"You summoned me, Supreme Leader?" Hux asked as he entered Ren's quarters. It was a mess. There were clothes scattered everywhere, along with empty bottles of Corellian wine, and other items Hux didn't even want to think about. This is why whenever they got together they usually did it in Hux's room, or the throne room, or literally anywhere else.
For his part Ren was sitting in front of a mirror. Hux was relieved to see he was wearing his royal clothes. Black robes with intricate lines of gold sewn into them. He looked magnificent.
Well, he would look magnificent if his hair wasn't a mess. One half was loose and tamed while the other was up in the air tangled in clips.
"I need help with my hair."
Hux raised an eyebrow. "You summoned me because you need help...with your hair?
"How weird would it be to wear an Alderaanian braid? Would people know? Would people care?" Ren asked, looking at the mirror and twirling a strand of hair with his fingers.
"You do realize you have hairdressers for this, right? That I am Grand Marshal of your military?" Hux sighed, but found himself walking towards the mirror.
Ren waved him off, "I know, but you still care about public appearances and my coronation is a big one. I don't want to ruin it. Answer my question."
Hux sighed. Of course Ren was stressed. This was one of the biggest days of their lives. The First Order had won, the people had eventually accepted their rule, and now the coronation would make it legitimate. Ren wasn't content just being a ruler, he wanted to be a well liked ruler. Much of that depended on appearances.
"I don't see any harm in it. Any particular reason why you want to do it?"
Ren shrugged, "It just feels right? I woke up this morning and remembered how my mom used to braid my hair when I was a kid and just. It feels right."
Hux hummed. He never understood the attachment Ren had to his mother, but if this was something important to him then he felt compelled to at least try to be supportive. "I assume you know how to do it, then? Or do I have to call one of the hairdressers?"
"I know how to do it, but I wanted to show you."
Ren looked up at him and smiled one of his easy smiles. One of those smiles that Hux loved. Hux relaxed, he knew there was no way he was ever going to go back to work any time soon even if there were a thousand different things that needed his attention before the ceremony.
He hummed, "Very well. How do I do this?"
"I already parted the hair so you can get started on the right side. You're going the loose section and split into three different strands."
Hux did as he was told, grabbing some clips from the table to keep the hair in place. It wasn't easy, but he liked the feel of Kylo's soft hair. He just wished he was pulling it for a different reason.
"Keep focus, Grand Marshal." Kylo chided.
"Stay out of my head, Ren." Hux yanked a strand of hair causing the force user to laugh.
"Next your cross each of the strands underneath each other instead of over one another." Ren said going back to the instructions.
Hux looked down at the strands in his hands and set to work. The instructions were easy enough, but he never had cause to braid hair before and it wasn't as easy as Kylo's attitude was suggesting it was.
"Am I do this right?" Hux held the stands higher so that Kylo could see in the mirror.
"Just like that. Keep it tight and start working your way around the side of my head."
"Now who is talking dirty," Hux muttered but did as he was told, "this is not in my job description."
"I don't think you have a job description. I am still convinced you made the title up."
"It was used in the Galactic Republic. I didn't make it up." He really thought his title should be considered High Magistrate now that Ren will be crowned Emperor. He does just as much work as Ren, if not more. Still, he was happy with the title and the power he had. He was not going to squander it over something so trivial. He looked down and realized he finished the braid, "Now what?"
"Now you have to take a clip and do the same to the other side."
Hux followed suit and started the other side. It was much easier than the first side and he was rather pleased with how it looked.
"Finally, you're going to pull one of the braids from left to right, over top of my head." He watched as Hux put the braid over his head. "Yeah, just like that and then use a pin to keep it there. Then do the same to the other side."
After a small struggle at first to get the braids placed just perfect Hux was relieved to find that the hairstyle actually looked good. He looked in the the mirror at how the braid looked on Ren and it rather looked like a crown. A crown fit for his Emperor.
"It looks magnificent." Ren said, admiring Hux's work in the mirror.
"Well, I did do it. I only aim for perfection, although I still don't understand why you couldn't have one of the attendants do it."
Ren stood up and grabbed Hux's hand. Looking into his eyes that were filled with mischief. "You know, one of the most intimate acts a member of Alderaanian royalty can do is let someone take out the braids in their hair. I thought. I thought maybe I could make it so it could also be braiding someone's hair? Like helping someone achieve their goals and being there, like how you've helped me with everything. Without you we never would have won."
His words hit Hux deep in his emotions. He never expected that. Leave it to Ren to make something like hairdressing into an act of love. He never would have thought of any of it that, he didn't have a clue of the deeper meanings.
He leaned forward and kissed Ren deeply. Ren returned the kiss passionately.
When they broke apart Hux grinned, "Let's go to the coronation. Then, tonight, we'll celebrate."