A/N: I am so sorry it took me so long to update, ugh. I literally hit a brick wall and had no idea where I wanted to take this, so I just wrote whatever came to mind and hoped for the best. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
Kylo still had a hard time believing just how easy it was to let his guard down around Rey. It'd been almost an entire week since her arrival and the storm had stopped in the middle of the fourth day. He'd shown her how he got by, collecting rainwater to wash his clothes and walking down to the stream to clean himself. He didn't have soap or shampoo, but the clear water was enough to get rid of the sand and mud that stuck to his skin while he roamed around the forest while he trapped small animals. It was surprising that he hadn't lost that much weight since his escape from the First Order, Rey realized. He was thin, but also much more muscular that she'd expected. As she sat on the bed, she observed Kylo building a fire, only half listening to what he said until he moved closer to her.
"What if we went to another planet?" He said, dark eyes on her as he sat.
"What?"
"Leave Kashyyyk with me. Let's go to Coruscant."
For a moment, Rey seriously thought he was insane. But from the look on his face, she knew very well that he wasn't.
"There's over one trillion people there and only four people know my face."
"But what if we get caught-"
"The risk of getting caught here is far greater than the risk of getting caught on Coruscant."
For a moment, Kylo's face lit up with something Rey couldn't exactly describe. Then she realized it was hope. Hope to live an actual life without having to bathe in a river. Without having to hunt for food. Rey knew exactly what it was, living a life where small rations and water that was barely drinkable were considered food.
"I didn't know you cared enough to want me with you," Rey mumbled quietly.
"I've been keeping you alive for nearly a week. Does that not mean anything to you?"
Rey bit her lip. She knew that for someone like Kylo, taking care of someone that wasn't himself was quite something. Still, she struggled with understanding just how much he cared about her. "I just- I thought you just did it because you didn't really have a choice. Since you said you didn't want me to die."
"I care about you, Rey." Kylo said, scoffing. She could see his expression change. He didn't seem angry, but if he was, it wasn't at her. "I would literally kill for you, don't you get that?" He moved, standing from the bed to pace lightly, running a hand through his black hair.
"Don't you understand how fucking scary that is for me?"
"Kylo-"
"I have spent twenty years without feeling anything for anyone and all of a sudden, you come out of nowhere and you fuck me up."
When he spoke, Rey felt all the air leave her lungs. Standing from the bed, she closed the distance between them by wrapping her arms around his torso, burying her face in his chest. It made Kylo stop, but only because she hurled her thoughts towards him, hitting him like a brick wall. She didn't know what she felt and couldn't exactly put it in words, but she knew that no matter what system Kylo wanted to go to, she was willing to follow him to the opposite side of the Galaxy, as long as they were together.
"You really made a mess out of me, little thing."
She held onto him as tightly as she could, like she was scared that at any moment, he would be torn apart from her. She shook her head, stray tears falling down her cheeks. Why was she crying? She didn't know exactly why, but the thought of Kylo leaving Kashyyyk without her was terryfying.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, only looking up at him after a few moments.
Gently, Rey reached up and brushed her fingertips along his face, following the trace of the awful scar she'd left. "I'm so sorry, Kylo."
She rarely ever said his name. Before landing on Kashyyyk, a week earlier, saying it felt like thick poison on her tongue. Now, it only felt strange. It belonged to a man she didn't know anything about, except from what their Force-bond allowed her to know. She knew that he wasn't Kylo Ren anymore, but he was nowhere near being Ben Solo. They stood for a long moment without speaking, until he broke the silence.
"I'm leaving Kashyyyk, Rey. With or without you."
"Yes," Rey said quietly. She bit the inside of her cheek, taking a deep breath before looking up at him, dark eyes scanning over his face. "I'm coming with you."
Kylo Ren didn't know what came over him. What made him believe that a life with Rey was all he needed to be happy. Happy.Kylo hadn't felt happiness in years, and suddently, she came along and swept him off his feet. And then, she said yes. Yes to a life on Coruscant, among one trillion inhabitants. Smiling, Kylo pressed a quick kiss to her lips.
"Good," he said. "We'll leave tomorrow morning."