For hc_bingo
Sep. 13th, 2019 07:59 amTitle: Right Here, Waiting
Summary: Rey tells Finn about her bond with Kylo, and tries to patch things up.
Prompt: Forced Soulbonding
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author’s Notes: Haven’t really read the Poe Dameron comics. Call this my own take on post-TLJ and pre-TROS. Song title from a Staind song that I think is perfect for post-TLJ FinnRey.
She had messed up. Rey knew that much. And Finn was angry with her. Rey supposed that was fair. After all, she had been gullible — too gullible. How had it even happened? She was smarter than this. Maybe she had thought for a moment, just a moment, that she could save Kylo Ren from himself. Because that was Rey. Trying her best to save others, including a BB unit she’d found in the desert.
It was in her nature. It didn’t mean that she couldn’t kick herself for it.
***
Rey was used to difficulties getting to sleep. She always had been. That had been why she thought of the island — Ach-To, she knew now — in order to get to sleep. Ach-To didn’t help now. Not with Kylo Ren on the other end, howling in a voice of his own. He was angry with her for leaving, but what choice did she have? Was she supposed to stand by and condone his evil like a “good girl” should? She could feel pity for him, but she doubted she could ever condone what he was doing.
She had felt him over their bond. It had been like killing Snoke had released the last bit of restraint he had. Like any inner conflict he had...
Rey gritted her teeth, stared ahead at the walls of the Falcon. It wasn’t at all like Jakku. For starters, the walls surrounding her didn’t have marks carved into them, little tally marks that she’d carved out to mark every day that she was without her parents. (Who were nobodies. She had simply known it...but what was that ship flying away in her vision? It hardly made any sense)
For another, the bed at least had some degree of comfort to it. It was soft, softer than the makeshift bed she would sleep on in the AT-ST she’d been forced to call home.
She was away from Jakku. (She doubted she’d go back. After all, there was hardly anything left for her there) And yet, with Kylo Ren howling in her ears, over the Bond, she couldn’t help but feel, in a way, like she was back on Jakku, trying in vain to get back to sleep.
***
Rey snapped awake from a nightmare that had struck her — a nightmare where she had seen herself, in a snowy forest akin to the forest on the Starkiller planet, wielding a strange red lightsaber. Even as she looked around, reorienting herself to where she was, Rey doubted that she could get back to sleep if she tried. It was just a nightmare. But visions of the future —
Rey growled in frustration. She wasn’t going to fall. She simply couldn’t. She wouldn’t betray her principles, all she stood for, for whatever reason the Dark Side provided her. She had resisted it before, on the Starkiller planet. She had been so close to the edge — it had been realizing that voice was taunting her to kill Kylo that had stayed her hand. Kylo had been lucky he’d gotten away with only a scar. She could have done worse to him, and she knew it.
The ship was quiet. Rey could all but feel the presences there humming. She doubted that she could stay there, in her bed, with Kylo howling in her head.
You have no place in this story.
His words from the Supremacy echoed in her head. She knew what he meant — she couldn’t be a hero, but she could be a monster instead. Had he always had that manipulative streak? Had Snoke all but ground it into him?
She couldn’t say. She wished she could.
***
Finn was in the main hold when she came in. Rey was surprised that Rose Tico wasn’t with him, though ever since she’d woken up from her coma, she’d been spending quite a bit of time with Kaydel Ko Connix. She hesitated in that moment. Would Finn somehow think less of her? Was he already thinking that, even now?
She was almost tempted to turn around, to give Finn his space. But Finn spotted her. Smiled, if slightly. “Was wondering when you’d come by,” he said.
Rey nodded. “I messed up,” she said. “I suppose I thought...” She walked over towards Finn. “Is this table taken?”
“Not really.” Finn rubbed his temples. “Hell, I was waiting for you.”
Rey sat down. She had to admit that she hadn’t seen that coming. Not even a bit.
“I thought you were mad at me,” she finally said.
“Well, a little,” Finn said. “Not gonna lie.” He sighed. “Still, you can be mad at someone you...think of as a friend.”
Rey wasn’t going to lie. It did hurt a little. The idea that Finn only thought of her as a friend now. She couldn’t say why. Weeks was a quick time to get attached to a man she’d initially thought had stolen Poe Dameron’s jacket. But days was quicker to think that —
“I’m not making excuses,” Rey said. “But I hope you can understand.” Even going into detail about what happened, she watched Finn’s handsome, expressive face as she told him the truth. Finn was listening. That was good.
“I was stupid, Finn,” she said when she finished. “I’m not usually this gullible.”
“He played you. He and Snoke both.”
“Yes, but...”
Finn took her hand. It wasn’t like touching Kylo’s hand, where the most they could do was touch fingers. It wasn’t even like when they were fleeing from the First Order and Rey hadn’t been used to anyone touching her, let alone actually caring about her safety. (Nobody has really cared about her in her nineteen years. Not until BB-8 and Finn, at least)
“You,” Finn said, “Made a mistake. I understand that now. Really.” He sighed. “I guess I thought I meant nothing to you.”
“You’ve meant something to me. You always have.” Rey smiled faintly as she spoke. “When I was on Ach-To, on the Falcon heading to the Supremacy, I worried for you. I don’t know if the Resistance got my message from Ach-To, but I was worried about you. You’ve never been nothing. Not to me.”
“Neither have you,” Finn said.
She thought back to Kylo. How he had said that she wasn’t alone. The difference was that even that was probably just another ploy. She knew that now.
Finn, though...Finn was a good man. In a way, she had always known.
***
“Well, I’m glad that you two aren’t fighting anymore,” Poe said lightly as Finn and Rey joined him at breakfast.
“Fighting?” Rey said. “What makes you say that?”
Poe shrugged. “You think I don’t pay attention? Honestly, Finn was pretty worried about it — I was worried about him.”
Rey nodded. It was something she didn’t expect from the cocky yet oddly likeable pilot. Caring about Finn.
“ ‘Course, if you break his heart,” Poe said lightly, “I’ll have to talk to you...”
“That’s kind of you, Poe,” Finn said, “But Rey won’t do that. I trust her.”
“Cool.” Poe said. “I didn’t tell you thanks for not selling my droid to some junk trader. You’re a good woman, Rey.”
Rey smiled despite herself. She didn’t know what would be next for them all, but she knew where she belonged, and that was here.
Summary: Rey tells Finn about her bond with Kylo, and tries to patch things up.
Prompt: Forced Soulbonding
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author’s Notes: Haven’t really read the Poe Dameron comics. Call this my own take on post-TLJ and pre-TROS. Song title from a Staind song that I think is perfect for post-TLJ FinnRey.
She had messed up. Rey knew that much. And Finn was angry with her. Rey supposed that was fair. After all, she had been gullible — too gullible. How had it even happened? She was smarter than this. Maybe she had thought for a moment, just a moment, that she could save Kylo Ren from himself. Because that was Rey. Trying her best to save others, including a BB unit she’d found in the desert.
It was in her nature. It didn’t mean that she couldn’t kick herself for it.
***
Rey was used to difficulties getting to sleep. She always had been. That had been why she thought of the island — Ach-To, she knew now — in order to get to sleep. Ach-To didn’t help now. Not with Kylo Ren on the other end, howling in a voice of his own. He was angry with her for leaving, but what choice did she have? Was she supposed to stand by and condone his evil like a “good girl” should? She could feel pity for him, but she doubted she could ever condone what he was doing.
She had felt him over their bond. It had been like killing Snoke had released the last bit of restraint he had. Like any inner conflict he had...
Rey gritted her teeth, stared ahead at the walls of the Falcon. It wasn’t at all like Jakku. For starters, the walls surrounding her didn’t have marks carved into them, little tally marks that she’d carved out to mark every day that she was without her parents. (Who were nobodies. She had simply known it...but what was that ship flying away in her vision? It hardly made any sense)
For another, the bed at least had some degree of comfort to it. It was soft, softer than the makeshift bed she would sleep on in the AT-ST she’d been forced to call home.
She was away from Jakku. (She doubted she’d go back. After all, there was hardly anything left for her there) And yet, with Kylo Ren howling in her ears, over the Bond, she couldn’t help but feel, in a way, like she was back on Jakku, trying in vain to get back to sleep.
***
Rey snapped awake from a nightmare that had struck her — a nightmare where she had seen herself, in a snowy forest akin to the forest on the Starkiller planet, wielding a strange red lightsaber. Even as she looked around, reorienting herself to where she was, Rey doubted that she could get back to sleep if she tried. It was just a nightmare. But visions of the future —
Rey growled in frustration. She wasn’t going to fall. She simply couldn’t. She wouldn’t betray her principles, all she stood for, for whatever reason the Dark Side provided her. She had resisted it before, on the Starkiller planet. She had been so close to the edge — it had been realizing that voice was taunting her to kill Kylo that had stayed her hand. Kylo had been lucky he’d gotten away with only a scar. She could have done worse to him, and she knew it.
The ship was quiet. Rey could all but feel the presences there humming. She doubted that she could stay there, in her bed, with Kylo howling in her head.
You have no place in this story.
His words from the Supremacy echoed in her head. She knew what he meant — she couldn’t be a hero, but she could be a monster instead. Had he always had that manipulative streak? Had Snoke all but ground it into him?
She couldn’t say. She wished she could.
***
Finn was in the main hold when she came in. Rey was surprised that Rose Tico wasn’t with him, though ever since she’d woken up from her coma, she’d been spending quite a bit of time with Kaydel Ko Connix. She hesitated in that moment. Would Finn somehow think less of her? Was he already thinking that, even now?
She was almost tempted to turn around, to give Finn his space. But Finn spotted her. Smiled, if slightly. “Was wondering when you’d come by,” he said.
Rey nodded. “I messed up,” she said. “I suppose I thought...” She walked over towards Finn. “Is this table taken?”
“Not really.” Finn rubbed his temples. “Hell, I was waiting for you.”
Rey sat down. She had to admit that she hadn’t seen that coming. Not even a bit.
“I thought you were mad at me,” she finally said.
“Well, a little,” Finn said. “Not gonna lie.” He sighed. “Still, you can be mad at someone you...think of as a friend.”
Rey wasn’t going to lie. It did hurt a little. The idea that Finn only thought of her as a friend now. She couldn’t say why. Weeks was a quick time to get attached to a man she’d initially thought had stolen Poe Dameron’s jacket. But days was quicker to think that —
“I’m not making excuses,” Rey said. “But I hope you can understand.” Even going into detail about what happened, she watched Finn’s handsome, expressive face as she told him the truth. Finn was listening. That was good.
“I was stupid, Finn,” she said when she finished. “I’m not usually this gullible.”
“He played you. He and Snoke both.”
“Yes, but...”
Finn took her hand. It wasn’t like touching Kylo’s hand, where the most they could do was touch fingers. It wasn’t even like when they were fleeing from the First Order and Rey hadn’t been used to anyone touching her, let alone actually caring about her safety. (Nobody has really cared about her in her nineteen years. Not until BB-8 and Finn, at least)
“You,” Finn said, “Made a mistake. I understand that now. Really.” He sighed. “I guess I thought I meant nothing to you.”
“You’ve meant something to me. You always have.” Rey smiled faintly as she spoke. “When I was on Ach-To, on the Falcon heading to the Supremacy, I worried for you. I don’t know if the Resistance got my message from Ach-To, but I was worried about you. You’ve never been nothing. Not to me.”
“Neither have you,” Finn said.
She thought back to Kylo. How he had said that she wasn’t alone. The difference was that even that was probably just another ploy. She knew that now.
Finn, though...Finn was a good man. In a way, she had always known.
***
“Well, I’m glad that you two aren’t fighting anymore,” Poe said lightly as Finn and Rey joined him at breakfast.
“Fighting?” Rey said. “What makes you say that?”
Poe shrugged. “You think I don’t pay attention? Honestly, Finn was pretty worried about it — I was worried about him.”
Rey nodded. It was something she didn’t expect from the cocky yet oddly likeable pilot. Caring about Finn.
“ ‘Course, if you break his heart,” Poe said lightly, “I’ll have to talk to you...”
“That’s kind of you, Poe,” Finn said, “But Rey won’t do that. I trust her.”
“Cool.” Poe said. “I didn’t tell you thanks for not selling my droid to some junk trader. You’re a good woman, Rey.”
Rey smiled despite herself. She didn’t know what would be next for them all, but she knew where she belonged, and that was here.