Under a Northern Sky

by lorel_steele

Summary:

A kinda angsty short with ice skating and a little fluff.

A Serendipity inspired short-fic for Kristen ❤️

Notes:

• For kaybohls.

Chapter 1: Chapter I

Kylo Ren sat idly in his quarters, quite frankly freezing his ass off. He had to have been wrapped in four blankets, on top of the two shirts and three sweaters. A familiar tingling in his fingertips and toes was overlooked, contributing it to the cold of his quarters. That is, until the room faded away, a vacuum like atmosphere whirling. He hadn’t felt the familiar prick of his hair in months.

“I thought this would never happen again.” His voice was level, hiding the excitement he felt deep in his bones. Her image was clearer somehow, flashes of her surroundings catching his eye.

“You’re the Supreme Leader of the First Order and you can’t get a simple space heater?” she mocked, raising an eyebrow. Her voice was clearer, still heavenly to his ear. It was almost like they were in the same room.

He shook his head slightly, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I opted to let our maintenance technicians begin in the trooper floors. I can handle a little cold.”

She wasn’t listening to him, someone around her was talking to her. He watched her demeanor harden, dread filling her features. “I’ll be out in a bit. Just let me get ready.”

He tilted his head, watching as she pulled on several layers. “You’re somewhere cold as well.” he noted, unable to take his eyes off her. “You’re not used to low temperatures, your body can’t handle it.”

“So what if I am?” she grumbled, confirming his suspicions.

“You’re on Hoth.” His statement was simple, but enough to cause her to falter. He grinned, getting up from his spot and moving to his desk. He scribbled something down, moving towards her. “Meet me here at 2.” He placed the slip of paper in her hand, his hands rough but gentle.

“What makes you think-”

“It’s a surprise, I want to show you something.” His voice was soft and somewhat desperate.

“You’re leading me into a trap.” she glared at him, making his heart clench slightly.

“Why would I-?” He suddenly recalled his actions upon the Supremacy, halting his words. “I promise, I came to the planet alone.”

“Why would the First Order let their Supreme Leader go to a frozen wasteland planet by himself?” She rolled her eyes dismissively.

“Because I told them to.” He stepped forward, straightening his stance.

She stared at him, her mind in utter turmoil. Her curious nature and their fragile relationship pulled at her logic and loyalty. Several moments passed, her eyes looking over the elegantly scrolled coordinates. Movement caught her attention, her eyes flicking to her surroundings as they slowly came into view once again. She met his gaze, the desperation painting his face slowly fizzling away, Rey finding herself again alone in her quarters.

“Come on Rey, we’ve gotta get these ships up and running.” Finn knocked on her door again.

“Coming!” She nodded, jogging behind him.

Throughout the day Rey kept her hands busy, but her mind was busier, various scenarios running through her head. A rare few of them went well, but the majority ended in disaster, her slaughter filmed and played all over the galaxy as a warning against any Rebellion.

Poe and Finn eyed her carefully as she ran through an X-Wing’s wiring, missing an obvious misconnection. This wasn’t the first mistake she’d made, in fact it was at least the twentieth time she’d missed something so obvious.

“Hey Peanut? What’s on your mind? You seem distracted.” Finn laid a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m fine Finn.” Her voice was snappy and annoyed.

“Woah, woah” he held up his hands. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to ruffle your feathers.”

Rey sighed heavily, wiping her hands on a rag before tucking stray hair behind her ears. “No, I’m sorry. I’ve been distracted today.”

“Anything we can do?” Poe leaned against the ship, concerned for his friend.

“No, I just need a minute.” She smiled lightly, giving them a look of gratitude. “What time is it?” She turned suddenly, realizing they’d been working for quite a while.

“Almost two” Poe checked his watch.

“I have to go.” She said with slight urgency, keeping her gaze downward.

“Oh yeah? You got a date?” Finn teased lightly.

“No” she shot him a look, pulling her jacket tighter around her. “I just need to go.”

“Well, see ya later.” He shrugged, ducking to avoid hitting his head on an X-Wing.

Rey watched him for a moment before jogging to the Falcon. “Chewie! I need to take her out for a bit, go help the guys with the ships.” He roared in annoyance as he got up, stomping down the ramp.
--
Ren sat idly in his small Silencer, tapping his foot impatiently. His mind reeled, unease settling in his body. Having had enough of his own anxieties, he opened the hatch, gathering his small bag and moving to sit on a rock near a small frozen lake. He pulled two metal coverings out of his bag and placing them on the ground in front of him. He placed his boots over them one by one, watching them mold to the tread. He pushed himself to his feet, gliding somewhat unsteadily across the ice. He’d learned to skate on Scipio, when his mother had taken their family on a ‘diplomatic vacation’ as she’d called it. He later found out that it was really an excuse for good publicity.

He tapped his comm, seeing that it was ten minutes past two. His heart sank slightly, she wasn’t coming.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts and memories that he shut out the world around him. He tilted his head slightly, his senses coming to the forefront of his mind. The familiar hum of the Falcon’s engine filled his ears, of course she would bring that stupid piece of junk. Emotions he couldn’t even begin to describe flooded his body, mainly joy and fear, but there was something lingering deep in his gut as well.

The Falcon landed gracefully, its hatch lowering to reveal the beautiful Jedi, cloaked in white, a perfect contrast to his ebony ensemble.

Chapter 2: Chapter II

Kylo smiled lightly, making circles in an attempt to calm his nerves. “Thank you for meeting me.” He finally stopped in front of Rey.

“What are you doing?” She watched, unaware as to why he was so far away. She walked forward, only to find herself on the ice along with him.

“Woah!” He held up his hands, “Do not move. I will get the coasters.” He skated away quickly, returning with two more metal covers. He came close to her, kneeling down in front of her.

“What are those?” She glared, stepping backwards, only to realize the extent of the trouble she was in when she almost slipped.

“These will give you traction and let you skate around on the ice,” he explained, looking up at her for permission.

“Ok,” she said meekly, allowing him to lift her feet, the metal covers contracting over her snow boots.

He nodded and pushed himself to his feet. “You want to take a step, then push off, see?” He demonstrated slowly. “To turn you use the outside foot a bit more than the other.” He circled around, meeting her once again. “You’re going to fall, thats a given, but once you get the hang of it you’ll love it.” His voice was even and hopeful.

She gave him a somewhat nervous look before taking a step forward, her balance betraying her. He grabbed her arm, pulling her to his chest instinctually. “Easy there.” He watched a rosy hue color her cheeks before he released her from his grasp.

She moved to step again, faltering slightly. “It may be best if I hold on to something.” She bit her lip.

He nodded, remembering his mother and Chewie holding onto him when he was young. He offered her his hand, silently thinking back to their interaction in the throne room of the Supremacy, sure she wouldn’t take it. His thoughts stopped instantly as warmth spread over his hand.

Ren held her hand tightly as they inched around the pond’s perimeter, her abilities slowly progressing. He watched her nervousness melt into joy as they skated.

He hadn’t noticed the temperature begin to drop until he felt her shiver against his arm. “Hold on a second.” He steadied her before he let go of her hand, unclasping his thick cloak and draping it over her shoulders. She looked up at him with her innocent hazel eyes as he settled the hood over her crown, fighting the instinct to snuggle into the new layer and inhale his scent.

Seeing her in his cloak caused him to melt inside, especially after she took his hand once again, her other holding the black fabric close to her body. He wasn’t paying attention to his feet or his path as he pushed off once again, making another half lap before getting his foot caught in a root. He mentally cursed himself as he threw his free arm out awkwardly to catch his fall, his other hand not letting go of hers. He landed hard on the ice, grunting heavily as he yanked her down on top of him. Her body was surprisingly lighter than he’d expected, her giggle making him dizzier than the pain in his arm.

“Are you ok?” Her giggles stopped as she noticed the discomfort in his face, pushing herself up to sit on her knees beside him.

“I’m perfectly fine.” His voice was laced with pain, his tone contradicting his words.

“The fact that you can’t move your hand has nothing to do with being fine, huh?” She crawled onto the ice carefully and sat on her knees, helping him sit up beside her.

Ren sucked air in through his teeth as he let her look over his arm, her face grim and sympathetic. “Kriff that hurts,” he finally admitted, knowing full well his forearm was broken.

“Here” she unzipped her coat, pulling off one of her arm wraps. She gently wrapped the cloth around his wrist, sitting up on her knees to tie it around his neck. “It's not much, but I feel like it will help stabilize it until you can get back to base.”

His body tensed as she came closer, the movement spreading burning pain through his arm and chest. “I may have some bone regenerative in the emergency kit, painkillers at least.”

“I’ll be right back then.” She shuffled to the snow and pushed herself to her feet. She trotted to his ship, opening the hatch and looking around.

“I think it's under the seat.”

“Got it!” She climbed inside, grabbing the small bag and returning to his side. She dropped down beside him, resting the kit on her lap. “I think this is it?” She read over the label on a small brown bottle.

Kylo grunted, snatching the bottle rather abruptly from her hands before opening the cap with his thumb and chugging it in its entirety. He sighed lightly, his pain subsiding. “Thank you” he murmured, laying back against the ice.

The pair hadn’t noticed the light fading, moonlight illuminating the ice and snow. His eyes rose to the sky, watching as the stars and planets passed by. “It has a tendency to make you feel insignificant, thinking about how large the universe is.”

“A little.” Rey stared at the sky, “But you’re in control of half of it, you’re hardly insignificant.”

“Not right now.” He shook his head “Right now I am just a man, ice skating and star gazing with the girl he loves.” He looked at her, gauging her reaction. Silently praying that his brave words weren’t too bold.

She looked at him, finding only seriousness in his eyes. “You love me?” Her words were low, her voice cracking.

“From the moment you came to me on the Supremacy.” He sat up, wiggling his fingers on his bad hand, the regenerative setting in.

Rey sat up as well, the comm on her wrist blinking rapidly. “They’re wondering where I am.” She frowned; the Resistance always did have impeccable timing.

“It is kind of late.” He stood up, helping her to her feet.

“I’ve had a lovely time. Thank you.” Rey looked up at him, the adoration in his eyes making her smile.

He offered her his hand, leading her to the Falcon’s ramp. “There’s just one more thing I wanted to do.”

“What?” She turned back to him in slight confusion, tilting her head.

“This.” He stepped forward, his hand gently caressing her cheek as he pulled her into a kiss. His other hand held her waist, pulling her flush against him.

Ren’s actions surprised her, her body tense but she quickly softened, melting into his kiss. Her lips moved with his, her hands winding their way into his black locks. She finally broke away, panting and flushed.

“Good night Rey,” he murmured, kissing her forehead gently before allowing her to board the Falcon.

Chapter 3: Chapter III

“For these reasons, I would like to attempt negotiations with Resistance members and their General.” After several days the almighty Kylo Ren stood in front of a large crowd, cloaked in a regal black tunic with silver embroidery. He was standing on a stage, cameras flashing and reporters yelling. “I urge General Organa to contact me personally to organize a meeting. Thank you.” He stepped backwards, walking off the stage just before the transmission ended.

Rey tried to hide her grin, covering her mouth with her hand as if she was in shock.

“No way! You can’t trust that lunatic!” Poe was the first to protest, his hands flat on the conference room table.

“I don’t disagree General.” Rose bit her lip as she looked to the matriarch.

Rey sat back in her chair, resisting every urge to defend her Ben. She met Leia’s gaze, a silent understanding between the two.

“I am contacting my son, end of discussion.”

“How would you even get a transmission connection? He didn’t give a frequency.” Finn tilted his head.

“Before we left him with Luke, Han and I gave him access to a private frequency with which he could always reach us.” Leia stood from the table, the others scrambling to their feet.

After Leia exitted, the small group spoke amongst themselves. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, where did you get this cloak?” Rose looked over the stitching, noting the fabric’s quality and overall craftsmanship.

Rey’s mind reeled, she hadn’t realized she’d had it on when she was summoned to the control room. “I found it,” she blurted the first thing her mind could comprehend, “on the Falcon. I was looking through some old drawers and compartments.”

This answer seemed to satisfy the men, who wouldn’t have noticed her new accessory even if she hadn’t turned it inside out, covering the small First Order emblem on the chest. Rose, however, still seemed a bit suspicious, nodding and letting Rey retreat to her quarters.
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“Supreme Leader!” Hux’s annoying voice squawked in his direction.

“Yes, I know.” Ren shot him a look, tossing him back in his chair with a small flick of his hand.

“We’ve wasted too much time and too many resources on such a small group of rebels. I find it will be more beneficial for us to come to a civil agreement than to continue to put so much effort into the Resistance.” He reasoned, his eyes flicking to the various individuals at the table.

“Phasma,” He glanced to the woman on his right, one of the few occasions she was unmasked. “How many troops have we lost in pursuit of a measly hundred people?”

“At least 1200, Supreme Leader.” Phasma swallowed heavily, weary of her honesty.

“Even if we lost-” Hux spoke again, only to be silenced by pressure against his windpipe.

“I am going to proceed as planned, end of discussion.” Ren stood from the table, calmly exiting to the bridge.

The others filed out as well, chatting no doubt about his idiotic plan. The reflection of Phasma’s armor in the glass caught his attention as she stood beside him. “Since when does your wardrobe involve anything thats not black?” He saw a smirk on her lips, he’d been caught.

He looked down at the white strip of cloth tied around his wrist, mostly concealed by his sleeve and gloves. “It's a bandage, I burned myself last night on the stove in my quarters.” His lie was smooth. He technically wasn’t lying, it had been a bandage of sorts at one point, now it was just a small reminder of his heart, probably freezing her ass off on Hoth.

“Mhm.” She shook her head. “You men always think you can hide things from us, I saw your Silencer was missing from the hanger for a good while the other day.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Captain.”

“Keep telling yourself that, Ren.” She chuckled, turning to return to her duties. “Oh, I hope she liked skating. I always loved it when I was young.” She patted his shoulder before disappearing into an elevator.
---------------------------------------------------------

Negotiations were set to take place on Hoth, each group bringing only five people. Rey chewed her lip nervously as the sleek black transport landed close to their base. She stood beside Leia, watching as a ramp lowered, the tall figure leading several others.

“Benjamin,” Leia stepped forward, gauging her son’s demeanor.

“Mother,” He nodded warmly, fighting the smirk on his lips.

Finn and Poe stood stiffly, glares set on the Supreme Leader as he met their gaze. He then noticed Rey beside them, failing to conceal his smile.

She grinned, fighting the urge to wrap her arms around him and kiss him again. “Nice to see you again Supreme Leader.” she murmured.

“Indeed” his voice was low, his self control waning.

Rey pulled the black cloak tighter around her, fiddling with the hem as Leia led them to a conference room. She sensed him behind her, a jittery feeling rising in her stomach. Everyone settled on their respective sides of the table, allowing discussions to begin.

“I’ve arranged this meeting to hopefully arrange a treaty between the First Order and the Resistance. Ideally, I’d like the Resistance to publically surrender to the First Order in exchange for the safety of its members and lenient sentencing.” Ben sat with his back straight, his elbows supporting his weight on the table.

“Excuse me?” Poe growled, “Lenient sentencing?”

“Yes, short prison sentences as opposed to the traditional punishment for treason.” A pasty ginger Poe had called Hugs shot a look at his superior.

“And you agreed to this?” Leia stared at her son, a look of disappointment and anger in her eyes.

“This is the best offer we can make.” Ben swallowed hard, his eyes landing on the woman beside his mother.

Horror and rage painted the face of the brunette. “You would put your own mother in jail?” her voice was low and even, daring him to respond. The others in the room watched as she stood up from her seat, eyes locked on the large man.

“It’s better than execution!” Ben rose to his feet as well, meeting her stride as they met at the head of the table.

“And what about me? Huh?”

“I’m trying to keep you safe!”

Confusion and tension filled the room as the screaming match continued.

“I can take care of myself!” Rey hollered back at him, sticking her finger in his chest.

“I know that! I’m trying to help you!” Ben hissed.

“Help me how? By throwing me in a jail cell?!”

“No! I would never let that happen.”

“And why’s that, Supreme Leader?” her voice dripped with resent.

“Because I love you!”

“Well maybe I love you too!”
It took several seconds for her words to register in his mind, his hand caressing her cheek as he pulled his lips to hers. She clung to him, her arms locked around his neck.

A throat clearing caught their attention, the others in the room staring at them. He held her close to him, her face red and her lips swollen.

Reactions were mixed to say the least. Phasma smirked, holding out her hand as one of the other commanders cursed under his breath, handing her a few credits. Leia had tears in her eyes, the rest were beyond angry.

“How dare you.” Poe glared at her, Finn behind him looking genuinely hurt by her actions. “The face of the Resistance, nothing but a traitor.”

“You can’t speak to her like that.” Ben stepped forward, the sheer height difference an intimidation to the pilot.

“Oh yeah? Who says?” Poe dared him, rising to his feet.

“The entirety of the First Order.” Ben shot a look at Phasma, who instantly had him in her blaster sights.

“Boys!” Leia rolled her eyes as she pushed Poe back into his seat, holding a hand of surrender to Phasma, who put away the blaster. “Now that this development is out in the open, perhaps we can come to a more acceptable compromise.”

Rey looked up at Ben, who nodded, kissing her temple lightly before they returned to their seats.

Notes:

I hope y'all like this. I honestly had no idea what I was going to write for this exchange, so I struggled a bit (hints the last minute submission). There will be more than one chapter, and I hope to get the others up ASAP.