Chapter Sixteen: Together
A/N: Hi there. So… Still alive, still writing for this fic. College and writer's block tag teamed me, and this fic kind of fell to a back burner, but I'm back to it! Thank you to all of the readers who have stuck with me, especially this past year-ish. Your continued support, especially since the plot (and my life) has gotten super crazy is super appreciated beyond words, and I can't wait to write the next few chapters! Here we go. :)
Rain continued to steadily fall as Luke's X-wing disappeared from sight, and Kylo suddenly felt the weight of the galaxy drop from his shoulders. He took a deep yet shaky breath as he felt his knees give out, Hux's quick reflexes the only thing that kept him from collapsing completely. Slowly, Hux lowered them to the ground, and he regarded Kylo with a look of great concern as they kneeled side by side. "Kylo?" Kylo took another deep breath, this one steadier than the last, but didn't respond, expression astounded and relieved. "Kylo?" Hux asked again, worry growing by the second. Kylo squeezed his hand in reassurance, but still didn't verbally respond. Reaching out through their bond, Hux was shocked to feel an overwhelming sense of… peace. The fear that had been present on the way to Arkanis, and even during the meeting with Luke, had all but vanished.
"I feel… Whole," Kylo told him softly after a moment, a small smile appearing on his face. "Free, from Snoke, the Dark Side. And Luke… I saw how he looked at me before he left, as if there was still hope for the galaxy after all, as if not all was lost. I can feel the Light side again, as I used to. And…" He turned to Hux, gaze warm and gentle. "And I have you." Hux let out a startled breath, confused.
"What are you…?" Kylo gently cupped his cheek with one hand, the other sweeping the soaked ginger strands out of his face. Hux placed his hand gently over Kylo's, a lost look in his eyes. "What are you saying?"
"I…" Kylo gave a soft laugh, slowly realizing just what it was he was trying to say. "I know we started off hating each other. I know we don't always see eye to eye. And I know that, at one point, you would've liked nothing more than to see me dead." Hux didn't deny the statements, averting his eyes and trying to break from Kylo's grasp. Kylo held firm, recapturing his gaze. "But then Starkiller happened. I know you were just following orders, orders to find me and bring me back alive, but… That night… You showed me who you really were. You always wore the facade of a cold-hearted killer, when in reality you cared… And you cared so much that you thought it a weakness, something you had to hide."
"I couldn't… I'm not heartless. I could never have left you, even without orders," Hux told him softly.
"I know that now. And I know that since that day we have built a friendship, something I never imagined I could have after… After my old life… You were willing to expose your secrets for me, to stop hiding your gifts. You changed your life because I got too curious, put us both in danger. And yet… You stayed, you forgave me. You were willing to face your past, the life you thought you could leave behind forever, the memories that haunt you even now, so many years later… For me. And I'd… I'd like to think that there's… That there's something more." Hux gasped at those words, and couldn't help the swell of hope in his heart. Was he saying… Was Kylo really saying… That he… The trees whipping in the wind, the rain lashing them from all directions, the thunder that shook the very air, the soaked grass and mud ruining their clothes, were all inconsequential in that moment. The only thing that mattered was Kylo. Hux gently squeezed his hand, a smile slowly forming on his face. He met Kylo's anxious and hopeful eyes with his own, and it was then that he knew.
"I'd like to think that too," Hux told him, feeling his heart soar as the words left his mouth. Kylo stared at him in disbelief, frozen in shock, before his other hand came to rest in Hux's.
"Do you really mean that?" Hux gently took his hand.
"I don't know if this is what romantic love feels like, but I know that I care for you, deeply. I'd like nothing more than just a chance to prove it to you." Kylo met Hux's smile with one of his own.
"You don't need one," Kylo told him, raising their joined hands to his racing heart. Hux looked at their hands in wonder, not quite believing he was the cause of such a thing. "Because you already have." When their eyes met again it was as if time had slowed. Icy blue-green met chestnut and the two moved perfectly in sync, eyes slipping shut as they met each other halfway, lightning crackling across the sky and the Force humming in harmony as their lips melded perfectly together. Hux's hands came to rest gently on Kylo's shoulders, trying to anchor himself as he felt the sensation of floating and falling all at once, the world feeling nothing and everything like it should. Kylo held Hux's face softly, gasping at the feeling of the Force flowing through them both, binding them both to each other in one of the most deep and intimate ways. He pulled them closer together so that there was nothing separating them from one another, deepening the kiss and holding on desperately. In that moment, the galaxy didn't exist. It was only Hux and Kylo.
They broke apart when they needed to breathe, Kylo burying his face in Hux's neck as he caught his breath. "I… I can feel you," Hux told him shakily. "Ever since the bond, I've always felt a presence in the back of my mind, but now… I can feel you everywhere. As if…"
"As if we're one?" Kylo asked, pulling back from Hux to look at him with warm golden-brown eyes and red, kiss-swollen lips. Fox ears twitching in delight, Hux couldn't help stealing another quick kiss, nodding.
"Yes. Is that… normal?"
"I… From what I've been told, most Force-bonds of this nature take years to develop, and even longer to strengthen to what we have now. What's happened between us… I've never known anything like it." Hux smirked.
"We never were the most conventional pair, were we?"
"No," Kylo agreed. The two shared a soft chuckle and another soft kiss before rising together and reboarding Kylo's shuttle, heading back to the Finalizer with the feeling that all was right in the galaxy.
XxX
"Gwen, maybe you should sit down," Mitaka told her for the fifth time in the last few minutes. "I'm sure they're perfectly fine."
"Perfectly fine?" she questioned, pausing in her tracks long enough to glare holes into the walls she faced. "We just let them go to meet with the galaxy's last and most powerful Jedi to date on a planet that still gives Armi nightmares and self doubt, with no way of communicating or watching what happens, and you think they're perfectly fine?!" She whirled around and he met her stormy blue eyes with his own, calmer brown ones, standing his ground and ignoring the heat of her gaze.
"They are more than capable of taking care of themselves, and as much as the situation screamed, "It's a trap," I have no doubt that the meeting went quite well." Phasma scoffed, continuing to pace impatiently in the hangar bay, which was full and bustling with crew members and personnel.
"And I have no doubt that they're going to come back completely changed from how they left," she replied sharply. He laid a comforting hand on her shoulder, and the anger slowly drained from her, replaced with worry and concern as she finally stopped pacing.
"They are going to return and be just fine." She sighed, taking a seat on a nearby storage crate.
"I wish I had your optimism, Dopheld. I just… Something didn't feel right, sending them off like that."
"I know," he agreed, surprising her. "Skywalker said he only wanted to speak with them, but I got the feeling that something was going to happen, like we were starting the chain reaction to a disaster… And then earlier—
"You felt it too?"
"I think everyone did, that strange energy in the air, as if… Everything was right with the galaxy…" He didn't get to finish his statement as Kylo's shuttle entered and landed in the hangar bay, its ramp lowering. Mitaka and Phasma immediately went towards it as everyone else froze, standing at attention and awaiting the arrival of their commanders. What met their eyes shocked them out of their frozen states: Hux and Kylo, soaked through their muddy, stained clothes, wet hair falling into their eyes, smiling gently at one another, walking hand in hand down the ramp of the shuttle, the only sounds heard throughout the hangar the echoing of footsteps and the dripping of rainwater. Phasma let out an undignified squeal while Mitaka muttered, "Finally," with a smile.
"I heard that, Dopheld," Hux remarked with a smirk. Mitaka let out a nervous laugh, averting his eyes in apology. Had Hux's fox ears been present, Mitaka was sure they'd be twitching in amusement. When Hux and Kylo got to the bottom of the ramp Kylo, hoping the heat he felt on his face wasn't him blushing, looked away from all of the stares, many of which were accompanied by knowing smiles while others were dropped jaws of shock. "As glad as we are to be greeted by such a warm welcome, this ship won't run itself," Hux told the crew, though he was unable to keep the lovestruck smile off his face as he did. The crew resumed their normal duties, though most of the knowing smiles remained, and Phasma and Mitaka watched Hux and Kylo leave the hangar bay, whispering to each other as they left. Phasma, whose grin was brighter than a sun at that moment, turned to Mitaka, who chuckled at her expression.
"I told you they would be fine."
"Okay, yes, you were right… Hey, maybe you'll get to marry them after all!" He facepalmed at the statement, frowning at her shit-eating grin.
"You're not letting that go, are you?"
"No, no I'm not."
XxX
Hux's next few shifts went by in a blur, mind focused only on Kylo and the feel and taste of his lips, his sweet smile, his gentle touch… Suffice it to say that his… Lover? Boyfriend? Significant other?—Kylo was highly amused.
'If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're distracted, General,' Kylo told him teasingly, an unashamed smirk on his face across the bridge.
'And if I am?' Hux shot back in good humor.
'I'm quite flattered, though I thought you'd be more preoccupied with the remaining plans for Starkiller II this morning. We're a few minutes out from it.' Hux walked over to a console, looking at it over the shoulder of one of the crew members. Sure enough, they were due to come out of hyperspace any minute now.
'The previous week has been so chaotic I almost completely forgot…' As he was finishing the thought, the Finalizer came out of hyperspace, blur of stars and space replaced with the glorious sight of a nearly complete Starkiller II. Hux walked up to the glass to get a closer look at the masterpiece so many others had told him would surely fail. He felt a huge pang of guilt, faces of dead crew members and troopers flashing briefly before his eyes, reminded very clearly of what happened the last time a Starkiller base had been built. He quickly pushed the feeling aside, not wanting to dwell on a past he couldn't change, and really let the moment sink in.
"We've done it," Hux whispered in awe. He felt a hand take his, looking over to see a gently smiling Kylo standing next to him.
"We have," Kylo confirmed, unable to keep the pride from flowing through their bond. "From the reports that have been coming in, construction will be finished by the end of the day, system tests finished at the end of tomorrow… It's almost time." Both felt shivers race down their spines at the memory of Force-lightning and terrible screams. "The vision…"
"I know," Hux told him before he could go into more detail. "But… Let's not worry about it for right now. We still have time before… Before that all happens."
"Right. The shield systems," Kylo suggested, changing the subject and getting them back on topic.
"Fingerprint activated only by one of us," Hux confirmed, surprising Kylo.
"We—We're actually going with my idea?"
"Of course we are. Why wouldn't we?"
"I… I just never thought it was worth looking into." Hux scoffed at that, and Kylo followed him to one of the main consoles on the bridge. Hux pointed out the fingerprint scanners marked under Starkiller II Controls. "Here we are." Hux had the system scan his fingerprint first, the scanner flashing green with an identity confirmation message after a moment. "Your turn," he told Kylo, who did the same moments later. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, feeling a bit of anxiety return.
"And now we wait," Kylo remarked. Hux met his eyes, knowing exactly what he referred to.
"Now we wait," he agreed.
XxX
She was in the mission briefing room when it happened. Rey could feel the strange connection before it was fully established. She froze, and Leia caught her eye. "What is it?" Rey gulped, expression unreadable. She'd had such a strange feeling all day that something important, something life changing, would happen soon. Could it be…?
"Kylo," she answered simply. Leia was by her side in an instant.
"Is he—
"He's fine. He's—
"Rey?" Rey and Leia looked up at the voice, finding a confused projection of Kylo facing them, along with an equally confused and alarmed Hux. "Mom?"
"Ben," Leia said in relief.
"Hux?" Rey asked.
"How is this possible? I've never been able to see anyone other than you when this happens," Kylo told her.
"You're asking me? The better question is why is this happening now?" she countered.
"Starkiller II has just been completed," Hux told her. Rey gasped, looking to Kylo for confirmation. He nodded, and she took a step back.
"I… I don't…" The three turned to her in concern.
"Rey…" Before Leia could utter another word, Rey ran from the room, thinking of where Poe and Finn could be at the moment. She didn't have to search for long, as she stopped herself from running into them at the last second, slightly out of breath. Poe caught her before she could fall backwards.
"Rey? What—
"We have to go. Now."
"Go? What do you—
"Starkiller II. They've finished it. We have to go."
"Finished it?"
"Yes, Finn. If we leave now, we can catch them off guard, find our way through the base, and take it down from the inside."
"I thought I was the one that came up with crazy, suicidal plans," Poe began.
"Look, we don't have time!" she insisted. An image of a paralyzed Kylo flashed across her vision, her saber swinging down to—
"Rey," Finn whispered, shaking her gently. Rey snapped out of her daze, terrified eyes finding Finn's. "Whatever happened to make you feel like you have to do this, you can't let it force you to rush off like this. We don't even have coordinates!"
"Yes we do," Leia spoke as she approached them. "Ben just sent them now."
"General," Poe and Finn greeted her in surprise. Leia turned to Rey, expression concerned.
"I know that you're afraid of what might happen," she began, laying a gentle hand on Rey's shoulder, "But you can't let that fear control you. You can't let it get the best of you."
"What else can I do?" Rey asked her, shaking. "If we wait they'll target us and the Resistance will be no more. It will all have been for nothing. But if we go now and destroy Starkiller before they even have the chance we live to fight another day." And there will be no falling to the dark side, she thought to herself. Leia sighed, knowing it was pointless to argue with her. But Kylo and Hux's plan…
"I need to brief everyone if we're going to do this. If you really think you can destroy it, then I'm coming with you." The three's eyes went wide at that.
"And so am I," came another voice, Luke coming to stand beside Leia. They exchanged a look, a silent conversation happening between them for a moment before someone spoke up.
"So, do we have a plan?" Poe asked after a moment. Leia looked to him and nodded, her mind flashing to just minutes before.
Leia listened as Kylo elaborated on the plan he and Hux had originally mentioned to her in their visit, feeling more and more unsure as he went on. " … Once Starkiller II is fully charged the base on D'Qar will be the initial target. When the time is right the target will switch to Snoke's citadel in the Unknown Regions. That is when we'll need the Resistance to stand down. Our men have been ordered not to kill should our forces engage, only to distract and avoid."
"You… You want to kill Snoke using the Starkiller? And there wasn't a simpler way to tell us that? Or a simpler plan?" Leia questioned.
"It's the only plan we have that can work, short of marching into the citadel with half the galaxy behind us," Hux told her.
"And Snoke still needs to think he has me under control, that I answer to him. We may be lightyears apart, but his reach is far greater than anyone could imagine. If he even suspects that he is being betrayed then we have no hope." Leia sighed, but nodded.
"Alright." Kylo smiled hopefully, gasping as Leia walked up to him, gently caressing a cheek with her thumb. Kylo leaned into the touch and Hux's expression softened at the sight. "Promise me you'll be careful." Kylo laughed softly at her, smiling.
"I'm my father's son. Careful isn't really our style." It was Leia's turn to laugh.
"No, I suppose not," she agreed. Hux took Kylo's hand, drawing both of their curious gazes.
"I won't let anything happen to him," Hux promised, and Leia gave him a grateful nod, taking one last look at Kylo before a message came through on the holo table. She turned to see schematics for Starkiller II and coordinates. When she turned back to Kylo and Hux they were gone.
The five returned to the mission briefing room, drawing the attention of the other officers there. "General?" one of them asked.
"I'm calling everyone in. We know the whereabouts of Starkiller II." As she sent out the message to everyone on base she couldn't help the nervousness that began to creep in. Hux and Kylo hadn't revealed much more about their plan to overthrow Snoke, only that it hinged on Starkiller II and there being a huge confrontation. They were going into this almost blind, and while she trusted Kylo… She had a bad feeling about this.
Closing A/N: Holy crap, it's been over a year AGAIN. Aaaaah… So… Still not dead! Just drowning in online college work at the moment. I'm so, so sorry for yet another year long wait. I feel awful about it because I really didn't ever want to do that again, yet here we are. I WILL finish this work, even if it's slow going and even if it kills me. I just finished watching Rise of Skywalker for the first time about two hours ago, and I was struck with inspiration for this chapter. The chapter's shorter than I'd like, but it still sets up into the next part I'd had written ages ago. Hopefully the next chapter is the super long one I had planned, with a few tweaks, of course, and hopefully it gets posted sooner rather than way later. Again, thank you to anyone still following this fic, and hope to see you next chapter!
