[Poe]

Poe woke to the sound of blaster fire. He jerked up, same as two of the three previously sleeping stormtroopers. C'ai grumbled on the other side of the room, but stayed asleep. That they were only stun charges filtered through his mind and kept him from doing any more than blinking around the compartment. Someone had dimmed the lights at some point to maybe half or thirty percent.

He'd heard shots earlier, before he'd fallen asleep, but these last had seemed much closer. A quick head count showed too many troopers were inside for there to be a full perimeter outside. He started to worry about that, but then heard CL-0745's voice from outside, steady and unexcited. "Okay. That's enough. Take it in."

Unhurried boots sounded against the ramp as a couple troopers brought in the remains of the cooking effort. They were followed by Kaydel and Chewbacca, then CL-0745 came up walking backwards, blaster at the ready as she kept her attention on the bottom of the ramp. Her posture still didn't read as concerned to him; she was just being practical. She closed the ramp, sealing them in for whatever remained of the night.

Poe slumped back down. Hux was curled in a fetal ball on the sleeping pad next to him, having fallen over on his side at some point. Poe had done the same. His face had been smushed against the small of Hux's back. He didn't want to go back to the same position. His neck already hurt.

He nudged Hux. "Scoot over a little."

"What?" It came out high pitched and breathy, heavy with fear. Hux stayed very still.

"Scoot over," Poe said, softer and more quietly as he leaned in. "We can share the pad if we're friendly."

"Oh."

"There." Poe pointed and gestured around Hux's body, so the man could see where he was indicating. "Move over there." Hux moved, glancing around furtively, but no one was paying them any attention. The two stormtroopers who'd woke up at the sound of blasters had gone right back to sleep. Everyone else was busy doing their own thing, which looked to Poe to include discussing watch order and taking off armor prior to getting some rest. He assumed if they wanted him to stand watch, they'd wake him up when it was his turn. In the meantime, he was done in.

Poe adjusted position, scooting up to where if they had been touching more, one would say they were spooning. But Poe didn't go that far. He just got roughly in position, then patted Hux's elbow a couple times before putting his arm along his own side. "Just go back to sleep. It's okay." Hux was quiet for a few beats, then sighed in resignation and followed orders.

Poe was fully aware he'd be wrapped around the general by morning.

XXX

"No."

It was breathy and faint, but Poe heard it. He felt Hux jerk in his arms. He felt the man's breath stutter. "Hux?"

"No …" It was still a low, quiet sound, but this time it sounded so terrified it was pitiable.

"Hux?" He squeezed him with the arm looped around Hux's waist, pulling them even closer – not just flush, but pressed together. "Hux?" Hux jerked harder, but woke. His hands scrambled at Poe's arm in alarm, like he was trying to force it off him. Poe lifted it immediately. "Easy, easy."

Hux froze, barely breathing for several long moments. Poe kept his arm up and out from Hux's body, clearly visible. The lights were still at thirty percent or whatever. He heard Hux swallow. Then he reached up and took Poe's hand, replacing it over his belly. A few breaths later, Hux let go to cover his face with his hands.

Poe told him, "It was just a nightmare."

He turned in place, shaking. "I fear it wasn't." Hux fumbled hesitantly at Poe's side and arm.

Poe enveloped him. "You're okay now."

Hux shook his head, chin hooked over Poe's shoulder. His voice, though a whisper, was still trembling and so was the rest of him. "He wanted me to reveal myself. He's searching for me. It won't stop."

Poe pulled back, dread running through him. Hux looked tired and miserable. Poe pitched his voice louder to say, "Rey? Kylo-"

"No!" Hux hissed, pulling away from him. "I did not tell you so you could tell them!"

"Hugs, it- I'm-"

But it was too late. Rey was awake, Kylo following her. With Rose and Finn in the rear compartment, the pair had bedded down out here with the rest of them. "What is it?" Rey said. A few of the stormtroopers had awakened, too. Chewbacca rolled over to look in their direction. A side effect of the lights being up was that, well, everyone could see them.

Hux sat up and moved nearly out of reach, curling himself up with his back to the wall and shoulders hunched. He wrapped his arms around his knees. It was physically painful to Poe to see him withdraw, when he knew the man was hurting, when he'd been in his arms just moments before.

"Nothing," Poe said, his voice coming out choked. "It's nothing."

"Lights to fifty percent," Rey said, coming closer and taking care not to step on anyone along the way. Hux glared up at her like a trapped animal, teeth partly bared. She turned her focus to Poe.

Poe sat up and waved a dismissive hand at her. "It's nothing. I told you."

"Something happened," she said definitely. Kylo walked up behind her.

"Uh …" Poe stalled, "nothing I was supposed to talk about. Apparently."

She sighed and looked at Hux, who was continuing to glare at her, but with a little less fervor now. He said nothing. She looked at the wall above Poe's head. "Poe Dameron would let me know if this was critical, wouldn't he?"

Poe answered, "Poe Dameron would definitely let you know if he was absolutely sure it was critical. Right now all Poe is sure of is that he betrayed someone's trust. And he's very, very sorry about that." He glanced over at Hux, who stopped glaring at anyone and huffed sulkily while looking at the floor.

Rey looked at Kylo, then Hux, then Poe. "Okay." She accepted it. Rey moved back to where they'd been sleeping.

Hux stood and jerked at his uniform to straighten it. "I'm going to stand guard." He went to the door, opened it, and ordered out the stormtrooper within. Poe picked himself up from the floor. His shoulders, back, butt, and thighs hurt from pushing that wing. So did his neck, but that was due to the sleeping position. He stretched.

Rey, from where she was sitting, spread her hands as though inviting Poe to speak now that Hux had put a soundproof door between them. Poe shook his head. First off, he was sure Hux could activate an intercom or even a visual feed of the main compartment. Secondly, it was the principle of the thing.

Third, if the fate of the galaxy was going to come down to Hux deciding whether he wanted to side with Darth Sidious or the rest of them, then they'd better damn well step up and help Hux understand they were worth saving. That meant being trustworthy. Poe was a little perplexed no one else seemed to see this when it was clear as deepest space to him. (And Hux was hot, which was also clear as deepest space, but he hoped that didn't have too much to do with his decisions.)

He sighed and hit the button for the hatch. Hux had taken the co-pilot's seat. Kaydel was inside as the Resistance watch. "You again?" Poe said to her. "Is this still first watch?" A little slow on the uptake, he noticed the sun had risen.

"Yeah. The end of it, almost."

"Two hours of sleep, then. No wonder I feel spent. I'll stand the next watch. Hit the sack."

"Poe, we decided earlier to skip everyone who went out, other than Chewbacca. He said he'd take the last one. I did get some sleep last night."

He rubbed his face. "Well, I'm going to be in here for a while. Vamoose."

She shot a concerned look at Hux, who was fixedly staring out the viewport, acting like they weren't there. At least this time, Poe thought, no one would think they were in here having sex. She stood up, ceding the chair to him. "Technically," Kaydel said, "Rey's next and she starts in ten minutes."

"Who's next on our side?" Hux asked. "My … the First Order side."

"I don't know. It was one of the FNs. Like I said, C-L, 0-7-45," she struggled over the designation but got it out correctly, "decided to let the people who were out all day get some rest. You didn't sleep, either."

"I'm fine," Hux said. "I'll pick one of them when I'm done."

Kaydel left without further comment. The hatch shut behind her. Hux slumped. He was still willing to be vulnerable in front of Poe, which was warming. Poe said, "I didn't tell them."

"That's very kind of you." He didn't look up. Given the events of the previous day, the 'I'm fine' sounded suspiciously like the 'Fit for duty' declaration the stormtrooper had had after their corporal had killed Ten-ten. Hux was a general, yes, but until only two weeks ago, he'd had superiors who notoriously didn't tolerate weakness. He wouldn't have reached his position if he'd ever confessed to any problem.

Poe moved to his side and put his hand on Hux's shoulder. He rubbed gently, then leaned down to give him a lingering but entirely chaste kiss on his hair, on the side of his head. He smelled good. He must have showered while Poe was out. Hux turned and looked up at him wonderingly, his eyes darting between Poe's eyes and lips. Poe remembered the way he'd looked at his lips before, but this time there was no one here to see them.

Poe slowly cupped Hux's face with both hands, tilting his own head and leaning in. He'd seen what he'd thought he'd seen and he knew it, because Hux's lips parted and he straightened, reaching up with his face to meet Poe. Their lips met softly, carefully, warm and delicious.

Hux swiveled his chair and stood, reversing their heights but only briefly parting from Poe's mouth in the process. He came back to it immediately, the kiss turning desperate as Hux clung to him, half-frantic, like he would take whatever he could get as fast as he could get it. Poe provided freely as they continued kissing. Hux gradually settled down, his breathing evening out, but he didn't stop the lip-lock.

Poe ran his hands into the man's hair, across his face and down his neck. Hux copied him, following a step behind. He was a fast learner. Poe hummed appreciatively, licking at Hux's lips, tongues touching.

They finally parted, Hux panting, staying only a few inches from Poe's face. Hux ran a thumb across Poe's considerable stubble, but his thoughts were obviously elsewhere. "He was in my nightmares the first night, too." Hux grimaced. "He said … he said … He had prisoners, captured from the Finalizer, maybe other ships, I don't know. He was torturing and killing them one at a time, telling them to call out to me and if I answered, they'd live." He shuddered.

Poe shuddered as well. "That's awful." He assumed Hux meant Darth Sidious.

Hux breathed out shakily, moving his hand up to the side of Poe's head, his thumb stroking Poe's temple. He pinched up the finer hair there and fondled it. "Some called. Most didn't. Some barely knew me. He knew I could feel it. I could … feel … what he did to them." He swallowed. "I was hiding … behind a … a wall or a curtain. I don't know. But he looked right at me. He knew I was there. He wanted me to come forward. He wanted me to do it. To act and make him my master."

"Did you?"

"No!" Hux shook his head and gave him a look like Poe was nuts for thinking he might.

"And tonight? The same thing?"

"No. It was just him. He was hunting me. Or … I don't know. It was dark and I was hiding from him, but I could hear his voice calling to me, telling me to reveal myself, that 'long had he waited for this day' and 'our coming together would be the galaxy's undoing' or some pompous dreck."

Poe chuckled a couple times. Like Hux could talk. He supposed he knew where Hux had inherited his flair for the dramatic from. "And you didn't reveal yourself … either?"

"No. Of course not. I'm not an idiot. If it's a true sending through the Force, then it means he doesn't know where we are and he wants that information. If it's just a bad dream, then there's no reason to tell him anyway." He exhaled heavily. "I wonder if he's killed all the people I saw last night?"

"I don't know."

Hux spoke as though to himself, eyes sightless as he toyed with Poe's curls. "If he knew I was there, then he knows when I'm not there. And he wouldn't keep killing them while I'm gone. He would preserve them, in case he needed to use them in a later ploy against me."

Hux blinked, focusing on Poe. Hux kissed him again, sudden and passionate, with that same clingy desperation. Poe allowed it, answered it, and kissed him back deeply, holding Hux's head to press them together, huffing against his cheek and tasting him thoroughly. Hux moaned at the end of it, pulling away to pant.

Poe smirked, pleased with the reception. While he had a moment to talk, though, he said, "You know, Rey and Kylo have a lot of experience between them dealing with Force stuff. More than I do, at least. They might know how to make it stop."

"The last thing I want is to have another Force user poking around in my brain."

"Ah. Okay, that makes sense." He wondered if they'd recovered their connection to the Force while he was gone.

Hux kissed him teasingly, pulling away when Poe tried to take his head again. Poe took the hint and dropped his arms, wrapping them around Hux's body instead. Poe stroked his back. Hux cupped the back of Poe's head and kissed him fleetingly a few times more, experimenting with different techniques. Poe hummed encouragingly, "Mmm."

"Yes," Hux said softly, kissing him again. Hux's hand dropped down his neck, rubbing slightly.

"Oh yes," Poe purred. "Keep doing that. You have no idea how stiff my neck is."

"Oh really?" Hux rubbed more, enthusiastic and willing even if inexpert at it.

Poe groaned and let his head loll forward so his forehead rested on Hux's chest.

"It would help if I could get some decent sleep," Hux grumbled, continuing with his efforts. It was one of the lousier massages Poe had ever had, but he wasn't about to complain.

"They might be able to arrange that, too."

"You're going to tell them anyway," Hux accused. "Now that you're 'absolutely sure' and it's critical."

"No." Poe raised his head and gave Hux a peck on the lips. Hux was impassive for the moment. He really was expecting betrayal, which was precisely what could drive him into Palpatine's hands. "If you tell me you have it under control," Poe told him, "then you have it under control."

Hux exhaled heavily. "I do not," he admitted as though it pained him.

"Then would you let me ask my friends for help? I'll make sure they know – no Force powers, no poking around in your head. Just talking."

Hux kissed him again, softly, repeatedly, scraping his thumbnails against Poe's stubble as he did. When he drew back, he said, "Yes. Fine."

"Okay. Is right now okay?" It was either that or fuck on the consoles and as sexy as Poe found Hux to be, he was very aware most of the kissing was begging for connection, affection, and support. Not: please fuck me now. The majority of what people said wasn't verbal. Poe was at peace with that. Hux was communicating just fine.

"Yes."

"Okay." Poe smooched him again spontaneously and loudly before turning away. He opened the hatch and poked his head out. The lights had been dimmed again, but Rey was still awake, sitting cross-legged next to Kylo like they'd been talking. Poe didn't speak. He just gestured – two fingers, his hand turned to point those two fingers at them, then 'come here'. Kylo and Rey both rose. The door shut behind them when they were inside.

For a long moment, the four of them stood there silently. Hux looked lost in thought. Rey and Kylo looked expectant. Poe looked back at Hux again. His hair was sticking out in all directions, his cheeks and forehead were pinked, and his lips were still wet and plump from all the kissing. He had to hope Rey and Kylo didn't notice this, but the long silence argued against that. "So, um, who talks first? You talk first? I talk first?" He was talking to Hux, but he glanced over to Kylo to see if he caught the joke.

Kylo rolled his eyes in confirmation. Hux said, "You."

"Okay." Poe turned to the other two. "First night here he had a Force vision or a projection or something. Seemed like a nightmare. Sidious was torturing and then killing the people in the First Order whom he thought had a connection to Hux. Told them to call out for Hux. Some did. Hux didn't respond. Tonight, it was Sidious telling him to reveal himself. No torture this time. He – Hux – says it felt like Palps was searching for him."

"Did he find you?" Kylo asked softly.

Hux shook his head.

Rey asked, "Did it feel like he was close to finding you?"

Hux said, "I'm not entirely sure what that would feel like."

Rey said, "Did you wake up because he had finally found you? Or was about to?"

"No," Hux answered. "I woke up because Poe woke me."

"That's good," Kylo said.

"Oh," Poe put in, "and don't use Force powers. Like, not now. He doesn't want you to."

"Right," Rey said after an awkward pause that told Poe that wasn't an option anyway. She looked back to Hux. "Was he looking for anyone else? Did he … threaten anyone else, anyone here?"

"No," Hux said. "I don't think he knows where we are or who I'm with. If he did, his questions would have been more specific and he would have pretended to know more than he did. It seemed like he was mainly trying to get me to respond." He swallowed. "I've been through this game before. The only winning move is not to play. Now that I know who I'm dealing with, I know better."

Rey turned to Kylo. "What if he doesn't know we're here? There's no reason why he would. Any footage or scanner records of us showing up would have been lost with the Finalizer." She turned to Hux. "The stormtroopers with you. You said they're your personal guard?"

He shook his head. "I was being facetious. I encountered them by chance in the halls as we were headed to the hangar bay. They're not connected to me in any way, aside from serving on the Finalizer. Their absence will not be noted."

Rey nodded and turned back to Kylo. "All he knows is that General Hux isn't dead. It might be safe for us to … tap in."

"If we're wrong," Kylo said, "he shows up here and we're trapped on the ground. The hyperdrive engines are functional, but we have to get out of the gravity well to use them. Until we can do that, we should play it safe."

"That's fine," Hux said, "but how do I sleep?" Kylo and Rey just looked at him, so he added, "Can he do this constantly? Or does he need to rest? Is he trying even now? If he can't get to me while I sleep, is he going to inflict hallucinations while I'm awake?"

Kylo shook his head slightly. "He can't do it constantly, but the Force will guide him on the best times. It is … unlikely to happen while you're awake unless you intentionally open yourself to him, or call out to him. He's a stranger to you and that is to your benefit."

"I'm sure it is," Hux said.

Poe said, "As far as sleep, can I just wake him up when he's having that nightmare, we wait a few minutes, and then go back to sleep? Will that break it?"

"That sounds awful," Hux said.

"Well, I was thinking of it as a good excuse to sleep with you and maybe nibble on your ears. But if you don't want to …"

Hux blushed again. "Well, um." He reached up and touched an ear, looking down and finding no further words to accompany the gesture.

Kylo said, "It will help."

"Okay then," Poe said. He turned to Hux. "You want to give that a try?" Hux gave a noncommittal shrug. Poe pointed briefly at Rey as she started to leave. "Hang on there. Aren't you next up on standing watch?"

Hux interrupted. "I don't want to go back to sleep yet. I want to talk. With you." Hux glanced at Kylo and Rey, who took their cues and left, shutting the door behind them.