Thread by @readitude

Anchors aweigh - crackfic ( because it's been a shit day and just got worse )

https://twitter.com/reylo_prompts/status/1237833303555592193

Kylo was a stalwart fellow - a semi-permanent mushroom anchor - solid, bulky, substantial. He took great pride in his moorings. Keeping such a grand vessel on location required his particular expertise.

Reliable, determined, a steady hand to control the ship.

He wasn't always needed. Sometimes that lightweight Rey with her flashy flukes was called upon. Amateur job if he had any say so.

Why would you insist on doing a job for such a short time? Up and down, up and down with her. Always dancing around. Flukes stirring up muck.

Rey was new to the job - freshly deployed with the latest season. She really thought though that there was a need for both her and Kylo. He just couldn't seem to see past his mass to reason that different ways didn't necessarily mean useless ways.

Kylo was certainly impressive. His shape darkened and weathered with time, a smattering of barnacles dotting his surface. She loved his barnacles, could gaze endlessly at the patterns they made. He was an imposing specimen of anchor-hood.

Rey felt that her lack of significance was a drawback. While she was quite dextrous with her flukes if she did say so, she hadn't yet served the that Kylo had.

'What a bunch o flotsam. I ain't gonna be letting him get into my head like that. No matter how big his shank is.'

And it was a great shank indeed if she did say so herself.

'Whatever, that rust bucket things only permant morrings are worthwhile. He just can't see the benefit of the exceptional temporary work I do! Cranky ol seadog.'

Now it was true, Kylo felt the best work for an anchor was a permanent mooring.

'But we can't all be permanent moorings. It's ok. You can't really foul up too much being so much lighter than I am.'

Rey's flukes were shimmering with her anger. That groggy, lead bottomed, no good pile of rocks!

'You only WISH you were as maneuverable as I! You're jealous I get more action that you - getting the heave-ho so often while they just store you away for the dry season!'

Their words burned hotter than loggerheads.

This back and forth persisted for the entirety of the season : Kylo striking his heavy-handed blows and Rey slicing deep with her sharp words.

Then one day they were at rest in a moderate cove. Try was working her hardest, flukes nestled tight against some rocks.

Her rode was at a nice length, 8:1, allowing for that necessary parallel force to keep the ship steady. It was a soft day, the water was a bit murky but she could still see through to the graying skies.

'The sky is looking listless. We might be over a barrel here.' Despite their enmity the two managed fairly peaceable communication - if only for the fact that they were the only two anchors that had shipped out.

'That junk idle up there better be paying attention!' Kylo loved to criticize no matter the situation. But Rey couldn't help but agree in this instance. They were in for a mighty to-do if the look of those clouds was nythinng to go by.

As day passed in to night the whinds whipped up. The sails were fueled and all cargo secured.

Rey was to be dropped the entire time as their cove sanctuary was littered with larger boulders that would sunder the ship's bottom right so if they tried to drift with the winds.

Her rode was straining, the links of chain woven with cable nearing their breaking point. The ache on her flukes rippled through her entirety.

'Kylo! I'm going to drop failure! I'm not going to make it!'

Poor Kylo with all his bulk was still berthed. The scallywag leading this vessel hadn't dropped him before the storm hit.

Rey needed him!

With a fortuitous lurch the brake gave way and Kylo plummeted into the dark depths.

'Rey! I'm coming! Hold on!'

The turbulent waters pitched and rolled him. Sinking through the expanse, feeling the battering currents, Kylo was amazed at Rey's prowess.

'I'm here my love. You've been so strong, you've fought so hard. Im here to share your burden. Together we will save our ship!'

Reaching the silty bottom of the cove, Kylo sank as fast as he could, burying himself in the fine grains which allowed the maximum resistance.

Tipping over to counterbalance his submerged mass, Kylo unconciously pointed his shank right at Rey.

'Kylo, I'm so tired. I've tried to be strong.' She was lost in her fight. She hadn't heard his dive down to her.

'Rey, you sweet, strong anchor. I'm here love.'

'KYLO?! YOU'RE HERE?! Thank Poseidon. Wait . . . Did you call me . . . Love?'

With the security of Kylo's immense presence Rey was finally able to focus on more than her struggle. The relief burning through her rode let her know she was still there. With her Kylo.

'You were right my dear. I was jealous. You're so useful, so applicable. And I just hang around to be pulled out and forgotten about.' Kylo's despairing tone burrowed into Rey's core.

'No love, no. You're so reliable, always there protecting us, me, during the layover.'

'Your strength saves us, challenges me, balances me.'

'I love you Kylo.'

'I love you too Rey.'

And never did they fight again.

That's a lie. They bicker all the time about best practices for anchoring vs mooring. But now they're a team, sheltering their ship year round.

Together.

Fin.

Thanks for reading. This was kind of therapy after a bunch of REALLY ROUGH DAYS. I had a lot of fun writing this. It was all impulse and typed straight into Twitter so I'm sure there are LOTS of mistakes.

Thanks again!

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