/AN/ Will I get some continuity things wrong? Yes :) Have I watched TROS since it's premier almost 4 years ago? No :( But please give my story and this oddly beautiful pairing a chance anyway.
Hux winced as he quite literally peeled the blaster-scorched vest from his chest and craned his neck to look at the damage that actually mattered.
And...it wasn't that bad. Even his leg was starting to reveal itself as a superficial wound.
Then why am I still out of breath? I thought for sure I was dying! Is this what adventure feels like?
One of the only good things to come out of That Man's ascension was Hux's stable place out of combat and on the hull of the Finalizer. Of course, espionage did throw a wrench in his risk-free life, but it would all have been worth it. Once that rabid dog of a Supreme Leader is off the throne and I have begun to shape the galaxy to my liking, this will all be a hazy memory, he would tell himself.
Present Hux scowled and cringed. The First Order and all his ambitions had come to nothing. He had expected a blow, a crippling one even, one to knock Ren from his place and allow them all to rise again greater and refined, but the Resistance pulled through. The galaxy's hope was stronger than their fear. And... he couldn't even bring himself to regret it. Perhaps the galaxy will be greater and refined, but neither he nor the Order will have any place in it.
His attuned self-preservation was screaming at him to get to an escape pod already, but Hux just sat there. In the new world, where would he go? Who would respect him? Who had reason to? Besides, the alarms had begun blaring nearly an hour before; likely, all the escape craft were gone.
He slumped further into the ground...then shot upright again as a loud BANG sounded from the only durasteel door in or out.
Into the storage closet came a short, well-proportioned woman who he (and the scar on his hand) recognized immediately.
Right away, he pretended to casually fiddle with the damage on his chest, not looking at her, "Ah, Miss Tico. Kindly move along or finish the job yourself," he gestured to the blaster on her thigh, whilst still not looking in her direction.
When she did not give a hint of responding, Hux was finally forced to raise his gaze, and what he saw made no sense at all.
Rose's smile was fond, mischievous, and proud? He'd never seen anything quite like it. So he stared.
"Not sure we're thinking of the same job, GingerTabby."
His alias. A beat went by, then two. Then Hux came out of his trance, his jaw dropping slightly, and his lips curling into a hesitant smile. All along, his patient, funny, insistent Resistance contact was Rose Tico.
"I knew," he said almost wistfully. "I've no idea how, but I did."
"Well, I didn't!" Rose laughed a little hysterically—she'd probably had a long day— "But I'm so glad...and I'm getting you out of here; come on." She stepped aside into the closet, gesturing to the doorway.
"But I—but you," Hux sputtered, then took a breath and started over. "You'll fall under the condemnation of your peers."
Rose huffed a laugh. "No, I won't, Armitage, and even if I did— you think that's more important than your life?" She asked as she marched up to him, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him out the door and into the siren-filled hallway. Hux didn't resist, but he didn't stop arguing either.
"I've caused the demise of trillions of people."
"I know, Armitage."
"I didn't really..." Hux paused, for it was harder telling Rose than it had been telling the former trooper. "I didn't really turn out of the goodness of my heart," he admitted almost shamefully.
"I gathered that much," she actually laughed.
"I'm responsible for Paige Tico's death, too."
Rose stopped in her path, and Hux thought for sure that this was it; she'd leave him in the crumbling hall and go back safe and sound to her friends and heroes— back to people with clean hands, people more worthy of her time. Maybe this could be a good thing for him to do in this new world. Atonement. There's no ulterior motive this time. It's almost as if keeping Rose Toco safe and happy is its own reward.
But Rose Tico did not leave him. She only let go of his wrist so she could take his hand. But her lips formed a straight line, and she did not answer him that time.
Even though his goal of getting Rose safely away from him now seemed closer, Hux felt a burning shame in his lungs and heart. He had to fight the impulse to apologize and comfort. Needless to say, never with anyone else had this reaction happened before.
The fall of stormtrooper boots started to echo behind them and Hux quickly pulled Rose around a corner and out of their sight. The three troopers walked by, without blasters, looking as aimless as ghosts. They were part of the skeleton crew, chosen based on poor discipline and performance records to stay on evacuated ships.
The First Order was not wasteful, and as it salvaged itself from the remains of the Empire, so it could salvage their Mega Destroyers if they were preserved well enough in the event of a crash. That was the public answer, but the use of skeleton crews was simply another fear tactic— and another way to trim the fat. Brendol Hux had initiated it, and Armitage Hux had never given it a second thought. But now, with his arm protectively around Rose Tico (who would literally fight the notion tooth and nail) he felt slightly sick.
"They deserve your efforts more than I do," Hux whispered to Rose. "I had a choice...they do not."
Rose looked up at him in wonder, her lips not quite as straight now, and even a little parted. Then she looked at where the troopers were approaching, then back at him again with raised eyebrows. Well? she seemed to prompt.
He didn't mean—that wasn't what he—...oh nevermind.
Hux clomped in view of the troopers and yelled for them to stop. Rose was beside him as they approached. When they turned and saw him, they saluted as quickly as they could, but exhaustion was in their every movement. Then the middle trooper noticed Rose and forced herself into alertness.
"Sir, be careful!" She cried, moving to restrain Rose, "That's a dangerous Resista—"
"Dangerous she may be, but not to me or you, trooper." Hux snapped, putting himself more securely between the women. The trooper flinched back almost ferally. Rose brushed his bicep, probably in response to his tone. Stars, I'm trying my best, woman, he thought. But Hux just sighed and tried again, addressing the other two, still hanging back in stupors, as well.
"Miss Tico is getting us out of here," he started, choosing his words and expression carefully. "The Order… has abandoned you, and is crumbling as we speak. But the Resistance will offer you shelter and pardon. We—you… will be free."
"Free?" One of the other troopers, male, repeated the word as if it were of a foreign language.
"But…what will we do?" The female trooper sounded frightened. The one who had not spoken yet just shook their head in confusion.
Rose stepped forward (bloody finally, thought Hux) and spoke firmly and gently: "Your concerns are very important, but we can have this conversation when our lives aren't on the line. Now we need to leave, but first— do you know for sure if any of your fellows are nearby?"
The troopers stiffened, and one could almost see them setting their jaws. A frustrated scowl formed on Hux's lips.
"Answer her!" He barked.
Rose slapped Hux's ginger mop even further from its usual perfect order, and screwed her face in annoyance. He grumbled an apology.
The troops shuffled nervously, and wracked their brains. "No…I can't think of anyone in this quadrant," said the first. "Neither can I," the second looked frustrated.
"A repurposing chamber is right below us," the silent trooper, also a male, said in a low register.
"FR-3800, that's not—"
He spoke firmer over the female trooper, "I'm going, I'll meet you in the hanger in 5 if all goes well."
"No, we'll all go," Rose interjected before he could jet off. "Thank you for speaking up, Eff-Are. That was kind and brave of you."
FR-3800 hesitated, tilting his head. Then, "Thank you, Miss Tico," he said with cautious sincerity.
Hux and the two other troopers stood in different variations of shock, but not for long. Rose and her new friend were already running down the hall for the lift shaft, Rose gesturing for them to follow. Hux turned the troops.
"If you still feel some deluded loyalty toward the Order, then by all means, obey my every word; you will show that woman respect, and attend to her orders, and you will save as many people as you can, including yourselves, is that clear?"
"Sir, why are you—?"
"THE QUESTION WAS RHETORICAL, TROOPER! NOW, GET MOVING!"
"Yes sir!" The yelped in unison, and fell into Rose's tracks. Hux brought up the rear, refusing to feel guilty for that particular outburst. Quite simply, they were running out of time. When they had caught up to the leaders, Rose glanced back and nodded. Hux didn't really know what that meant, but he nodded back like he did.
The alarms stopped, which put him even more on edge. He put an extra burst in his steps—and another stitch in his side. The troops behind him followed his example. Why they clung to their blind subservience to him he could not for the life of him understand. And if his horrible past treatment of them and their kin wasn't enough, they were going to a repurposing chamber: the most despicable and unsavory example of his unworthiness that Hux could think of. Would they come to their senses; was this role-playing only going to last until they left their place of bondage?
And what of Rose?
Hux couldn't keep deluding himself; he knew Rose too well for that. She would forgive him because she was good and kind. But that didn't stop him from wishing that she wouldn't.
The lifts were unsurprisingly out of order, but Rose managed to get the doors opened with the sparky control panel and her shock prod. Now a gaping mouth of a lift shaft stood before them, and they all peered down the abyss.
Rose cut the charge to the whole thing and painstakingly reached with all her five feet for some cables hanging above, teetering as she did. Hux panicked and yanked her from the edge by the waist, biting back a snapping remark about getting herself killed.
"Please…let me," he said, still very tense. You can't do everything. You're not an acceptable casualty either. Be safe. Hux's mind was a whirlwind, but unerringly focused on her.
Rose seemed flustered—or maybe just embarrassed? —as she gently took his hands away, nodded, and stepped back with the troopers.
Hux retrieved five cables easily, looped them around some stabilizers for extra security, and passed them along.
Eff-Are slipped up while approaching the edge and barely caught himself. Hux's earlier tension burst to the surface.
"Trooper—!"
Then he realized something.
"…Take off your helmets," he addressed them all, comparatively calm and almost kind. Those things, like a fathier's bit, tied them to their master's control, and it was known that they impaired the trooper's range of vision.
They obeyed, and as Hux looked at faces and real people, he felt something deep within his soul. But he said nothing.
FR had caramel colored skin, and soulful brown eyes. The other male trooper was almost black in complexion and handsome, with icy blue eyes. The female trooper was covered in freckles and as pale as her armor. With her bright red hair, she could be Hux's sister.
"It's nice to meet you guys." Rose was beaming, of course. Hux felt a prickle behind his eyes, and immediately jumped back into action. The helmets hit the cold durasteel floor, and the motley group made their way down the pit, using the fading light from the floor they'd come from.
Once they climbed a whole level down, Hux was about to ask how they were going to get this door open, considering Rose had cut the power. Before he could form the words, she blasted another control panel just so, and the doors shot open and crashed into their slots, flooding the shaft with light. Wrong light…
The whole floor was burning.
The smoke immediately streamed into the lift shaft, finally having a place to vent, and the group coughed and fretted over what to do. Luckily, the ledge and a few meters around it were safe to land, so they took their fretting there. The hall was not a hall, but ripped apart by various wall panels and debris from surrounding rooms. One of the rooms must have contained explosives.
"I'm so sorry, Eff-Are." You knew it was bad when Rose was ready to walk away. But Eff-Are still wasn't. In lieu of a response, he set his jaw and gaze into the flames, and plowed forward. Rose lunged after him as his colleagues yelled for him to return, but Hux caught her by the sleeve and pulled her into his arms.
"EFF-ARE!" Rose screamed, thrashing. "Armitage, please let me get him, please!" Tears began to leak through Hux's scorched shirt and his heart wrenched but he held tight. He shifted just enough, so that maybe he could bring her some comfort. An embrace. A hug? Hux rubbed her back just slightly with his thumb, and lowered his face, almost touching her hair. Her thrashing stopped so suddenly that Hux assumed something was wrong, but then Rose snaked her hands around his waist and clutched him just as tight, burying her face further in the fabric of his shirt. The knowledge that he'd done something right flooded him. He wished it could last.
Bolstered, he tilted her away by the shoulders so he could see what she was thinking. Her tears were heavy, but she pursed her lips and nodded. She made herself ready, patting his waist. He let go and the group wordlessly readied their makeshift harnesses once more. The touching…felt so instinctive. He knew if he had a sleeping night left in his life, it would be entirely spent obsessing over it. Why did you do that? Should you have asked first? What does it mean? Did she like it? And yet even now, the adrenaline wasn't letting him overly sabotage himself with worry and questioning. Rose didn't seem to give it a second thought, and she probably never would. This was simply her nature. It was not his….his behavior tonight was once and forever her doing. She must be some sort of enchantress.
She got back into action mode, "The hanger is still a few levels down—"
But the reckless trooper was not out of the running. Suddenly, FR burst through the inferno, bridal-carrying a sopping linen bundle that didn't remotely slow him down. The troopers clung to the lift's doorway to make room, and they all gaped at the brave rescuer. He collapsed to the floor and Rose knelt next to him. She gently folded the wet cloth back, revealing an ashen, unresponsive woman's face.
"A fr—friend of mine." Hux winced at the horrible remnant of FR-3800's voice, shushing him as if laryngeal longevity were the pressing issue here. Rose gathered a portion of the linen, gestured for FR to tip his head back, and wrung a few gulps of water into his mouth. Hux floundered for a moment, then determined to get the unconscious girl strapped to his person, tearing the sheet into usable strips. Just not usable by him, he lamented. He dead-ended very soon, awkwardly testing where the strips should go. Rose noticed, and took over graciously, "no no, it was a good start." She then addressed the remaining two troopers, "please get your brother secured, guys." They shakily complied, while Hux picked up the woman and he and Rose determined how to go about suspending two stuck-together people in the air by cloth without the need for future amputations. Her legs ended up mostly dangling, to give Hux plenty of maneuvering room. And her body was tied snugly to his torso. In the process of securing her, they found several wounds, nervous they were missing and aggravating larger ones. Hux never once mentioned her slim chances, because Rose wasn't stupid. She surely knew, and she went through this level of effort and care regardless. Hux wanted to understand why.
They'd worked as fast as they could but when they were finally done it felt as if some symbolic bell had already tolled, and they'd used up their chances. But that mentality could cost everything, so Hux shook it off. They lined up along the edge of the shaft, backs to the void, and stepped down. If anyone could power walk across a 90-degree surface, it was Armitage Hux.
The group made quick work of the floors, a wall of noise getting closer and closer, until eventually some of the noise became language.
"We are meters from Exogol's surface, sir! We need to leave now—"
Hux snapped his head in search of Rose and found her, slightly above him and his load, lit from below by the now-tantalizingly close hanger. The terror in her face decided for him. He bagan to free-fall in heart-stopping bursts, grabbing the ropes to stop himself periodically, absolutely tearing his shoulders to shreds. He vaguely registered Rose yell after him, but Hux was literally in too deep.
At last, the toes of his boot perched on the right floor, filled with a deafening din of a dying war. One such source of the din was an Old Republic troop transport, repurposed by the Resistance, igniting its primary combustion chambers. Hux fought the linen restraints off of himself and the woman, dropping her as smoothly as he could, and ripping off the rest. He ran toward the ship, around to where he saw the cockpit, waving his arms and screaming profanities. It seemed somehow more appropriate than "help!" or "stop!" at the moment.
Close behind him was his entourage, the skeleton crew, following his lead. FR carried his friend and spent the last sliver of his voice. The red-headed woman keened one, long, high cry for help. The dark-skinned man used up his remaining vitriol for the Resistance, daring them to leave them behind. Rose was speaking more specific and probably more helpful instructions in her com-link, but she was no less urgent than the rest of them.
And it worked; the pilot saw them and heard Rose, cut the engines, and crashed down the short altitude he'd already gained with a mighty bang. The side doors swung open and the group trudged in, ushered by Resistance personnel who actually looked thrilled to see them. There was nothing to do before the pilot took off once again, risking a quicker ignition cycle this time around. They were out of that cursed Star Destroyer in seconds. Hux spared it one last glance from the viewing panel he put all his weight on. With cheek pressed to polyglass he smiled and happily bid farewell to his former tomb. To hell with captains going down with their ships! To die at all is humiliating but to die in a place like that? Detestable.
But so many did… Hux quickly sobered.
A rebel medic rolled a cot out and FR helped him place the unconscious woman thereon. FR fussed and fluttered but did his utmost not to impede the medic's work. But truly, a supernova couldn't break the man's focus. The main problem seemed to be partially melted bits of shrapnel, already showing signs of infection. But she had a chance. Rose's confidence in caring for lost causes was founded on knowing her community cared just as much. It was…a sound system.
Rose sat splayed against the opposite wall, worn but watching the medic closely. When she was satisfied, her gaze travelled to him and she smiled her brilliant smile. Somehow, the exhaustion, the extra life lived, made it all the more beautiful. Hux wasn't sure if he smiled back, but he sure did stare. All the regrets he'd resigned himself to dying with at the beginning of the night…she hadn't taken them away, but she'd soothed them, given them direction. And he was grateful—so very grateful.
She opened her mouth to speak, but something behind him caught her eye. He shifted up a bit and looked; a Resistance soldier was tilting her head at him, scrutinizing, then recognizing. It was not just her. All around the claustrophobic transport, eyes glared and lips curled. The troopers they were used to. Desertions from the Order had reached an all-time high by the end of the war. The Resistance was happy to take them in, knowing that it wasn't their fault. It was his.
Rose stood up. Stars, here it comes; I'll ruin her. He rose to intercept, but she sent him a glare that could wither a garden. He set his jaw and slumped down, making himself smaller. Nothing she (even Rose Tico!) could ever say would erase what he'd done.
"I want you guys to bear with me and not do anything rash. Hux… was our spy."
Shock and bitter confusion seeped through the small space. Some lowered their eyes to process it. One or two kept looking at Hux, maybe waiting for him to prove her wrong. But Hux just hunkered down, feeling truly humble for the first time in his life. Rose continued:
"He saved Finn, Poe, and Chewie, and was shot for it. And when he was left behind on the Steadfast, he helped me get as many of his troopers off as we could. He strapped that one to his chest and climbed down three stories—!"
"Rose, stop." Hux didn't get up this time, but he wouldn't be silenced. They deserved the whole truth. He forced himself to look each of the Resistance soldiers in the eyes as he spoke. He outlasted all of them in their little staring matches.
"About four months ago, I started anonymously feeding Rose data to usurp my rival. At the time, for no other reason. I still did my part in running the Order efficiently and heartlessly. I didn't care how many Resistance people had to die in the interim. The plan was, when I had weakened my Order enough to kill Kylo Ren, I would make it stronger. More ruthless, more like my—more like Brendol Hux would have wanted." What. Are you saying. Are you really playing the daddy issue card like your mortal enemy? Take accountability, you worm!
A weight plopped down beside him. Rose sat in solemn solidarity, not looking at or touching him. It was some impressive restraint coming from her, especially since she seemed to think he was holding back tears of grief for his father. She was mistaken. He hoped he could explain later—that and so many things—, but given how condemning he was making his confession, that chance was getting slimmer. But he had to see this through. If he was to live…he wanted to deserve it.
"And when I turned, there was no honor in it. Only when I was found out and the Order wiped their hands of me did I start seeing things clearly. Only when I was abandoned with the troopers, did I finally see them as sentient beings. You grant people like them dignity even when you've no idea what they've been through. I know I'm not like you. I don't claim to have changed in some radical way and I don't ask that you absolve me and accept me. I'm—I'm sorry."
The words tasted like bile. They were so meager; to his own ears, they sounded like a parody, but he could only hope his jury realized how true they were.
"I will readily take whatever punishment you deem right. I trust your judgements far more than mine. And—" a sardonic smile crept up his lips, "a bit more than hers." He looked her in the eyes for the first time since he'd started. She looked proud of him even as she scoffed at his comment. Her face seemed so soft and open to him and he drank it in.
"Don't bite the hand that feeds you, General," one soldier said, another snorting in reaction. Rose covered her mouth in shock and then kept it there to stifle wild laughter. Just when I thought I couldn't be brought lower, Hux groaned, even as he began to warily relax.
"Wait, did that actually happen?" A young technician asked nervously.
Hux slipped his glove off, displaying the scar to the young man with a little flourish. He and a few others leaned in, smirking. Rose, now the chagrined one, took his hand and observed it. "Yikes," she exclaimed under her breath. It really was impressive. Each tooth's indent remained even a year later. He could've drowned the wound in bacta right after it'd happened and avoided the scarring, but those weeks following Snoke's death were the most hectic in his life. By the time he'd regained the right to a single night's sleep, let alone trips to the medical ward, it was too late.
Rose kept his bare hand in hers, and the rebels who'd gathered around settled back into their warmed spots. They seemed content to let him be Rose's problem. But the ones who hadn't engaged…what were they thinking? Hux searched their eyes. One looked pained, another softly seething, still another looked as if she actually pitied him. But the medic from before was the one to make a call.
"Rose said you were shot? Are you alright?"
Hux gaped for a moment before finding words, "Yes, I was wearing a vest," he gestured with his free hand, "it's just bruising there now."
"Good," it seemed ground-out, but the sentiment was still appreciated. "Your case will be brought to the commanding officers. Until then, you'll be treated like any other defector."
Defector…A generous title, to be sure. It wasn't over, of course—he still had a trial on the horizon—but a weight lifted from his chest. He sat like a person instead of a wounded deer. There was an expectation of the system now, apart from Rose's benevolence. He watched the remaining hostile faces in the transport morph into ones of restraint— even mercy. "Thank you," he told the medic.
The man nodded, and got back to work on— no, Hux couldn't not know who he'd escaped death with any longer.
"Eff-Are, what is her name?" Hux addressed the silent trooper. And to the freckled girl and blue-eyed boy he added, "and your names, too? I never asked."
"She's KC-3510," FR said, "and they're—"
"I'm MI-4100. He's—"
"EM-0550."
The Resistance members smiled easily, sending excited looks between one another. "This is my favorite part," one of the older ones shared with the little technician.
Rose and several others went back and forth with the troopers, encouraging them to think about new names. Names that would reflect their individuality, either of their own creation or sourced from their preexisting ID numbers (she told them about FN-2187).
One after the other, the three conscious troopers chose names, repeating them to themselves again and again. They were ecstatic, and Hux could see why the rebels would relish getting to participate in this. FR chose Konrad, the only name left in his memory from the time before the Order took him. It could've been his, or his father's or brother's, but he wanted it back all the same.
MI-4100 liked Rose's sweet and simple suggestion, Mia. It matched her gamine features, but ironically contrasted her assertive nature.
EM-0550 took the name Eimos. As soon as he heard the option from one of the rebels, his lips turned up for the first time since Hux had met him.
A few people traded ideas for KC-3510. There was the obvious "Kasey," and a more out-of-the-box but similar "Cessi." It would be her choice of course, her reward for recovering, but it comforted Konrad to talk of such things. He engaged with the rebels, absentmindedly rubbing KC's hand with his thumb.
Hux looked down at his own hand, still held firm by Rose Tico's, on the durasteel floor between them. He brought them to his lap, squeezing to get her attention, and then letting go. While Rose scooted to face him better, Hux made sure no one was paying too much attention. The rest of the transport was now divided into talkative groups, and they had a semblance of privacy.
"Rose...it's like you've brought me new life. Not 'like'— you have. I used to think I would rather die than live in servitude or debt, but in your service…in your debt…" he bowed his head. "I am content," Hux breathed.
He watched as a pretty blush painted her skin and wondered at its meaning. He was dead serious; did she think he mocked her?
"That's not necessary, Armitage…" she seemed troubled, uncomfortable. That was the last thing he wanted. He back-tracked.
"I only mean that— that I wish to be better. And I never wanted that before you, so of course I credit you with—"
"But you shouldn't! You think I turned a magic switch on in your brain, Hux, but I didn't! You were already thinking clearer, feeling the weight of all you'd done, long before today."
"You woke me up; feelings are nothing on their own; you called me do something about them."
"And you chose to listen to that call!" She took his face and tipped it up, brushing the tussled hair from his eyes. "You've learned to take accountability for your mistakes, Armitage, but you have to be willing to take accountability for your healing just as much."
Hux took that in for a minute. His healing, his bettering, was his own. For better or worse. The truth of it comforted him, even as it separated him from her. She was preparing him. Preparing him to be on his own. As soon as this transport landed, she would throw herself into the arms of her true friends and wash herself of him. As she should. And he did not want her to feel the need to look back or worry. So, he put on a brave face, and said, "I will try."
Rose brushed his bittersweet smile with her thumb, looking not-entirely convinced. And also, a little bashful? Hux couldn't gather any more data before she hugged him around the neck, hiding her face in his collarbone. Hux took it as a goodbye, and as it would be the dearest, most damning goodbye of his life, he took advantage of it. He pulled his arms around her waist as tight as they would go, spanning his hands up her back. When they met somewhere in the middle, he pulled off his one remaining glove in a nonchalant flash. And when the two of them couldn't any get closer as they were, he made the easy and gentle transition of lifting her onto his lap.
Rose tilted her face and continued her petition in hushed tones in his ear. "Don't put me on a pedestal, Armitage. How will I get closer to you from all the way up there?"
His breath hitched, and he untangled from her enough to see her face, to be sure he wasn't mistaken. "Closer?"
She sighed a fond and exasperated sigh, "Stop thinking I'm done with you! I won't ever be, as long as you'll have me."
Hux finally let himself smile—fully smile. As long as he would have her? Nonsense. She would get sick of him yet, especially considering how much he wanted to kiss her in this moment. And probably many future moments to come.
But anxieties of the future took a back seat in Hux's healing mind. He allowed his present happiness to wash over him. And when they landed on Ajon Kloss, he allowed Rose to tow him through the celebration, to Finn and Poe. He stamped down his terror and bitterness, and allowed them to accept him. At this moment, at least, they were mostly just happy and shocked to see he'd survived. Presumably, his death by General Pryde's blaster fire was the common story on both sides.
Rose saw someone behind him and ran into the giant brown wall that was Chewbacca. He picked her up and spun her giggling self around. Hux couldn't help but laugh, drawing the attention of the Wookie. He set Rose down and roared, lumbering straight for him. Hux froze, accepting death, when it almost came in the form of a bone-shattering hug. Chewie warbled something to him upon his release, and ruffled his quaff further askew. Rose grinned and set his hair right again, "He says 'we'll make a spy of you yet, kid!'"
Hux barked a laugh, and then groaned, rubbing his rattled ribs. All around him were similar interactions— relatable laughing smiles and grieving eyes. He thought he was so detached from these people because of his background, and he was. But on this day, the war was over. And everyone was in communion.
Rose turned back to where they'd come from, with Finn and Poe, who were now joined by—Hux gasped. It was the illusive scavenger! The two men held her between them. And the normally terrifying warrior looked frail and sad. Rose ran over in concern, but Hux didn't follow this time. He would be intruding, and whatever she had to share, he would find out from Rose sooner or later. Instead, he took in the sights around him. The loves and friendships, both broken and reunited. He thought maybe he should be watching from some desolate corner, where he wouldn't disturb anyone. But no. Hux allowed himself a precious moment in the light. He closed his eyes and breathed in contentment; even if it wasn't meant to last, he was here now.
Suddenly a hand slipped in his. Hux looked down, surprised to see Rose back so soon. Her other friends probably took the scavenger to comfort her in the aforementioned desolate corner. Hux would take it. All the time he had left with Rose, he would take. He bowed his head again, not in self-degradation as before, but to rest it on hers. They stood together in sweet victory, and Hux mused:
Even I couldn't ruin this.