A/N: Massive thanks to Sunny (xsunny) for betaing and helping me on structure!
Summary: Kylo Ren and Hux are stranded on a jungle world after negotiations go bad. Kylo is badly wounded, his life resting in Hux's treacherous hands. His take on the reasons for his survival are very different from Hux's.
My Titleception prompts were: Determined Butcher, Don't Leave Me, and Guarding my Enemies.
Tags: Kylux, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren, Enemies to Lovers, They were stranded, Hurt/Comfort, mild gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt Hux, Hurt Kylo Ren, Roshomon effect, dubious consent in chapter two, canon-compliant, post-TLJ
Notes: This story is presented in two chapters. This first one is from Kylo Ren's point of view. The second chapter covers the same time period, but from Armitage Hux's point of view. Matching dialogue, same actions, but you get the understanding of the scene and the voice of a different character. Roshomon effect usually means conflicting interpretations. Those presented here don't directly conflict, but there's definitely a different interpretation per character.
The negotiations were a bloodbath, literally. Pabril and Pavitz went down in the first barrage. Moric didn't make it out of the room. Kylo had taken a blaster bolt to the left shoulder from behind, feeling the disruptive pulse of the shot slam through his body. It was the sort of thing that knocked most people out if it didn't kill them outright. Kylo Ren was not 'most people.'
He stumbled, but recovered his footing and kept running. There was too much coming at them, too determined, too focused, too well-coordinated, for him to be able to fend it off successfully with the Force. He knew as much without even trying, so he kept moving even as one after another of his team was dropped behind him.
Ahead of him, Hux was yelling orders at the three troopers with him, something about Ren. The three stopped, swung around, and pointed their blasters at Kylo. For a second, he thought that was it. He'd known Hux wanted him dead since he'd woke up on the throne room floor with Hux standing over him, hand on his blaster in an eerie replay of the scene with Luke.
When the first wave of hostility had erupted in the negotiating room today, Kylo had thought Hux had orchestrated this even though Hux was right there in the room with him. But the shooting was too insistent and indiscriminate. If Hux had planned this, then the plan had gone severely off the rails because the only reason Hux hadn't gone down with the rest was luck and being exceptionally fleet-footed.
Blaster shots sizzled through the air from the three troopers, but they streaked past Kylo. He had a sense of the intention of the soldiers. They hadn't been aiming for him. They were covering his retreat. Realizing that, he picked up the pace again, running past them as one was shot down. The other two didn't make it, either. By the time he got outside, it was just him and Hux.
There were two guards in armor at the base of the ramp to their shuttle, but Kylo's attention was on the Force signatures of those pursuing them. The dash to the shuttle was a dangerously long stretch of open space. If he was right, they had enough of a head start to make it to the ship before their enemies caught up. The three dead troopers behind them had bought enough time that he and Hux would be safe.
One stride ahead of him, Hux skidded to a stop and grabbed at Kylo, snatching the edge of his cloak and spinning him to a halt as Kylo started to pass him. Kylo looked back at him. Hux's eyes were wide, fixed on the shuttle. Then Kylo felt it – they were running into a trap. Plus, why the hell would their guards have been standing there idly while they were being shot up inside?
The false troopers opened fire as soon as it was clear the ruse was up. Hux ditched to the side, heading for the unknowns of the jungle that grew up all around this remote, supposedly neutral ground. With only two adversaries before him, Kylo stopped one bolt and in the next breath slammed the other trooper through the air and into the side of the ship behind him. He fell like a crate of parts. The other swept off their helmet to better see what had happened to the blaster bolt.
Kylo flipped on his lightsaber, released the bolt, and deflected it back at the point of origin with a precise burst of concentration. His shoulder hurt when he swung the saber. Something about the strain of channeling the Force didn't agree with his nerve endings, or maybe he'd switched his attention from damping down pain to doing something else. He didn't know, but he turned and yelled at Hux. "Come back!" He pointed at the shuttle. That was their way off this rock – the only way, as the planet was otherwise uninhabited.
At the edge of the greenery, Hux paused. He yelled back, "It's compromised! Come on!"
Hux was supposed to follow orders – not argue with him in the middle of the battlefield! Kylo could feel the urgency flowing through the moment. Death lurked down a disturbing number of potential futures and the longer he took to choose the correct path, the less likely that path would be available. With a growl, he turned off his lightsaber and ran after the general.
They were seen as they ran into the thick rainforest. Initially, they were pursued on foot, but they outpaced them and there was too much cover for anyone to get a decent shot off at them. Then some probe droid came floating along behind them. Out of breath, Hux shot at it wildly. Kylo warped one of the blaster bolts so it hit anyway. Then they had to run again, because doubtless the thing had reported their location. Which it had – minutes later, they were dodging serious firepower from a half dozen light fighter ships. In the distance, they could see some manner of transport ships lifting off from the base they'd run from. Their shuttle was among them.
They were exhausted by now – multiple adrenaline dumps and putting out one hundred percent effort every time would wear down anyone. Kylo was also slowly bleeding out. The jungle was not easy to run through. The ground was uneven. The soil was frequently soft and sucking. The underbrush was thick and thorned. Tree roots were everywhere. It was impossible run in a straight line. They ran toward thicker growth, hoping the mass of vegetation would give them some cover from the ships circling above.
They didn't see the massive herd animals until they were all around them. Hux and Kylo both slewed to a halt, looking up at creatures twice their height, with rough, dark hide and six trunk-like legs. They had snouts and tusks like a hog or a happabore. There had to be at least a dozen of them. There was no time for more than mutual awareness. The pursuing aerial fighters came through for another pass. Apparently they were using thermal sensors to detect them through the concealing canopy, because their shots hit the animals instead of Hux and Kylo.
Large caliber bolts tore through the trees, hitting two of the brutes, a nearby tree, and tearing holes in the ground. Pandemonium broke out. The animals wailed, the tree groaned and crackled as it toppled, and the fighters streaked away from their confirmed hits, engines screaming. The beasts thundered in all directions. The most badly wounded was right next to Kylo. It slammed into him, flattening him, then fell on him, wrestled its bulk to its many feet (including planting one right on Kylo's torso – bones snapped under the weight), then collapsed again. The last thing Kylo remembered was a desperate Force push to keep the tottering animal from falling on him a second and final time.
XXX
He was shivering when he woke. It was dim – the sun was setting. There was smoke rising into the air. His chest felt … wrong, like there were five knives stabbed into his right side and if he breathed too deep, they'd slice up his insides. And his right forearm was aching, throbbing in pain. It lay next to his side, very primitively splinted – four straight sticks of raw wood with scorched ends, tied neatly with strips of black cloth. The fabric was from his shirt, he realized. The rest of the shirt was missing. The thing covering his upper body was something else – some other black article of clothing, carefully tucked in. He was lying on fabric as well, too: Hux's greatcoat.
Nearby was his general in jodhpurs and an undershirt, blood smeared along the underside of his arms up to his elbows. Like a determined butcher, he was slicing at the carcass of the creature that had lumbered onto Kylo. Kylo was further away from it than he remembered. He'd been moved, but not far. Either that or he'd pushed the thing more than he'd expected with the Force. He swallowed, mouth dry. "Hux?" It came out as a whisper.
Still, Hux heard it. He looked over at Kylo with an intent look, then finished cutting free the bit of meat he'd been working on. He carried it over to the fire and arranged it on a sharpened stick set up for the purpose. There were several other gobbets drying or cooking similarly. Then he came to Kylo's side. He moved with a pronounced limp and lowered himself to the ground carefully. "Kylo," he said softly.
"I'm cold," Kylo told him.
"Are you?" Hux sighed and pressed his lips together in dissatisfaction. He looked up and down Kylo's body. Kylo's shivering was uncontrollable. He was in shock. His body was in free fall. He struggled to find focus in the Force, but it kept slipping away. It was amazing he was alive, really. Why hadn't Hux killed him?
Then he had another shock, emotional this time – Hux pulled aside a bit of the greatcoat and laid on it, putting his body against Kylo's left side. He draped a careful arm across his waist and put his leg over Kylo's. His face was against Kylo's deltoid, pressing the cloth covering between them. They weren't touching skin-to-skin anywhere, but Kylo could already feel the body heat. Hux was silent. Kylo was silent.
Pressed together, he found Hux's life energy in the Force and used it as a baseline to stabilize himself. It was like a rope he could use to pull himself to shore. Once he had his metaphorical feet under him, he steadied his heart, slowed his breathing, and damped down the pain. Then he warmed himself. He felt through his injuries and cleared his mind. He was safe, though very weak and in terrible shape. "You're not going to kill me."
Hux propped himself up to his elbow, taking care to tuck in whatever it was over Kylo's chest. In an astonishingly gentle voice, he said, "To be honest, Kylo, I don't believe you're going to make it through the night. For which I'm very sorry. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"You …" Kylo didn't know how to deal with any of that – his first name coming out of Hux's mouth for the second time chief among them. Why were they on a first name basis? The expectation of his death he ignored. He didn't think he would die – not now that he'd stabilized. But the shocking thing was that Hux thought he would, and yet was offering heartfelt condolences and trying to comfort him. This was the man he'd thought was plotting his demise?
Kylo asked, "Why did you splint my arm if you think I'm going to die?"
"I wanted the illusion of doing something useful." Hux reached across him and put a hand to Kylo's throat.
A spasm of alarm passed through him, although the ludicrousness of Hux choosing that moment to strangle him one-handed kept Kylo from doing anything other than flinching. Hux took his pulse, or at least felt of it. When he pulled his hand back with a puzzled expression, Kylo asked, "What do you know of first aid?"
"Very little. Field basics." He gave Kylo a wry smile. "Your heart is still beating. That's a good sign."
Kylo wanted to laugh, but any motion other than simple breathing was impossible – not without losing the tenuous hold he had on lucidity and the Force. "If you're not going to do it, then why am I going to die?"
"Multiple broken ribs. Broken forearm – compound, it punctured the skin. Shot through the left shoulder and although blaster fire is cauterized and I was cleaner when I looked at you," Hux showed his still-bloody hands, "this is not a sterile environment. You'll infect. Then there's whatever internal injuries you sustained and whether your pelvis or back is broken. We have no comm. I lit the fire thinking that …" Hux shrugged and looked away.
Kylo looked at him until it was clear he wasn't finishing the statement. He looked at the smoky fire. "It's a signal fire."
"Yes."
"What happened to our enemies?"
"It's a signal fire," Hux repeated back to him as though he'd been distracted and was refocusing. "Perhaps they would see it and come back? A risk, but what else was I to do? I thought you were well on your way to bleeding out and going into shock, but here you are now holding quite the conversation. Maybe I was wrong." He leaned forward and put a hand on Kylo's forehead, skin-to-skin just like he had with his neck. "You seem warm enough now. How did that happen?"
Kylo ignored the question. "How long has it been?" The familiar way Hux touched him made it clear this wasn't the first time he'd laid hands on Kylo. Of course, his state of undress indicated that. Hux had obviously assessed his injuries and done his best to address them.
"Half the day."
"Why didn't you just leave me and go back to the base?"
"It seems that I may have broken my ankle in all the running about," Hux said airily. "Also, I'm not leaving you."
Kylo raised his brows. "Okay," he said after a long pause. "Why not?"
Hux smirked. "I know how you Sith are. If I left you, you'd survive out of spite and crawl back to kill me."
Kylo hadn't thought his brows could go higher, but they did. Despite the pain, he lifted his left hand to his mouth and covered his grin. Hux gave him an amused look and sat up. He tucked in the dislodged garment over him.
"What is this?" Kylo asked, plucking at it as his arm drifted back down.
"My shirt. Yours was … not suitable." Hux sat with his rear end on the greatcoat, half facing away. He examined his own ankle, speaking as he did. "Our enemies appear to have left – at least, I have not heard their engines, signal fire or no. I did not see our shuttle depart, but I heard a very loud explosion from what I believe to be the direction of the base. As far as I know, no distress signal was sent. We thought we were safe here. The Finalizer won't be back until tomorrow evening." He turned and looked at Kylo. "Can you make it that long?"
"Yes." Kylo had seen the shuttle depart, but if Hux had not, then it reinforced Kylo's impression that Hux had made a willful decision to stay with him.
Hux stared at him for a very long, unnerving moment, then snorted. "I thought you were going to die! Pah." He stood up and hobbled off to the carcass.
Kylo blinked after him, because Hux seemed genuinely irate. Kylo finally said, "You could still arrange that."
"Pah," Hux said again, not even dignifying the comment with a look. He peeled back the thick hide of the beast and cut free another steak.
He finally decided he must be misreading things. Hux had saved his life. That was what mattered. These other protestations were just for show. More important than the words was to watch what Hux was actually doing. At the moment, it looked like he was procuring food for both of them. "How do you know how to do this?"
"Do what?"
"Outdoors stuff."
"I don't. I know how to cut up a body because my father had some unusual ideas about training officers that he tested out first and foremost on the group of children I was part of. The fire I lit with your lightsaber. The rest was basic first aid and desperation. Do you know how to cook?"
"Yes." He felt along his waist. His lightsaber was indeed gone. He thought about calling it to him, just in case, but if Hux had wanted him dead, he'd be dead. He was certain of that now. A great pressure had eased in his chest at that realization. How many years had it been since he'd been near anyone he could trust when his defenses were down? Rey had extended the barest offer of such a state, then ruined it by grabbing at the lightsaber in the throne room and leaving him to die. Hux had not left him to die. Hux had his lightsaber, and yet he was still safe.
"Good." Hux carried over the latest steaks and skewered them on sharpened sticks near the fire. "How do I smoke meat?"
"Um … that's … complicated." And also exceeded the limits of what Kylo knew. "How about you just cook it?"
"Very well. How do I cook meat?" Hux said as though the two methods were interchangeable. Kylo realized the amazing competency he had initially assumed was inaccurate. Among other things, it was dark and they had no shelter; they had no water as far as Kylo was aware; and they were 'camped' next to a carcass that was going to attract every carnivore within clicks of the place. On the other hand, given limitations of mobility and unwillingness to abandon Kylo, Kylo wasn't sure what else the guy should have done.
"Put it nearer the fire. Above it. Cook it until it sizzles some. Cook slower rather than faster."
Hux followed directions. "Why do you know how to cook?"
"My parents had … some unusual ideas of … child care." Hux pivoted to look at him. The fire was at his back and made it impossible to make out his expression. Kylo elaborated, "I was left alone a lot with a kitchen droid."
Hux turned back to the fire, tending the meat. "So is that what explains your poor social skills?"
Kylo shot Hux's back an offended look. "What explains yours?"
"We murdered a lot of people when I was a child." Hux said it conversationally.
"How many are a lot?"
"Oh, not dozens, I assure you. But enough to get noticed."
"I've heard the rumors. Mostly about killing to get promoted."
"No, I've never killed anyone to get promoted." Hux said it easily enough like this was obvious. He carried over a stick with a piece of meat on it. "Can you eat?"
"I'd rather have something to drink."
"So would I. Take this." He offered the stick. "Wait. Can you hold this? You raised your hand earlier."
"Give it to me," Kylo said irritably. "Just- move the other pieces of meat away from the fire so they don't scorch like this one, and get me some water."
"Ah, now you're even giving orders." Hux sounded as displeased as he usually did. The softness he'd shown when he thought Kylo was on death's door was gone, although he hobbled back to the fire to move the meat as directed. Again, Kylo noticed Hux's actions spoke louder than his words. Speaking of words, Hux said, "What container do you propose I collect water in?"
Kylo sniffed at the meat. As he'd suspected, it was lightly blackened on the outside and probably raw on the inside. He nibbled at it, appreciating the gesture if not the product. Technically, meat didn't need to be cooked. Starvation would take him down faster than any parasite he was likely to ingest and besides, they'd probably be rescued within a day. He'd rather not be hungry the whole time, though.
Hux finished adjusting the steaks and hobbled back. "Do you have any recommendations for a water carrier?" He dropped Kylo's lightsaber on the greatcoat next to him without a word about it. He acted angry, but on the other hand he'd just returned Kylo's weapon. You didn't arm people you were angry at.
"I don't know. A nut? A … hollowed out piece of wood? You could cut something with the lightsaber."
Hux was frowning at him. This close up, Kylo could see his expressions. Hux knelt, picked up the light saber, and walked off silently to the other side of the fire, where the tree the fighters had shot down was in pieces on the ground. The saber came on in a crackle of energy. Kylo heard something move in the brush off to the side, behind the screening canopy of the fallen tree. Hux's head turned that way as well, then he hobbled back a few paces closer to Kylo. He held the saber up over his head and out of his line of sight, looking into the woods. "Ren?"
"Yes?" Inexplicably, they weren't on a first name basis anymore. However, the ire in Hux's voice was gone now that they were back in an active combat situation.
"We're not alone."
"Yeah, I heard." He reached out through the Force, but he couldn't get anywhere that way. He was in too much pain and using too much concentration just to keep himself alive. "Any idea how many?"
"I saw one set of eyes. Reflective."
Kylo moved his toes. Despite Hux's fears, neither his back nor his hips were broken. The Force informed him in detail about the nature of his injuries. His legs were bruised and had some superficial scratches and sprains from having what amounted to an elephant crush him into soft ground, but it was nothing compared to his torso being directly stepped on. That had broken his arm, shattered ribs, crushed internal organs, and set off internal bleeding that would have been fatal without the Force trance. He couldn't rise. He couldn't even sigh or breathe too deeply. He could manipulate objects with his left hand as long as it didn't involve shoulder motion. That was it.
Hux picked up the sticks of meat and made his way back to Kylo's side. There was another rustle of brush as something padded around further out, sticking to the darkness. Hux deposited the food on Kylo's belly. "Hold onto these, would you?"
With the lightsaber going, Kylo could see him easily. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to scare it off and then try to move you again."
"Move me?"
"Pick up the coat and drag you. Neither of us will survive next to a food source like this."
Kylo decided not to point out he'd figured that out right away. "Give me the lightsaber."
"Can you use it?"
"No. But it frees up your hands."
Hux clicked it off and handed it over without reservation. He drew his blaster. After a moment, he fired five shots into the darkness. After the fourth, there was a rushing sound of something running through the jungle – away from them, so that was good, but running quickly so he obviously hadn't hit it. They both waited in the silence after the fifth shot rang out.
"Let's go," Kylo said.
Hux holstered his blaster and moved behind Kylo's head. He grabbed the shoulders of the coat and pulled. He grunted with exertion, but Kylo only moved a few feet. Hux said in a sarcastically polite tone, "You are very heavy, Supreme Leader. You wouldn't be able to float yourself, would you?"
"No." Kylo was panting shallowly, his chest aching from the minor shift. He was using everything he had to keep his torso still and the unmoored bone fragments of his ribs from puncturing anything important, like his lungs.
Hux sighed and didn't ask again. The rest of their short trek was nonverbal on both their parts. Hux finally slipped on the treacherous ground, falling, clutching his ankle, and hissing something about the emperor's pfassking smegmaggots. Or maybe it was smeg-nuggets. Kylo wasn't familiar with the curse, but he'd never heard anything remotely filthy come out of Hux's mouth before. When the general regained his composure, Hux said, "I think that may be all I can do. For now."
Kylo didn't respond. He was shivering again, having dropped into shock despite his efforts to keep himself stable.
"Ren?" It was much darker where they were now, without the bit of open sky caused when one of the fighters had blown apart a tree. Kylo felt Hux's hands on him – shoulder, chest, chin, then forehead, searching out his features. "Kylo." Hux petted his hair. "You're dying again. I don't know what to do," he said with frustration.
Kylo managed one word: "Lay." His breathing was disordered and his head was swimming. He needed Hux next to him again, but he was too messed up to ask more coherently.
It seemed to take Hux forever to work out what he meant, or maybe he was just exhausted from dragging him over squishy, rough ground. Then whether he had understood or not, he fixed his hands on the back of the greatcoat and dragged Kylo another few feet.
"Nuh!" Kylo couldn't get anything else out.
"Just wait!" Hux reset and gained another few feet. Kylo blacked out. When he came to, Hux was against him as requested, as before, pressed to his side. His cheek was on Kylo's exposed shoulder and Hux's forearm was on Kylo's bare belly. Hux's overshirt was still on him, just off-center. Hux was still breathing hard, so Kylo didn't think he'd been out for long.
Kylo fluttered the fingers of his left hand to signal he was conscious. He was still too busy using his lungs for breathing to spare them for conversation. Hux shifted, took his hand, and held it. Kylo squeezed twice. Hux squeezed back twice. They waited while Kylo pulled himself together again.
"I'm okay," he finally said. "You can-"
Hux said softly, "Shh." Kylo fell silent.
A moment later, the lightsaber flashed on. Kylo jumped, but Hux wasn't threatening him. Not ten paces away was a pair of glowing orbs attached to some shadowy creature. The reflective eyes blinked and moved back and forth slightly as the animal reconsidered the situation.
Hux pulled his blaster, took aim, and fired. There was a yelp, thrashing, and scuttling that turned to a dragging sound. Hux left his side, leaving Kylo in darkness. Carrying the sputtering sword aloft, he went to where the thing had been. A moment later he returned, blaster holstered.
Hux held the lightsaber a few feet above Kylo's face, peering at him. "It's out there somewhere, but it should be permanently discouraged from bothering us. Are you well?"
"Yes." Kylo looked up at the sword. There was nothing menacing about the way the general held it. Hux was using it as a light source and that was it. It seemed disrespectful, but … well … it was Hux.
Hux asked, "Is this something with the Force you're doing? Do I need to be close? Skin contact, maybe?"
"It helps." Kylo nodded. It was the best short explanation for it. "Not so much once I'm stable."
Hux situated himself with his rear on the greatcoat near Kylo's head and his thigh against Kylo's left shoulder. It put his blaster hand on the inside, although it was empty at the moment. With his left hand, he was still holding the lightsaber aloft. Kylo carefully adjusted Hux's shirt on his chest. The less he had to manage through the Force, the better. Above them loomed a tree, Kylo could see in the flickering light of the saber.
Hux was leaning against a low root. Kylo had to presume this was why Hux had put in the final effort of moving him a bit more. Here, he was boxed between Hux and the tree trunk, with at least a root blocking his head in one direction. He didn't know what there was in the other direction. He lifted his feet slowly until he found another root and rested them on it.
"What are you doing?" Hux asked.
"Elevating my feet. I've bled a lot." Most of it internally, but blood pooled in crushed tissues was blood not available for circulation.
"Hm." Hux's right hand came down, touching Kylo's hair, then his forehead. After a moment of checking Kylo's temperature (at least Kylo assumed that was what he was doing cupping his forehead like that), he moved back to his hair. "May I?" he asked simply.
"Yes?" Kylo answered, not sure what was being asked. Hux petted his hair quietly. It was soothing and unexpectedly kind. There was absolutely no medical reason for this. Kylo couldn't remember the last time someone had touched him like this – maybe when he was a little boy, before he'd become convinced his parents hated and feared him, and he'd withdrawn from them. It occurred to him he'd been convinced Hux hated and feared him, too. His eyes burned a little. Kylo moved his left hand, resting it against Hux's shin.
"Earlier," Hux asked, "you thought there was no problem with you making it to tomorrow. Has that changed?"
"No," Kylo said slowly. "But I don't know if I'll survive another move." He caressed Hux's shin. The man didn't object or pull away.
Instead, Hux ran his hand through Kylo's hair, looking at it and Kylo's face instead of keeping watch. His expression was thoughtful. "Then we won't have another one." Hux grimaced and looked away as though regretting his words. He waved the sword back and forth through the air with an amusing disrespect for the power of the blade. "How long can I keep the lightsaber activated?"
Something had happened there with Hux – that grimace and the regret. Kylo knew it, but he couldn't make sense of it. Regardless, he allowed the change of subject. "An hour maybe. Continuous. The handle will overheat."
Hux switched it off, plunging them into darkness. "Then I'll wait until I hear something. The handle's already warm."
"Where are your gloves?" He didn't think he'd ever seen Hux without them.
"The thing fell on you. I dug you out. They were muddy then, so I took them off to … look at your injuries. I didn't want to put them back on when I knew I was going to be handling food. I don't know where they went after that." Hux sighed. "You can write me up for not meeting uniform regulations later."
"I-" Kylo started to argue he wouldn't do that. It was ridiculous. Then he realized Hux was joking. He had to be, though there was no indication in the tone of his voice. "If you keep me alive, I'll overlook it."
"That's a poor trade," Hux said grouchily. "If you'd have the decency to die, then I'd at least get a promotion. And I wouldn't have to worry about the gloves." As Kylo tried to think of how to respond to that, Hux added, "You're a very bad negotiator."
"You're a very poor doctor," Kylo said back, incredulous at the insults. "Your bedside manner is horrible." He heard Hux chuckle a few times and the petting of his hair resumed. It reminded him strongly of some of his parent's arguments, where the words were biting, but the emotions were warm. Banter. Play-fighting. Sarcasm. Hux liked him. Kylo admitted, "If I was any good as a negotiator, we wouldn't be stuck in the middle of the jungle like this."
"If I were the tactician I aspire to being, we wouldn't be here either. We should have had more backup. We shouldn't have let the Finalizer go to Greer while we were down here. We shouldn't have sent both our top-ranked personnel to the same meeting. If we get out of here alive, I'll put more thought to how we can prevent this from happening again."
"'We'," Kylo said softly. "That's an interesting thought."
Kylo tilted his head into Hux's touch as the man petted his hair again. Hux agreed, "Yes. It is. You should get some sleep. Are you warm enough?"
Kylo blushed at the concern for his well-being. "I'm warm enough."
There was silence. "And sleep?"
"I can't keep my body out of shock – I can't use the Force to stay alive like this – if I'm asleep."
"Ah. That sounds unpleasant for you. On top of everything else." After a pause, Hux asked quietly like it was something that shouldn't be spoken too loudly, "Is there anything I can do for you?"
It was the same thing he'd asked before. This time was just as sincere. A dozen things paraded through Kylo's mind – some sarcastic, some flippant – one was serious, but he didn't know if Hux would understand how serious: "Don't leave me."
"I said I wouldn't. And I won't. The Force protects you. That much is clear to me."
"Also, I'm not Sith."
"Alright. You use the Force, though, and you're not a Jedi."
"That's … yes. There are more philosophies out there than Jedi and Sith."
"Hm. It's going to be a very long night. Tell me about these other philosophies."
'You need a teacher,' ran through Kylo's mind. He'd made an offer then and been rebuffed. He'd made another in the throne room with Snoke's corpse cooling in the background. It was equally rejected. Once on his knees on Crait, he hadn't made any verbal entreaty at all and been abandoned nonetheless. Maybe he'd been looking in the wrong place all along, misdirected by Snoke, over and over again.
Here was someone asking for him to tell them about himself, someone willing to work with him. No Force bond linked them. It didn't need to. The truth of who Kylo Ren was, was more than just his family, his legacy, or the Force. Hux … really didn't care about any of that beyond how it effected him directly. He certainly didn't seem to think Kylo's future was dictated by his past.
"When I was a kid," Kylo began, "Luke wanted to teach me how to be a Jedi. The thing is, he didn't really know what that was. He knew rumors and a little that Ben Kenobi or Yoda had taught him about the principles, but the details? That was lost. We spent a lot of time traveling the galaxy doing research, trying to reconstruct the Jedi way. Anything easily found had been destroyed by the Emperor, so it was a slow and often useless process."
"That sounds like an interesting start, though. Go on."
Kylo continued, telling about how the many journeys had shown him a Luke who was uncertain and that the Jedi principles were not immutable laws. This had influenced his relationship with Snoke, who for a long time Kylo had thought had the real answers – neither Jedi nor Sith. But he'd come to understand Snoke was no more accurate than Luke. He had a longer life and knew more facts, but he was fallible. They all were. "So am I," Kylo concluded. "I've made a lot of mistakes. I saw us as enemies."
"Oh, you weren't wrong about that."
"We're still enemies?" Kylo wished Hux could see his disbelieving expression.
"Of course." Hux snorted. "I enjoy guarding my enemies through the night, sharing my clothes with them, and sitting on the damp ground when any sensible person would be safer up a tree." He dropped his voice. "Shush." Kylo felt the hand that had been idly resting against his hair move away. A moment later, the lightsaber flared to life, crackling and spitting. With Hux next to him, Kylo couldn't see anything, but Hux didn't rise. He had his blaster in his other hand and eventually fired off a few shots. There was no indication he'd hit anything. He waited a few more long minutes of silence before turning off the sword.
"There was something out there," Hux said. "As long as they keep their distance, we should be fine. There's no reason for them to gang up on us with that feast so close at hand."
"Do you know where those meat pieces went?"
Hux turned on the lightsaber again and found the sticks in the folds of the greatcoat around Kylo's legs. He examined one in the uncertain light. "I can't tell if it's clean or not."
"I'm beyond caring," Kylo said. Hux handed it over and apparently sharing the same sentiment, took another for himself. Kylo found it as raw on the inside as he'd expected, but raw meant juicy and that was something. "Tell me about your father."
"There's very little I can say about him that either misses the point of the man or makes it sound like I'm asking for pity, which I don't want. That's why I don't speak of him very often."
"I killed my father," Kylo said. "I doubt there's anything you can say about yours to match that."
"Oh? I killed mine as well."
Kylo was silent for a long beat, blinking up in the dark. "That … I was wrong."
"Hm. He deserved it. Did yours?"
Kylo was silent again, thinking about that moment on the walkway with Han and how darkness had fallen over them both. Hux holstered his blaster and rested his right hand on Kylo's bicep. Han had touched his face as he died – a compassionate touch, like the one Hux was giving him now even if Hux's was less familiar. Kylo said finally, "Not really."
Hux stroked his arm for a bit without speaking. In the distance, they heard some snarling fight break out between whatever scavengers were in attendance at the dead animal buffet. Shortly thereafter, Hux had a trio of curious opportunists come around for him to shoot at. One died. The other two scurried away.
"There's something in the tree above us," Kylo said. "It's up high. Just be aware."
Hux made an exasperated sound. "There are only so many directions I can adequately watch."
"I'll watch this one," Kylo said. He was lying on his back staring upward anyway – not that he'd seen anything. He'd just heard the shift of weight and creak of bark under paws or talons. He didn't think he was in tune enough with the Force to sense threats, but this seemed no more than the usual life in a jungle, perhaps uneasy about them shooting things and the lightsaber flicking on and off. "Tell me about your father," Kylo repeated. "How did you kill him?"
"Are you going to prosecute me for it?"
"Why would that be an issue?"
"He was a citizen in good standing in the First Order," Hux said. "Unlike your father, who was technically an enemy killed in combat. You were doing your duty in a twisted sort of way."
"Snoke wouldn't …" Kylo shook his head.
"He what? Wouldn't have let you survive letting him go?" Kylo swallowed and didn't answer, but Hux obviously knew how to read the silence. The general was more perceptive than Kylo would have given him credit for. Hux went on, "I suppose by even saying it to the supreme leader, I'm done for. If you were anyone else, I could just deny I'd said it at this point and they wouldn't have any corroborating details."
"I won't prosecute you," Kylo said quietly.
"I had him poisoned," Hux said. "Then I made sure his medical care was incompatible with saving him. I kept a sleepless vigil for days in the medbay until he finally died ignominiously. I slept very well after that."
Kylo weighed his words. Killing Han Solo had gutted him. He didn't think Hux had gotten off any lighter with his own father. "I think you're lying."
"Only about the last bit." Kylo put his hand on Hux's shin and rubbed it, trying to offer a bit of empathy. Hux changed the subject. "So you were raised by a kitchen droid, were you? Didn't see your parents much?"
"No."
"Hm. My mother was a kitchen worker. I didn't get to see her much, either."
"That's an interesting parallel," Kylo said. "Why not?"
"Well, she was left on Arkanis when I was four or five. My father took me to join the Order. I never saw her again."
"Is she alive?"
"I have no idea."
Hux had such a disinterested tone of voice. Kylo suspected it was all an act. There was a lot about Hux that was all an act, he was realizing. "You should find out."
"Why? So I can tell her I grew up to be the sort of monster my father was?"
"Did you?"
"No. I've never had children. Never so much as taken a lover. The children of the Order are enough."
"Ah," Kylo said. "That's why you don't want a clone army. It would supplant your 'family' of adopted orphans."
Hux chuckled. "See it however you wish. I'm perfectly happy to let the Hux name die on the vine."
"As does Skywalker, Solo, and Organa." It was another way of saying, 'let the past die'. They had a lot in common.
"You're young. You could find someone."
"You're young as well."
"I've made up my mind. Have you?"
"I'm thinking about it." He dropped his voice a little as he said it and rubbed Hux's shin again.
"What?" It was almost a yelp.
Kylo smiled. "You are … not slow on the uptake. I like that about you." Hux was silent. Kylo had to wonder if he'd misread the hour or so of hair-petting he'd endured so far tonight, or the life-saving, or even the moodiness. He didn't think so – maybe some of it, but not all. Kylo asked, "Well?"
"I'm thinking about it," Hux answered, echoing Kylo's words to him. It wasn't a 'no'. Kylo patted his leg a couple times, knowing that meant the answer would eventually be 'yes'. Hux stammered, "It's ah, a very … stressful circumstance right now. It's not, not the sort of situation where one should be making that sort of decision."
"Tell me then when you've decided. You won't lose your position if you decline. You've saved my life several times today. I owe you more than I am likely to ever be able to repay."
Hux grunted.
"When did you change your mind?" Kylo asked after some time had passed.
"About what?"
"About killing me."
"Who says I changed my mind about that? We're a long way from rescued. I might kill you yet."
"Don't make me laugh. My ribs can't take it."
"Oh, you poor thing."
"Is this your idea of flirting?"
"Perhaps. It's not like I have much practice at it. I mentioned that, so you know what you're getting."
"That's not a problem."
"I should hope not. You're the one who approached me. It wasn't my idea. Although … I find it quite flattering the more I think about it." Kylo could hear the smile in Hux's voice. It wasn't something he got to see very often, though in the dark, he wasn't seeing it even now. Maybe that was why Hux was allowing himself the expression. Kylo rubbed Hux's leg. Hux said, "You could have anyone you wanted – one way or another. Are you sure you want me?"
"I'm sure you could convince me not to," Kylo huffed in irritation at the looming threat of yet another rejection. "It was just an offer."
Hux turned toward him, although he was no better able to see Kylo than Kylo could see him. "Are you taking it back?"
"No, but I still want to know when you changed your mind and why."
"When you were bleeding out earlier, after I'd dug you out."
"Because I was … helpless?"
"Because I realized you were going to die without me getting to say anything nasty to you." This time, Kylo couldn't stop himself from the first laugh. The pain stopped him from the second, leaving him gasping. He felt Hux's hand settle lightly on his chest. Hux told him, "Careful, Ren."
When he could breathe evenly, he said, "But when I woke up … you …?"
"What, I was nice to you? I thought you were going to die. And all because some hexapodal happabore fell on you. What a dreadful way to go! I only splinted your arm so any rescuers would think I'd done something for you – the illusion of being useful."
Kylo thought through what Hux had done after he'd woke, shivering and on the edge of dying. There was a way to look at each action as though it was selfish – no reason to incriminate himself if Kylo was going to die anyway, he didn't know how critical it was to lie next to him and share warmth, he probably had felt pity, maybe the signal fire really was to lure back their enemies who would finish Kylo off … But no. None of that made sense. "I think you're lying."
"You can't tell for sure?"
"The Force – I'm too hurt. I'm using everything I have to stay alive."
The lightsaber clicked on. After studying their surroundings carefully, Hux turned to face Kylo. He held the sword up as a light so Kylo could see his face. He looked as serious as Kylo had ever seen him. "Kylo … I was truly undecided. And I still am. But … I would rather be decided. If your offer is genuine … then I will genuinely consider it. Is it?"
Kylo swallowed and blinked up at him. "Yes," he said emphatically.
"We have a complicated history. This is something I want to think about a little more. I'm not even sure what you're proposing. Do you know?"
Kylo shook his head. "I've never been with anyone either." But he'd wanted to be. Seeing Rey's loneliness had allowed him to see his own. He'd ignored his desire for companionship for so long that it had taken seeing it in someone else to understand how vital it was. But Rey was nothing to him, no matter how much he'd tried to convince himself otherwise at the time. Snoke had arranged that bond, just as he'd set Kylo against Hux.
"Is that what you're proposing?" Hux asked. "The two of us together? Not just putting aside grievances, but," Hux gestured vaguely at Kylo's laid-out form, "lying on the bed I've made for you and spending time with me?"
"Yeah. I think so." Kylo was as earnest as he could be. "What do you want?"
Hux touched Kylo's chin, stroking it with his thumb. He looked at his own hand with a grimace and pulled it away. "I want to be clean. Then we'll see." Hux met his eyes and held them. In the odd lighting, Hux's eyes looked black and frightening in his pale face. He was a dangerous man, but Kylo had a feeling, a sense, that Hux was being as honest with him as he could be, in his own twisted way. If Hux was willing to do that, then they had a chance.
Hux shifted back to his previous position and scanned for eyes again. He clicked off the lightsaber.
The very first signs of light were accompanied by a rustling sound that brought both of them to alert. Then the droplets began to fall.
"Rain," Hux said in disgust.
Kylo opened his mouth in jest, sticking his tongue out like the rain was snowflakes. "At least I'll finally get a drink." His throat was parched and it had been since the night before, but between the dark and the menacing beasts, he hadn't thought it wise to ask Hux for water again.
"Are you warm enough?" Hux asked.
"Yes, I'm fine. The trance is going well."
"Trance?"
"Low level Force trance. It's how I'm keeping myself stable."
"What happens when you finally fall asleep?"
"Hopefully by then I'll have healed enough." He suspected he might make it even now, but he didn't see a reason to risk it. "Are you shivering?"
"I'm cold. Yes. You have my shirt and my coat."
"Lie down."
"I need to keep watch."
"Lie down," Kylo repeated. "Face away so you can still keep watch. Lie against me." Arduously, Kylo lifted his left arm. Delicate, barely knitted tissue stretched to the limit inside the blaster injury that afflicted his left shoulder. "Slip under my arm."
"I should build a fire."
"Wait until there's more light."
"We won't need a fire then," Hux argued. Kylo waited. Hux finally did as directed. Kylo wrapped his arm over Hux's shoulder and down his front. Hux hugged it to himself and as much as possible, Kylo shared warmth with him. It seemed to help. It felt even better inside himself, to have someone take shelter with him and from him. He could feel Hux relax in stages, gradually letting his guard down. He was only human. It was easy to forget with Hux sometimes. Voice drowsy, Hux said, "I'm going to fall asleep like this."
"Go ahead. It wouldn't be the worst thing that's happened tonight."
His voice was slurred. "Monsters …"
"Go to sleep." There was no mind trick in his words, but Hux dropped off as quickly as though there had been.
Hux shivered again and his breathing shifted. Carefully, Kylo expanded his awareness. He had enough focus now to do it safely. The richness of life all around them made it difficult to see far, but he could see enough to know he'd have warning if anything took malicious notice of them. Rain kept pattering down the whole while, ending when the sun finally broke through the clouds. Raucous birds in the branches far above them announced the new day, causing Hux to jump.
He sat up and wiped at his eyes. "How long was I out?"
"A half hour."
"Um, yes. Fire, I guess."
"No. Please. Water." Kylo hated to have to ask, but there were some basics he could only go so long without in his compromised condition. He was fed water a small mouthful at a time from a broad, flexible leaf Hux found. Collection of it was time-consuming until Hux happened upon some standing water from the rain. They both hoped it was clean enough.
Rescue came in the afternoon, much earlier than expected. For the second time in his life, he was glad of carrying a tracking device. The process of returning was a haze of pain and focus through the Force. He didn't sleep until he was safely engulfed in the bacta tank, drifting in slumber as safe as he was likely to get.
Kylo woke on the second day, aware he wasn't alone. Hux was sitting up in an adjustable bed not far away. He had a datapad and was working. Kylo couldn't speak as he was – he had a respirator over his mouth – but he suspected he might be able to manage something with the Force. But he didn't. It didn't feel right.
He hung there and watched the general as he tapped the screen, occasionally projected things and studied them (planetary systems – they looked familiar but Kylo couldn't place them from the angle), and read. He thought again about his offer. Hux was clean now. His hair was styled. His clothing was casual. He had a bulky brace on his lower leg.
Eventually, Hux noticed the attention and met Kylo's eyes. He set aside the datapad and stood, hobbling over to the tank. He licked his lips and looked around at the contraption, grimacing at it. Then he looked at Kylo, eyes going over the injuries before returning to Kylo's face. Tentatively, Hux raised his hand to the glass. Kylo felt his stomach lurch. He pulled in as deep a breath as the respirator and his mending ribs allowed. He moved quick enough that his hand touched the glass at the same time as Hux's.
Hux smiled a little, shyly. His fingertips rubbed at the glass. Kylo moved his whole body closer. He didn't know if Hux could see his attempt to smile. It would only be really visible around his eyes. He rubbed at the glass between them in return, splaying his fingers.
Hux put two fingers of his other hand against the glass. After a moment, Kylo did the same. Hux nodded. Then it was one finger. Kylo matched it. Hux pressed his whole palm. Kylo did as well. For several minutes, Hux patiently led him through different configurations which seemed to amount to nothing except seeing if he could get Kylo to do what he was indicating. Then it occurred to Kylo that was probably exactly what Hux was doing.
Here, Kylo was the supreme leader. Hux was his subordinate. Kylo had the Force at his command. Hux did not. All of this was Hux working out if they could be together as equals despite the power disparity. Kylo followed each step of Hux's careful game. Hux rubbed the glass at the end and smiled briefly again, nodding. Kylo nodded in return, hair bobbing around him in the bacta.
The next day was boring. He got to leave the tank to eat, drink, and excrete, but then it was back in to hang around uselessly for hours. There was nothing to do aside from watch droids and medtechs. Hux didn't show up until late in the day. He was in uniform then, which explained his absence. He must have been on duty. Hux repeated the same tests as before and then pointed from his temple toward Kylo, then back. With his other hand, he pointed at his lips, then at Kylo's.
Finally. Can you hear me? Kylo projected telepathically.
Hux nodded. Is this difficult for you?
No.
Snoke did it occasionally, when he had reason to speak to me privately with others around. But I assume you knew that.
Kylo nodded. I was waiting for an invitation.
Mine?
Yes. Kylo knew he was doing the right things when Hux smiled slowly and put his hand against the glass again.
Have they been keeping you abreast of news, or would you like an update?
An update, please.
Hux drew over the same adjustable bed he'd been on the day before and settled himself in. He gave a rundown of ship's status, attempts to track the forces that had betrayed them, the success of the mission to Greer that had led to an early return, and some events from the galaxy at large. He wasn't quite as stiff and distant at the beginning as he'd always been, but Kylo was well on the way toward drawing him out and getting him comfortable talking with him by the end of it.
Hux adjusted the bed back some after they were done, and to Kylo's surprise, he shut his eyes and napped. He was gone in the morning, but Kylo took that as a clear sign. They let Kylo out of the tank permanently that evening – First Order bacta was powerful stuff. Kylo was just sliding into a robe as Hux entered.
"You're out? For dinner?"
"For good, I hope."
"Really?" Hux looked at the doctor who was helping Kylo dress.
The doctor said, "Yes, he-" He caught himself and looked to Kylo. There was, after all, only one person in the First Order who outranked Hux. He could pry into anyone's health issues except those of the supreme leader.
"You can tell him," Kylo said. He took the belt from the doctor and began buckling it on.
The doctor nodded and turned to Hux. "He should be fine for light duty – no more than one shift a day for the next week and if he were anyone lower-ranked, I'd say no more than half a shift. No sparring. No fighting. But he can stretch, swim, or walk to the extent it doesn't cause pain. There will be lingering soreness and even weakness for another week because the bones aren't fully mended, but they should be fine after that." The doctor shrugged. "He wanted out."
"Weakness?" Hux asked. "Is that permanent?"
"No." The doctor shook his head definitively. "Just for a week. If he stayed in the tank another day, he wouldn't even have that."
Kylo finished adjusting his clothes. "I'm done with that."
"So you are," Hux allowed, "I suppose we'll just have to make sure you don't get up to anything too strenuous for the next week."
"Thank you, Doctor," Kylo told the man. He left. It was a slow walk next to Hux, who still hobbled. Kylo side-eyed the man's foot. "If you'd spent some time in the tank yourself, you wouldn't have that problem."
"There was work that needed to be done."
He was lying. Kylo had a decent grip on Hux's duties. There was nothing he couldn't have delegated for a few days. Whether he was willing to surrender control was another matter. "Are you even supposed to be walking on that?"
"Short walks are fine. I've been doing desk work mostly."
"Where are we headed?" Kylo asked as they neared the lift. Leaving the medbay was obvious, but beyond that, he wasn't sure where Hux was going. He was speaking of 'we', he noticed. A week ago, he would not have been.
"For myself, this is nearing the end of two shifts. I had thought I'd visit you before turning in, but if you're out, I could call it an early night. How do you feel after a day of hanging about in goo? Do you still sleep on shift three or has it moved?"
"I'll be sleepy in a few hours. I'll walk with you to your quarters." Kylo hit the button for the officer's deck.
"Good. Have you had dinner?"
"Not yet."
Hux cocked his head at Kylo. "Come inside my quarters. I'll order dinner delivered so I don't have to walk anywhere. We can discuss things."
Kylo looked at Hux's arch expression. "You're scheming."
"Always."
Kylo chuckled. "I've never been to your place."
"First time for everything."
The lift dropped them off fairly close to Hux's quarters. Kylo ogled after walking in. His own rooms were spartan and he couldn't say that Hux's didn't have a similar style, but his furniture was non-standard, likely inherited or accumulated, things Kylo had never had the opportunity to do. He was looking curiously when Hux addressed him from the doorway to the next room. "Ren? Come here."
He followed Hux's voice to the bedroom. It was less customized, but he wasn't admiring the décor anymore. He was looking at Hux, as Kylo abruptly put things together and saw the bigger picture. Kylo rocked up and then down on his toes. "You've made your decision?"
The corner of Hux's mouth turned up slyly. "I'm not the sort of person who is going to tell you yes." Hux's face was tight with amusement. "I'm still thinking about it."
Kylo gave him a perplexed look, then glanced around the room. Why bring him here to Hux's innermost sanctum, most private place on the ship, if he was unsure of things between them? Had this man ever gone to visit anyone else in medbay? Fallen asleep at their bedside? Invited them in for an intimate dinner for two? It was the standard stuff of romance novels. "You're still thinking about it?"
Hux's half smile turned to full. "Oh yes. I've been thinking about it a lot the past few days. It's the most entertaining thing I've ever had to think about."
Kylo's brows drew together. This wasn't making sense. "You think this is a joke?"
Hux moved right up to him, inches away. "I think it is a delight."
Kylo didn't know what to make of it as Hux slid a hand around his neck and drew him forward. He knew what was happening – yeah, they were about to kiss – but …? Hux's lips were soft against his and still at first, then unsure in their motions as they began to kiss. Kylo breathed out through his nose, relaxed, and gave in. Hux was the emperor of mixed signals, but this wasn't mixed.
Kylo put his hands on Hux's waist, then slid them around to the small of his back. He was slender and easy to hold. Kylo opened his mouth, trying to work out how to kiss. Hux seemed in good humor about their mutual inexperience – he chuckled and then licked one of Kylo's lips. Hux pulled his head aside and looked at him askance for some reason, although he'd been the one to do something different.
Kylo shifted his hand up Hux's back and cupped the back of his head. He held it still – Hux was still giving him a narrow-eyed look but not pulling away – and kissed him soundly, open-mouthed, and let his tongue explore. Hux groaned and shut his eyes.
Kylo did it more, holding him close and plundering the man's mouth. Hux was kissing back. Kylo could feel him hard between them. Kylo started grinding his hips forward. They went back a step, then another as Kylo dry-humped him. The bed was somewhere back there. He steered them toward it.
Hux wriggled abruptly and turned his head. Kylo had been holding him firmly, but he didn't tighten his grip when Hux seemed to be genuinely fighting. He let go and Hux stepped back and to the side, half sinking into a hand-to-hand combat stance. He was panting, flushed, and his eyes were bright, teeth bared. He was aroused – no doubt about that – but for a moment Kylo couldn't tell if the guy wanted to fight him or fuck him. Since he suspected the answer would be an inexplicable 'yes', he didn't ask.
Kylo unbuckled his belt, lightsaber included, and tossed it on the edge of the bed. Hux straightened again. Kylo loosened his robes. Before he could get more into disrobing, Hux was there, deft fingers sweeping Kylo's hands out of the way and finishing the job, letting Kylo's top garments fall to the floor to pool around him. Kylo moved on to releasing the catches of Hux's overshirt. He had time to do it. Hux was touching the bright pink scar in his left upper chest. It was small on the front, larger on the back.
"This scarred?" Hux asked.
Kylo nodded. "There was too long between the wound and application of bacta." He fussed with a basically uncooperative Hux to get his shirt off. He had a knife scabbard on one arm. Kylo ignored it for now, though it answered a question he had never thought to ask – how the hells had Hux ended up with a knife after they fled the negotiations? The blaster had made sense – everyone had blasters – but he'd had no other visible weapon on him when they'd run. Kylo tossed the shirt on the bed over his belt and turned to get Hux's belt off him.
Hux caught the forearm that had been broken and examined it. There was a tiny mark where the bone had penetrated the skin. It was small enough Kylo expected it to heal to invisibility unless one knew exactly what they were looking for. Hux's belt, with blaster, went on the bed. Kylo tugged up the man's undershirt with one hand, getting a wad of it in hand and pulling it upward with enough force that Hux huffed and raised his arms to let himself be stripped.
The foot brace made Hux off-balance. Undershirt still in hand, Kylo pushed him so his rump hit the bed. Hux's arms splayed to either side to catch himself.
"Don't push me!" Hux squawked.
He started to take a step to Hux, but Hux lifted his good foot, connected with his hip, and shoved him back. It wasn't a kick, just a hard push. Kylo noted how coincidentally Hux's hand had ended up on top of the pile of clothes beside him – and the top article on it was his holstered blaster.
Kylo grinned. He was starting to get comfortable with what was going on. "Alright. I won't." Kylo sank to his knees instead. Hux's mouth worked a couple times but he said nothing at the casual surrender of dominance. Kylo's grin widened. He'd completely removed the hostility from Hux's face, which had been his goal. He knee-walked forward the short distance between them. Hux straightened. His hands went to his sides.
Kylo reached him and tossed the undershirt on top of the blaster. Hux looked from that to Kylo, and smirked. Kylo took up the foot that had shoved him, unsealing the boot and working it off. Hux put his other foot against Kylo's thigh. Kylo set aside the boot and sock. Hux's freed foot touched along his side where his ribs had been broken. "Does this hurt?"
"Not unless you kick me there."
"Hm."
Kylo turned to examine the medical brace on his other foot. "Should I take this off?"
"No. We just work the clothing around it." Hux unfastened his pants and scooted them down his thighs, taking his underwear with them. Kylo took over from there, easily slipping out the one foot and carefully peeling the clothes down around the brace.
He looked up. Hux was naked now other than the knife and his gloves. Aside from his height, he was a physically small man. It made it all the more impressive that he'd been able to move Kylo's bulk to safety while struggling with uneven ground and a broken ankle.
Grateful, Kylo kissed one knee and then the other. He moved forward to kiss the top of Hux's thigh. Hux tugged off his own gloves, dropping them on top of the pile, and buried a hand in Kylo's hair just as Kylo was kissing the inside of his thigh. The fist in his hair pulled at the roots, but Hux didn't seem to be directing him anywhere, so Kylo spread the man's thighs further. He worked his way up the sensitive flesh. Hux shivered. He was hard again by the time Kylo reached him, something that hadn't been true when he'd taken off his pants.
Kylo reached for him. Hux intercepted his hand, holding it warily. Kylo relaxed and laid his head to the side, resting it on Hux's leg. Hux petted him, then moved the captured hand to the base of his shaft. Hux put his own hand toward the top. Hux felt over himself more than anything else, so Kylo copied the movement. He turned his face to kiss and then nip at Hux's skin.
Hux left off micromanaging the handjob with a quiet, "Go ahead," as he moved his hand off to push wayward hair out of Kylo's face. Kylo looked up at him, watching the expressions shift as his hand slid up and down Hux's member. Hux had both hands in his hair as though to keep him there. When Kylo decided that wasn't intentional, he leaned up and wrapped his lips around Hux's glans.
Both hands fisted in his hair hard and Hux's cheeks clenched enough to raise him up an inch – an inch into Kylo's mouth, which was fine with Kylo. Hux made the most delicious surprised whimpering noise. A moment later, his hips twitched. Kylo had half his dick in his mouth now. He sucked gently, getting used to the taste, heft, and shape of it.
Hux's legs moved fitfully along his sides. The stream of inarticulate noises from his mouth was constant and flattering – moans and mewls if Kylo had to label them. He sucked harder, rolled his tongue along the shaft, and tried to figure out how to keep his teeth off the guy because every time he forgot, Hux's fingers jerked against his scalp.
He had to keep Hux in place with one hand on the base of his dick and the other with forearm pressed into inner thigh with his hand on Hux's hip. Otherwise, Hux would have been fucking his face. He didn't act very in control of his hips at the moment, fingers still tightly snarled into Kylo's hair. Hux was panting hard. His breathing was getting irregular, like he was on the edge of coming.
Kylo bobbed up and down, sucking the whole way and drooling over his hand. Hux started verbalizing a little more articulately, but they still weren't actual words – just 'ah!', 'oh!', and maybe 'I'm-'. He came in Kylo's mouth a few seconds later, body shuddering and legs jerking against Kylo's sides a few times. Most of the come fell right out of Kylo's mouth because he'd pulled back and stopped immediately when it happened. While rationally he'd known that was going to happen at some point if he kept blowing the guy, it was still a surprise at the moment it occurred.
Kylo glanced down at the gob on the floor and licked his lips. Hux had finally released the death grip he'd had on Kylo's hair. His scalp was going to be sore for days. Which sounded awesome. Kylo reached over, snagged Hux's undershirt, and wiped his face off. He dabbed Hux's dick a few times.
"You-" Hux didn't finish the statement.
Kylo grinned up at him smugly. He definitely had something to be smug about. Hux was flushed, a little sweaty, and still breathing hard. Kylo dropped the undershirt on the ejaculate so no one would accidentally step on it later. He stood and Hux's head tilted back to look up at him.
"Fuck me," Hux said. It came out as incredulous.
Kylo rubbed his thumb along Hux's jaw, undecided about what he wanted in return, if anything. He was horny, definitely, and hard, but he'd never been in a situation where he could just ask for what he wanted. He'd never even thought about being in a situation like that.
And maybe he wasn't now, because Hux repeated, "Fuck me," in the tone of a direction. Hux reached forward to unfasten Kylo's pants, opening them and pushing them down with growing impatience.
"My boots," Kylo said, taking a half-step back. He lowered himself to the floor to get them off. Hux grabbed something out of a cabinet at the head of the bed. "What's that?" Kylo asked, glancing up.
"Lubricant."
"You mean it – me … fucking you?"
"Yes."
He thought Hux had said he was a virgin. "You just had that stuff?"
Hux rolled his eyes. "I told you – I've been thinking about this for days. Just fuck me already. Besides, I use it to jerk off." His eyes snapped back to Kylo, who was done taking his boots off and was pushing off his pants. "You don't?"
"Um, masturbate? Some. In the shower. Not with lube. It's part of, um, cleaning. And uh, health." This was a weird conversation to have.
Hux stared at him as Kylo came to the bed. "You poor sheltered boy."
"What?"
"Is it a Force-related thing where you don't masturbate much? Too much release of energy or something?"
"No. Though-" Luke had been far from sex-positive as far as Force users had been concerned. "I don't want to talk about it right now."
Hux smiled and rolled over face down in the middle of the bed. He handed back the bottle of lube. "Fine. Talking isn't what I want to do, either."
Kylo looked from the bottle to Hux's ass. It was cute. He had nice, firmly muscled glutes. He was sorry he had the lube in one hand, because he just wanted to grip them and knead them. He supposed he'd get the chance later. But for now: "Do I lube you or me?"
"Both?" Hux propped himself up on one elbow and looked back at where Kylo was kneeling between his legs. "You're enormous." A pause with an intent, direct gaze at Kylo's dick as though he'd never seen one before. Or was perhaps trying to visualize how this would work. "Both. A lot." He turned back and squirmed on the bed, making himself comfortable.
Kylo looked from his dick to Hux's ass. He was losing his erection a bit, what with the conversation about Luke and now proper lubing technique. He'd never used lube on his dick. He squirted some into his other palm and rubbed it up and down his length. He breathed out heavily. It felt good – much better than soap, which was what he'd used to masturbate in the showers at Luke's academy and continued doing it the same way once he was on the First Order ships. He stroked himself to hardness in no time.
He carefully parted Hux's cheeks and applied lube heavily. Hux had no reaction to that until he started smearing it around, at which point he let out a low groan and lifted one knee to the side. He seemed to like it, so Kylo did it more. He found the man's opening and rubbed circles around it. He touched the back of Hux's balls, relishing that this was something they could do with each other.
Kylo leaned in, continuing with his hand, pressing in and making circular motions. He kissed Hux's back, so pleased by the change in their relationship. Hux arched and then bowed. He came up on his elbows and curved his back, presenting his ass. Kylo's thumb slipped inside unintentionally. Hux gasped. Kylo pulled out immediately. "No," Hux said. "Again. Please."
'Please'? Kylo could not remember hearing that word pass Hux's lips. But now he had it. He worked his thumb back in, rotating it and wiggling it. Hux squirmed and moaned. Kylo applied more lube. This was fun – just watching it – but he was aching to get off. His dick was a weight between his legs, the end of it pressed against the fold where Hux's ass cheek met his leg. Kylo tried to open Hux's ass with his fingers and thumb, thinking he could just … put his dick in there. Hux's breathing hitched and he raised his ass into it, but sphincters didn't work that way.
Kylo took his dick and guided it in instead. As he breached him, Hux gasped again and breathed out a succession of 'ah!'s. His fingers tightened on the sheets and his head dropped, forehead to the mattress. Kylo paused, about a third of the way in. The entrance was tight and hot. Hux trembled. His ears turned bright red and he flushed across his back. Kylo stroked the side of the man's hip, wondering if he was perhaps too much to take. "Are we good?"
"You're inside me. Continue," Hux said breathily, somewhat muffled.
Kylo rocked his hips back and forth, feeling that tight ring ride up and down his shaft. It was warm, wet, slippery, and yielding inside, sleeving him as he moved back and forth. He was sliding gradually deeper, to halfway now. Hux reached under himself, fondled for a few moments, then Kylo felt curious fingers as Hux reached past his own balls to touch along Kylo's shaft.
"How much?" Hux asked.
"How much am I in you? About halfway. Little more, maybe." In jest, he added, "I could pull out and check, like a dipstick."
"Fuck me. Complete. Stop being careful."
Kylo came forward, letting his weight press Hux flat and the motion push him inside nearly all the way. Hux's gasp was tremulous. Kylo knew his body was big. He literally covered Hux. He put a hand on each of his arms, pinning him in every way. Kylo whispered in his ear, "You're in no position to give orders, General."
"Oh … oh … Ren … I know." He sounded wrecked. Hux pushed back with his hips. Kylo pressed forward, and he finally bottomed out, his body flush with Hux's ass. "Ah! Ah! Ah!" Hux was shaking. Kylo shifted his hips side to side to settle in.
Kylo let go of the arm without the knife and used that hand to play with Hux's face while the man couldn't do anything about it. He owned Hux completely at this moment. Hux parted his lips and suckled at his fingers, lost in it.
Kylo started shifting his hips and Hux bit down. It wasn't hard enough to hurt, but it held his hand there. Kylo curled his fingers on Hux's tongue and kept fucking him. Hux was loosening up. The hot, tight ring of his ass was becoming more comfortable. Pliant.
"Let go so I can fuck you harder," Kylo told him. Hux released him. Kylo raised himself to his hands in a push-up pose. The previously-broken forearm ached so he switched to elbows with hands resting on Hux's triceps.
He started thrusting harder, hips pistoning. He put his forehead down on the top of Hux's back, fucking him hard like an animal in rut. This was his – there was no fighting, no arguing, no doubt. Hux was gasping and whining, legs spread and asshole spasming around him as he came again. He sounded broken. His head was turned sideways on the mattress, eyes shut in bliss, mouth slack, his back and ears flushed again. Kylo felt his own peak approaching, feeling the draw inside himself, the tight coil of arousal spiraling up.
His hips pounded forward harder, slapping into Hux's ass and plowing as deep as possible. He bit Hux on the shoulder, hands curling to grip the man's arms and hold him in place. Hux made choked sobs and pushed back against him as Kylo pressed forward in one last, long, single push. He emptied inside him, his hips making subtle pushes as he stayed seated to the hilt until every last spurt was spent. Hux's ragged breath caught in his throat at very throb.
Kylo let go with his teeth. Hux twitched. He had a clear imprint left there, bruising on his pale skin. When he relaxed the grip on Hux's arms, Kylo could see he'd left fingerprint bruises there, too. Kylo kissed the top of his back and side of his neck. Hux's eyes opened blearily. In a high-pitched, wheezy voice, Hux said, "That was good. Thank you."
Kylo kept peppering his shoulders with kisses as he softened inside the man. "That was fantastic."
Hux twined his legs around Kylo's, holding him in him. "I would keep you there if I could. Kriff. We have to do this more often. I suddenly understand why there are so many pfassking children about."
"What's that?"
"Fucking. I want to do it again and often. I have been denied this for too long and it is truly the sort of thing I might abandon my career for."
"No need for that. We were co-commanders before," Kylo kissed his back again, "when we were at each other's throats." Hux had stilled and turned his head a little more to listen. "I would like to try that on our terms, not Snoke's. Just us."
"Co-commanders?" Hux lifted on one elbow, looking back at him.
"Something like that. We can find a better title, I'm sure." Kylo lifted himself up on his better arm. "What do you say?"
Hux's face shifted as he realized what Kylo had done. "You're going to make me say it, aren't you? You clever rascal!"
"You don't have to." Kylo smirked, rolling his hips to extract himself. Hux's expression went unfocused and he swayed at the unsheathing. Kylo told him, "You don't have to say a thing if you're not the sort of person who's going to tell me yes. Don't say anything and we'll just continue things as they are."
Hux untangled their legs and turned to his side. Kylo lifted himself to his knees. Hux looked up at him with a grudging respect. "Yes."