Ren could not recall ever having seen Hux unwell before and the sound disturbed him a little more than he would openly admit. Sneaking into Huxs' quarters wasn't difficult and he had become somewhat accustomed to it as their hidden relationship has progressed but as he entered the main bedroom he could hear the unmistakable sound of someone vomiting in the bathroom. And since Hux was fiercely protective over his private space it could only have been the general himself.
Ren had enough sensibility and respect to allow Hux some privacy to finish his business and he sat on the edge of the bed, waiting patiently for him to emerge. Soon enough he heard the faint sound of running water being switched off and Hux exited, his face marked with a tinge of red from his heaving and still damp from where he had obviously washed it.
Immediately spotting Ren sitting on his bed, Hux froze like a rabbit in headlights and nervousness entered his features before he smoothed them out. "Ren." He greeted in a falsely warm voice, "what brings you to my quarters this early?"
Ignoring the forced levity, Ren tilted his head slightly. "Are you ill?" He enquired allowing some of his concern to leak into his tone. An unwell Hux was unheard of and he wanted answers.
"It has passed so do not concern yourself." Smirking, he took a seat next to Ren on the bed. "I simply felt a little ill after the evening meal."
As Ren listened to the response he felt a small twinge of something and he realised that Hux was lying. His power allowed him to sense it as naturally as he could hear it and he jumped from his seated position and turned to face Hux directly. "You are lying. Why are you lying?"
His senses twitched again as he felt Hux throw up his mental blocks in order to prevent any direct intrusion into his mind. "I can feel that you know." Ren said quietly as he continued to stare passively at Hux. "When you try to block me from your mind I can immediately sense the barrier. What are you trying to hide from me?" An awful thought hit him. "Is it something serious? Is that why you are being deceptive?"
"You know our rules, Ren. Do not read my mind or there will be consequences." Hux warned, glaring at the taller man as he steeled his voice. "My health is no concern of yours. Keep out of it." At his harsh tone, Ren felt a little hurt and he allowed it to show on his face hoping that Hux would notice it and possibly relent. He resisted the urge to force his way into Huxs' mind since he understood that it would only lead to serious trouble.
His plan worked it seemed as Hux sighed and leaned back against his comfortable bed, his legs dangling over the side as he stretched out. "You are concering yourself over nothing. While training at the Academy, my father encouraged me to eat in excess of the daily allowance in an attempt to prove that I was superior to my fellow officers by consuming more and having it not affect me."
Continuing in a dispassionate tone, he leaned up again to speak to Ren more directly. "Obviously since my training routine could not be any stricter than what it already was I was told to find another way to ensure that I did not suffer from any obvious weight gain. And so the obvious solution was clear."
"You made yourself ill?" Frowning, Ren was clearly unimpressed with the tale.
"Yes. It was the easiest method of ensuring success and it soon became a habit. I am obviously careful with it, I do not allow myself to grow thin or weak and as the years have progressed it has become...somewhat less necessay." He admitted. "But sometimes-" he cut himself off and left the rest of the sentence unspoken.
"You make yourself ill." Ren repeated. "I am not entirely ignorant of the desire to self-punish but I do not understand your methods."
Raising an eyebrow, Hux argued. "And i am not asking you to, as I said earlier it is no business of yours."
"An easy statement to make," Ren agreed, "but false all the same. You know of my mild attachment to you and I dislike the thought of you harming yourself intentionally in a situation which does not call for it."
He smirked lightly at the confession, "I appreciate your concern and also the mild compliment which was hidden in there Ren, but I do not need you to coddle me like a damn child." He hissed, losing a little of his tightly held patience.
"I will not mention it again then." Holding out his palms in mock surrender, he walked over to the small cabinet and pulled out of pair of drinking glasses. As he poured in the wine which Hux kept hidden in his private stores, Rens' thoughts were focused on the issue he had just uncovered. This odd compulsion of Huxs' unsettled him deeply and he mentally made a series of notes to keep a closer eye on the redheaded general.
Hux was clearly experiencing a mild embarrassment at having his problem discovered and Ren suspected that putting him under closer observation could afford to give him a better understanding of what was influencing his destructive actions. Although he had to be subtle. If Hux was aware of his investigations then Ren was conscious that he would be frozen out immediately and all his concern would be for nothing. But if there was one thing which Ren knew, it was how to play the long game and if it would be of benefit to Hux then he was willing to attempt to play it.