A/N: I couldn't resist combining my two favorite things: Reylo and Twenty One Pilots!
This story takes place in the fictional world that TOP created in their "Trench" album. To summarize, Tyler (the lead singer) is a citizen of Dema, a city controlled by nine bishops. Each bishop represents something that has plagued Tyler – anxiety, depression, fear of change, etc. Beyond Dema lies the encampment known as Trench. This is where the Banditos live. A Bandito is someone who sees past Dema's lies and does everything they can to rescue citizens of Dema and bring them to Trench, where they can finally be free of the bishops' influence. Since bishops cannot see the color yellow, yellow flowers and duct tape have become the symbols of the Banditos.
Something about Dema just screamed First Order/dark side to me. Thus, this AU was born.
If you're curious about Dema/Trench/Banditos, or just the overall vibe of this fic, check out these TOP music videos: "Jumpsuit" and "Nico and the Niners." And as always, thanks for reading. :)
"The only significant light that I've seen has been in the eyes of those smeared — such a curious sight, to see bright eyes strangled by the darkness of bishop hands." - The Clancy Letters
Dema is a cold, lifeless place. The cement buildings are impersonal yet watchful; Rey feels as if a dark gaze follows her every step. Fighting back a shiver, she keeps her eyes down, her hood drawn up to hide her face.
For the first time, she realizes that there was a worse fate than being abandoned in Jakku.
How could anyone choose to live like this? How could Leia's son choose to live like this?
Bring him home, Leia had said. For all her strength, their leader's voice still breaks whenever she speaks of Ben. Please, Rey. You're our only hope.
How could she refuse?
As Rey ascends the curved, metal staircase, she fidgets with the roll of yellow duct tape tucked into the pocket of her hoodie. Her own shoulders and knees already bear the marks of a Bandito. This unused tape is for Ben. When she finds him, she will arm him with all of Trench's love and strength, and pray that it is enough.
It must be enough.
Rey finds his room easily. The door is labeled just as Finn said it would be: KR-1517. Snoke truly is the worst of the bishops — he steals his citizens' names, replaces them with a serial number. Rey can't imagine the kind of pain that inflicts on a person. Names have such power. They carry the very weight of a person's soul, give the person meaning and individuality in a world that often favors conformity above all else.
What will she find when she opens this door? Does Ben Solo still live?
Bracing herself for the worst, she forces the door open, wincing as it creaks in the eerie silence of the hall. Stepping into the darkness within, she eases the door shut again, sealing herself inside. Her eyes adjust quickly. It is not pitch-black, as she initially thought. Rather, a thin white light stands in the corner of the room — more like cell, she thinks wryly, noting the bars on the lone window — illuminating the form of its occupant.
He sits on the edge of the small cot, his shoulders hunched, hands clasped in his lap. Dark hair hangs in unruly waves about his face, obscuring him from Rey's eager scrutiny. She takes a step closer, wary of his reaction, but he doesn't move. It's as if he doesn't sense her presence at all. Frowning, she twists off a square of yellow duct tape, rolling it between her thumb and forefinger. "Ben?"
His head shoots up. Though half his face remains in shadow, she can see the intensity in his eyes, the sudden clarity brought on by the sound of his name. It's as if she has broken him out of a trance, or released him from a spell, somehow.
But the surprise in his eyes quickly becomes suspicion as he takes in the sight of her. Eyes narrowed, he rises to his impressive height, shoulders squared. "Who are you?"
Taking a deep breath, Rey pulls the roll of duct tape from her pocket. Ben tracks the movement with a gaze that quickly flits from confusion to understanding, before landing on blank resignation. "You're wasting your time," he says. "I can't go back."
"Why not?" she demands, bristling. Call her naive, but this is decidedly not how she expected this rescue mission to go. For that's what she expected to do, after all — rescue Ben Solo. He certainly looks like he needs rescuing, if his previous half-comatose state is any indication. So why is he refusing her help?
He steps into the light, and Rey bites back a gasp.
A thick black line stretches across his right cheek, cutting across his eyebrow and trailing all the way down his neck. There, it connects with a swirling mass of black, like someone grabbed his throat and streaked paint across his skin.
"You're smeared," Rey whispers, unable to keep the horror — and the wonder — out of her voice. She has never met someone marked by the bishops. Citizens of Dema are only smeared if they are caught escaping; it is a physical representation of their failed hopes, of the bishops' claim on their lives. She wouldn't be surprised if he had the infamous letters FPE — Failed Perimeter Escape — tattooed somewhere on his body as well.
No one has ever dared to leave Dema twice. What will happen if Snoke captures them? Surely Snoke will not let Ben live. Ben will not be allowed to stand as living proof that there is something outside these walls — something better. And what of Rey? Will the evil bishop force her into accepting Dema's ways? Rey shivers. It must not come to that. She will make sure that they make it to Trench safely.
"I've done horrible things," Ben says quietly, his measured tone disguising the tension Rey can see in the line of his shoulders. "I've killed people — people who loved me. I don't deserve a second chance."
"That's not true. It's never too late," she replies just as quietly, taking a step forward. "Ben, you will not bow before Snoke. I'll helpyou."
Again, the sound of his name seems to overwhelm him. He studies her intently, but this time, his gaze flickers with hope. "What's your name?" he murmurs.
She smiles. "Rey." Digging into her pocket again, she carefully pulls out a yellow carnation and offers it to Ben. He gently takes it from her, the barest hint of an answering smile lifting the corners of his mouth.
"For strength," Rey continues, "so you know you're not alone." She lifts the roll of duct tape. "And armor for the journey."
Ben looks down at his green jumpsuit for several moments, his jaw working. Then, lifting his head once more, he nods. "Cover me."
She tears off a long strip of tape and affixes it to his chest.
Once Ben has been made into a proper Bandito, they leave his dark cell, slipping through the air vents and making their way underground. There, Rey grabs an unlit torch from the wall, quickly lighting it so that they can make their way east.
They emerge into the valley beyond Dema just as dawn breaks. Ben stops to watch the sun rise, his face painted red, purple, and gold as light spills across the land. Rey knows she should turn away, catch the sunrise for herself, but she can't take her eyes off Ben. That flicker of hope she had seen earlier blazes in his eyes now.
"I haven't seen the sunrise in ten years," he says wistfully. He gives a little shrug. "It's always cloudy in Dema."
Rey has only known Ben for little more than an hour — yet, her heart breaks for him. Gently, she takes his hand in hers, pleased when he doesn't flinch or pull away. "Ben?"
He tears his gaze away from the sky to look down at her. "Hmm?"
Squeezing his hand, she smiles. "Welcome to Trench."