Zoologist Interrupted| (kylo ren x reader)
multi-chapter fic, rated: M
read on AO3
previous chapters: I II III IV V VI VII VIII IX X XI XII XIII XIV XV XVI XVII XVIII XIX
XXIII
The secret headquarters of the Sith Eternal is… well, very secret. They're not messing around.
Kylo informs you it'll take at least two days to get to Exegol, and he has to use this bizarre concrete framed pyramid of dirty glass and red light to help him navigate the path.
But you wouldn't care if it took ten days to get to Exegol. Shit, you wouldn't care if you never got to Exegol. Because during the seventy-two hours you spend with Kylo on the way, you get a taste of what it would be like if he weren't the Supreme Leader and you weren't Hux's prisoner. And that taste is enough to get you hooked.
Watching Kylo do normal, everyday things around the Command Shuttle has simultaneously activated two of your personas - fascinated field researcher and sex-obsessed animal. The net result of this leads to some peculiar internal monologues that are half nature documentary narrative, half perverted cavewoman.
Here are some examples:
Kylo brushing his teeth: It would appear that, like the rest of his species, this powerful young male participates in the ritual of cleaning his teeth. Strangely enough, he puts the cleaning paste on before running the device under the water, which is incorrect but no one would dare tell him so. Nevertheless, he displays proper technique - using a circular motion as opposed to up-down or side-to-side. Notice as he does this the way the tendons in his forearms and hands ripple and flex. His hands... Strong hands. On body. Now.
Kylo walking around casually without a shirt: Observe the male making his coffee without a covering on his thoracic region as per the social protocols of his species. This is because we are getting a rare glimpse of him in his natural habitat, where he feels comfortable doing so. And make no mistake about it: He is a fine specimen. Pay particular attention to the way his well-honed external obliques rotate seamlessly as he twists and stretches. Abs. Must. Lick. Abs.
Kylo doing pushups: To keep up his excellent form, the alpha male must strengthen his muscle units by performing a series of callisthenic exercises. Here we have the privilege of witnessing this in action. Interestingly, he does this again without covering his torso with clothing. It begs the question: Is this how he always exercises? Or does he do this to impress the female who has entered into his territory? If so, it's working. Not only has the female has taken notice, but she now appears impatient to mate with him. Shoulders! And biceps! And pecs! Oh myyyy!
Kylo urinating (listen, you're not proud of this one, but it is what it is): All animals must excrete waste to survive, including our young male. Here, he displays his comfortability with his female companion by doing so with the door slightly ajar. It has piqued her curiosity. Notice how when she pretends to stretch, she positions herself in clear view of him. She perceives that, similarly to many of his sex, he micturates while standing. While you may think that such a non-provocative act as excretion couldn't possibly arouse the female, you'd be underestimating the potency of his partially exposed backside. His lower back dimples lead to… butt! Must. Grab. Butt.
Kylo taking a shower: The sound of the cleansing apparatus has engaged the female. Watch as she rapidly sheds her outer layers, intent on yet again mating with the male. If she's not careful, she may exhaust him. Fortunately, he appears to match her eagerness and accepts her advances with equal enthusiasm. Kylo. Wet. Soapy. Slippery. *banal gargling/drooling sound*(This last one may or may not have temporarily broken your brain.)
Sex aside, there is just… copious amounts of touching, putting you into tactile induced dopamine and serotonin soaked high.
While you're reading, Kylo puts your head on his lap and strokes your hair.
You are hidden from view on the other side when he sits in on a meeting via holotable. But while he talks to the board in his serious Supreme Leader voice, saying things like, "We'll need to be discrete until we can narrow down who the rebel spy in our midst is." he holds and rubs your foot under the table.
When you walk past him with your tea, he pulls you onto his lap and brushes your shoulders with his lips while you drink it, sending shivers up and down your back.
He leans over and kisses your cheek when you're deciding what move you should make in the game of dejarik the two of you are playing. Citing, "You're cute when you concentrate," as his reason.
Then there's the piece de resistance: the stop to refuel on Rugosa.
Rugosa, a moon in the outer rim territories, is home to one of the galaxy's most unique and biologically baffling ecosystems. Its terrestrial terrain is primarily dominated by caverns and towering coral forests.
That's right. Several megafauna species of coral have adapted to non-aquatic environments. This alone would be fascinating, but the ecosystem developed around these coral forests is just as extraordinary. If only for this reason, Rugosa would be any biologist's wet dream, but because of Rugosa's inaccessibility, the moon has become the holy grail of biological science.
Rugosa is in a sector of the galaxy commonly referred to as "Hutt Space," meaning it's under the unofficial rule of the Hutt clan. But ever since the death of the infamous crime lord Jabba, years before you were even born, the whole territory has been embroiled in a vicious war between different factions of organized crime.
Due to the increased hostility and overall unsafe conditions, only the bravest of biologists dare to venture into Rugosa - and even then, they are rarely heard from again.
"Are you sure it's safe?" You ask as you approach the jade and rose swirled planet.
"Hutt Space is a wild card. They don't align themselves with the First Order or the Rebels, but they also don't want to draw the wrath of the First Order, so they won't touch me or anyone with me." Even with his assurance, your excitement is kept in check by wariness as the craft touches down.
Upon landing, a Toydarian who introduces himself by the name of Urrod greets you. He's been expecting Kylo's Shuttle and hovers, waiting for you both at the bottom of the gangway.
Immediately after exiting the ship, Urrod gives a signal, and his crew gets to work refueling and supplying the Shuttle. The Toydarian's over-the-top hospitality directed toward Kylo diminishes your fear. It's a well-orchestrated dance that has obviously been done many times before.
Strangely, as this realization occurs, your primary emotion is jealousy.
For all his merits (and there are many), Kylo Ren couldn't give two shits about the complex, unique, awe-inspiring ecosystem of this moon. He's barely even glanced at the majestic multicolored corals towering over the both of you that take your breath away. And yet he's allowed to be here, unharmed, without fear of being taken hostage or murdered.
Must be nice.
You watch Kylo hand over a sizable satchel to Urrod, who subtly weighs it in his palm and then grins even more warmly at the Supreme Leader. Demonstrating that it's not just fear that'll get you places. It's money.
Money is power, not just with Toydarians (a harmful stereotype) but anywhere in the galaxy. If you have the currency required, you'll have access to what you want. A concept that makes you bitter.
Of course, as a high-ranking political figure, Kylo would have access to amounts of money that a research biologist, such as yourself, would never dream of seeing.
Historically, resources have been unequally divided between destruction and preservation. The amount of funds given to destruction (i.e., wars) far outweighs the funds allocated to preserve and expand biological knowledge.
Urrod leads you both into the coral forest on a narrow path. The plan is to rest at a café to pass the time.
In an attempt to drag out the time to take in your surroundings, you move as slowly as possible. Your head swivels back and forth, and up and down, you take particular note of any small invertebrates you see. Some are hovering near expansive lime-colored flowers, others crawling up neon-purple vines.
You long for some specimen tubes or even just a notebook. Because trying to cement all of this into your memory is an overwhelming task. A task you're so enmeshed in that you barely register Kylo reaching for your hand and pulling you to a stop next to him.
"Do you want to stop and look around for a bit?" He asks in a low, humming voice next to your ear.
Ripping your eyes from the forest, you focus on him to see that he has an adoring smile on his face. Clearly, while you've been watching the forest, Kylo has been watching you.
"Really!? There's time for me to look around?" The excitement at the prospect leaves you feeling a bit light-headed.
With a flex of his wrist, he tugs you forward and kisses you on the forehead, "If you want, we'll make time."
A soft, fuzzy feeling travels throughout your body. It rushes all the way down to the tips of your fingers and toes.
Because you know that Kylo doesn't care about what characteristics the arthropods on this planet have adapted or the complex ecological relationships between species here. You know he hadn't meant to linger long here, but once he saw how much you care, he adjusted to accommodate you. Because he cares about you.
Not only does he care about you, but he knows you well enough that you don't even have to confirm - which is good since you're more or less speechless. He merely glances at you and knows that you desperately want to "stop and look around."
When he calls ahead to Urrod, telling him to wait, you direct your attention to the towering coral adjacent to you. Kylo releases your hand and gently pushes your lower back, urging you to step off the path and to get a closer look.
Initially, you're timid, a little scared, almost reverent. But then you see some movement at the base of the Rugosian king coral fanning out above your heads, and you hurry over to get a better look.
It's a deep maroon juvenile dwarf neebray or "flying manta." You watch as it scrapes its teeth along the surface of the limestone, then dips its tongue into the calicles of the coral.
Is it eating the coral polyps? You get onto your hands and knees and crawl over as silently as possible to get a better look.
Behind you, you hear Urrod ask Kylo, "Your woman, is she a scientist?"
You're not sure how you feel about being referred to as Kylo's "woman." You're sure you're his something, just as he's yours, but it feels so reductive and… gross to be referred to as his "woman."
"She's an entomologist." The pride you detect in Kylo's voice is a salve to the needling of your ego. Alright then, you suppose you'll allow it. You'll go ahead and be "his woman."
"You know, we don't allow many outside scientists here on Rugosa…," Urrod says, and you freeze.
Fuck…
You recruit as many of your auditory nerves to hear how he'll convince Kylo to pull you away from the coral.
You're in the process of wrangling your expectations. Reminding yourself to be grateful for even being allowed to see this, when Urrod floors you by saying, "This must be exciting for her. Do you think she would like to have a tour led by one of our most renowned biologists?"
Slack-jawed and shocked as hell, you swing around to look at the pair - scaring the shit out of the poor little neebray in the process. The creature gives a little shriek and flies away.
Kylo purses his lips to contain his grin, and once he composes himself, he addresses Urrod in a deep, authoritative voice, "If you could arrange that, I think she'd like that very much."
You nod vigorously in agreement.
YES! Yes, I would like that very much!
"Anything for the Supreme Leader's woman." Urrod does a slight bow toward you.
From behind the Toydarian, Kylo's eyes are sparkling with silent laughter as he mouths, "Anything for my woman." knowing how much this probably annoys you.
And if there were any room for annoyance within your utter elation at the prospect of a tour of Rugosa, you'd flip him off.













