For allbingo
Dec. 16th, 2021 10:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofleithianTitle: Strange Bedfellows
Summary: Poe goes to Cantobight with Finn and Rose. He didn’t expect to confront Kylo Ren in a prison cell.
Prompt: Fork In The Road AU
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Poe already didn’t know how they ended up in a cell with Kylo Ren, much less how Kylo Ren could possibly be Ben Solo. It made no sense. Even as he froze, looking at Kylo Ren, there was a part of him that was already hoping that it was just a Clawdite under the mask, that it couldn’t really be Ben (no, he thought, not my Ben, he wouldn’t do that, he’s not like them).
But he was here. Ben. Kylo Ren. Same clothes, same face. Poe just knew that it was him, even with his face framed in shadow, even with his new clothes.
Finn was the one who spoke up. “What is Ren doing here?”
“That’s Kylo Ren?” Rose said softly. “Finn, it’s okay. You’re with me. You’re safe. Poe, for the love of the stars, stay away from him!”
“How could you possibly be Ben?” Poe finally said to Kylo Ren.
***
Kylo was evasive about how exactly he got thrown in prison, other than it being a failed mission for the Supreme Leader.
"You haven’t done well since Rey defeated you, have you?” Finn said.
“Finn,” Poe said. He couldn’t say that he expected to be defending Kylo Ren here, but he was Ben, in the end. And even hearing about Rey defeating Ben, giving him that strange irregular scar…it should have been satisfying after everything he did. It just wasn’t, though.
“Gloating’s very unbecoming of a traitor, isn’t it?” Kylo said scathingly.
“Finn’s not a traitor,” Poe said. “Besides, it’s not like you were doing your kriffing job when you were holding me prisoner! I’m just saying; you kind of made me and Finn’s escape a little too easy.”
“I think you need to work on your grammar,” Kylo said.
“That’s your big takeaway from this?” Poe said. “And what about you? You can’t call Finn a traitor when you betrayed the Jedi Order.”
“Oh boy,” Rose muttered. “This is getting too soap opera for my tastes. Finn, why don’t we just…cover our ears while these two have it out?”
Poe sighed. “Go ahead.”
***
He was glad that he and Kylo were…alone, so to speak. It almost made a comical picture — Rose and Finn covering their ears while Poe and Kylo hashed it out.
“I never betrayed the Jedi Order,” Kylo insisted. “They betrayed me. Well, Skywalker did. Perhaps if he hadn’t tried to carve me into fishbits with his lightsaber…”
“I…” For a moment, Poe couldn’t speak. “You're lying.”
He could swear a flash of hurt entered Kylo’s eyes before they became stony. “I suppose I thought you would understand,” he said. “I was wrong.”
“Luke’s a redeemer! He wouldn’t do this. He…” Poe stopped himself just in time. “So you decided that it was his students’ faults then?” Already, Poe’s body was trembling with pent up righteous anger. "You decided that they deserved to die?”
“No! I wanted to save them. I wanted to. I didn’t kill them but I good as did…”
Kylo’s voice cracked, and Poe noticed him looking away, like he was embarrassed for Poe to see the tears brimming in his eyes. It sounded too sincere. Far too sincere. It didn’t sound like something Kylo would just summon up so Poe would feel sorry for him. Ben wasn’t one to make people pity him anyway. Indeed, Poe thought, sometimes he understated what people did to him.
“Ben,” Poe said softly.
“I’m all right.” Kylo wiped his eyes. “I’m…sorry you had to see that.”
“You’re not the only one who failed to save someone, really.”
***
Against better judgment, Poe told him about Paige Tico. “There was this bomber for the Republic,” he said. “I didn’t kill her, but I was irresponsible with her safety as well as the other bombers. I wish I hadn’t put pressure on her being the last bomber and that it was up to her to save the day.”
“Paige Tico?” Kylo said. “I heard about her. You don’t…need to blame yourself, Poe. As I understand it, there was a multitude of things that went wrong. But not you. I know you. You wouldn’t do it on purpose.”
“Doesn’t really make it better.”
“Still, I know you. You…do you blame yourself? I’m not reading your mind; you’re projecting rather obviously.”
Poe nodded. “I suppose.” He still couldn’t help but flinch remembering even how effortlessly Kylo had read his mind on Jakku — how it felt like something was scanning his brain.
“It sounds like you. Same with the interrogation. About that…I tried to tell myself it was just an interrogation. Unfortunately, it’s different when it comes to you. I did put it off as long as I could, but…”
“What about the others?” Poe said. “Why couldn’t you have spared that courtesy for everyone else?”
Kylo looked like he didn’t have an answer to that.
***
In the end, Kylo was their best chance to escape. He was no codebreaker, but he could break into Snoke’s ship.
“I’m seeking to kill him,” he said.
Poe tilted his head. “Rule of Two kicking in?”
“No, it’s more that Snoke’s become an irritant.” Judging by the way Kylo spoke, it seemed to be more than that. Much more. “Help me kill Snoke, and I will help you with disabling the tracker.”
Poe nodded. It was a foolish idea, but besides him still loving Ben somewhere deep inside, Poe was Poe, and he trusted people with all his heart, all his soul.
It didn’t mean he liked this new version of Ben, as a person.
Finn nodded. “If you stab us in the back, we won’t hesitate to defend ourselves.”
“Fair enough.” Kylo wasn't insulting Finn. Progress, Poe supposed.
The moment that the door clattered open with the Force, Poe knew that they had to run as fast as they could. And yet somehow, with Kylo with them, it felt irrationally like old times.
Summary: Poe goes to Cantobight with Finn and Rose. He didn’t expect to confront Kylo Ren in a prison cell.
Prompt: Fork In The Road AU
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Poe already didn’t know how they ended up in a cell with Kylo Ren, much less how Kylo Ren could possibly be Ben Solo. It made no sense. Even as he froze, looking at Kylo Ren, there was a part of him that was already hoping that it was just a Clawdite under the mask, that it couldn’t really be Ben (no, he thought, not my Ben, he wouldn’t do that, he’s not like them).
But he was here. Ben. Kylo Ren. Same clothes, same face. Poe just knew that it was him, even with his face framed in shadow, even with his new clothes.
Finn was the one who spoke up. “What is Ren doing here?”
“That’s Kylo Ren?” Rose said softly. “Finn, it’s okay. You’re with me. You’re safe. Poe, for the love of the stars, stay away from him!”
“How could you possibly be Ben?” Poe finally said to Kylo Ren.
***
Kylo was evasive about how exactly he got thrown in prison, other than it being a failed mission for the Supreme Leader.
"You haven’t done well since Rey defeated you, have you?” Finn said.
“Finn,” Poe said. He couldn’t say that he expected to be defending Kylo Ren here, but he was Ben, in the end. And even hearing about Rey defeating Ben, giving him that strange irregular scar…it should have been satisfying after everything he did. It just wasn’t, though.
“Gloating’s very unbecoming of a traitor, isn’t it?” Kylo said scathingly.
“Finn’s not a traitor,” Poe said. “Besides, it’s not like you were doing your kriffing job when you were holding me prisoner! I’m just saying; you kind of made me and Finn’s escape a little too easy.”
“I think you need to work on your grammar,” Kylo said.
“That’s your big takeaway from this?” Poe said. “And what about you? You can’t call Finn a traitor when you betrayed the Jedi Order.”
“Oh boy,” Rose muttered. “This is getting too soap opera for my tastes. Finn, why don’t we just…cover our ears while these two have it out?”
Poe sighed. “Go ahead.”
***
He was glad that he and Kylo were…alone, so to speak. It almost made a comical picture — Rose and Finn covering their ears while Poe and Kylo hashed it out.
“I never betrayed the Jedi Order,” Kylo insisted. “They betrayed me. Well, Skywalker did. Perhaps if he hadn’t tried to carve me into fishbits with his lightsaber…”
“I…” For a moment, Poe couldn’t speak. “You're lying.”
He could swear a flash of hurt entered Kylo’s eyes before they became stony. “I suppose I thought you would understand,” he said. “I was wrong.”
“Luke’s a redeemer! He wouldn’t do this. He…” Poe stopped himself just in time. “So you decided that it was his students’ faults then?” Already, Poe’s body was trembling with pent up righteous anger. "You decided that they deserved to die?”
“No! I wanted to save them. I wanted to. I didn’t kill them but I good as did…”
Kylo’s voice cracked, and Poe noticed him looking away, like he was embarrassed for Poe to see the tears brimming in his eyes. It sounded too sincere. Far too sincere. It didn’t sound like something Kylo would just summon up so Poe would feel sorry for him. Ben wasn’t one to make people pity him anyway. Indeed, Poe thought, sometimes he understated what people did to him.
“Ben,” Poe said softly.
“I’m all right.” Kylo wiped his eyes. “I’m…sorry you had to see that.”
“You’re not the only one who failed to save someone, really.”
***
Against better judgment, Poe told him about Paige Tico. “There was this bomber for the Republic,” he said. “I didn’t kill her, but I was irresponsible with her safety as well as the other bombers. I wish I hadn’t put pressure on her being the last bomber and that it was up to her to save the day.”
“Paige Tico?” Kylo said. “I heard about her. You don’t…need to blame yourself, Poe. As I understand it, there was a multitude of things that went wrong. But not you. I know you. You wouldn’t do it on purpose.”
“Doesn’t really make it better.”
“Still, I know you. You…do you blame yourself? I’m not reading your mind; you’re projecting rather obviously.”
Poe nodded. “I suppose.” He still couldn’t help but flinch remembering even how effortlessly Kylo had read his mind on Jakku — how it felt like something was scanning his brain.
“It sounds like you. Same with the interrogation. About that…I tried to tell myself it was just an interrogation. Unfortunately, it’s different when it comes to you. I did put it off as long as I could, but…”
“What about the others?” Poe said. “Why couldn’t you have spared that courtesy for everyone else?”
Kylo looked like he didn’t have an answer to that.
***
In the end, Kylo was their best chance to escape. He was no codebreaker, but he could break into Snoke’s ship.
“I’m seeking to kill him,” he said.
Poe tilted his head. “Rule of Two kicking in?”
“No, it’s more that Snoke’s become an irritant.” Judging by the way Kylo spoke, it seemed to be more than that. Much more. “Help me kill Snoke, and I will help you with disabling the tracker.”
Poe nodded. It was a foolish idea, but besides him still loving Ben somewhere deep inside, Poe was Poe, and he trusted people with all his heart, all his soul.
It didn’t mean he liked this new version of Ben, as a person.
Finn nodded. “If you stab us in the back, we won’t hesitate to defend ourselves.”
“Fair enough.” Kylo wasn't insulting Finn. Progress, Poe supposed.
The moment that the door clattered open with the Force, Poe knew that they had to run as fast as they could. And yet somehow, with Kylo with them, it felt irrationally like old times.
