Day Two with the Resistance
Exotic scented suds bubbled to life in the large tub, pink and green and blue, depending how the light hit it. Tempting but suspicious, Hux thought.
It was his second day on the rebel base. His new base. The thoughts still weren't automatic, and constantly reminding himself that he was a we with these people was exhausting. The scavenger girl, especially. Rey. She unnerved him something terrible. Now she was perched on an upturned crate serving as a primitive vanity in the refresher tent, swinging her legs casually as he scrutinized the situation for any potential sabotage.
"This isn't just a ploy to disarm and disrobe me?" Hux deadpanned.
Rey raised an eyebrow. "You're with us now. Why would I try to do that?"
Hux raised an eyebrow in return. "If you have no intention of giving me privacy, at least turn around while I undress." She did and the former general stripped off his First Order uniform, suddenly distressed it would be the last time he would do so. He was a good general. Or could have been, if it wasn't for the Force users getting in the way and ruining everything. Snoke, Kylo Ren. Nuisances in what would have been a beautiful military career marked by upward promotion and success. Instead, he was a laughingstock and a punching bag in their haphazardly formed plans. His finesse? Worthless in their eyes. Actual potential and skill didn't matter to Snoke or Kylo Ren. Always seeking another Force user younger or stronger or lighter or darker.
Now, even away from the Order, here Hux was getting into a bath under the watchful eye of another wizard. Rey seemed compassionate, but he didn't trust her as far as he could throw her.
"Very well," Hux sighed once he was fully submerged in the frivolous bath. He sank further into the bubbles, suddenly aware of their appeal. The hot water and sweet scent was pleasant. Much more so than a cold shower in the refresher aboard his ship. Their ship. The enemy ship,he reminded himself. Hux knew he should take what pleasantries he could while he could. "Is it standard procedure to bathe together here? I can't imagine a buddy system to be necessary within camp lines."
Rey cringed. "Oh. No. Sorry. I just thought we could have a word in private."
His stomach dropped to the bottom of his abdomen. Kriff. Mustering the gusto, he cleared his throat. "So I imagine you mean to interrogate me, then." His voice was infinitely calmer than his mind. Any time he was alone with Snoke or Kylo Ren, someone was pushing through his mind; uncontrolled and cruel. The phantom of the sickening migraine throbbed through his head.
Rey frowned and Hux momentarily wanted to trust her. There was a time he thought Kylo Ren might be an ally too, however. "Get on with it, then," he spat.
"General-" Rey shook her head. "I mean, Armitage, your intel has been proof enough. You're one of us now. I mean it. No one's going to hurt you."
Bristling at her use of his first name, Hux cleared his throat. "What secret conversation are you seeking, then?" When she blushed furiously, he realized the answer. "Ah. Ren."
"He's my equal in the Force," Rey explained quickly. "I can bring Ben Solo back." She fidgeted with one panel of the wrap she always wore. Her voice lowered. "It's… what Leia wants me to do. You know him better than anyone. I thought you could help me."
Hux sat up straighter and narrowed his eyes. He may not be able to read minds, but he could certainly tell when someone was lying. He held her gaze. "The others don't know you're in near constant communication with him, do they?"
Rey blushed. "I…don't know what you mean."
He leaned forward. Water sloshed over the side of the tub onto the grass. "I've seen security recordings, heard him mutter your name." This was the moment that mattered. This was where he ensured his survival as a member of the resistance. "The others thought Ren was crazy, but I knew he was speaking with you."
Her face paled. "I've heard you can connect with spirits of the dead through the Force," she replied quickly. "Perhaps it was Darth Vader. Master Skywalker. How am I supposed to know who Ben was talking to?"
"You keep saying we're on the same side." Hux pursed his lips for a moment and watched her spirits visibly fall. "I'll keep your secret if you promise me protection." He gripped the tub and spoke softly but urgently. "Any of these rebels would kill me without a second thought. Your friendship could be of great value to keeping me alive. I also assume they wouldn't be thrilled to know you spend your evenings making eyes at the man trying to blot this rebellion out. We can help each other."
Rey sighed and a weight seemed to list from her. "You knew but didn't tell anyone in the Order? You hate Kylo Ren. You could have destroyed him."
Hux scoffed. "There is no destroying Kylo Ren. He'd have killed me with a look if he suspected a plot and that would have been the end of it." He suddenly frowned. "Can he see me right now?" He sank lower into the bath.
"No," Rey snapped. "He sees me. If I touch him, we can be in the same place. Kind of." She shook her head. "It's hard to explain, but no. It's not like he can look through my eyes. And it's not all the time."
Hux relaxed somewhat. "I pity you being subjected to constant mental visits from that brute." He stroked his chin. It had been years since he went a day without shaving. The stubble was a foreign feeling under his fingers. His new life was strange in many ways. He smiled and traced a small circle on the surface of the water. "We can help each other, Rey of Jakku. Tell me what you want to know of Kylo Ren and I'll help you pit his knights against him. He'll have no choice but to come running to you."
Two Weeks In the Resistance
Sunlight breaking through a flap in his tent roused Armitage from sleep. He breathed deeply and stretched generously. "Millie?" he mumbled sleepily. "What time did you get in?"
When no response came, Hux's heart leapt into his throat. He sat upright and looked around frantically. Millicent was nowhere in his tent. Her bed, something Rey hobbled together, was empty, and her things untouched. The camp was in the middle of a forest and predators lurked just beyond the camp's edge. The poor girl hadn't been on planet in her whole life, and now she had run of an entire campsite. Heart thudding, Hux tore out of his tent and through the camp.
"Have you seen Millie?" he asked frantically, stopping rebels at tables and campfires. Someone finally pointed toward a tent.
"Millie?" Hux gasped, bursting through the tent flap. Millicent was nestled in the arms of General Leia Organa, purring and nuzzling her face against the woman's neck. When she spotted her master, the cat flicked her tail and blinked.
"Relax," the older general scoffed. "She visits me all the time. I was beginning to wonder when you would."
An unintentional mascot, Millicent bebopped around camp when Hux was working, pouncing on mice and becoming a beloved family member to everyone she encountered. It was strange, considering she'd been born on a First Order ship and spent the first few years of her life as contraband on the Finalizer. The poor beast had never been on actual ground. She was clearly loving it.
Hux rushed forward and snatched the cat from the general. "Don't do that, Millie!" he scolded her before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Bad girl! Don't scare me like that!"
"I don't believe we've met," Leia said coolly. "So you're our mole."
He straightened and looked into the general's face. He froze. This was exactly why he'd been avoiding her. He'd seen those eyes. Hux stumbled backward. Kylo Ren's eyes. Another kriffing Force user. Nodding numbly, he offered a salute. "Yes, General Solo."
"Put that hand down. General Solo was my husband," she replied casually. "I'm General Organa. But here, Leia is fine. Thanks for coming over, even with the demotion." She winked and reached out and scratched Millie behind the ears. "Rey tells me you worked with my son." Her fingers stopped moving, but just momentarily.
He nodded. "I'm beginning to think the only reason I wasn't shot on sight is because of the information I have on the supreme leader."
"No," Leia chuckled. "I think Rey's perfectly capable of handling Ben."She smiled just a little. "He was one of us, just as easily as you're one of us now. People can change for better or worse in the blink of an eye." Striking out a hand, Leia nodded. "Welcome to the resistance, Armitage."
He tentatively took her hand, surprised at the strength in her grip. "Hux is fine."
The jungle was hot and humid, but something about organic atmosphere and air was satisfying in a way a ship's recycled air was not. Hux's lungs felt healthier, even if he was puffing desperately as he jogged along.
"Mind if I join you?"
Hux startled at the sudden voice. He recognized it and immediately prickled. The cocky pilot. He picked up his pace and pretended not to hear. He couldn't get a moment away from these people. All he wanted was a quiet workout where he could try to corral his thoughts.
"I need to jog more," Poe called as he caught up. "Gotta be able to fit in the cockpit." He trotted along easily, making Hux doubly self conscious about his physical fitness. "You don't strike me as a jogging kind of guy," the pilot noted as sweat dripped off the tip of Hux's nose.
"I prefer yoga," he panted.
Poe balked. "Yoga? The First Order does yoga?"
Teeth bared, Hux tried to pull ahead. He stole a glance at the pilot, who was easily keeping pace with him. There was nothing on Poe's face that might give away hostility or an ulterior motive other than company on his run. Still, Hux disliked the obnoxious man. Being on the same side didn't mean they had to be bosom buddies. "I prefer working out alone," Hux puffed.
Nonplussed, Poe continued. "Ha! Sounds familiar. You'd get along with Rey. She's into all that. Meditation. Centering herself." He rolled his eyes. "Not as good as actual training, but does she listen to me? No. She won't get in a fighter. All she does is sit and levitate rocks."
These people are my allies. These people are my allies. Hux pursed his lips and tried to appear friendly even as he gritted his teeth.
"So there's Rey," Poe ticked off on his fingers. "Connix is great. She'll like you, if you haven't gotten to know her already. Rose? Probably not after that whole Canto Bight thing. And Finn's not too keen on you coming over, either."
Hux stopped jogging and struggled to slow his breath. "I'd nearly forgotten FN-2187. One of my biggest failures."
Poe slowed down and jogged in place. "Yeah, buddy. He thinks you're actually a double agent." He snorted. "You don't seem like the type. I still can't believe you were a mole for us. What made you do it? Was it our long talks?" He winked. Hux fumbled for a response, but Poe chuckled. "Nah. I always knew you were a rebel." A charming smile flashed across his face and Hux tried to ignore it. "Don't worry," Poe continued. "You'll settle in just fine. Let me know if you need anything. Anything," he added coyly. He slapped Hux on the ass. "I think we're gonna be friends. I can feel it."
Two Months in the Resistance
Life with the rebels was bizarrely fulfilling. They made little strides in the war here and there. Nothing substantial, but enough. Hope blazed even in the face of horrendous odds. The gold droid made sure to bring the mood down occasionally, but there was something joyous about the atmosphere, even in the dead of night. Campfires were merry and even before flying off on a mission that could be their last, rebels joked and sang and embraced like family. Hux wondered if anyone would hug him when he eventually left on his first mission.
A thunderstorm rolled into camp one evening. Hux set down his straight razor and watched the light rain and distant lightning. The thunder was soothing. Everything about an actual atmosphere was. Hux felt like a new man, though he wasn't entirely sure what to attribute it to. He wondered if his former crewmates would even recognize him. He had a respectable beard by now, and his hair hadn't been coiffed since he left the Order.
As the rain began to pour harder, Hux began to batten down the tent. Millie mewed anxiously and curled up in her bed, watching his every movement and flinching at each new rumble of thunder. When Hux reached the tent flap, he paused and glanced across the camp. A few of the younger rebels were playing in the rain, dancing and laughing. Hux briefly regretted missing out on youth all together. Sighing, he pulled the flap back and started to secure it.
A frightened voice was hardly audible over the pounding rain. "Armie!" A hooded figure poked its head into the tent just as he peeled it back once more.
"Rey. Come in, come in," Hux said, pulling her into the tent. "What is it?" He frowned at the way she dripped all over, but tempered his annoyance. He would forgive her for almost anything. It started as essentially having his own bodyguard, but in time he came to enjoy her easy way. From afternoon tea to yoga, Hux enjoyed the time he and Rey spent together.
Aware of his preferences by now, Rey pulled off her poncho and let it drop to the floor in a wet lump. "I… don't like storms." She kicked off her boots and settled on the ground next to Millie's bed. The cat purred and rubbed her head against Rey's palm. When the next boom of thunder rolled through camp, they both jumped and huddled closer together.
"Ah." Hux continued to tighten the joints and supports. "I don't imagine Jakku has many storms of this nature. Does the Falcon have a leak?"
"No. It's just so loud," Rey said, watching lightning flash through the canvas of the tent. "When will it be over?"
"When it's over," Hux replied. "Unless you can do something about it." He raised an eyebrow, actually curious. He'd seen her shoot lightning from her fingers while especially frustrated during training. It was something he didn't dare bring up to her.
"No," she answered quickly. Rey frowned and looked at her hands. She balled her fingers into fists. "Sorry, if you were doing something." She pulled Millie into her lap and stroked the cat's ears fondly. "Thanks."
"Even if I were busy, it doesn't cost me any time of effort to spare some company." Hux sat on the foot of his bed and leaned his chin on his hand. "Would you like to play a game of cards? I think the current standings are 60 hands to 52. A respectable showing for a desert rat."
Rey suddenly looked distant, like she was looking past him entirely.
"Ren?" Hux asked softly. Rey nodded, but he wasn't sure which of them she was communicating with. He tried to ignore the soft one sided conversation, which seemed to center around her fear of the storm. After a few minutes, Hux cleared his throat. "Can… he hear me?"
Rey looked up in surprise. "No." She gave a lopsided smile to someone to the side of Hux. "He's my friend," she said. A scowl. "Well, he's here with me and you're not." Smirk. Finally she looked back to Hux. "What do you need to tell him?"
Hux cleared his throat. "Tell him I'm watching over you." Rey tilted her head but said nothing. Hux steeled himself. "Tell him that I watch for you to exhaust yourself and make you eat and sleep when otherwise you would not. Tell Kylo Ren that I am here in his stead, and that should mean something to him." His breath caught in his chest as Rey repeated his words verbatim back to the supreme leader. Hux almost wished he could see his face. Almost.
"Okay," she nodded. Her eyes flicked back to Hux's. "He says thanks."
Hux frowned. "That's it? He can't pretend he doesn't spend every waking moment wondering after you. He may hate me, but-" Another boom of thunder shook instruments on his desk.
Rey jumped from the floor to his bed. Millicent yowled and hid under the cot. Another sharp crack sounded like it was splitting the camp in two. Shrieking, Rey clutched his arm and buried her face in his neck. His heart hammered at the prospect that Kylo Ren could see his girlfriend in his arms. Hux gingerly stroked her hair and chuckled. "And to think I once worried you were more sinister than Kylo Ren. You're nothing more than a frightened kitten."
Shivering, Rey giggled and sat up. "I can't help it. It's so loud." She looked over his shoulder and smiled sheepishly.
"What is he saying?" Hux asked. He tried to sit up, but Rey was firmly settled in his lap with her arms linked through his.
"Nothing," Rey said quickly. She blinked a few times. "He's gone."
Hux cleared his throat. "You're the only thing Kylo Ren ever cared about. I only hope he remembers my affection for you if one day he's faced with the option to kill me."
Six Months in the Resistance
Months had passed by without much noise from the First Order. Hux liked to think it was his absence that kept them from finding the rebel base, but he strongly suspected it had something to do with Kylo Ren's ongoing relationship with Rey.
It didn't matter at the moment. Today there was some commotion stirring outside his tent that woke him. Hux's head pounded like no other. The late night drinking with Poe turned into an early morning drinking with Poe and it felt like he'd only just gotten into bed. He would be nursing a hangover for days.
"They're here! They're back!" voices called.
Hux stretched and sat up slowly, testing his stomach. Whoever was here could wait until later. He retched into a trash receptacle he'd placed by the bed last night for this exact purpose. Back to sleep.
A few hours later a weight settled on Hux's bed and he looked up sleepily. Poe flopped down on his back beside him and groaned. "I didn't think you could actually cut loose," Poe mumbled into Hux's pillow. He petted Hux's hair, which was tucked behind his ears and flopped over his face. "You look like shit."
The closeness was nothing new, as Hux had quickly learned about Poe, but his awful breath made Hux's stomach churn. "Go away," Hux groaned. He snatched the pillow from under Poe's head and covered his own face with it. "Leave me here to die. You smell like a trash bin."
Poe chuckled. "Yeah. Well. I thought you'd want warning. Rey's home. She'll be in here in no time, jumping on the bed and asking why you aren't awake. It's noon."
Hux sat up once more, surprised to feel better than earlier. "She is? Why hasn't she come by yet?" He rubbed his eyes. "I thought she'd miss me. It's been weeks." He'd been surprised to realize how much he missed her.
Poe was an exhausting whirlwind of a human, but he'd certainly kept things interesting in the weeks Rey was away. He was affectionate and loud and Hux was shocked to find they got along swimmingly once he let his old grudges go.
"You smell too, ya slob." Poe rolled over and groaned as he swung his legs over the bed. "C'mon. Shower with me, you sexy sack of bones."
"Once, just once, can you be reasonable? I'm not going to shower with you."
Poe pouted. "Fine. Your loss." He moved slowly from the tent, cradling his pounding head as he went.
Hux gave a lopsided smile. It had finally happened. He had friends.
After a long shower and several mugs of water, Hux felt like a human again. He hadn't seen Rey, so he sought her out. Finding her wasn't hard. It was like a magnet pulled him to her. He marched across camp and ran headlong into her when she abruptly turned a corner in front of him. They tumbled to the ground.
"You're home!" Hux called as they got to their feet and she pulled him into a warm hug. "I missed our nightly tea. These heathens only drink liquor."
"You smell like, it," Rey laughed. "I missed you, too!"
"How was your mission? Productive, I expect."
"I did it." Rey pointed across the camp to Leia's tent where a small crowd was mulling outside. She bounced from her heels to her toes.
"What'd you do?" Hux squinted at Leia's tent. A tall figure emerged and the crowd froze.
Kylo Ren was striding confidently out of the tent like he was still the commanding officer, not an enemy war criminal who had not long ago decimated half of the resistance. Rebels scowled at him, but he merely gazed past them, his sight set on Rey. He still donned his black tunic and cloak, but for a moment Hux thought there might be something different about him.
Hux shook his head. "No, no. I came here to get away from him." His chest tightened and Hux gasped for a breath. "Don't tell him I'm here!"
"Armie," Rey called after him. "And he already knows you're here. And this is good!"
"Like hell it is!"
Later that week, Kylo Ren peeled a citrus fruit and watched Hux from across the table. The dining tent had cleared, leaving the two men staring at each other. It was the first time they'd been alone without Leia or Rey.
"So," Ren said. "You're babysitting me."
Hux cleared his throat. "Some things never change." The blaster the last guard had pressed into his hand felt so ridiculous he'd abandoned it on the table between them. It was a farce. No one in the camp could control Kylo Ren but Rey. Why they decided to post a man on him at all times, Hux had no idea.
"Rey speaks highly of you." Ben casually ate his fruit, then reached for another. "That's something."
"I routinely remind her that she has better sense than to throw in her lot with you." Hux froze. Did he just say that to the supreme leader? He halfway expected to be thrown into a table, but Ren just smirked.
"Fair." Ren peeled the new fruit. "The new hair's good."
Hux self-consciously ran a hand through his long red locks. It was beginning to resemble Kylo Ren's hair. The thought set a bizarre blush about his cheeks. "Have you come to destroy us?" he asked.
One of Ren's eyebrows quirked in a way Hux had never seen before. "No. You know that." He sipped at his coffee and kicked his feet up on the table. "I'm here to protect you from the knights."
"The knights," Hux scoffed. "Filthy mercenaries."
Ren removed his feet from the table and leaned forward seriously. "We can be honest with each other, right?"
There was something very different about this man. Hux felt like he was a complete stranger, not the monster he spent years of his life alongside. "I imagine so. You've rummaged through my mind enough."
"They're going to execute me, aren't they?"
Hux snorted. "Who would try?"
Ben shrugged. "I deserve it. The resistance would be well within their rights."
Hux's heart thudded out of time. "No. If you die, I die. Keeping you alive is in my best interest. If they bring you to justice, I'll be implicated in our doings and we'll both hang."
"I'm tired of fighting. Rey can sort it out. I'll take the punishment."
Across the dining area, a trio of fighters were huddled together, watching them in dark interest. Ah, Hux was certain they were thinking, Kylo Ren and General Hux together again, their hostile takeover plans hatching over breakfast.
Hux tried to ignore them. "No, you won't. You stubborn ass. Can't you work with me for one kriffing time?" A thousand things passed through his mind. The colorful trees and incredible sky, the sounds of the birds and wildlife, the smells of coffee and native flora. Rey's warm caring company, Poe's thirst for life, Millicent's adoring gaze. "I refuse to die on account of you," Hux spat. "I left the First Order to get away from you!"
Ren shrugged and finished the rest of his breakfast.
"Besides," Hux snorted, hoping to bring the point home. "Your mother? Girlfriend? They're just so elated for the return of the prodigal son. No one will touch a hair on your head."
"Girlfriend?" Ben touched his abdomen and smirked. "You'd be surprised at what she would do."
"Rey? What would Rey do to anyone? She wouldn't hurt a womp rat."
Half of Ren's mouth lifted into a smile. "She killed me."
Hux paused. "Nonsense. You're sitting right in front of me."
Ren chuckled. It was a clumsy unpracticed sound. "She killed me with my own light saber." He drew a deep breath, as if testing he still could, then shrugged at Hux. "The Supreme Leader is dead."
His thoughts collided with one another. Was it possible to kill one persona from a body and free another? There was something drastically different about the man sitting in front of him. He was still sarcastic and quick to roll his eyes, but he hadn't lifted a finger toward anyone or used the Force since he'd been in camp. Was this just one of Kylo Ren's more sinister tricks? Hux stared dumbly, unable to recover even when Leia joined them.
"General," Ben greeted her.
"Stop," Leia chuckled. "And quit telling people we're going to execute you." She gestured to Hux. "Is that what you're talking about?"
Hux nodded, his gaze still fixed on Ren's face. "Indeed," he managed. Finally he turned to Leia. If anyone knew their fate, it was her. "I've been telling him the same," Hux said. "He's done the right thing by joining us and that's what matters. He's more good to us here than dead. Isn't that right?" He held his breath, but not for long.
Leia shook her head and laughed. She clapped Hux on the shoulder. "You worry a lot."
"My last boss wasn't as competent as you are," he offered. "So his return doesn't mean I'm to be punished?"
"All that training gone to waste, huh?" Leia smirked. "We heard the First Order officers and leaders were fearless strategists incapable of human emotion." She raised an eyebrow. "I see it did a lot of good for you laser brains. You're both soft as a sack of pillows. Crylo Ren and General Hugs."
Ben's face twitched. Hux snorted, but tried to hold back. It started as a snicker, but the laughter caught on like wildfire. How life changed, Hux thought as he laughed aloud. The man sitting across from him cackled along. For the first time, Armitage Hux wondered if Ben Solo might not be so awful after all.