What She's Worth (Reylo)

Chapter 29

His hand was a mess. Bruises and cuts were one thing, but taking out the splinters was a painstaking task especially since it was his dominant hand that was injured. Oh, he could have easily gone to the infirmary and had it treated with bacta, but he wanted to feel and remember the pain of the tree trunk's impact against his fist. Wanted to remember the way the bark had torn at his skin, the way the hard trunk split his knuckles and drew blood.

He wanted to remember the pain of seeing Rey being comforted by Kreio.

Clenching his teeth, Ben took some disinfectant and poured it over his wounds, hissing at the stinging sensation before wrapping his hand up with bandage. The pain from punching that tree was expected, but he never realized how much it would hurt to see Rey with someone else. It wasn't that he was jealous. No, never. Not in that way. It was because he was supposed to be the one there for her, and he...but he...

He growled as he tightened his bindings. He didn't know what the kriff he felt then or what he was feeling at the moment. All he knew was that he didn't like seeing her with someone else.

She's mine.

He paused from wrapping his hand and buried his head in his palms. Where in the world did that thought come from? Rey belonged to no one. Not to him, not to Kreio, not to anyone. And maybe...just maybe that was why he felt the way he did. Rey was her own person and should be no one else's.

Feeling a little better at the thought, he finished binding his wounds before he stood up from bed and walked towards his closet. Today would be the initiates' final trial before the ascension to Jedi Knighthood. That was why he had followed Rey into the woods earlier, hoping that they could somehow smooth things over, maybe try his hand at another attempt at an apology, and perhaps have her wish him luck. Instead, Kreio had emerged from the woods first and then...

"You still love him. Otherwise, you wouldn't be hurting like this."

Ben put his injured hand over his chest, clawing at it, pain seeping once more from his wounded fingers. His heart was beating fast again to the point of hurting, and it took minutes before he calmed down enough to search through his closet for a cloak.

The first thing he saw was the black cloak Rey had given him. No amount of cleaning and fixing had salvaged the parts shredded and burnt during the trials. Wearing it would probably make him look like a hungry scavenger in some backwater planet compared to the other initiates who were sure to wear their best cloaks, but he didn't hesitate to grab it and put it on. And for a few brief seconds at least, he was brought back to the first time he slipped his arms into its sleeves, and found it to be a perfect fit.

"You really like it? You're not messing with me, are you?"

"I love it, Rey. Thank you. I love you, you know that?"

"I...I love you too, Ben."

The buzz on his door cut through his musings. Letting out a breath, he wrapped one torn part of the cloak around his neck and pulled up his hood before opening the door, only to find Lennett on the other side, also wearing her own cloak, hood and all. Her smile instantly faded when she saw what he was wearing, but her words began with a gasp at the sight of his bandages.

"Ben, what happened to your hand?"

"Training injury," he muttered and walked past her, bumping her shoulder hard. It seemed she didn't get the message because she was quickly by his side again.

"You do realize that the final trial tests mental fortitude, right? Not physical strength," she reminded, trying to keep up with his long strides.

"Whatever." He made his strides longer.