I know it’s surprising, but I haven’t actually read a lot of post-TLJ fic so I don’t know of any – however the prompt did strike my fancy somewhat, and so I wrote a one-shot for you =)

Hope you like it! I’m honestly not quite sure about it myself, but posting it anyway since it’s already written. I’ve posted it on ao3 for those who prefer it.

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The planet’s picturesque and flowing grass was marred by the boots of the stormtroopers as they marched towards the ravine where the Resistance was holed up. General Armitage Hux loathed that necessity dictated that they attack on foot, creating more of an even ground between the Resistance and First Order – but none of their ships could navigate the planet’s electromagnetic atmosphere, rendering their weapons and might useless once again.

The annoyed general slithered towards the girl standing at the front of the Resistance army – such as it was; even after months of building and gathering support, they were still a scant few hundred with limited weapons.

But they had her. The Jedi. Hux glowered as she stood there confidently, holding her hand out to protect the group from blaster fire, she looked calm and collected as she did so – as if it was no effort at all.

“You won’t be able to hold that forever, just as the Raddus eventually ran out of fuel,” Hux sneered as he held his hand out for the troopers to stop, before continuing slowly forward, standing ten feet in front of her. Rey glowered at the general’s words, remembering how he had relentlessly pursued and then eliminated the Resistance’s support and shuttle ships on Crait.

“If I recall, we took out the Supremacy in that fight, even as we ran out of fuel,” she said calmly, “So if I were you, I would think twice about underestimating us again.”

Hux stepped even closer, within arm’s reach; some of the Resistance soldiers murmured, feeling uneasy by his close proximity. He grimaced at her words, before speaking once more.

“I’ve come to negotiate the terms of your surrender.”

“We have no intention of surrendering.”

At that, Hux nodded and gestured towards the stormtroopers who opened fired on the Resistance fighters. Blaster bolts and larger ammunitions hammered against the Force shield, and he watched the young Jedi intently.

The moment her body buckled slightly, he dove for her wrist and slapped a metal brace around her wrist, twisting her other arm to do the same as she cried out. The shield dropped as soon as her skin came in contact with it, and the stormtroopers ceased firing, following orders.

“What is this? What have you done?” Rey screamed and head butted him before kicking him in the chest, making Hux stagger back.

“Mandalorian metal, you’re not familiar?” He hummed a little at her silence. “Rumor has it that it dampens a Jedi’s connection to the Force – and from where I’m standing, I believe I can safely say that the rumors were indeed true.”

Rey launched herself at him, lightsaber igniting, “I still have this.”

But Hux had been prepared for that and before she could slice him open as he lay on the ground, she felt a pinprick at her lower back. Her body locked up and her hand reached behind her as she came to the horrifying realization that a stormtrooper had just shot her with some sort of dart. Her limbs became heavy as she swayed there, watching Hux stand and brush off some of the dirt on his impeccable uniform.

There was a hint of fear in her eyes – not for herself, but at the realization that the Resistance was now heavily exposed once again, but Hux just clicked his tongue as forced her to her knees and stood behind her. Seemingly unconcerned, Hux stood with his back to the Resistance fighters who knelt behind their barricades some 30 feet away, and watched the wall of First Order troops.

“Don’t worry, we have something very special planned, I can’t possibly kill you yet. Just wait. Any minute now.”

————————————————————

Kylo emerged from his meditation chamber where had been spending so much of his time lately; he felt off balance, which was perhaps not unusual – but it was harder to ignore now. She had been harder to ignore.

The Light that had always ebbed and flowed within him now thundered through his existence, and he no longer tried to cut it out – it was his last connection to Rey. He had risked everything for her – killed his master, the guards, risked his position in the First Order, knowing it was a matter of time before Hux figured it all out – and she still steadfastly ignored him and their bond.

So he was off balance, spending hours every day striving for that feeling that should come so naturally – being at peace with oneself. But he couldn’t, his anger was too much – anger at her, at the Resistance for still refusing to surrender, at Hux for being a sniveling weasel, and himself for being too weak to do anything about any of it.

Every morning, he trained and sparred with others on the Finalizer, as he received his morning reports, letting his anger decimate every weapon and obstacle in front of him.

“Sir,” an Officer’s voice hit him almost immediately as he stepped out of the chamber.

“What is it, Lieutenant?”

Mitaka swallowed nervously, as he always seemed to be when speaking to the Supreme Leader, “I believe you should be aware – Hux left with a contingent of Stormtroopers a few hours ago.”

Kylo stopped walking and turned to him, “And where did they go, Lieutenant?”

“There- there was a report, sir. The Resistance is there, I assumed Hux had told you but-”

“Prepare my ship,” Kylo said calmly, cutting him off. Mitaka knew he had not been informed of Hux’s status, because he knew the Supreme Leader’s orders were very clear on the matter: the First Order was not to engage the Resistance at all without express permission from Kylo. They would not have a repeat of their past mistakes.

That Hux went on his own made his blood run cold; he expected something like this, Hux coveted power more than even he did. He took the elevator to the ship’s hangar bay, cape moving with the force of his steps as he made his way to his Tie Silencer. He knew ships were unstable on the planet’s surface, but not everyone was a Force user – he could handle the landing with no issues.

—————

It didn’t take long to find the stand-off, noticing that the Resistance had allowed themselves to be pinned in a tight ravine with no escape route. He knew his mother would never have allowed this kind of situation to develop and wondered idly who was calling the shots.

He landed the Silencer easily behind the mass of stormtroopers, climbing out of the cockpit before jumping to the ground, his knees bending to brace the impact. A few troopers turned to look at him and he stared at them in direct challenge. Silently, they dropped their weapons and separated, creating a clear path that he walked confidently down.

Kylo never had any love for the stormtrooper program, not the way Hux did, but respected their skills and so as he moved down the opening he nodded at the few who stared at him openly. Although even behind their masks, he could feel their eyes on him, the fear he engendered.

He should have been proud, but instead it left him cold.

The path finally cleared and he saw Hux standing behind someone on the ground. He immediately realized it was her – Rey – and his entire body straightened with tension as he evaluated the situation. Rey on her knees, face implacable as she stared directly ahead, Hux beside her with his hands clasped behind his back haughtily, and Resistance soldiers beyond them looking increasingly unsure of their position.

“What do you think you’re doing, General Hux?” He called out and his voice carried in the ravine, diverting all attention from Hux and Rey to him. “You had direct orders not to engage with the Resistance. This is treasonous behavior.”

He stared directly at Hux, refusing to back down, even as he felt the murmur of uncertainty flow through both sides of fighters – and avoiding Rey’s eyes as she snapped up to look at him, processing the information. Looking at her would give too much away, clearly Hux intended to use her against him, but he felt he could perhaps outsmart him as he had Snoke.

The redhead smirked after a few long seconds, “The only treasonous behavior has been your own, Supreme Leader. You’re not fit for the title. After we wipe out the Resistance here today, the First Order will prevail to rule the galaxy.”

Kylo could feel the drivel and spit that left his mouth at the crazed words, and struggled to keep the mask of calm on. Finally he looked at Rey, desperately reaching out to hold on to the calm her presence always brought her. But as he felt for her in the Force, he realized it was empty – she was gone; there was nothing there, no light or dark – and he snapped.

He ran at Hux recklessly, “What did you do?”

The man pulled a knife from his sleeve as soon as Kylo’s body moved towards his own, anticipating the retaliation. Kylo skidded to a stop a few feet from her, realizing that Hux was pressing it into her neck in a clear sign of warning. Using the other gift he had, he lifted his hand towards Hux-

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Ren. The stormtroopers have orders to fire every weapon they have at this girl, should you make a move on me. Who do you think they’re most loyal to? Should we test it?” The knife dug into Rey’s neck at his last words and Kylo screamed in frustration as he watched a prick of blood bloom on her neck. The Resistance fighters were clearly agitated, but he couldn’t spare them any thought – his focus was entirely on her. Rey.

“Jedi are tricky,” Hux began to explain as Kylo’s fists clenched at his side, his hand lowering in realization. “But lucky for me, the Imperial archives spoke quite a bit about how to disarm and render them powerless. You see, there’s a special type of metal that cuts them off from their precious Force.”

The knife moved slowly across the woman’s neck as he spoke and Kylo’s rage built with unreleased power; but he knew – had learned – to control it, all those hours in meditation, he faced all his demons there, seeking the control his master had always accused him of not having. Snoke was a manipulator, but he learned the folly of lacking control on Crait – and realized the greater failure was in believing his manipulations.

Kylo had lied to himself for so long – the past was never really gone, and he carried it more than most. And looking again at Rey, tears of concern in her eyes, he knew that was okay – he had begun to heal, to trust himself more. And in his efforts and orders with the First Order, he had begun the slow march towards reconciliation.

Oblivious to Kylo’s thoughts, Hux continued his taunts. “But perhaps even better is the paralytic agent I injected her with before you came. You see, she’s very much at my whim – and should you displease me, Ren, I’ll slice her throat and make you watch.”

Kylo was distracted by movement behind Hux and he eyed the traitor, Finn, and the pilot who had escaped with him all those months ago – Poe Dameron; they were standing at the front of the line of Resistance fighters now, concern etched in their faces as they assessed the situation. Hux facing off against Kylo Ren, both enemies, with Rey between them in a high-stakes game of power.

Hux heard their movements and twisted slightly to see, “Ah excellent, we have an appropriate audience now.”

Kylo was confused, wondering what game Hux was playing at, but remained as impassive as he could be. He hated games, and Snoke and Hux were far too interested in them – whipping up even more of his anger as it snapped back and forth inside of him like a flag in fierce winds.

Hux turned his body so he could look between Finn and Kylo, “I wonder if they know your secret, Ren?” Kylo drew himself up and balanced his feet in expectation of the verbal blow. “Do they know what you did on the Supremacy? You and the scavenger.”

He spit the last word as if it were bile in his throat, Finn and Poe looking more confused now than ever, eyes moving between Rey and Kylo.

Rey stared at him, the ferocity in her eyes steeling him for the game of words. “The girl got loose and murdered Snoke, Hux. She knocked me out and when I came to, the room was aflame and half our ship was gone – thanks to you and your genius moves, General.”

He used the rank that Snoke had given him as a dagger, knowing Hux coveted the title Grand Marshal, digging into the pettiness that drove him. A rabid cur, as Snoke had once said.

“WHY are you protecting her, Ren? We’ve WON – the Resistance is here, let’s snuff them out!” Hux screeched, his pristine countenance slowly unwinding in the face of Kylo’s words. “Tell the TRUTH – tell everyone here how you betrayed the First Order for a lowly scavenger from Jakku.”

Kylo’s fists clenched as he calculated his options – whatever they were, he needed to pull on an immense amount of power to protect Rey and avert a total massacre. Hux was oblivious, continuing on as he waved the knife in front of him in wild gestures.

“How she came willingly into your custody, completely under your control, and somehow she overpowered not just you – but Supreme Leader Snoke as well. You betrayed the First Order for some girl, your personal interests were always your weakness.”

“I did nothing to betray the Order or Snoke, she was to join me – as an apprentice.” Kylo’s body shook with the effort of subterfuge, cursing again as he realized he had not inherited that from his mother – too much of his father’s spirit in him, indeed.

Hux growled, “No, Snoke wanted her DEAD, and for YOU to kill her – I was there when he gave the order.”

“I don’t know what you want from me, Hux.”

The knife went back to Rey’s throat, “Yes you do. Admit what you did – admit to your men here that you betrayed all they stand for.”

Kylo swallowed as the knife glinted slightly in the overcast sun, looking at Rey for answers as he always did – she didn’t give anything away, just looked at him softly. The way she had in the hut – when she told him he wasn’t alone. He had always been truthful with her – always.

And so he admitted it, quietly – finally, “I did it. I killed the Supreme Leader, sliced him in half and left him for dead. And then I killed his guards.”

There was rumbling and agitation in both crowds as the words hit them, confusion from the Resistance and bewilderment from the First Order. Hux sneered at him which was really nothing out of the ordinary, but Finn was staring at him in shock – both he and Poe trying to absorb the reality of the situation. That Kylo Ren had killed the leader of the First Order – and apparently Rey knew and helped him do it.

She had never said anything, then. It didn’t surprise Kylo at all, she would have had to have some possibly uncomfortable conversations to explain why she had been there in the first place – why even go to the Supremacy, to Kylo Ren? Kylo’s heart pulled even now at the fact that she had trusted him, believed in him so much – he wasn’t alone. And now she was here, paralyzed and under threat because of him and still she stared at him with those full, understanding eyes.

She had called him Ben with hope in her voice, but then he remembered her tears as she begged him not to go back to the First Order. They had both been so wrong, being apart had brought them such pain – they were stronger together, he knew that now. Maybe she did too.

“Why?” Hux’s hysterical voice brought him out of his thoughts.

“Snoke was leading the First Order astray, he spoke of bringing order to the galaxy – and instead he brought nothing but destruction to it. He couldn’t see her potential. I could. So I killed him.” Kylo willed Hux to believe him, but he knew that his will was too strong to be bent by the Force, and Kylo had never been a very good liar.

Hux shook his head, clearly not believing him, and dragged the knife vertically down Rey’s throat, blood seeping out of the wound. Kylo’s rage burst forth and the ground shook with the force of it, making everyone take a step to steady themselves.

Hux seemed unphased, though, as he calmly asked again, “Why did you kill him?”

Kylo watched the knife drag down again and the ground shook as he yelled in anguish, “I couldn’t kill her.”

The knife went deeper into her throat, coming dangerously close to piercing the lifeblood artery there, and Kylo growled in anguish.

“Why.”

Kylo finally went to his knees in rage mixed with heartache, “Because I love her.”

A shout from behind Rey made him only vaguely aware the Finn had yelled out and tried to run at Kylo, but the pilot had wisely held him back. All Kylo could do was stare at Rey, avoiding the blood trickling down her neck, focused on the tears in her eyes. He knew somehow, even without the bond, that they weren’t tears of pain – and he held on to that thought as Hux nodded, accepting that answer.

“For once in your miserable life, Ren, you were honest. However, traitors must all pay for their treasonous acts and even you, Supreme Leader, are no different.” The knife twisted in his grip as he made to drive it in for the kill, his face twisted in hatred. Kylo, gripped by terror and rage and heartache, released the Force energy he had held back.

The ground shifted under Hux’s feet, splitting slightly in a mirror of what Rey had done on Ahch-To. Hux stumbled, the knife clattering to the ground and Finn immediately took advantage of it, tackling him to the ground.

Before the troopers could act on their orders to open fire on Rey, Kylo’s hands were on her manacles, releasing her and opening her once again to the Force. She grabbed his hand immediately and raised another towards the troopers, Kylo following suit as he read her intentions instinctively. Their hands raised and blew the troopers back together, pulling the blasters away and sending them towards the Resistance, effectively disarming them in one unified motion.

Rey swayed towards the ground as the connection dropped and Kylo caught her, pulling her to rest against his side as he commanded the troopers to stand down – disarmed, they had little choice but to obey. The Resistance were securing the blasters and other weapons in the frenzy.

Kylo could feel the sweat on his face, the hair sticking to his forehead from the strain – both mental and physical, and knelt there for a few seconds, Rey tucked into his side. They were breathing heavily from the strain, but after a moment he leaned down, hands framing her face to check if she was okay.

Her hair was equally matted to her forehead, and he couldn’t help but smooth it away back in her top bun, eliciting a small smile from her as his thumb brushed her face. He tilted her head to check her neck, but the wound seemed to already be closing – although he suspected she was working some magic with the Force to get it stabilized. Kylo had never been any good at that, but wasn’t surprised she was a natural.

His fingertips brushed the wound and it pulled at his heart, realizing how close he had been to losing her. Pulling his eyes away from the wound, he looked at her in the shared silence of mutual shock and adrenaline.

“I love you,” he said finally – directly. He should have told her sooner, but he had been an idiot and missed his chance. In some sick way, he should thank Hux for forcing them to face each other. Kylo watched her face process that, seeing how the words flowed over her and she smiled at him.

“I heard,” was all she said, but it was more than enough.

The wild look came back as he realized where he was, and that Hux still was alive – he spared one more moment looking at Rey, thumbs brushing her cheek fondly before he stood up.

“Soldiers of the First Order, you have just witnessed an attempted coup by your General. I’m here to remind you that I am your Supreme Leader, and you follow my orders before all others.” He turned to Hux, who was being held simultaneously by two large Resistance fighters, looking a little more roughed up than a few minutes ago. “General Hux, you are hereby under arrest for treason, you will be taken back to the Finalizer where you will be judged, affording you the justice you denied me.”

He waved his hand, blacking him out, and called two troopers to take him back, “Take your troops and return to the Finalizer. I will follow shortly. Make sure he remains sedated in his cell.”

Kylo stood watching the troopers fall back until he could no longer ignore the very large and very confused Resistance presence behind him. Sighing, he turned around and spoke to Poe. “Commander Dameron, expect a communication soon about negotiating an armistice. We both have a galaxy to rebuild.”

Poe raised his eyebrow in suspicion, but couldn’t find the words to respond and simply nodded in understanding; Finn looked as if he had had the wind knocked out of him as he helped Rey stand on shaky feet.

Kylo nodded, saying no more, and made his way back towards the Silencer.

“Ben!” Rey called out his name, laced with the command to wait. He froze, remembering the last time someone had tried to stop him like that, but he turned anyway – unable to deny her anything.

She ran to him, face open and desperate and confident, and they stared at each other – for once, the bond was quiet and he read the emotions on her face rather than in her mind.

“I love you, too.” Rey finally said, as fervently as when she had told him of his future. Solid and clear, she had said.

Stepping up into his personal space, she tugged on his tunic and he bent down obligingly, their lips meeting gently – exploratory, both of them experiencing it for the first time. His body ached and bending down to meet her lips made him groan, so his arms went around her in a solid grip, pulling her up. Rey’s legs went around him, holding herself there as she kissed him again, her tongue instinctively brushing against his lips, begging them to open. After a long moment – as they had been frozen in time – they finally broke away, lips swollen and cheeks flushed in happiness, and Rey leaned her forehead against his chest to catch her breath.

“I love you, Ben Solo,” she repeated, words muffled to his ears, but he felt them vibrate against his chest as it swelled with hope.

They had both been wrong, before, it wasn’t about turning to one side or the other – it was about meeting in the middle until the sides blurred and they were left with something new. Entirely theirs and stronger for it. Kylo held her against him, his hands brushing through her hair as he felt her body wrack with tears of terror – held back before, but they were released now – she felt safe with him. Whole.

He had never expected anyone to feel safe with him, a monster, and when tears wet his face he could not have said whether they were his own or hers.