Kylo stood, and then he collapsed against the sagging bedframe and felt his mind race. Hux soon joined him, face cradled in his hands, sweat beading at his temples and wetting his fingers. Neither of them said anything.
Vader's ghost waited patiently. He examined the helmet some more, rotated it in a full circle, noting every speck of dust, and then set it back on its stand. He didn't look surprised, or confused, from what little Kylo could see beneath the hooded robes. Part of him stung that he could be so predictable, but another insisted that he should expect nothing less from Darth Vader.
Finally, after Kylo counted seventy-five taps of their feet, Vader threw back his hood and saw them. He looked like Kylo, in a way that honoured him - they had the same uncooperative hair, the same body language, and Kylo saw his smirk on Vader's mouth. Vader wore his scars differently, with years of practiced care, and his eyes were... strange. Kylo saw his uncle's eye colour, some of his uncle's warmth, but his mother's anger. It was all his mother's anger.
"You act as if I haven't seen this before," Vader said, finally. He wasn't looking at either of them, but back at the mask. Kylo removed his own, in a show of respect, and Vader raised an eyebrow. "I could acclaim your taste. But thirty years of reflection paint your memories a different light, and I know now what I didn't then."
"Do you intend to teach me? The true power of the Force?"
Vader laughed at this, equal parts genuine and mocking. Kylo couldn't tell which. "You are so like me," he said, and Kylo dipped his head.
"You honour me, Grandfather."
"You misunderstand. You are too much like me. You make all the same mistakes and blind yourself to all the same lessons." Vader waved a hand, still gently whirring metal, despite his lacking physical form. "You discard Ben Solo as I discarded Anakin Skywalker. Do not; it is not worth the time, nor the effort."
"Ben Solo was weak."
"You cannot deny the Light in you, as you cannot deny the Dark. Accept both and move forward to become stronger."
"Ben Solo had no strength."
"Did the Empire discredit Anakin Skywalker's contributions to the Clone Wars, despite its greatest asset's insistence on their recklessness and lack of foresight?"
"But Anakin Skywalker was always Darth Vader."
Kylo half expected anger, half pride at this statement, but Vader simply snorted. "Such a narrow view. Yes, we are one, in that each was only a half of the other. I tore myself apart and ignored each unwanted remnant in succession. You are doing that now, Grandson."
"Snoke told me-"
"You listen to the words that tumble out of that zealot's mouth?"
"He is the Supreme Leader-!"
"He is a bumbling fool." Vader was sneering. "As the Emperor Palpatine was a bumbling fool. Arrogance and pride and overconfidence in their own strength. They refuse to acknowledge their limits or nurture their alliances, and that is why they fail. Always." At this, Vader hummed. "In fact," he said, pointing to Hux, "you, the Force burns bright within you. You would be wise to offer your talents to a more deserving party."
"The First Order is thriving under my hand-" Hux began, but Vader simply shook his head.
"That is precisely why you must leave. It is your hand that guides it, not Snoke's. You should answer to no-one but yourself if you wish to achieve your true goals. Listen to some, yes, but pledge yourself to them? No. Never."
Hux reeled. "Are you implying Snoke is doing absolutely nothing to help the First Order?"
"I am not implying it, I am stating it outright. As it is the truth and will always remain the truth."
Kylo frowned. "Grandfather, I would never doubt your words, but these accusations-"
"Are a lot to take in? Perhaps. But I find this is a loss of balance you can easily regain."
Kylo wanted to scream. No, no, I have fought for this! I have given up everything for the Dark! But Grandfather was the greatest Sith to live and breathe this galaxy, and Kylo could never question the great mind that saw through what he and Hux could not. Instead, he asked, "What will you have me do, Grandfather?"
"Do not forget Ben Solo. Do not disrespect what he once stood for."
"I-"
"I did it, didn't I? After all, I spent as much time Anakin as I did Vader. I've seen the merits of both, and lemme tell you," Anakin's grin was menacing, "use both, you're better for it." The grin was gone as fast as it came. "That is all I have time for now. The rest of my family calls to me." An accusing finger, swiftly fading, aimed itself in their direction. "Do not disregard what you have heard here today."
And then he was gone.
Hux began to laugh.
"All this time-" Hux choked. "All this time! And I didn't know! I could have achieved so much more in so much less time. I could have rid you of your ridiculous grandstanding-" Kylo growled at this, but Hux just scoffed. "Don't deny it's ridiculous grandstanding, Ren. The Force can clearly be used for much greater things than intimidating all your little followers. We can do so much. I could raise the Empire from its ashes and rule it myself."
"You are leaping to conclusions, General."
And now, Kylo saw as Hux grew angry. A fuming, frothing kind of anger Kylo knew intimately. It drove him to the consoles with his blade, but it seemed it drove Hux to a wild line of vicious revelations. "As quickly as you leap to stop blasterbolts, you theatric, peacocking, powerful fool. Your dead grandfather - Hah! I sound like a madman already - he's right. Stop playing the crowd like strings and learn to work with the force you consider to be a particularly large gathering of puppets, waiting kindly for your oh-so-kind, oh-so-generous hand up their arse." Hux's nose was wrinkled with the intensity of his sneer. "Did Darth Vader mention you were ignoring an entire half of the Force's power? What kind of shallow creature are you, to pass up such an opportunity over, what, pride?"
"Supreme Leader Snoke said it should be so-"
"Not every word that comes out of that man's mouth is law, Ren! Even I, his precious little workdog, realise this."
Kylo quieted. Hux was right that no man's word was law; or rather, every man's. In this galaxy, law was the subjective piece in the artisan's collection, the one free to interpretation. Kylo had never believed Snoke's word was, by default, truth, but he had believed Snoke to be right, on many things. Snoke was wiser and older and had watched the galaxy burn, die, and reform into the slow-glowing embers made from its own ashes.
But so had Grandfather.
"Don't stumble around like a kicked puppy, Ren, when the solution is clear. Judge for yourself who gives the better guidance."
"And you, General? What will you do with such a monumental realisation?"
"You are a student of the Force yourself, correct? I would choose your own teacher, but from where I'm standing, my friend, it seems your grandfather offers a lot to learn, more even than the Supreme Leader. He has 'lived' longer, and has seen and participated in perhaps even greater historical events than those any of us still alive today have had the pleasure of so much as witnessing."
"So you won't ignore it?"
"'Ignore it?'" Hux burst into high and mocking laughter. "I have a new weapon to hone, and you suggest I leave it to rust instead?"
"Some would prefer so. The Force is- it can be dangerous, and overwhelming."
Hux simply looked at him as if he were punishingly dimwitted. "My life has been dangerous and overwhelming since the day I took my first breath."
Kylo was due to report to Snoke in a few cycles, and yet something in him had begun to unfurl doubt after doubt after doubt. He no longer felt the same intense eagerness to hear the Supreme Leader's wisdom. He wanted to speak again to Grandfather, or to Hux - whose knowledge of the Force was so minuscule it was beyond seeing, and yet whose understanding of its true uses was so great in so little time.
Kylo wanted to talk to Hux, to train him, or to train with him. Before, he had wanted to squeeze at Hux's neck until he could no longer draw that breath he heralded, that had overcome his dangerous and overwhelming circumstances. Now, Hux was a puzzle he wanted to solve. Or a book whose pages he could not read. Kylo wanted Hux to trust in him enough to read those pages aloud.
He had no idea where this urge to prove himself had come from. From Hux's casual dismissal of his capabilities, perhaps, or the shame borne from his thorough chastising by Grandfather. He had thought himself so right in his grasp of the Force. He was still more skilled than the streetchildren who used it to steal them half-rotten food, but now he felt barely a step up, like a schoolboy, back in Uncle Luke's temple.
Desperately, he searched the Force for Hux's unique signature, a spark of fire, the smell of expensive cologne, and, when he was particularly angry, the feel of a finely-tailored uniform soaking in blood.
The spark burned bright several decks above, in Kylo's custom training room. He had commissioned it when the minds of his officers had become too distracting. The Stormtroopers always shook and reeked of hurt and ache when they practiced their regimens. Kylo could barely stand it. And now Hux was once again invading the only space he had to himself.
He stood up, surging with, not anger, but curiosity.
Hux was stretched into an elegantly lethal pose when Kylo arrived, a wooden sword gripped in one hand, aimed straight at the blank, empty face of a standard training holo. Kylo recognised immediately a strange blend of rigid military custom and ancient lightsaber combat forms. He could see the point where the two merged, soldier and Force-user. One who would use it not only as a tool, but as a weapon.
"I hope you don't mind that I'm borrowing your room. It's not in the First Order's interest to hoard such resources to oneself, you know."
"They are not solely for myself. Had I truly been intent on keeping you out, you would certainly not find yourself anywhere within this entire deck's vicinity."
"Tell me, with enough practice, would I be able to push through your greedy boundaries, to find the room despite your best efforts? Am I of that calibre? Or am I simply able to suspend my morning caf in the air for the few seconds it takes to clear away cutlery?"
Kylo examined the spark. Now, it was small because it was confused. He could feel its desire, its need to rage and burn into an unstoppable firestorm. It reached to lick at his hands and singe his fingertips. It could, and would, chew through him and use him as fuel should he feel the need to let it.
"My grandfather was correct in his assessment. You have great potential within you. I am unable to tell what will limit you and what will not; you know too little as of now."
"Then I will continue to practice," Hux said, and resumed his stance.
"You will not be using this room unaccompanied, General. I have my own routine to attend to."
"I think we can manage a little civility in our training, hmmm? Or would you like to spar?"
Kylo had no trouble understanding the implication behind the words. Hux knew little of the Force, but he lived and breathed fighting as he lived and breathed overwhelming danger. It was his birthright, passed down in blood through generations and generations of Hux's before him.
"Greatly so. But first, I must address my own personal schedule."
"Does it require great silence?"
"If you feel the need to blast the holofeed at maximum volume, General, you are free to do so. Though I would prefer some measure of peace."
"You're above needing such base things as a little quiet, aren't you?"
"Only younglings let this hinder them." Kylo huffed.
"We'll see about that," said Hux, and his mouth set into a small, challenging half-smile, just a slight upturn to his lips.
This was a challenge Kylo could most certainly accept.
As he had expected, Hux could fight. By all the gods, could he fight. Kylo was so sick of pummelling people into the floor, he wanted to taste his own blood as well as others', that was a true battle. A victory in a battle of equals was even more worthy of respect, and at its least, respect was what he wanted - demanded - from all his command. He wanted honour and glory, but those were won.
Arguably, respect was also won, but considering Kylo was, in fact, anyone's superior officer in the first place meant he had already earnt enough respect alone.
After seeing no clear winner in the hours they'd fought, Kylo had sat down to rest, and to ignore the hunger gnawing its way through him. And, of course, Hux's frustrating stare.
"Do you have something you wish to ask, General?"
"You're..." Hux tapped his fingers in rhythms against the training mat, brows furrowed, mouth turned down by just a slight degree. "You're hungry," Hux said, finally settling. He seemed incredibly pleased with himself. He looked rather like a cat.
Hux scoffed. "I do not."
"No matter, General. I, too-"
"You're too much a cat," Hux interrupted. "I've already one to deal with-"
"And now you have another," Kylo said. He hadn't meant for it to come out like an offer than a statement of fact, but his balance had been shaken by Grandfather's appearance, and still he could not mask everything he felt. Clearly, not enough at least for Hux to miss.
"And now I have another," Hux repeated. "I'm not feeding you my rations just because you forgot to bring yours."
"But what if I asked nicely?"
"You never do."
No, he supposed he didn't. "It's not a rule of mine. Really, rules were made to be broken, don't you think, Hux?"
"Unless you're directly sabotaging all my efforts."
"Please?"
Hux threw a protein bar at Kylo's face, which he gracefully caught, inches before it could smack him in the nose. "Thank you."
"No compliments for the method of delivery?"
"It could've used a few improvements."
Hux was at the door at an absurd hour of the morning, and Kylo merely waved it open, and went back to the comfort of his pillow. "I assume you're here to demand I train you, or that Grandfather take you on as well."
"Did you read my mind?"
"Did I have to?" Kylo yawned. "Yes. You'll be surprised to find I am not so much a child as not to share my toys."
"Or in this case, your undead family."
"Yes, my undead family. Considering we share blood, you should call upon Darth Vader at a later hour. After all, if I break a few consoles when I'm awoken too early in the morning cycle, what do you think Vader himself might do?"
Hux glared. "Be a reasonable adult."
"You take no losses, do you? And you are... very set on making this happen."
"I've been given a gift, and I am not going to spend any further second of my life throwing it aside."
"I will teach you when Grandfather cannot," Kylo promised, and held up a finger. "And no, I will not patronise you. You are leagues above those I patronise, and that is simply fact. It is not to feed your ego."
"I will accept your lessons if you keep to your word."
And Kylo felt honesty bubble up within him. "I am only a learner myself. We both will benefit immeasurably from Grandfather's tutelage."
"Has he, in fact, agreed to give it?"
"I don't- I don't know. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to call on him. The Supreme Leader schedules all meetings, but Grandfather's tactics have always been purposefully unpredictable."
Hux smirked. "Perhaps if we wish upon the stars hard enough."
"I will teach you how to seek out his presence, and those of others. In a few hours. Feel free to eat my morning rations. I repay my debts."
"'Debts.' You consider a protein bar a debt?"
"Yes, General. Rations are a commodity, even to me."
"Very well. Once you've regained consciousness, come find me streaming from your holofeed and eating your rations. Then we can ask for your grandfather."
"Agreed," said Kylo, and went back to sleep.
Author's Note: I am in Crack Treated Seriously!Fic hell again. I will never be free, and to be honest, I don't want to be.
Watch as this spirals out of control just as all my other fics have.
SHAKY. I WILL DRAG YOU RIGHT FROM THE PT INTO THE ST, I SWEAR. You are my enabler and I am yours. This mess is still all your fault. Thank you. xox
(As always, feel free to point out any errors or disagreements in characterisation! I write these all when I've had far too little sleep to be healthy. Seriously. Kylo is a hungry cat and Hux is an exasperated one. Such things can only come from sleep deprivation-addled brains.)