Darkness Within

Home

The door rushes open to the sides in a diamond formation, and Rey allows Kylo to lead the way into the quarters. After their rushed departure to Exogol two months prior, they hadn't been able to take many items and have left the living spaces in a general lived in messiness. Much to Rey's surprise, the quarters have been cleaned, and everything has been returned to its original place, leaving it spotless.

"Welcome home," Kylo says in a slightly lighter tone than normal, trying to appease Rey who has been on edge since leaving Argent this morning.

"Yeah, home," Rey echoes in an unreadable tone and unhooks her cloak from her neck, throwing it across a chair.

"Hey," Kylo reaches out and grabs her hand. "What's wrong?"

Rey looks up at him, the feeling of being cornered prompting her to look for an out. "Nothing, just that Argent felt more like home than this does."

"This will be eventually." Kylo pulls her closer to him, pushing a strand of hair back behind her ear before trailing his fingers down her jaw and tipping her chin up to look at him. "Soon our feet will be planted on land again and I've been arranging for only the best provisions for you."

"How much have you been planning behind my back?"

"What do you mean?"

"How often did you communicate with people off the planet without my knowledge during our stay?"

"Why does it matter?" Kylo sighs and rakes his hands through his hair as he backs up to lean against the back of the couch with Rey standing in front of him, her composure slowly hardening the longer he avoids answering her direct question.

"How are we supposed to act as a team if you can't even communicate and involve me in big decisions? You came to an agreement with the government heads of an entire planet regarding operations that are half my own and you didn't even mention it to me."

"I was allowing you time to have space."

"What does that even mean?" Rey crosses her arms in front of her and braces her stance so she stands more rigidly.

"You needed time to be alone with your thoughts, meditate in peace, it's the whole purpose behind me having that private retreat."

"I thought it was so you could hide with your pets without getting caught," Rey mumbles and rolls her eyes.

"What was that?" Kylo pushes off from the couch and walks towards Rey, taking her jaw in his hand as soon as he gets within reach of her.

The feeling of his fingers pressing into the hollow of her cheeks draws a sharp pain and she fights to get away, only causing him to clamp down tighter.

"You heard me," she manages to say despite the pain in her jaw.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you to watch your mouth." He growls right next to her face.

"Stop," Rey demands, refusing to step down and let him win.

"What?"

"I said, stop," she repeats again, this time with more defined force as she smacks his arms away causing him to release her jaw.

Kylo's expression is a mixture of shock and surprise, rarely having had someone stand up to him. His breaths are still labored and his mouth hangs open a touch while he rakes his eyes from her face and down her body quickly then back up.

"How many?" She mumbles.

"How many what?" Kylo asks, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Pets."