It was early morning and the corridors across the Finalizer were completely empty, still sparsely lit even, mimicking early morning light as it would be on a planet.
Kylo was glad of it, he was hardly dressed appropriately to be seen by anyone, whether they were an inconsequential subordinate or otherwise,
He was rushing to Hux's room, still sleep addled but so one track minded that he couldn't be stopped.
The moment he had woken, he'd shot out of bed, pulled on the closest clean clothes and barrelled from his room, hardly registering the time or even the temperature,
The corridors were cold, and the jacket separating his bare skin from the cool air was hardly making a difference.
Kylo didn't care though, as he was now approaching the door he was aiming for,
He stopped in the corridor and planted his feet firmly on the ground, raising his fist to confidently knock on the cold metal door.
He waited for almost a full minute until it finally slid open to reveal the darkness of the room beyond, and Hux himself who looked quite rough, for a lack of a better word.
Kylo licked his lips, "I think we need to-" he cut himself off, distracted by his own nervousness, "Can we talk?"
The redhead visibly swallowed, dislodging a lump in his throat and gave a single curt nod, stepping aside to allow Kylo entrance.
He hung his head a little and ducked in, the door sliding shut behind him,
The room was very dark indeed, lit only by the dim red readout of the time beside the bed, and the hundred, thousand stars visible out of the window, casting light on them from millions of miles away.
The bed covers were an utter mess, twisted and bundled, barely lying on the mattress as they spilled onto the floor,
But the General himself looked worse.
He'd clearly had to pull on a pair of trousers to answer the door, they were dark and well fitting but also creased and riding up at the groin as he'd dressed in a rush,
His top half was covered by a light grey vest which left his pale, thin arms bare, as well as his narrow shoulders which were sprinkled densely with freckles.
Kylo swallowed thickly at the sight of them, but the man's graceful, unmarked neck was even more distracting.
Hux's hair was tussled, his eyes were half closed and sporting dark bags, and he was in need of a shave too.
The ravenette came to a stop at the foot of the bed, his hands in his jacket pockets and his shoulders shrugged in discomfort,
"Do you always wake up this early?" Hux asked, after the silence between them had already stretched on for far too long,
He had moved past Kylo after only a few seconds, and was now looking to his desk, one hand working lazily at a list of unread messages on his data pad.
"Hmm?" the other man asked, his brow furrowing,
Hux licked his lips and looked up to him, "After the dreams?" he said, folding his arms, "Do you always wake up so early after them?",
Kylo blinked and parted his lips a little- that was more than enough to confirm that they truly had shared the dream, and everything that had happened during it,
Not that he doubted it all the much really.
Kylo shrugged softly and then let out a sigh, watching the lethargic expression the redhead was wearing- he was giving very little away.
"So?"
Hux frowned and slowly made his way over to the bed, sitting heavily on it, "'So'" he repeated softly, staring out of the wall sized window he was facing,
The other man wasn't sure if he was silent because he didn't want to talk, or just because he was too tired- or maybe he just didn't know what to say all together. Kylo would understand that, he felt just the same.
He slunk over to the bed and sat down as well, only realising the tension that that created once he was settled- it brought back memories that made him blush, but it would only make it worse to stand again.
"Ren?" Hux asked softly, speaking after a few moments,
The ravenette turned, to his surprise the other man was looking right back at him, gazing into his eyes,
"Hux?" he replied, watching as his pupils drifted downwards.
The General was looking at his lips now, but wasn't doing anything to hide the fact, he was likely too tired to bother denying it,
He reached a hand up, letting it rest on Kylo's cheek.
The Knight allowed it, morbidly fascinated by what could happen next,
The redhead leant upwards and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.
The warmth and sincerity of the contact felt so uniquely singular to Kylo, it was nothing like that which he had experienced in the dream, both before and after General Hux's arrival,
It felt real, there was no other way to put it.
Hux clearly didn't plan on lingering in the kiss for long, but the ravenette put his own hand to the man's back before he could pull away, and instead kept him in place, prolonging it,
He swiped his tongue against the General's bottom lip, and was allowed to briefly enter his mouth, tasting the very real, stale morning breath that the redhead had.
Kylo didn't mind, and when they eventually separated, he let his fingers stay on the base of Hux's skull, rubbing small circles with his finger tips across the short hair there.
The other man bit his lip, and the ravenette did everything he could to ignore the surge of heat that spiked through him,
All dishevelled, tired and with his teeth tugging at his lip, Hux was undeniably attractive, and now knowing that Kylo himself could bring him to that state -as he had in their shared dream earlier- the man's blood was starting to boil,
The redhead could clearly tell.
He quirked a pale eyebrow, "Why are you holding back?" he whispered,
The Knight was sorely tempted to take revenge for the hit the other man had dealt him the previous day, teasing him at a time like this, but he settled for the next best thing, pulling him into a relentless open-mouthed kiss, pushing him backwards until his back met with the mattress.
Hux smirked against him and brought his legs up to rest either side of Kylo, keeping him close to his own body.
0o0o0
The next week or so became an utter whirlwind of serious work and incredibly physical, scorching hot sex.
During the daytime, or as close to that as they had on the Finalizer, Kylo Ren and General Hux mostly ignored one another, accept of course, when interaction became absolutely necessary -mostly for meetings with Supreme Leader Snoke.
In the evening however, it was another matter.
The Knight would come to the General's quarters after exercising (and of course showering) and would be greeted usually with a partially undressed Hux, moments away from finishing his work, and more than ready for physical company.
The contact was almost primal, they were reduced to the animalistic groans that accompanied base emotions and sensations of the body.
It was definitely a more satisfying way of resolving their anger towards each other, far more satisfying than shouting matches or even violence, which had happened only a handful of times before.
Then, once the two fell asleep on the Finalizer, they of course continued their time in the dream,
They shared companionable silences and sometimes light conversation, but for the most part, they just re-enacted another carnal dance until they knocked themselves out with fatigue.
It was entirely out of the ordinary of course, but it was their routine, a routine neither of them was in a great rush to change.
On the eighth day however, Kylo was met with a new scenario upon entering the General's room,
On that first morning, Hux had looked worse for wear, on a usual day, he would be tired from work, but today he looked down right awful.
"Are- are you okay?" Kylo asked as the door slid closed behind him,
"Just ill" the redhead snapped in response, sniffling and walking over to his desk,
There were huge bags under his eyes making them look sunken, his lips were so pale and dry that they seemed to blend into the rest of his waxen skin, and his movements were jittery.
"Oh" the other man replied, "Do you- do you want me to leave?"
Hux looked over his shoulder and shrugged, "No-" he cut himself off with a cough, "No you can stay if you- if you want" he replied, a slight blush developing over his cheeks, "But-"
"Hmm?" the ravenette asked, removing his jacket,
"Do you mind if we don't- if we don't-?"
The General seemed embarrassed by having to ask, and for a moment Kylo found himself wondering why. He didn't say so though, he just nodded, "That's fine, we don't need to do, anything",
Hux coughed again, "Thank you"
In silence the two then finished undressing, no longer nervous about nudity in front of one another, and they slipped into bed, the General easily slotting in beside the other man.
After a few more minutes, Kylo could feel the redhead's breathing shift, and when he was sure he was asleep, he curved his arm around the man's shoulders, pulling him in closer. He was glad of the extra warmth beside him as he slept, not that he would mention that to the General though.
0o0o0
Kylo woke to find Hux awake beside him already, an open book in his hands and a pair of glasses perched on his nose,
He looked infinity more healthy here in the dream than he had before they had fallen asleep, but the ravenette supposed that that was inevitable in this place, this perfect place.
"Good morning" he said softly, rolling his shoulders and turning on the mattress,
"Morning" Hux replied, closing his book and looking over to him, his glasses slipping slightly further down on his narrow nose,
"Feeling better?"
"Of course" he replied, smiling,
Kylo couldn't help but grin in response, "Feeling up for more of the usual then?"
The redhead shrugged nonchalantly and removed his reading glasses, "I suppose" he said folding them away and placing them with his book on the bedside table. He then turned back to the other man and quirked his brow at him suggestively,
At first, the Knight had been shocked to discover that he had a sense of humour at all, but now he was glad of it. Hux's humour matched his own, or at the very least it appealed to him, all sarcasm and teasing remarks.
Kylo shifted on the mattress and moved closer to him, coming down to rest above him, and placing a gentle kiss on his lips,
As he pulled away, a sort of pining sound left the General's throat, and his eyes squeezed shut,
The ravenette smirked and pulled away the thin covers that were draped over his body, moving down on the bed to instead place his mouth against the skin that lay exposed between his vest and briefs.
He would go as far as to say that he was more than a little obsessed with Hux's hips, they were narrow, pale, covered with freckles and on occasion marred by bruises caused by Kylo's own mouth,
"Ren" the redhead hissed as his tongue skimmed the edge of his bellybutton, his hands shooting up to grab hold of the headboard, his fingers gripping it tightly as heat coiled within him.
The other man chuckled and nipped at his skin, soothing it with the inside of his lip, "Mmm" he hummed, feeling the flesh quiver beneath him, "Armitage"
The body beneath him went rigged for a moment and the redhead coughed,
"Ren, do me a favour?"
"Hmm?" he responded, between more heated kisses placed against the other man abdomen,
"Don't call me that. Don't- don't talk about him" he stuttered, caught on knifes edge between pleasure and discomfort,
Kylo frowned and looked up from his stomach, "What?" he asked softly, his brow knitting together, "Why? He's you"
Hux sighed and sat up, slipping out from under the other man. He pressed his back against the bedhead and rolled his neck, "No, he's not" he stated firmly, "And what was between you and him, isn't the same as what's happening here"
Confusion hit the ravenette and he sat up as well, "I don't understand"
He rolled his eyes and his hands began to twist together uncertainly, "We're fucking Ren. You and him, you and Armitage-" he wore a look of disdain as he said the name, "-you had more than that. But we don't"
Kylo blinked at him, he wasn't even sure where that had come from, he thought the General had been enjoying himself. Perhaps he had been too distracted by his own pleasure,
"What?" he asked again,
Hearing the question leave his own mouth, the ravenette felt like a moron- it was made worse by the look Hux gave him that al but confirmed that he was.
"Excuse me" the redhead then said stiffly, making his way off of the bed and to the door in seconds flat, collecting a cardigan on his way,
Kylo sighed and deflated in the bed rather, pressing his nose into the pillow.
It had a fresh, clean scent, as it had all those nights ago when the dream had first presented itself. Now though, it retained a kind of heat, a life, something that set it apart from then,
The General had left an impression on the pillow.
The ravenette sighed and lifted his head after a moment, he then dragged himself from the bed and frowned at the prospect of putting on clothes. Even Hux was wearing more than him though, even without the cardigan he had left the room with.
Kylo grumbled and tugged on a shirt, stomping from the room once it was laying untwisted around his arms,
As much as the idea made him uncomfortable, he knew that they wouldn't be able to easily get past whatever it was that had just happened. Hux tended to hold onto things as he had discovered, and whatever this was, was sure to leave him sour.
He found the man curled up in the single person chair once more, Millicent the cat sitting in a ball atop his legs,
He was stroking at her gently, watching the way her fur moved in spirals and swirls depending on how he pulled his hands through it,
Kylo frowned and sat on the couch, moving slowly and quietly,
He didn't doubt that the General knew he was there, but he wanted to keep the atmosphere calm.
After a few moments he addressed the man, "Are you okay?",
The redhead didn't look up, but he shrugged, sighing softly, "Fine" he replied,
The other man bit the inside of his lip, but stopped himself from getting angry at the vague answer- Hux didn't respond to anger- "I didn't- I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable" he said, his voice quiet,
He shook his head however, "You didn't"
Kylo quirked an eyebrow but said nothing- the man was very hard to read, and pushing out answers never worked, he just spoke at his own pace, and only shared information when he was ready to,
"As always, I was rather enjoying the company" Hux said, his eyes still on the cat, "But when you said his name, it reminded me that-" he faltered, his frown becoming more set in his face, "-it reminded me that you'd rather be with him, not me",
"That's not true" the Knight said quickly,
"It is" the redhead replied, "You had a different kind of relationship with him, it's very clear. What you experienced with him was so much more than what we give each other"
By now, Hux's eyes had lifted to look at the other man. They were watery, not on the verge of tears, but murky like a sea with clouds set above it. There was some kind of turmoil brewing behind those eyes,
Kylo dampened his lips and grimaced at the next thought that came to him, "Are you jealous?"
The General said nothing in response- the expression he had taken on was as good as an affirmative though, albeit a nervous one. He shrugged and shook his head, looking down to his lap again, "It wasn't just passion, was it?" he asked, "There was romance"
The ravenette couldn't quite believe what he was hearing, he had already learnt so much about Hux in the days that had passed, and yet it apparently wasn't enough, the man still had the ability to surprise him,
"Is that what you're jealous of?" he asked, his jaw hanging slack, "Hux, if I felt that there was any indication from you that you wanted that-"
"I do!" Hux then yelped, desperation almost overcoming him.
Millicent quickly fled from his lap and went to sit under the coffee table instead,
The General gave the look of a useless man, one out of options, and with speech that quaked as it left his mouth, admissions poured out of him, "It-it's lonely" he stated, now speaking at half the volume again, "The crushing void of space is so- so damn lonely. The prospect of having someone beside you in that, is a comfort"
He began to look about the apartment, everywhere but at Kylo- just as well he thought, as the Knight's completely befuddled expression would've only made all of this more difficult to say out loud,
"When I'm here, I feel safe. I can't explain it, but I'm safe here, with you. And there, in my quarters... It feels less empty when you're there" he continued, his hands now coming up to hold his own arms below the elbow, as though he was holding himself steady, "I don't want to be alone, I can't be anymore, not for a moment longer, I can't stand it"
Kylo stood swiftly from the couch and wound around the coffee table, coming to a stop and kneeling by the chair that Hux sat in. He wrapped his arms around the other man, tightly, feeling him turn his own form to lean against him. He could almost feel the General quivering. He didn't know what to say.
"I feel very foolish"
The ravenette winced and squeezed him a little tighter, using one hand to rub his back in what he hoped was a soothing manner,
"I can't believe I said any of that" Hux went on, talking directly into the other man's neck.
Kylo bit his lip for a moment before finally responding, "It is lonely" he began, pulling away to look the other man in the eye, "And from what I know, you've been alone a lot more than most",
Hux arched an eyebrow, albeit weakly, "And what is it that you know?",
The Knight shrugged softly, "I read your file a while back, just a few bits of it",
The redhead stiffened up.
He had no doubt that when Kylo referred to him being 'alone a lot more than most', he was likely referring to his childhood- domineered by his father, motherless, and forced to study everyday almost from birth. Beaten, abused and spread so thin he should've broken.
Usually he would've minded someone looking into matters so private, but considering how intimately well the ravenette knew him in some regards, he could hardly be angry at the idea that the man also knew some of his history,
Hux merely shrugged, opting to say nothing.
"But I get lonely too" Kylo continued, his hand now taking up the other man's smaller appendage and squeezing it softly, "And having you around has been-" he blushed a little, "-well, it's been quite agreeable. I've been holding the time very dear to me"
The other man was still quiet, having gone back to being completely unreadable as usual.
Kylo didn't know how much more he had to say, he couldn't really describe all he felt anyway. He did enjoy Hux's company, and not just for the sex either, but it was still so odd, so obscure to him, that he could hardly admit his feelings to himself yet.
Hux dampened his lips with the tip of his tongue before shrugging again, "I'm sorry I can't be him" he said very softly,
The ravenette shook his head immediately, "No, don't apologise" he insisted, "I-" the flush across his cheeks now grew deeper, hotter and darker, "I actually quite like you"
Hux looked sceptical, but once more said nothing,
"When we're together, just us, you're actually quite good company" Kylo said, smiling softly, "You're intelligent, witty-" he then paused and nearly laughed, "-and you've got a very well hidden, but raging libido"
The redhead blushed back now, not quite letting his own amusement get the better of him however,
"It also helps that you're attractive" the Knight admitted, "I'm attracted to you. Your body and your mind and your face. I want you Hux, I want you"
The General's hands felt hot in his own, and his fingers began to curl, squeezing Kylo's in return,
"And I want you" he admitted,
The ravenette couldn't help but smirk, "Right now?" he asked softly,
Hux rolled his eyes but took in an amused breath, "Go on then, if you want me, carry me"
"Gladly" Kylo replied, before standing and taking hold of the other man by the hips.
He hoisted him up and naturally the redhead spread his legs so that his thighs could rest either side of his waist, his ankles meeting and twisting together for extra hold,
"Let's be gentle today" Hux whispered, resting his chin against the man's collar, and letting one of his hands roam into his thick hair,
"You want it slow?" the ravenette asked, beginning the route back to the bedroom,
Hux laughed and placed a kiss to his jaw, just below his earlobe, "Tender"
0o0o0
Kylo woke on the Finalizer long before even Hux's early alarm,
The man beside him, laying in his arms was also awake, but he was drifting so close back to slumber that he remained silent and unmoving.
The ravenette smiled and moved his head forward, letting his forehead meet with Hux's,
In response he wrinkled his nose and nudged it toward the other man's, bumping the tip of it against the Knight's own much larger nose.
Kylo let out an amused little breath and tilted his head slightly, getting just the right angle to press a soft kiss against Hux's lips,
The redhead pulled away from the kiss after a second and a sigh sifted through his parted lips, making a sort of contented sound,
"Go back to sleep" Kylo murmured, barely above a whisper, "I'll be here when you wake up" he added.
Hux licked his lips and ducked his head, resting it in the soft space below the other man's collar, just before the tight muscle of his chest. Soon enough his delicate breath became shallow, barely traceable, and the Knight knew that he was asleep once more.
He smiled and curved his arm more tightly around the General, delighted by the way his weight felt next to him. So obvious, but so natural.
Kylo had been aware of affection all his life, although he didn't admit it. Motherly affection, paternal affection, even the affection of assorted men he called 'uncle'.
But he had never felt anything quite like this,
It was like a very perfect and unlikely dream.