#reylo neighbors

[ebongawk]

Reylo paranormal investigator AU? 👀

aw, reylo my beloved 🥹 ok ok:

Gonna switch it up and make Rey the skeptic and Ben the believer because as a child, he would swear a demon whispered to him in the middle of the night. If he squinted, he could see it in the corner with glowing yellow eyes.

They're looking into reports they've received of this old mansion on the edge of town with a creepy old groundskeeper that scares everyone away, but when they get there, the house is beautifully furnished and clean and the young woman who greets them is kind and lovely.

She makes them tea and they ask her about the hauntings and she's like, "Oh, hauntings? I haven't heard of anything like that." And they're like, "Then who called us? It was a guy named, like, Kenobi or something?" And she's like, "Oh, Obi-Wan? He's my neighbor! He's good friends with my husband, Anakin!"

And Ben and Rey are both like wtf bc they looked into the history of the house and before Obi-Wan Kenobi bought it, it was owned by a guy named Anakin Skywalker who went on a rampage and killed his wife and almost killed his newborn twin children (but Obi-Wan stepped in.)

Anyway long story short Rey and Ben go to sleep in a nice guest bedroom, wake up in a dilapidated old house (in the same bed, but it's all dusty and gross), and find out the demon that plagued Ben as a child is the same demon that drove Anakin to kill his nice wife that made them tea.

send me a prompt and I'll make up five facts about it!

[devdevlin]

i’ve seen you post reylo. do you have any fic recs for them? (perfect opportunity to slip your own anonymous reylo fics in there)

Oh um… heh heh heh

I haven’t written any reylos to share with you, but BOY do I love reading them! Here are a few!! Small disclaimer that some of these I haven’t read in years though, so I hope I’ve remembered them correctly:

Interstellar Transmissions by LovelyThings, ricca_riot - fab canon-verse fic

Rey Tries Things! by andabatae - fluffy goodness

Reyne by itsjustsilver - A/B/O AU

Bad Neighbors by amybeegood - another A/B/O (yes I have a type lmao)

LITERALLY EVERYTHING BY Ever-so-reylo

ALSO EVERYTHING (!!!!!!) BY MalevolentReverie (these tend to be very dark, so read the tags!)

[cocotierz]

A catalog of all my completed and ongoing fics. These are all explicit, please check ratings and tags.

reylo

oneshots

all the right reasons

Rey Palpatine has a big crush on Professor Solo. When she leaves her diary behind after wasting his office hour, Ben sees just how much he has to teach her.

baby blues

Rey becomes pregnant after a one-night stand. Ben decides to do the honourable thing.

rain on me

The state of California has put restrictions on water usage per household due to drought but Rey’s roommate Ben has a solution. What’s some platonic co-showering between friends?

signals crossing

It's a lot easier to accidentally chrome cast porn to your neighbours TV than one would like

loving you is cherry pie

Rey Niima knows for a fact her pies are nothing short of delectable. So why is it that neighboring criminal defense attorney and resident asshole Ben Solo keeps ordering slices just to pick at it without taking so much as a bite?

don't let it stop

Ben and Rey are no strangers to competition, so when Ben proposes they see who can resist the other for the longest, they both get extremely creative to make the other break.

multichapter - completed

sign of the times

Fifteen-year-old Rey Niima can’t stand her neighbour Ben Solo. So you can imagine her surprise when she wakes up fifteen years in the future in bed with him — especially when he is calling himself her husband.

delivered

The guy Rey hooked up with at that frat party is turning out to be weird, pushy, with no respect for boundaries. And yet…

ask for more

Rey is single and wants Ben as her Alpha. Ben is hung up on some nameless Omega. They make a mutually beneficial and strictly platonic arrangement.

talk to me boy

In which Rey is a romance author, Ben is her editor, and Rey needs help with a sex scene.

multichapter - wip

queen of disaster

Crown Princess Regina and First Son of the United States Benjamin Solo hate each other. Fate, it seems, has other plans.

once upon a dream

Rey and her virgin sisters live and dance by the lakes, giving offerings to the gods. That is until the demon prince Kylo Ren takes a liking to her and steals her away to the underworld, to be his wife.

cool about it

Rey treats her dms with a list actor Ben Solo like a diary of sorts, sending him rants, memes, nudes, and recipes. It’s not like he’ll ever see it…right?

playing house

Rey Niima became an au pair in order to sightsee and improve her French. She did not become an au pair to pine after her brooding host and grow attached to his adorable daughter.

series

loser ben

drive through

Sixteen-year-old Ben Solo isn't used to pretty, kind of scary girls climbing on top of him and taking what they want - that is until he meets Rey.

video games

Rey really wants the snail Squishmallow at the arcade. She also really wants to suck her boyfriends cock.

migwen

oneshots

if you're seeking heaven (then you want to come and get it)

The girl next door is loud and arrogant and only a couple months into legal territory. Miguel shouldn’t be wanting to fuck her like some starved old man.

[clonerightsagenda]

How to Bite Your Neighbor and Win a Wager by D.N. Bryn is a gay vampire romance I enjoyed (has plot and a couple other books after it)

Then the Honey Badger Chronicles by Shelly Laurenston are really fun shifter but are straight and a little repetitive (Tons of fun ideas, but I didn't enjoy trying to pick up her other books as much)

If you want a Yuri manga romance Run Away with Me Girl by Battan has no fantastical elements but is very good story

Aaaaaaand if you are looking for more recommendations then Kingdom of Thirst is a podcast that talks about romance books

Was perplexed by this ask also before I realized it was probably in response to my complaint about all the reylo reskins.

To be clear, I do not seek out romance to read personally. I work at a library and finalize collection development decisions, so I farm out genre recs to my romance reading-coworkers since I'm not a good judge. (We're a college but we're buying more fiction these days because hey, at least something circulates.) However I suppose I can investigate these titles as potential additions to our collection. They look more like one of my other coworker's cup of tea, so I'll ask her about them.

[starsscarmyceiling]

WIP title game!

tagged by @ahsokastechie (thank you! 💕)

Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, then post a little snippet or tell them something about it. Tag as many people as you have WIPs.

OOOh ho hooo AIGHT let me just blow up my own spot here...

Posted WIPs

1. Keep the Blinds Open 🏢 (Reylo Neighbors AU)

2. quiet when i'm coming home ☕ (Merrical Coffee Shop AU)

3. what's grown between (surgery scars) 💫 (Merrical Post Battle Scars Fixit Fic)

Unposted WIPs

4. because all things write their own story 🧟 (Reylo Zombie Apocalypse/The Last of Us Universe AU)

5. so close, in the personal quiet 🧟 (Merrical Zombie Apocalypse/The Last of Us Universe AU)

6. Stirring the Sky 🌌 (Merrical Clone Wars AU)

7. Homemade Dynamite 🏢 (Merrical Neighbors AU)

8. we're more ghosts than people 🤠 (Merrical Cowboy AU) (that I am co-writing with @myfaenwy 😏)

no pressure tags: @myfaenwy @galacticsirensong @believe-in-alderaan @namesonboats @wayfaringjedi @starryjediknight @jan-uarys @misfitz-7 @mistressorinoco

[teatearswriting]

Help me pick my next story!

🎨🖌️Brushstrokes - Reylo

In a remote corner of Washington, Rey decides to start afresh in a small town, seeking solace from her tumultuous past. Her neighbor, Leia Organa, a respected figure in the community, entrusts Rey with the task of delivering groceries and supplies to a secluded cabin on the outskirts of town. Little does Rey know that this seemingly simple errand will unravel a poignant story of redemption and love.

Upon arriving at the solitary cabin, Rey comes face to face with its enigmatic inhabitant—Kylo, a reclusive artist and Leia's son. Through their encounters, Rey discovers that Kylo is burdened by a tragic past that has left him a hermit, estranged from the world around him. As Rey continues to visit the secluded cabin, a bond forms between them, and she becomes determined to unravel the mysteries that shroud Kylo's life.

💻🚫Does Not Compute - Soulmate AU Reylo

In a world where soulmates are determined by a scientific algorithm, two individuals, Rey and Ben, who are deemed incompatible by the system accidentally meet and experience an undeniable connection. As they navigate the challenges of defying the system and following their hearts, they discover a love that transcends logic and algorithms.

🤠🐴Unnamed Old West AU - Reylo

In the rugged expanse of the old west, the tale unfolds with the enigmatic bounty hunter Rey, known for her adept skills and steely resolve, as she sets out to capture the notorious outlaw Kylo Ren. However, upon tracking him through treacherous terrain and dusty towns, Rey discovers that Kylo is not the ruthless criminal he's perceived to be. Instead, he's determined to leave his lawless life behind and start anew.

As their paths intertwine amidst the backdrop of saloons and sprawling landscapes, they form an unlikely alliance, navigating through the complexities of their own personal purposes. Rey, driven by her commitment to justice, starts questioning the true nature of Kylo's actions. Meanwhile, Kylo struggles to atone for his past and seeks redemption in a land where second chances are scarce.

👸📷Modern Roman Holiday AU - Reylo

In a modern reimagining of the classic "Roman Holiday," the story unfolds in a whirlwind of luxury and deceit. Kylo, a troubled and desperate gambler, finds himself entangled in a web of financial woes and dangerous vices. His path intersects with that of Rey, a spirited princess seeking a moment of respite from the suffocating expectations of her royal duties.

As Kylo's addiction to gambling drives him to desperate measures, he concocts a nefarious scheme to exploit Rey's innocence and vulnerability. Drawing her into a world of deception, he manipulates her into engaging in illicit activities, all the while intending to capture incriminating evidence to extort money from her royal family.

[diesirate]

Masterpost

Sideblogs

@elizavetaborgova - Sideblog for The Queen's Gambit

@77summer - Companion blog for my Migwen fic '77 (Summer)

Works

'77 (Summer) (Migwen / Ghostpunk) - 1970s AU | Neighbors | Teacher/Student | Coming of Age | Angst

h + g (Ghostpunk) - Canon AU | Work Spouses | First Time | Angst and Fluff

without beginning or end (Migwen) - Modern AU | Teacher/Student | Second Chances | Angst

flores de papel (Migwen) - Canon AU | Boss/Employee | Sugar Daddy | Angst

carve tomorrow from a tombstone (Original) - 1980s | Marriage of Convenience | Unplanned Pregnancy | Coming of Age | Angst

The Girls and Miguelito (Migwen) - Post-Canon AU | Established Relationship | Angst and Fluff

mas poco muerte logra (Migwen) - Drabble Collection | Horror | Dead Dove: Do Not Eat

The Morphy Problem (Migwen) - 1960s AU | Rivals with Benefits | Infidelity | Angst

she, my heartbeat (Reylo) - Modern AU | Idiots in Love | One Night Stands | Angst

the science of parting (Bethov) - Post-Canon AU | Secret Relationship | Infidelity | Angst

happy father's day (Migwen) - Canon AU | Secret Relationship | Angst

[petrerpkr]

Reylo fanfic rec

Modern & canon. Mind the tags!

Guardians of Balance

Odds of Rolling Dice

Darkness Rising

Falling In Love With The Storm

The Cost of All We Are

Hold Our Destiny

Light Rises... and Darkness to Meet It

They Don't Have A Word For What We Are

Right Here Waiting For You

Across the Stars (And into the Unknown)

My Neighbor, The Stray Cat

Ready to Fall

into the great laugh of mankind

The Island

I Can't Love You In The Dark

Force Dyad

Darkness, Take My Hand

captive no more (we are free)

Torn Apart

The Last Hope

Shadows in Sunshine

[nenyabusiness]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💙

Oh shit, that's tricky.

se vis pacem, para bellum

My haladriel John Wick AU that was basically my hyperfixation for four months. It was such a commitment to enter and finish a multi-chapter fic, and I'm really proud of the result. It's honestly a pretty decent thriller.

Four Hours a Day

Haladriel Musician/Neighbors AU. It's a pretty unpolished piece, but I still like how my idea of "let's mash all of my music experiences together and see where we end up" actually turned into something cute. I love working with vignettes, and I love babbling about music, so this piece was just a delight to write.

The Return of the Queen

Haladriel post-ep 8. This was my first haladriel story, and it became the opening installment of my Oathbound series. When I wrote it, I honestly just wanted to get the ship out of my system. I wanted a continuation of the season where Galadriel and Halbrand/Sauron could somehow work things out, and I somehow ended up with "hey, what if they swear a fëanorean oath?" Things really went downhill from there, but I'm not complaining.

da capo al fin

This is a wild card on this blog since it's a Fire Emblem Three Houses fix-it fic, but it's one of my all time favorites. I came up with a version of events where all the characters survive (which is impossible in the actual game) and I managed to do it in vignettes. I'm proud of it.

Him

Reylo post-TLJ. Vignettes again, where Rey and Ben/Kylo slowly rebuild their relationship through their force bond. It's really fascinating how 90% of this piece could be applied straight to haladriel.

I think those are my top five. Thank you for the ask!

[oh-great-authoress]

Fic Recs Asks # 2 (A fic you've re-read multiple times!)

Okay, I know this is so late, but it got buried in my asks, and I just saw this again; I’m very sorry, Anna!

2. A fic you’ve re-read several times

Okay, this is a supremely loaded question—but I’ll try to keep this as short as possible.

Okay, so here goes.

All the fics in the first question you asked me here apply to this question, but I’ll give different answers for this question.

Ahem—

Basically everything that @musewrangler has written, but most especially:

The Empire Reimagined Series and its accompanying Oneshot Series

This marvelous Original Trilogy Canonverse AU has EVERYTHING, Skywalker Family FEELS, badassery, action, humor, *chef’s kiss* banter, and it’s AMAZING.

This series is pure serotonin and it’s absolutely precious.

I wish I could hug this AU and everyone in it, frankly.

A Star to Steer By

This Georgian/Age of Sail AU is the perfect combination of Star Wars with Patrick O’Brien’s Aubrey-Maturin series/C. S. Forester’s Hornblower series vibes, and the perfect balance of action, humor, FEELS, and ride-or-die bestieism.

The Limpet AU by Frodogenic

This is Original Trilogy Canonverse AU comedy/family feels goodness, and this series made me look crazy with how much I was cackling while reading it; I mean, you have Skywalker Family Feels, Darth (Grand)Dadakin, and Admiral Piett is DONE With Life.

You will have emotions in some parts, and want to bust a gut laughing in others; I know I did.

One of my jams is Leia makes up with Dad fics, so these are a few:

Father and Daughter by Morwen Tindomerel

This references some events from Legends but it’s still quite in canon up to now.

gunpowder and shades of grey by irnan

This fic uses the Legends names of Leia’s children, just so you know.

Restless Warrior by Aria Saralyn

This is a oneshot longform masterwork.

This must be read.

Darkness by Firefly Alchemist

After Ben Solo turns to the Dark Side, Anakin comforts his daughter.

The Skywalker Family Feels Series by salanaland

This series focuses on Anakin trying to Dad after he dies, and while there are a couple of stories about Luke and Anakin, one about Anakin annoying Obi-Wan in the Force, and one or two following/focusing on other characters, this story mainly focuses on Anakin and Leia, and I just love Anakin’s characterization here—it honestly tracks that he’d be like he is in this series.

Wastelands by Mistress_Siana

Leia crash lands on a planet, and with danger imminent, she must rely on a certain Force Ghost to help her make her shuttle spaceworthy once more.

Her reconciliation with Anakin is ambiguous here, but they come to an understanding of sorts.

Wish I Could Be by @melanoradrood

This actually should also be in the category of fics that made me cry, because the first time I read this, it honestly made me cry.

This is one of the best Dramione fics I have EVER read, and every moment just hits RIGHT.

It’s a Fourth Year canon compliant fic, and it’s just… Lord, I cannot recommend this enough.

Steel Flowers; Paper Hearts by @girl-among-mts

This Canonverse AU Gingerrose fic had me grinning like a maniac when I read it, and each time I reread it, my heart just melts into a puddle.

It’s part character study, part developing love story, and 100% fluffy goodness.

Chapter One of Secret Garden by @girl-among-mts

This is part of a seven chapter anthology my friend @girl-among-mts wrote for Gingerrose Week 2021, and… oof…

How do I describe this fic?

Well, let’s just say my competency kink… well, it was very happy.

First Order IT, Can I Get Your User ID? by krossartist

This was the modern IT Guy!Ben/Mechanic!Rey AU I did not know that I needed.

It is a ride of emotions and humor, and I love this story.

Christmas in the Clink by dawninthemtn

This is a Meet Not-So-Cute Reylo story where Lawyer!Ben Solo ends up bailing his parents and uncle out of jail on Christmas Eve, but there’s already someone there for his uncle—his uncle’s beautiful neighbor, Rey.

Tell Your Parents to Subscribe! by dawninthemtn

This is a Reylo AU where Ben is a Mr. Rogers-esque figure, and Rey is the journalist for a BuzzFeed-esque website, who interviews him.

queen of my heart (body and soul) by hi_raeth

This is a Reylo Princess Diaries 2 AU which had me smiling like a madwoman when I read it.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown by CatelynTsukino

This is a Jaime Lannister/Lyanna Stark GoT AU (they’d have been perfect for each other if she’d lived), where Jaime ends up as King after killing Aerys, and ends up marrying Lyanna.

They fall in love somewhere along the way.

[raviposting]

February Stats Books Read: 16 Average Rating: 3.44 Top Genre: Mystery & Thriller My storygraph if you wanna follow me and see my reviews (though I’ll link them for each book in the ratings) :) Currently Reading: Perfect Ruin by Claudia Tan, The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman, and The Trials of Kate Hope by Wick Downing.

Standouts: So standouts for me don’t have to be positive, or even my highest ratings - they’re books that just Stood Out to me one way or the other, are in my memory, etc. so here we go lmao 

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris: 2.5/5 Like I said not every standout can be great and alskj;faksdf;j this is one of them. What really got me the most was how much these characters didn’t speak like real people. There was no depth, no real characterization, and the writing felt stilted and overly formal at times. But it left an impression I guess so yay for that?

Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister: 4/5 This book fucked. It’s such an absolutely unique concept to me, not only just doing a Groundhog Day thing, but going back further and further in time until you can solve what’s happening with the murder. I found myself really invested in these characters, and I still think about them (granted it’s been like a month out, but generally doesn’t happen to me for thrillers). Everyone should read this book. And if you read it and don’t like it asdfjkl: my bad. 

All Other Books: 

The Ultimate Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams: 4/5. So the first book is definitely a standout to me, but the other books not so much. I think the first few books are really good and then it kind of meanders off, but I also read all these books after each other and it is SO possible I was just a bit tired of it lmao. 

And Put Away Childish Things by Adrian Tchaikovsky: 3/5. Releases March 28. 

You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard: 4.5/5. Releases June 13.

Read to Death at the Lakeside Library by Holly Danvers: 3.5/5. Releases August 8. Don’t be dumb like me a;sdlkfja;sdl this thing is like the third book in the series or something

All I Want for Christmas by Nora Roberts: 2.75/5

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood: 3.75/5. I’m not gonna lie guys. If I didn’t know this was a Reylo fanfic I would have been all over this book. It honestly is pretty good, save for a line or two that made me howl lmao

The Night She Vanished by Wendy Dranfield: 2/5. Releases March 14. 

The Neighbors We Want by Tim Lane: 2.75/5 Releases September 5. I’m going to be honest guys out of all the books in this list I probably couldn’t tell you a single fact in here that wasn’t part of the book blurb. I read it like 10 days ago and it’s already just wiped from my memory

 End Game by Liz Mistry: 4/5. Releases April 14. Despite being the fifth book in the series I was able to get most of it! I also really enjoyed the diverse cast (despite the cop setting, which, blegh) - the author is white but the representation in this book felt pretty natural and the characters were nifty; I’m probably going to check out the other four books lmao

Northern Lights by Philip Pullman: 4/5. I really gotta check out the HDM show lmao but this was a fun time! Lots of worldbuilding here but it was worth it.

The Good Patient by Alex Stone: 3.75/5. Releases March 22

Kill Joy by Holly Jackson: 3.5/5. I mean like. It’s fine lmao.  Like read it if you love this series but I think she could have easily written a better story about something else in the AGGGTM canon 

Moonlight Can Be Deadly by Charlotte Stuart: 3/5 Releases March 14, fourth book in the series. There’s some things in this book that strongly threw me off of reading any other book in the series but if you’re interested I’d say read the others first lmao

You Are Here: Connecting Flights by Ellen Oh (and a bunch of other authors whose names I can’t find): 4/5. Releases March 7 

[b-b-8]

a list of reylo wips i am tearing my hair otu over

i will come back to update this. probably

why the mockingbird broke (100% complete) - aka delinquent farmstay au. late teens reylo, ben is our resident casual emo delinquent who is being sent to stay on skywalker ranch for a few months as a rehabilitation effort. rey is our plucky farmgirl who lives with uncle luke, tired farmer. i love this because it is almost cottagecore vibes but its more southern/country at heart. lots of bullshit about working in the sun and simple things. rey is very nice and ben has absoltuely no idea how to handle it, he's a wet cat

passenger princess (5% complete) - this is an idea i am Passionate about but have no idea how to execute. all i know is i want some ddlg bullshit and kylo rides a god damn motorcycle. trying to make rey soft but not too soft is kind of a challenge because she's very rough around the edges/hardened by life 2 me. UPDATE: i have not touched this yet i need to do more research, wordcount is 1.5k and probably needs to be rewritten entirely LOL

something borrowed (100% complete) - probably the next thing im posting!! this is a weird one, it's a bride!rey x bridal stylist!kylo modern au where rey is very controlled by plutt and in an arranged marriage to poe, who she mutually has no feelings for. during one of her dress try-ons she meets kylo and he kind of upturns her entire life by existing lol. i think the plot is possibly a huge mess but w/e nobodys paying me for this shit. i need a beta T_T PERFECT AND COMPLETE AND POSTED THANK U KAYLEEEEEEE <33333

t3h 0ff1c3 xD (70% complete? working title rofl) - ok this one is definitely a mess. this is a fake dating/CEO/office romance where benny boy needs to get out of the eligible bachelor auction at the annual company gala and having a fake gf is obv the best way to get that done. enter: new IT girl rey. yes this is contrived yes we are running with it. it was originally A/B/O so dont even come at me UPDATE: ok we are at 19k and still kicking so i'm leaving it at 70% complete.

bloodwork (20% complete) - a repurposed AoT fic :O) we have anesthesiologist rey who is told about a difficult patient. difficult patient alleges he is a demon and needs to get out of the catholic hospital. rey, against her better judgment, sneaks him out after her cross burns his hand. now she is living wit ha demon and that's great. i have no idea where i'm going with this but they fall in love and that's cool too UPDATE: have barely touched this, it's sitting at 8k remarkably

libertine (20% complete idk) - repurposed h******** fic ROFL. rey is a new therapist in a new town in a new apartment with a new neighbor who is very hot and keeps showing up in her dreams. this is an AU where kylo is an incubus and they fall in love too :-) UPDATE: wordcount is 5k and needs to be rewritten bc rey still sounds too much like **** hahahahhahaha

turpentine (20% complete????? do you see where im going with this???) - moar repurposed fic!!!!! idk if this one is going to see the light of day, it's kind of messy. basically artist!ben is in desperate need of a model/muse before a deadline and he sees rey on the street and offers her an obscene amount of money. cue nude modeling and all that bullshit <3 UPDATE: i reread this and hate it and idk what im gonna do. might rewrite the whole thing. wordcount is 4k

dog-gone it (20% complete.) - werewolf au this one is probably getting scrapped too bc i don't like where im going with it. ben ends up trapped in his wolfdog form. rey ends up adopting a scary dog from the pound. hilarity ensues. i just wanted to write werewolf sex UPDATE: i wrote a little bit of this and hate it again. wordcount is 4k

propinquity (70% complete?) - OK HERE IS ONE I AM AMPED ABOUT. i am currently really into this one. omegaverse, starts with them trapped in an elevator and rey inadvertently being sent into heat. they resist the pull of it and lose each other when they get out, but they don't stop thinking about each other for months. turns out it's a small fucking world and they find each other again, and just a bunch of really cute awkward dating shit ensues bc ben is bad at feelings and rey is too. UPDATE: i am CHURNING this one out for no good reason at all??? its at fucking 39k LOLLLLLL!!!!!

tantric (100% complete) - WEDDING NIGHT SEQUEL TO THE PIANO IS NOT FIREWOOD YET THAT IS ALLLLLLLL <3 <3 <3 wordcount is 8.4k

something borrowed smut one shot which is untitled (5% complete and by that i mean it was vaguely planned out lmfao)

thank you for coming to my ted talk. pls feel free to talk at me about any of this it rly helps u_u

[puddlejumpingwriter]

"The Nine Lives of Kylo"

~ A Reylo Holiday Textfic ~

Author's Note: I'm posting these chapters in time for Christmas in July. Chapters 1-5 are also available on AO3. New chapters will post to both Tumblr and AO3 starting this week and wrapping up before the holidays.

Thank you for reading!

~~~

PART V

~~~

Rey goes directly from campus to the shelter.

She shivers despite her coat. The wind stings her exposed face as she walks from her car to the shelter, and the dreary sky seems to match her mood.

Rey sniffles when she enters the building, hoping it seems like she’s just dealing with the cold—not battling a whirlwind of emotions.

The man at the counter doesn’t look at her, his head buried in a pile of paperwork.

“Excuse me,” Rey says, approaching him. “I’m looking for a cat.”

“And I’m looking for two of my employees who called out sick today and left all their files from last week for me to handle,” the man replies without glancing up from his desk.

“I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m hoping I’ll only need a moment of your time.”

The man looks at her now. “You said a cat, right?”

“Yes, I think a cat may have been dropped off here by mistake.”

“And when was that?”

“Either yesterday or today,” Rey replies, knowing she’d seen Kylo at Ben’s house late Saturday night.

She shoves all thoughts of Ben out of her mind. She can’t think about him right now.

The man flips through his files. “We haven’t processed any of the recent drop-offs. Would you know the cat if you saw it?”

“Yes,” Rey answers. “I’d know him anywhere.”

“Okay. Come with me,” the man says, before leading her through a doorway. 

There are cages and crates in the hall, and the sad cries of dogs and cats shatter Rey’s already broken heart.

But she knows she can’t adopt them all. Plutt will evict her if brings home a pet. Rey doesn’t even know what she’ll do if Kylo’s here.

Maybe it was all a mistake. Maybe Ben didn’t mean any of it. Maybe it was all some bizarre, twisted joke…

But then her eyes fall on an orange tabby, pawing at his cage, trying to catch her attention.

“That’s him,” she says, pointing to Kylo.

“So he’s yours?” the man questions. “You’re taking responsibility for him?”

Rey considers her options. She hasn’t found a home for Kylo before, and neither Finn nor Rose can take on a cat with their living arrangements. 

And she can’t take him back to Ben—not if the man’s just going to abandon Kylo.

She doesn’t have a choice. She’ll just have to make sure Plutt doesn’t see him—at least until she can find Kylo a forever home.

“Yes,” she says. “He’s mine.”

“Right,” the man replies. “Usually I give people instructions, have them fill out paperwork, and carry out a whole process…but as you can see, I have my hands full. I’m willing to accept your word that you’ll take care of this cat rather than go through that mess. So…do I have your word?”

“Yes, I promise,” Rey answers. “I’ll look after him.”

Her eyes meet Kylo’s, and the cat gives her a hopeful look—the most hope she’s felt in hours.

~~~

Ben is frantic when he goes to his living room Monday afternoon and doesn’t find Kylo. He searches the whole house and the yard, but there’s no sign of him. He grabs his phone to text Rey for advice, but their messages are gone and so is her contact info.

~~~

Chewie reaches out to Maz, the smartest person he knows…and the most beautiful.

~~~

A few hours later...

~~~

Rey spends the afternoon gathering supplies and sneaking them into her apartment. She tucks Kylo under her coat to make sure Plutt and her neighbors can’t see him. Then she tries to figure out a long-term plan.

~~~

The income from Finn’s roommate is the only way her brother can afford his apartment, so she can’t ask him to take on Kylo—not when it would mean losing his tenant.

Rey turns to her next option.

~~~

Rey doesn’t have the stomach to tell Rose the truth about Ben. It’s easier to not think about him.

~~~

Ben spends the day searching his neighborhood and checking his phone until well after the sun sets. When it pings, he hopes it’s either good news or Rey.

Unfortunately, it’s neither.

~~~

Ben doesn’t have the patience for this.

~~~

Ben hadn’t told her. Baz never liked his cat—why would Ben let her know Kylo was missing?

And if he didn’t tell her, how does she know?

~~~

Ben ends the text and blocks Baz’s number. He doesn’t want to hear from that crazy woman again. He needs to find his cat and Rey, but he also needs to vent.

~~~

Rey doesn’t sleep well Monday night. She wakes up the next day with her arms curled around Kylo and a heavy blanket covering both of them.

She knows she can’t keep the cat for the long term. Plutt will notice him at some point, and then she’ll be evicted and Kylo will be no better off.

“We’ll find you a new home,” she whispers in the cat’s ear, only to receive a sad yowl in reply. 

Rey scoots out of the bed and wraps the blankets more tightly around Kylo.

“Stay quiet today. We don’t want Plutt to find you,” Rey tells him, as she dresses for the cold. “Hopefully I’ll find a solution before I get back. In the meantime, be good.”

She plans to track down some of pet store’s best customers to see if they may be interested in Kylo.

If that doesn’t work, Rey plans to start posting ads online. Her only concern there is that she wants to make sure Kylo goes to a good home, and how can she tell that through email and chat?

Rey thought Ben was a good guy based on their texting, but look how wrong she’d been there.

After making sure the food and water bowls are full and giving Kylo one last affectionate scratch, Rey heads out the door. Once she’s on the sidewalk, she realizes how tired she is.

“Coffee first,” she thinks. “Then find Kylo a home.”

Her feet carry her to Maz’s, but Rey almost turns around as memories of Ben come back to her. 

A yell from across the room stops her from leaving.

“Rey Johnson!” Maz calls. “Come up here. I have something for you to try.”

The entire cafe stares at her, so Rey does the only thing she can. She walks to where Maz stands at the far end of the counter.

“Hi Maz,” she says, with the little enthusiasm she can manage.

“Are you okay, dear?” Maz asks. 

“Just tired,” Rey lies.

“I have a cure for tired,” Maz replies, handing Rey a warm mug.

The aroma is heavenly. Hints of coffee and cinnamon blend together in a way that gives Rey no choice. She has to taste the beverage.

“So?” Maz asks. “How is it?”

“Delicious,” Rey admits.

“Good. Now sit down and enjoy it.”

“I really should be going.”

“You’re done with your exams, aren’t you?”

Rey nods.

“And do you need to be at work in the next hour?”

“Well no, but—”

“But nothing,” Maz says. “Sit down, savor my latest brilliant concoction, and let me make you a fresh batch of my holiday cakes.”

Maz’s holiday cakes are sinful, and Rey’s stomach growls thinking about the delectable treats.

“When was the last time you ate, Miss Johnson?”

Rey can’t remember dinner last night. She must’ve eaten some snack for lunch yesterday, but her appetite was gone. She was too upset.

“I can’t recall. It was a hectic day yesterday.”

“Now I’m insisting. Sit down and I’ll make you a few cakes.”

Rey doesn’t argue this time. Her body’s too exhausted to put up a fight. 

She climbs onto the barstool and doesn’t watch Maz walk into the kitchen.

~~~

Maz pulls out her phone the moment she’s alone and reaches out to Chewie.

~~~

Ben finishes buttoning his uniform. He considered calling out given his lack of sleep, but he needs something to focus on other than his lost cat and Rey. He’s put up posters and checked online, and the lack of news is destroying his hope.

But then his phone pings.

~~~

Ben doesn’t ask any more questions. Instead, he hops in his truck and drives across town.

Several pairs of eyes glare at him as he slams the cafe door open, but Ben doesn’t care. He’s only concerned about one pair of eyes.

Those hazel eyes look at him now from a seat at the counter, and Ben’s across the room in a few quick strides.

“Rey,” he says, not bothering to hide the desperation from his tone.

But Rey doesn’t seem to hear him. She turns in the opposite direction, pulling her coat on and trying to move away from him.

“Rey, please,” he says. “Can we talk?”

“I think you’ve already told me everything I need to know,” she replies, sounding hurt.

Ben’s stomach drops. “Did I say something to you in a text? Something that upset you?”

Rey turns around to look at him, anger and disbelief in her eyes.

“You know what you said…what you did,” she says.

“If I told you I don’t know, would you believe me?”

“Why should I? I don’t know you.”

“Please, Rey,” he begs.

Her expression softens somewhat but not by much. She still looks ready to bolt the moment he makes a wrong move.

Ben wants to tell her everything he’s gone through in the last 24 hours and ask if she has any ideas about Kylo. 

But before he can say the first word, her phone starts ringing.

Rey chooses the phone over him.

“Hello,” she says, and Ben can hear a muffled, angry voice on the other end. Only one word is clear.

“Johnson.”

“Johnson,” Ben repeats. “Is that your last name?”

Rey gives him another harsh look as she listens to the voice rant.

“I’m sure it’s not what you think,” she says into her phone.

Ben’s brow creases with concern, hearing the worry in her tone. “What’s wrong?” he whispers.

Rey ignores him. “There’s no need for that,” she says. “I’m on my way.”

The call ends, and Ben wants to hug her or do something to erase the sad look on her face.

“I have to go,” Rey says, not looking at him. “I think it would be best if we don’t see each other again.”

“Rey,” Ben starts to protest, but Rey turns and hurries out the door.

He considers letting her go. It’s obvious she doesn’t want to see him.

But Ben already lost Rey once. He doesn’t intend to go through that again.

~~~

Rey doesn’t bother to look back as she hustles to her apartment. 

Ben can follow her for all she cares. There’s nothing he can say to explain why he abandoned Kylo the way he did…or why he asked that horrible woman to marry him.

Those were his foolish choices, not hers. 

And Rey has her own problems to deal with—like her apartment door being open and her landlord standing inside, looking heated.

“Johnson!” Plutt yells, once he sees her. “What the hell have you brought into my building?”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” she lies.

“Yes, you do,” he insists. “I know you have an animal in here. My repair guy saw it when he stopped by earlier. You know the rules—immediate eviction.”

“You can’t do that,” Rey replies, knowing she has nowhere to go.

“Oh yes I can,” Plutt says. “I can do whatever I want, including fumigating this whole place to get rid of that pest.”

“You can’t!” Rey protests.

“Is there a problem here?” a calm, deep voice asks from behind her.

Rey should hate that voice now, but it sounds strangely comforting to her.

She’s always stood up to Plutt on her own. It would be nice to have someone on her side against that vile man for a change.

But why would Ben be on her side after his last text?

“No problem, sir,” Plutt says, and Rey turns to see what she didn’t notice at the cafe—that Ben is in his uniform. And now he’s standing right beside her.

“It sounded like you were threatening this tenant."

“She broke the bylaws of this complex. I’m within my rights to kick her out.”

Ben doesn’t back down. “And how did you determine she was in violation?”

“What?” Plutt asks, clearly not used to being questioned, and Ben just glares at him. “Um, I had my repairman visiting each apartment. He saw—”

But Ben interrupts. “And did you give this tenant 24 hours’ notice before entering the premises?”

Her overbearing brute of a landlord shrinks under Ben’s scrutiny. “I…I must’ve,” Plutt mutters. 

“And what about fire codes?” Ben asks. “Are you up to date on the town’s 452 ordinances regarding fire safety and prevention?”

“I…I must be,” Plutt says, struggling to keep his composure.

“I’ll be back next week to make sure you’re in compliance with each of them,” Ben says, taking a look around her apartment. “If you’re not, I’ll have to write you up. May even have to shut this building down.”

“You wouldn’t,” Plutt replies, his voice shaky as he slinks around them to the door. “It…it won’t change anything. She’s still out of here.”

Ben’s glare remains in place until Plutt leaves her apartment. Then his features soften, and he looks more like the Ben she first met.

“Sorry I couldn't stop him from kicking you out,” Ben says. “But at least I can make his life hell for a little while.”

Rey doesn’t understand how his tone is so different from his last text, so she blurts out the only word that needs to be said, “Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why?” she repeats. “Why are you sorry? Why did you follow me here?”

“You don't understand,” he begins.

“And I'm sure your fiancée wouldn’t understand why you’re here.”

“My what?”

“Your fiancée—the woman you gave your grandmother’s ring to.”

“What?” Ben replies worriedly. “Oh no—did she take nonna’s ring too?” His gaze shifts away from her, and his fingers comb nervously through his hair.

He’s not making any sense to Rey. “Didn’t you give her the ring—when you asked her to marry you?”

“I didn’t,” he says firmly, eyes on her again. “I didn’t give her that ring. I didn’t ask her to marry me. Why would you think I did?”

“Because of your text yesterday,” Rey answers, retrieving her phone from her back pocket. She unlocks the device and opens her texts.

The only reason she didn’t delete Ben’s messages was because she wanted to go back and save the pictures of Kylo. 

But that last picture she received from Ben is still painful to see. She hands her phone over to him and waits for his explanation.

“That psychopath,” he utters.

“What?”

“I left my phone out yesterday while the kitchen floor was installed, and somehow Baz got into it,” Ben says. “She deleted our messages and then deleted your contact info.”

“Why would she do that?” Rey asks.

“I don’t know. Maybe because I like talking to you and spending time with you more than with her.”

Tears prick at the corner of her eyes, but she has to know the truth. “So this,” Rey begins pointing at the last messages, “it’s not real?”

“No,” Ben answers firmly. “I’m never speaking to that woman again.”

Rey feels an urge to wrap her arms around Ben, but she needs to know everything. “And Kylo?”

He swallows, and Rey can see sorrow in his dark eyes. “I told her I wanted to keep him, and then she did this,” Ben replies, gesturing to the phone as he hands it back to Rey. “She did something with him, but I don’t know what.”

“You want to keep him?” Rey asks, wanting to make sure she heard him correctly.

“Yes, but I can’t find him. I’ve looked all over town, put up signs—everything I could think of,” he replies. “And I couldn’t even reach out to the one person I wanted to ask for help.”

His eyes focus on her at his last words, and Rey feels her cheeks redden. “I think I may be able to help you actually.”

“You can?” Ben says, but before he can ask anything further a meow sounds from on top of her refrigerator.

Ben turns, and he’s across the room in an instant, reaching up to retrieve Kylo and pull the cat into an embrace.

“I’ve missed you, buddy,” Ben says, nuzzling his nose against Kylo’s head.

“So I take it you didn’t drop him off at the shelter?”

“Is that where she took him? I checked there. They didn’t have a record of him.”

“I claimed him before they did the paperwork.”

“Wait,” Ben begins, a crease appearing on his forehead. “You brought Kylo back here—a place where pets aren’t allowed. Is he the reason you were evicted?”

“Well, yes—I suppose,” she answers, blaming Plutt and his stupid policies more than Kylo.

“Do you have somewhere to go?”

“I guess. I was thinking about finding a hotel that allows for cats, but now that Kylo’s taken care of, I may have more options.”

“You aren’t going to a hotel, are you?” Ben asks, concern in his tone.

“Possibly—just until I find a new place. Or I could camp out on my brother’s couch.”

“No,” he says firmly.

“No what?”

“There’s an apartment above the garage at my place. You can access it from the house but there’s also a separate entrance.”

“I can’t move in with you,” Rey says.

“Why not?” Ben asks. “You don’t want to stay at a hotel over the holidays. The rates would be insane right now. Besides, I’m the reason you lost your apartment. This is the least I can do.”

“This wasn’t your fault,” she insists. “Your girlfriend is the one to blame.”

“My ex-girlfriend,” he corrects.

“Right,” she says, trying to ignore the fluttering in her heart when Ben emphasizes he’s single. “But you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll figure things out, and I feel better already knowing Kylo will be looked after.”

“And I’d feel better knowing there was someone at my house, making sure I don’t do anything stupid with Kylo—like trying to feed him milk or letting him get kidnapped.”

Rey laughs for what feels like the first time in days, but Ben doesn’t stop giving her reasons.

“Besides,” he says. “How are you going to explain to your brother that you need to sleep on his couch when you’re supposed to be seeing someone?”

In all the recent chaos, Rey had forgotten her lie to Finn and Rose. 

Finn’s party is in a few days. She wouldn’t be able to keep up the illusion of a fake boyfriend around her brother if she were staying with Finn.

But she doesn’t take charity. 

“This would be temporary, though,” she says. “Only until I find a new place.”

“Of course,” Ben replies, a smile appearing on his lips and the hint of a dimple emerging on his cheek.

Kylo lets out an approving meow, but Rey’s not done yet.

“And I only live in places where I can decorate for the holidays.”

Ben glances around her apartment, no doubt taking in the snowmen, garland, and candy canes she has strewn everywhere. “We’re BYOD at my house,” he says.

“BYOD?”

“Bring Your Own Decorations,” he replies. “I think you should be fine.”

~~~

Ben doesn’t need to report to work until six o’clock. Chewie covered for him during the rest of the day.

It gave Ben time to help Rey pack and move to his house that afternoon—and to make sure his nonna’s ring was still on his bookcase. 

The move went smoothly. Rey has plenty of decorations, but she didn’t have many other things to move. They only needed two trips in his truck to bring over her belongings.

At 5:30, Ben knows he has to head out the door, but he can’t stop looking in his living room. Rey’s hanging garland along the mantle, and Kylo’s watching her from his chair.

The sight is what he wants to see every day. Ben wanted to ask Rey out days ago, and now here she is, living in house.

But that’s his latest dilemma.

Yes, he has his cat back, and he has Rey’s name and phone number written down on post-its throughout his house, but he realizes he has a new problem.

He pulls out his phone to text his friends.

~~~

Ben scoops up Kylo and hugs the cat as he heads out. Rey follows, taking Kylo from him at the door. Ben wants to hug her too but he holds back.

“I’ll see you soon,” he says, and Rey nods, standing so close to him.

Ben needs to get mistletoe in this doorway ASAP.

[crowlore]

hey real quick since this got picked up on and i wasn’t expecting it to - don’t go bothering these people or looking for the post. please. i should have censored the urls. i don’t know these people, i’ve never seen them before i saw this post, i don’t know what horse they have in this metaphorical race. i know nothing about them, and i’m not making any claims or speculations about their interests. they are likely completely harmless.

this post was me complaining about an obviously fake story, not because it was a silly lie, but because i’ve been on the internet a long time and i find these sorts of posts often are sidestepping the actual stated issues of people who criticize ao3. namely, that it is not moderated in any way that protects writers of color (specifically black writers) or controls for things like explicit rpf of underage internet celebrities, not that some people have different but largely inoffensive kinks than their neighbors, like is often claimed in the pushback. it got under my skin, so i bitched about it untagged and undescribed, but y’all picked up on it regardless. i get it, it happens. we’re all fed up. i don’t even really go here.

but if you do go here and you’re more familiar with the criticisms of the site that i stated above, or want to educate yourself on what the people who criticize ao3 actually care about, i suggest reading this article discussing #EndOTWRacism and checking out the other links within.

again, my original post was no call to action, i was just being petty and turning my nose up at some behavior i deemed rather sad. a very ‘i owned a 14yo who didn’t like reylo in the public bathroom in front of their mother’ moment. i know the conversation surrounding ao3′s management is heated, i’m in it with y’all, but it’s borderline triggering to see mentions of the things y’all are citing in the tags. i know it’s on the site, i don’t like it either, but that’s not what the post was about. i’m turning off reblogs if this post gets out of control okay?

y’all will just make up teenagers to be mad at on the internet

[starsscarmyceiling]

ooo um I want to know about this merrical zombie fic 👀

Aww, thanks anon!

WOW, well, where do I even start with them?? THEY. The idea for this fic came from having an already started Reylo TLOU fic from my post TROS and TLOU 2 pains, and one day I sat down with myself and was like…but what if also Merrical though (much like I did with my neighbors AU bahahaha I have no self-control). Then the image of Cal wielding around two machetes fell into my brain and I was like OKAY THIS IS HAPPENING…

BUT THEN—I was like KATIE for the love of GOD please do not start another WIP, so it went on the back burner…for like a WHILE. I barely had an outline really, and then for quite some time I knew it was just going to be something I wanted to do down the line—but THEN—

Last October I got COVID for the first time, and well, I got into my TLOU 2 feels again (of which, that game was very hard for me) and was like UGHHHH WHYY, and idk I had a lot of time to kill…and oof well then started the absolute FEVER dream of me then writing the first 130k of this fic in two months. That was just insanity I cannot account for so much of that time. Everything just FLOWED out of me fuck have these two ruined my life.

Cal is traversing aimlessly (and has been for quite a few years) with his very well trained German Shepard, Beedee (who helps him hunt and kill infected), and he is in these woods realizing there are like not a lot of resources around…but he’s just hoping to find something…when he happens upon some featherfern he can harvest and is like OO!

Then he hears a sound snap and he only has milliseconds to react as a net is being set off around him, to which he ofc parkours himself out of it and was like damn that was close. He was going to leave, but then he’s like well actually what if I stick around for a minute and see who’s trap this is. Sitting up in a tree, Cal realizes he might just be lonely and want to see another person, and just before he’s about to give up—guess who comes onto the scene…

And GUESS how Cal decides to approach this situation??? It’s absolutely ridiculous I will tell you that:

“Sorry, that would have been me,” he said as she whipped around, and he supposed it wasn’t totally unexpected to be staring down the barrel of her rifle. Cal held up his hands.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t shoot you right now,” she demanded.

“Uh, well, I know you don’t know me, obviously, but…I swear we mean you no harm,” Cal insisted gently, still focusing on her weapon.

“We? How many of you are there?”

He let out a breath, tilting his head, “Just me and Beedee.”

Beedee barked, but the woman didn’t dare move, “This is your animal?”

“Yeah, yup,” Cal offered, sort of regretting the way it came out, “so…if you’re planning on killing me would you at least take care of my dog?”

Instead of entertaining anything he just said, she opted to scoff instead.

“So you just go around,” the woman said, stepping closer to him, “with your dog, and set off people’s traps? Why?”

“Uh,” he said as the gun was only inches from his face now, “I mean, I didn’t do it on purpose or anything.”

For the first time, she broke her focus on him, and looked over at the net again, but before Cal could fully relax, she grunted and reignited her ire.

“Did you tear a hole in it?”

“Well…I kind of, cut myself out of it when I was in midair—”

“You what?”

“What? Did you expect me to just lay back and let myself get caught in that thing?!”

She shoved the rifle at him again, “It would have made things a lot easier for me.”

Inhaling, his eyes flitted over to Beedee, who was now approaching them, “It’s fine Beedee, stay down.”

The dog did as he was told, sitting down once more, and Cal looked back over to the woman, “I really am sorry, alright? I didn’t even realize there would be anyone out here at all, let alone someone setting traps.”

“Do you have any idea how long it will take me to put it back up?”

“Well, I wouldn’t really suggest that because a torn net isn’t going to do you much good—”

She cocked the rifle’s chamber and narrowed her gaze, “Is this how you always talk to people who are literally brandishing a rifle in your face?”

In what was probably poor judgement, Cal nervously let out a chuckle, “Not…exactly, but…usually by this point the person would have made a decision whether or not they were going to shoot me—”

“And you think I won’t?!”

“No!” Cal shouted, moving his hands a bit in protest as he shook his head, “I mean—yes! Of course, I definitely still think it’s a possibility, but I kind of have this habit of talking too much when I’m nervous—”

“Something tells me that it is not just when you are nervous,” she said flatly.

“Look,” he tried to say as calmly as possible, “I can help you fix the net. I can even help you put it back up.”

She stood there for a couple of seconds, “Why?”

Cal thought the answer to that was obvious, “Well, I am the one who wrecked it, why wouldn’t I?”

“You’re acting as if we aren’t in the apocalypse. No one just does things out of the goodness of their hearts.”

A sigh escaped him, “I…realize that, but…I swear on the life of Beedee I have no other ulterior motive here.”

Again, she said nothing.

Cal closed his eyes for a moment, opening them again, “If I wanted to get away, I would have done it by now.”

“Oh, is that right?”

For an instance, Cal did nothing, but then he was swiftly reaching for her rifle before she could respond and had it pointed at her.

Then in what was the next few seconds, Cal watched her place her hands in the air, and now that he didn’t have a rifle in his face, he really got a look at her.

She was blonde, a few braids against her head with it all pulled back in a ponytail. Her skin was pale, and she had wide brown eyes that gleamed with amber as they realized the predicament she was in.

And as Cal stared on, her rifle in his grasp, he realized the one he was in.

She was goddamn stunning.

“Well,” she said, lowering her hands, placing them on her hips, “if you are going to shoot me with my own gun, just do it.”

She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever fucking seen.

Cal breathed shakily, “I’m not going to shoot you.”

Her eyes were still skeptical, but she didn’t move.

It was okay, he could definitely still have a conversation with this…ethereally…gorgeous…person.

It was fine.

“I told you…I would help you and I meant it,” he insisted, but she still narrowed her eyes nonetheless.

Cal relaxed his stance, “My name is Cal Kestis, and…I’m pretty handy with a knot or two.”

Her lovely countenance gave nothing away as he even lowered the gun all the way and offered it to her, “I even saw a rabbit just go by here. I can have Beedee on its tail no problem, so he could hopefully catch some food.”

She looked down at the rifle and then back at him. For a moment, Cal maybe thought that she was going to just take it back and shoot him, but, in what was probably considered a miracle, she took it back gently.

Cal let out an easy breath and smiled, “I can—”

“Cease your talking!” She demanded, to which he rapidly obeyed.

And…was that kinda hot?

No, it couldn’t have been.

“You are going to help me take this down and take it back to my home to patch up,” she said as she strapped the gun over her shoulder and walked over to the tree the trap was tied to, “and then you are going to leave after you put it back up. By yourself.”

Okay, so it was a little hot.

Oh, fuck.

“Alright,” he agreed, “let me just—”

She whipped her head at him, and he held up his hands, “Let me just get Beedee on that rabbit.”

Her head gave the slightest of nods, and she went back to untying.

Again, he let out a breath, and he had to quickly turn around himself, lest he lose himself in checking out the rest of her body, which was just downright unfair.

“Come ‘mere buddy,” Cal said softly, and Beedee trotted happily over to his master. He knelt down on the floor and let Beedee lick his face a couple of times, “alright, alright. We’re okay, huh?”

Cal gave him a few scratches behind the ears, “Good boy, now, I need you to track that rabbit that just came through here, okay?”

Beedee merely panted at him, so Cal pointed at the ground, giving the whistle that meant to track and hunt, which caused the dog to start sniffing right away.

Ever the great hunter, Beedee seemed to sniff out something right away, proceeding to follow it in the bushes, and then, he was off to hopefully find the bounty for them.

Cal turned back around, seeing her look in his direction as she finished untying the rope.

“So he is just going to hunt it?” She asked in a less hostile voice.

“Oh yeah, he’ll be fine. If he finds it, he’ll bring it back to us,” Cal explained.

“But we are going to be moving,” she pointed out.

Cal looked up, seeing that the net was caught up in the tree, close to where he was before.

“Well, he’ll be able to find me as long as you don’t live too far.”

She stood there, crossing her arms, “I live about one hundred yards to the east.”

“Oh, see! That’s like nothing, hey,” he said, “the net’s caught up there I can go get it down.”

Before she could say anything, he jumped up and grabbed the nearest branch, pulling himself onto it. Then, it didn’t take him long to find where it’d gotten stuck, so he quickly identified and solved the problem, to which the rest of the net fell to the floor.

He descended the tree, and then was jumping down again, his feet hitting the ground with another thump. For a moment when he looked up at her, he thought that she might have her rifle out on him again, but she was just standing there with her arms crossed.

She was staring at him, her eyes briefly looking up and down him, which made him nervously alert for more than a multitude of reasons before she was kneeling down and gathering the net.

Cal was immediately going to do the same, but then his eyes landed on the featherfern he was planning to harvest.

“Oh right, I was going to—”

“Do you have something better to do, monkey man?”

She was looking up at him incredulously, and he shook his head, his heart beating at the nickname she had suddenly given him.

“Uh, no,” he said, blinking a couple of times before he decided he could just come and get it later.

As Cal also now knelt on the ground, he felt anxiety spike through him, and he knew that he was never going to be able to shut his stupid mouth.

“It’s Cal,” he said out of nowhere.

Her head lifted to him with a raised eyebrow and he shrugged.

“In case you forgot—”

“I remember your name Cal Kestis,” she said, and then it did other things to him to hear his own name come out of her mouth as she stood with her side of the net, to which he quickly followed. She appeared to be about half a foot shorter than him, but she was still exceedingly intimidating, “I just prefer to compare you to a monkey due to your affinity for flouncing about in trees and your incessant chittering.”

She finished her sentence with gathering what she had of the net and slammed it into his chest.

His mouth was hanging open stupidly as he stared down at her. Their eyes met for the briefest, terrifying moment, before she was turning around and promptly walking off in a direction she obviously seemed confident in.

“Right,” he said, not sure if the whole ‘monkey man’ thing was meant to be an insult or not, but he just let himself breathe in and out before he was following her, presumably to where this beautiful, mysterious woman lived.

WE LIKE TO HAVE FUN HERE.

ALSO—I feel like I kind of have to put another preview in here…it’s kind of become a Thing™ in the Merrical server to say “giving someone a haircut” is to express care for someone as a metaphor. After Cal and Merrin have been traveling together and have grown close, Cal still has a difficult time like ever advocating for himself or anything he needs. It’s very easy for him to take care of everyone else instead, and he again, never even knows how to ask for anything in return. So one day, Merrin comments on how Cal's hair has grown longer, and he's like oh yeah I guess it has I've been meaning to take care of that, but then Merrin just--offers to cut it for him, which just like makes his mind explode. It just meant so much to him that she would offer without even having to ask. SO…I suppose I wanted to share some of that scene too considering what it’s meant to all of us…✂️💕✂️💕✂️💕

Both of her hands were on either side of his head now while she was still in front of him, and she seemed to be testing the length of hair out with her fingers from what it felt like.

For some reason, he thought it was pertinent to open his eyes now.

There she was, practically eye to eye with him as her fingers sought purchase on his scalp, and it was only made worse when she flicked her gaze to his.

Despite all of the anger she had just been projecting, Merrin’s countenance seemed completely softened now. And her coffee brown eyes were scanning all over his.

What he felt in that stare was the most beautiful sunset cresting into the distant mountains, and up until this point in his aggrievedly ambivalent existence, those mountains always felt like they were so impossible to reach, too far to even fathom before the darkness settled over.

But now?

With her here with him?

He was there, at the summit and letting the last of the sun’s rays warm his skin, like she was his guide, his refuge, in the night.

What a simple change, it seemed.

Or, at least it did in this moment.

And fuck he felt like Beedee whenever Cal scratched at just the right spot, and the dog turned into a melted mess on the floor, belly up and ready for all the pets.

Cal was certainly belly up now with her hands still so gently trekking their way through his hair.

“Hm,” he let out in a completely unwitting manner because he really was a fucking mess, and his eyes blinked slowly at her.

“Sorry,” she whispered softly with a bit of a lift in her voice, “I am just trying to see if everything is even.”

Cal practically wheezed at her. Apologize? She was apologizing?

He was about to lay down on the goddamn floor and tell her she could do whatever she wanted to him.

His mouth was a bit ajar as a brief exhale escaped it.

“It’s fine,” he finally attempted to convey, “take your time Mer…”

In another practically perfunctory action, he offered her a smirk. And he probably looked like an idiot, but—

He felt, for once in his whole miserable goddamn life where he thought for so long the only good place he had any more was in his memories…too special to care.

People just simply—didn’t do things like this for him, even before when he was at the base.

And it wasn’t their fault, really. It’s not like Cal knew how to ask for anything pretraining to himself or of his needs ever at all. That is another reason why taking care of everyone else came so easily to him.

So to see Merrin here now, so delicately weaving herself into his soul, it could have practically brought him to tears if he wasn’t careful.

This whole experience was certainly surging him through quite the myriad of emotions.

And Merrin was just giving him a fucking haircut.

But he wanted to reach for her now, turn his head so he could kiss at her wrists, slide his hands over her arms and slowly beckon her to sit in his lap now for an entirely different reason, so he could just hold her, show her his gratitude.

And if that led to him being able to lay his face gently on her cleavage, then that was just something he was willing sacrifice for the greater good of such an expression of thanks.

“Alright,” Merrin gently concluded as her hands, much to Cal’s dismay dropped and fell away from him, but they ever so briefly fell to his upper chest, where he was seriously about to raise his hands to place over hers in order to return the sentiment, but then she was actually standing up straight again.

Her eyes seemed to be taking him in, or more than likely examining her work, even though they lingered in certain places that Cal wished he could know so he could meet her there.

“I think it is complete enough,” she resolved now.

He was going to need about five to fifteen hundred business days to recover from that.

“Mm, okay,” he said, feeling like he had almost fucking disassociated for an actual positive reason for the first time in his life, which he honestly didn’t know was a possibility for him.

Cal did live in and inhabit a body, that’s right.

Why didn’t he just slide his way back into that thing, that ginger thing on the chair that was completely at this woman’s mercy.

Luckily, Merrin seemed to be able to pick up the slack when it came to human interaction.

“Would you like to go see it?”

He would like to go do literally anything she suggested.

His head trailed up her form as he breathed out though his nose. Their eyes met, and hers seemed to be surprisingly not impatient, but just waiting. Waiting for him to finally figure out how to be a person again.

A slow grin formed on his face, “Yeah. I’d like to see it.”

Finally, he recalled that he possessed leg muscles and used them to stand up.

Merrin was there, and he felt like he was drunk. Fucking inebriated off of her presence.

“Come on Cal Kestis,” she stated, taking him by the arm as she picked up one of the candles on the counter.

I am going to follow this woman to the end of actual time, he thought to himself.

And he would—he would stand there with her, until the sun rose again.

OOF, Cal Kestis, you are fucking in for it.

Yeah, idk what it is about these two in particular, but dear LORDT. They have…they have really fucked me UP.

Buuut, yeah, a lot of moving parts in the works rn before I post this. But believe you me, so soooo very eager to share…you DON’T even fucking know.

This was so much fun guys!!! Thank you SO much for all of your asks in this game

[midnightbluefox]

So excited to share this gorgeous art for my story, Broken Things.

Commissioned by one of the most wonderful people I know, @rebelrebelreylo and done by one of my favorite artists, @assortedfruitsnacks212! A million thanks to both of you! <3

When I first saw it, I was honestly speechless. It’s so perfect for Broken Things and beyond gorgeous and I couldn’t love it more!

For anyone wanted to check out my fic, here it is:

Broken Things

Rating: Explicit

Status: Completed

Summary: 

Modern AU. Rey loves everything about her new apartment; everything except for her neighbor who keeps her awake at night with his nightmares, lonely and plagued by his demons. She knows she doesn't have room in her life to fix another broken thing, but how can she resist? Especially when there's an undeniable tension between them, something neither of them ever expected.

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Broken Things was the first Reylo fic I ever wrote and it will forever be my favorite. It’s so special to me and brought so many amazing people into my life and I couldn’t be more thankful for all of the people who supported me <3

@thereylowritingden