you're not." Kylo sipped his coffee and looked at you. "You're my guest."

You shot daggers at him. "No. Guests can leave. I cannot."

He put his mug down and lifted a hand, gesturing toward the blast doors. "You can leave."

Your heart dropped at those three little words. Biting your lip, you looked at the door. It was right there, and you weren't being held by the Force or restrained to your seat. Technically, you could attempt to leave...

No. It's a trap.

You turned your head away from the doors, eyes glazing over as you folded your hands in your lap. You saw Kylo eyeing you in your peripherals. Calling you a guest was his way of taunting you, giving you a false sense of free will to test your newfound obedience, but you wouldn't take the bait.

I will pass all your tests until the timing is right, and I have the chance to kill you, Kylo Ren, you thought, but willed it away just as quickly. You never knew when he was inside your head.

Kylo set his elbows on the table. "Eat, Kitten."

"No," you quipped, but when expectant silence followed, you rigidly looked at him and tried to look agreeable. "No, thank you. I'm not hungry."

"You've been starving all day," he said, nudging the plate in your direction. "Eat."

You shook your head. "I'm not—"

"Pet," he mused, tapping your plate. "If you don't eat, I will feed you myself."

"You wouldn't."

He picked a grape off your plate and popped it into his mouth. "I would."

You narrowed your eyes at him, and he followed suit, holding your glare until you finally caved. "Fine, but I won't enjoy it," you mumbled, picking up a grape.

You felt his eyes on you as you chewed it, and you considered spitting it out on his face—but surely that would bring you more pain than victory, so you behaved. After a handful of fruit and a bite of your sandwich, you had to stop eating. The food was good, but sitting with the two fucks at the center of the galaxy's most ruthless dictatorship hurt your stomach. That's why, when the pretty stewardess came back with your drink, you were actually thankful Hux ordered you an herbal tea.

"Thank you," you said, smiling up at her. Ava gave you a small smile in return. You wanted to reach out and touch her, to see if she was even real. She looked so kind, so gentle, you had the urge to shake her and ask her how she kriffing survived a place like this—especially when she had to work in General Hux's wing.

"Thank you, Ava." Hux cleared his throat. "You are dismissed."

Ava jumped like she was in trouble, gave a swift bow to the Supreme Leader, and scuttled away faster than lightspeed. You frowned, tugging your tea closer to you. Lucky bitch.

The Supreme Leader had made it seem like this meeting was about you, but they ignored you as they started discussing their time on Exegol. You pretended not to notice when Kylo said they found proof Skywalker accessed something in the Citadel he could weaponize, but he caught your intent to eavesdrop and told Hux they would discuss it later. All you got from the conversation was that they'd be leaving First Order forces on the planet until the threat was neutralized, and that the General wouldn't be the one to manage them. You let out a sour exhale at the lack of intel, preparing to tune them out, but then you heard Hux mention his assassination attempt, and suddenly, you were all ears.

"And?" Kylo said, giving off an air of indifference.

Even though Hux's posture stiffened, you could tell he was still clinging to his ploy of politeness. "And, I wanted to know how such an escalation could have possibly happened, dear Supreme Leader. The last three weeks on Exegol were trying, but not once did I fear for my life. That is, until I returned to retrieve my troops, after you and your knights gained access to the fortress."

You tossed a stealthy glance between the two men at the table. You hated their guts, but you did find it enjoyable to watch Hux try and hide his thirst for killing the Supreme Leader—a fact Kylo seemed utterly unbothered by.

"I will not remind you again of the planet's ability to influence even mere mortals—as you once put it, General Hux," the Supreme Leader said casually, stabbing a piece of fruit with his fork. He continued to speak with nonchalance after he chewed and swallowed. "While it is a shame your Stormtroopers were encouraged, and stupid enough, to plot an attack against their General, I can assure you that neither my knights nor I had anything to do with that, or any other acts of disobedience you experienced during their deployment."

"Why, of course not, Ren. I never assumed as such," Hux drawled, plastering a thin smile on his face as he waved a dismissive hand. "I brought up the unfortunate event out of curiosity for the mechanics of the fortress—that is all."

After uncomfortable silence expanded between them, Kylo gave a curt shake of his head. "No. I know doubt lies beneath that curiosity of yours. You have always been distrustful of me, of the Force. The incident on Exegol only exacerbated that. No need to lie, General," he said, bringing his mug to his lips to take a sip. After he set it down, Kylo directed his attention to his plate while still addressing Hux. "Besides, after yet another disappointing performance this last week, why would I rely on your troops to eliminate you? If I wanted you dead, I would kill you myself."

Hux sat rigid, unblinking, and stewing in silence as his already-thin veil of amiability began to disintegrate into impassioned acrimony. But once they made eye contact, the General hid his souring expression just as fast. "An anomaly, then," he said, his eyes twinkling with suppressed hatred as he lifted his tea, gesturing cheers between them. Kylo didn't reciprocate, only glanced back down at his plate to eat, and Hux slowly lowered his mug. "Moving on, we have yet to discuss the new class of interrogation devices. Ours are sorely outdated, Supreme Leader. We would be remiss not to replace them."

You listened to them drone on for the next few minutes, but realizing you couldn't care less about their fun little torture devices, you slouched down in your chair, tuning the fuck out. At least I have tea, you thought, as you curled your fingers around the mug—but a heavy hand pawed it out of your grasp. "Hey," you whined, looking at Kylo. "I actually wanted that."

The Supreme Leader ignored you, his attention on Hux. "IT-00 is far superior, General."

Hux snorted. "The IT-01 is the same thing, just better."

You reached for your tea, but Kylo moved it out of your grasp again. He still wouldn't look at you. He shook his head. "It's not. It's defective."

"Um, Ja—I mean, Kylo, can I have my tea, please?"

Hux laughed. "It's only defective because you swung your laser sword through it, Supreme Leader."

Kylo's jaw clenched as he narrowed his eyes at Hux. You watched, incredulous, as he brought your cup to his lips and started to blow on it, sending billows of steam evaporating into the air.

Your brows knit. "What are you doing?"

"I obliterated it because it was defective," he said, pausing to blow on your tea again. "Not the other way around."

You threw up your hands. "HELLO?"

Both of them looked at you—Hux was annoyed, while Kylo was concerned. "What is it, Kitten?"

With your mouth slack in surprise, you gestured to your cup of tea in his hands and made a strangled noise of annoyance.

He looked at the tea. "It's too hot."

"Umm." You gave him your best what in the actual fuck? look. "It's tea. It's supposed to be hot."

Kylo's lips pressed into a hard line. "No." He turned back to the General, your cup still in his hands. "Besides, the IT-00 has hypodermic needles, like the original IT-0. It's vital for a successful interrogation."

You slammed your face into your hands, mumbling to yourself. "Oh, for star's sake, if a black hole wanted to suck me through the ceiling right now, I would be more than okay with that."

"We use the IT-02 for that now, Ren," Hux scoffed. "Besides—"

Throwing your head back, you started to sing your favorite song. "Ooohhhh, little ol' Tibbana man, getting high in Cloud City. He spent all his credits on a girl with stars in her eyes, what a pity..."

Cold, green eyes shot to your face. "Supreme Leader, would you please tend to your pet before she starts clawing at the furniture?"

You smiled at him. "I'd rather claw your eyes out, General."

He looked away, his face twisting in disgust, as Kylo finally set the tea in front of you. "Wait a few more minutes, then it will be ready."

You batted his hands away from your cup. "I'm not a child. I can drink it whenever I want."

Kylo sighed. "Impatient little pet, aren't you?"

Setting a firm gaze on him, you brought the cup to your lips and took a big sip. And immediately regretted it. Oh, fuck. Too hot.

The liquid scorched your mouth, but you swallowed it all the same; you didn't want him to know that he was right. Setting the cup down, you winced, pressing your scalded tongue to the roof of your mouth. You silently prayed he didn't notice how much pain you were in, but unfortunately, the two men had stopped talking and were staring right at you.

You glanced at Kylo, then Hux, then back to Kylo. "What? I'm fine," you said defensively as your captor raised an eyebrow. You waved a dismissive hand at them. "Nothing to see here, gentlemen. Carry on, and preferably away, into the outer reaches of space."

"Hm." Kylo's lip twitched up in amusement. It wasn't until you looked forward, scowling, that he turned back toward the General, leaving you alone. "The IT-02 dates back to the Empire. It should be discontinued."

Hux rolled his eyes and droned on while you promptly checked out and ignored them. You were pretty sure you had burned a hole in your esophagus, but you continued to drink your tea anyway as you minded your own business in peace. That was, until a large, gloved hand found its way to your head.

"Ahh!" You yelped, jolting sideways and batting away Kylo's hand. You shot him a nasty look. "What in the galaxy do you think you're doing?"

Infuriatingly so, Kylo didn't pay your offense any mind. Without looking at you, he tried touching your hair again, but when you served his hand a hard slap, he placed it on your shoulder instead. Your jaw dropped when he began twirling a piece of your hair between his fingers, speaking to the General and ignoring your death glare. With a loud huff, you leaned as far away as you could, but Kylo was having none of that. He grabbed your chair and scooted you closer to him so he could run his hand over your locks. He finally looked at you when his fingers got caught in your tangles.

"We need to brush this," he murmured, looking at a clump of hair in his hands. "I was displeased to hear what you did to the ST-styling droid I sent to your cell while I was on Exegol. It was supposed to alleviate this problem for you."

Accepting your fate, you slumped in your seat and didn't try to swat him away again. "I wouldn't have fried its central processor with the detangler if I had known the alternative was having you pet me like a cat," you mumbled.

Hux let out an exaggerated sigh from across the table, and the Supreme Leader, still fussing with your hair, addressed the General without looking at him. "What is it, General?"

"I want one."

"Want what?" Kylo asked distractedly, tucking a strand behind your ear. You wanted to chop his hand off.

"Don't be dense. I want one. A pet," he said, gesturing in your direction. He grimaced as he saw the scowl on your face. "But perhaps one less...unruly."

When Kylo dropped his hand, you nearly cried out with joy. You eyed him, on edge, as he turned toward the General and picked up his mug. "What about Ava?"

Hux waved his hand. "She's too eager, that one. She follows me around like a puppy."

Kylo sipped his coffee, entirely at ease. "And that's a problem?"

"Well...no. But it gets rather predictable—boring, even—when she makes herself so available to me. There is a certain appeal to having to train one, you know, break it in and earn its submission," he said smugly, and you didn't miss his pointed glare directed at you.

"Ah." Kylo clicked his tongue. "You want a wild animal then, not a Labrador."

"Exactly!" Hux beamed as he leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. "Tell me, where did you find yours?"

Turning toward you, Kylo gave you a single head pat. "Out in the wild, running loose with all the other animals."

You violently jolted away from him, but he only chuckled before looking across the table, sharing an amused look with Hux. "Go set a trap, General. Maybe you'll get lucky."

Both of them looked pleased with the way your face twisted in shocked disgust, and you realized they were intentionally trying to mortify you. It was working.

Hux gave a forlorn sigh. "I did that once—it died a week later."

Kylo took a sip of his coffee. "Did you remember to feed it? Water it? Let it out for some fresh air?"

Hux's green eyes gleamed, amused. "Occasionally."

"You are both repulsive human beings," you mumbled, looking away from them. "Absolutely and positively repulsive."

"And you aren't eating," Kylo said, looking down at your plate, then back at your face. "Eat, Kitten."

You wouldn't look at him. "Lost my appetite."

From the corner of your eye, you saw his hand approach your face with a piece of fruit. "Eat."

You veered your head away from him. "No."

"Pet," he warned.

Biting the inside of your cheek, you finally glanced at him. He studied you with amusement as he held up a grape. Keeping your eyes locked on his, you parted your lips and he plopped it inside with a satisfied smirk. You didn't immediately chew, only pushed the piece of fruit between your teeth, showed it to him, and then bit down. The spray of juice that squirted on his face made you laugh. With a sigh, Kylo looked away from you and used the back of his hand to wipe it off, while you snickered and settled into your seat.

From across the table, Hux cocked a brow at you. "I'll require a less unruly pet, indeed," he mused before exhaling and looking at the Supreme Leader. "Alas, that's the nature of a kitten, right, Ren?"

Kylo hummed in agreement as he chewed. Anger simmered in your gut. There was something about the way Hux called you a kitten that made your blood boil. He held your glare and waited to get a rise out of you, but you didn't want to give him that satisfaction. Instead, you settled with fantasizing about all the ways you could kill them both.

"Easy, Kitten."

You whipped your head at Kylo. "Stay out of my mind."

"I'm not in your mind," he said, flippantly pulling your plate toward him. Spearing a strawberry with his fork, he nodded at your hands in your lap. "You will start to bleed if you dig your fingernails into your palm any harder, and your wound needs to heal."

"I am fine," you said rigidly, but you did relax the tightness of your fists. "Fuck. Off."

Kylo tutted. "So stubborn."

"You allow her to speak to you like that, Ren?" Hux asked, amazement in his tone. Kylo only shrugged, and the General raised his brows. "Ah, well, seeing as how she's been in and out of your quarters, I suppose you've found other purposes for that dirty mouth of hers. Purposes that excuse her attitude, perhaps?"

You jerked your head in Kylo's direction, betrayal slapping you in the face. A part of you wasn't surprised that he gloated to Hux about what had happened earlier today, but to blatantly lie about how far it had gone? You were livid.

Tense and blushing, you spoke through gritted teeth. "I was brought to his quarters unwillingly, General Hux. Nothing happened in there besides me trying to leave."

He threw you a sardonic smile. "I'm sure."

"She is telling the truth," Kylo said, a hard edge to his voice. "You will not insinuate obscenity at her expense again, General."

Hux opened his mouth to respond, but after looking between the two of you, he closed it and leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms across his chest. "My, my, isn't this an interesting development."

Interesting, indeed, you thought, peeking over at Kylo. You weren't expecting him to defend you, and you especially weren't expecting his entire demeanor to change so quickly. Throughout the course of the meeting, it seemed as though he was buddy-buddy with Hux—albeit with an undertone of mutual hatred—and that he was immensely enjoying your irritation at their absurdity. But now his shoulders looked tense, his movements hostile, and for the first time, it wasn't directed at you.

Hux drawled on. "It seems as though the little Resistance fighter has won a seat at the Supreme Leader's table," he said, staring at you as he picked up his mug. "I'd just love to see the look on your General's face right about now. Tell me, what do you think she would say?"

Hux glared at you as he took a sip of his tea, completely unaware that Kylo was glaring at him. You took care with your answer; talking about the Supreme Leader's mother was a sure way to piss him off. "I dunno." You gave Hux a non-committal shrug. "She'd probably ask me how that stick got so far up your ass."

"Ah, perhaps." Leaning forward, something cruel flashed in his eyes. "Or, perhaps, she would lend me a sincere thank you for taking you off her hands."

Despite the rage sparking in your chest, you kept your tone light. "Perhaps."

"I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it, Ren?" he asked, but Kylo didn't respond—he only stared at the General, who did not seem to notice or care. He was too busy leering at you with a callous smirk. "I've seen your file, kitty cat, and it's safe to say that you've been nothing but trouble since the day you were born. It's rather tragic, really."

"Trouble?" you echoed, looking down at your mug, trailing your finger around the rim. "I think you mean fun, General. And there's nothing tragic about having a little fun."

"Ah, no, you misunderstood me, dearie. I meant, it's rather tragic that you were even born," he asserted cruelly.

Your eyes flashed to his, and he looked pleased with the way you glared at him.

"What's the point when nobody cares about you? Your parents sold you to some repulsive junk boss, who eventually had to bribe the Coruscant orphanage to take you—but that was short-lived, wasn't it? You inevitably bit the hand that fed you one too many times and got kicked out. Then, you were fortunate that Tasu Leech found a use for you, but that luck ran out once his head was ripped off his shoulders—something the rest of the Kanjiklub are still hunting you for. And then you thought you found refuge with the Resistance, but I heard they didn't even try to help you evade Ren." Hux made a rude sound as he picked up his tea. "So sad, not even a band of rebels and directionless thugs want you. If I were you, I'd be terribly embarrassed."

You wanted to lunge at him, to attack him and shove the entire mug down his gullet, but Kylo's deep, cautionary voice rang in your ears before you could react. "Careful, General. Prisoner M421 agreed to cooperate with me, not you."

"What can she do? Look at her. She's sitting so nicely for us, Supreme Leader," he breathed, tilting his head at you in an appreciative way. "Such a pretty little thing, even when she has murder in her eyes."

Kylo sighed, leaning back in his seat and draping his arm over the back of your chair. "Antagonize her at your own risk."

"Oh, I'll think I'll take my chances," Hux boasted, setting his cup down and waving his hand. "She's useless here, just a stupid, mindless pet."

"I am not a pet," you flared, leaning forward as your chest rapidly rose and fell. "I am a person, and do not speak about me like I am not here."

Hux's face lit up. "Wow, so much fire in this one!" he jeered. "What a treat to be the match that started it! I am honored, truly, I am!"

As he held your gaze with sick amusement in his eyes, you could hear your pulse pounding in your head. Up until this point, you thought the Supreme Leader was the worst person in the galaxy, but at least Kylo didn't try to hide that from you. Hux, though? He walked around as though lesser mortals should grovel at his feet for blessing them with his presence, all while hiding behind that mockingly pleasant smile. It was sickening and infuriating, and you regretted not saving that piece of glass to cut Hux's throat.

Beside you, Kylo laughed—a short, satisfied sound, causing Hux to tear his eyes away from you. "What's so funny, Supreme Leader?"

"She wants to kill you."

You whipped your eyes at him, seething. "I want to kill both of you."

"Shhh," Kylo hushed, placing his hand on your back, drawing delicate patterns on your spine. "I wouldn't blame you," he said, following up with your name. "He's a pain in my ass, too."

Hux tsked, shifting in his chair. "Don't encourage her, Ren."

Kylo mirrored Hux, repositioning and dropping his hand from your back. "I would never."

You glowered at both of them, irritated that they seemed to be in alliance once again. As the men settled into their seats and finished the last of their beverages, you tensed and looked forward. It wasn't until Kylo's hand slid off the table and landed in your lap that you jolted, preparing yourself to fling his stupid fucking hand into another galaxy—but when you looked down, your eyes widened, and your pulse picked up.

He had placed a fork in your lap.