Hux worked the last bit of noodles free from the corner of the foil package, spearing them onto his fork and savoring the final bite. The rehydrated meal was far from gourmet, but was filling and surprisingly tasty with a hint of spice that he had not expected from a military meal meant for survival situations. Setting the empty packet aside, he leaned back on his palms and took in his surroundings. The sunlight was warm on his face and a gentle breeze rustled through the trees behind them. Aside from the dull throbbing in his temple, Hux was surprisingly content. It was a strange feeling considering his circumstances and one he couldn't remember if he had ever felt before.
Poe stood from beside him, kicking off his boots and pulling his feet from his socks without a word. He began working the knot of his flight suit loose from around his waist, letting the orange fabric fall away from his body, leaving him only in an undershirt and khaki fatigue pants.
"What are you doing?" Hux asked, trying to figure out what sort of ludicrous idea was running through the pilot's head.
"Going for a swim" Poe replied casually as he worked the buckle free from his leather belt and unfastened his pants. "If you forgot" he added with a teasing smile, gesturing to his face that was still smeared with mud and dried blood "some guy tried to beat the shit out of me earlier".
Hux let out a small chuckle before swallowing hard. He was trying his best not to stare as Poe let the khaki fabric fall down to his ankles. The pilot kicked his pants in the direction of the pile of clothing he'd already removed. Falling short of reaching his discarded jumpsuit, they instead landed on the rocky shoreline in a crumpled mess. Poe didn't seem to notice, or care, as he pulled his undershirt over his head, exposing his muscular chest.
Hux stifled his reaction to the sight with a poor excuse of a fake cough. Forcing himself to avert his eyes for moment, he tried to regain his composure.
"What if there's some creature in there?" Hux managed to call out to the pilot, who in just a few seconds had already darted down to the water's edge in nothing more than his olive green boxers.
"Not too worried. Water's clear. Can see straight to the bottom" Poe called back as he waded his way further into the lake. The rocky shoreline gave way to a smooth, sandy bottom as he ventured further in.
As the water enveloped his waist, Poe allowed himself to fall back into the lake. The water was pleasantly warm and felt wonderful as it overtook his body, washing away the dirt and grime from his skin. Emerging from beneath the surface, he shook his wet hair, pushing back his curls and letting his hands run over his face. His nose throbbed as his fingers passed over the bruising. He could still feel bits of dried blood caked onto his chin and in the scruff along his upper lip. Cupping his hands, he filled them with water, splashing it against his face, working loose any remaining evidence of the fight earlier.
Hux stood on the shore, watching Poe splash about in the water. It did look inviting. The midday sun beat down on his shoulders that were still covered by his thick black satin shirt.
What do I have to lose?
The pilot seemed preoccupied enough in the water to not be paying him any attention. Beneath the rigid facade he maintained, Hux had always been self conscious about his slim build. He wished he somehow could be as stocky and muscular as someone like Poe was. His tall, thin frame was fodder for teasing during his youth. Taking a deep breath, his fingers began working the buttons down the front of his shirt loose, exposing the black undershirt he wore underneath.
Poe looked towards the shore, noticing Hux removing his boots and pulling his legs free of his pants. He bobbed in the water, observing how the General was so methodical about neatly folding his clothing where his were strewn about the rocks in crumpled disorder.
Poe watched as Hux, who was now only dressed in a black undershirt and a pair of black boxers stepped gingerly across the rocks towards the edge of the water. The General's pale skin seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. The pilot was transfixed on how the light played off Hux's red hair, making the strands glisten in the most alluring of ways.
"It ain't gonna bite you!" Poe called out playfully.
Hux shot him a disapproving look as he let the water lap over his feet and onto his ankles. He was hardly scared of swimming, it had just been so long since he had actually done it. Years spent aboard ships had left him with little time planet side, and never enough time for any recreational activities. He made his way further into the lake. The clear water sloshed around his waist before he decided to push off the rocky bottom, allowing himself to glide deeper into the lake.
The water felt good. Hux forgot how weightless and free one felt when swimming. Letting the water wash away the sweat and grime from his skin, he let himself disappear beneath the lake's surface for a moment.
Coming back up, Hux opened his eyes. The bright sunlight reflecting off the water forced him to squint. Everything was silent. The empty lake stretched out in front of him as a momentary panic overtook him.
Where did Poe go? Oh gods.
Feeling a spray of water across his back along accompanied with a low rumble of laughter, Hux turned around just in time to hear a second slap against the water and to be fully drenched by a splash of water against his face.
Poe's deep eyes sparkled with mischievousness as Hux brushed away the droplets from his face.
"I thought we called a truce" Hux exclaimed.
"We did. Can't help but to mess with you though".
"You don't know how a truce works, do you?"
"I know how it works" Poe said as he treaded water in front of him.
Hux's height allowed him to touch the bottom still, even if it was on his tip toes. He reached out for Poe's side, his fingers weightlessly tracing up against his skin. He felt Poe's muscles ripple under his skin as his body worked to keep itself afloat. Hux wanted nothing more than to hold him, pull him close in his embrace so the pilot didn't have to try to keep his head above water. Anything to feel his bare chest against his.
Hux sensed the space between them closing in, almost feeling the heat from Poe's body through the gentle ripples of water that still separated them. Hux's lips were parted, but no words came to him as he looked at Poe. His damp curls hung over his eyes as his tanned shoulders bobbed up and down in the water. He wanted nothing more than for Poe to press his lips against his.
"We've still got work to do" Poe said, causing Hux to snap back to reality. He felt Poe's body pull away from his touch, the water lapping and swirling as it filled the space the pilot had occupied just seconds before. With a swift kick, Poe had already began swimming back towards the shoreline.
Hux faltered for a moment, confused at Poe's sudden departure. Pushing himself off the sandy lake bottom with more force that he needed to, he begrudgingly followed suit.
Hux picked up his satin shirt and pulled it over his damp undershirt, leaving it unbuttoned, at least until his clothing had dried out some. Glancing over at Poe, the pilot was leaning against a fallen log, pulling on his combat boots in nothing more than his soaked underwear. He looked absolutely ridiculous, but the General understood his reasoning. The rocky shoreline was unpleasant underfoot, the gravel sharp and uneven. He gingerly stepped over the rocks, making his way towards Poe. Pulling himself onto the fallen log, Hux positioned himself against the bark in a comfortable matter. He could already feel the strong sunlight evaporating the moisture from his soaked clothing.
"What if we relocated camp here?" Hux propositioned. "We wouldn't have to walk to fetch water and that alcove over there looks like a suitable shelter".
Poe looked in the direction Hux was pointing in, raising his hand to block the sun from his eyes. Further down the shoreline, larger rocks jutted out from the ground forming a natural roof-like structure around what looked to be a small cave.
Poe thought over Hux's words. The General had a valid point. Poe knew that the Resistance would find them eventually. He'd sent out one last transmission of their coordinates as the ship had began plummeting towards the planet. They only needed to stay in the approximate area and to be in an open space to be found. The lakeshore was a much better option than hidden away in the forest.
"Not a bad idea, Gingersnaps" Poe said as he turned back to the General, letting his hand fall back to his side.
Hux let out a sigh as he absentmindedly played with the hem of his shorts, checking to see if they had dried completely yet. "The nicknames. You've got to stop with them".
"Alright, alright" the pilot conceded. "I'll stop".
It had been a much quicker journey to and from the clearing to collect the rest of the supplies than the one that morning to the lake. Granted, there was no argument to slow them down, they had walked hardly exchanging words with one another. Poe had hummed for part of the walk. A different song than before, Hux noticed, but for the most part the pilot seemed focused on collecting what they needed and getting back to the lake as quick as possible.
Poe seemed even more concentrated once they had made their way down to the rocky alcove. Finding it suitable as a shelter, Poe cleared out some dried leaves from the corners, dragging the side of his boot against the ground until the floor was clean enough. He arranged the supply boxes, stacking them on top of one another against one of the walls and laying his flight suit over the top of them. Contented with the shelter, he hopped off the edge of the rock and brushed past Hux, who was sitting on the ledge.
Hux glanced back over his shoulder as Poe disappeared into the nearby wooded area, stopping every few feet to grab pieces of fallen wood. He wondered what had changed within the pilot. The normally chatty, noisy man seemed to had gone mute since Hux had touched him in the lake. He seemed to be avoiding conversation with him as much as possible, redirecting his energy into getting their new camp settled.
"Do you need help?" Hux offered, watching as Poe quickly arranged the wood he had gathered in the makeshift firepit on the gravel shoreline.
Snapping a twig against his knee, Poe glanced up for a moment at Hux.
"I'm good" he replied, his voice flat and even without even so much as a hint of emotion to it.
The pilot brushed his hands against his legs before reaching for the small book of matches. Striking the match stick against the flint, a spark ignited and danced as he lowered it to the kindling. Satisfied that the fire had caught properly, Poe stood up. He stepped back up the rocky edge and disappeared back into the shelter.
Hux stared at the flames, watching as the swirls of oranges of yellows dance between the logs as they crackled and popped. He could hear Poe doing something behind him in the shelter, the sound of his boots echoing and scraping against the stone. He hear the pilot mutter something under his breath. The words were undistinguishable to him if they were in Basic or another tongue, interrupted by the sound of a supply box being clicked open and items being shuffled around inside of it.
"Here" Poe said as he stepped besides Hux, tossing a ration bar down to him. It caught Hux by surprise as he jerked his hands up from his lap to catch the bar.
"Thanks" Hux said flatly.
Poe sat down, leaving a birth of space between him and Hux. He crossed his legs under himself and became occupied with peeling away the foil wrapper from the ration bar before taking a large bite.
"Does anyone even know we are here?" Hux asked.
Poe finished chewing, swallowing down the mouthful of the sticky food. "There's no doubt they received the final mayday transmission. Who knows how long it will take for them to get here though".
Hux processed the information. The Resistance knew they had crashed. If they were dead or alive was still a mystery to them.
"How far were we from your base?"
"That's classified information" Poe stated bluntly before taking another bite.
Hux nodded, working the wrapper open from his own bar open. He wasn't particularly hungry but knew it was best to eat when food was offered to him. Poe's change in demeanor bothered him. His stomach felt tight as his mind tried to rationalize everything.
Hux couldn't stop his thoughts to wandering back to Poe's kiss. The solid weight of the pilot's body on top of him, the way his dark scruff dragged across his skin as their lips pressed together. The feeling that the galaxy had somehow stopped in that moment. Hux racked his brain, trying to think if somehow he had misinterpreted the kiss. He came up empty. The passion wasn't one sided. The pilot had caressed his bruises and tangled his fingers in his hair.
Poe studied Hux from the corner of his eye. The General seemed worried about something. His brow was creased as he blankly stared at the fire with his opened, but untouched, ration bar in his hand. He had expected if Hux was upset about something, he would have easily gone back to snapping and berating Poe as he had done before.
"They'll find us. Even if they just have rough coordinates, they'll search until we're found" Poe offered, wondering if the fact they were stranded could be the reason behind the General's oddly quiet mood.
Poe had gone on search and rescue missions with less information to go off of than what he knew base communications had about their location. The Resistance always tried to find any downed pilots, even if it took hours of looping back around an area to scan the surface over and over again, hoping to pick up a reading below. Poe never lost hope on his own missions, flying over last known locations until he was practically out of fuel, knowing his comrades would do the same for him.
"They couldn't stand to lose me" Hux said somberly. The Resistance had a First Order General in their hands. There was no way they would just leave something as valuable as him out in the woods.
"I'm out here too" Poe reminded Hux. "The Resistance needs me back".
"You want to go back" Hux said bluntly. "That's the life you chose".
Poe nodded silently as Hux continued.
"You'll go back to your life as you knew it. Your ship, your friends, that little droid of yours".
"That droid has a name" Poe said firmly, as if he was a little offended.
Hux opened his mouth, but quickly shut it again before any words came out. "It was a pain in my ass when that droid went missing, you know that? In fact, it was a pain in my ass when you escaped too". He still didn't feel any resentment for any of his actions that the Resistance labeled as so called crimes, but what Kylo Ren had done to Poe weighed on his conscious now. He'd read the reports, he knew what the Force user was capable of doing to another's mind.
"Do you want to go back?" Poe asked as he turned slightly, adjusting his body to face Hux. "Do you want the life you had in the Order again?"
Hux looked out towards the lake, watching the waves ripple across the surface. He felt as though everything about his life was currently suspended in some sort of strange purgatory. Breaking his glance from the water, he looked over at the pilot.
"I'm not sure what I want anymore" Hux admitted.
Poe rested his hand against Hux's thigh. The pilot's fingers began tracing a lazy pattern against the stiff uniform fabric of the General's pant leg. Hux could feel his skin goosebumping, as if Poe's touch was sending invisible electricity through his body. He leaned forward closing the space between them as he pressed his lips against Poe's. Hux wrapped his hand around the back of Poe's neck, working his fingers into his hair as he pulled him closer to deepen the kiss.
The rest of the galaxy be damned. All he wanted right now was here before him.
