Chapter 7, Comfort

Traumatised after hearing the truth, Kylo breaks. Hux isn't doing much better.

Snoke lets them go.

Join me immediately, he leaves unsaid. The silent threat is all too apparent; free to leave, but his prisoners all the same. The consequences will be severe if Kylo doesn't follow orders, and if Hux interferes, it will only end tragically for them both.

They turn to leave. Together.

The new information is hard enough to digest without the thunderous echo of Snoke laughing. The chamber feels as if it's closing in around them, swallowing, engulfing them in a nightmare. He has the audacity to laugh after revealing the truth and Hux doesn't know whether he wants to throw up or hunt him down.

But he can't — Hux can't let Kylo see his weakness. He has to be strong so Kylo doesn't have to.

With a steadfast gaze from the corner of his eye, Hux notes the way in which Kylo struggles to walk under the weight on his shoulders. It hurts to see the tears glistening on his cheeks and the quivering of his lips and not being able to stop it.

The journey to the podium may have felt an hour long, the walk away takes an age. With each step from Snoke, the exit simultaneously gets further away. Eventually they come to a halt at the door; Kylo loses his momentum and starts to wobble on his legs like a new born foal. Hux enters the unlock code to open the door, willing Kylo to stay on his feet until they have crossed the sill.

The door closes behind them, cutting them off from Snoke's cackling, leaving them in an odd silence. Machines and computers in the hallway emit static and occasional beeps, though not loud enough to prevent Hux from hearing the hitching in Kylo's breath. He turns in time to catch the Omega before he falls to the floor.

In the safety of Hux's arms, Kylo cries, howling into the strong chest supporting him. Everything he knew, what he stood for, was based on a lie, on his own destruction. Gripping onto Hux's uniform, his breath stutters, choking on the air he heaves into his lungs. A hand rubs a deep circle on his back, easing his muscles to help him breathe.

Hux helps Kylo to his feet but his legs give way again. Despite Kylo's weak protests, Hux sweeps an arm under his knees to lift him from the floor. Suddenly tired and equally embarrassed, Kylo hides his face against Hux, closing his eyes so he can't see anyone they pass as Hux strides through the halls.

They stop and Kylo panics. Why have they stopped? He wants to look but can't bring himself too.

"Kylo," Hux says softly, and he shakes his head with scrunched eyes, "Kylo, we need to open the door."

Looking up and now feeling comfortable in Hux's hold, he knows they have reached a relative sanctuary. He extends an arm and Hux shifts to allow him to enter the code without having to be put down. The sheepish look on his face is endearing to Hux as he carries him over the threshold.

The door automatically shuts behind them with a whoosh and they both breathe a sigh of relief. Alone at last, Kylo wraps his arms around Hux's neck, lowering his legs to the floor to stand securely. Hands settle on his waist, pulling him ever closer as his face buries into the crook of Hux's neck. Fresh tears slip from his eyes, soaked up by the dark material that's now wet under him. With fingers now in his hair, it instantly relaxes him in a way he doesn't understand.

"Hux?" Kylo mumbles into his shoulder and the General hums his attention, "What do I do?"

"I—" Hux hesitates, "I don't know…" Kylo stiffens in his arms and he feels sick again. Pulling Kylo back, Hux looks at him directly. He needs him to know he means what he says. "But I promise you, he will not hurt you. No one will hurt you, Kylo."

Fresh tears fall and Kylo hates it; from a lifetime of purging emotion to a constant onslaught of feeling is exhausting. He sags in Hux hold and with more reassurance falling from the Alpha's lips, he lets himself cry. Hux cradles his face in his hands and kisses the tears from his skin; the saltiness is unpleasant on his tongue as a reminder of Kylo's pain.

"You need to rest," Hux decides, worried if he doesn't. With threats all around from Snoke and rival Alpha's, he needs — they both need — the strength to overcome his heat and make it out alive.

Kylo nods his agreement and accepts Hux's hand as he leads them towards the surprisingly comfortable sofa instead of the bed. The sheets need changing and Hux doesn't want to waste time doing so. It's awkward with limbs all over the place, but they finally settle, lying together on their sides. Hux is pressed against the backrest with Kylo pulled tightly to his chest, arms around him again and hands resting together on the Omega's stomach.

They fall into a silence that verges on tense, though it still feels safe and that's what Kylo vitally needs. Shaken to the core, traumatised, he questions where his loyalty has been placed all of this time. Other thoughts cross his mind fleetingly: how would his life have turned out if he hadn't become Snoke's apprentice? Hux must sense his discomfort, nuzzling his neck and peppering him with light kisses.

Still gripping his hands in his own, Kylo brings their tangled fingers up to pillow his head. The stretch in Hux's arms is uncomfortable but it hardly matters when he notices a change in Kylo's breathing as he drifts asleep. He closes his own eyes, resting not unconscious, still fully aware of his surroundings and the gentle shifting of Kylo's body as he sleeps.

The quiet gives him time to think, not that he wants too. He'd rather forget everything Snoke revealed, but that's impossible. Everything has changed, irrecoverably. He contemplates Snoke's plan with a lump in his throat.

For half of Kylo's life, Snoke has lied and plotted to have him raped until pregnant and have the process repeated over and over until he has what he wants and Kylo is left in the dirt. Images of a young, helpless Kylo flash in his mind and he opens his eyes to rid himself of them. Kylo has been in Snoke's custody since he was 15, he was only a child under his monstrous influence.

A child. Dread fills his body, suddenly cold from head to toe and he holds the dozing Omega closer. He imagines a child, his child growing inside of Kylo for nine-months, only to be ripped from him and trained as a weapon. It happened to Kylo, it happened to him. They can't let their child — for Snoke was so very convinced there is one — be taken from them.

With a pensive gaze, Hux watches Kylo, his face distorted through strands of hair, and his eyes are wet. He sheds his own tears into Kylo's hair, sobbing quietly so not to wake him. But it clearly doesn't work when Kylo shifts onto his back, looking at him with wide eyes. A thumb brushes away the tears and his mouth opens and closes, unable to find the words to ask what's wrong. As Kylo places his palm on his cheek, Hux grips his wrist to kiss his hand.

Kylo finally gathers enough courage to talk, but the lights flicker and the alarms sound. They both duck reflexively, sharing a look of trepidation as a new threat arises on Starkiller Base.