The meeting room was full of delegates and rulers from every corner of the galaxy, a mixture of species all mingling with one another. Multiple languages floated through the space as conversations buzzed between the members as they all waited collectively for the final party to arrive. Poe sat in a chair against the far wall of the large room as Leia found her place at the long glass table. She had insisted Poe come along to the meeting instead of waiting on the ship like any other pilot would have done. She reminded him that he was important to the Resistance and that any information at the meeting was best to be heard by him firsthand rather than to be just glanced over in a report once they returned to base. Poe had agreed, mostly because he couldn't say no to Leia. He'd found himself flying the General in the first place because he hadn't been assigned any missions and was left with little else to do aside from odd jobs on his X-Wing to pass the time until high command sent down orders for him. Leia's personal pilot had fallen ill and Han was offplanet, leaving her to com Poe at the last minute to charter her to the negotiations.
A hush fell over the room as the door slid open and General Hux walked in alongside two First Order officers flanked by stormtroopers on either side of the group. Leia had managed to get the callous General to agree to a meeting alongside various leaders of planets that either hovered in neutrality or have been under Order rule and desired to try and negotiate their way out of it. Multiple uprisings on some of the planets had been quickly squashed by First Order troops, but Leia felt that the majority of the populations sided with the Resistance and some kind of truce might be bargained for if only the two Generals met face to face. She knew the Order was unforgiving of any territory they had claimed as their own, but trade agreements and bartering of goods sometimes could sway even the most steadfast of oppressors and the planets that were represented at the meeting had plenty to offer.
Poe's eyes glanced up from the datapad he'd become engrossed in to pass the time, surprised that of all people the Order had sent to the negotiations, it was the redheaded General. Leia had said nothing about his attendance, yet she had no reason to alert him to it. She didn't know her best pilot and the General knew each other in any capacity other than the fact one another existed in the same galaxy. Poe averted his eyes as he felt the General's gaze fall upon him, pretending whatever on the screen in front of him was more interesting than the man he had shared more than a few clandestine nights with in the past.
"General Hux, I'm glad you agreed to meet with us today" Leia said as she found her seat on one side of the table and the other politicians began taking their own around her. Her tone was diplomatic and even as she spoke.
"Of course" Hux replied coolly as he sat down across from Leia, the officers doing the same as the stormtroopers hung back against the opposite wall. He looked bored, as if he would rather be doing anything else besides meeting with the Resistance General and a variety of leaders from planets that were under Order control and thought they had any chance of him changing his mind to give that up.
"If you'd like to begin, King Arruen" Leia said politely as she turned a bit to her right and addressed a large alien species a few seats down from her.
The meeting dragged on and on, much in part because of bickering between sides. The First Order was unforgiving in losing their control on any of the planets and refused to lax any trade tariffs they had already put in place. Poe fought to stay awake during most of it, trying to find anything on the data pad to preoccupy himself enough to remain conscious as Leia and Hux bickered back and forth between one another. The pilot tried his hardest to not to stare at Hux, but he found himself stealing quick glances at General. He watched as Hux's cheeks flushed red when particularly upset about something and how he let out a long sigh and sank back in his seat when Leia seemed to have him cornered in an argument. Poe noticed that the General's icy gaze would occasionally glance past Leia and settle on him. The first few times, he tried his best to ignore it. It was not the place to be openly trying to flirt, let alone even look at one another. Too many others could easily pick up on the clues. Poe tried to focus on his data pad but at one point, he could practically feel the General's gaze boring into him, so with a quick tilt of his head, he shot Hux a devilish wink and a sly smile. The General fumbled over his words for a second, quickly regaining his composure before continuing defending his side of the argument. Poe smirked to himself as he resumed typing on his data pad, knowing that him, and him alone, could manage to make the normally collected General stumble over himself.
The sunlight had faded from the windows, replaced by gathering darkness of both evening and an oncoming storm. Leia noticed the change outside and wrapped up the meeting, saying that all parties would be in contact and that the issues they had touched on would be revisited in the future to see if any further progress could be made. General Hux and his officers nodded, mostly out of politeness, knowing they would still refuse to budge on the issues before leaving the meeting room. Leia made small talk with the remaining dignitaries as they began to file out of the room and fat rain drops began to splash against the windows. When the room had emptied, save for Leia and Poe, the pilot looked up from his data pad with a concerned expression. A message had come across the screen from the planet's weather service. His brow furrowed as he read it aloud to Leia.
"They aren't giving any ships clearance to depart for the remainder of the night because of the oncoming storm" Poe announced.
"Well, it looks like we are stuck here" Leia stated calmly. "We can get a hotel. It's not a big deal". Leia was far from upset. She had been stuck in worse places before in her lifetime and had more than enough work to keep herself occupied for the evening after the day's events. Memories of hiding inside of a space slug before limping along to Bespin without a hyperdrive all those years ago crossed her mind. Weather was something out of her control and if she was delayed planet side for an extra day after a day of exhausting negotiations, so be it.
Leia made quick work on her com securing a room at a nearby hotel for her and Poe. As the two gathered up their remaining items from the meeting space, the General looked over at the windows. The rain beat down now at the steady pace and lighting illuminated the sky every few seconds.
"We are only staying a few blocks away. Think you can make a quick run?" Leia asked.
"Of course, General" Poe replied with a smile. A little rain never hurt him.
As Leia and Poe stepped out of the building onto the street, the sound of the rain hitting the pavement was almost deafening. Leia mouthed words to him, her voice lost in the strong wind of the storm as she pointed her finger in the direction they needed to head in. Poe worked the sleeves of his coat free, holding his jacket above Leia in an attempt to keep her dry as they stepped out from the covering they had been standing under before sprinting towards the hotel through the downpour.
Leia took care of the necessary check in information upon arriving at the hotel, passing Poe both a room key and a card containing an allotment of credits while in the turbolift, assuring him that anything he needed during their stay would be covered. Poe walked a few paces behind the General as they made their way down the hall to their rooms, pausing outside the adjacent doorways affixed with the room numbers they had been assigned by the staff.
"I will com you in the morning" Leia said as she smoothed back some of the loose hair that had fallen from her braids in the rain as she began to insert her key card into her room door. "Good night, Commander".
"Same to you, General" Poe replied with a gentle smile, watching as Leia opened her own door before turning to his own room across the hall.
Rain pattered against the window as Poe sat against the edge of the bed, covered by a plush comforter. He bounced his weight against the mattress a few times, testing the comfort. It was better than the cramped captain's bunk aboard the ship he could have been spending the night on and far better than the creaky cot he usually slept on back at the Resistance base. The storm had calmed some outside of the tall windows that lined the far side of his room. Lightening only occasionally criss-crossed the sky, accompanied by low rumbles of thunder after the flashes of light illuminated his room. Despite the long day of flying across systems and sitting through a rather boring and drawn out negotiation, he was far from tired. Reaching into his pocket, he ran his fingers against the smooth plastic card Leia had given him. For food and anything you might need to pick up to make yourself comfortable while we are stuck here she had told him on their way to the their rooms. He knew she had meant toiletries or a snack. He wasn't even sure how many credits were charged to the card. Other things in mind, a slight pang of guilt as if he was disobeying orders weighed in his gut, Poe continued to mull ideas over in his mind. The General had given him no other instructions aside from that she would contact him the in the morning, leaving the remaining night to himself.
In all technicalities, Poe thought to himself, I'm off duty.
Picking up his blaster from the bedside table, Poe secured it into the hostler against his leg before pulling his jacket over his plain tan shirt. He was already in civilian clothes. Piloting Leia's personal ship to the planet did not require him to don his normal Resistance flight attire, leaving his identity to most behind him at base. As he exited his room, he could hear the faint hum of the holovision coming through Leia's door as he locked his own and made his way to the turbolift at the end of hall.
The cantina on the ground floor of the hotel was nearly empty, save for a lone couple sitting at the bar and one man sitting in the back booth nearly hidden in the shadows. Poe caught a glimmer of the man's red hair in the dim light as he shifted his weight against the booth seat before resuming looking down at the datapad in his hand. The blueish glow from the screen illuminated his features, casting long shadows against his palled skin. Resting his elbows against the bartop, Poe ordered a drink, leaving the card with the bartender before crossing the room towards the back corner.
"Anyone sitting here?" Poe said before taking a swig of his ale.
"There's plenty of other seats. The whole place is empty" Hux replied with annoyance, not even bothering to look up from his data pad.
"I think I'd like this one though" Poe smoothly replied, causing Hux to finally glance up. His icy eyes met Poe's, who let out a cocky lop sided grin at the General.
"You come looking for me?" Hux's expression softened slightly at the sight of Poe before him as he set his pad aside and reached for the glass of amber liquid that sat on the table.
"Figured you'd be hiding in a corner sipping whiskey somewhere and there's no other cantinas for kilometers around here".
Hux let out a low chuckle. The pilot knew him too well. Insomniac much like himself, tucking into corners to drink rather than dream peacefully like he should be doing.
"Are you General Organa's personal pilot now?"
"Nah, just filling in for the time being".
"Ah. Well, it's nice to see you again".
"Drop the formalities, Armitage. Anyone who knows who we are have long gone to bed for the night" Poe said as he slid into the booth next to Hux, not waiting any longer for an invitation to sit down.
"I see you haven't lost your brazenness, Dameron" Hux replied as he inched over a bit to make room for the pilot.
"This hotel is filled with people who would expect us be trying to kill each other if found in such close proximity".
Poe seemed unaffected by the fire he was playing with as he took another drink of his ale, placing his hand against the General's leg beneath the table as he swallowed the cold liquid.
Poe and Hux exchanged turns on who would buy each the next round of drinks, both charging them to tabs that each others enemy would ultimately be paying for in the end as the hours past. Under the table touches soon became more daring, hands on one another further and further into view before Poe finally pulled away, scooting back from Hux's side.
"You have a room?" the pilot asked, reaching for his drink, taking a long gulp of ale as the words left his mouth.
"Don't you?" Hux questioned flatly.
"Yup. Right across the hall from General Organa. Didn't know you like to play that dangerously, 'Tage" Poe hummed mischievously.
"I'm not that stupid" Hux scoffed. "Leave ten minutes after me. Room 3901. I'll dismiss my troopers by the time you get there".
Poe nodded in understanding as Hux slipped out the other end of the bench and made his way to the bar, settling his tab before disappearing out of the cantina. Kicking his boot up on the chair across from him, Poe leaned back against the cushioned back of the seat and drained the remaining liquid from his bottle. Placing it back down on the table top with a quiet plunk, he looked around the cantina. It was still empty save for the couple that had been sitting at the bar when he entered, now too engrossed in one another to have bothered seeing any of his and Hux's interaction occur. He debating getting one more ale while waiting, deciding against it as he rose from his seat and made his way to the bar. Leaning against the bartop again, Poe waited as the bartender rang up his tab. Handing his card back over to him, the bartender looked Poe as he finished signing the receipt.
"You want a shot? On the house?"
Poe shrugged. He wasn't about to deny free alcohol. "Sure. What'dya got?"
"Tihaar" the bartender replied as he pushed a glass partly full of pink tinted liquid towards the pilot before taking his own in his hand.
Poe held the glass, eying the liquor suspiciously as it swirled in the glass in front of him. He had heard of the liquor before, but never personally tried it. It was Mandalorian, he knew that much. He had overheard some of his squadron pilots who were brave enough to try it say it was better used for degreasing ship parts than for human consumption.
"May the winds of fortune guide you, may you fly a gentle galaxy. May it always be the other guy who says this drink's on me" the bartender rattled off before the two men clinked glasses together and downed the shot in unison.
The liquor burned down Poe's throat as he squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to keep the liquid down. Shaking his head, he let out a long breath. "Damn. You don't mess around".
"Looked like you needed a little extra something" the bartender replied as he scooped up Poe's empty glass and tucked it away under the bartop. "Have a good night, sir".
Poe stepped into the turbolift, punching the button for the thirty-ninth floor as the doors closed. Resting his weight against his palms on the handrail that ran around the interior of small enclosure, he waited as the lift began to ascend floors, passing each with speed that caused the liquor to slosh in his stomach as he went higher and higher in the building. As the pilot walked down the hallway, he glanced over the doors, giving the room numbers printed in gilded lettering on each one a quick once over, making sure he was going in the correct direction. Hux's room was at the furthest end of the hall, no doubt a suite with a view over the planet below. Poe double checked his surroundings, making sure Hux had held to his word to clear the area of any of his troopers. His hand rested against the butt of his blaster on his leg as he walked, a reassurance to himself that the weapon was there in case he needed to draw it in a moment's notice. Seeing that Hux had held to his promise, Poe knocked firmly against the durasteel door.
"That was longer than ten minutes" Hux said as the durasteel door whooshed open. The General stood before him still wearing the starched black shirt and crisp uniform pants he had been wearing downstairs in the cantina.
"You were counting?" Poe questioned as he stepped into Hux's room with a cocked eyebrow.
"You know I don't like being kept waiting".
Poe continued into Hux's suite, looking around at the room. It was nearly three times the size of his own. A large sitting room took up the majority of the space, backed with floor to ceiling windows that looked out onto planet. The transparisteel was dotted with raindrops, the storm still continuing on outside. An enormous bed was placed in the corner, jutting out on a diagonal into the rest of the room, covered with more throw pillows that Poe cared to count.
"Take it in. Much better accommodations than even your General is staying in" Hux quipped as he stepped around in front of Poe, stopping him from crossing the room any further.
"We don't care for the excessive on our side".
"Just because you've never had better" Hux teased back, his face mere inches away from Poe's as he spoke.
"Still doesn't matter" Poe replied as his lips ghosted across Hux's and his hands reached out to grip onto his waist, closing the little remaining space between them.
Hux hummed something that sounded like a disagreement to Poe as their lips met. He soon found his own hands slipping around Poe's waist. His fingers soon began creeping up his shirt, sliding the fabric up so his hands traced against the bare skin beneath the pilot's clothing. The two stumbled backwards together, their kiss never ceasing as they made their way towards the bed. Hux turned on his heel as they approached, turning Poe around so as the backs of his knees hit against the edge of the mattress causing the pilot to tumble back onto the bed. Hux worked the buttons free on the front of his shirt as he stood at the foot of the mattress. Pulling the black satin away from his body, Hux discarded his shirt to the floor behind him, his gaze focused on the handsome pilot laying before him.
"You expect me to get into bed with you while have a weapon attached to you?"
Poe had all but forgotten about the blaster still attached to his leg, too focused on the General's affections.
"Thought you liked an element of danger" the pilot quipped as he propped himself up to unfasten the holster and discard his weapon.
"Wanting to fuck you and having a blaster in bed are two different things" Hux said dryly as he began to crawl on top of Poe. Straddling the pilot, Hux leaned down to resume kissing him. His hands pulled at the edges of Poe's jacket, urging him to shed the coat. Poe hastily worked the nerf leather free from his arms, letting his coat fall away from his body before wrapping his arms around the General's neck, pulling him closer to him. Sliding his weight from atop the pilot, Hux peppered kisses down Poe's chest as he dropped to his knees. His hands began working Poe's belt buckle open before pulling the fabric of his pants from his hips, allowing himself to be exposed. Hux rocked back up, pushing his weight against his heels as he took Poe's length into his hand. His mouth sank down towards him, his tongue swirling around the tip as the pilot let out a low groan. Pushing his fingers through Hux's ginger hair, Poe managed to gather enough strength to finally utter words as the General took him fully into his mouth.
"Kriff, Tage" Poe sputtered as he felt himself hit the back of Hux's throat as the General's pace picked up to an almost relentless pace. He'd forgotten how amazing it felt having Hux wrapped around him like this. Biting his bottom lip, he tried to ignore the building sensation in his stomach, a mixture of liquor and pleasure bubbling within him. Hux took him deep into his mouth once again, causing the pilot's breath to catch in his throat, his fingers grabbing tightly onto the strands of ginger hair intertwined in his fingers. He was so engrossed in the moment he hadn't heard the faint buzzing coming from the pocket of his discarded jacket. The noise continued as Poe came to his senses, realizing that it was his comlink.
"Armitage...hold on..." Poe pleaded, trying to maintain his clarity.
Hux loosed his grip on Poe, running his tongue along the underside of his length before pulling away with him with pop as the pilot slipped from between his lips. Poe sat up, pulling his underwear up to cover himself as he hastily fumbled for his jacket to find his com. Pressing the button to answer, he shifted his weight and stood from the mattress, trying to adjust his pants back into their proper place.
"Commander Dameron" Leia's voice came through with a crackle of static. "Where are you?"
Poe's finger hovered over the response button, his mind racing to try and think of a valid excuse of where he could be. Panicking momentarily, he wondered how long Leia might have been trying to contact him.
"I ran back to the ship" he lied, keeping his voice smooth and full of charm. "I realized I needed a change of clothes to sleep in".
"It's pouring out. How soon until you will be back?" she asked, seemingly buying Poe's excuse.
"Half a standard hour. I'll come to you".
Clicking the com feed off, Poe ran his fingers through his hair and let out a long breath as he turned back towards the General. Hux had made himself comfortable on the bed in the pilot's absence. His back rested against the pillows, his clothing and hair smoothed back into place as if nothing had happened between them. Cocking an eyebrow, he gave Poe an impish grin.
"Lying to your General? That's a punishable offense" Hux said smugly.
Poe clicked the metal fastener of his belt buckle in place before picking up his blaster, positioning the weapon back onto his leg.
"You think she'd rather hear what I was really up to?"
"Would have been better if you answered while I was still sucking you off".
"You're a sick kriff, you know that?" Poe said with a laugh as he reached for his jacket, pulling the nerf leather over his arms.
"Yet you can't get enough of this" Hux replied.
Poe knew Hux was right. They were like spice to one another. One taste and they had been hooked, both men ignoring any logical thinking when it came to one another, nothing else mattering in the moments they actually could be with one another.
Stepping towards the edge of the mattress, Poe leaned down towards Hux, who unfolded his hands from his chest and wrapped them around the pilot. Pulling him close, he pressed his lips against Poe's, stealing a deep, but quick, kiss before nipping at Poe's bottom lip with his teeth.
"Think you can manage to be a fill in pilot again if I agree to one more meeting with your General?" Hux asked as he rested his forehead against Poe's. "We were so rudely interrupted".
Poe let out a low chuckle. The fact he had ended up on the same planet at the same time as Hux was a fluke, yet he wasn't against the General's idea to try and make it happen again.
"I'll see what I can do".