Exposed. || swritess_

Exposed

TW: discusses childhood issues and absent parents. Proceed with caution if you think this might affect you. All my love x

Either Kylo's bed had turned into a slab of rock over night, or he'd slept on the floor.

Kylo tried to sit up, every muscle in his body groaning in protest. They were still propped up against the wall and she was still asleep. Her hand was still resting in his hair, her cheek was still resting on top of his head. Her other hand was holding onto Kylo's arm that flung across her waist.

He sat up straighter, carefully cradling her face to support her head now that it wasn't resting on Kylo.

Kylo held her that way for a short while, just looking at her.

He brushed the back of his hand across her cheek, gentle enough to not wake her up. She was good. So, so good. Good to him even though he didn't deserve it.

Kylo's hand stroked down her cheek and to her neck. It was littered with red and purple marks, a few indentations of Kylo's fingers visible. He lightly traced her skin, hoping the bruises didn't hurt. After all she'd done, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

He felt ashamed and embarrassed for the way he broke down last night. Guilt wrenched his stomach as he looked at her, the girl that had held him and slept on the floor with him all night.

She had no obligation to do that. The way he treated her, the way he practically exploded on her last night. He wouldn't have blamed her for walking straight out the door without another look at him. In fact, he was slightly judging her for not bolting away from him the second she could.

But she didn't. She stayed there and held him while he cried and mumbled nonsense against her shoulder. Which is why Kylo's face was scorched with shame.

He knew he shouldn't be embarrassed. If he mentioned it, he knew she'd tell him that he had no reason to be, and she'd mean it. 

She had to have fallen asleep before Kylo did, otherwise he would've carried her back to bed. He almost always fell asleep after her, but last night, he didn't.

He rested the back of his hand on her cheek again. Her skin was cold to the touch, the thin sweater of his that she was wearing offering little warmth. He scooped her up in his arms and headed for a warm shower.

Once inside the bathroom, Kylo cupped the side of her face and gently tapped her cheek with his finger. "Time to wake up," he said softly.

Nope, didn't work.

He tapped her cheek again with a bit more pressure. "Wake up."

That one worked.

She slowly woke up, her eyes fluttering open. She panicked for a moment, snapping her head to the side to see where she was but quickly realized that she was in Kylo's arms.

"What the f- oh."

Kylo carefully set her down, keeping her steady until she was awake enough to stand. Kylo left her against the counter to lean over and turned the shower on.

It was silent in the bathroom except for the sound of running water. Very, very silent.

He was afraid to speak first, afraid that she'd changed her mind about him over night. If maybe she regretted staying with him.

So Kylo undressed in silence, she did the same. He gestured for her to enter the shower silently too, getting in after her still without another word spoken.