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Armitage Hux is a patient man. It had taken him 24 years to rid himself of the harsh hands and the even harsher words of Brendol Hux. Stepping out of the shadow of his father and finally earning the respect he deserves had taken the equal amount of time. Rising to the rank of General had taken 15 years. His greatest triumph, and his hardest downfall, had amounted to six years of his life; the planning and construction of Starkiller Base.

And standing over Kylo Ren’s unmoving body and deciding what to do, is a matter of seconds. It comes still too late though. The pressure around his neck is unbearable as he is lifted of his feet by this child that plays at being leader. What an ironic twist of fate, to give power so great to a boy so undeserving of it, he thinks. But Hux has waited out more intelligent men than Kylo Ren.

Let Ren underestimate him. Let him think he wins.

Coughing out, “The Supreme Leader is dead, long live the Supreme Leader” is simple. The plan that begins to form in the back of his mind is not. It is a vicious one. One, that will take him years to realize with backup plans and alternatives for every eventuality. One, that will leave Ren screaming in defeat.

Hux is, after all, a patient man.

::

Hux is 24 standard years old when they call him to his father’s deathbed.

He enters the room with precise steps and clasps his hands behind his back, his posture military straight. Without sparing a glance, he orders the nurse to leave.

Then, Armitage Hux looks down at his work.

In death Brendol Hux looks nothing like the man he used to be. His skin appears almost translucent with how pale he has become. Dark shadows purple underneath his eyes and his cheeks are hollowed out. His breathing is labored while he stares at his son with half-closed eyes.

“My boy,” he rasps. Hux presses his lips together so he does not lash out at being addressed in such a way. He can feel his father’s gaze take him in and he has to suppress the urge to stand up even straighter.

“You finally got promoted,” his father states, while his eyes linger on the additional stripe on Hux’s uniform, “I am proud of you.”

Hux cannot suppress a sardonic smile. He steps closer and with caution he takes his father’s hand between his gloved ones and pats it condescendingly like one would pat the head of an excessively slow-minded child.

 “Your time is running out,” he states and seeing his father’s almost-flinch satisfies him. He sits beside his father on the bed, placing himself closer to him than he has been in years.

“Father, have you ever heard of plant called Myconit?” Hux asks conversationally. He does not wait for an answer. “I would think not. It grows on a nameless planet at the edge of the Outer Rim. You can make a bright yellow powder out of its roots and mix it with hot water to drink as tea. It tastes like burned coffee and it is completely harmless. The blossoms however…”

Uncomprehendingly, his father looks at him. Hux tightens the grip on his father’s hands to still the beginning tremor. Not unkind, almost gently, even.

“It is not the most poisonous plant in the galaxy. In fact, it hardly does any harm at all if one is exposed to it only once or twice. But it is completely tasteless and untraceable. Prolonged exposure degenerates the nervous system. It specifically affects the part of your brain called substantia nigra, which is responsible for movement. At first you will notice slight tremors in your hands, then walking gets harder, then speaking.”

His father starts screaming, but Hux expected that. He presses his hand to his father’s mouth to muffle the noise. It is ridiculously easy to subdue his trashing; the illness only had left behind a broken shell of the man. It is the kind of death Brendol Hux deserves. Agonizingly slow and disproportionally cruel.

“You slowly waste away, being completely aware of it and not able to do anything about it. Other symptoms include depression, apathy and anxiety. In the end you cannot breathe anymore. It is uncurbable; one cannot regenerate neurons,” he spits. “It was so easy. Only a small amount put into your coffee or wine over the course of a couple of years. Like child’s play, really.”

Hux presses his hand harder on his father’s face, covering his nose as well. With satisfaction he looks in his father’s eyes, so wide open that Hux can barely see the blue of the iris. As far as Hux can remember, Brendol Hux had never been afraid. He leans in close and whispers in the ear of the dying man in front of him: “You have every reason to be proud of me, father.”

::

Standing beside Kylo Ren and shouting the same command as him, just louder, is done out of spite. It is ridiculous but to be honest the whole affair is a farce. Wasting their fire power on one man does not seem to matter any longer in the long run though. They cornered the Resistance and there is no way they will be able to escape. It will be the final victory, one that Hux had been craving for so long.

When Skywalker is still standing after they had fired at him with all their might, Hux begins doubting. The Force, as far as Hux knows, is a mighty thing with its own way. Hux is compelled to feel tricked.

In the end, after Luke had disappeared in thin air and no one of the Resistance was still in their shelter, Hux grinds his teeth together. His anger over his own arrogance is stronger than his glee over another failure of Kylo Ren. This could have been the final battle, instead the First Order achieved nothing other than to give the Resistance hope.

He glances at Kylo Ren. The man is not wearing his helmet, sweat on his brows and his face marred with anger. Hux cannot help but sneer at him, “For being a supposedly powerful force user, you seem to know remarkably little about the Force. What did Skywalker do?”

Ren glares at him and Hux realizes his mistake to late. He braces himself for the unmistakable pressure of the Force that will bring him to his knees. It never comes. It is this moment that Hux realizes that Supreme Leader Snoke and his pet are vastly different creatures. Snoke had been ruthless, experienced and unforgiving. Kylo Ren has no idea what he is doing.

And Hux will do everything to exploit this.

:: 

Hux’s mother was very much different from Maratelle, the woman his father called his wife. His mother had had blue eyes and blonde hair. Hux had only ever seen her in passing, already aware that Maratelle, who was holding his hand, was not his real mother but that this strangely smiling child-woman was. He knew that it was a scandal. He knew that he was not supposed to know, but gossip does not stop for the ears of a four-year-old. Especially not for one as bright as Hux. She had never talked to him, but the smiling yet sadly-looking slope of her mouth when she looked bravely at him had burned itself in his memory.

He still remembers how it all had gone up in a beautiful blaze, when his father and he had flown their home planet leaving behind his mother and Maratelle.

Hux had learned early on that the world does not punish the liars, the thieves, or the cruel. It punishes the weak.

:: 

„We cannot attack them there.” Hux states calmly. He does not even acknowledge Ren, instead his eyes are completely focused on the data that is presented in front of him. Ren’s thin control snaps and it is comical how all of the senior officers flinch, even those that surpass Hux in age by more than three decades, when Ren smacks his fist on the table.

“We will,” Ren demands and even his modulated voice sounds angry, while the temperature in the room drops several degrees.

Hux barley grants him a second glance before he looks at the statistics again that move in bright red on his holopat. He waits a few seconds for his officers to speak up. They all have the same data in front of them. They all had received the same strategic training at the academy as him and one does not rise to the top of the First Order if they are not the best in their field. When Hux looks at Mitaka and raises an eyebrow, the lieutenant only hectically lowers his head. Hux cannot suppress the small shake of his head and the tiny smile that creeps on his mouth. Supreme Leader Snoke had only ever directly spoken to him. Hux knows that some of the men and women in this room had jeered at him because of how their former leader had treated and humiliated him. Now that Kylo Ren sits between them, they all can feel the power of the Force, that had only increased in Ren after his master’s death. They know how impulsive and destructive Ren is, and they fear him.

“No, we won’t. That outpost has no strategic value and is barely manned. We would only waste our time and resources. With our flag ship gone and the scrimmages near Dota 5, we have more important things to focus on.” Hux explains and adds as if in an afterthought, “The chance is slim to none that General Organa is on that particular base anyway. There will be enough opportunities to take vengeance on your mother.”

The silence that follows afterward is all compassing. It had not been common knowledge that Kylo Ren is the estranged son of their greatest enemy. It had taken Hux months to dig out that peculiar truth and it would show itself soon if all the work would pay off. Planting doubt into the mind of his subordinates about their leader’s loyalties was like tending to a delicate flower. He had to cast the seeds and carefully nourish them with poisoned words until they took root. It is a though gamble, too, Hux knows that. He can almost feel the phantom pressure of Ren’s rage on his throat, but it never happens. He looks at Ren challengingly, taunts Ren to read his mind. Because for all his provocation, he is still right. The numbers do not lie; the First Order has more important issues to attend to. And that Hux does not want Ren to be their leader should come as no surprise to Ren. Hux has always been transparent in that regard.

“Leave us,” Ren says and his tone sends shivers down Hux’s spine. The conference room empties faster than Hux had ever seen. He allows himself to sprawl back into his chair in a more relaxed posture, although his heart racing in his chest.

“You will never speak about my mother or I’ll-“

“Or you’ll what?” Hux taunts and only bravado keeps him going. “The knights of Ren are no more. According to you, she killed all of them,” he says viciously and stands up. “And I have my doubts about that as well. There is no one left to support you. My men fear you, but they will not follow you. It is true, you could kill me in an instant and that is the reason I have not commanded to let you be murdered yet. I value my life. But even if you decide to kill me one day, there will come another one after me. And sooner or later, the First Order will decide that you are too much of a liability to keep around and they will overthrow you.”

Kylo Ren is taller than him, but that does not stop Hux from looking down on him. “Tell me, how long can one man fend off thousands, Supreme Leader?” He asks, the title rolling mockingly of his tongue. He learned a long time ago, that words can cut deeper that blaster shots. With a scream of rage, Kylo Ren extends his hand and flings Hux against the wall. Hux’s head hits the steel hard and he can hear the bones in his body crack in protest.

Kylo Ren says nothing, when he leaves in a flutter of Robes. Hux only laughs. Blood fills his mouth. It tastes like copper and salt and victory. Ren is no leader. He is meant to follow, and he will follow Hux.

:: 

Sometimes Hux wishes he would have been born with powers like Kylo Ren. Powers that only he would deserve. Powers that would lay the galaxy to his feet in an instant. Instead, he was born the bastard son of a monster of a man with only the ability to lace words with fire. Where Kylo Ren is a myriad of emotions, Hux is determination and armed with a sharp-witted mind. It is a scary thought to imagine what kind of leader Ren could have been, if only he was a little bit more like Hux. A little bit more controlled, a little bit more calculating.

And what a glorious thought it is to imagine Hux wielding the Force like Ren does. But even without Ren’s powers, the galaxy will lie at Hux’s feet anyway.

:: 

Hux is the enemy, Kylo Ren knows. With an agenda Ren is intimate with, as Hux pushes it in the front of his mind all the time, when he feels Kylo Ren brushing against his thoughts. He is almost a familiar presence in Hux’s head by now, with how often he presses inside Hux’s mind. It is ironic. Being transparent in his intentions to rid himself of Ren lulls the other into a sense of false security for who fears the enemy whose plans one does know so well? But Hux has enough experience by now to hide, what he does not want Ren to know. Even when Ren tries to be inconspicuous, Hux is still able to sense his presence. He lets Ren think he is not.

It is his one big advantage that Ren will not cast him aside because he knows Hux.

They still disagree on most things and fight about even more. Hux does not know if this is the reason that one day Kylo Ren bites the skin of his neck to silence him instead of smacking him against the next available surface. It is just another game of power between them. Admittedly Hux calls Ren Supreme Leader now, but they both know that Hux is superior to Ren in every way but strength. Hux braces himself against Ren, tries to push him away, but his attempts are futile at best and ludicrous at worst. There is blood running down the side of his neck where Ren’s teeth had punctured the pale skin. Hux looks at him hatefully, lips pressed into a thin line. Ren presses his hand around his throat, his gloved thumb stemming the trickle of red effectively. He does not choke Hux like he is so found doing but his grip is so strong that Hux has trouble swallowing.

“I always wondered if you bleed like all humans do,” Ren admits. He is looking at Hux’s neck with a strange curiosity, as if Hux is the only specimen of an extinct race. “Or if poison drips from your skin the same ways as it does from your words.”

“How poetic,” Hux jeers, baring his teeth. Ren’s fingers tighten around his neck. Hux can feel the thin control he still had over the situation slip from his hands. Ren had never been so physically close to him and Hux does not know how to deal with it. A fine sheen of sweat is gathering on his forehead. He makes another futile attempt to escape, but Ren just smirks at his effort.

“I think I like you better when you say nothing, General,” Ren says.

He leans in close. He almost never wears his helmet around Hux anymore. And for all Hux has been getting fluent in the language of Ren’s facial clues, he is not able to gauge his mood this time. Ren’s breath ghosts over Hux’s heated face. Hux, for once, relents. This is a game he cannot win. He presses his lips together. Ren laughs in his face for that and it makes Hux despise him even more.

“Don’t try too hard, though,” Ren says, and he is so close, he only has to whisper for Hux to understand him. Ren’s lips brush his cheek, the corner of his mouth. His hand still rests on Hux’s throat, while the other holds the side of his head. Hux cannot suppress the tremble that runs through him. He presses his eyes closed when Ren’s lips cover his. His breathing becomes labored. He does not move as Ren kisses him hard, like a puppet with its strings cut he stands there.

When Ren increases the pressure on his throat, Hux has to gasp. He can feel the smile on Ren’s lips as his tongue presses inside Hux’s mouth. Hux cannot breathe, tries to pry Ren’s hand from his throat, and when that does no work he bites down on Ren’s tongue. Hard. Blood fills his mouth but the copper does not taste like victory any longer.

The pressure on his throat disappears and Hux fights air into his burning lungs. Tears sting in his eyes. Hux wants to move away, but the hand that was holding his face in place now grips his arm like a vice.

He looks at Ren then, trying to leave his own face perfectly blank. There is blood running down Ren’s chin and it makes Hux defiantly proud to know that this is his doing. Ren does not look surprised or in pain. He wipes away the blood with the back of his hand. He smiles at Hux, red clinging to his teeth. This time when Ren’s leans into Hux’s space, his lips kiss Hux cautiously slow, almost chaste. Ren does not press, does not force. His hand releases Hux’s arm to caress Hux’ cheek, to trace the curve of Hux’s cheekbone. Hux has his eyes wide open now while Ren’s are closed. His whole body feels hot, like standing to close to a burning sun. He is still not able to move.

“You do know that I can read your thoughts, right?” Ren whispers, brushes the words against Hux’s lips, before he turns to leave.

:: 

They share an almost cordial silence standing together on the bridge and looking at a tiny fleet of Resistance Supply-Ships. They stumbled upon them by chance. The ships do not have sufficient shielding or any weapons to speak of really. It would be not worth the effort to send out the TIE-fighters, when they could destroy them just with their own fire power, but it would be satisfying to see the ships be plucked from space slowly, hit by hit.

Hux is sure that Ren is rifling through his thoughts right now. There is this hot feeling pressing down his spine. Ren does this quite often, when there is a decision to make, looking at Hux’s thoughts to come to a conclusion. This time there is nothing to gain though. Ren knows just like him that they have the advantage no matter what they decide to do. For the first time in ages, Hux feels uncomfortable that Ren is in his head. He thinks about Ren’s lips on his. He thinks about the fact that he did not despise it.

“Send out the TIE-fighters,” Kylo Ren tells him quietly.

The soft words make Hux flinch, before he turns to Ren with burning cheeks. “That would be a waste of our time.”

Hux tries to compose himself. He remembers being 15, not yet grown into his bones, hunching in on himself when no one is looking. It feels a little bit like that.

Ren smirks at him. “Do it anyway.”

Hux’s has to bite his tongue to not snap at that. He looks at Ren with narrowed eyes, before he gives the orders. “With pleasure, Supreme Leader,” he spits.

Ren raises an eyebrow at him. Hux hopes it’s because no matter how he addresses Ren, it will always sound mocking to the other.

:: 

Hux slowly comes awake without ever having realized that he had fallen asleep. Ren is a warm presence behind him, which is almost familiar with how often it had happened in the last couple of days. His mouth is trailing up Hux’s spine, then kissing the freckled expanse of skin on his shoulder. The muscles in Hux’s back tighten. He can feel Ren’s hot breath in the nape of his neck as the other huffs.

“You haven’t thought about killing me in a very long time,” Ren whispers, his fingers trace over Hux’s rips, his breast where underneath his heart beats horribly fast. Hux cannot make out, if Ren is mocking him or merely stating a fact. There had been no inflection in his voice. Ren’s fingers wander up to his neck, then his face where they rest featherlight on his temple. At the same time, Hux can feel Ren’s presence in his head as light as the touch on his face. It is a horrible comforting feeling to not be alone with his cruel thoughts for once.

Hux swallows hard before he turns around. His hands automatically reach for Ren’s hair, but instead of his usual pulling and tearing, he just lets them rest on the black strands.

Hux sees how Ren’s mouth twitches with an almost smile, before Ren leans forward and kisses him.

But that never comes to pass, because this is not the kind men they are. Instead it happens like this:

Hux slowly comes awake without ever having realized that he had fallen asleep. Ren is a warm presence behind him, which is almost familiar with how often it had happened in the last couple of days. His is mouth trailing up Hux’s spine, then kissing the freckled expanse of skin on his shoulder. The muscles in Hux’s back tighten. He can feel Ren’s hot breath in the nape of his neck, as the other huffs.

“You haven’t thought about killing me in a very long time,” Ren whispers, his fingernails scrape over Hux’s rips to his breast where underneath his heart beats horribly fast. Ren is mocking him, Hux is sure of it. Ren’s fingers wander up to his neck, then his face where they press hard on his temple. The touch burns. At the same time, Hux can feel Ren’s straining presence in his head. For all that he had learned to hide his thoughts, he still is not able to kick Ren out. He wishes he could.

“You know nothing,” Hux laughs cruelly before he turns. His hands reach for Ren’s hair, tearing at the black strands and forcing Ren’s face further away from his own. He leans forward and bites the pale skin above Ren’s collar bone in a cruel imitation of a kiss, until he draws blood.

They are not happy together but they don’t deserve happiness anyway.

:: 

(What Hux does not know:

A long time ago, Ben could have been that kind of man.

 And here is an uncomfortable truth:

A long time ago, Hux could have been that kind of man, too.)

::

In the end, it is no like Hux has forgotten his plans.

It is just that there are more important decisions to make and schemes to plot to keep the First Order in place. The Resistance had resumed their trade with D’Tant and the First Order’s hold over Coruscant is still shaky at best.

There are victories as well, though. Hux is standing on the bridge of his ship, Ren standing slightly behind him on his right like so many times before. If Hux turns his head, he would be able to see the contour of Ren’s face, his prominent nose and the dark curls bathed in the bright red of the dying planet in front of them. He does not turn his head. Instead he looks at another triumph. There had been a spark after the Resistance had been able to destroy the Supremacy and flee Crait, but hope is such a fickle thing. Hux had smothered it with the tips of his fingers like one would smother the sickly flame of a candle.

He had not needed Ren for that. Yet… The man could still have his use and getting rid of him seems like a tedious task now.

And Hux is, after all, a patient man. He can wait. At least that is was he tells himself.