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tfa_kink2015-12-19 05:36 pm
themodawakens) wrote in tfa_kink2015-12-19 05:36 pm
Entry tags:
PROMPT POST #1 - CLOSED
This post is closed to new prompts!
+ All prompts should focus on TFA characters. You can't post OT or PT-only prompts.
+ One prompt per comment please.
+ You can request both kink and non-kink content
+ Crossovers, characters from the other media are allowed, but must relate to the 2015 movie in some way.
+ All prompt comments should begin with a pairing tag (eg Rey/Finn) or Gen for no pairing.
+ Use 'Any' when prompting for any pairing at all (eg Kylo/Any or Any/Any)
+ Anyone, everyone, no one? Use "Other." (e.g. Poe/Other)
+ Warn for common triggers, please
+ NO PROMPTS FEATURING CHARACTERS UNDER 18 IN SEXUAL SITUATIONS.
Re: FILL: When You Break (Part 6)
(Anonymous) 2016-02-14 07:52 pm (UTC)(link)'Needle and the thread, got to get you out of my head;
Needle and the thread, gonna wind up dead.'
---
Poe's hands start shaking. He notices once in the mess hall, joking with a friend while he holds a cup of some sort of warming tea. The vessel trembles so badly the hot liquid splashes out onto the table.
In the rowdy, cheerful atmosphere, no one notices. Using his sleeve to soak up the liquid, Poe erases the evidence of his weakness.
The pilot is embarrassed – it's an emotion Poe doesn't often face in his daily life. He makes it a point not to dwell on shame, to embrace mistakes where possible, and accept failure with a good nature. A desire to learn, to improve always burns brightly within him. You can't move forwards if you spend half your life with a foot in the past.
It happens again when he is carrying out some repairs with BB-8. There is no one around to see how the wrench slips from his fingers, slick with sweat from an unseen terror that swept through his body.
This is the moment Poe decides he cannot abide being a victim any longer.
He is still the best damn pilot in the Resistance. He hasn't progressed this far through life, fought so hard to honour the memory of his parents to stumble now. Taking a walk to a more secluded area of the base, the man begins to pace the ground. He runs a nervous hand through his dark hair every so often, desperately trying to work out what he can do to combat this exhaustion.
Poe knows he is having near constant nightmares, but he can never remember clearly what he's been dreaming about. They must touch close to reality though because sometimes he just catches an edge of panic when he's not sure what’s a false memory and what's actually happening.
It's this blurring that frightens him most. He’s at risk of becoming a liability.
He questions determinedly. Have there been days when he has slept through the night? What is it that's making these dreams so vivid? Is it still the remnants of psychological stress he experienced as a result of his capture by the First Order? If it is, Poe can't help but criticise himself for what feels like a disproportionate reaction. He suffered a beating, the excruciating invasion of his memories, but Kylo Ren didn't exactly draw the process out. The man took what he wanted and left. Poe was the one to go and make it difficult by attempting to fight back.
The fact of the matter is this: Poe needs to move forwards. He is at risk of alienating himself from his friends, from the people he's come to love as family. If it's a type of recovery, he'll fight for it. And he can start by filling his daytime hours with as much positivity as possible. Dwelling on dark memories will be no use now. He's wallowed and moped by Finn's beside; he's stared plaintively at the stars waiting for Rey's return; gazed mournfully at the light burning into the early hours of the night in General Organa's room.
Joy is missing from Poe's life. And there's always one thing that is guaranteed to put a smile on his face.
Flying.
Poe needs to get off the ground and spend time out among the stars, barely missing the tips of towering trees as he skims the surface of a planet just degrees away from recklessness. He longs for freedom. When he flies, that's all he can concentrate on: the mission, the spacecraft, BB-8's chattering in his ear.
So Poe flies. He flies and he flies.
"What's going on, Pava? I feel all out of the loop. We had newbies turn up nobody told me about?"
Jessika shoves him. Playfully. He thinks. It's difficult to tell; she's fixing him with a long, hard stare.
"That'll happen when you spend your time mooning at your not-boyfriend's bedside."
"Hey- No. Finn's a friend. He risked his life for me- he didn't even know me-"
"Easy, tiger. I was just messing with you. I get it. You care. We all do. He's a good guy. You want back into the training plans or not? We could use you right now."
Poe takes in her dark hair and the proud line of her spine, straight in the face of so much danger and uncertainty. "Course I do. I never meant-" he hesitates, words stuck and realises he still cannot explain the shadows that haunt his sleepless nights. "We're wasting time. You gotta get me up to speed; introduce me. What's going on with Blue Squadron?" He pauses, face paling, "We were pretty depleted after the Starkiller Base."
Jessika acts in the way only an old friend can, reading just perfectly when Poe wants to be pushed and when they both want to chase grief from the new lines appearing around their eyes and lips. "Come on, Dameron. You gotta lot of grafting to do. Feels like I've been repairing fighters every bloody hour I'm awake. I go to sleep dreaming about engines and hyperdrives."
Poe can't explain what he'd give just now to dream about nothing more than mechanical repairs, flight plans, and shift rotas.
Yes, Poe flies and flies. He tells himself that he's flying to face his problems, not fleeing from them.
Of course, you can only find a cure for an illness when you diagnose it right. It doesn't occur to Poe that maybe he is not the one currently in control of his destiny.
He flies and he fights valiantly on, unaware that he fights in vain.
His dreams continue to disturb his rest, his hands to tremble, and the darkness to encroach ever closer to him, inch by imperceptible inch.
Re: FILL: When You Break (Part 7 - Violence)
(Anonymous) 2016-02-14 08:05 pm (UTC)(link)'Well, I grew up fast; I guess I grew up mean.
There's a thousand things inside my head I wish I ain't seen.
And now I just wandered through a real bad dream,
Feelin' like I'm coming apart at the seams.'
---
It frustrates Kylo how Snoke discovers his little pet project in the end.
Training wasn't going well. Mentally he's never been so exhausted. He spends hours immersed in a power so dark he can feel it always- the echo of it throbs through his veins. His body strengthens, his abilities sharpen, but he knows he lacks the clear-headed focus Snoke is seeking from him.
Part of that is out of his hands right now. It's part of the reason for all this preparation.
Kylo's no fool. He might have killed his father, slaughtered that particular pull back to weakness, but there are other temptations out there. Greater challenges of his will and dedication to be faced. He prefers not to think of them too specifically at the moment.
He broods in the darkness, but he just cannot concentrate. Thoughts filter through his head, distracting him even despite the quiet. Kylo doesn't mean to start thinking about the Resistance's pathetic pilot. However, it occurs to him that breaking and taming Dameron's subconscious thoughts has been more difficult of late.
It's not because he’s been discovered. Kylo is sure he would know if their link severed completely. No. Dameron lingers less on the darker, sadder moments of his life. He appears to have shaken off some of the stupor Kylo worked so hard to pull over his mind, wrapping it up in musty, depressing fog. It's frustrating. Kylo is used to essentially taking what he wants and having to push harder now seems somehow… unfair.
"You are distracted. You have much still to learn if you think your disquiet is hidden from me."
"Master-"
"Silence. You dare to keep secrets from me, even now?"
Kylo shudders, does not resist. Power unlike anything he has ever felt brushes against his mind. It weighs on him like tonnes and tonnes of rock, pressing down until he breaks into a cold sweat. He tries to show his devotion, obedience – offers his memories of the pilot up freely. I wanted it to be a gift, he explains without words, to show you I am trying to master my self-control, my patience.
"You debasing yourself with that snivelling. I do not need your explanations; you cannot hide the truth from me. You did not seek approval for this. That man holds no value of worth for us, for the First Order."
Tiny flames of anger flicker to life inside Kylo, resenting the dismissal of his efforts. The man quashes them ruthlessly, seeking to channel the burn into a steady rage that offers him so much power. He will not react like a child; he needs this control if he is ever to face Skywalker again.
Snoke must be aware of Kylo's struggle for self-possession, but he says nothing. Kylo takes that for approval. It is not chastisement, after all.
"If you sought to demonstrate to me tactical awareness, subtlety, you have failed. The dreams? It is all superficial. The pilot is unstable now, yes, but what more have your efforts achieved? You have spent too much time rooting around in the weeds of his mind. The greater picture escapes you."
Ren knows his confusion must be palpable. Wasn't the whole point of the dreams the greater picture? To be the slow wearing away, winning control of a member of the Resistance with significant access to its leaders, its tactics, its plans?
"You are blinded. The Force works through the Commander."
"He is not sensitive-"
"He does not need to be. He is an agent of its will. The light side burns through his soul. Did you not wonder why you were drawn back to his mind again and again? The light has been calling to you through him."
The information staggers Kylo – how could he have made such a wild miscalculation?
"Shall I show you how Commander Dameron's mind appears to me?"
It's a hypothetical question. The next moment, Kylo is scrambling back without any semblance of grace. He shuffles crab-like on his feet and one lone hand, long limbs all bent as he covers his eyes desperately. A light – so white, so unblemished – illuminates his entire sad, sorry cell. For a moment, all he can see are flashes as his pupils attempt to adjust to the intrusion. Slowly the light diminishes until a small, gently pulsating ball remains hovering brightly in the middle of the room.
Kylo stares now, telling himself he cannot feel an influx of alien emotions – cheerfulness, audacity, courage, a constant belief in the justness of a righteous cause.
"You understand the implications of your error?"
"Yes. I understand."
"He is another liability, a chain to your past that must be severed. The Commander may die as a result of his suicidal dedication to the remnants of the Resistance. If he survives, however, you will bring him here. He can still be of use to you. You think you have shown him torment? I will show you how to cause him such pain; he will beg for death before we allow that merciful darkness to claim him."
Kylo shudders with a dark pleasure he is frightened to put a name to. A blackness inside him yearns now to crush this man, to watch him writhe helplessly, to drain his life force and feed his own power.
In front of him, as the Supreme Leader speaks, the ball of light starts to develop thin, fragile fractures. The black lines crisscross, joining up and becoming deeper fissures. The light quivers as though fighting against compression until, without warning, into explodes into thousands of fragments, shattering like glass.
Tiny particles float to the floor, slowly melting to pick out highlights of Poe's form. In his head, Kylo can hear his raw screams, hear him pleading. It is one path for the future. He looks again. Poe's shape is more defined now; he can see the slim man's vulnerable figure stripped of its pilot's gear and thick protective jacket. Dameron lies lifeless; his skin is pale as chalk. A thin trickle of blood dribbles from the corner of his mouth, his ear, and even the tear ducts in his eyes. On the floor by his head, his black, bright curls are matted with the same dark substance.
Kylo gazes at the man, processing the knowledge a warrant has effectively been issued for his termination.
Should he feel a sense of triumph? Is this what he wanted when he realized there was a weakness he could exploit? The image of the pilot's body begins to fade into the blackness of his bare room and with it some of Ren's sadistic urges ease. Kylo tells himself he couldn’t care less about Dameron’s fate. The man is yet another thorn in his side and – not only that – it’s a thorn Kylo has driven into his own skin, which is even more infuriating.
There is certainly no small twinge of disappointment buried deep in his tormented and fractured soul.
No part of him that believes a tiny light will disappear from the universe if Dameron's life force is so cruelly extinguished. He knows that inflicting suffering, mastering how to administer pain in such a sophisticated manner will be an elating experience.
Kylo Ren does not think of Poe's soft love and acceptance for the entire world around him, his compassion when Ren showed him some of his worst deeds, or his freely given smile that illuminates even a dream world.
It is all weakness, in the end.
But later, when Kylo finally slips into an uneasy sleep, it is his turn to dream.
(AN: Gearing up for the end now! Thank you again for your lovely, encouraging comments!)
Re: FILL: When You Break (Part 7 - Violence)
(Anonymous) 2016-02-17 02:31 am (UTC)(link)Re: FILL: When You Break (Part 8a)
(Anonymous) 2016-02-17 08:53 am (UTC)(link)'Covering the walls in shadow,
Faster than the sound of speed.
Never seen no devil,
Now it's all that I can see.'
---
A gale, more powerful than any storm Poe has ever experienced, whips around him furiously. The gusts of air are so strong they almost seem to strike him about the face. His eyes water and he shivers violently in the cold. At first, Poe thinks he is deaf, but gradually he realises that is not the case. The roar of the wind is so loud in his ears that it drowns out all other sound. The effect is peculiar; he feels isolated and weak.
He knows he should move, that he needs shelter. Turning his head feels like it takes so much effort. He might as well be trying to wade through tar or a sucking, mud-ridden swamp. He does manage to look down and is surprised to find his hands gripping onto pale silver railings. The railings are about a metre apart – two sides of a bridge. It is as though this understanding unlocks another piece of the puzzle.
Poe sees his surroundings more clearly. He is standing on a bridge over a chasm so deep the sides simply slip away into an abyss. The boards beneath his feet are a duller grey metal; the bars prevent an unwary traveller from taking an unfortunate fall. Given the risk, however, these railings hardly seem an adequate barrier.
He frowns.
Then becomes aware that his face is wet. It isn't just a windstorm – not like the raging gusts of dry air that can roll for days across the open sands of Jakku. Poe glances upwards to the sky. Clouds literally roil across the heavens. Thick, heavy – they are shades of the same sullen grey. Gunmetal, he might have called it. Although the days when weapons were built with such materials are long, long gone.
Gluttonous drops cascade downwards, whipped into a frenzy. The water lashes at his face, settles in his eyelashes and blurs Poe's vision. He feels lost. Exposed to a force he does not have the protection to weather. The noise is so, so loud. Poe knows he is sinking. His knees might as well be made of fabric for all the support they offer.
Coldness deeper than any he has felt before drives into his bones. He is freezing from the inside out.
And he is still so alone.
Not long returned to the new Resistance base, Rey is grateful for the opportunity to slip into the quiet of a small, cosy bedroom. It is almost luxurious compared to some of the conditions she's trained through in the past weeks. The covers might as well be made from silk.
Unable to pause even long enough to change into some sleep clothes, Rey is drifting to sleep before her mind catches up.
It is perfect.
Until she is, all at once, wide awake.
There is nothing more than an unwavering certainty that something is wrong.
Rey pauses, tries to clear her mind of any instinctive panic. A nauseating sensation rolls through her again and this time, she knows what it is. A disturbance in the Force. Not a good kind either. There is darkness pulsating through this entire building, evil that has no place among the members of the Resistance.
She scrambles off the bed, not even pausing to pull her shoes on.
The floor of the base is cold against her feet. The sickness rushes through her again; a sharp chill causes her to shiver. Stumbling for a moment, Rey realises these waves are moving like ripples. They are circling out from a centre. She needs to focus, to find the source of this terrible sensation.
Not even fully conscious of the direction she is taking, Rey reaches out for the comforting presence of Luke Skywalker. “Master, can you feel it?”
“I can,” he replies without delay, although she knows he is not as close. Last she saw, he was deep in conversation with General Organa in another building, “Keep going. I’ll be with you soon.”
Poe grips the railings until his knuckles turn white. His fingers are frozen and his nose and eyes stream constantly. The endlessly screaming gusts make him want to hunker down, curl into a ball and hide away. Dimly he becomes aware of another sound, barely audible above the wind. He isn't sure, but it sounds as though someone is calling his name.
With a ferocious intensity, Poe forces himself to concentrate. He hears it again, clearer now. There is someone there. The man pulls himself upright and gradually becomes aware of a wider world around him. He stands on a bridge – the only safe path across a vast cavern. Briefly he thinks he recognises the place, but the sensation of familiarity passes quickly.
He realises with a gut-wrenching twist of fear that the bridge is shaking. It vibrates with the force of the storm. Glancing in the direction he heard the shouts, Poe realises that one of the connections holding the bridge in place is damaged. Debris lines the path up to the bridge and dusts the first few sheets of metal making up the surface of his tenuous lifeline.
Poe does not remember how he got here.
His heart is heaving. Was he running? Sweat suddenly drips down the side of his face and the back of his neck. He is burning as though he's sprinted a mile, even though mere seconds ago it felt as though he were about to freeze to death.
His name echoes across the hard surfaces of this strange world again.
Poe looks back to the damaged side of the bridge and sees Finn and Rey staring at him in utter horror.
He starts. Were they there a moment ago? He can't remember them if they were. Is he going mad?
Time seems to be moving strangely. Poe can see Finn and Rey's mouths opening, forming words presumably directed at him. But he cannot hear them straight away. Instead they take forever to reach him, fuzzy and distorted – indistinguishable noises by the time they do. In another situation, the strange slow motion effect might be amusing.
Poe's never felt less like laughing.
Rey is sick to her stomach, the weight of the dark side of the Force pressing on her chest. It reminds her of the few hours she spent in captivity after the battle with the First Order on Takodana. Memories stir of the power that Knight of Ren tried to bring to bear on her mind. The miraculous sensation of strength she experienced when she understood he could be pushed back- Rey still doesn't have words for that.
But she was gifted with this strange power, instinctively able to turn it to defence. Whoever is bearing the force of this will now almost certainly does not have that ability.
The corridors stretch endlessly ahead. It could be her imagination, but Rey thinks the closer she moves to the centre, the duller the emergency lighting along the hallway becomes. Murky and confined, the world literally shudders. The darkness thickens and Rey stumbles with a half-stifled cry.
She needs to clear her mind, to draw on the strength of the Force. Rey cannot explain why, but she is filled with a terrible sensation that time is running out.
Re: FILL: When You Break (Part 8b)
(Anonymous) 2016-02-17 09:08 am (UTC)(link)"Poe," Rey pleads with him, "Poe, you need to come back. We need you here."
Poe doesn't understand why she can't just use the Force – he needs rescuing, so that's legitimate, right?
It's Finn speaking now, "Poe – you gotta- just come back across the bridge. Please. I can’t get to you this time."
Their begging only elicits confusion. What are they so afraid of? What's stopping them just walking out to meet up with him? The immediacy of the raging storm recedes a little as he contemplates how stupid this situation is.
"They are calling because they seek to protect you. From me."
Tension grips Poe's shoulders. He knows he will need to turn around, but for the moment he focuses on the unpleasant sensation of heavy raindrops trickling under the collar of his jacket. His clothes are soaked, chaffing unpleasantly against his skin. A command echoes through his mind, ordering him to face the new speaker. Reluctantly Poe obeys.
He stares up at the tall, looming figure. Lightning streaks across the sky, momentarily illuminating pale skin. Poe hasn't seen Ben Solo in a long time.
There is no time to analyse how he's so sure it’s him, how he's so sure Ben was the one to torture him in person so many months ago. Poe is surprised he didn't realise then, but everything's so easy to see with the benefit of hindsight.
"Don't you think it's ridiculous they believe you need protecting? They fear I'm going to hurt you. But you know that's not right, don't you, Poe?"
Ben's gotten really tall. He literally dwarfs Poe now and that's even standing a few metres away, close to the edge of the bridge that is still stable. Emotions war across Poe's mind. The presence of his tormentor terrifies him. Honestly, Poe does not want to go through the pain of having his thoughts invaded again. He hates the memories of helplessness, of failure Ben brings back.
But on the other hand, Ben's words make a lot of sense. He feels very familiar. Plus, he's General Organa's and Han Solo's son, right? Somewhere there must be good in him. Perhaps he really will help.
"That's right, Poe. Just come to me. Take my hand and I'll make all that hurt, all your pain disappear." Ben's voice is so soft and familiar. He's barely whispering, but Poe can hear every syllable crystal clear. With his back turned to them, Finn and Rey's desperate faces become a distant memory. A hand gloved in black leather stretches out towards Poe. It's only a few steps – much easier to go to Ben than risk heading back to the bit of the bridge that's broken.
He takes an unsteady step forward, his dark boots slipping on the surface slick with rain.
"Poe! No!" Rey's voice is a hoarse scream of frustration. The desperation of it takes Poe by surprise. He hesitates, half turning back.
Behind him, the shade that both is and is not Ben Solo growls, "You will come to me."
It's a powerful command fuelled by a dark anger; Poe's body starts to obey before his mind truly catches up. In another life, Poe thinks he might have had the strength to resist. On this bridge, in this moment, Poe can't stop himself from taking another pace and another.
The bridge wobbles violently, but the pilot hardly heeds it. He is staring in silent wonder at Ben's face, grateful that it is freed from that horrible mask. With each step closer, the other man sends a wave of encouragement his way. Poe knows he is basking in this comfort, that it seems to blanket him in warmth even as everything else in this narrow scene faces destruction.
One more step and he is close enough to take the offered hand. Poe's rich brown eyes drift upwards to gaze into Ben's face. The expression he encounters is carefully neutral. There is no recognition, little sign of the promised compassion. "Take my hand, Poe," Ben instructs, his tone chiding. Poe fixes him with another long, weary glance before raising his own arm up.
The moment their fingers entwine Ben takes the chance to jerk the smaller man close. He slips his other arm around Poe's waist and it is the momentary intimacy of predator and prey, before the jaws snap shut, the fangs extend, the muscles contract. He draws him so that he is pressed against the strong form of his torturer. Over his shoulder, Poe catches a hint of the smirk thrown at Rey and Finn. Ben is mocking them.
He's made the wrong choice.
It's too late, but Poe tries to stumble back anyway. He presses his free hand against Ben's chest, but the man is immovable. The arm around him tightens, squeezing at the bottom of his ribs. Air escapes his lungs and Poe knows he's having trouble drawing in an adequate replacement supply.
"Look at me." Whether the command is in his head or spoken aloud, Poe isn't sure. All he knows is that he wants desperately to refuse. Instead his chin jerks upwards and he stares into the blackness of Ben’s pupils. They shine with a strange obsidian quality. He gazes into them and the strangest sensation blossoms, as though he has tipped head first over the side of this ridiculous bridge, as though he is falling and there is nothing to break his fall.
"It is most accommodating of you to embrace your own destruction so willingly." The words don't make sense for a second, then Ben starts to show Poe the fate planned from him.
Fear unlike anything he's ever known grips his soul. Poe struggles properly now, fighting against the metres of black cloth that make up Ben's- No. This isn't Ben. This isn't the gangly, awkward teenager Poe dimly remembers ambling after his parents at ceremonial events. This isn't the boy everybody spoke of with such pride and high hopes as he commenced his training with his uncle. This is a twisted perversion of that man. A strange composition of anger and bitterness and hate. He is monstrous. The title Kylo Ren is apt enough now.
So Poe tries to wrench himself from Ren's grasp, but he finds his chin roughly turned again and he meets those jet black eyes for a second time.
What he sees there causes a scream to tumble from his lips.
In the seemingly endless corridors of the base, Rey feels like she is lost in a labyrinth. She is sure she's close to the epicentre of the disturbance now. The unease prickles across her skin like goose bumps. The trainee Jedi prepares to focus her mind, to push away the fear that prevents her from seeing clearly.
However, at that moment, a piercing wail ricochets across the walls.
The sound would have led her where she needed, but Rey no longer requires direction. She recognises that voice – hoarse as it is. She knows exactly who lies at the centre of this storm.
And once the scream starts, Poe cannot stop.
He screams to release the terror gripping his heart. He screams and screams and-
"Poe!" Rey literally throws herself through the man's door, unwilling to even waste the seconds needed for it to open fully. Her feet are in a tangle beneath her, but nothing matters apart from saving her friend from whatever is hunting him, hurting him.
He is writhing on the bed, limbs twisting unnaturally and his face contorted with pain.
Another cry escapes from his throat. Rey can hear his heart beating frantically in her ears and she suddenly fears his body will not cope with the pressure of trying to fight off this onslaught.
Because there's no doubt Poe's fighting.
Without warning, he bolts upright. Rey is dimly aware of another body behind her, senses the warm, reassuring presence of Finn. Reaching back, she awkwardly pats his wrist to acknowledge his arrival. Poe's eyes are open; he is looking straight at them, but Rey know he's not really seeing they're there.
Poe, trembling with exertion, moves his head minutely side to side. Then he stares straight ahead, a haunting expression of fear passing across his tanned features. Gaze fixed on a point somewhere above their heads, Poe begs in a quiet, desperate voice, "Help me. Please."
Then his eyes roll backwards and he collapses onto the sweat-stained covers.
Re: FILL: When You Break (Part 8b)
(Anonymous) 2016-02-19 12:36 am (UTC)(link)Dear AA, thank you for sharing this beautiful fic. I can't wait to see what happens next with my two favourite boys… :)
Re: FILL: When You Break (Part 9a)
(Anonymous) 2016-02-19 08:53 am (UTC)(link)'Who is the betrayer?
Who's the killer in the crowd?
The one who creeps in corridors
And doesn't make a sound.'
---
It takes a moment for Rey to become aware of herself again. When she does, she realises she has pressed a hand over her mouth and that she is holding onto Finn's wrist as though it is the only lifeline grounding her.
They split apart jerkily when more noises can be heard out in the corridor. Luke, brown robes swirling around him, strides with General Organa not far behind. They are both ashen pale. Finn and Rey divide to allow Skywalker into the room. Poe's body is twitching, possibly lacking the strength to move as much as it did before. His breathing changes to a shallow rattle and Rey truly begins to fear for his life.
Kneeling by Poe's bed, Luke frowns and mutters quietly to himself. He reaches out, placing his warm, calloused palm on Poe's forehead. The skin there is clammy to the touch. Glancing up at Rey, he gestures for her to take a place on the other side of the bed. "Follow me," he instructs gently, "stay strong and remember all that you have learnt. I do not know what we will face on the other side."
She nods, laying her hand on top of her Master's and closing her eyes. Rey releases herself gently from worldly emotions, laying aside the worry and the panic and asking the Force to guide her where she needs to go. Like floating down a river with a strong current, she follows and gives herself to the dark.
"I am surprised to see you, old man."
Rey frowns, immediately working to piece the scene around her together. She is aware that Master Luke is just ahead, that they are both standing on some sort of rickety bridge. And that it is raining. Hard. It plasters her long brown hair to her forehead, but it also offers some cool relief. She takes a breath and looks ahead to who is speaking.
The unmistakeable figure of Kylo Ren – the man she fought with, could perhaps even have killed – causes her to stifle a gasp. He shouldn't be here. He must be entire star systems away. Training in his own dark arts, not preying upon the vulnerable. Her mouth twists into a frown.
"You're not welcome here," Luke replies evenly, refusing to be goaded by such pitiful taunts.
"Is this the moment where you dramatically announce you'll make me leave if I refuse to go? I've grown somewhat… attached to the pilot's mind. We've spent many-" he pauses, clearly searching for the right word, "diverting hours together."
The way he rolls the syllables suddenly makes Rey feel unclean. It hurts to her very core to think of all the private memories Ren must have been able to strip from Poe whilst he's been defenceless. It hurts to think of how he might have used them in retaliation.
"I will break your hold on the Commander and help him learn how to protect against future invasions."
Ren widens his stance and, as if he's been there from the beginning, Rey becomes aware of Poe's limp form. He is resting against Kylo's body, mostly hidden in the black fabric making up the man's robes. Poe's head, however, is clearly visible. It is almost tucked in under Ren’s chin, his sodden hair curling against the man's pale skin. With one hand wrapped around Poe's waist, Ren raises the other to his chin and tilts it upwards to an unnatural angle. The action is possessive and the exposure of his neck makes Poe look even more vulnerable.
Fingers curled around Poe's throat, Ren asks slyly, "The question is, old man, can you teach him fast enough?"
Rey bristles, desperate to do something more active- to take Poe out of the man's grip. Luke holds up an arm and she is aware of his voice in her head, encouraging calm and reminding her that Ren is baiting them.
"I'm afraid a command has been issued to procure him. I think you'll find he won't make such a lucky escape a second time around. I'll be addressing his fate personally. And permanently."
That's really all it takes. Rey is too new to this, too inexperienced in watching people she damned well cares about being threatened. "You’re a coward," she snarls. "Too afraid to face those who can match your power? Instead you've been tormenting someone who can't protect themselves from you." It's a satisfaction that Ren's lips tighten when he sees her, when he's reminded of his failure and weakness back in the snow and the pines. He is longing to face her again – and Skywalker. He'll show them both how drastically they underestimate him, how far he's progressed through the latter stages of his training.
"It's time to let him go." Rey looks up, realising that the heavy rain has stopped. In fact, the brooding clouds above them have reduced to a lighter grey. In the real world it would bring that glimmer of hope that a great storm is passing. She looks sharply across at her Master and understands that he must be working to release Ren's hold on Poe's mind. Incrementally the sky grows brighter and brighter and Kylo's dark figure seems more and more implausible. He is out of place in the sunshine, in the light.
He growls in response, draws Poe's smaller figure to him more tightly, an implicit warning not to come closer. "I strongly hope your teaching efforts are more successful this time around. Your pupil is not going to survive long otherwise. And he does seem to have such a knack for making people care for him. Just think of the grief his loss might unleash."
"The success in learning depends as much on the pupil as the teacher, Ben. I assume your Master instructed you to give us such a generous warning of your intentions towards Commander Dameron. An unusual change in his behaviour."
It is a mark of how far he's come in is training. Where once the mention of his old name, his heritage would send the blood raging through his body, now Kylo raises an eyebrow. Does Skywalker really think that will move him? That pointing blame on both sides is beneficial. The sky above is almost a pale blue now and Kylo knows his grip on the pilot's mind is being unpicked. It is only a matter of time before the link between them is completely broken. And Skywalker is regrettably right. His Master will not be pleased at this new evidence of weakness.
On the other hand, he can confirm what they've both felt – the tremor in the Force potentially suggesting the old man was shaking himself out of retirement.
He will cut his losses now. The pilot will be vulnerable to his influence for a long time to come; they won’t be able to protect him forever. "Teach him as you will. I've shown him his fate already and he will walk to it willingly when I call. But first, let us see if you can even wake him up." With that, Kylo presses a gloved hand against Poe's temple. Rey feels a brief rush of power before the figure disappears completely. Poe's unconscious form tumbles to the ground, causing Rey to dash forwards in a race to catch him.
Before they hit the ground, however, they are both-
Re: FILL: When You Break (Part 9b/9b - COMPLETE)
(Anonymous) 2016-02-19 09:06 am (UTC)(link)Poe rests more easily, his chest rising and falling at a steady rate.
Dragging a hand through his beard, Luke stands wearily. "Kylo Ren," he offers by way of a short explanation. "Rey and I will need to make sure his hold is completely broken. He's had some time to work. I am not sure how far the damage goes."
Leia swallows, desperately trying to control a fresh wave of guilt rolling over her. She wants to ask: How could they all have missed this? How could she not have sensed something was wrong? But they all know the answer. Each of them have been wrapped up in their own struggles - with new power, injuries, grief.
And Poe? Poe wouldn't have wanted to impose further trouble on anyone if he could help it. Damn Poe and his ability to hide everything behind a blinding smile. She nods tersely, but cannot bring herself to speak at the moment. Everything hurts too much.
"Master Luke, Poe will wake up?"
Fixing her with a reassuring smile, Luke nods, "He will wake. Ren was too far away to do anything permanent. It's a ploy to distract us from following him, buying him time." He almost manages to sound completely confident.
One by one, their eyes return to Poe.
Poe drifts in darkness, afloat on shadows. He is alone, but with no conception of loneliness.
It is warm and silent. He ebbs and flows on an unseen tide.
He forgets friend and foe, the prospect of destruction or rescue.
Above and below him the blackness of night, without the memory of stars or the relief of daybreak.
All he knows is exhaustion, but he drifts with the dim sensation that he is waiting for something.
Yes, it is warm and silent and he drifts in the dark and waits.
(AN: So sorry for the delay in just getting this last little bit up! Thank you again so much for the lovely comments. <3 This film gave me a lot of feels and then this prompt seemed the perfect way to express them, so thank you also to OP.)
Re: FILL: When You Break (Part 9b/9b - COMPLETE)
(Anonymous) 2016-02-20 01:24 am (UTC)(link)(Of course, that won't stop me from hoping there may yet be a sequel with a Darkpilot endgame. I guess I'll have to keep a watchful eye, just in case.)
Awesome fic. ♥
Re: FILL: When You Break (Part 9b/9b - COMPLETE)
(Anonymous) 2016-03-04 01:48 am (UTC)(link)Re: FILL: When You Break (Part 8a)
(Anonymous) 2016-02-17 09:10 am (UTC)(link)