The next few days fell into a comfortable routine, or at least a routine of some form, even if part of it became the daily disappointment of a poor report at the war council meetings.
At the very least, Hux thought, he had Ben to go back to every day,
He also had him to wake up to every morning, which was just as pleasant, even if there wasn't enough time to fool around as much as he wanted to. They would spend a good few minutes holding one another, then a few sharing passing comments, and then a few more touching lips and teasing skin,
It usually went no further in the early hours however.
This morning was an exception to that rule though.
0o0o0
Ben bent down and captured Hux's lips in a breathless kiss, one hand resting on his bare thigh and his other slipping through the slight gap between the man's back and the bed, his finger tips soothing against his muscles,
The redhead preened up to him and placed his own palms either side of his stomach, barely pressing his short nails into his flesh.
Ben arched his back at the feeling and his body lowered, getting just an inch closer to the man below him, whose legs he was between,
Many a weaker man would've taken embarrassment at the idea of being below another man in this intimate position, but Hux wanted the ravenette above him, placing just the right amount of weight against him at just the right moments.
Ben finally pulled away from the lord and smiled down to him, both of his hands now gently holding the backs of his bent knees, keeping his legs spread to accommodate his own wide frame.
"We could be quick" the ravenette said, chuckling at the extremely bright blush which had settled on the other's pale face,
Hux licked his dry lips, "Don't tempt me" he replied with a sigh,
"Why not?" Ben asked, bending down once more, and placing his face well within kissing distance of the Lord's, his warm breath dancing across his face,
"I haven't got the time" the redhead replied, glancing up at the other man, admiring his thick eyelashes and grand nose, "And teasing me is just cruel",
"It's not teasing if there's follow through" he replied, creeping in for a kiss, his eyes narrowing in delight.
Their lips met, but only briefly, as Hux turned his head away,
"Up" he said softly,
Ben sighed and sat up, still placed between the Lord's legs,
"You're no fun" he said, pushing out his bottom lip into a slight pout,
The other man arched an eyebrow, and with a little effort managed to sit up as well, his eyes focused on the other's mouth- as if his lips weren't thick enough already, he just had to pout too.
"You know that's not true" Hux replied with a purr, before lashing forward and taking the ravenette's bottom lip into his mouth, making him topple over backwards so now he was on his back, his large hands coming to rest in Lord's hair.
As the two men all but giggled from the bed, their lips meeting over and over, there was a knock at the chamber door,
Neither of them heard it though, far too focused on each other and the noises they were making, that only saw to charge them both up again,
After a moment, the knock came again, and a perhaps a spoken question, although it was impossible to tell due to the thick wooden door.
By the third knock, the person waiting had lost their patience, or perhaps was thrown into panic by the lack of an answer from their Lord, and it wasn't long before the handle rattled, and door began to open,
Hux's eyes widened, and he quickly sat up, his spine going rigid like a pole,
Not that sitting up would've helped by much, he was of course still straddling the very nude Ben, who was in turn spread out across the bed, his hair tousled and his lips bright red from kissing. Hux could only imagine how he looked in comparison.
Phasma stood in the doorway, thankfully alone, but her expression was one of sheer embarrassment and horror all the same,
"Forgive me my Lord!" she blurted out, gripping the door handle with all her strength, "I- it's urgent"
Hux stared at her in disbelief for a moment, before placing one hand over his face in humiliation, and waving her to leave with the other.
"Of course my Lord" she squawked in response to the unspoken order, before taking one huge backwards step out of the room and slamming the door shut behind her.
Now alone, Ben finally reacted, letting out a long, strained breath, even as the other man climbed off from him quickly and slid across the room to grab a robe, "I was almost worried for a moment" he said, flexing the muscles in his arms and then loosening them again,
"Don't speak too soon" Hux grumbled, dashing to the door, "Don't go anywhere, I won't be long",
The ravenette nodded and settled back into the bed.
The Lord opened the door to his chambers and immediately found a red faced Phasma waiting for him across the corridor, "Phasma" he said, just managing eye contact, "You said it was urgent?",
Her lips pressed together into a tight line, she nodded, "Yes my Lord, there's been more news"
The redhead nodded, and pulled the door closed behind him quickly, "What is it?",
She blinked at him, "You want to discuss it here sir?"
Hux folded his arms and felt his ears begin to burn as he looked to the ground, "I'm hardly attired to go anywhere else Captain, if the news is as urgent as you say, I want to hear it now",
"Of course" the blonde nodded, "The supply carts that were going to the soldiers were attacked in the night",
The Lord's head snapped up, and his eyes widened, "Where?"
"Barely out of the borders of our kingdom my Lord, it's as if they knew everything about the delivery",
Hux let out a growl as anger started to burn behind his eyes, "How could this happen?"
Phasma dampened her lips, afraid to upset him further, "Perhaps- perhaps someone gave them the information?",
The redhead stayed silent for a moment, before answering in a surprisingly calm tone, "Mention that to no one Phasma",
She frowned at him, "But sir-"
"If it's true, then you are the only one I trust" he said quickly, interrupting her, "We will discuss the attack today, hopefully then we can discern who knows more than they're admitting to",
"Of course" the blonde nodded, folding her hands behind her back, "I'll bring together the council"
Hux gave her a curt nod and quickly returned to his room, starting to feel the chill the radiated from the stone walls in nothing but his robe.
Ben sat up in the bed when he entered and beamed as he approached,
The Lord made for his wardrobe however, his expression steely, "I need to go Ben, there's been an attack",
"Was it bad?" the ravenette asked, gathering the covers around him,
"Most likely, I won't know until I get to the council meeting though" he replied, buckling his trousers on his hips and pulling on a shirt, "I'm sorry, I'll be late back tonight I should think" he then added, starting to tie the fastens on his chest,
Ben shook his head, "It's fine, you need to go",
Hux sighed and stepped over to the bed, reaching out to take the other man's cheek into his hand, "You're unreasonably understanding",
"And you're a good leader" he replied, leaning in for a quick kiss,
"I'll see you tonight" the redhead nodded, pulling away.
Ben watched him collect his jacket and whisk from the room, closing the door tightly behind him,
He sighed and let himself fall back onto the mattress, pulling the covers over him as he went. They smelt of Hux, and the scent brought a smile to his lips, even if it was dim and fading.
0o0o0
The council meeting, although lasting almost a whole day, was as good as a none event.
Hux left it with Phasma at his side, walking in a cold silence until they got to his chamber door,
"It could be any one of them" the Lord said, his hands bundled into fists at his sides,
"So it would seem my Lord" she replied, frowning, "But there's only so much we can do now, we need to rest, gather the forces and form a new battle plan" she added.
The redhead raised an eyebrow at her, "'Rest'?",
"It's been a long day sir" Phasma nodded, "Even you need to take a moment for yourself-" a soft blush settled on her cheeks, "-you deserve it",
"She's right"
Hux turned to find Ben leaning in the open doorway, a soft smile upturning his lips,
"Good to see you again Solo" Phasma nodded,
"You too" he replied,
"Well then I suppose it's decided" the Lord said with a roll of his eyes, "I'm going to rest",
"Have a good evening my Lord" the blonde said, very nearly laughing, "Goodnight Solo" she added, before starting down the corridor and out of sight.
"'Solo'?" Hux asked, turning to the other man,
"Benjamin Solo" the ravenette responded, offering him a hand of greeting, wearing a huge smirk,
"I see" the other responded, taking his hand and allowing himself to be pulled into the bedroom,
"Phasma found me remember" Ben laughed, pealing of the thin robe he wore to reveal his leather trousers and bare chest,
"Of course" Hux nodded, closing the chamber door and beginning to remove his own clothes, shrugging off his jacket easily.
"I like her" the ravenette stated, sitting on the mattress, watching the other disrobe,
"Phasma?" he responded, untying his shirt, "So do I, she's my closest confidant and greatest fighter" he nodded, slowly walking over to join him, "When I rule, she will be one of the greatest pillars this kingdom rests on" he added.
Ben smiled, "And what a great kingdom it'll be"
The redhead chuckled gently and slipped off his shirt, letting it fall to the ground as he went to unfastening his trousers, "She used to be a lady you know, Phasma"
"She did?" the other man replied, arching an eyebrow.
"Yes, but the life style didn't suit her" Hux nodded, climbing onto the bed, "Something you maybe know a little about I think?" he asked, coming face to face with Ben,
The ravenette only looked more confused however, "What do you mean?"
"You don't speak like a low born" he answered, placing his palm against his neck, his fingers drifting through his hair, "Where are you from?"
Ben sighed and took the other's face in hand as well, "Across the narrow sea" he replied, shrugging.
Hux thought of everything he knew of the continent across the water, and nodded softly, "Of course. But- but that still doesn't explain it"
"Explain what?"
"How you talk, you're not a low born are you? Not even one from across the narrow sea?" the redhead concluded.
The other man pulled on odd face, and for the first time since having met him, the Lord would've described him as looking truly uncomfortable,
He pulled away and settled against the headboard of the bed, "My mother was a lady too" he said softly
Hux could hardly believe it, it was just so unlikely,
"And so was her mother, my grandmother" he continued, pulling the covers up to lay over his legs, "She married a knight, but that was against his ordinance of course, and then she died in child birth, giving birth to twins. My mother and her brother weren't raised in the city, and in their absence, my grandfather- the knight, began to rule as a lord" Ben paused and winced,
"You don't have to tell me" Hux said softly, sitting beside him,
The ravenette looked across to him and shrugged, "It's fine" he then sighed, "My grandfather ended up being more of a tyrant, corrupted by political influence. And then my mother marrying a common smuggler was the end of it, my grandfather said she wasn't fit to rule anyone, and banished her from the kingdom. I doubt he even knows that I was born, but that would only make it worse" he added.
Hux tangled his arm around Ben's and pulled him a little closer, "That's terrible, I'm very sorry"
The ravenette looked back to him and gave a soft smile in response, "Don't be sad for me, I'm not"
The Lord frowned however, "But you could've been a lord, and now you're just a..." he trailed off,
"A whore?" Ben suggested with a laugh, "I'm no regular whore, I'm the expensive kind"
The redhead grimaced and shook his head, "Don't joke, I don't like you using that word to describe yourself"
"But it's what I am" he replied.
"No" Hux insisted, "Not anymore, you're a concubine"
That only seemed to amuse the other man, "Which is a fancy way of saying whore",
The Lord sighed, "Ben, I've had a hard day, can we not-"
"I'm sorry" he relied quickly, "I didn't mean to make you feel-" he faltered and dampened his lips, "I'm sorry" he repeated.
"No, it- it's fine" Hux said, resting his cheek against the ravenette's arm, his eyes closing, "It sounds like you've led a difficult life… but somehow you're still- well, you're still so optimistic and bright",
"No sense in worrying about what you can't change" he replied, pressing a kiss to the Lord's temple,
The redhead looked up to him and couldn't help but smile, especially at seeing his own smirk, "No more talk, let's take up where we left it this morning",
"Gladly"