Chapter Text
Ostria A warm southerly wind on the Bulgarian coast; considered a precursor of bad weather.
From almost opposite sides of Starkiller Base II came two pairs of black leather boots clicking the metal floor. They had decisive steps. One held the rush of anxious anger and uncertainty; the other, sounding confidence and daring curiosity. Both were headed to the pitch dark chambers of Supreme Leader Snoke, called upon to resolve a pressing and rather private matter, and both did not know the other was coming. Stormtroopers passed the younger man and could hear his mechanical heavy breathing, and would not dare cross his path. The officers did much the same, and although they did try, they were chased away by a swift blue glance.
Kylo Ren pressed his private code, then, his right hand upon the screen beside the door and it slid to grant him entrance. He stood in the middle of the room and looked around. Seeing he was alone, he unclasped his mask and grouched down to rest it on the dark floor by his side. Looking at his own reflection, he lightly scratched the fading red scar across his face and sighed. Rebuilding the base was no easy task, but it was finally done. The praise was completely deserved, and gladly shared with General Hux. Regaining their superior’s trust, however, had been a much more arduous endeavor. He knew he had to be on good terms with the General, and although they had their differences – they had actively dismissed the other’s methods over petty jealousy to be Snoke’s favorite -, they finally reached understanding and could respect one another, and even developed a stormy but steady friendship.
Lost in thought, Ren did not notice the light approaching footsteps and the hand on his shoulder.
“Is Vader hiding over there?” Hux asked, looking at the younger man’s reflection.
Kylo looked up at the redhead’s face and blinked, unamused. “Have you got no concept of family values?” He bit his lower lip, holding a smile.
Hux snorted, “Says Ben Solo, the patricide.”
He held out a hand to help Kylo, the other grabbing it and standing, adjusting his robes. They saw flickering holographic lights above, so they stood upright.
Ren turned quickly and sneered. “You are a terrible person.” Then, he faced forward.
“Maybe that’s why we’re such good friends.” Hux said, in a mocking tone, also facing forward.
“Kylo Ren, General Hux. Thank you for meeting my request in such short notice.” said Snoke, “I would like to sort these last matters as soon as possible, so we can move forward to our next stage. I will be brief.”
“Yes, sir.” Both men answered in unison.
“You have worked day and night to reconstruct Starkiller Base II, and so reestablish the glory of the First Order. As such, I believe you should be rewarded for your efforts.” He paused, looking strangely amused with himself. “You are to spend the next week on Grywn Juleht, at the island of Fyor.”
Moments passed. Kylo and Hux looked to one another, then at Snoke, then at themselves again, then to Snoke, who just blinked, with the faint ghost of a smile on his face.
“Sir, I am very sorry. I do not think I understood the assignment.” Hux stated.
“I think I was very clear. You are going on vacation to Grywn Juleht.”
Kylo arched an eyebrow, confused. Hux gulped.
“With all due respect, sir,” the ginger started, “I do not think we should leave the base at the moment. We have just begun organizing our troops for the next offensive.”
“I believe you will find a suitable substitute for your leave, General. I need my best men in excellent shape in order to make sure our plan will succeed. This is as much for your own good as of the Order.”
“Bu-“
“Do I hear a disagreement, General Hux?” The giant figure bent forward, looking even more menacing.
“No, sir.” The younger man stepped in, given his friend had worried bugged eyes to the floor and was clenching and unclenching his fist.
“Very well. You are dismissed.”
Kylo grabbed his mask from the floor. As the men meant to leave the room, Snoke cleared his throat.
“Enjoy yourselves.”
“Thank you, sir.” They answered and bolted away.
That very same night, but light-years away, Kylo and Hux stepped inside a small, wooden house. The inside was very unlike what both were familiar with. In fact, the whole planet was. The weather was warm, much too warm to their liking. They were used to the ever-present air-conditioning of the base, simulating the wuthering winds and the white snow outside. The land was covered in rich green grass and rocky slopes. The house itself was weird. They walked around and smelt fresh-baked bread on the walls. The earthy tones mingled well with paintings of sailing boats and fishes on the bright blue sea. The tables, every table had purple and yellow flowers. The house felt loved. It felt like home. It was very weird.
After setting their belongings on their respective rooms, Hux roamed around.
“I hope they didn’t kill anyone so we could stay here.” He snorted, stepping on the balcony to find Kylo looking nowhere in particular, but facing the sea.
He didn’t seem to listen, and at that, Hux walked towards him. Seeing his knuckles whitening on the handrail, the ginger put a hand on his shoulder.
“Are you alright, Ren?”
The younger man did not answer.
“Do… you wanna go for a walk?”
Kylo shook his head. Hux pondered a while, then squeezed his shoulder.
“Have you been to a beach before, Kylo?”
Again, he shook his head, only slower. The older man smiled.
“Come on, then.”
He didn’t even flinch.
“Come oooon, Kylo. Be a grown-up!”
At that, Ren turned and rolled his eyes at his friend. Smiling, Hux hugged his shoulder and walked them outside.
On the sand, Hux untied his sneakers and took off his socks. He felt the strange prickle on his toes, curling and uncurling them. Seeing Kylo stood practically frozen by his side, he urged.
“Do you want me to untie yours, oh Lord of the Knights of Ren?” He mocked, but smiled warmly.
The brunette sighed heavily, annoyed and unsure. “I can walk with my shoes on, no?”
“Yes, you can.” The other shrugged, holding his smile.
Hux held his shoes on one of his hands. With the other, he squeezed Kylo’s shoulder again and they started walking along the shore. Moments later, both thinking deep to themselves, Kylo scoffed.
“My family”, he said with disdain, “was always so very busy with the greater good, they had no time for fun. Or take care of their child, for that matter. Poor Uncle Luke. No wonder he left me.”
All this time they knew each other and Hux still got startled by the fact nothing was really a secret to Kylo Ren. Unless he was too oblivious to see. The ginger looked at the other man’s profile.
“You chose the dark side, Ren.”
“Did I really?” He blinked, then chuckled. “Anyway, he could have tried to bring me back to the light.” He mocked.
The ginger arched an eyebrow. “Didn’t he, though?”
Kylo looked at him, a smile on his face. “He didn’t try hard enough.”
They both kept on walking forward, only stopping to savour the breeze passing through. It practically danced on Kylo’s long locks, Hux observed. The younger man caught him staring, and looked down at his shoes. Only at that Hux noticed what he was doing, also looking down, scratching his head. He then saw Kylo reaching for a light-orange twirling shell.
They both sat on the sand. Kylo took some time adjusting to the weird texture on his jeans. Then, he settled to run his fingers on the sand with one hand, still observing the shell with the other. Hux sat by his side, bringing his legs to himself and resting his head on his knees. He looked at the dark waves, crashing rhythmically, then at the cloudy sky above.
“Do you ever regret it?” The ginger asked.
Seconds passed. Just as Hux was settling for not getting an answer, Kylo sighed.
“You might forget about it sometimes, Hux,” The younger man said, looking at the sand running through, “because you were born in this mindset. I had to learn everything, and pretty much by myself…” He paused. “There can be light in the darkness. You just grab a torch, a candle and there you go. But when it's too bright, when the sun comes from every fucking angle, there's no hiding from it. The light's unforgiving. The sun’s shining, and if you don't wanna shine with it, oh, dear, bless your heart. There's no escaping the light. There's no sensibility in the light.” He paused again, running a hand through his hair. He had his eyes closed. “The light says you're so special, that there's true potential within you, you just need to find it! And then you ask it for help and it says, uhmmmm, I can't give you the answers, you need to find them yourself! That's the mystery of life, that’s the beauty of things!” He mocked. “And then you search, and search, and you find the dark side and it says, look, I know you're scared. I know you want to find your way. You want to make sense of this world, but truth is, there isn't. It is what it is. We’re all in the darkness. But I'm here for you if you need a hand. We'll walk through the valley of shadows together. I’ll be your friend.”
He stopped himself, out of breath. He noticed Hux looking at him, concerned. He took a deep breath, and smiled, both to comfort himself and his friend. Hux smiled back and squeezed his knee reassuringly.
“As far as I’m concerned, the dark side doesn't mean it's the evil side. Do I want to blow up some planets sometimes? Sure. But that’s because people don’t mind their fucking business. If they did, we'd be fine...”
Hux bit his lip, then burst out laughing. Kylo grinned, knowing he had been the only one to hear that heart-warming sound for a long time.
“That’s an amazing slogan. First Order: We wouldn’t blow up your planet if you minded your own business.” Hux chanted, wiping a tear from his eye. “But Kylo,” he sighed, looking a bit more serious, “I understand it hasn’t been easy for you. I’ve said it numerous times, but really, I’m very, very sorry I didn’t go up to your and asked about your training and if things were ok. I could have helped…”
“It’s fine, Hux. Really.” He gave a shy smile at the ginger.
The older man smiled back. “I must say I’m glad you’re opening up like that, and that we’re friends.” He snorted, “I don’t think I’ve ever been this comfortable around someone before. You’re a very interesting person, Ren.”
“Thank you, Hux.”
The ginger hugged the other’s shoulder again. “No, thank you.”
He smiled, then rested his head on the crook of the brunette’s shoulder. He smelled Kylo’s soap on his skin mixing with the salty air. He also smelled his own fabric softener, because of course he would only wash his clothes when Hux urged him to.
Feeling strangely out of place but compelled to reciprocate, Kylo draped his arm around the other, resting a hand on his knee and hugging him closer. Skimming through Hux’s cozy thoughts, he kissed the top of his head and rested his chin on it.
Both looked at the ocean in front of them and smelled the oncoming rain, though neither moved.