"What the hell happened to your back? Did Kylo do this to you?" Mara hears Leera ask behind her back as she's getting dressed.

She made it back to her room last night without encountering anyone and hid Kylo's cloak under her mattress.

Mara doesn't reply. She doesn't know what to say. What can she say? That "Yes, Kylo did this to me while doing me good on the console table in his quarters"? Nope, she promised to keep them a secret, and she will for as long as she can, though hiding this new thing from her friend doesn't sit well with her. She probably should have gotten dressed in the bathroom, not leaving her bruised back in plain sight for Leera to see.

"I ought to say a word or two to him, but I know he'll just force crush my windpipe sooner than I can say... Well, anything at all," Leera sighs.
"Don't worry about me, I know how to handle myself," Mara smiles.
"Yeah, I can see that," Leera frowns. "If he keeps doing this to you, you'll end up in the medcenter. I know you're not fragile, but one can only take so much."
"I can take all he's got to give," Mara thinks to herself, a careful smirk spreading across her lips while Leera looks away.

---

They head for their stations. Another day filled with war and terror in the galaxy.
General Hux greets them, locking eyes with Leera just a little too long, only Mara knowing why.

Kylo enters the room shortly after, wearing his helmet.
Mara looks at him. His head is turned in her direction, but there's no telling if he's looking at her. 

Kylo stares at Mara through his mask. He's never been more grateful for wearing it than he's now. He's flustered, and he simply can't stop staring.
He can't believe what he did, what they did, the night before.
He feels guilty somehow, that even though Mara seemed to want him just as much as he did her, he's afraid that she was too scared not to want it, to want him.
All the times he's been rough with her, beaten her about, letting her take the punch for his rage... He's sorry. All the violence he's put her through has simply been his way of being near her, but because he's who he is, and she's who she is... There's no room for romance, for love. No time, no place, just not accepted. He cannot let his emotions get the better of him. He needs to keep her at bay, to handle her hard. Handle her. Hard. He takes a deep breath. "Fuck," he thinks to himself. He needs to get a grip.

Suddenly Kylo realizes that everybody's staring at him, waiting for him to say something, that his time just to stand there looking intimidating, is up.

He tells them about his new plan, a new tactic, and everybody seems to be in on it, except Mara. She's got a "I'm not so sure" look on her face.
Kylo's dying to ask her her opinion, but he doesn't want her to speak up in front of everyone.

"Start preparing, but wait until I give the order to execute the plan," Kylo says and leaves the room.
Mara traces his steps with her eyes, watching his tall figure, noticing how his head kinda discreetly tilts to the hall, as in telling her to follow him.
Mara looks around the room.
Leera's by Hux's side, the others are spread about, ready to start the preparations.
She takes her leave to catch up with Kylo.
When she enters the hall, he's gone. She turns to the right, walking fast, wondering where he went.
Suddenly she's gripped by raw force, being dragged into a narrow slot.

She's standing face to face with Kylo's mask.
"Oh, take that thing off, will you?" Mara says.
Kylo detaches his helmet, and soon his pretty face and deep, brown eyes are staring at her.
"Hi," he says awkwardly. Mara smiles.
"Hi," she says.
"I-hhh," Kylo starts saying. "I wanted to ask your opinion about my plan, it looked like you had something you wanted to say back there."
"Oh, so you did notice that?" Mara asks and crosses her arms. "Why didn't you just let me speak my mind then?"
"Because you know what I say goes," Kylo's look darken.
"Just because you say it doesn't mean it's right. You are powerful and the Supreme Leader's right hand man, but we're the ones being sent on these missions, several that have failed, our lives hanging by a thread."

Mara's waiting for a blow, a hit to her gut or something. She can't possibly get away with talking back to him like that.
Kylo's raging, burning on the inside. He wants to mess her up so bad. He forces her up against the wall, his might almost smothering her.
Mara's hurting, but she can take it.
She might be pleading him to end her every time he's having a fit, but she's also gotten thick skinned, Kylo's anger peeling off her little by little. At least mentally, the physical part she can't control. She's only human. Her body bruises, she bleeds, she hurts, and she hates it. She wants to be as strong and powerful as him.
She squeals under his pressure, heaving for her breath. Then she wrathfully snarls at him.

"I know you think last night was a mistake, that you only want to hurt me, not to want me. But I don't care. I can take whatever you throw at me. You can't break me," Mara says, her look suddenly fierce. "Hit me, kiss me, choke me with the force or by hand, or fuck me, I don't care, I can take whatever you give me. I'm not weak."
Kylo's eyes are blank, staring intensely at her. His heavy pressure lifting some.
Mara sighs. "Bring it," she whispers. "Bring it."

Kylo crushes his lips against hers. His kiss is hard and long.
Mara takes a deep breath when he stops, before she pulls him back for more.
Their kisses are rushed and rapid, knowing they're out of time, that they can be discovered at any moment.

Mara bites and drags at his lower lip as he starts to step away. Their eyes are locked all the time until Kylo covers his face with his mask.

---

He makes his way back to the console room. Mara counts to fifty before she follows, trying to stabilize her breath in the mean time.
She knows Kylo probably will be the death of her, but by rage or love, she doesn't want know.

Mara enters the console room, and suddenly all eyes are on her.
"I was just saying that my plan might need some tweaking before it's set to life, and I was wondering if you had any ideas on how to improve it, you being familiar with somewhat similar missions," Kylo says.
Mara tries to appear calm and collected. She did not expect Kylo to put her on the spot like that, but apparently her opinion does matter. She smiles.
"Okay, so these are the adjustments we need to make," she says, her character in charge.
Kylo smiles behind his mask.