Chapter Text
Hux felt his feet almost leave the floor as Ren, still holding his upper arms, set him back a step so he could look him up and down.
“Why are you following me?” Ren hissed, gripping Hux’s arms all the tighter, “Are you some sort of stalker?”
Hux was so taken aback, he wasn’t sure how to respond, but the look in Ren’s eyes promised violence if he didn’t do something quickly. Pulling on his basic self defense training from work, the ginger quickly broke Ren’s hold on his arms by bringing his hands together, up and apart, then took a large step back to widen the distance between them. The author seemed startled and a little impressed, but quickly went back to wearing the scowl from before.
“I am most certainly not following you!” Hux said with a sniff, looking down his nose at Kylo. It was true. Today, he was not following the tour.
The writer didn’t seem convinced, “I know I’ve seen you before! Why are you in my hotel?”
Hux just barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes, “I’m staying in this hotel because my job put me here.” He straightened his coat, trying to retain his air of professionalism. It always worked on the passengers, after all, “And you recognize me because I have been your flight attendant for the last three hours!”
By now Ren looked truly confused so Hux took pity on him and pulled his crew ID badge from his wallet. Thankfully he’d been carrying it for the discount at the museum, which he was certainly going to be late for now. Cautiously, he stepped closer to the dark haired man and showed him the ID. Ren looked between it and Hux a few times before his shoulders slumped and he dragged his hand down his face.
“Shit. I, uh, I’m sorry.” And boy, those words seemed to physically pain the author, “I just get people following me sometimes, and it gets really annoying. I’m sorry for jumping down your throat like that.” Ren was looking at the floor and scuffing the toe of his shoe against the floor while he spoke, and Hux found it annoyingly charming. When the red haired man didn’t answer right away, Ren looked up at him from under his lashes and Hux had to keep from sighing. Not again.
Instead he cleared his throat and put his ID back into his wallet, so he didn’t have to keep making eye contact. “It’s fine. No harm, no foul. I can understand that having someone following you could be irritating.” Once he placed his wallet back into his back pocket, Hux no longer had an excuse to not look at the author and when he looked back up, he thought he caught a brief look of appreciation on the other man’s face. That was odd. The man’s next words startled him even more.
“Can I take you for coffee? As an apology, I mean?”
It was a stunning offer, and in another reality Hux would have seized it with both hands grabbing greedily. “Are you allowed to take a fan for coffee?” Hux asked before he realized he’d let his secret slip.
Ren’s mouth curled into a smug smirk, “Oh, so you are a fan. You lied to me.”
“I did no such thing,” Hux tried to look offended, but his blush gave him away. “I merely said I wasn’t following you, which is still true.”
A light went on behind the author’s eyes, and he pointed an accusing finger at Hux’s chest, “I knew I’d seen you before! You’ve been to my signings!”
Knowing he’d been caught, Hux groaned softly, “Yes, alright. I may have been to a few, if they lined up with my layovers.”
The smirk got bigger, “And how many times did that happen?”
Hux looked away and muttered, “Seven…”
“Seven?! You sure you’re not a crazy fan?” Ren chuckled.
“Well, it was so nice to meet you, but I have to get going” Hux was so flushed he could feel it creeping down the back of his neck. He went to step around Kylo and was stopped again by a large hand on his bicep.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I promise, no more teasing.” The smirk was gone, and in its place was that damnable smile, the one that always served to cause coos to ripple through the crowds of various signings and made Hux’s own heart squeeze in his chest, “Will you please go to coffee with me? I feel I have to make up for most likely being a pain on the plane, as well as accusing you of being a crazy stalker.”
Hux looked up into the author’s dark eyes and got a little bit lost in the soft twinkle there. Had he ever truly stood a chance?
“Alright. Coffee sounds nice.”
The weather outside was nice, if a bit chilly, so neither man wanted to be outside very long. The closest shop was a Starbucks just a block away and Hux swallowed his disgusted look as they went inside. The man couldn’t be perfect after all. It may even serve to be Hux’s only saving grace.
“Um…” Ren looked up at the faux blackboard menu, reading it as if it were the first time, “Go ahead and order what you’d like. I’m still deciding.”
Great, what did one order at a cafe you couldn’t stand? Certainly not the coffee. He looked into the display case housing the various baked goods and food items. Those seemed safe enough.
“I’ll have the lemon pound cake, please.” Ugh, he had to actually order, what a novelty. Most of his shops knew him on sight and always had his drink ready. At least without buying a drink he didn’t have to perform the verbal contortions that was a ‘grande caramel macchiato,’ or whatever it was.
Hux stepped aside and let Ren order his drink. Oh that was something to ask him now that he had the author on hand. What was with the name thing? When the cashier handed them both a paper bag and no drinks, Hux looked and the dark haired man curiously. Ren rubbed the back of his neck a little sheepishly, “I don’t usually go to Starbucks. I don’t really like their coffee, but I figured most people did so it was a safe bet.”
The chuckle escaped before he could stop it, and now it was Ren’s turn to look at him oddly. “I hate Starbucks. I find their beans to be rather burnt and ashy tasting.”
Ren barked a soft laugh and pulled out his phone, “Shall we try again?”
A quick look through Google found them a little mom and pop coffee shop a short walk away and the two men found themselves once again walking briskly in the cold, but this time chatting merrily about different shops they had found in which cities. Ren held the door open for Hux as they entered the little shop and Hux instantly took a liking to it, though he had a feeling Phasma would love it.
The walls were a rather muted brown, with the register and kitchen off to one side then a small stage in the other corner away from the wall of windows that made up the front. But the whole shop was decorated in girl power band posters, poetry meet ups, and goddess art from all over the world, though mainly Hindu with Shiva holding the place of honor over the register.
Hux looked at Ren and caught him also checking out the place. With a small smirk he wound his way through the chairs and tables littering what little space the shop had and greeted the woman behind the counter.
“May I have your dark roast americano?”
“Most certainly! How about your friend?”
Ren had come up behind the red head, standing a little too close for casual acquaintances, but Hux was far from complaining. The broad shouldered man radiated just the right amount of heat on a small part of Hux’s right shoulder.
“Double shot white mocha.”
“Alright, have a seat and I’ll bring those right out.” She smiled brightly and moved behind the old espresso machine that still had the bean grinding part a separate motion from the brewing. Hux nodded, though she missed the action, and led the two of them to a small table close to the windows so he could watch the passing crowd as they talked.
They took a moment while the both of them folded their tall frames into the small two seat table, and there were a few muttered apologies as knees bumped until they got themselves settled. At that point the barista had their drinks ready and dropped them off with a smile. The two men each took a sip of their drinks and settled more comfortably into their chairs. Hux broke the silence first.
“So, if your real name is Benjamin Solo, why write under Kylo Ren?”
Ren coughed, and choked softly. Hux smirked and handed the other man a napkin, reciving a playful glare for his trouble.
“How do you know that?”
Hux gave Kylo an unimpressed look, “It was on my paperwork. Can’t use a pen name with the FAA.”
“Oh yeah,” Ren ducked his head in a sheepish movement, causing his dark hair to fall into his eyes. Clearing his throat to keep himself from dwelling on how fetching the motion made the other man look, Hux spoke again.
“So, where did Kylo Ren come from?”
The writer sighed, “Let’s just say that, at the time that I first dabbled in science fiction, I...didn’t--couldn’t tie those novels to my real name.”
Hux raised an eyebrow, “Now that doesn’t remotely creepy at all.”
“Sorry, it wasn’t anything like that.” Ren shook his head, “It was just that I had already established myself-- Ben Solo, at least-- as a respected historical novelist. My family...well, I didn’t exactly want them to know at the time that I wanted to try something new, and I wasn’t about to tarnish Ben Solo’s reputation in case I was really bad at scifi.”
“But you’re not.”
“We’ve already established that you’re a creepy fan, but thank you for the flattery.”
“Wait a minute...Historical novels, like The Negotiator ?” Hux gave him the side eye, not quite believing that…
“Yeah, that was my third after grad school. I spent a year traveling while I was researching for it.”
Now it was Hux’s turn to choke on his coffee, “I poured over that series when I first started flying. I was laying over in a lot of the same locations, so I used your book as a kind of tour guide. I probably only survived my first year of flying because I had your writing to keep me interested in the places I was visiting.”
Ren seemed just a shocked to hear that as Hux was that he’d shared it.
“You didn’t like flying?” Now Ren was leaning forward on the table, his chin resting in his hand, long fingers resting on his cheek. Hux was distracted for a moment before he shook himself back to the conversation.
“Flying isn’t a problem for me.” Hux shook his head, “Well, I knew I liked traveling and being able to go to all these amazing places on someone else’s dime, but no one ever warns you how lonely the life can be. But because of your books I had something to look forward to, and I wouldn’t let myself stay in my hotel room while I had something to explore.”
This was something Hux hadn’t even admitted to Phasma, though he was sure she’d had a similar experience at some point in her career. But here he was sharing an intimate weakness with a man he barely knew. He cleared his throat awkwardly, “Could hazard a guess that you don’t exactly like flying?”
Ren snorted, “Yeah, it’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?” He took a long drink of his coffee before setting the cup down, “It’s kind of sad, considering the fact that my grandfather was a fighter pilot in WWII, my dad was a pilot for the Merchant Marines, and my uncle was a Blue Angel.”
Hux couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, “That’s...a lot of pilots in the family.” Phasma would have had a field day with this family and reciting Rule Number 1 to anyone who got near them.
“Oh yeah. Even my mother couldn’t keep her hands out of the aviation pie, so to speak.” The writer ran a hand through his long hair, “Opened a little start up airlines when she was nineteen, and now she’s CEO of one of the leading airlines in the country.”
Wait, this sounded rather familiar, “Your mother started her own airline at nineteen? She’s not Leia Organa is she? The CEO of Resistance Airlines?” Resistance Airlines was one of First Order Airline’s biggest competitors. The playful nature of the flight attendants and other staff attracted a large portion of the common flier, while First Order usually catered to the business person. The rivalry was not subtle, and when the different crews saw each other around, things were icy at best. Phasma had never forgiven their traitor from leaving FOA for Resistance.
“Uh yeah. So when it became obvious what a bad flier I am, Mom made sure I was always stocked with the necessary medication to keep my anxiety low or knock me out completely.” He looked up at Hux through his eyelashes, “I’m sure a drooling, bumbling idiot author kept you entertained the last few months while I was on tour.”
That startled a laugh out of the red headed man, “I just couldn’t figure out how you were so different at your signings then when you were on the plane. You were always so…articulate.” He had almost said charming, then caught himself, but when he looked up at the other man he had a feeling the sentiment still came across.
Ren smiled smugly, “Articulate huh? Well thank you.”
“Of course! Some authors, while they write well, can’t speak in front of a crowd for anything.” Hux went for the distraction, but felt the flush crawling up his neck and was sure it gave him away.
Kylo leaned in closer, resting his chin in his palm and looking at Hux curiously. “Do you follow a lot of other authors? Or am I...special?”
Fighting a losing battle, Hux looked away, afraid the flush that had reached his face gave him away. Then he decided, to hell with it, “You’re special.”
Kylo smirked, leaning forward against the table, “Well,” He murmured, his voice as dark and rich as their coffee, “I think you’re pretty special too.”
And, as Hux’s gaze was caught in the writer’s inky black eyes, the world outside disappeared as he soaked in Kylo’s words (albeit however teasing). It was just as lovely as sinking into the writer’s written words, experiencing his fictional worlds. But instead of science fiction, he had the privilege of exploring the realm of nonfiction with Kylo Ren.
The two men talked for hours, trading stories as they sipped away at their coffees. The first time Hux had even bothered to look at his watch, he realized that there was no way he would ever be able to see the Titanic exhibit. But, then again, he couldn’t exactly bring himself to care all that much. By the time the coffee had gone cold and been entirely consumed (and a second round had been purchased and consumed), the sun had already begun to disappear behind the Cleveland skyline. It had been Kylo’s suggestion that they grab a “quick bite to eat” and Hux, being unable to deny the author anything, agreed.
Dinner was ordered and consumed in the same manner, both men finding comfort and ease in each other’s presence. Hux became more and more charmed and interested in the author, and began to regret that their time together was coming to a close. He had to go back to Newark tomorrow, and this was the last stop on Kylo’s tour. And knowing now how poorly the man traveled, he didn’t expect that he would be flying for pleasure any time soon.
They ate and talked until the wait staff started sweeping the floors and started turning the chairs over. And it didn’t take a genius to spot the evil-eye they were receiving from the wait staff, hoping they would leave.
They walked out into the street, and with a small smile, Kylo held out his hand, “May I escort you back to the hotel? I happen to be going that way as well.”
Hux told himself that it was only logical that they would walk back to their hotel together. There was nothing wrong with that, they were just walking to their hotel. Nothing that could be misinterpreted: not the proximity of their bodies, not the way Hux held Kylo’s hand as if it were his lifeline, not the light conversation and conspiratorial laughs. Absolutely nothing. And Hux realized that he was not very good at lying to himself.
It wasn’t until they were walking down the hotel hallway towards Hux’s room that he made the terrifying realization that he and Ren had not parted ways. He should have said his goodbyes in the elevator, allowed Kylo to return to his own hotel room for the evening. But the author was still with him, walking side by side with him as they came nearer and nearer to Hux’s room.
It hit him then. Did...did Ren expect Hux to invite him into his room for the night? He couldn’t help but blush at the implication. Could the author be that forward? Hux wasn’t naive, he knew that the invitation would lead to (and no, it wouldn’t be for a cup of cheap hotel coffee), and every logical portion of Hux’s mind screamed at him to avoid such a temptation.
But then again...it wasn’t like he was likely to have such a chance with Kylo Ren ever again…
His hands nearly fumbled with his hotel keycard, could he really? Luckily, the decision was taken out of his hands.
“Well, uh, this is me…” The author trailed off, motioning with his eyes to the room just across the hall from Hux. Hux could only stare for a moment. The author had been placed in the room across from him the entire time?
“I, uh, I had a really nice time tonight. I’m glad I bumped into you, and I’m really glad you didn’t want to press charges after I nearly assaulted you,” Kylo chuckled softly. Hux opened his mouth to reply but Ren was faster. The dark haired man swiftly moved in, kissing Hux lightly on the cheek then was gone, the latch on the hotel door the only sound in the hallway.
Hux stood frozen in the overly bright hallway for several seconds before woodenly moving to his own door and letting himself in. Completing his nightly ritual on auto pilot, it wasn’t until the red head was in bed with the lights off that he swore to himself.
He never asked to get his book signed.
To say Hux was in a foul mood the next day would be an understatement. Yes, he'd had an amazing day with Kylo, talking and sharing stories and ideas and really getting to know one another, but how could he have missed his opportunity?!
Phasma, of course, noticed right away. Nothing much got past her, and the second time Hux slammed a cart shut while setting up his galley during boarding, when he was usually so fastidious about not making noise, she just had to ask.
“What's got your panties in a twist? I thought you were really looking forward to seeing that titanic thing. Did the school children annoy you again?” The redhead had whined and whined about the darn school tour that seemed to be following him while he explored the Smithsonian on a Washington DC layover a few months ago. Of course, when she pointed it out he denied it wholeheartedly.
“No, I just made a mistake and I'm mad at myself.”
Phasma was floored, “I'm sorry, did you just say you made a mistake?”
His responding glare was expected and she steamrolled over his probably scathing response, “Okay, this is way beyond a museum trip, what happened yesterday?”
Hux opened his mouth to retaliate or deflect or something but his eyes looked at something over her shoulder and went slightly wide. She whirled around and there stood space author, only he was looking at Hux in a very familiar way and sort of half smirking a shy smile.
“Hey Hux, long time no see. I guess you're not quite done with me yet.” He switched to look at Phasma and gave a little wave, then moved down the aisle and took a seat in first class.
Phasma turned back around very slowly, and when she caught Hux’s gaze again he looked like he was trying to escape the little galley that she very much had him pinned in. She took a very tiny step closer and lowered her voice, “You have exactly ten seconds to explain, before I go ask mister space author myself. And you better start with why he knows your name.”
For a moment, Hux seriously debated lying to Phasma, or just avoiding the question altogether. But the urge only lasted for a moment; he was more than aware of how determined Phasma could be when it came to getting what she wanted, especially information.
“Iranintohimatthehotelandwehadcoffeethendinnertogether.” The words poured out of his mouth with no breath in between. The woman stared at him for a moment and Hux was afraid she was going to make him repeat the whole embarrassing thing more slowly, but then a slow smug grin spread across her crimson red lips and her whole body language went predatory.
“You ran into him at the hotel? And then spent the day together?” Her eyes went even darker and Hux swallowed nervously. “Did you boink him?”
Hux sputtered and blushed and, without answering, took the drinks Phasma had left on the galley counter and pushed past her. The tall blond fought the urge to crow, and continued to make the rest of her pre-departure drinks, knowing he'd break eventually and she had him in her clutches the whole flight. And if he got reluctant, she could always go to the other source. In fact, she might do that anyway…
She let Hux think that she had dropped the topic while they finished up boarding and went through the procedure of closing and arming the doors, safety demo, take off. By the time service was over she was sure he thought she'd forgotten.
Oh how wrong he was.
Phasma turned her attention to the galley counter and, more importantly, the ice bin that Hux had, uncharacteristically, left open.
Well then, better go see to the needs of her passengers then. She smiled, taking a cup and heaping it with ice. Phasma was just about to leave the galley when she noticed Hux’s bag, tucked neatly into its usual place. The bag wasn’t what caused the gears in Phasma’s mind to begin turning.
It was what she knew was inside it.
She spared only a moment to open Hux’s bag, gingerly prying the battered and spine-broken copy of the first Peregrine novel from its place, before slowly strutting down the aisle down the rows of first class to the dark haired author in 6C.
She put on her best Flight Attendant smile as she approached, “Kylo Ren, right?” She began, offering the ice-filled cup to the author.
Ren looked up at her, startled. “Yes?” The voice was not the same as the drugged up ice cruncher, confused but still incredibly articulate. At least this time it seemed he'd forgone the meds that usually made him a drooling mess. All the better.
“I’m sorry,” She chuckled slightly, “It’s just my friend Hux--” She gestured toward Hux a ways down the aisle (as if she the author hadn’t spent the previous day with her tight lipped friend), “--has told me so much about you. He’s a big fan, you see, which is why he usually brings you your ice. But today I thought “why not?” and thought I’d do it myself.” She was practically grinning now. She hadn’t had this much fun since the “air sample” fiasco.
The author nodded, “Oh, well… I can only hope I don’t disappoint him then.” He murmured, finally accepting the cup of ice. A cube was already in his mouth before a moment passed. Talk about a habit.
“Oh I doubt you could do that if you tried.” She shook her head “Now, this is a bit against regulations, but I was hoping you could do a favor for me...rather, for Hux.”
She could see the flash of annoyance that passed over Ren’s face at the mention of a “favor,” though it melted away at the mention of Hux. Oh this would be good… With that, she showed the battered paperback to the author. “Hux has carried this book around for several years. I thought he was going to get you to sign it, but I think he chickened out somewhere along the way. Could you be a dear?” She fluttered her eyelashes at him, using her “this may sound like a question, but it’s really a command” tone of voice as she offered the book to him.
Ren, to his credit, didn’t give the impression that he was too terribly surprised, took the book with wide eyes and nodded at her.
“You're such a doll.” She winked and walked back into the galley before Hux caught her talking to his author.
The rest of the flight went near perfect as only a Hux-run flight can: fussy passengers were seated and promptly pacified with in-flight entertainment, there were no drink spills (and wasn’t Thanisson proud of that achievement), and only one passenger oogled at Phasma (and really, he was easily taken care of). Honestly, if only all flights could go so smoothly. It was all too soon that Phasma and Hux were thanking passengers as they left.
Hux could vaguely see that Kylo was taking his time gathering his things, even so much as to let the passengers in coach deplane before he approached. But as he approached Hux and Phasma at the front of the plane, Hux could see an all too familiar flash of neon green in the author’s large hand. It was only as Kylo Ren stood in front of him, and held out the worn novel, that Hux realized it was his novel.
“I think you dropped this earlier. It's a good read, hope you liked it.”
Hux, too flabbergasted to even question the exchange, could only dumbly take his novel back from his novelist.
With a wink at Hux and a small nod at Phasma, he adjusted his bag on his shoulder and walked down the jet bridge. No explanation, no “good bye,” just...walked off. Honestly, Hux would have been more annoyed if he hadn’t had more pressing matters to deal with.
Hux could barely contain himself through the rest of deplaining, but the moment the last person was off, he wheeled to face Phasma. He shook the book in his friend’s face. “I did not drop this, I never drop this.” He hissed, “ So how did he get it?”
“I have no idea what you're talking about,” Phasma sniffed and slid her lunch bag over the top handles of her roller. Once her bag was in order, she smiled at him, “Parked in the usual place?”
“You won't distract me Phasma.” Hux insisted, though he found himself forced to collect his own bag and personal effects in order in order to keep up with Phasma, who was already making her own way off the plane, “How did he get this?
It was only as the crew were in the terminal that Phasma slowed down and faced Hux, “What does it matter, Hux? I think the more important question you need to ask is “Did he write anything?””
The question gave him pause and he nearly toppled his roller in his haste to open the front cover of his precious book.
Inside was the looping signature of Kylo Ren along with a short message.
“To Hux, my favorite not-stalker.
Next time, just call me.”
Below, Hux could make out the digits of a phone number, which, to his amazement, had the same area code as his own number. He lived so close to him...
“Well?” Phasma demanded, though Hux didn’t need to look at her to know that there was no doubt a predatory grin on her face.
Hux was too shocked to answer and, wordlessly, turned the open book to her.
Phasma’s eyes darted over the words, and an excited squeal escaped her lips, “Hux, you--”
Whatever words of congratulations Phasma might have shared with Hux, he didn’t get to hear them, as the another high pitched scream cut off Phasma mid-sentence. Both senior crew whipped their heads to look back at their two junior members. Apparently, Mitaka was the source of their rude interruption, as the brunette was grinning madly at his phone, and even releasing a borderline manic laugh.
Phasma rolled her eyes as the two younger crew members giggled at whatever had Mitaka in such a state, “Excitable pair, aren’t they?”
“Says the woman who was just squealing over my autograph.”
“Yeah, that I got for you, so be grateful.” The taller woman pointed a long, tapered finger and tapped it against Hux’s chest.
Hux chuckled softly, closing his book and carefully tucking it back safely into his bag. He could read the autograph (and the number) later...when he had a bit more privacy should he be...less than professional with his reaction.
Hux was still slightly in “lala land,” so to speak, by the time they reached the baggage claim area on their way to the employee parking lot. He was so lost in thought, imagining well crafted and inspiring dates with the illustrious, yet sensitive author, that the sudden impact of Phasma’s elbow with his diaphragm was a complete surprise.
Frowning at his friend while rubbing his stomach, Hux exclaimed, “What was that for? You’re not usually so clumsy.”
Phasma gave him an unimpressed look, and rolled her eyes in the direction of the baggage carousel they were walking by.
Following her gaze, his eyes fell on the broad shoulders and rippling back of Kylo Ren as he pulled his checked bag off the belt. As Hux watched, Kylo turned in the flight attendants’ direction and easily caught Hux’s eye. The author smiled (the same faint smile he gave Hux at the cafe), before giving a slow, solitary wink, before rolling his bag out the door.
“I suppose you’ll need to be remembering that number, hm?” Phasma chuckled softly.
“No Phasma…” Hux murmured, as he watched the shy, but charming author disappear out the sliding doors of the airport, “I suppose I’ll need to be calling that number.”