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whichwayloreylo · 6 months ago

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Menelaus Blue Morpho

This was written for my dear friend @craitqueen ❤️🖤 I wrote it a while ago and just went back to tweak it

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1.8k words | Angst & fluff

˙˚∘⊹🦋⊹∘˚˙˙˚∘⊹🦋⊹∘˚˙˙˚∘⊹🦋⊹∘˚˙˙˚∘⊹🦋⊹∘˚˙˙˚∘⊹🦋⊹∘˚˙˙˚∘⊹🦋⊹∘˚˙

Consciousness ebbed and flowed through him. His lungs absorbed the first few pants of air like a sponge. For a few moments, there had been only darkness. Pitch black, but the ethereal feeling of floating through the galaxy. Ben's eyes suddenly snapped open, and he jerked himself up to a sitting position. The air was light here. It felt...pure. Much purer than he'd ever experienced on The Finalizer.

Taking in a deep breath, Ben surveyed his surroundings. What was this place? It was unlike anything he'd ever seen. His dark brown eyes danced along crystal pathways that floated through the air. His gaze went to his lap to see one of those pathways beneath him. Ben held his hands up in front of his face to examine them front and back. Nothing. Clear skin. He patted his chest and abdomen. All seemed normal. How was that possible? He felt he had a distant memory of his body being broken, followed by a notion of freedom unlike anything he'd ever felt before in his life.

Putting his hands down on either side of him, Ben pushed himself to stand. He turned in place, yet saw nothing but avenues stretching in the distance

"What a mystical place," he spoke to himself.

Rey sat stunned on Exegol, her fingers shaking in front of her eyes.

"No," she whispered. "NO!"

Bringing her palms to her face, Rey felt the tears rushing down her cheeks. Her mind was racing as she screamed and clawed at the ground.

"He has to be here. He can't just leave," she sobbed.

Feeling dirt and blood cake under her fingernails, Rey heaved a shaky breath before she threw her head back in an agonizing howl. She rocked herself back and forth frantically. She had finally found her family- her home. It was Ben.

Rey began thrashing violently as the emotions overwhelmed her. There were so many. Hope that bubbled to the surface, only to be stamped out. Love that bloomed in her chest, only to be ripped away. How could she go on like this? She'd never felt truly whole in her life until Ben came to her aid to face Palpatine. To know that it was him, really him, completed her in a way she hadn't thought possible. She wasn't even given the time to enjoy it. Now, it felt as though her other half was wrenched from her grasp.

After a considerable time, Rey's cries dulled to numbness. She sat with her forehead laid on her crossed arms atop her knees. She didn't move. She was just existing, if you could call it that. The whimpers of a porg burst her bubble of misery. Looking up, Rey's eyes found the porg crying in front of her. She sniffled and wiped her nose.

"What's wrong, little guy? Are you heartbroken, too?"

The porg bounced up and down in front of her, then walked away. Turning back to look at her, the porg flapped its wings, and cawed. Rey got the distinct feeling that it wanted her to follow. She shakily stood, not bothering to brush any dirt off her clothes. There was blood on them anyway.

Slowly stepping toward the bird, she waited for it to scurry further, and turn to her again. Rey rubbed her palms on her pants absentmindedly as she walked. She couldn't tell if they were wet from sweat or tears. She followed the porg into a dark chamber.

She squinted her eyes. There was very little light, but a distinct glow came from the other side of the space. Rey cautiously approached what could only be described as a floating vortex encapsulated in a triangle. It seemed to be inscribed with what she recognized as ancient Jedi text. She blinked her eyes to confirm that she wasn't seeing things.

Walking forward, Rey ghosted her hand over the entrance. It had to be a portal of some kind. She slowly let her fingers extend into the void, and found that there was no solid barrier behind it. Her arm was being sucked in. Rey had no desire to fight it. Any dimension was better than this one at the present.

Tumbling out on the other side, Rey fell on what felt like glass. She pushed herself up on her hands and knees to look around. She had clean clothes, and her arm was healed. She didn't know if she was in some kind of dream. Pathways crossing over and under one another extended as far as she could see. The air was empty except for the twinkling of stars. It was like she could see the whole galaxy from where she stood. Rey pushed herself to stand, and took a few steps forward. Blue mist seemed to outline every step of her foot.

"This is magical," Rey thought as she looked down at her feet with a giggle.

She needed a distraction from her harsh reality. Wind whistled through her hair, and she raised her face back up to look back at the stars. She took slow, careful steps forward as she admired the beauty around her. It reminded her of the hole she fell in at Ahch-To. She hoped that this place wouldn't leave her feeling anymore desperation. Her heart couldn't break any further if she had to guess. Rey eventually halted her steps, and enjoyed the quiet, peaceful atmosphere.

Suddenly, she heard a whisper carried by the breeze.

"Rey."

Rey jolted her head in the direction that it came from. That was Ben's voice. She'd know it anywhere. Her eyes frantically searched for anyone else in this void.

"Ben?" she whispered desperately.

The soothing voice came again.

"Rey. Follow the sound of my voice."

Running forward, Rey didn't know what she'd find. And frankly, she didn't care whether or not it was a trap. She would always run toward Ben. She'd spent far too much time running away from him; she realized that now more than ever.

A form started to emerge down the path. Rey ran harder. She stopped a few feet from the dark, tall figure. Its back was turned to her, but Rey knew it was Ben. She could feel it. She just didn't know how he was here, or how this was possible. Rey cautiously spoke.

"Ben? Is that you?"

Turning to her with a confused expression, it softened when Ben's eyes landed on hers.

"Rey. You found me," he smiled, and opened his arms.

She noticed that he was wearing the same clothes she'd last seen him in on Exegol.

Rushing forward, Rey locked her hands in a vice grip around his torso. The tears began streaming again.

"Ben. I knew it was you. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything."

Looping his arms around her, Ben kissed the crown of her head.

"What're you apologizing for, sweetheart?"

Rey whimpered, but kept her cheek against his chest. She didn't want him to disappear.

"It should've been me."

Ben pushed her back slightly to loosen her grip.

"Rey, look at me."

Rey's eyes bored into his as her bottom lip trembled. She would do anything to switch places with him. He cupped her cheeks in his hands.

"It was you. You gave your life for a noble cause. Something that I was never able to do, until I gave my life for you."

More tears blurred Rey's vision, but she shook them away.

"No, Ben. It isn't fair. I've never had anything in my life to truly call my own."

She locked eyes with him again.

"Until you. We were destined for each other. And you were taken from me. Killed from me. My other half."

Ben shushed her, and brought her head back to his chest before she got herself too worked up.

"Rey, do you hear that?"

Rey scrunched her brow in confusion. Hear what? And that's when she heard it. His heartbeat. Slow, but steady. Rey looked back up at Ben with wide eyes.

"Ben! Your heartbeat! Are...are you still alive? I watched you disappear."

Her eyes desperately searched his for answers.

"I'm not sure. What little I know of the World Between Worlds, I learned from Palpatine. He was trying to control it; to gain dominion over it."

Rey scanned her surroundings again.

"Is that what this place is? The World Between Worlds?"

Ben nodded.

"You didn't know that?"

Rey shook her head.

"No, I didn't. I've only heard of this place in stories. I didn't know it was real."

Ben let out a small chuckle.

"Ah, my scavenger. You have much to learn."

Rey looked back at his face, and smiled. She was so happy to see him again. She stood on her tippy-toes and kissed him, putting her hands on his cheeks. This was real. He was real. The revelation gave her a new burst of life.

Pulling back, Rey sighed contentedly. Ben smiled down at her.

"Now we just need to figure out how to get out of here."

Rey's eyes blew wide.

"Get out of here?"

Ben quirked his brow, confused by her question.

"Yes, Rey. We need to get out of here. Back to our realm."

Rey looked down at his chest as she brought her palms back to it. She scrunched the material there between her fingers.

"What if I don't want to?"

Ben's breath hitched.

"What do you mean, Rey?"

She met his gaze again.

"You exist in this realm. And it's just the two of us from what I can see. There's no pain. No war. We could stay here forever."

Ben paused, considering his answer.

"Rey, I know it's painful. But we have to try. Whether I'm alive in our realm or not, they need you."

He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. Seeing the uncertainty in her eyes, he pressed his forehead to hers. She inhaled a sharp breath, and kept her eyes glued to his. She was still afraid that he wouldn't be here if she closed them again.

"I don't want to leave you," she choked out, and her eyes welled up with more tears.

"Alive or not, you know that I'm always with you," Ben assured her, closing his eyes.

He was at peace with that realization. Rey sucked in a breath, taking the risk of closing her eyes, too. She was basking in his presence, in the feel of him, and steadying her breath. She'd reached a resolution.

"I'll only go back if you try to come with me."

Opening his eyes, Ben gave her a big, toothy grin.

"Well, of course, sweetheart. I'll follow you anywhere."

Rey giggled with watery eyes. She kissed him again as a lone tear descended on her cheek. She didn't know if it'd be the last time.

Parting from the kiss, Ben stood up straight, and grabbed Rey's hand from his chest.

"Let's give it a try."

Rey gave a teary smile and nod.

#reylo #otp #reylo fanfic #reylo au #star wars #my stuff

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kuwdora · 2 years ago

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Star Wars vid recs

Someone on my twitter feed had asked for some vid recs for Star Wars and I thought I’d share some of my faves over here.

Desperado by fightingarrival Sequel trilogy. Poe/Finn/Rey. The Force Awakens + Rihanna + fightingarrival’s editing = the best thing you will ever see. The VIBES of this vid are incredible and editing will knock your socks off. There’s this transition of the two stormtroopers pulling Poe over to Kylo Ren and it transitions right into a tie fighter—and the shape of the tie fighter matches the way the troopers are holding Poe. Finn reaching for Rey on “not leaving me behind” — THIS VID IS SO GOOD. I have probably rewatched it 1,000,000 times since it debuted at ConTxt in 2018.

Jailbreak by @absolutedestiny. Original trilogy. The criminal hijinks and shenanigans of our rebel scum. This vid is so much FUN and full of the amazing trouble our favorites got into in the trilogy. The editing is so sharp and the lyrics are fabulous.

99 Problems by John Jay. Live action and animated series and films. Obi-Wan has 99 problems and honestly Anakin is all of them but FFFFFFUUUUCK the way these clips land on the beats!!!! I’ve seen this vid being reblogged all over tumblr but I gotta rec a million times because it is so good. This uses all the live action and animated Star Wars source to AMAZING EFFECT, holy fuck twirl those Light sabers on the beat!!

Sk8er Boi by @ohvienna. Sequel trilogy. Kylo/Rey. This vid is hilarious and perfect and YES this is the Avril Lavigne song. Just trust me on this. You’ll see this and only be able to think of Kylo when you hear the song afterwards. You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid by @rhoboat77. The Mandalorian and Grogu. This vid is a romp and delight and Rho’s pacing throughout the song will keep you captivated with squee and love for these two.

Terrible/Beautiful by @cherryberrynice. Rogue One vid featuring Chirrut/Baze and Cassian/Jyn. Cherry always has amazing song choices for her vids and this AWOLNATION song for these two and this movie is outstanding. Her editing remains absolutely kinetic and visceral and it’s impossible for me not to adore this. The BEATS IN THIS!! The action sequences!! The tension in this vid is so good.

9 to 5 by eruthros. Lego Star Wars featuring the clone troopers!!!! Honestly you won’t find a cuter Star Wars vid than this.

Last of the Real Ones by @starlady38. Star Wars Rebels, Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus. This is the found family of my soul and I will always cry during the final episode of the show as well as this vid. These two learned so much about what it meant to become a Jedi and how to be there for each other. My heart is so full when I rewatch this vid. PLUS it’s Fall Out Boy! Amazing combination and amazing editing and so, so lovely.

In Your Head by Darth Porg. This is the Bad Wolves cover of Zombie used to DEVASTATING EFFECT for the clone troopers. Like this vid goes so fucking hard that my soul is fucking shattered. I’ve never recovered from this vid or anything about the clone troopers.

The Light by destina. This is an Anakin/Darth Vader characters study to Adam Lambert’s music, omg. It’s dancey, it’s deadly, it’s damn fucking good. The rage, the yearning, and power of Anakin in this vid is crystal clear with Adam Lambert’s vocals, holy fuck.

One Girl Revolution by bessyboo. Padme and Leia vid!! Warning for bright lights, fast cuts + stuttery/"flicker" cuts. This iconic song for two iconic women. Perfect combination is perfect with amazing parallels and badassery from both mother and daughter.

Somewhere Only We Know by trekkiebeth. Rogue One vid featuring Cassian/Jyn. The wariness and yearning of these characters works remarkably with this cover by Darren Criss. I progressively get more choked up as the vid progresses. So lovely. Standing in the Way of Control by @trelkez. This vid uses footage from all the films and TV shows to highlight our heroes standing up to fascism. It isn’t pretty, it isn’t easy and they get knocked down so many times but the tension and hope in this vid—despite facing death and genocide—is really outstanding.

Home by @collsssss. The Mandolorian and Grogu. This is the sweetest most endearing look at Din Djarin doing his best for Grogu and AHHHH the song just makes my heart swell with warm fuzzies. This vid is so, so lovelyyyyy.

And here’s my Star Wars vids (so far):

Me, Me, Me, a Star Wars Rebels vid featuring Chopper. Just a little indie rock song for my favorite Star Wars droid.

What We Live For, a Star Wars sequel trilogy OT3 vid of fluffiness and adventure. Baby you’re my open road, you can take me anywhere the wind blows, right into the great unknown. We can throw up our hands out the window, this is what we live for. All my Rey/Finn/Poe feelings right here.

One Foot, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order. This game was AMAZING and Cal Ketis got me right in the feels. If you liked Star Wars Rebels, you definitely should look up the game or at least the cut scenes from the game because his journey is amazing and I of course had to vid it. The ‘finding yourself/found family’ themes in this game are A++++ and what you will find in this vid of mine.

#vid rec #star wars recs #star wars #the mandalorian #star wars jedi fallen order #star wars rebels #star wars clone wars #star wars original trilogy #star wars sequel trilogy #my posts #kuwdora recs

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silverwings22 · 8 months ago

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Song of the Sea: Chapter 44: Strike Gently

Series Warning: explicit smut, alien anatomy (it's a monsterfucker fic, guys), major character injury, grief, canon typical violence, autistic meltdowns, and my terrible attempts at Mando'a Chapter Warnings: PTSD/trauma, trauma bonding, suicidal ideation, disability, biological weaponry, grief

Previous chapter:

Next chapter:

“You want to go on a picnic?” Shiani looked suspiciously at Crosshair. He’d just gotten off his shift helping fishermen load their boats at the dock, and he and Wrecker had come and picked her and Omega up from the ship. They’d insisted she and the girl get their bathing suits, so now the siren was riding her minispeeder down the stairs between the two brothers in her yellow suit and a sarong Shep had given her. Omega had hopped on the back, holding the towels.

“You miss the beach. Don’t act like you don’t.” Crosshair smirked.

“I can’t swim anymore. I already told you.” She sighed, glad she’d at least left her new vambrace on in the shuffle to get out of the ship. She could work on calibrating the venom darts with her pocket toolkit that fit on the back of her brace…

“We’ll see about that.” Wrecker grinned, and pointed as they reached the sand. Hunter was already there, with a big blanket and an umbrella. He waved, sitting cross legged on and waiting for them.

Omega grinned, running ahead with Batcher to get to Hunter. “Family beach day!”

Shiani looked up at Wrecker and Crosshair. “We’re doing family activities now?”

Wrecker nodded as they got to the blanket, helping her off the speeder and onto it. “Omega mentioned you were crying the other day when you were supposed to be meditating, and then Cross said you mentioned not being able to swim. So we’re gonna help. Lunch first.”

Shiani was slightly overwhelmed at the idea they’d all put in this effort to cheer her up, sitting quietly as the clones divvied up fruit and snacks for their picnic. Omega was sneaking Batcher scraps, and Hunter pretended he didn’t notice. All the clones were in in civvie clothes, Crosshair mildly threatening a few moon-yos that got close enough they might be considering stealing his lunch. Wrecker just kept handing Shiani things to eat, having gotten to pick stuff out for Hunter to buy at the market for this. “Here, try this one. It’s gotta be better than irling.”

Crosshair raised an eyebrow. “Irling?”

“Giant insectoid thing we ran into on Ord Mantell. She tried to eat it.” Hunter chuckled.

“She tried to eat a gundark too.” Omega laughed.

“I did eat an aggrocrab.” Shiani finally smiled a little. “I wanted to try porg, but Omega said it was too cute. I do not understand why cute means not edible.”

Crosshair snorted. “Have you tried to eat everything?”

“Not everything.” Shiani laughed. “Never ate clones.” She couldn’t say the same thing about longnecks, but she thought it might horrify Omega to know that. The longnecks used to bury their dead at sea, and anything in the ocean was fair game for a starving siren in exile. Clones were cremated, and she didn’t think she could have ever looked Tech in the eye if she’d eaten someone who shared his genetics.

When she’d wanted to know what Tech tasted like, there had been more pleasant ways to indulge them both.

Crosshair just squinted at her as everyone ate. Once they’d finished, Wrecker grinned and ducked his shirt and boots. “Take your brace off.”

Shian frowned at him. “I can’t walk without it, Wrecker.”

“I know, but you won’t need to walk.” He grinned. “Just trust me.”

She sighed and unstrapped and buckled herself, pulling her leg loose slowly. She squeaked when Wrecker slipped one hand under her knees and another behind her back, picking her up like a ragdoll. Her arms and tentacles wrapped around him immediately, eyes wide, and he walked straight to the water. Omega giggled as he got in up to his chest and let Shiani sink to her shoulders.

She blinked, slowly reaching her hand out to feel the water before she loosened her grip on the gentle giant. Bit by bit he let her go, until she was floating beside him with her eyes wide and amazed. “See? You can swim again, ya just need a little help!” He grinned.

She couldn’t kick, but she was happy to keep herself near the surface with her arms. The cool water ran through her gills, like it could cure the uncomfortable heat a heart burned to ash left behind in the chasm it left behind within her chest. She could feel the ghost of the woman she’d been before Eriadu, and sank completely under to stretch out in the embrace of the sea.

When she surfaced, she looked up and waved at Hunter and Crosshair on the blanket. Hunter waved back, sitting back with a bottle of juice and watching Omega play with Batcher in the sand. Crosshair had laid down under the umbrella and immediately fallen asleep with his arms behind his head. He could nap anywhere, Shiani had noticed. Wrecker sometimes tried stacking things on him whenever he conked out somewhere obvious, like the bridge.

Wrecker was floating and splashing, so she wiggled the best she could and dove deep enough to go check on the reef. It was harder to swim than it used to be, but she was more agile in the water than on land. She let herself bask in the array of color under the surface, hands out for small reef fish to explore her as much as the coral.

She’d been under a while when she surfaced. Crosshair was standing at the water's edge, clearly looking for her. She swam in as far as she could, almost to his feet. “Where’d everybody go?”

He offered her a hand up, flipping her into his arms like she didn’t weigh much. “Omega ran into someone in the caves. I just checked her through Tech’s records, and it’s exactly who I thought it was.”

She nodded, frowning. “Bad person?”

“Yeah. I’m going back, get your leg back on and come around the back. We’re going to try to deal with this, but we might need backup. This woman’s a war criminal.”

Shiani nodded, pulling on her vambrace. “Guess we’re testing this today.” She muttered as he ran back towards the caves. She quickly pulled her brace back on and strapped herself in, getting to her feet and taking a careful approach on foot instead of with her speeder. She came around wide, finding a woman with ghostly pale skin absolutely beating the hell out of the three clones. Crosshair was curled on the ground, trying to right himself, while Wrecker was lifted off the ground and clawing at his throat. She had a glowing yellow weapon held to Hunter’s neck, one Shiani had read about. A lightsaber.

Either the woman was a Jedi or their evil counterpart, but either way she was a threat to Shiani’s family. When Omega ran up with a white blossom from the weeping maya tree, she was just in time to see Shiani pop up from the lower rocks and hold her fist out. With a flick of her thumb, a hypodermic shot out of her vambrace attachment and slammed into the side of the stranger’s neck.

The female zebrak turned her head, looking at Shiani for a second before she dropped to her knees. Her lightsaber extinguished, and the three clones who had been on the ground all breathed a sigh of relief.

“Shiani!” Omega gasped. “She was helping me!”

“And now she is napping.” Shiani said calmly, limping over to give Hunter and Crosshair a hand up. “Crosshair says she’s a war criminal.”

“She’s testing me to see if I have a high M-count.” Omega protested as Wrecker dragged the woman to a rock and sat her up, cuffing her.

“Do we even know what an M-count is now?” The siren didn’t look very moved by the girl’s pleading, crossing her arms.

“She says it’s in the blood. A high count can be trained to be a Jedi.” Omega explained.

“What did you shoot her with?” Hunter pulled the needle out of the woman’s neck and examined it.

“Siren venom. Don’t touch that.” Shiani cautioned. “Even Jedi aren’t immune. You guys go back to the ship, and I’ll interrogate her and come back.”

“What if you don’t get anything out of her?” Wrecker frowned.

The look on Shiani’s face said he didn’t want the answer, and the three men very hurriedly escorting their little sister away from the threat and potentially violent solution to it. Shiani sat down on a rock across from the woman, fiddling with the cuff key Wrecker had slipped her.

It didn’t take long for the woman to wake up, her constitution impressive for someone so skinny. She squinted at the siren, in a yellow bathing suit and wet sarong, leg brace cocked up at an angle. “Who are you?” She muttered in a tense, raspy voice as she scratched at the injection point on her neck with bound hands.

“I’m the sister of those clones.” She responded. “Shiani Illumai. Who are you?”

“I’m Fennec’s contact.”

“I don’t trust Fennec either. Name?”

The woman sighed. “Asajj Ventress.”

“My brothers say you’re a war criminal.” Shiani said quietly. “But Omega says you’re helping her. Explain please?”

“I don’t owe you an explanation.”

“No, you don’t. But you had a Jedi weapon pointed at my brother’s throat. I don’t owe you your life.” Shiani picked up the lightsaber and examined it. “I know you don’t know me, so I’ll be very honest. I have nothing in this galaxy to lose but those four clones. I can’t go back to my people in a meaningful way, everything hurts, and I’ve lost my mate. My entire purpose, for the rest of my life, is to keep them safe. If you’re a part of that, then we’ll get along just fine. But if you’re going to hurt them, I will make sure you’re never found.” The siren looked up at her. “Now, explain please. I’m listening.”

Ventress sighed. “Fennec said a group of clones were asking about M-counts. That’s dangerous, so I came to check out the kid and see if she did have a high count.”

“What is M-count?”

“Midichlorians. It’s in the blood, and the higher counts are able to use the Force.”

“Jedi. And… Sith.” Shiani ran her thumb over the lightsaber hilt in her hand. “You’re not a Jedi.”

“No. I used to be a Sith. I’m on my own side now.” Ventress nodded.

“So you want to test Omega. What happens if she’s got a high count?”

“She’d need to be trained. I could take her.”

“Or not.” Shiani frowned. “She needs her family. And we need her.”

Ventress stared at the siren for a moment before nodding. “I thought you might say that. That’s what the fight was about, with the clones.”

“They start it?” Shiani mused.

“Of course they did. I told them they’d regret it. I’m not the enemy here. We were all pawns of the same war, and we all lost.”

“Everyone lost.” Shiani nodded and got up, limping over to uncuff the former Sith. She handed Ventress back her lightsaber and offered her a hand up. “You can test Omega tomorrow. How will you do it?”

“I’ll rent a boat and take her out on it. Many Force-sensitives can connect with wildlife.” Ventress shrugged.

Shiani nodded thoughtfully. “You test her, and tell us what you find. But after, you can’t take her. If she needs training, we all will go. If she doesn’t we’ll stay here and keep her safe.”

Ventress nodded. “You’re an odd little creature.”

“I’ve been told.” Shiani smiled, but it didn’t quite touch her eyes. “Thank you for talking to me.”

Ventress eyed her. “You’re Force-sensitive yourself, aren’t you?”

“All sirens are.” Shiani nodded. “Can’t do what Jedi and Sith can do, though. I don’t need to. Light and Dark side don’t mean the same thing to us.”

“But which side are you on?” Ventress raised an eyebrow.

Shiani laughed. “Same side you are, Asajj Ventress. My own side. See you tomorrow.” She limped out of the cave, leaving a very puzzled woman behind.

The rest of the family was sitting on the ship when Shiani limped her way up to them, the sky past dark now.

“She leave?” Crosshair murmured as the siren settled into a seat for the expected family meeting.

“No. She wants to finish testing Omega in the morning. I told her it would be alright.”

“Why?” Hunter frowned, looking at her. She adjusted her brace casually.

“Omega needs to know if she has a high M-count, and I can’t tell her. Neither can you.” She looked up, meeting his eyes.

“She’s a fucking war criminal. We can’t trust her around Omega. Do you have any idea how many clones she’s killed?” Crosshair growled.

“I don’t know much about the war, but if she wanted to hurt us wouldn’t she have killed you three when she had a chance?” Omega pointed out, arms crossed. She looked so serious in the dim ship lights. It dawned on Shiani all of a sudden how far they had all come, from the moment this little family had formed to now. Omega was speaking up, expecting to be heard by her brothers as equals instead of the nervous little girl who’d first joined them. She knew and considered danger, unlike the child who had strayed past the fence into a nexu’s sights in ignorance on Salucemi. Hunter was listening, regarding her intently and seriously instead of trying to conceal the greatest danger to protect her. Wrecker too was focusing on Omega instead of trying to comfort her, giving her choice and agency in the group decision. Crosshair, toothpick in his mouth, was reunited with his brothers and had the same goal of keeping Omega safe. Omega was their equal, like Shiani had once told her she would become.

If only Tech could see this… he might have liked this kind of change.

“We were just getting warmed up.” Wrecker protested.

“You all got folded like lawn chairs.” Shiani sniffed.

Omega tried not to let it make her laugh. “I think she’s trying to help. People can change.”

Crosshair frowned, looking at her quietly and pointing at her with his toothpick. “You’re being naive.”

“I never gave up on you, did I?” Omega said firmly.

Crosshair froze, eyes widening before dropping from Omega’s face to Shiani’s. The siren nodded, squaring her shoulders. “Neither did Tech.”

He sighed. “You really think this is worth the risk?”

“It’s our only chance for answers. If Omega can use the Force like Jedi, we have to find her a teacher. If she can’t, we find a new lead.” She held an arm out and Omega came over, tucking herself close to the siren. “You go meet her in the morning. She’ll take you on a boat. I’ll follow underwater, and keep an eye out from below.” She looked at Wrecker. “If you don’t mind putting me in the water again.”

“Not at all.” Wrecker smiled.

Shiani got up. “Dibs on first shower.”

Crosshair rolled his eyes, but smiled a little. “Don’t use all the hot water, squidlett.”

She chuckled and limped to get her clean clothes, and Omega smiled. “You three have to promise not to interfere.”

Hunter groaned. “Omega….”

“Please, Hunter. I need to do this on my own.”

The sergeant sighed deeply. ‘Alright. I promise, we’ll stay out of it.”

He blinked when she threw herself into his arms for a hug. “Thank you for believing in me.”

“Of course I believe in you, Omega. It’s Ventress I don’t trust.”

Once Shiani got out of her shower, she settled herself in a bridge chair while the guys settled down for their own showers and bedtime routines. She turned to the console, and started typing.

Alright Tech, tell me who this Ventress really is.

She pulled up Tech’s old logs, going through everything her mate’s brilliant catalog of a brain had ever found her associated with. Former padawan, who lost her master. An attack on Kamino that led to the father-like clone 99’s death. Republic troops killed when she broke Nute Gunray out of custody. Frequent run-ins with Kenobi and Skywalker. Count Dooku’s apprentice, left for dead, witches of Dathomir, Savage Opress…

The more she read, the more Shiani kind of felt sorry for Ventress. She’d done terrible things, but she’d also been a victim of so many types of loss herself. Shiani guessed if she’d been hurt this many times and hadn’t had the Batch to love her… maybe it would have pissed her off too. It wasn’t hard to see her own reflection is someone else’s suffering, and what made her any better than Ventress in the right situation?

She slumped back in her chair and rubbed her hip quietly. At least she’d get to go swimming again tomorrow.

Wrecker had taken Shiani into the water at first light, so the siren floated serenely under the pier and waited. She could hear Omega and Ventress talking about what the former Sith had done during the war. Omega was so unflappably unafraid, though Ventress said all her smiling was unsettling. That only confirmed Shiani’s idea that Ventress was much like Crosshair, unused to any kindness and with twice the power as the traumatized sniper to lash out and take the surrounding area out in their wake.

She swam under the boat when Ventress and Omega got into it, keeping pace with the engine with a little effort. She remembered when she was fast enough to swim circles around a dianoga… back then she could have lapped this boat three or four times as they went along to deep water beyond the reef. It was cooler here, and Shiai stayed out of sight just under the surface and kept watch.

Far below her was the world she had left behind, the cool darkness of the sea. Kashae and Irri were hard at work, building New Acopit for the sirens while they adjusted to a semi-aquatic life among the people of Pabu. Some had partnered with fishermen and tradesmen here, making friends as their skills were showcased for all their value. Kashae came to land often now, meeting with Shep as co-leaders with Shiani serving as a liaison when she could. It was heartwarming to see, and she’d never missed life beneath the waves when Tech was here. But now, sometimes she wanted to visit Kashe in return. Swim with little Shion, sing with Irri and hunt with the other sirens… just to feel like there was some part of her that had existed before she’d fallen in love that hadn’t died on Eriadu next to the love of her life.

She hugged her arms around herself when she felt a sudden calling, deep inside her gills and hearts, like an encouraging bid to the surface. It felt like the craving she’d had to seek out the light when she was young, the call that dragged her from Acopit to her first sight of the surface of Kamino. She remembered the sting of raindrops on her cheeks the first time, and the clouds and moonlight on the water as she took her first breath of air that tasted of sea salt and freedom.

Luminescent manta rays came up from below, fluttering past her like a swarm of birds as they headed for the boat above her and started circling. They were beautiful, and she watched in amazement before something pulled once again inside her hearts. She opened her mouth and it poured out, a song she hadn’t felt since the day she’d lost Tech. If she’d been on land she would have had tears on her cheeks as the notes kept coming and coming, sweeping her away as some of the mantas dropped lower to circle her. She threw her head back, eyes closed, and sang her hearts out.

She’d thought she had forgotten joy felt like.

Something brushed her side, and she turned to see a massive vrathean surfacing fast, tentacles reaching up towards the boat. She paled, shooting upwards to the side of the boat. “Omega!”

The girl turned around, startled, just before the vrathean capsized the boat and grabbed her in its tentacle. It dragged Omega under and Shiani went after it at the same time Ventress did. The former sith had her lightsaber out, cutting herself free when the creature grabbed her. Shiani had sunk her teeth into the vrathean’s tentacle that held Omega. It let go of the clone girl, and Shiani swept past her and Ventress to grab their hands and drag them to the surface. The grabbed onto the boat, coughing.

“You okay?” Shiani frowned.

Omega nodded, paling when the vrathean fully surfaced. “For now. Did you summon that too?”

“Not intentionally.” Ventress groaned.

Shiani glanced up at the Marauder now heading for them. “Tell them not to shoot. They’ll make this worse.” She muttered, diving under as the leviathan grabbed Ventress and hoisted her into the air. Omega watched her hold out her hand and try to connect to the vrathean’s mind, and felt something deep in her bones coming from below the surface.

Shiani had wrapped her limbs around one of the larger tentacles and was singing again, soothing it of its anger and hurt, until it went still and relaxed some. The siren climbed up beside its eye and gently petted it as it brought Ventress to its face and her hand pressed to its beak. After a long moment where its massive eyes dilated and it returned Ventress to the overturned boat. It sank back into the depths and Shiani swam over to the other two.

Ventress raised an eyebrow, pushing her wet hair out of her face. Omega smiled. “You actually did it!”

“Don’t sound so surprised.” Ventress huffed.

The Marauder hovered low for them, Crosshair practically running down the stairs to get to Omega. Then he politely offered Ventress a hand up into the ship too. “Hunter, get lower. I can’t reach Shiani.”

“You got the other two?” Hunter yelled back.

“Yeah, they can stand on the boat. Squidlett can’t. Get lower!” Crosshair dropped to his knees on the last step and stretched his arm down, grabbing the siren’s arm. “Gotcha.”

She laughed as he hauled her out of the water and set her on the ramp so he could carry her back inside. “Proud of you..”

“For what, pulling you up? You’re my sister.” He grumbled, still thinking of what she’d said last night about Tech having never given up on him just like Omega hadn’t.

“No, I mean thank you for being nice to Ventress.” Shiani smiled, patting his arm as he set her on a crate in the hold. “She’s just like us.”

He paused, looking down the ship to where Ventress as listening to Omega describing what she’d done to Hunter. “... I had a feeling you were going to say something like that.”

The family of clone and siren stood in front of Ventress’ ship as they said their goodbyes, Omega curiously bouncing on her heels. “So… what’s the verdict? Do I have a high M-count?” She looked up, eyes wide.

“From what I’ve seen, no.” Ventress shook her head.

Omega deflated a little, and Shiani put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay.”

“But we still don’t know why the Empire is after me.” Omega’s brow furrowed.

“The truth is rarely comforting.” Ventress shook her head. “But with the Empire hunting high m-count targets, you’re better off this way.”

“Well… thank you anyway.” Omega said kindly, taking Wrecker by the hand and calling Batcher as they headed down the beach.

Once they were out of earshot, Crosshair fixed Ventress with a hard look. “You’re lying.”

“About which part?” There was the barest hint of a smirk on her face as she looked at them.

“You tell us.” Hunter was in no mood to play games with Omega’s safety at stake, and his tone was demanding.

“If she had a high count, she’d need to be trained. Which means leaving you all.”

“Not going to happen.” Hunter snapped.

“That’s what she said.” Ventress nodded to Shiani. “High M-count or not, the Empire is still after her. It’s worse out there than you know, and you’re not as safe here as you think.”

Shiani furrowed her brow. “You have a high count. The Empire will be hunting you too. What will you do?”

“I’ve still got a few lives left.” Ventress chuckled, turning to walk back to her ship with an exaggerated sway of her hips.

Crosshair snorted. “I still can’t figure out whose side you’re on.”

Ventress paused and looked over her shoulder. “It’s like your little friend said. My own.”

Shiani watched her go as the two brothers looked at her, fingers tight on the handle of her cane as she tried to wrap her brain around everything. The ship pulled out of the cavern and ascended rapidly, disappearing out of the atmosphere and into the cold, beautiful reaches of space. Her hearts ached as a slow realization dawned on her. It wasn’t safe here, and the longer they stayed the greater the chances became that the Empire would find them. Even though she’d brought the sirens here, and made friends, and was starting to feel like life might have some meaning after Tech… “Guys…”

Hunter and Crosshair both turned to look at her. “What’s wrong?” The sergeant frowned, seeing her shoulders tremble.

“We’re going to have to leave Pabu…”

#explict #original character #clone force 99 #the bad batch #star wars #fanfic #tbb tech #song of the sea #oc shiani illumai

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fantasyqueen502 · 2 years ago

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At Peace

Word count: 987

Summary: OC/reader who was one of Luke’s students. She was the first to meet Kylo Ren. Feel free to comment, like, and enjoy.

Rated: PG-13

Graphic bodily harm, trauma, and permanent injury.

"LET ‘EM GO!!!"

Orange saber aglow.

Clouds surround her face panting from the trek.

The soot burned her lungs.

The temple was ablaze. Embers rode the wind along with the sniffles and whimpers of the younglings he had stolen.

"You dare challenge me, runt!" He spat, extending his hand. A whimper slips from her teeth. She rose, her grip trembling on the hilt of her weapon. Ben, his name was.

He was older and better; the blood of legends she had heard ran through his veins.

He kicks her hand, the glittering silver disappearing into the night. Readying a fist, she lounges. He dodges with ease, striking her face. Clawing the ground as her senses abandoned her. Everything was numb, everything was fading, vision blurred, she cried. Eyes fluttered to her left at the sight of younglings.

Watching in horror, frozen, unable to do anything.

"The force is wasted on you."

Suddenly her body goes stiff and slams to the ground, limbs extended in a starfish position. Trying to free herself from the invisible restraints around her wrists and ankles. Tears began to build. Biting his lip to keep from crying out.

Crying out to her mom or dad; she was six after all. The hiss of a saber and the heat of the blue blade caused her heart to stop.

"His teaching the ways of the foolish. The blind. To follow the rules because that is how he was taught. You will be his greatest student." He chuckles. "Relying on her master to see," Holding his saber out, she pulls and fights with all of her might. Fighting to turn her head as the blue blade came closer.

Closer.

The light was blinding.

Her eyes watered as her vision filled with stars. The heat made her eyes water as tears poured down her face. Closer, and closer, a screech leaves her throat. The hiss of scorching flesh Her skin was on fire from the white, hot flash of pain. The smell of burning and the taste of copper.

---Many years later---

"Rising moons."

"Rising moons: Bespin and Jakku."

Porro reads while snuggling up close to his mother. Her arm held him close, raking her hand through his thick, curly hair as he read. Rik on her other side, head resting on her chest, lulled to sleep with the steady rise and fall of his back.

"Rising moons Porgs, and Tauntaun." He chuckles. "That doesn't rhyme."

"Yeah, I think the writer was running out of things to rhyme with moons." She chuckles. He looks up at her, holding his bangs away to give his forehead a kiss. "Time for bed," she says. Closing the book and placing it on. The shelf with many others.

"Rising moons, little one." She coos, placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Rising moons, Mama." He yawns, making her smile. Lifting the youngest boy into her arms and tucking him into the bed on the other side of the room. Feeling his forehead, giving it a kiss as well.

Picking up dirty plates from the table where the little family had dinner.

A metallic clank catches her ear. Rounding the table for something that most have fallen over over. Fingers meet something cold. Taking it in her hand, she shutters. Memories of the night she lost

"Hello." She says her voice is steady. Feeling the air following a trail she stands before, "Ben."

He takes a shaky breath. Avoiding her eyes. The scars still managed to stare right through him.

"You're at peace." She smiles softly. "I'm happy for you."

"I don't deserve it," he shutters. Taking only glances at the reminder of his cruelty "The horrible things—" he swallows the lump that constricted his throat. "You should hate me." He nods. "To tell me that I'm a horrible being."

"I did, and back then I would have done all those things. I learned to let go of the hate that was eating away at my life, my body, and my soul. It wasn't helping. So I welcomed love." She smiles. "I was gifted by people who cared about me and got me through recovery; I found a flyboy, now my husband and two beautiful boys."

"I'm sure they will be as inspiring as their mother."

"I forgive you, Ben." She inhales deeply. "I hope you weren't alone."

"I wasn't." He shutters, "Thank you, Y/N." He croaks, swallowing thickly.

"Y/N?"

"Poe!" She quickly wipes her face. "In here, General."

"I'll never get tired of that." He holds her close.

"General Dameron." She scolds as he nuzzles her cheek and neck. "Poe!" She giggles managing to stop him momentarily. "You brought visitors." She clears her throat pulling away and turning his head with her finger to where his comrades stood awkwardly. Taking her hand. "Rey, Finn, my other half. Mrs. Y/N Dameron."

"Missus." Finn blurts out, looking between the now-general and the woman. "I was never informed of this." He huffs, looking at Rey, who shakes her head.

"BB." He looks at the droid, who beeps. "I thought we were friends." He pouts.

Rey caught the lightsaber hilt clipped to Mrs. Dameron's belt.

"Y/N." Rey repeats. "Luke spoke of you."

"Good things, I hope." He chuckles. "I wasn't the best student."

"A weight was lifted from his conscience, knowing you live a fulfilling life."

"That--That means a lot, thank you."

"You could have told us," Finn says still astonished by the previous information.

"We couldn't take that risk. That's why we're doing this now." He smiles, placing a peck on her cheek. "Are they asleep?" He asks, noticing the quiet household.

"I thought you'd come in the morning.” she chirps. “I'm not complaining. I get you all to myself." she hums.

"Careful, that's what got us number two."

"Two?" Ray grins.

"You got kids!" Finn gawks.

"Mini Damerons." The woman snickers. "His carbon copies."

"Our boys. Porro and Rik, in that order."

"WHAT?!?!"

#star wars #poe dameron #kylo ren #ben solo #poe dameron x female reader #poe dameron x y/n #poe dameron x oc #imagine

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harpywritesfic · 3 months ago

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I will never see the name Morgan the same way.

I know it’s Tony’s daughter’s name.

But it’s also the name I gave one of the puppies my family fostered this summer.

I named the litter instrument rhyming names since their mom is named Melody. Morgan is Morgan Organ. She’s the runt so I gave her a name that rhymes with a large instrument hoping she’d have big energy (she does. she’s a sassy little thing). I also call her Morgs. Or Porg. Porgan. Morgy. Morgy Porgy. Morgy Porgy pudding pie, face so cute the angels cry. Morgarie. Morgarine.

Anyway. She just went to her new home today! She’s the last of the litter to go home so my house is now foster-free for the first time in three months! (Not puppy-free, though. We’re keeping another pup from the litter.) He’s one of her first baby photos and her adoption day photo 🥹 look how much she’s grown!

#I’m going to miss her #harpy overshares

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chipthekeeper · 6 months ago

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acolyte ep. 6 commentary because it turns out i do enjoy the sound of my own voice after all

- Not sure how lively this commentary will be for me tonight because I'm fucking tired and I have a fucking headache and my fucking cat….is probably gonna be a dick

- Also I'm still depressed from last week so that's not gonna help. This is probably a preview of how Andor is gonna go season 2. I'm just gonna log on and be depressed every time

- I kinda hope I fall asleep

- (during Previously On) I don't wanna watch this again

- “Unknown planet” great, thank you! You could've just said nothing, that would've….Very helpful

- It really does have Ahch-To vibes though. But those aren't porgs so I'm gonna say nooo…..?

- Aww...I can't tell if it's cute or very ugly

- (Sol getting mad and sad) You gotta bottle that shit up, buddy

- [previously mentioned kitten sits with me and starts purring loudly]

- Does Sol even know that Bazil's still alive and on the ship? [whining at the adorableness] ohhhhh is he gonna fix him? Can they talk to each other???

- Look it's Darth Arms

- Is he gonna get nekked!!!??? Oh my god. The internet is going to love this

- Oh. Wow....

- [perfect Mulan impression] I never want to see a naked man again

- “you should hold your elbow up higher” Oh are you giving batting lessons?

- “you’re wondering if it’d be honorable to kill me like this” Yes, it would be…….It's still justified because you're fucking evil

- “Did you kill Sol?” Uh well, no that's the only one he didn't kill

- “Did you kill Mae?” Okay well, not her either

- When are we gonna go through the ring on Brendok? I wanna see that

- “Give me a couple minutes” hahaha you don’t know how to fix anything

- Mog?

- Oh great, we're gonna lose a whole 'nother team. Well no, he’s not there anymore jk

- “It was a really long time ago” Hmmmmmmmm

- “Everyone does seem to want you” Weird thing to say

- I find this all very unsettling

- Yeah get her Bazil, get her! [laughs hysterically] ooohh right in the eyeball!

- DON’T YOU HURT PIP!!! Nooooooooooo. No, no, no, no, n–oh god. I just keep losing……aw, evil Pip…..

- What is with this little bird family?

- “Anger…fear…” Hmm. Heard of them

- Stab him in the faaaaaace!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Yeah cut his head off!!!!!!!!

- [distressed sigh] This is some serious R*ylo shit

- We really don't have to go back to Coruscant, I'm fine

- Mog.....

- Oh fuck yeah. She's gonna whip that saber

- “you get nauseous when you travel through hyperspace” [gasps then moans] Oh noooo…Oh I know whyyyy….Ohhhh….Okay. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let me see something. Let me see somethinggggg

- (about Pip) “He’s okay now” He’s EVIL NOW [pouts]

- Are they finally gonna have an honest conversation when it's not actually who he thinks it is?

- Wait does he know?....Yep.

- What the fuck? What is happeninggggg? Where you goin’? Back to Brendok???

- Actually get to see a ship land, that was cool. We didn't get to see Vernestra in hyperspace though [fart noise]

- (smash cut to dead jecki) DON’T FUCKIN' SHOW ME THAAAT!!! (i sounded weirdly italian here???? been watching the bear too much??)

- [pathetic whining] Is no one gonna gather them up? I'm so sick of this shit

- [sounds of me shooting the kitten with the spray bottle, followed by delighted chuckling when Vernestra uses her whip] Sick

- If that's the one time we get to watch Vernestra use her lightsaber and we saw it in the fucking trailer, that's upsetting to me. Just to kill a bug. I mean hilarious….but disappointing

- This is upsetting man, what are you doing?.....You’re not seeming like a good guy right now, Sol!!

- Do you mine it (cortosis) right there? No wonder this is an unknown planet

- (Osha puts on the helmet) Can't fucking see nothing…….Okayyy..I'm sure that means something but I don't…I'm too tired to figure out what that is. Bye!

this was a weird one for me, idk

#the acolyte spoilers #the acolyte #my posts

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kippurbird · 6 years ago

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Adventure - Venture for short - porg! He's a shoulder porg so he can ride on shoulders and get a good view of everything. He's also found a spiffy cloak which every adventurer needs.

#porg #porgs #star wars porgs #porg adventures #porg life #my porg family

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queenevac · 3 years ago

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Behold! The…the l…the Loth Porooka? Loth Porg?

Well. It’s cute either way,

#Porgs #Loth cat #Star Wars #crochet #amigurumi #my art #my crafts #I really should post my projects more often #this little one is going home to a good family though

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whichwayloreylo · 1 year ago

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Menelaus Blue Morpho

A/n: Hi! Sooo I did this little drabble with Reylo and the WBW 👀 I want to dedicate this to my dear friend @craitqueen ! I know it's not as good as what you'll write but I wanted to start a little something for you 😝💖

Please enjoy and like or reblog if you read! 💕 | 1.7k words (All fluff with a splash of angst btw)

Consciousness ebbed and flowed through him. He felt his lungs absorbing the first few pants of air like a sponge. For a few moments, there had been only darkness. Pitch black, but the ethereal feeling of floating through the galaxy. Ben's eyes snapped open and he jerked himself up to a sitting position. The air was light here. It felt...pure. Much purer than he'd ever experienced on The Finalizer.

Taking in a deep breath, Ben surveyed his surroundings. What was this place? It was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. His dark brown eyes danced along crystal pathways that floated through the air. His gaze went down to his lap to see one of those pathways beneath him. Ben held his hands up in front of his face to examine them, front and back. Nothing. Clear skin. He patted his chest and abdomen. All seemed normal. How was that possible? He felt he had a distant memory of his body being broken. Followed by a notion of freedom unlike anything he'd ever felt before in his life.

Putting his hands down on either side of him, Ben pushed himself to stand. He turned in place, yet saw nothing but avenues stretching in the distance. "What a mystical place", he spoke to himself.

Rey sat stunned on Exegol, her fingers shaking in front of her eyes. "No", she whispered. "NO!" Bringing her palms to her face, Rey felt the tears rushing down her cheeks. Her mind raced as she suddenly screamed and clawed at the ground. "He has to be here. He can't just leave ", she sobbed. Feeling dirt and blood cake under her fingernails, Rey heaved a breath before she threw her head back in an agonizing howl. She rocked herself back and forth frantically. She finally found her family. She finally found her home. It was Ben.

After a considerable time, Rey's cries dulled to numbness. She sat with her forehead laid on her crossed arms atop her knees. Not moving. Just existing, if she could call it that. The whimpers of a porg burst her bubble of misery. Looking up, Rey's eyes found the porg crying in front of her. She sniffled and wiped her nose. "What's wrong, little guy? Are you heartbroken, too?" The porg bounced up and down before turning to walk away. Turning back to look at her, the porg flapped its wings and cawed. Rey got the distinct feeling that it wanted her to follow. She shakily stood, not bothering to brush any dirt off her clothes. There was blood on them anyway.

Slowly stepping toward the bird, she waited for it to scurry further and turn to her again. Rey rubbed her palms on her pants absentmindedly as she walked. She couldn't tell if they were wet from sweat or tears. She followed the porg into a dark chamber. She squinted her eyes. There was very little light, but there was a distinct glow on the other side of the space. Rey cautiously approached what could only be described as a floating vortex encapsulated in a triangle, inscribed with ancient Jedi text. She blinked her eyes to confirm that she wasn't seeing things.

Walking forward, Rey ghosted her hand over the entrance. It had to be a portal of some kind. She slowly let her fingers extend into the void and found that there was no solid barrier behind it. Her arm was being sucked in. Rey had no desire to fight it. Any dimension was better than this one at the present.

Tumbling out on the other side, Rey fell on what felt like glass. She pushed herself up on her hands and knees and looked around. She had clean clothes and her arm was healed. She didn't know if she was in some kind of dream. Pathways crossing over and under one another extended as far as she could see. The air was empty except for the twinkling of stars. It was like she was looking at the whole galaxy from here. Rey rose to stand as she took a few steps forward. Blue mist seemed to outline every step of her foot. "This is magical", Rey thought as she looked down at her feet and giggled. She needed a distraction from her harsh reality.

Wind whistled through her hair as she raised her face back up to look at the stars. She took slow, careful steps forward as she admired the beauty around her. It reminded her of the hole she fell into at Ahch-To. She hoped that this place wouldn't leave her feeling anymore desperation. Her heart couldn't break any further, if she had to guess. Rey halted her steps and enjoyed the quiet, peaceful atmosphere. Suddenly, she heard a whisper carried by the breeze.

"Rey."

Rey jolted her head in the direction that it came from. That was Ben's voice. She'd know it anywhere. Her eyes frantically searched for anyone else in this void.

"Ben?" she whispered desperately.

The soothing voice came again.

"Rey. Follow the sound of my voice."

A person's form started to emerge down the path. Rey ran harder. She stopped a few feet from the dark, tall figure. Its back was turned to her, but Rey knew it was Ben. She could feel it. She just didn't know how he was here or how this was possible.

Rey cautiously spoke. "Ben? Is that you?"

Turning to her with a confused look, Ben smiled when his eyes landed on hers.

"Rey. You found me", he said as he opened his arms. She noticed that he was wearing the same clothes she'd last seen him in on Exegol.

Rushing forward into his arms, Rey locked her hands in a vice grip around his torso. The tears began streaming again. "Ben. I knew it was you. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything."

Looping his arms around her, Ben kissed the crown of her head. "What're you apologizing for, sweetheart?"

Rey whimpered but kept her cheek against his chest. She didn't want him to disappear. "It should've been me."

Ben pushed her back slightly to loosen her grip. "Rey, look at me."

Rey's eyes bored into his as her bottom lip trembled. She would do anything to switch places with him.

He cupped her cheeks in his hands. "It was you. You gave your life for a noble cause. Something that I was never able to do, until I gave my life for you."

More tears blurred Rey's vision, but she shook them away.

"No, Ben. It isn't fair. I've never had anything in my life to truly call my own."

She locked eyes with him again.

"Until you. We were destined for each other. And you were taken from me. Killed from me. My other half."

Ben shushed her and brought her head back to his chest before she got herself too worked up.

"Shh, shh. Rey, do you hear that?"

Rey scrunched her brow in confusion. Hear what? And that's when she heard it. His heartbeat. Slow, but steady. Rey looked back up at Ben with wide eyes.

"Ben! Your heartbeat! Are...are you still alive? I watched you disappear." Her eyes searched his for answers.

"I'm not sure. What little I know of the World Between Worlds, I learned from Palpatine. He was trying to control it. To gain dominion over it."

Rey looked around again. "Is that what this place is? The World Between Worlds?"

Ben nodded. "You didn't know that?"

Rey shook her head. "No, I didn't. I've only heard of this place in stories. I didn't know it was real."

Ben let out a small chuckle. "Ah, my scavenger. You have much to learn."

Rey looked back at his face and smiled. She was so happy to see him again. She stood on her tippy-toes and kissed him, putting her hands on his cheeks. This was real. He was real. The revelation gave her a new burst of life.

Pulling back, Rey sighed contentedly. Ben looked down at her with a smile before he spoke. "Now we just need to figure out how to get out of here."

Rey's eyes blew wide again. "Get out of here?"

Ben quirked his eyebrows, confused by her question. "Yes, Rey. We need to get out of here. Back to our realm."

Rey looked down at his chest as she brought her hands back to it. "What if I don't want to?"

Ben scoffed. "What do you mean, Rey?"

She met his gaze again. "You exist in this realm. And it's just the two of us from what I can see. There's no pain. No war. We could stay here forever."

Ben paused, considering his answer. "Rey, I know it's painful. But we have to try. Whether I'm alive in our realm or not, they need you." He rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. Seeing the tumult in her eyes, he pressed his forehead to hers. She inhaled a sharp breath and her eyes were glued to his.

"I don't want to leave you", she choked out as her eyes welled up with tears again.

"Alive or not, you know that I'm always with you", Ben said as he closed his eyes.

Rey closed her eyes, too; basking in his presence and steadying her breath. She'd reached a resolution.

"I'll only go back if you try to come with me."

Opening his eyes, Ben smiled again. A big, toothy grin. "Well of course, sweetheart. I'll follow you anywhere."

Rey giggled with tears prickling her eyes. She kissed him again as a lone tear dropped down her face. She didn't know if it'd be the last time.

Parting from the kiss, Ben stood up straight and extended his hand to Rey.

"Let's give it a try."

Rey smiled and took his hand.

#reylo #reylo au #wbw #world between worlds #my stuff

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