Oh hey here's some Future Hux trash. I don't know why this idea is in my head.

Grand Marshal Armitage Hux moved through his morning reports effortlessly, glancing over the aide's work and making a few corrections here and there. Every few minutes he glanced at his door expectantly, only to return to his work, slightly disappointed. His aide chattered about this project and that upcoming speech, but his mind was only half absent in the conversations.

It was 1000. The door usually blew open at 0915 or 0930. It was his favorite part of the day and as such, he refused to hold meetings an hour on either side of the informal standing appointment.

When 1015 passed, Hux turned to his aide and apologized to the girl for his lack of attentiveness. She glanced at the clock, blinked in surprise, glanced at the door herself, and then revisited a project from earlier.

How the years had changed things in the Order. The dissolution of the First Order had been the most dramatic time of his life, wrought with treason and romance, birth and death, danger and diplomacy. As a young man he'd thrived on the upheaval and change. Every day, every hour was a chance to prove himself and he had, earning trust and respect of many, including the supreme leader and the girl who'd started everything. Years passed by and peace took hold. But there was still a government to run and Armitage Hux was a Grand Marshal, so life was still exciting; just in a less life-threatening way.

His aide Anya, the same age he was when he was first promoted to general, giggled at the speech script. "He'll never say that," she laughed. "The Supreme Leader would never be so harsh. We're not at war, Grand Marshal."

Hux suddenly realized how old he'd become and was torn between being thankful and remorseful that the girl hadn't lived during the war. "No, but the Empress may."

Anya nodded. "You know them so well. How lucky to have lived through such a big event in history, and right there along the rest of the heroes."

"Heroes?" Chuckling, Hux shook his head. "You should have known us when we were young. You'd think differently."

Half an hour later, the distraction he expected blew through the door in a swirl of charcoal robes and curse words. His aide smiled and bowed, excusing herself as another woman, tall with long dark hair and bright, alert amber eyes scanned Hux's desk.

"What're you working on?" the newcomer barked. "I need you."

"Ah," Hux greeted her as the door shut behind Anya. "Wondered if I was going to see you today. You're late for your usual morning rant."

"I can't go out," she sighed forlornly, picking up a datapad from the desk and reading it.

"Confidential," Hux snapped, snatching it out of her hand.

"Princess," the woman replied smugly. "There's nothing on this ship confidential to me, Grand Marshal."

Hux marked her smirk with his own. "Well played. Now what's causing you such mortal pain, Princess?"

"Ask the Supreme Leader," she growled, the words dripping with annoyance. "They'll only let me onto planets where no one lives. What's so bad about Corellia? My father says I'm to stay on the ship. And you know Mother won't undermine him."

"Of course you can't go to Corellia," the general replied without hesitation. "Corellia is a cesspool of all manner of undesirable creatures. Bounty hunters among them, no doubt. A pretty price you'd bring for your little incident on Naboo, Princess, even after all this time."

The princess cleared her throat and shrugged. "It was hardly an incident." She threw her hands up and strolled to the window to gaze down on the planetscape below. "He acts like I'm still sloppy and irresponsible. It's been years."

"Six years." Nonplussed, Hux leaned forward to regain her attention. "And you were no child. You were twenty-two." He leaned forward. "Princess Gemma, I must agree that staying here with the guard would be best."

"It's not like I destroyed a planet or committed genocide," Gemma snarled. "So a few scumbags-"

"Politicians and allies to the Order," Hux corrected.

Gemma huffed. "Crime lords," she corrected his correction, "mysteriously disappeared."

"Allies and members of the New Senate were found murdered in a mysterious undetectable manner." Still, a bemused smile came to his lips. Hux had never reprimanded her for the attack, but couldn't bring himself to thank her, either. For years Kylo Ren and Empress Rey debated how to bring down the sex trafficking ring on Naboo, but in a surprise, calculated attack, their daughter took matters into their own hands. The dead politician crime lords had been very well-connected, though, and the price on Gemma's head was higher than anyone the galaxy had ever seen.

Gemma strutted back across his office to his desk and leaned against it as if she owned the place, her back to him as she continued to gaze out the window.

A fond smile came to the general's lips. He watched her shift slightly. "The Supreme Leader's word is law, Princess. If you can't go to Corellia, you can't go. I'm sorry."

"Not as sorry as I am. A prisoner on my own ship."

The air between them seemed to suddenly have an electric charge, but it no longer frightened him. Years of experience with Force users hardened him. Hux knew several self-learned tactics to deescalate the tension and looming Force energy. It worked most of the time, but when the princess and supreme leader were at odds, it was better to get out of the way or seek out Rey.

"I expected much more death and destruction when I first learned Kylo Ren was reproducing." He chuckled and patted her thigh. "One intergalactic diplomacy disaster was hardly beyond my power to address."

Gemma turned back to him, arms crossed once again. "I'm an adult! Kriff! I want to go to the market. I want to wander the streets. I want to be alone for once, not crammed on a ship with a million people." Her eyes, wide and pleading, bore into his. "Tell my father the Corellians wanted to see me at your New Senate meeting. I'd rather sit in the political talk than sit here alone."

Hux cleared his throat. As heartily as he agreed with Ren and Rey that the princess should be protected at all costs, she had a point. Besides, the princess could more than protect herself. "All right," he said softly. "You'll attend my meetings with me." He raised an eyebrow and studied her for a moment before offering her a sinister smile. "I must warn you that I may be quite distracted with business and could easily lose track of you." Gemma moved to celebrate, but he held up a finger. "But if there are any incidents, I swear I'll say I had nothing to do with it and make you wipe my mind so the supreme leader doesn't find out."

"Hux." Gemma studied his face, trying hard to keep her own neutral. "Are you sure?"

Now Hux laughed. "I've always sworn Ren would kill me for one thing or another. Why not forfeit my life in service to the princess?"

"Hux," Gemma joined in the laughter. "If you weren't so old, I'd kiss you." A glimmer in her eye threatened that she just might anyway.

The New Senate was made up of an interesting variety of senators. Some were politicians from the days of the First Order but others were simple workers without a clue how government worked. It made for a plethora of viewpoints as the empress demanded, but it slowed proceedings of any sort to a crawl as ideas and procedures were explained time and time again.

Hux sighed softly as the senator on the floor explained a fuel tax. Again. And then once more in the native language of the senator trying desperately to grasp the notion.

On one side, Anya took in-depth notes on her datapad, color-coding them as she did so. On his other side, Gemma was watching the proceedings in mild interest. Or so it seemed. Her knee brushed against his thigh and she muttered, "What about a New Senate stupid question tax?"

"Princess," he whispered. "Not everyone is as educated as you. Be kind. These are your people."

She feigned concern. "It was so like my parents to come up with this notion to represent everyone and then make you attend these meetings." She stifled a giggle. "Oh, Grand Marshal. Will the abuse from my father never end?"

Their table wasn't near enough any other senators that their whispered conversation could be heard, but the movement was enough to distract the speaking senator.

"Your Highness," the senator quickly said. "Do you have something to add? I'd be charmed to hear your thoughts. Please, forgive me for droning on. The floor is yours."

Gemma smiled graciously. "No. Sorry. I was just asking for clarification on a point you made from the Grand Marshal. Carry on."

Hux nodded to the senator and the explanations continued. He turned to Gemma and shot her a look, but she winked in return. "I'm going," she mouthed.

He nodded curtly and turned his attention back to the speaker as Anya slide gracefully from her chair and moved silently toward the door. To be young and free, Hux mused.

"Where's the princess going?" Anya mumbled, noting her exit in her notes.

Hux reached over and quickly erased the statement. "The princess was here the entire time."

"Of course, Grand Marshal." Anya studied his face for a moment before returning her attention to the senator, a knowing smile on her face.

Only about an hour had passed before something struck Hux with the power of a door slamming shut and someone pouring cold water on him. He leapt to his feet and gasped for a breath. No one else seemed alarmed or even aware of the sudden urgency coursing through his body. He stood there pantin with fists clenched as the auditorium stared.

Anya looked around nervously. Unable to detect a threat, she lightly touched Hux's arm. "Grand Marshal? Are you well?"

"I have to go," he whispered suddenly. "Forgive me. It's the princess." He marched out of the auditorium and toward the door, ignoring the sudden silence. The moment he reached the hallway, he broke into a sprint.

Gemma Solo didn't go looking for trouble, but trouble always seemed to find her. It hadn't even been an hour since she winked at Grand Marshal Hux and slipped out of the meeting to shop the local fares and try new food, but her presence hadn't gone unnoticed by the criminal underground always sniffing after her. Drug and slave traffickers were certainly a connected group, and although she'd taken nearly a dozen of them out half a decade ago on a planet system far from here, word of her visit spread instantly. Bounty hunters seemed to appear out of the air.

Hux swore at the sight of a dozen well known bounty hunters lurking around her. In the crowd. In the middle of the street. Leaning against buildings. All watching the princess. Gemma crossed a street and found her way blocked. The hunters' hands covered their weapons, waiting for her inevitable Force attack. Gemma wet her lips and glanced from hunter to hunter. A man with his child happily babbling at his side crossed the street, close enough for her to reach out and touch. Should she move, the hunters could fire and kill the child.

A feral look was on her face now and Hux recognized it too well; a look her father often wore when the former supreme leader dared talk about the scavenger girl from Jakku.

Violence was imminent. Gemma was a caged animal, teeth bared and claws poised for attack.

Before he knew what he was doing, Hux heard himself blurt out, "Darling!" Gemma looked up to the senate building stairs where Hux was beckoning to her impatiently. "We'll be late!" he called. "Where have you been?" He stormed down the stairs past a pair of hunters, who exchanged glances. His heart pounded in the familiar way it did when someone was in a tight situation. Hux was a professional at cleaning up the Solos' messes by now and he simply considered it another job duty. Of course Gemma wouldn't be hurt; a dozen men were no match for her, but there were civilians in the crossfire and any more death at her hands would make her capture even more alluring to the hunters on her tail.

The princess turned, flustered by the pet name, then picked up a clear wave of his intentions. "Sorry, my love," she called back as he marched toward her sternly.

Thank the Force she was bright, Hux thought as she eagerly played along with his act.

Gemma reached out to embrace him, a cheery smile at her cheeks. "Can't we stay a bit longer, though? I was just looking at a-"

The instant he reached her, Hux's gloved hand rose and threatened to swing. "You don't question me, especially before these curs on this godforsaken planet," he snarled. "Next time I won't be so merciful."

The cluster of hunters circled still, but further away now. Doubt rippled through them, apparent on their faces and the way they shifted uncomfortably.

"Thank you," Gemma breathed.

"Come," Hux said loudly, wrapping an arm around her waist and shuffling her past the last of the bounty hunters and across the street. "I fancy a drink before the next council, if you've left me any money after your frivilous shopping."

The bar around the corner was dark and grimy and it was clear by the look on Gemma's face that she was shocked Hux chose to enter. Aware of a few hunters tailing them into the bar, he kept the act up and slid onto a stool at the shoddy bar. "Gin on the rocks," he said politely to a scowling bartender. "And whatever the lady wants."

"'The lady?'" Gemma scoffed.

He gave her a warning glance and the slightest nod to the door, where a trio of hunters entered. They took a table immediately by the window. There was no way she'd be able to leave without them knowing.

Gemma bit her tongue. "I'll have the same, please."

When the drinks arrived, Hux paid and then turned to her. His voice was low enough that the hunters by the door wouldn't hear. "I left you for an hour and you found the worst characters in town. Exactly what I expected, really." He leaned back and smiled. "And now this delightful rouse."

She tried her drink and wrinkled her nose. "This tastes like pine trees." She slid it to him and motioned to the bartender. "Something fruity, maybe?"

"You've tasted pine trees?" The corner of Hux's lip pulled upward.

The bartender slid her a tall glass with shimmering liquid inside. "Thank you," she said sweetly before turning to Hux. "Stop." She cleared her throat. "And thank you." She took a sip of her drink and puckered her lips. "Whoa. Now that's a drink."

Hux smiled. "Tell me. What did you do before your run-in with trouble?"

"Shopped," she shrugged. "I do more than hunt down pedophiles and murderers, you know." She took another sip, taking care to lick the excess from her bottom lip.

"Slow down," Hux warned her. "The drinks here are notoriously strong. And lower your voice."

"Oh." Gemma sat back. She tucked her hair behind her ear and studied her hand. "Do you often bring girls to dark bars when you're on-planet?"

Hux looked at her in surprise. Her slightly parted lips and innocent gaze were features he'd rarely seen. He took another drink and leaned closer to her, his hand draping over the back of her chair. The pose was painfully awkward and disrespectful for someone of Gemma's station, but the longer they put on their charade of a couple, the more likely the bounty hunters were to leave. So he brushed a tendril of hair back from her face. "No. Not even as a young man, to be perfectly honest."

"Good."

"Why did you ask?"

Gemma cleared her throat. "I don't know." Finally her amber eyes flickered back to his steel gray. "I don't like the thought of being plugged into your usual date routine."

"Date routine?" Hux chuckled. "No, darling."

"Careful, General. I could get used to that," Gemma muttered.

"To 'darling?'" The bold color in his face drained somewhat. His eyes shifted back to the hunters by the door. Amateurs. They watched without any discretion whatsoever. Still, holding eye contact with them was somehow less threatening than sharing it with the princess. "Whyever would that be?"

Gemma swiped her hair back from her forehead. "I've never been out like this with anyone." She stole a quick glance at him, then reached for her drink to preoccupy herself. "I know it's just an act, but-"

"I find it hard to believe you've never been to bar with a man." Hux studied her suspiciously. "What trick are you up to?"

She shrugged and studied her drink even harder. "Nothing." She stole a glance at the door and sighed in relief. "They've gone."

Hux confirmed that they were out of the bar before he sighed and sat back in his chair. "I had a feeling something was wrong so I excused myself. There's no further meeting beside the one I missed. Hopefully Anya was able to get our objectives accomplished and pushed through."

"Hux." Gemma frowned. "You didn't have to come after me. I had things covered. I was just thinking of the best way to get back into the building."

The general stared at her, incredulous. "You needed me."

"How did you know?" Mischief sparkled in her eyes. She pointed at him with the air of a victor. "Oh, General. You said you'd never let this happen. You swore you'd never see it as anything but dark magic."

He made a face and waved her off. "Kriff. Don't. Don't say it-"

"Admit it!" Gemma shrieked in delight. "Admit it! Say. It. Hux."

"No," Hux blurted. "It can't have been the Force. Just intuition, that's all."

Beaming, Gemma squealed and clapped her hands. "It is. You're tapping into the Force. After all these years of begging, you're finally paying attention to it!" She gave him a light shove and beamed in victory. "I knew you would."

"Yes, well." Hux pursed his lips now and tried to ignore her. "I couldn't just sit there knowing you were in danger. Your father would kill me. I'd kill myself if something were to happen to you." Finally he turned back to her. "But the bigger issue at hand isn't that at all. You- you care who I spend my recreational time with?"

Gemma blushed. "I-I was only curious if you take Phasma, or-"

He patted the top of her hand. "No, Princess. I'm romantically unattached. For what it's worth." He motioned to the bartender for another drink.

She looked down at the black leather of his glove, which was resting on her hand. "Take them off. I don't think I've ever seen your hands."

He gave her a look. "You never shall. They're uniform."

She caught a fingertip and gave it a tug. "I command it. Take off your gloves." She locked eyes with him and smiled. "And I know you'll never refuse me. Even if I weren't a royal."

He pulled his hand away. "You're incorrigible." Still, he snatched off his gloves and wiggled his fingers at her. "Is that everything you dreamed of?"

Dragging her fingertips over his bare palm, she beamed. "Yes. I can't believe you're out of uniform in front of a princess, Grand Marshal. What a scandal." She flipped her hair over her shoulder and offered him a coy smirk.

Suddenly the tracing of her fingernails was too much to bear and he snatched his hand away, but at the look of confusion on her face, Hux immediately offered it once again. She caressed the length of his fingers with slow, deliberate strokes. Hux wondered if she was trying to read something about him via the Force. He sat mesmerized by the motion for a moment before straightening and reaching for his drink with his free hand. "Yes, well, I suppose it's time I had some scandal in my life that I caused for once, instead of cleaning up everyone else's."

"Have I ever told you I think you know me the best out of anyone?" Her fingers no longer caressed his skin, but instead grasped his hand in hers.

Hux's eyes widened and he blinked at her numbly. "Me?"

She licked her lips. "Hux. I see what's in your mind. The guilt. Why?" Her head cocked with curiosity. "I don't mean to pry. I'm not trying to read your thoughts- they're just-"

"I know," Hux huffed. "I can't stop them. I never can when you're around, no matter how hard I try." He looked at her momentarily as if he feared her. The expression passed and he struggled for words. "The shame? Yes, I'm ashamed to feel this way. I remember when you were born." He studied her face. The features had sharpened and matured over the years right in front of him. No, Gemma wasn't the round-faced child, but rather a woman with a beautiful, angular face and hard, long limbs. Her amber eyes were like those of her father's, but her hair was long and chestnut like her mother's. At the moment Hux failed to see other in her. There was only Gemma.

Her hand crept to the back of his neck now, one finger gingerly brushing back and forth in his hair.

Hux's ears burned red and goosebumps raised down his spine and arms. "Princess." His voice was no more than a whisper, but as she drew nearer, his hand landed on her thigh.

"Why fight it?" Her lips brushed against his cheek as she examined his thoughts. Desire. Fear. Trust. Shame. Happiness. Duty.

"Princess," he mumbled like a man in pain. "Please."

"Tell me to stop and I will," Gemma said. The man was clearly having a struggle of epic magnitude in his soul. She didn't want to push him one way or another, but she certainly knew what her desire was. She gazed into his eyes and waited for him to object.

Instead, he gave his head a soft shake and let his eyes wander to her lips before leaning in and lightly taking her bottom lip between his. The kiss was gentle and tentative at first, but as soon as Gemma reciprocated, he intensified his motions. Years, now-two or three, perhaps?-he'd wondered after the feeling of her full lips and the curve of her waist. Even more intriguing were the ideas she had and things she said that no one else dared utter. Every time the princess draped herself over his desk and spilled her thoughts to him, he felt himself fall more in love with her. Even with the Supreme Leader's ability to both read minds and end lives effortlessly, Hux's thoughts of Gemma were intrusive and impossible to battle back. Half of the time he didn't want to, anyway.

The background sounds of the bar faded away. Hux's hands found the small of her back and smashed Gemma against him, nearly pulling her onto his bar stool. She let out a soft giggle in surprise. The bartender rolled his eyes and ignored them.

"Hux," Gemma breathed into his mouth. She slid her tongue along his top lip. He met it with his own. His fingers dragged from her back to her hips. His left hand staggered along something hard at her hip. For a moment he traced the outline, pondering what it could be, so hard and cool against her warm, soft body. It was her light saber. Kylo Ren's old saber. Suddenly he pulled away and lightly pushed her back onto her own stool.

She was Princess Gemma Solo. In his grasp. On his lips. He pressed the back of his hand to his mouth. "No. This is wrong. Forgive me. I-"

"Stop." She casually brushed back her hair and took another drink of the fruity concoction before her. The swirling emotions were finally at rest and Gemma took a deep, refreshing breath. It was as if she could relax for the first time in years.

Hux cast a sidelong glance at her before draining the rest of his drink. He reached for her abandoned gin and downed that, too. He exhaled, his cheeks puffing out as he did. "The Supreme Leader-"

"Isn't expecting our return to the ship until tomorrow afternoon." Gemma glanced at a clock behind the bar and smiled. "Since you've missed the meeting, I don't see why we don't get dinner and head back to the hotel."

Hux pursed his lips and cast his eyes downward. "Princess, I-"

"You should put your glove back on," she added playfully. "The Grand Marshal out of uniform in front of the princess in a scuzzy bar?" She winked. "I wonder what they'd say about that."