Chapter Text
“So you should start seeing these skews in a couple of weeks. We're changing over to summer seasonals now, lot's of IPAs and heffewiezens. Sunsetter Peach Ale is going to be available as well. Weathers getting hot, people want something a little lighter than the dark stouts and porters.”
Phasma nodded as she looked over the sell sheet, eyeing the price lists and the skews. This was the third sales rep today with a list of new products, gearing into the summer season. Coolers, new beers. She smiled. “Everyone loves the Sunsetter. It's a big seller. Glad to see it's coming into season soon!”
Summer time was easily their busiest season, and like every other season it came with a swell of it's own craft beer seasonal releases. She liked the summer beers the best. They were refreshing and easy to drink... perfect for hot days in the sun.
The rep smiled, nodding in agreement. “That's definitely one of our top selling skews. Especially for the summer. Craft beer has really just.... taken off in recent years, it's really fun to watch!”
The blonde's red lips spread, an excited light in her eyes. “I know! It's so neat to see, so many new craft breweries. Portland is overflowing with them, and of course there's all the European stuff. Even Canada has recently been teaming with new breweries. Hux has had to make a whole section for British Columbia!”
The rep's eyes darted around the meticulously organized shelves that housed the craft beer. Row upon row of bombers, each with labels more colourful and eccentric than the last. “Yes, it's really neat to see the market growing like this. They're getting more expensive too though...” Her eye fell upon a row of fancy looking bottles with a myriad of coloured wax tops. The word ECLIPSE was across the side, with a price tag of 45.99$.
“I mean, it's practically like wine now! Except for men!”
At that Phasma's expression fell. The excitement in her eyes petered out, as disappointment clouded her mind. Really? Did the conversation have to go in this direction? She sighed, not bothering to hide the irritation from her tone of voice. “For men? Really? I drink a lot of this stuff.”
The sales lady hastened to correct herself, a sheepish smirk gracing her lips as she shook her head. “Oh of course! I do too! I just mean, well, it's mostly men who drink it. Women usually prefer wine.” She giggled conspiratorially, as if the needless gendering of product was just a normal and expected part of life. Phasma sighed, ready to be done with the conversation.
This was why customers so often, when looking for advice on craft beer, would ignore Phasma's presence and instead seek out the male employees. Why even women would ask Kylo for advice when Kylo never drank anything that didn't come in a six pack for under ten dollars. Oh, where is your beer expert? Was a question Phasma was sick to death of hearing.
“Oh! I almost forgot! Here's some samples for the staff of a new radler.” The woman brought out three tall cans of grapefruit flavoured beer, setting them on the counter in front of her. Phasma smiled appreciatively as she took them, the cold tin of the cans chilling her palms.
“Thanks. I'll make sure staff gets a chance to try them.”
“What do you mean you don't have any free swag there is always free swag!” Kylo frowned as he heard the commotion at the front of the store. The new cashier, Dopheld, was at the till, and the man behind it was becoming angrier with every moment. Kylo rolled his eyes as he moved to approach, keeping his ear open to ascertain what exactly was going on.
“I.I..I'm sorry sir, but the giveaway items go with specific products.” The smaller man's eyes were wide as he nervously tried to explain company policy. One look at the customer made Kylo seethe. He was well dressed, broad shouldered, and clearly used to getting his way. “I just spent over twenty dollars here! Fuck you I can't have a Miller hat!”
Liquor stores tended to attract a rather special kind of trash. High brow snobs were inevitable anywhere, as were lowlifes off the streets. The ones however that really got under ones skin were the middle kind. The middle class zombies that liked to fancy themselves high class. The men who clearly had money but were still cheapskate enough to demand freebies that they didn't need. He hated them.
As the man started reaming the cashier out Kylo came up behind him, crossing his arms over his chest. “Excuse me, what seems to be the trouble here?” Dopheld almost collapsed in on himself with relief. The man's eyes raked over him, a bored expression of unimpressed arrogance, that equally failed in turn to impress Kylo. “I want some free swag! I know you fuckers have some. There's hats that go with Miller, and cooler bags with the Budweiser, what do I gotta do to get some fucking swag!”
Kylo's eyes drew together as he looked the man over. What a fucking chump. “My coworker here already told you. You have to-”
“Buy the corresponding product, yeah yeah yeah I know I know but c'mon buddy I want some swag you gotta hook me up man. I don't want to drink that crap beer I just want the swag! I'm gonna take my business to another store!”
Dopheld was slowly slinking away as Kylo's temper grew, his hands curling into fists as the idiot kept talking. “Then do it! I don't care!” The man would not shut up, as he continued to ramble over and over about swag. Kylo hated that word. Swag. Swag. SWAG. Something snapped.
He grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling him over the counter and applying enough pressure to his throat to choke him. The man cried out in alarm, his own hands clenching. It looked like it might be about to come to blows. “Get the fuck out of my store before I fucking make you.” He looked him in the eye. Both parties eyeing the other in fury, though Kylo easily towered over the enraged customer. The man looked like he was about to take a swing when something separated the two of them.
There was a flash of gingery red as Hux pushed his way in between the two men, shoving Kylo away and into the cash register with a crash. “What the ever loving fuck Kylo! As much as I understand the desire, you can't just assault customers just because they're being belligerent fucks!”
The customer straightened himself out, gasping in breath after breath. “Your manager is going to hear about this. Do you know who I am?” Hux gritted his teeth and rounded on the man, his eyes burning with a barely restrained fire. “Do you think I give a shit?! Get the fuck out of-” He stopped as he looked down at the man's pants. Either the man had a being-choked-across-a-counter kink, or he had something in his pants. Something rather decidedly bottle shaped.
With pursed lips and a rough manner he leaned over and pulled at the hem of the man's jeans. The force with which he moved made the pants shift just enough for him to pluck a mickey of Grey Goose vodka from the confines of his boxers. Then he stepped aside, gesturing to the man, bottle in hand. “Kylo, be my guest.”
A thrill of smug satisfaction washed through him as the watched his large and rather uncontrollable coworker deck the man in the face.
“You're both fired.”
Hux narrowed his eyes at the man sitting behind the desk in the rag tag little room that passed for an office. Their boss was old looking man, though Hux suspected he looked much older than he actually was. Balding, wrinkled, and with a permanent scowl etched into his face. So pale one could almost think his pallor was bordering on blue. And a personality to match his grim looks. Hardly the most pleasant man to work for, though luckily for his own sanity he was not actually at the store itself very often.
“Please.” He scoffed, making no effort to hide the terse derision in his voice. Kylo shifted beside him, cowed by the intensity of the boss's voice, swishing his foot on the ground. His eyes did not leave the floor. “You can't just fire us, there are laws in place. You need three strikes before-” The man raised a hand to cut him off, a glare that could curdle milk on his brow.
“Kylo here has more than enough strikes against his name, but in any case assault of a customer is more than good enough reason in the eyes of the law for immediate termination.” Kylo said nothing, his face going red, his fingers lacing within each other. Hux growled, fury growing as he stared his boss down. “I had nothing to do with the assault, and besides it was more than justified. The customer in question was stealing from this establishment. You would have had us let him leave with stolen goods?”
Mr. Snoke's fingers drummed on the desk as he glowered at the pair of them. “There are better ways to deal with shoplifters than... what occurred. It is still considered assault. And,” He cut off the ginger with a sharp look as he was about to open his mouth to interject. “It was not apparent that he was a shoplifter before the altercation began, and, you Mr. Hux were involved, however indirectly.” He sighed, waving a hand in their direction. “Quite frankly I'm surprised the both of you have been employed for as long as you have. You are both fired.”
“Well.” Hux's eyes narrowed in barely restrained fury, his body shaking from the injustice. Kylo's back was bent over as though he could shrink his rather considerable mass until he might disappear from scrutiny. Fucking dumbass. “Quite frankly working for you has always been miserable. I don't have any desire to be a part of this establishment any longer anyways. Fuck. You.”
With that he spun on his heel and marched out of the office, the sulking Kylo hot on his heels. As the two of them exited the building the sun could just be seen beginning to make it's dip below the horizon, the air filling with that dimming kind of constancy that signalled the end of the day.
“God damn it.” He muttered for a moment under his breath as he paused outside the doors. He could just hear the sound of sniffling beside him. Without turning to look at his former co-worker he sighed. “Oh don't fucking cry. Snoke's an ass anyways.”
Kylo was silent, standing beside him, his pent up emotions from the day threatening to overwhelm him. He tried to stop the tears, holding his breath to keep from making a sound. Hux stayed facing away from him for a long moment before he turned to take in his visage. Eyes red. Silent tears leaking across his face. Hux rolled his eyes before he sighed, an expression of extreme annoyance on his face.
“Look. Why don't you come by my place later tonight. We'll have some drinks to celebrate our newfound freedom. Alright?” Kylo took in a deep breath, looking up at the ginger with curiosity. Hux was an ass. But right now they were in the same boat. There was no warmth in the man's expression, only cold indifference, but that he had made the offer at all was astounding. He nodded tentatively, raising an arm to wipe his face clear of tears. “Alright.”
The knock at the door made Hux sigh in resignation. He had half hoped that Kylo would forget the extended invitation. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to offer it in the first place. Really he had just wanted to make the man stop fucking crying. Stupid.
He opened the door to see the former liquor store employee, changed out of work clothes and wearing a sweatshirt and jeans. He was holding up a 6 pack of beer. Hux couldn't help but scoff in derision.
“Really? Pabst Blue Ribbon? That's what you bring to my house?”
Kylo's eyes narrowed, his face turning red in embarrassment. “Shut up! Don't give me shit right now. It's all I had in my fridge okay?” A smirk tugged at the corner of Hux's lips as he shook his head and stood aside to allow the man entrance. “I suppose I should be impressed you even had an entire 6 pack. Come in.”
Kylo followed the redhead into the house, looking around in frank astonishment. He knew Hux was well groomed and fussy, but the interior of his house was nothing short of immaculate. Hux gestured towards the couch in the living room as he himself made his way into the kitchen, opening cabinets with a methodical kind of reverence. A bottle was pulled down from a high shelf. Kylo recognized it; it was a very expensive bottle of scotch. Glemorangie 18 yr.
The man poured the golden liquid into a short, squat looking glass, before he clasped it in hand and made his way into the living room to join his guest. Fixing him with a cold, icy stare, he held the glass of scotch out towards him. “Here. Have a real drink.”
Kylo stared at the glass for a moment, chewing on the inside of his lip as in in thought before he reached out to take the glass from the redhead's hand. It felt cold and heavy in his grip. The expensive nature of the stuff bade him to handle it with care, cradling it in hand like it was a fragile thing. He frowned before he reached to the six pack he had set on the carpeted floor and pulled a can free from the rings, holding it out in offering to his host.
Hux only looked down his nose at the proffered can, distaste apparent in his eyes. He sneered at it with a tsk of impatience. “You think that cheap shit is fair trade for my single malt?” Kylo felt a pang of impotence, a red hue rising to his cheeks as he retracted his hand. His face looked like he was a kicked puppy, timid and shamed. Hux rolled his eyes, sighing again in impatience at the mournful expression on the poor boy's face. Now he was apparently stuck babysitting the poor sob's feelings.
“Oh give it here.” The way Kylo's eyes lit up made him smirk some. He was easy to play. That in itself was interesting. He took the can, still cold, in his grasp. It made a hissing sound as he cracked it open. Then he settled himself on a chair opposite his former coworker, extending the butt of the can to his glass, clinking the two in unison. “Cheers. To freedom.”
As he lifted the can to his lips he stopped for a moment, watching with appalled fascination as Kylo knocked the glass back like a shot. The result was a coughing and sputtering mess of a boy as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and gripped his throat with his other hand. “Fuck!” The burning sensation from the liquor spread through his mouth and his throat, the taste hard and strong.
“What the fuck! You aren't supposed to shoot it!” Hux gave an exasperated huff as he watched him, rolling his eyes at the antics of his guest. As Kylo's breathing levelled out, the burning subsiding and the hard taste quelling, he managed to sputter out a reply. “That” he said between gasps, “is some nasty fucking shit! You drink that?! Tastes like vomit and piss!”
A hard bark of laughter left the ginger's lips as he took a swig from the can of beer. “You would know, would you?” His lips curled in distaste as he swallowed. “I supposed I shouldn't be surprised that anything with any flavor at all is hard for you to stomach. This is like I'm drinking water. Fucking waste of scotch...”
Kylo's face was flushed as he reached down to crack another can. “You always were a prick, you know?” He took a swig of the beer, washing down the taste of the fine whisky. It was a comforting flavor. More familiar. Like an old friend.
Hux shrugged, pressing the can to his lips. “I suppose so. I've been called worse. And you're an insufferable maniac. So I suppose we're even.” Kylo smiled into the can of beer for a moment, a rueful smile that was tinged with sadness. “Guess we aren't going to be working together anymore.”
That elicited a chuff from the other man, who leaned back on the couch with the beer in hand, looking down into the can. “Not very likely. Why? Don't tell me you'll miss me?” The words were offered forth in a mocking tone of voice. Hux's eyes darted up to take in the demeanour of his guest. Kylo sighed and shrugged.
“Don't know what I'm going to do next....” He trailed off, tossing his head back and chugging the rest of the beer. Hux watched in fascination. It was cheap stuff after all... designed to be downed like it was water in order to get drunk as quickly as possible. Kylo's face was already red from the alcohol he had already consumed.
“Though, the guy did look good with a fucking black eye and a split lip, didn't he?” Kylo's voice rang out as he looked up at the ginger, quirking a brow in his direction. An almost playful kind of sadism twinkled in his host's eyes. “Oh yes. Very much worth it. I've wanted to see you do that to someone for a long time, if I'm honest.”
They sat in silence for some time after that. The taste of PBR and tin from the cans was heavy on their tongues, but neither men seemed to mind. Neither of them seemed keen to talk further, staring into their drinks as though social occasions were foreign affairs to them both. Finally Kylo tossed his head back, draining the rest of the liquid in one last swig. As the can was crushed in his hand he locked eyes with the ginger.
“You're right, this shits awful. You got any more of that scotch?” Hux's lips turned, his eyes twitching in contemplation before he too downed the beer in his can, tossing it back like it was nothing. As he set the can down and got to his feet again with a sigh, he tossed an amused and skeptical look at his guest.
“Only if you promise to sip it properly this time. It wasn't artfully crafted and aged to perfection for you to treat it like it was a cheap shot at a bar off a hooker's tits.” He moved to the kitchen again after stooping to grasp the emptied glass, then clasped the bottle in hand. Pulled another glass out of a cupboard. “How you managed to work as long as you did at a liquor store without knowing anything. Fuck. Here, it's time for a basic rundown on scotches. Scotch was invented....”
Kylo watched his lips moved as he spoke, the golden liquid that he quite honestly had hated pouring easily into the glasses. He liked the way Hux sounded when he was passionate about something. When he was teaching someone about something. As arrogant and pompous as he could be, he was knowledgeable and dedicated.
He reached for another beer as he listened. He would miss working with the jackass. The bottle clinked against the glass before it was being passed back into his hand.
His next tentative sip did not taste quite so bad.