It was almost remarkable how quickly the incident took him from the utmost caution to giving zero fucks. When they left Ren's interrogation room, both Thrawn and Ren were gone. Hux hoped Thrawn would have stayed long enough for them to thank him, but he realized he probably had bigger things to handle. Such as the officers who thought this was a good idea. And Ren.

As if he was on autopilot, he veered off their typical path to Sebbie's quarters.

"Where are we going?"

"To my quarters."

"Oh." A smile flickered across her lips. "Is that okay?"

"Yes." Probably not. But then, this has made him realize: His superiors probably all already knew of his involvement with her. And clearly they did not have her best interests at heart, as he had hoped they would. He expected his father to be malicious, but this… this was completely out of line. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that his father most likely suggested having Ren interrogate her further. He'd never been fond of Ren, as most of the upper ranks weren't, but somehow in Brenol's mind Oni was an even bigger threat than Ren.

As soon as the door to his quarters closed, he took her face between his hands and kissed her. "I'm so… so happy you're okay. I should have been there to stop them…"

"Mm…" She kissed him back, smiling, "Hux. I am okay. You are more disturbed by this event than I am."

He looked at her for a few quiet moments, brushing her cheekbone with his thumb. She didn't realize what they tried to do to her. She didn't have the slightest clue how terribly she could have been hurt. He rested his forehead against hers, their noses touching, "Oni… I underestimated them. I underestimated Brendol's ill intent. Ren is so unstable… they meant for him to tear your mind to pieces. I'm…" He hesitated. "I'm terrified I could have just lost you."

Her long eyelashes fluttered a few times and she turned her head to the side, slipping her lips onto his, "But I am okay."

"I know. I know. But I don't want to let go of you. I'm afraid you may slip away again."

He felt her smile against his lips, "Then don't. But do not underestimate me either, Armitage. I am more capable than most give me credit for."

"There… there are so many things to think about right now."

"I know." She kissed him again, nipping at his lower lip. "Can thinking wait a little bit? I think I know something that would be better for both of us right now."

He never felt quite so grateful to have her tugging at the buttons on his uniform. He pulled the simple, soft dress she wore over her head and tossed it onto the floor, running his hands over the bare skin of her long torso greedily. Gripping her sides, he guided her back a step, bracing her against the wall.

She sighed into his lips, peeling the jacket off his shoulders quickly and working on his trousers.

He pressed into her, nibbling at the soft skin on her neck and collar with a sort of urgency. Something about this felt perfectly right at the moment. He was so terrified that he may have lost her. Now all he wanted was all of her, like some primal urge to know that he hadn't lost anything.

She moaned, shivering under his desperate touch, "Hux…"

He pulled her hips into his, breathing heavily against her neck.

"Hux." She pushed him back a bit. He blinked at her a few times, trying not to force himself back onto her.

She smirked a little. "This works better if you do not have these on." She undid his trousers and pushed them off his hips, then pulled him back close to her, a gesture he welcomed enthusiastically.

She pushed her brief-like underwear off and stepped out of them, wrapping her long legs around his waist, her arms slung around his shoulders for support. He grinded against her a few times, feeling a little too dizzy with her to slow down. He finally pulled back a little, positioning himself and pushing into her.

Her breath shaking, she inhaled as he did, arching her back against the wall. "Armitage…" Her voice shook as she said his name.

"If you always said my name like that, I may learn to like it."

She smiled and dug her fingers into his hair, pulling his face to hers and kissing him, "I am flattered by your concern…" She whispered it into his lips quietly.

He sighed a little, wanting to somehow pull her onto his cock even further. "I really thought I may have lost you…" He took a mouthful of her lips again, "I was certain you'd at least have been hurt…"

She tilted her hips a little, allowing as much of him into her as she could. The moan she let out made him shake, almost losing whatever composure he'd managed to keep thus far. "They cannot hurt me."

It struck him as a slightly ignorant opinion, but then her ego was something he appreciated about her. "I will not let them." He kissed at her neck, "You… you are above this."

Her breathing grew heavier. "I am protected by things far stronger than they understand. Including you." She caught his lips, her fingers messing up his hair further as she pulled a little. Her breath shook, "They cannot take me from you."

"Oni… you're…" He inhaled deeply, trying to last a few more moments, but her body tensed around him and he came, pushing into her a few last times. He felt her mouth hanging open slightly, buried into his hairline. He turned his face upward and kissed her, trying to catch his breath. "Stay here. In my quarters."

She returned the kiss and unwrapped her legs from around him, keeping her lips close to his, "Is that… advisable?"

"Quite frankly, I don't care if it is." He kissed her again and made his way fully into his home. It was a relatively small place, with a small kitchen and seating area. The walls were lined with bookshelves, and his bedroom and a washroom sat toward the back. He guided her with him, to the washroom so they could clean themselves.

"Are you sure of that?"

He paused and looked at her. She shrugged. "This is something you should be sure of before you decide. You may be slightly… compromised at the moment."

"Yes. I am certain." He turned on the shower and pulled her in after him. He was sorry this had to be rushed – she looked positively stunning and he realized this was the first time he'd ever been in a shower with her. It felt like a bit of a missed opportunity. He kissed her, running his fingers over the soft, water spotted skin on her ribs. "I need to return to work for the remainder of the day…"

"I assumed so much." She placed her arms around his shoulders and kissed him. "You would like me to stay here until you return?"

"Yes. And tonight. I want you to stay here tonight. If you would like."

"I would, of course. Are you… Are you certain Armitage? If you change your mind, I will not be offended."

"Yes. And I won't change my mind." He kissed her again. He needed to clean himself quickly, but this was nice… and what was a few more moments of distraction? "They know of our affair. They've heard the rumors and assume them to be true. I'm certain my father knows, and honestly I strongly suspect he spearheaded this awful idea to have Ren interrogate you."

"That would not surprise me. He and a few troopers are the ones that retrieved me from Sebbie's quarters."

Hux frowned. "Oni, they do not… they do not have your best interests in mind. They are trying to hurt you. Do not trust them. While I am gone, do not answer the door for anyone. And don't… don't go anywhere. Just stay here." He stroked her cheekbone again, "I need you to be safe."

She gave him a reassuring peck.

"I…" He really needed to start cleaning himself, but instead he stood under the stream watching her and feeling slightly helpless. "Oni, I am sorry to have dragged you into this. I expected a much more fair critique of your abilities… Had I known they would behave in such a cruel and unfair manner, I never would have made this suggestion for you. They… They are behaving like fools. This sort of behavior only serves to alienate potential allies."

She pursed her lips for a moment, and then ran her fingers through her wet hair, "You may think this is odd, but if they were to offer me a position within your organization after all this, I would absolutely take it."

"You… what? Why?" Did she not understand they literally just tried to kill her?

She smiled, "There are many factors. Mostly, I would take it to make them all feel like fools. To show them just how wrong their behavior has been." She paused. "And you are a factor."

The water beat down into the drain below his feet. He needed to start washing himself, really.

This was her way of saying she would like to stay with him.

The idea nearly gave him a headache. He wanted it, certainly. He wanted it more than anything. Hypothetically, it could happen. She could get a place just off the base, and he could easily visit as often as he wanted. He could even live off base with her. There were a few other officers with such living arrangements.

He shook his head and began to clean himself, "This is something for us to discuss further when I return this evening."

When he returned late in the evening, she was waiting on his bed, a few books around her feet.

"You must like to read." She said, her knees hugged to her chest.

He looked at the books, wondering what she was doing with them. They were a bit useless to someone without eyes. "Yes. Yes, I do."

"I used to love to read."She ran her fingers over one of the books. It wss a very old book, with a well worn cover and yellowed pages. "I miss it second most, only to colors. Though, I suppose I can still read. It's actually about all I can do." She gave a somewhat sad half-smile, "It is different though."

He leaned across the bed and kissed her, wanting to tell her that she'd be able to read books again very soon. But he didn't. It would have been a lie. He spent a portion of his day trying to track down any of the other officers involved in her case, but he wasn't able to locate any of them. Even his father seemed to have disappeared.

He looked around his room, the walls lined with books. "You are welcome to my library, when we're able to get you better bionics."

She smiled, "I was surprised that you seem to have very little wall space. It is all bookshelves. Have you read them all?"

"Almost. I have a few unread ones I intend to get to soon."

"What are they about? What do you like to read?"

"They're mostly historical texts… and a good deal of engineering related materials. Some political theory as well."

"No fiction?"

He crawled into his bed, sitting next to her, "I used to read a great deal of fiction when I was a child. I'm afraid I don't have much time for that anymore. What did you like to read?"

"Mm. Everything. Anything I could get my hands on. Fiction, nonfiction… I suppose the acquisition of new knowledge was very highly encouraged in my home."

She seemed almost a little sad. Talking about her home did this to her. "Oni… If you want to return to Nivo I can arrange that." He kissed her, "You say you have no interest in it, but every time you speak of it you seem so sad."

She smiled weakly. "I miss something that is no longer there. I am sure I am making the correct decision to avoid going back. It seems like something that would hurt more than it would help."

"You were very close to your mother, weren't you?"

"Yes." She paused. "Do you miss your mother?"

"Mm. I never knew her."

"Oh?" She blinked, her chin rested on her knees. "She did pass when you were young. I suppose I didn't think of that. You probably have little memory of her."

Armitage realized his mistake quickly – and was rather surprised by it. She hasn't poked around in his personal file much. "No. It's a bit complicated. You're thinking of Brendol's wife. She's not my mother."

"Oh… Oh dear. I'm sorry."

"You haven't read through my personal file further?"

"I have not. It felt like something of a violation getting into it in the first place. I figured I had no place looking further. It was… an affair?"

Hux inhaled a little. He supposed with everything she had told him he was safe to explain this to her. It didn't make him hate speaking of the matter any less. "I assume so. I don't really know. Brendol has never been entirely willing to speak of the matter."

"Do you know who she was?"

He looked to the piles of books lining his shelves, "I'm told she worked in the kitchens on Arkanis. I never have been given a name."

"Oh." She frowned into her knees. "He never even told you her name?"

"No, as I said, he doesn't speak of the matter."

"But… that is not fair to you. That is punishing you for his disloyalty. It is deplorable that he should behave as though he is more hurt by his actions than you." She looked terribly repulsed by this information.

"Mm. Well. I do think he was more hurt by it. His wife committed suicide out of shame from the whole ordeal."

She went quiet, her lips hidden behind her knees.

He shrugged, "I understand he doesn't want to discuss the matter. And it is very far behind us now."

"But to not even have given you a name…"

He was getting irritated with her persistence. "What do you know of your father? You said your mother raised you by herself – did she ever tell you anything of him?"

She was quiet.

He regretted snapping at her. It was probably a sore a subject for her as well. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"No. That is a fair assessment, to some extent."

Was it? She was right. His father did owe him at least a name, just as her mother owed her as much.

"Would you like to know her name?"

"Would you like to know your father's name?"

"I am certain her name would be recorded somewhere in your profile. It would not be difficult for me to locate."

He hadn't thought of that. The information was sitting there, she could probably access it in a matter of seconds, while they sat here on his bed. "I…" He paused. "No. I'd rather you didn't."

Of course he wanted to know. He'd always wanted to know, since he was a very young boy. But after so many years he'd come to feel that Brendol owed him that answer. Obtaining the information any other way felt like something of a failure.

She nodded into her knees, seeming to understand. "I will not look."

"Thank you." He kissed her again, not liking the tense feeling left from their conversation. "I do appreciate that."

"If you change your mind…"

"I won't."

They were both quiet.

"Armitage."

"Hm?"

"I won't leave you."

He kissed her again, appreciating the thought. "You don't have to. I will make sure you can stay."

"Hm. You are certain that is what you want?"

"Have I ever led you to believe any differently?"

"I am not a wise career move for you."

He would have liked to pretend that he hadn't thought of this. But of course he did. His career had been the only relationship in his life for many, many years. "I would like to keep both things in my life – my career and you. I can find a way to make that happen." He kissed her again. "Don't underestimate my ingenuity."

She smiled. "You say such good things."

"Mm. I try. Now… you'll have to forgive me, but I am terribly tired. I need to try to sleep for a few hours at least." He moved the books from around her feet and set them on the nightstand.

There was something painfully delightful about having her crawl under the covers of his bed with him, curling into his arms. It felt right to have her there. He needed to find a way to keep it.

"Armitage?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you. For everything you've done for me. Thank you."

There was a nagging feeling that he hadn't done quite enough yet. She should thank him if by some miracle the Order agreed to give her eyes. But as of now… as of now he felt that he hadn't done much of anything. And the little he had done was wildly unsuccessful.

They fell asleep curled into each other.

She stopped him before he could get out his front door the next morning, looking almost nervous, and kissed him. "Armitage. I will not leave you."

He was, to say the least, flattered. She was the first person to tell him that, ever. He moved her hand from his face and kissed it. "Thank you. Oni… really. Thank you." He kissed her lips, "I'll see you later tonight."

He turned to leave and she stopped him. "No." Her eyes were downcast, lids hanging heavily with her long lashes obscuring her prosthetics. He wished she wouldn't hide them around him. Maybe with time the habit would disappear. "I do not think you really believe me. I need you to listen. I will not leave you."

He watched her quietly for a moment. "I do believe you. And… thank you." He gave her one last kiss and left for his workday.

When he returned home late in the evening, she was gone.