Poe and Hux found themselves falling into a routine with one another over the next few days. The rocky alcove alongside the lake had become a bit like home for them. Despite the crude surroundings, they had become comfortable enough for a quiet trust to develop with one another. Poe, at first, only left Hux for short amounts of time to collect firewood or to fetch water, never wandering far from the campsite. The two soon began to trade off tasks, one picking up where the other had left off, neither questioning each other of what needed to be done. It was an easy rhythm, one with little agenda other than the basics to survive and to wait for rescue to come.
This particular morning was different though. Poe packed his small bag with a few rations and a canteen of water. As he pulled on his jacket, Hux awoke surprised to see the pilot up and ready for the day already. Hux was usually the one wake first. The general would rekindle the fire to boil enough water to rehydrate a package of rations for the both of them before Poe would stir in his sleep and mumble a lazy good morning to him.
"Where are you going?" Hux asked curiously as he sat up from their makeshift bed. He realized the small alcove was much brighter than usual. Strong sunlight poured in from the entrance, casting short shadows against the rocky walls. It was at least mid-morning he figured to himself as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"Thought I'd go out and explore. Maybe try and find us something to eat besides rations".
"Am I not invited?"
"Figured you'd stay here and watch the camp" Poe replied as he swung the strap of his pack over his shoulder.
Hux nodded silently, not quite sure why the pilot suddenly felt the need to venture out into the wilderness on his own. The idea of fresh food was appealing though and he knew he'd be of little help having no hunting or fishing skills to offer if he tagged along. He gave orders to end lives, not sully his own hands with blood of creatures in the wild.
"I won't be gone long" Poe added as he stepped over to Hux. Leaning down, the pilot kissed the general in reassurance. What was once just scruff along Poe's jawline had quickly filled into a full beard that was soft and dark, flecked with a few stray gray hairs that glimmered silver in the light.
Hux watched as Poe jumped off the rocky ledge at the entrance of the alcove with a playful bounce in his step as he made his way down the shoreline. The canteen that was affixed to the outside of the pack swung with his movements, clanking against the brass buckles in a rhythm that the pilot began to hum along to. Even when Poe was nearly a klick down the shoreline, Hux could still faintly hear his racket. The noise the pilot seemed to naturally generate hardly bothered him anymore. Instead he found it endearing, another quirk about Poe that made him smile to himself and a long forgotten feeling stir in his stomach.
Hux ran his hand over his chin, feeling his own beard coming in beneath his fingers. It was nowhere near as thick as the pilots yet, but still substantial. Aside from military regulations, he had habitually kept clean shaven in his former life. His beard came in as copper as his hair and Hux had always been slightly self conscious about it. Hux reached for his shirt, tugging the fabric over his arms as he stood up. Working the buttons closed, he debated waiting until Poe returned to eat, unsure if the pilot had locked the boxes that contained the rations when he left or not.
Curiosity got the best of Hux as he made his way over the stack of metal boxes that sat against the wall. Poe had left his flight suit behind, draped over the top of the silver storage containers. Hux picked up the suit, running his hand over the stiff collar. The suit smelled of Poe, a faint hint of stardust and fighter jet fumes that seemed to forever be embedded in the fabric despite the dirt and dust that had collected on it. Inside the collar, Aurebesh lettering spelled out Dameron in black stitching. The threads that formed the letters were faded and fraying at the edges from wear. He'd never physically held a Resistance uniform before. It felt strange in his hand, lighter and softer than any of his own uniform clothing. The fabric was near threadbare yet still surprisingly sturdy. Studying the flight suit he noticed a small canvas patch sewn in the interior. It was stiffer than the rest of the uniform, no doubt coated in some kind of protective barrier to ward off fire and water. It again read Poe's last name and in smaller print below, a series of numbers, the pilot's blood type and homeworld. It was a dog tag, Hux noted to himself, but affixed to the uniform unlike the metal necklaces that First Order pilots would wear with similar information. It was a grim reminder that every time Poe took off in his X Wing, there was a very real possibility that he might not come back. The uniform patch being the only final identifier of who the man inside of the jumpsuit was if something was to happen to him.
Setting Poe's flight suit aside, Hux unclasped the metal hinges on the top box. Finding it unlocked, he rummaged through the various bars and rehydratable meal pouches. At the bottom, he found a small cellophane bag of multicolored candy. Removing it from the box, he made his way to the ledge at the entrance to the alcove, crossing his legs beneath him as he sat against the sun-warmed rock.
Opening the bag, Hux drew out one of the candies. He'd never seen such a thing before. The First Order would never spend money including treats in a survival kit and he wondered why the Resistance would either. They seemed to care more about the moral of their personnel than the First Order did, treating their soldiers as individuals rather than expendable numbers. It was a concept that was foreign to Hux and one he didn't dwell long on as he worked the silver closure free from the top of the bag. He took hold of one of the candies in his hand looking down at it with a strange fascination. Oval and slightly glossy, Hux turned the green and blue striped sweet over in his fingers before popping it in his mouth. It was sour at first, which made his face grimace before the hard candy began to soften, giving way to a sweet semi-liquid center. He couldn't quite place the flavor. It was some kind of fruit with a tart aftertaste to it. He generally favored richer desserts. Thick cakes of spice or dark cocoa, not fruit flavored candies, but whatever these were delicious. As the first candy melted away in his mouth he made quick work of fishing out another from the bag. The next one was a swirl red and yellow and was considerably sweeter tasting. He recognized the flavor this time- sweetmelon and farrberry, two of his favorites combined into one delightful confection. He allowed himself a few more treats, feeling a bit like a child tasting sweets for the first time as he tried the remaining colors in the package. He'd rarely been allowed such delicacies as a young boy. His father would tell him he was undeserving of such rewards, that he was weak-willed and useless. As an adult, he took what he wanted and rewarded himself as he saw fit.
Hazy sunlight cast long shadows across the lake as the afternoon drew on. Waves rippled across the surface of the lake, capping with frothy peaks of white as they lapped against the rocky shoreline. Against trees on the far side of the lake, low storm clouds had begun to gather at the horizon line. Poe had been gone longer than Hux had expected the pilot to leave him alone for, which concerned him. Hux examined the sky, debating if there would be enough light left in the day left to go out and search for Poe. A stiff breeze blew across the lake, rustling the satin of his shirt as he stood at the entrance of the alcove. He studied the clouds as a distant rumble of thunder echoed through the forest. The golden streaks of sunlight were quickly being replaced with an ominous inky darkness as the storm clouds drew nearer.
Thunder cracked above as Hux made his way around the alcove. Preparing to go search for Poe, he pulled on his great coat on before kneeling down to tuck his pants into the tops of his boots. His mind began to rush with an endless list of horrible things that might have happened to the pilot.
Attacked by some wild creature. Somehow hurt. Lost in the forest and unable to find his way back.
A flash of lightning brightened the sky for a moment before Hux heard the first drops of rain splash against the rock above him. He let out a long groan and hurried to the entrance, prepared to try and at least make it to the cover of the forest before the rain really began to fall. Pulling his collar up on his coat, he fastened a button to secure it before stopping in his tracks. The rain outside sheered down nearly horizontally as a gust of wind howled towards him.
Resigned to wait until the storm passed, or at least calmed some to leave, Hux unfastened the front his coat and began to pace the floor back and forth. His stomach churned as he occasionally glanced towards the doorway. Since when do you care so deeply about the pilot? His mind nagged at him, his thoughts still racing as he watched another thick bolt of lightning illuminate the lake in an eerie bluish glow before the sky dropped back into darkness. He turned and made his way towards the back of the shelter, away from the storm. There was nothing more he could do for the time being.
"Kriffing hell!" Poe exclaimed as he jumped up the rocky ledge and into the alcove. He held his jacket held up over his head, but his shirt and khaki pants had been soaked through by the driving rainstorm. He lowered his arms, catching his coat in his hands and shaking the nerf leather free of any remaining water before tossing it atop the stack of metal crates.
"Where were you?" Hux practically exclaimed as the pilot set his drenched pack down. A strange mixture of aggravation and relief overtook him as he spoke. He was glad Poe had made it back unharmed but anger welled inside of him at the fact he'd been gone so long and had been so careless to be caught in the storm.
Droplets of rainwater splattered across the stone floor as Poe kicked off his waterlogged boots. "I went back to the ship. Curious to see what it looked like, I guess" he explained. "I searched around the area, hoping to come across some kind of game while I was there. No luck on that idea".
"It was a stupid idea" Hux said bluntly, unable to control his annoyance any longer. "You should have paid attention to the weather and you wouldn't have found yourself in this situation".
"Been through worse" Poe nonchalantly replied as he pulled his shirt off over his head and rang the fabric out before setting it aside to dry alongside his jacket.
Hux stood still at Poe's words. He knew exactly what the pilot meant by them. Being prisoner of the First Order clearly had left scars, not only physical ones but mental ones too. Yet, he somehow remained ever the optimist.
"I didn't mean that. I was..." Hux paused for a moment trying to find the right way to phase what he wanted to say. He'd never conveyed such an emotion to another person before. "I was worried about you".
Poe's eyebrow ticked up slightly in surprise at the general's admittance. "The unfailing, unyielding Armitage Hux was worried about me?"
"I…" Hux faltered, wishing suddenly he hadn't shown such weakness. "I was concerned for your well being that's all".
"You don't seem that tough when you've been snacking on candy" Poe replied with a chuckle as he noticed the half empty cellophane bag on the ground. Bending at the waist, he picked it up with two fingers. "I didn't think you'd be one with a sweet tooth".
Poe wiggled his fingers into the cellophane, seeking out a red and yellow candy- his personal favorite of the assortment. "I haven't had one of these in forever. They used to give them out on Remembrance Day".
Hux knew of the holiday. One that he'd never celebrated. A day to remember fallen Republic soldiers that had been created after the Battle of Yavin and so happened to fall on the same day as Empire Day. As a child, he had heard whispers of the other galactic holiday. How the Rebellion celebrated in the Corellian streets with parades commemorating the defeat of the Empire. Banners with declarations of the greatness of the Alliance, honoring the so called heroes of the war that had brought the Imperials to their knees. As a child, Hux had listened to his father and his comrades mutter under their breaths at the disgusting display put on by the New Republic year after year.
"Would you go to the celebrations?" Hux asked, wondering what Poe had experienced of the event himself.
"Of course. Everyone I knew was part of the Rebellion in some way or another" Poe said easily before working another candy free from the bag. "I was always interested in seeing all the ships. All kinds of different fighters would do fly overs and tricks and I was enamored with 'em".
Hux easily pictured Poe as a child, just as wild haired and bright eyed as he was now, pointing to the sky in excitement as ships roared overhead. The pilot seemed to be born with jet fuel in his blood.
"Did you celebrate? For the Empire?" Poe asked as he extended the bag in his hand towards Hux, offering him some more of the sweets to him.
"No" Hux answered bluntly before popping another candy into his mouth. "Not at least in that fashion. It was usually a somber day for us".
"Oh" Poe commented as he worked the silver wire closure around the top of the cellophane to secure the bag closed. "I guess from your side there wasn't much to celebrate after the war".
As he set aside the candy, Hux noticed the pilot shivering a little as he moved. His tanned arms were prickled with goosebumps and his hair was still damp with rain. Thunder rumbled overhead as the storm continued to rage on outside of the alcove. The wind whistled in between cracks in the rock as Hux shrugged off his coat offering it over to Poe. "You look cold" he commented as he held out his arm, the fabric of his coat dangling from the tips of his fingers.
"You know there's other ways to warm me up" Poe said impishly as he stepped closer to Hux. Taking the coat from Hux's grasp, instead of putting in, he cast it aside. The pilot's fingers instantly gravitated towards Hux's jawline, pushing up through the mass of ginger beard. "I like you with some scruff on you".
Hux closed the remaining space between them, dismissing any former embarrassment he harbored about his ginger facial hair. He liked that Poe enjoyed it, rather than poking fun at the color like so many before him had. His fingers found themselves at the back of Poe's neck, twisting his damp curls between them as he looked into the pilot's dark eyes. "Too bad once the Resistance finds us, they won't let me keep it".
Poe shook his head slowly. "No" he said, his voice low and gravelly. "Don't worry about that right now".
"No?" Hux questioned softly. It was the first he'd heard the pilot dismiss his own so easily, but he had little time to challenge him on the matter as he felt Poe's lips press against his.
"No. Right now, it's just us" Poe said gently as the kiss broke momentarily between the two.
"Just us" Hux echoed back. "Just us".
A/N: Took some liberties with the idea of Remembrance/ Empire Day from "Star Wars Galaxies". Also, the candy Hux finds in the survival box according to Wookipedia is called "Favorites of the Force" but I thought that was a really stupid name for a candy, so left that bit out of the story. Apologies for taking so long for an update, but I actually wrote the rest of the story first and then felt like Poe and Hux hadn't really been stranded together long enough, so decided to add in another chapter. Once I've got the final chapter edited (there's a short epilogue too), those should be up soon.