bakerstreet | The slowest burn is the most painful

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[meme] shipping

The slowest burn is the most painful

Arranged Marriage Turned More

To have and to hold, you said, till death do us part, all while the sharp, swinging pendulum of obligation hung overhead. But how could you have truly meant those words? This union has been tainted from the start, forever bearing the chains of an arranged marriage. It would be understandable if you couldn't bear to look at your new life partner, eternal reminder of your stolen future that they are, much less like them.
Much less love them...

Still, things can change.

You could realize that they are in the same boat as you or, that when compared to others around you,
they are the lesser of evils. Perhaps you even open up to the idea of a friendship; at the very least,
an alliance may be in order to become a power couple in a perilous world. From that innocent decision or sense of self-preservation, a new feelings sparks. Something like affection.

Something, you realize in the wake of speeding heartbeats, like love.

Will you acknowledge this? Can the two of you have a happily ever after - happier than if you'd met in another fashion - or will you hold firm in your distaste?

how to play.

- Everybody loves "couples forged by less-than-ideal circumstances" tropes!
- Comment with your character, prefs, all that good stuff.
- Reply to others.
- IDEC where you set your threads, it's wide open. Fantasy world with hairy hobbits, old-timey lands, future AUs, do a space marriage for all I care. I'm sure they're still getting married in Star Wars or whatever.

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[ Don't worry. He's got the toweling off for her. Once she's securely on her feet he'll slide the towel off his shoulder and start carefully running it over her. Just trying to get her Mostly Dry.

And to distract her from the Mothering from Kylo Ren? Food talk. ]

Would you like any food brought up?

Yes.

[ Soundly. She rests her hands on his shoulders to stabilize herself while he towels her off. It's patronizing, in a way. She feels like she's being treated like a child, but she grits through it because she knows she needs it. There would be no version of this where she towels herself off. ]

But I know I'll be asleep before I eat any of it. So we shouldn't. It'd be a waste.

[ He's just pulling the towel across her ass (Really an excuse to squeeze said ass not even joking) and leans forward to kiss her sternum. He knows she probably hates this extra mothering given how fiercely independent she is, so he's trying to make it more tolerable. He finishes quickly and before she can protest more she's lifted into his arms swiftly.

Mother fucking murdery prince charming, that's who you're getting married to here. ]

I'll make sure food arrives when you wake up tomorrow.

[ Honestly. this is partially taking care of her, but also partially for his own self-preservation from Hangry Rey. ]

[ She makes a noise of protest as he lifts her, but she knows it's for the best, so it's short-lived. Then she starts nuzzling into the slope of his neck. As it turns out, Ben has now found the secret to getting Rey to allow him to take care of her.

It just takes a lot of lead-up. ]

Thank you.

[ She honestly doesn't know what to do with all of this. Like it's been so necessary but it's also more than she's ever had before. ]

[ A lot of lead up and a lot of mouth fucking. She'll receive a press of his lips to the crown of her head as he pads his way out of the shower and to their bed. He's honestly feeling sore and well fucked himself, but she weighs practically nothing in his arms.

The bed is already a mess from their activities, the data pad is strewn across the sheets. A quick look tells him he's missed a message from Hux and has a dozen or so other notifications to look through. He'll get to that once Rey's settled in bed and well on her way to sleep. He'd include her in the business of what he was doing, but he has a feeling she's going to knock out quickly.

He lays her on the bed gingerly, taking the time to nab one end of the sheets and blanket and pull them over her form. She's getting full on treatment here, sorry for the overwhelming affection. Except I'm not. Maybe some day you'll carry his ass to bed after you've fucked him so thoroughly that he can't move.

He's gotta. Get some sleeping pants on but he'll sit at the edge of the bed and lean over her. ] Would you like anything else?

[ Glass of water? Good night kiss? A story? Suck his dick cause u still hungry? ]

Why are you wearing pants?

[ She sounds sour about it, but the whole question gets swallowed by a follow-up yawn, so not that sour. Reaching for the waistband, she gives it an unsatisfying snap. The soft cloth of the pants protects him from the elastic. :( Kark him.

That's what she wants. Naked cuddling. Bodies pressed together. But it's not the 'would like' as in 'if I'm not taken care of I'll start crying' that it had been before, so she posits it as a question instead of a need. ]

[ If he was the type to laugh freely, he would have laughed at that. As it stands, she gets an amused huff of breath, expression a bit more open and honest given how tired he is. ]

I don't trust General Hux to not stick his nose where it doesn't belong tonight.

[ He'd be risking injury barging into their honeymoon suite, but given what happened to Rey just a scant few nights ago-- he's not risking it. No dicks out for Hux. He doesn't need more fodder for his sick little mind.

Also the Force also knows at this point that Naima is gonna give Kylo a Rude Awakening. ]

[ Rey grabs for his hand. She hasn't forgotten the incident of a few nights past, either. But the whole reason she'd decided to stay in here with him in the first place was because of her discomfort with that. Kylo's presence was supposed to buffer against it. He was her safe harbor.

She didn't like the prospect of that being yanked away. ]

You don't think you're just being paranoid?

[ It was a feature of the Dark, after all. Seeing enemies around every corner, never being able to lie back and enjoy the moment for fear of what would steal it away. ]

[ Bold move justifying Rey's need to have Kylo's dick ready at hand so she can ride that shit by using the light.

But he's nothing if a man of practicalities. And while under ideal circumstances he would have no compunctions about wandering about with his junk hanging free, these aren't ideal circumstances. This marriage was a farce introduced by the General to sow discontent, to control both himself and Rey to his needs. And with the clock slowly ticking down, Hux will become more rabid and desperate. For now they've sated him. Kept up the illusion he craves. But he's not a complete idiot. It is more than possible he may put the pieces together himself. Or he may want to establish himself more deeply with Kylo (or even Rey) to try and use them further.

It's not paranoia if someone is truly out to dethrone you and murder you in the most painful way they can manage. ]

I've worked long enough with the general to know not to underestimate him. [ They were vulnerable when they were in bed. He can't afford to relax, especially now that Rey is with him. ]

[ There's a difference, she wants to say, between not underestimating him and underestimating the success of their efforts to throw him off. Instead she simply lays on her side, facing him, and pulls her hands back to tuck around the edge of her pillow. He's welcome to do as he pleases, of course. But she's not budging to dress again. ]

At least tell me you mean to sleep with me.

[ And not watch over her like a hawk all night, leaving her to deal with his grouchiness in the morning. ]

You can't stay awake for the next week, waiting for him to pounce out of the shadows.

Of course.

[ He considers going back to the bathroom to shave his face or take care of his hair but... it seems like Rey needs him more right now. He can do it in the morning.

He'll lift the covers to climb in with her. There's no hesitancy to his actions and he even reaches out to tuck her into his side a bit more as he settles down. ]

Is it alright if I read through some messages in bed?

[ He doesn't wanna disturb her or make her feel put out. He's doin' his best to be a good hubby. ]

[ She leans forward, sprawls one arm over his chest and nestles her head in the crook of his arm as he gets settled. His chest is wide, which puts her neck at an awkward angle, but after their activities earlier, it's actually a welcome stretch. She decides to stay situated. ]

Just don't stay up too late.

[ She offers this amicably. ]

I'm the one who has to deal with you.

[ A grunting affirmative as he settles down with her latching on to him like that. He's not making any move to adjust her, just better positioning himself to allow her hold. Also. Misuing the force again. Sorry Uncle(s) and grandpa. Hand out and the datapad thwaps solidly into his palm. ]

I promise any annoyance due to lack of sleep will be taken out on Hux alone.

[ Really, right now his work is... Light. Probably the wrong way to refer to it, but with Leia helping field all of this marriage bullshit and working behind the scenes and ... the entire conflict off... His schedule hasn't been this clear for years. The most he has to do right now is make sure Hux isn't fucking anything up in sneaky ways, respond to important correspondences and check in with all his contacts to-- again. Make sure Hux isn't fucking anything up in sneaky ways. ]

Anything you prefer for breakfast?

[ With a side of "obnoxious but it's hard to be mad at them for being obnoxious because they really care about you a lot" friends? ]

Fruit and meat.

[ She offers these entire food groups as though she is being entirely helpful. But they're things she'd never had the Real Deal of when she was on Jakku. It was all veg-meat and reconstituted starches. She already has her eyes closed, the words muffled into his chest. ]

And don't think taking your fatigue out on Hux is an excuse to ignore what I said about staying up too late.

[ Well- at the very least it was only two food groups. Something to work with. He'll set up an order quickly to swing by in the morning. It's just gonna be a Packed morning. ]

I'll retire for the evening soon. I promise.

[ He's not quite at Leia workaholic levels. Yet. Give him time. ]

I trust you.

[ This comes out softly. She nestles against his chest, shifts to get comfortable, and it's a very short time before she's snoring. This is such a good tag. But she's just honestly so worn the fuck out that she's ready to collapse the minute she stops talking. And then so relaxed on top of it. He did good. ]

[ It's all good. It's friday. I don't wanna work. Lets make this gucci.

Kylo keeps to his promise. He doesn't stay up much longer, answers a few correspondences and checks over details. It seems some contacts have gotten in touch and things are proceeding forward. It's going to be a bumpy fucking ride already, he can tell. People aren't want to trust him and he's coming in like a lion with his mouth open, saying his has a aching tooth and asking a mouse to tear it out. No one wants to extend their trust, but they're backed against a wall and the best anyone can do is crawl forward slowly on this tenuous trust.

But it was a start.

They had to play this carefully until the marriage was legal. Until he and Rey could start putting actions in place to throw Hux off the top of his fascist little pillar. Hope everyone was willing to play along until then.

He tires himself out looking through all of it. Driving himself to anxiety imagining all the things which could go wrong. Rey lets out a particularly loud grunt at this point-- that alone reminds him he needs to keep his head together. If not for himself, for her.

He settles down next to her, drawing her in his arms and falling into an easy sleep.

Don't worry.

No one's attacking them in their sleep. Kylo would honestly probably murder anyone who tried that. Doesn't matter if it was his mother. DO NOT ATTACK KYLO REN IN HIS SLEEP TRIGGER WARNING PLEASE.

Nah.

He'll wake up first. Groggy and his mouth tastes like shit. A soft ping on his datapad goes off indicating that their food will arrive soon-- he drags a hand across his face and. Gross. He needs to shave. badly.

He jostles the bed as he sits up, Rey moans some protest as he takes her main source of heat and he leans in to press his mouth to her forehead in apology before beginning the most careful extraction from a bed he's ever done. It involves switching out his body with a pillow he was laying on so. At least it's kinda warm and smells like him. Cool. She still makes a grumpy noise, but he's free to move about the honeymoon suite.

A quick shave to get rid of his rapidly appearing goatee and -- his dumb datapad is already going off. People trying to get his attention and he can't even catch a goddamn break when it's his WEDDING. You chose this life Kylo.

This is all to say, Kylo is distracted. Distracted and groggy and hasn't had his caf yet. The Force is all muddled with distractions from Everything. People are up and bustling, he can feel Hux's incel rage from here (His primary concern next to Rey). And with those two things accounted for he's not being as thorough as he normally is.

Which means when he hears the door ping with the alert from the droid bringing their food, he's gonna just make his way across the room and start to punch in the code to let---

I'm fukkin' sorry did u think Finn or Poe were patient enough for that shit? They are not. The door flies open and-- a few things become apparent.

THING ONE
~~yes this is deserving of an itemized list fuck y'all.~~

When you continually tell your friends that you are FINE being Kylo Ren's bride and he's not the worst part of any of what's going on-- they are going to worry about you. A lot. Enough to stupidly storm Kylo Ren's quarters despite it being probable Suicide.

THING TWO

Rose and BB-8 have both worked to fuck with the service droid to get them to be let into Kylo Ren's room. And both have tasers ready.

THING THREE

No one was ready to see that much of the Galaxywide Eight Pack this early in the morning. Rose doesn't really know Where to look, Finn is just eyeballing him like "Wow I expected him to be lankier???" And Poe is just a BALL OF PASSION AND RAGE.

There's shouting. Like full on battle shouting and Poe has been charged with ambushing Kylo. Grabbing at his hands first to shove him to a wall or the ground-- where ever is convenient really.

Fairly sure there's a--

'YOU'RE NOT GONNA MOVE AN INCH, WE JUST WANT OUR FRIEND YOU GROSS PERVERTED--' Being thrown around and--

Is that a blaster pointed at his head???/?////? ??

Kylo's thrown so off base he doesn't even think to make a grab for his lightsaber which

is in some pile of clothes somewhere???

Oh my god their room looks like a mess-- Oh GOD NO.

Which is especially horrific as Finn has been charged with Getting To Rey first. Since he knows her best. And is about to know her entire body best :) :) ::::) Remember delaying telling your friends about the thing you had going on with Kylo Ren, Rey?

This.

Will definitely help relations.

So much.

I'll leave this kinda open so Tifa can have people react or not react respectively and fill in any of the colorful blanks filled with So Much possibility. ]

[ Rey pulls that pillow closer to her face, nuzzling into it. It's not quite as firm as she wants or expects, or as warm, but it's enough of a comfort that she doesn't rouse fully from sleep, instead shifting and opening up her snore now that her neck is at a more even keel. It's a slow rumble, now, rather than an intermittent series of grunts.

That is, at least, until the door gets the override treatment from the service droid. The crackle of electricity doesn't rouse her, but the tussle of Poe tackling Kylo does, and the clanging of decorations getting knocked around as they slam into the wall, wrestling inexpertly. It's obvious that neither one of them is used to unarmed hand-to-hand combat in any context but a bar brawl.

At least that means she's already awake when Finn gets near the bed. Unfortunately, she hasn't processed who the intruders are yet. Only that the sounds of fighting are happening and someone is approaching her.

She throws out her hand to summon Ben's lightsaber to her and gets out of bed, staggering towards Finn, red blade ignited and poised at the ready when —

Finn gurgles out a panicked sound and doubles back, flinching visibly. He hates that thing. Kriff, he hates that thing. He holds ups his hands in surrender, notices that Rey has leapt naked out of the bed, and then he backs off the surrender to shout — 'THAT SON OF A BITCH!'

'Hey!' Rose interjects. 'Don't talk about the General like that!'

'Rose!' He gestures vaguely to Rey. 'Come on!'

And then she's yelping too.

Recognizing them, Rey lowers the saber, confusion furrowing her brow, and she looks between them, then over at Poe, then down at BB-8 who has (smartly) been the only one to figure out what is really happening and put his taser away. This i a mess. ]

What the hell are the four of you doing here?

[ But Poe isn't listening. He's shouting something about 'YOU PUT YOUR KARKING HANDS ON HER, YOU TWISTED-' ]

[ TO BE FAIR TO KYLOS AWFUL WRESTLING SKILLS RIGHT NOW. He is groggy as hell, he is aware that these are Rey's friends and if he hurts them he will have sudden lack of pussy due to her being angry, and he has a blaster pointed at his head and any wrong sudden moves could cause him to have a Nice Hole in his head which he does not believe is one of Rey's kinks.

But he's not really concerned about that more as he's concerned about Poe trying to DECK HIM IN THE FACE. There is literal effort being made here to not use the force to shove him off or choke him Or STOP HIM. Kylo ends up using his elbow and the fact that he's the hugest bitch in here to shove Poe off aggressively from his position on the floor and this--

This is what Kylo was fucking talking about Rey. This right here.

And before anyone else can get any word in, he growls ]

What has General Organa relayed to you? The exact wording.

[ Finn looks taken aback, Poe is just INCENSED by all of this, BB-8 is rolling on into the room and grabs what looks like a towel and brings it over to Rey, and Rose is the only one actually listening.

'That things were under control,' Rose says this firmly, hand still on her taser, and looking every bit the part of someone facing down Kylo Fucking Ren. 'And we had to trust that Rey was okay.'

Which Finn makes a scoffing noise LOudly because CLEARLY she wasn't okay, SHES NAKED WITH KYLO REN. THERE IS NOTHING OKAY ABOUT THAT. Poe is gathering himself from the floor, blaster still aimed directly at Kylo's head and just NOT HEARING ANY OF THIS AND--

Rose is actually.

Looking at Kylo's bod.

There are hickies. And..... Is that a bite mark on his shoulder?

Rose flushes crimson. Head to toe, even her ears are pink. She is the only one here who understands fem doms. Poe and Finn are ignorant as fuck. Rose looks over to Rey, trying to assess the situation and see if she's. Reading this correctly.

DOES REY HAVE KYLO REN WHIPPED?? ]

And I am.

[ Rey snaps this out, angry now, reaching out with the force to summon the blaster out of Poe's hand because she's not going to watch it misfire and kill Ben because they didn't have the good sense to keep it under control. ]

I'm fine. Look. I'm right here.

[ Finn sheepishly points out, 'I'd rather not look just now, if it's all the same to you. There's a lot to look at.'

That's what gets Poe to ultimately turn his attention away from Kylo. Not the loss of his blaster. He could recover from that. But he's clearly missing something. Oh. She's naked. She's super naked. She dims Ben's lightsaber and tosses it back into the pile of their clothing where they'd left it near the bed. At this point, they've all seen it. She's not going to be shy. ]

Were you even going to pretend to trust that I know what I'm doing? [ She points BB-8 to the door. ] Go close that.

[ He complies readily, whirring over. When the door is shut, she looks between them. ]

He's on our side.

[ Yeah Finn and Poe are still Unimpressed, because Poe knows what Kylo Ren can do and he's not entirely convinced that Kylo hasn't just ripped out Rey's mind and just fucked around in there to make her more agreeable to his plans which....

Is really super insulting to Rey. But. Rey has also held back on a Lot of the truth which is becoming VERY CLEAR right now and he's also got a good large dose of PTSD from dealing with Kylo Ren just a few months ago. So. We all mutually understand why Rey is totally right to be angry with Poe and Finn and Rose, but we all mutually understand why MAYBE..... they are rightfully worried and very shortly going to be very resentful.

Y I K E S.

Well- at the very least if anyone pays attention to Rose, everything is clicking into place very swiftly in her brain right now. Because bite marks. Hickies. Rey just brazenly refusing a towel and being super naked and there's not a mark on her. Which means Kylo is being careful with her but she is not being careful with Kylo which means-- Kylo Ren is Super Whipped???/?? ? ?

And Finn??? His expression is collapsing into hurt and confusion and--

'How!?' -- That's Finn.

'You'll have to excuse me if I find that hard to believe.' --And Poe.

Ah. It's super helpful how Finn and Poe are both speaking at the same time right now. It's a comedy act. They look at each other and-- Finn gives Poe the go ahead because he has no comprehensible thoughts as of right now. Just pure emotion that don't translate to words.

'I was there, Rey,' Poe steps forward and-- manages to look her square in the face and not look TOO perturbed about being dis-armed. 'He strong-armed you into a marriage. You didn't have a choice.' ]

That was General Hux strong arming both of us into that choice. [ ~~oh shit I play Kylo Ren?~~ Kylo pushes up from the floor and, Jesus christ he's probably gonna have to visit the med bay after this.

BB-8 chirps at him warily and... He's just awkwardly standing in his own room????? REALLY HE WANTS OT GO PUT SOMETHING OVER REYS BODY BECAUSE FINN LOOKS READY TO PASS OUT.... Oh well. whatever. Her choice to handle this naked.

Oh and For the record, Poe didn't look happy about that answer.

'What about the training room? I saw you both--' ]

She found me.

[ His voice is bored. Rose is in the background calculating all this like a fucking fangirl combing through screen caps to find the specific points where their OTP eye-fucked.

'I heard she punched you! Threw you against a wall!!!'

Rose's calculating intensifies. Kylo Really wants to put a shirt on. ]

She did.

[ 'And then you kissed her--'

And that's when everyone realizes they severely...... misread everything. Because to that point it had been easy for her friends to think she was a victim in this madness and not a willing participant.

'--She kissed you.'

Poe and Finn both take their time to work through this. It's the five stages of grief right here. All at once and mixing together. Anger, Denial, Sadness, Bargaining.... Not sure if they've reached acceptance yet. But at least one member of the party has.

And Rose...

Rose is starting to fukkin ship it.

Don't you dare @ her, okay?

Kylo Is just staying quiet because he's not sure if it's his place to even say anything else. Because these aren't his friends and he is 99.9999999% sure Rey is Done with people Speaking for her. And not asking her what she thinks. Or feels. ]

In all of the things you've heard, [ There's something icy in Rey's voice as she points this out. Hard. Unflinching. ] Did you ever think to ask me about it?

[ She already has her answer, of course. Not a single one of them did. They all decided they knew what was best for her. It'd be charming if it weren't so patronizing. It's good to feel loved, protected, but this is excessive — and well beyond the scope of what she would have ever wanted, even if she were living the worst case scenario. ]

Poe, I told you in the training room that I could handle myself. What were you thinking, coming in like this? [ Rey gestures to Finn and Rose. ] You were going to put Finn and Rose in danger, and for what? To destroy the alliance that Leia has been trying to broker?

[ Fucking nonsense. All of this is fucking nonsense. Poe has the good sense to look ashamed of himself. Rose and Finn mostly look 'hey, wait, we're not the dog. We aren't accessories.' But, well, Poe is the leader. Or he's supposed to be.

'We thought you were in trouble,' Finn came to Poe's defense gruffly. 'That he might be hurting you.' ]

Well, he's not.

[ 'This whole thing is a load of shit,' Poe said savagely. 'We don't sacrifice our people. Leia lost sight of that. I don't care what's happening; you didn't get a choice in this. So we're giving you one.' ]

I had a choice. [ Rey's jaw sets. ] I've always had a choice — except in whether or not you crashed in here to attack my husband.

[ 'Fiance,' offered Rose helpfully. ]

Not for long.

[ 'WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?'

Ah yes. Poe Finn and Rose are not aware that they were scheduled to get married today.

Yikes.

Well. Rose is going to continue to be helpful and she spots a silk robe kinda... dangling out of one of the trunks and... Scoots by Kylo to grab it (Lol it's actually Kylo's robe, gotta be a little hugh hefner to be supreme leader ig gg) and bring it over to Rey. ] Commander Dameron.

[ Poe just looks over INCENSED. Because he's realizing how WRONG he was and how much he's been in the dark because even if Rey was fine and they were all working together She's sleeping with Kylo Ren????? ]

General Hux has been working to undermine me from the moment it was clear Snoke was dead-- [ 'And you tried to kill us on Crait!'

Which is a valid point. BB-8 even chimes in to voice his agreement. Kylo just doesn't want to speak on his many failings because there are far too many to talk about at this moment in time ] When the Resistance came to us to speak on terms for a ceasefire we had never discussed a political marriage. He wanted me to reject it and sow discord, or accept and hope myself and Rey would be at such odds that he could use it as an excuse to have us both killed.

[ Poe is just-- not looking Happy about that reasoning but UNDERSTANDING IT. It does make sense. And-- he never would have thought of just letting them get married to try and work together to get rid of General Hux because of one. Huge Bitch reason in the room.

'That doesn't explain why you're sleeping together,' Poe's voice is hard. He knows it's none of his fucking business, but this feels a lot like betrayal. Because they had been getting closer, all of them, in the wake of the destruction left by Crait. Him, Rey, Rose, and Finn. They'd had to band together tightly and try to rebuild what they lost. And when the time came to try and strike a deal with the devil, they'd all been solemn and there had been tears and promises that they'd do their best to keep one another safe. He'd promised Finn he'd keep Rey safe, promised Leia. And now here he was just getting... an assload of news at once. That Kylo and Rey had been working together-- and not just professionally. Clearly not by the way Rey is buck ass naked with a half dressed Kylo Ren in bed. By the piles of clothes on the floor, by rumors he'd dismissed that all of them had been hearing.

And Finn-- is blank. Blank because he feels guilt swelling in his gut from not letting Rey handle things. But- something else as well. He doesn't want to name it, it'd give it too much power. But it's dark and poisonous and- he'd seen it. He'd lived it with Rey. Being hunted down in the forest, he fought against Kylo Ren for both of their lives and lost. He'd watched as Han Solo plummeted to his death. He'd held her on Crait so tightly because they had been the only people in the galaxy who had experienced all of that together.

But then again, Kylo had been there as well and... his mind wanders to what the fuck really happened. What had he missed?

Rose is just trying to get the robe around Rey's shoulders and is just trying to go for the whole LETS LET LOVE SOLVE THIS WAR AND MAYBE NOT HATE SINCE THAT DOESNT SEEM NECESSARY IN THIS ROOM AT THIS MOMENT.

'It is none of our business,' And there's Finn. Sounding dejected and quiet.

Poe's head swivels, looking in his direction quickly.

'What are you saying? She's one of us, we need to know!' And he's really speaking more out of anger and emotion than logic, anyone here can see no fucking good can come out of any answer regarding when Rey was fine with opening her legs to Kylo Ren. 'When did you decide that Kylo Ren was more trustworthy than us?'

Yikes.

y i k e s.

Kylo, for his part, looks ready to just melt into the floor at this point. Like there's a multitude of logical answers he could give to try and help rey at this point (like the fact that on that ship she hadn't trusted him at all rightfully and she was just forced into this shit because Hux was doing mental torture on each of them. That just because she was trusting him doesn't mean she trusted her friends any less. Just. A whole lot o things), but-- human relationships??? This isn't his place to speak for her ]

[ When Rose approaches Rey, it's obvious that she looks quick to the defense, but it's just a robe. A robe, and Rey is rather exposed. She softens by inches, reaches out to take it. She even ties it in the front. Somehow, though, the sight of her in Kylo Ren's silk robe and nothing else only makes the portrait they paint that much more sultry, private.

She folds her arms in front of her, impatient with the short and entitled tone that Poe has chosen to take in all of this. It cuts deeper than she likes to admit. She'd been hopeful, thought better of them than this mistrust. As much as she wants to remind herself that he's just hurting, it sticks in her teeth that he's turning it against her.

Frankly, she's glad to have the robe on. She might not show her bruises, but they're there. Last night was Rough. She doesn't need them examining her now that it has turned this direction. ]

You're not treating me like I'm one of you. You're interrogating me.

[ She doesn't have patience for it. Won't let herself be taken in by it. She may understand Poe's feelings and where he's coming from, but she has her own feelings to consider too. There's a healthy middle ground which respects both. ]

Leia already knows. About all of this. But you just assumed you knew better than her and me. You disregarded my privacy, ignored my request to let me handle myself, and showed up here expecting that I would be some damsel waiting for rescue.

[ It's insulting. She wants to lay out every way in which it is insulting to both her and Leia. Fuck, forget Kylo, honestly. This is about the Resistance being a shit show. ]

You don't get to question my trust when you've not shown any for me or for Leia. You think you know better than us, Poe.

[ It hits where it hurts. Like, really where it hurts. Poe thought he'd gotten ? ? ? better about this ??? He was like yeah man Holdo didn't want to be seen as a hero I should be more like that. We don't have to fight everybody. But here he is, still feeling like he's the one who needs to come up with some radical fucking plan and save the day. He isn't trusting his people.

I'm having sex with Ben because I want to. I'm marrying Ben because I want to. And if you'd been willing to wait, if you'd trusted me, I would have told you that on my own.

[ Kylo, Rose, and BB-8 are hilariously the ones watching objectively from the side lines. And this is just all layered complications. Each party is hurt and none of this will be solved here or now. They're circling around the same points which no one wants to acknowledge.

Rey hid her relationship with Kylo Ren from the Resistance. And Poe nor Finn trusted the word of Leia or Rey herself that she was okay.

Finn gets some soft excuse here because he hadn't seen her with Kylo on the ship, only heard rumors. And Rose is just here because she kept hearing tHE WORST. It's just layers of everyone handling this wrong.

'Ben. Ben.' In another time, in another AU, Poe has no serious issues with Rey calling Kylo Ben. Here and now, though, it grates on him. So intimate and familiar and as if he was a lost little boy and not a psychopath who murdered people in his way.

Poe looks ready to shout something else, but Finn reaches out and grabs his arm, stilling him.

'We should go,' He says it simply, his face has fallen into a sort of mask. Nearly emotionless and still which contrasts greatly to how emotive Finn normally is.

Poe jerks away, facing the other man and just not wanting to accept what's in front of him.

'Are you crazy? Are you hearing any of this????' He gestures over to Kylo and then Rey and--

'Yeah. I am.' Which in a different tone may sound reassuring, but Finn sounds. Crushed.

There's just all sorts of levels of this going Wrong here. Finn is surely going to be traumatized by this, Poe is ready to burn bridges, and Rose just wants everyone to calm down and drink some hot chocolate.

'Fine,' Poe says this in a way that indicates it is clearly Not Fine. 'We're going.'

y--y--i--kkk--essss.

Yikes yikesyikes.

Kylo. Really knows none of this is his place. None of this. He hurt people, he hurt a Lot of people. He hurt everyone around him and he knows he's poison. Hell-- some part of this is really his fault. And not in the backwards logic way of he existed and created this drama but. The way of HE WAS AN ACTUAL AWFUL PERSON WHO HURT PEOPLE AND THIS SHOULD BE ANYONE'S NATURAL REACTION TO HIM. And he manages to remain his impassive non-reactive self (It's not helping matters tbh), but catches the eyes of Rose briefly who is looking. Down right panicked. And her emotions are just reading through the haze of everyone else's anger and selfrighteousness and just. Everything.

They could smooth things over in normal circumstances, if Rey was to go back to them and live with them as she had been. Normal circumstances would lend themselves to repairing the damage being done here.

But this isn't normal circumstances.

Once this wedding is over with, he's certainly going to be busy running things from the fleet, who knows when the next time they'll sit down and be able to just relax like normal people with anyone. And if the air isn't cleared-- it's just going to be more difficult.

He knows how Rey feels, not... just now. Through the bond. But more than that. If her friends walk out of her life now and never turn back around-- ]

My mother, Rey, and I are all gathering today in the afternoon-- [ He's speaking before he realizes he's speaking and-- ???/ ?? ? ] -- We decided to have a ceremony on our own terms.

[ From the look of Poe and Finn that catches them off guard. And Rose is just shipping it harder tbh. ]

We're all being used as pawns -- [ Kylo hesitates here because-- he's been a pawn for much longer than he'd like to admit.

Really, some part of him. Some part of Ben Solo is heartened by how insulted and aggressive Poe and Finn were. No resignation to what was happening, not happy with the status quo.

Really-- he could picture a young Luke Skywalker and Han Solo doing the same thing for Leia. (And Leia whopping their ass for it) Kylo-- had become somewhat complacent since coming to the First Order. Willing to brush atrocities and tragedies off as "necessary". ] -- both of us are attempting to minimize that.

[ It doesn't explain a large swath of what's happened between them. That Kylo had to earn that trust twice. That light and dark are very relative terms or that Kylo Ren literally killed Snoke for Rey... but. There needs to be a start to the dialogue. ] You're free to come. If you'd like. [ A beat before he adds (LOOKING AT POES BLASTER NEXT TO REY) ] Unarmed.

[ Yup Rey's gonna get pissed right now but SORRY. EVERYONE IS PISSED. RIGHT NOW.

Except Rose. She's just Star Eyes already writing mental fanfiction.

P sure Poe and Operation SAVE THE JEDI are gonna just roll out grumbling under their breath after this but. I'll just throw the ball in case tifa wants to write some more angry banter. ]

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This is it. This is the moment of shame I present it to you on a platter.

i hate it thanks

Dances like maui all over this trashfire.

i misread that as maul at first and i was like ? ? ? darth maul dances? ??

Uggggggggggggh can darth maul not? Can boba fett not? Can they all not????

+1

I'm sorry. you thought you were playing with Kylo Ren. I am now apparently Poe and Finn????

this was already too long so i'm letting you write poe and finn again bc u had so much fun

omfg changes account name to "YEETINGTHEFLEETING" and "IMINCHARGENOW"