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Kylo Ren still felt small vibrations moving through the Force as he made his way down one of the corridors in the more desolate parts of the Finalizer. Most of the vibrations came from the annual staff party he had just left. People chatting, music playing, secret trysts being sealed in dark corners. Yet Ren felt something more. Something stronger, coming from a source further down the corridor. It came from one person. Someone who might have had just a little too much to drink this night.
General Hux.
As Ren got closer, he saw Hux leaning against the wall, holding a bottle containing some form of alcohol, probably brandy, in his hand. The General’s red hair was dishevelled and he had unbuttoned his collar. Ren caught himself thinking that Hux looked really good like that, with his hair standing on end and his uniform in a bit of a mess. Ren had never seen Hux like this before. Usually, Hux was composed and organized. In control. But the man standing there, with is back to him, was everything but that.
Ren felt a smile tug on the corner of his lips before he cleared his throat and spoke.
“Hux.” Ren said softly, trying his best to hide the growing affection in his voice.
Hux flinched at the sound of Ren speaking. He then slowly began to turn around, with his entire upper body pressed against the wall to prevent himself from falling flat on his face. He straightened his back as much as he could, and his feeble attempts to preserve his dignity made Ren feel a faint fluttering sensation in his stomach.
As soon as Hux caught sight of Ren, he let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes in an almost theatrical fashion.
“Is there no place on this bloody ship where one can find some actual peace and quiet?” he slurred as he took a few swaying steps in Ren’s direction, still leaning against the wall so much that he was almost walking horizontally.
“The trash compactor?” Ren answered, shrugging.
“Oh. Ha. Ha. A true comedian.” Hux scoffed as he raised the bottle to his mouth, taking a large gulp.
Ren did his best trying to hide the grin he felt was on its way to cover his face as he too took a couple of steps forward to get close enough to Hux so that he could grab his arm to keep him steady.
“Let go of my arm, Ren.” Hux said as he tried to yank his arm out of Ren’s grip without losing his already unsteady footing in the process.
“C’mon, Hux,” Ren snickered, “You can hardly stand.”
“I don’t need you mollycoddling me! I am quite capable of looking after myself, thank you very much!” Hux snorted and tried once again to pull free. This time he managed to jerk his arm out of Ren’s hand, but he also managed to completely lose his balance this time. Hux took one stumbling step forward before Ren caught him just in time by wrapping his arm around his waist.
Hanging across Ren’s arm like a sack of Corellian potatoes, Hux moaned as he tried to get back on his feet.
“I think I need to sit down for a while.” he huffed as Ren took hold of his waist, helping him to stand up.
“You think?” Ren said wryly as he sat Hux down on a ledge by one of the windows in the corridor. A few small bottles stood on a neat row along the wall by the window and there was a bigger one placed on the ledge. It seemed as though the General was not the only one who had decided to venture here during the course of the evening.
Hux leaned back against the window with a deep sigh, placing his bottle between his legs before he closed his eyes. Ren sat down beside him.
“How much have you had to drink?” Ren asked, glancing at Hux as he sat there, breathing deeply through his nose.
“That is none of your concern, Ren.” Hux said, opening his eyes and raising the bottle to his lips once more.
“I have a feeling that maybe you shouldn’t drink any more of that.” Ren said, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees.
“Mind your own business, Ren! You’re not my mother.” Hux snapped and took yet another large gulp from the bottle.
Ren sighed as he placed his chin in one of his huge hands, his elbows still resting on his knees.
"Fine." he said, glancing up at Hux. "It's just that giving yourself alcohol poisoning might not be the greatest of your achievements."
Hux snorted loudly and looked down at Ren, his lips curling into a disbelieving sneer.
"As if you cared if anything happened to me?"
"I care." Ren mumbled, now avoiding eye contact as best he could.
He wasn't quite sure what made him say that. The only thing he was sure of was that he wanted to say it. That he had been wanting to say those words for a long time.
A very long time.
Ren could feel Hux staring intently at him and he was grateful for the fact that he was still leaning forward, since it made his long, dark hair fall in front of his face, hiding it from Hux's view.
"Why would you say that?" Hux asked as he placed the bottle of brandy next to him on the ledge. The previously hostile tone in his voice had been replaced by a confused one. With a faint trace of anticipation mixed into it.
Noticing this, Ren felt something tighten in his chest and suddenly he had a bit of trouble breathing.
"Don't know," he said, still mumbling, "Could be because I meant it."
Ren's gaze was still fixed on the floor when he suddenly felt a hand touch his face. Long, gloved fingers stroked it gently, tracing his cheek bone up to his ear and then carefully tucking his hair back behind it.
Ren's heart skipped at least three beats. Before he realized it himself, he had raised his own hand and placed it over Hux's, pressing it lightly against the side of his face.
"Your hands are so big." Hux mused as he stroked Ren's cheek with his fingertips. "I wish my hands were like that. I don't care for the way my hands are at all."
Ren straightened his back and covered Hux's hand with both of his, placed them in his lap and looked into his eyes.
"There's nothing wrong with your hands." he said, rubbing the back of Hux's hand with his thumb. "I like your hands."
"But they're so small!" Hux griped, stressing the word "small", then pulling his hand out of Ren's grip to take off his glove. Fumbling, Hux pulled at each of the glove's fingers one by one in order to remove it from his hand. Slowly, he pulled it off, revealing a slim, almost dainty hand. Hux then held it up in front of Ren's face, spreading his fingers as wide as he could, as if to emphasize even further how small it actually was.
Without hesitation, Ren took hold of Hux's hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it.
Hux's entire body froze and his eyes widened in astonishment, but almost immediately he began to blush, the otherwise pale skin of his face turning bright red within a few seconds.
Ren grinned and kissed Hux's hand once more. Hux then covered his face with his free hand and smiled coyly.
And giggled.
It lasted only for a couple of seconds and was barely audible, but it was there and Ren heard it. And he thought his heart was going to burst. He had never imagined the possibility that a sound like that could emanate from a man such as Hux. But it had, and all Ren wanted now was to hear it again.
Ren kissed Hux's hand a third time, and as he did so, he tried desperately to figure out what the hell he was doing. What the hell he was feeling. Hux peeked up at him, still covering his face. Ren felt the soft skin of the back of Hux's hand against his lips. He noticed the taste of salt and a faint smell of leather as he pressed it more firmly against his mouth. He also noticed how warm it was, despite that the air in the corridor was so cold.
Ren's first thought was that it was because of all the alcohol Hux had been drinking. Then he saw the expression on Hux's face and the thought struck him that maybe it had an entirely different explanation altogether.
They sat like that for a little while, on the ledge by the window. And then, like it had been staged by some higher being, the light of a comet illuminated them both for a fraction of a second as it shot past the window before continuing its journey into the depths of space.
By the light of that comet, Ren noticed the many different colours in Hux’s hair. There was every shade of copper, orange and red all mixed into one amazing spectrum. Every single hair looked as though it was burning, more brightly than any flame he had ever seen. Ren felt a sudden urge to reach out and touch it, just to make absolutely sure that it wasn’t really made out of fire.
Then, all of a sudden, Hux cleared his throat and rubbed his face with his hand before reaching for the bottle next to him. At the same time, he pulled his other hand out of Ren's, and the moment was gone.
Ren watched as Hux drank from his bottle and he couldn't stop himself. He suddenly felt a desperate urge to tease Hux.
"It would be nice to kiss something other than your hand." he said, and chuckled as Hux sprayed himself with brandy, spluttering in surprise.
"I'm sorry!" Ren laughed, "I didn't mean for you to choke!"
Hux coughed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked down on his uniform jacket and moaned when he saw the stain on it.
"Oh, no. I just spilled brandy all over meself!" he whined as he unsuccessfully tried to wipe the stain away.
Ren raised his eyebrows in bewilderment. Hux's accent had changed. The slightly clipped accent that Ren was used to hearing him speak had been replaced by something much more rhotic and with a bit of a lilt to it.
"Your accent," he said, "It's different."
Hux froze, his hand stopping in midair as his body tensed up.
"No, it's not." he said and coughed, clearly bothered by Ren's observation.
"Oh, yes it is!" Ren teased him in a sing-song voice. "And I like it." he continued, smiling warmly at Hux.
"Oh, shut up." Hux muttered, smacking Ren's shoulder lightly.
Ren laughed and grabbed Hux's hand again, placing it on his chest, right above his heart. Hux looked up into his face, and his green eyes gazed into Ren's in such a way that it made him inhale sharply and unconsciously lean forward.
"What are you going to do now?" Hux asked, voice soft and his eyes shimmering in the dim lights of the corridor.
"What do you want me to do?" Ren whispered as he leaned forward even more, his forehead now touching Hux's.
"I want you to do a lot of things." Hux replied as he rubbed the tip of his nose against Ren's.
Hux was so close that Ren could smell the brandy on his breath and feel the warmth of it against his lips. He placed one of his hands on Hux's slender waist, pulling him closer, and the other one in his red hair, running his fingers through it. Ren raised his lips and placed a soft kiss on Hux's forehead.
"I could kiss you." he whispered again, breathing in the smell of Hux's hair. It was incredibly soft and Ren noticed the sweet scent of pine trees as he nuzzled his nose further into that tousled red mane.
How did he get here? What was happening? Why did he suddenly feel as though nothing could get to him? As if he was invincible. A thousand more questions swirled around in Ren's mind as he felt Hux's body being pressed against his own. That feeling of another human being moving closer to you, reaching out, seeking something. Seeking what? Protection? Strength?
Comfort?
Was that what Hux was seeking, or what he was? Ren felt his heart pounding hard against his ribcage. He felt something stirring inside him. Something he had never felt before. Something that was stronger than anything he had ever experienced in his entire life. Even stronger than the Force. It felt as though an indestructible creature was waking up inside him. It was huge and black. Incredibly strong. It had claws. And fangs. And impenetrable armour. And one single objective.
To keep Hux safe.
Almost overcome by emotion, Ren was just about to lift Hux's head so that he could kiss him when he noticed that Hux had gone limp in his arms.
"Hux?"
Ren shook Hux carefully only to be rewarded with a snore.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Ren groaned, as the now sleeping Hux curled up in his arms, letting out a sigh of contentment.
With that sigh, all of Ren's frustration about the sudden turn of events evaporated and was replaced by a devotion so strong that he felt tears burning behind his eyelids.
"Well then, General," he sighed, unable to stop himself from smiling sweetly down at the tall, slim man sound asleep in his arms. "It seems as though you've had one too many."
Ren gathered Hux in his arms and stood up. Hux wrapped his arms around his neck, hugging him tightly and letting out yet another deep sigh of satisfaction.
"Let's get you to bed." Ren whispered softly in Hux's ear as he started walking down the corridor towards the General's quarters. He walked slow, dragging his feet, stopping every once in a while to readjust his grip. To make sure that Hux didn't fall.
And to make sure that this moment would last for as long as it possibly could.