For allbingo
Apr. 28th, 2021 05:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofleithianTitle: The Penitent One
Summary: Ben survives Exegol and gets a chance to make proper recompense.
Prompt: Giving Someone A Second Chance
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The cell seems to be ever out of reach. Even as Poe continues down towards it, he doesn’t quite know what he’ll find. He hasn’t seen Ben since the mission to Exegol began, even if they ran into each other intermittently, including a memorable instance of them being trapped on a planet together. Poe should hate him. He should. But he also remembers Kylo telling him that the interrogation wasn’t his fault. He remembers everything, from their childhood memories to basically everything else. Ben believed in him, long ago. Poe still wonders if that’s the case. If Ben still believes in him.
Poe continues towards the cell, to where Ben is. Where he’s seated, looking so very exhausted and alone. Guilty. Like he should have come back sooner.
Poe is glad that he came back at all.
“You’re here,” Poe says. “You’re really, honestly here.”
“I should have come back sooner,” Ben says. “I’m sorry, Poe. I’m sorry for everything.”
“I’m not ready to forgive you everything,” Poe says. “But I am glad you’re back.”
“Really?”
“Really. I’ve been waiting,” Poe says. “I’ve always been waiting for you.”
He doesn’t miss the way that Ben smiles, if slightly. It’s a small smile, but Poe can tell that that’s all Ben wanted anybody to do.
“I just wonder,” Poe says, "Why did you come back?”
Ben’s smile fades. Then, “It was my mother. I felt her die — and I felt how much she forgave me. I thought she hated me. I was so used to the idea of her hating me...”
“Ben, no. She never would.” And despite himself, Poe’s angry. How dare Snoke and Palpatine make Ben think that way? How dare they think that way about him?
Ben’s spent so much time protecting him. It’s Poe’s turn. Poe’s turn to carry him.
“Snoke tried to make me hate you,” Ben says. “He couldn’t. It was one of those parts of me he couldn’t reach.”
“I can’t hate you either.”
“Why?”
“You’re my friend. My best friend. The man I love.” At Ben’s bewildered look, Poe says, “Of course you are.”
Ben nods. “I love you too, Poe.”
It doesn’t need saying. It’s one of those things that’s shown through how Ben wanted to protect him back before he fell, even little moments shining through as Kylo. But in that moment, Poe swears nothing will be safer than being loved by Ben, even if their time is running out.
***
They talk. Ben tells him about how Rey had died at Exegol before something had revived her.
“She talked about being all the Jedi,” Ben says. “I heard it, down in the pit. How she stood her ground against Palpatine.” He does smile again. “She was so brave. But I think it was the spirits of the Jedi that brought her back.”
“Can they do that?”
“Force Ghosts can use the Force,” Ben says. “It’s not unheard of. They don’t usually use Force Healing because...they typically think it’s a violation of the way of the Force. Even Master Yoda told my grandfather apparently just to accept Grandmother’s death. Because it was the way of the Force.”
“How cruel,” Poe said. “It isn’t easy to just stop loving people.”
“Yes. It was one of the reasons that I fell. Your mother’s death.” Ben exhales as he speaks. “I did research into bringing her back...”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I was a youngling then. All I remember was wanting to make you happy.”
“Still,” Poe says. Then, shifting gears, “You were brave, Ben.”
Ben snorts. “I spent most of the fight knocked into a pit. That’s not exactly brave. Rey...pretty much beat me to killing her grandfather.”
Poe heard about that from Finn. Poor Rey. He doesn’t like her, but she deserves better than being all but shackled to that legacy.
“The fact you tried at all...”
"Last I checked, ‘you tried’ isn’t a good assessment to give of someone’s redemption.”
Poe wonders if there’s a way to offer Ben a chance. A chance without seeming biased. He’s biased because Ben is someone he’s always loved. Could Finn give good advice?
***
Finn is willing to chime in. "I was rescued,” he says. “And the fact that he tried to help Rey at Exegol at all...that’s something.”
“Yeah.” Poe swallows. He wonders if Ben was trying to die on a hidden planet, away from Poe. Then again, Rey says he also helped her not fall to the Dark Side and take the Sith throne, so...
“Was...Ben important to you?” Finn says.
“We grew up together,” Poe says. “When I came back from being a Spice Runner, he was very protective of me.” He pictures Ben back then like an angry, protective nexu, prowling in front of its protectorate and growling at anyone who got too close.
“Was he?”
Poe nods. “He believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. He was basically a protective nexu. Anyone who stepped too close in the wrong way, he’d growl. Even if he didn’t, even if we didn’t have that history...well, I’ve never been one to just turn my back on someone.”
Finn sighs. “It’s a tough position, Poe.”
“No stang.”
“And we can’t afford a proper trial. The Order’s gone. The Republic’s gone.”
“I know.”
“So looking at it...rehabilitation may be our best option.” Finn sighs. “Stars, I can’t imagine many in the Resistance being happy about it.”
***
“What would rehabilitation entail?” Ben says.
Poe sighs. “Just working with us. Rebuilding the Republic. Stuff like that. It might be a good start towards...recompense.”
“Did FN — sorry, Finn...did he suggest that?”
Poe nods.
“You can tell him he fought bravely in the forest. I mean every word of that, at least.” Then, “Will you help me?”
“I will. Every step of the way, I’ll love you and believe in you, as you loved and believed in me.”
There is more than one way to love someone, after all.
Summary: Ben survives Exegol and gets a chance to make proper recompense.
Prompt: Giving Someone A Second Chance
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
The cell seems to be ever out of reach. Even as Poe continues down towards it, he doesn’t quite know what he’ll find. He hasn’t seen Ben since the mission to Exegol began, even if they ran into each other intermittently, including a memorable instance of them being trapped on a planet together. Poe should hate him. He should. But he also remembers Kylo telling him that the interrogation wasn’t his fault. He remembers everything, from their childhood memories to basically everything else. Ben believed in him, long ago. Poe still wonders if that’s the case. If Ben still believes in him.
Poe continues towards the cell, to where Ben is. Where he’s seated, looking so very exhausted and alone. Guilty. Like he should have come back sooner.
Poe is glad that he came back at all.
“You’re here,” Poe says. “You’re really, honestly here.”
“I should have come back sooner,” Ben says. “I’m sorry, Poe. I’m sorry for everything.”
“I’m not ready to forgive you everything,” Poe says. “But I am glad you’re back.”
“Really?”
“Really. I’ve been waiting,” Poe says. “I’ve always been waiting for you.”
He doesn’t miss the way that Ben smiles, if slightly. It’s a small smile, but Poe can tell that that’s all Ben wanted anybody to do.
“I just wonder,” Poe says, "Why did you come back?”
Ben’s smile fades. Then, “It was my mother. I felt her die — and I felt how much she forgave me. I thought she hated me. I was so used to the idea of her hating me...”
“Ben, no. She never would.” And despite himself, Poe’s angry. How dare Snoke and Palpatine make Ben think that way? How dare they think that way about him?
Ben’s spent so much time protecting him. It’s Poe’s turn. Poe’s turn to carry him.
“Snoke tried to make me hate you,” Ben says. “He couldn’t. It was one of those parts of me he couldn’t reach.”
“I can’t hate you either.”
“Why?”
“You’re my friend. My best friend. The man I love.” At Ben’s bewildered look, Poe says, “Of course you are.”
Ben nods. “I love you too, Poe.”
It doesn’t need saying. It’s one of those things that’s shown through how Ben wanted to protect him back before he fell, even little moments shining through as Kylo. But in that moment, Poe swears nothing will be safer than being loved by Ben, even if their time is running out.
***
They talk. Ben tells him about how Rey had died at Exegol before something had revived her.
“She talked about being all the Jedi,” Ben says. “I heard it, down in the pit. How she stood her ground against Palpatine.” He does smile again. “She was so brave. But I think it was the spirits of the Jedi that brought her back.”
“Can they do that?”
“Force Ghosts can use the Force,” Ben says. “It’s not unheard of. They don’t usually use Force Healing because...they typically think it’s a violation of the way of the Force. Even Master Yoda told my grandfather apparently just to accept Grandmother’s death. Because it was the way of the Force.”
“How cruel,” Poe said. “It isn’t easy to just stop loving people.”
“Yes. It was one of the reasons that I fell. Your mother’s death.” Ben exhales as he speaks. “I did research into bringing her back...”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“I was a youngling then. All I remember was wanting to make you happy.”
“Still,” Poe says. Then, shifting gears, “You were brave, Ben.”
Ben snorts. “I spent most of the fight knocked into a pit. That’s not exactly brave. Rey...pretty much beat me to killing her grandfather.”
Poe heard about that from Finn. Poor Rey. He doesn’t like her, but she deserves better than being all but shackled to that legacy.
“The fact you tried at all...”
"Last I checked, ‘you tried’ isn’t a good assessment to give of someone’s redemption.”
Poe wonders if there’s a way to offer Ben a chance. A chance without seeming biased. He’s biased because Ben is someone he’s always loved. Could Finn give good advice?
***
Finn is willing to chime in. "I was rescued,” he says. “And the fact that he tried to help Rey at Exegol at all...that’s something.”
“Yeah.” Poe swallows. He wonders if Ben was trying to die on a hidden planet, away from Poe. Then again, Rey says he also helped her not fall to the Dark Side and take the Sith throne, so...
“Was...Ben important to you?” Finn says.
“We grew up together,” Poe says. “When I came back from being a Spice Runner, he was very protective of me.” He pictures Ben back then like an angry, protective nexu, prowling in front of its protectorate and growling at anyone who got too close.
“Was he?”
Poe nods. “He believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. He was basically a protective nexu. Anyone who stepped too close in the wrong way, he’d growl. Even if he didn’t, even if we didn’t have that history...well, I’ve never been one to just turn my back on someone.”
Finn sighs. “It’s a tough position, Poe.”
“No stang.”
“And we can’t afford a proper trial. The Order’s gone. The Republic’s gone.”
“I know.”
“So looking at it...rehabilitation may be our best option.” Finn sighs. “Stars, I can’t imagine many in the Resistance being happy about it.”
***
“What would rehabilitation entail?” Ben says.
Poe sighs. “Just working with us. Rebuilding the Republic. Stuff like that. It might be a good start towards...recompense.”
“Did FN — sorry, Finn...did he suggest that?”
Poe nods.
“You can tell him he fought bravely in the forest. I mean every word of that, at least.” Then, “Will you help me?”
“I will. Every step of the way, I’ll love you and believe in you, as you loved and believed in me.”
There is more than one way to love someone, after all.
