The fantasies started before he even met Kylo Ren. Snoke had described the new recruit in lurid, gloating detail as though Ren's arrival marked the culmination of some lifelong dream of Snoke's. He spoke of Ren more covetously than he had the acquisition of the giant kyber crystals necessary for Starkiller Base. It was instantly annoying to Hux, who tolerated listening to the effusive praise directed at a man he hadn't met who had no accomplishments to his name aside from being born to the right family and failing them.

Hux had not failed. And he wasn't going to fail now, so he listened politely while Snoke's words grated more and more on him. Later that day, as he enjoyed a cup of tea during a break from work, he idly fantasized about this new recruit on his knees before him, groveling. He was unworthy of Snoke's praise and somehow Hux had found out. At the same time, Hux in this fantasy wasn't especially interested in informing Snoke. He preferred the idea that he could keep this weakness to himself, a secret between him and the new one.

It would give him power. Every time Snoke gloated about Ren in future, he could remember having the man at his feet, begging him not to tattle. Hux smiled as he sipped his tea. It was so juvenile. Just to make it more ridiculous, he imagined he might extort the famous, much vaunted Force user into servicing him sexually. He didn't bother to think of details, nor did he get hard. He was in uniform, in public, but the real reason was because he didn't care enough to be emotionally engaged with the idea. Not at that point.

He met Kylo Ren a few weeks later. He was taller than Hux had expected, but he'd seen pictures of Darth Vader and the two were related. They had similar tastes in fashion, Hux supposed. Ren was all in black, though a bit tattered. Odd helmet, reminiscent of the early days of the Empire. Hux took him in with a glance, noting the tense posture, balled fists, and aura of menace. Hux wanted to laugh at him, but contained himself to a smirk. Ren's vocoder made a faint growling noise in response. It made the hair on the back of Hux's neck stand up in a delightful way.

That night, his filthy thoughts were explicit and it actually got him off. He imagined Ren was on his knees again (he liked that, besides it meant the oaf wasn't looking down on him) and the mouth guard of his helmet was removable. He didn't see anything else of him, nor did he need to for his purposes. In a later version of the same scene, Snoke watched approvingly. Later still, Snoke walked in on them and realized his new toy was now Hux's plaything, greedy to suck him in a way Snoke was too old and impotent to provide. Oh yes, Hux was vastly entertained by his new interest.

It was more than a year later before he saw Ren's actual face. He'd seen a hand gloveless at one point, which had confirmed skin tone and a very rough idea of age, though Hux pretended he hadn't been interested to know this. He couldn't pretend so much about the face, though. It was too intriguing. Hux stared for a few seconds longer than was polite, knowing exactly how his mind was going to put this image to use. Ren's brows started to twitch together because of the long look. Hux turned away, back to the supreme leader and addressed him about business.

It meant he missed the slight widening of Ren's eyes. He didn't miss Ren's noisy swallow. That was a nice sound. Hux tried to memorize it. He'd put that to use, too. Ren cleared his throat. Would he sound something like that when he gagged on Hux's cock? It was close enough. Snoke was staring at Hux now and summarily ordered him back to Starkiller Base, probably for getting distracted. He didn't care too much. His job performance was exemplary and the project was proceeding well. So what if he was a virile male? Any attempts at castration would reduce his aggression and ambition. Snoke wouldn't dare. And if he did, so what? Maybe Hux would get more done.

It wasn't like sex was an important part of Hux's life. He didn't have any. At all. Ever. Which gave him a great deal of time to think about Ren.

He redesigned the combat simulator he used the most on Starkiller. After the reprogramming, it was the only one he used. His opponents were based on the early Empire foot soldier, all in black, with a long cape and armed with a lightsaber among the other standard weapons. The saber was the wrong color, but he didn't want to be too obvious.

Hux didn't win very often against this programmed opponent. It was more fun to lose, sometimes in manners that were hilarious to watch when he played back the holorecord later (for "training purposes"). He supposed he should be humiliated and he might have been had anyone else known about these, but they didn't, so he didn't care. It was his one outlet. He told himself it wasn't like he treated Ren any differently on the rare occasion they ran across one another.

Which probably wasn't true. Because more than once he'd found himself staring at Kylo Ren a little too long, with Hux standing stiffly, usually with his hands clasped behind his back. He was wary of Ren. He knew the man could read his mind. Most of the time his thoughts were where they should be, on work, but … well. He was human. And not unaware of the way Ren's helmeted head would turn slightly toward him, like he was side-eyeing him. But he never mentioned it. Hux would catch himself, huff, and get back to his duty. His fantasies were fine in private and after hours. He didn't know why they contaminated his work. Ren was obviously uninterested.

The later rescue of Ren from the wreckage of Starkiller was too hurried even for salacious thoughts. All Hux managed to get from it was an interesting aroma. Burned flesh, scorched fabric – those did nothing for him – but under it was a scent of Ren himself. It was as close as he'd gotten to him. He didn't have time to enjoy it. There was battle. D'Qar. That long wakeful period that included Snoke's unexpected murder and Ren's expected temper.

Hux retired to his quarters after, nursing his many injuries (most inflicted by Ren). His mind was buzzing with static and probably more than one minor concussion. Amazingly, he seemed to have gotten through it all with no more than light bruising in a variety of spots. Ren could have done more. Or worse. He could have finished Hux the same as he probably had Snoke. But he hadn't. Did it mean anything? He didn't think so. He suspected he needed to eliminate Ren. It was the only way.

As though his very thoughts had summoned the man, his door slid open. Wearing only his trousers and socks, Hux spun. "What? What are you doing here? How did you do that? It was locked."

Ren frowned at him and pointed at the panel inside the door. "I used the Force to open it from your side." He walked in. "I told you to stay for the debriefing."

"I am no longer fit for duty. I have been awake for more than thirty hours. The stims are wearing off. The Resistance is gone. Others are managing the rescue operations." He glowered, not at all sure what he was supposed to do with the newly minted supreme leader brooding at him from within his private quarters. "You can't be any better off than I am."

"You intend to kill me."

"One would think I'd be enough of a strategist to have done it when I wasn't half-naked and had better weapons than my bare hands and scathing wit." His blaster and knife were both on the bed, him having been interrupted in the middle of examining his injuries.

Ren … smiled. "Yes, one would think that." He walked closer. Hux glanced up and down him. He wondered if these would be his last moments. He wasn't sure he cared; he was so tired. He met Ren's eyes steadily, slightly curious. The proximity was unnecessary, so why was Ren doing it? Ren said, "I could change your intentions."

"How would you do that?" Not that he was admitting to plotting to kill his superior officer. It wasn't the first time he'd harbored such thoughts, but if Snoke had ever felt threatened by them, he hadn't acted on it. Maybe that was the reason for the frequent mind-reading. Not that Hux had ever felt quite as serious about it as he did now with Ren.

Ren moved even closer. He smelled of salt and cleanser. Somewhere along the line, he must have stopped to wipe his skin clean of the planet's contaminants. "There are other things you want from me," he rumbled.

Hux's eyeline had to go up, their slight height difference exacerbated by Ren's thick soles and Hux being in socks. He didn't like that. Kylo Ren, supreme leader by dint of assassination (probably) and ambition, lofted his brows slightly and sat himself on the bed Hux was standing next to. Hux was no longer looking up at him. That was not an accident. Hux made a single slow blink. The corners of his mouth twitched up.

"There are other … positions you might want," Ren said, "from me."

Hux's brows rose as a giddy feeling swept through him. Yes, the stims were definitely wearing off. Strange emotions were not an uncommon side effect. "What sort of offer are you making?" He deserved the title of grand marshal, but on the other hand, it sounded a lot like Ren was offering something … else. The front of his pants made a distracting throb, like he needed to adjust himself. He did not.

Ren licked his lips obscenely slowly. "It's not an offer." Ren ran a gloved finger along the bare skin just above the line of Hux's pants. He hooked his finger into the waistband and tugged slightly. "I'm not going to spend the night alone. Neither are you."

Hux did not move. He hardly breathed, torn between the well-earned hatred he felt for this man and the continuing possibility that he could make real his wildest fantasies. "I should have you thrown out of my quarters for what you're insinuating."

Ren smiled sweetly. "I'd love to see you try." Hux snorted and said nothing. Neither did he move away or resist. Ren went on, "I could do without your knife in my ribs. So unless you have a better plan, this is mine." Ren unfastened the top closure on Hux's pants.

Hux slid his hand into the supreme leader's hair, making a fist in his forelock. He shoved backwards, pushing Ren onto his back on the bed while Hux crawled abruptly onto him, straddling his midsection. Ren's composure cracked. His eyes widened and he gasped, but he didn't fight it. Hux's nose wrinkled. He jerked the blaster from its holster next to him and pressed the muzzle to Ren's cheek. "This was the best plan you could come up with? Really?"

Ren swallowed, eyes wide. He looked for all the world like it had never occurred to him that Hux might reject him, might turn the tables, might not follow whatever script Ren had in his foolish head.

Hux bared his teeth. "You can't stop a blaster from this distance." His finger was on the trigger. He knew he should have pulled it already – the gloating was stupid, but he did it anyway.

"I know." Ren's voice came out broken around the edges. The tone seized Hux's attention. Ren's eyes were red-rimmed and bloodshot, but dry. His skin was unevenly colored, flushed on the cheekbones, dark circles under his eyes, the scar inflamed more than it had been a few hours ago. He'd been awake and stressed as long as Hux, perhaps more. There was only one thing Hux had wanted from Ren from the very start and killing him wouldn't provide it.

After a long pause, Hux snarled, "You came to my quarters to sleep with me. In the morning, you will be choking on my cock."

Ren smiled slowly, turned his head, and lifted his chin. He licked the barrel of Hux's blaster. And despite the hours, the combat, the stims, the stress – Hux was hard. "And now."

Hux threw aside the gun and finished unfastening his trousers. Ren reached between Hux's legs and up, cupping his balls and massaging them. Hux felt his eyes cross at the sensation, overwhelmed for a few seconds. The whole situation was absurd. "I'm hallucinating." It was the only sane explanation.

Ren pushed him backward off the bed and went to his knees in front of him. By now Hux had freed himself. He couldn't imagine that he smelled good – not after so long. If Ren cared, he didn't show it. He sucked him in eagerly with a desperate energy that had Hux keening immediately. He tightened his fist in Ren's hair again as the man bobbed on him. It hardly took anything to get him off. Hux was embarrassingly fast, pressing forward and emptying in Ren's mouth in less than a minute. Ren grunted and his throat seized, but he swallowed it down.

Ren leaned back, looking up at him. His lips were wet, as was Hux's cock where it hung at half-mast between them. Hux reached down and milked himself, emitting a pearl of come. Ren licked it from him without having to be asked. Ren folded Hux's underwear up over himself. "I don't think it was that bad a plan," Ren said quietly.

"No, no," Hux said with a swallow. He was still breathing fast. "It's an excellent plan. Forget I ever said anything about it. Let's go to bed. Morning can't come soon enough."