“Where am I?” The words tear like fire from Rey’s throat. She makes it to her knees before a wave of vertigo hits. “Where’s my squadron? What have you done?”
“I don’t know. I don’t care. I’ve done nothing.” Kylo’s tone is carefully controlled, but the weariness seeps through. “In that order.”
It’s the slow dull edge to his voice that catches her attention and momentarily stills her. Her gaze snaps to the darksider; taking in the mottled bruising on his face. The drying blood caked at his brow. He’s injured and exhausted. She can read it plain as day in the deep hollows beneath his eyes. The way his breath hitches a little with each intake - and the wince he tries to hide as it does so.
All the easier to take him down, she thinks.
Mouth pressed in a determined line, Rey pushes herself to her feet and reaches for Han’s blaster at her belt. Cold panic surges up her spine as her fingers grab at nothing. She steps towards the Supreme Leader, stumbling as her brain takes several seconds longer than it should to register the movement.
“Before you ask,” Kylo holds up a hand in supplication, “it wasn’t me.”
“How,” she begins fiercely, “do you expect me to believe it could be anyone else?”
“We were attacked!” He snaps, the hand now curling into a fist and thumping the gnarled bough he sits upon. “The First Order, the Resistance… Someone blindsided us both, took our weapons, dumped us on this asswipe of a planet... And I’ve been sitting here for what feels like hours now trying to work out how.”
“Wow,” Rey says finally, arching a brow in disbelief, “your interrogation tactics have certainly grown more elaborate. Whatever happened to just strapping me in a chair and rifling through my brain?”
“No. Listen.” Kylo leaves his seat and steps in closer. There’s a raw intensity to his expression that has Rey reaching again for a weapon that’s not at her side.
“You didn’t just launch an escape pod and wind up on this planet, marooned and weaponless, any more than I did. We’re the two most powerful Force-users in the galaxy. How is this,” he throws out an arm, gesturing to the dense forest surrounding them, “even possible?”
The Enemy (of my Enemy is my Friend) - Chapter 1 excerpt
Coming soon to A03 & FFNET by acowlorsomething
This ‘stranded together on a jungle planet’ Reylo fic has been my baby for over a year now, as I’ve worked on it in and around other stories. I’m six chapters in (approximately halfway) and plan to complete it before posting (for once in my life). At the moment I’m looking for a beta reader to tap me on the shoulder me when grammar/punctuation is off, poke sticks at me if characterisation sucks, and question my lousy plot decisions. If anyone is up to giving this fic a once-over and offer their constructive feedback before it’s posted, feel free to message me. :)