Work Text:
It had been Kylo’s idea.
He suggests it after their fourth unsuccessful attempt at conceiving, three weeks after Hux’s fourth heat and another set of pregnancy tests in the trash and even a droid delivering bad news when Hux wants to hold onto hope that the little tests are wrong.
“No foetus detected,” it says, scanning over Hux’s exposed tummy as he lies propped up on the examination bed. “I can confirm that you have not managed to become pregnant this time, General. Perhaps medical intervention is needed—”
“We’ve tried,” Hux snaps, pulling his shirt back down and hopping off the bed. He grabs his greatcoat out of Kylo’s hand and pulls it around himself, folding his arms over his tummy. “Close my files, MD-03. I don’t wish for this subject to be talked about again.”
“Of course, sir. I shall do so immediately,” the droid beeps, wheeling off to the computer in the back corner of the room.
Hux perches on the end of the bed, rubbing his hands down his face with an exhausted groan.
“The only thing I’ve ever failed at,” Hux sighs, seemingly refusing to look at Kylo, choosing instead to look down at his open palms. “Is giving you the thing that you want most. I’m sorry, Ren.”
“Hux.” Kylo kneels down in front of his mate, rubbing his hand up his leg, caressing him, wanting to shower him with all the affection he can give, especially now. “This isn’t your fault. You heard the medics last time. There are problems with both of us. Things out of our control.”
“You can leave me,” Hux says, nodding, clenching his fists. “I wouldn’t blame you.”
“Armitage, stop,” Kylo stands, sitting on the bed next to Hux and pulling him closer until Hux’s head is on his shoulder and he’s able to softly kiss his red hair. “That’s just your frustration talking. I can sense it. You know I’d never leave you.”
When Hux merely hums in cold agreement, Kylo moves, pulling out of the embrace to press open-mouthed kisses against the claim mark on the omega’s neck, gently pressing his teeth down on the scarred skin, a feat which never fails to calm Hux’s uneasiness. He moans quietly and cranes his neck, allowing Kylo better access to his skin.
“You know,” Kylo says between kisses, planting them up Hux’s neck to his jaw before halting at his cheek. “There are other ways of having a child.”
Hux frowns, turning to look at him. “You’ve got that scheming look in your eye.”
“We could adopt,” Kylo slides his hand across Hux’s lap to find his, entwining their fingers. “This isn’t going to happen for us. But we could take in an orphan. Raise them as though they’re ours. No one would know any different.”
Hux’s face remains unreadable but Kylo doesn’t have to try hard to sense his mate’s excitement at the hope of having their own child returning.
“You’re serious?”
Kylo nods. “Completely.”
Eyes brimming with tears, Hux leaps onto Kylo, throwing his arms around his neck and hugging him as tightly as he can, happiness and warmth radiating through their bond and straight into Kylo’s mind, sending tears down his own cheeks, both already desperate to start.
After copious amounts of discussion, they decide to keep their search to smaller planets where they’re less likely to be recognised and where using fake names, and a little help from Kylo’s manipulative powers, will be easier. They dress in civilian-style clothes, create false identities and begin their journey of finding a little addition to their small family. They start in the Outer Rim, visiting a quaint little planet with a quiet population where an orphanage resides in one of the small towns.
“We’ll know,” Hux says, pulling his beige coat around himself as they stand in front of the grand door of the building. “When we find our child. I know we’ll know.”
Kylo nods, knowing that Hux’s omega instincts will be extremely overwhelmed once he’s in the presence of children in need, much more so than his own. In fact, Kylo has debated with the prospect that Hux is going to want to adopt all of the children he sees, and suddenly the Finalizer will become a daycare centre.
After tricking the lady on the front desk into believing that they have an appointment—Kylo’s ability to get what he wants never ceases to amaze Hux—they’re allowed into the playroom, walking side-by-side down a yellow and blue painted corridor to where a red door sits at the end.
Kylo glances over to Hux before they enter, only to see his omega copying, glancing over to him with nervous eyes.
“It’s alright,” Kylo says. “This is meant to happen. I can feel it.”
Hux smiles, exhaling through his nose. “Strangely, I believe your mystical powers this time.”
Kylo pushes the door open with his hand and they’re enveloped by the sounds of children laughing and talking. The room itself is large, with two wide windows on the far wall where a playground can be seen outside. It’s painted like a jungle, tall green grass and blue sky and thick trees with different, playful animals emerging. Two dozen children play in the room whilst more are outside running around in the warm weather, throwing balls to each other and a few drawing on the gravel with chalk. Boys, girls, humans, twi’leks, togrutas, toddlers and teens.
Kylo blinks, trying to take in the sea of smiling faces before him.
“Hux,” Kylo whispers, leaning across to his mate. “How are we supposed to decide?”
When he gets no sort of response, he turns to check Hux hasn’t bolted, but the omega is standing very still, staring with soft eyes at two young, human girls who sit in the corner. Siblings, obviously, having the similar facial features; the same button nose and the same freckled cheeks, though the older has dark brown hair whilst the younger has light, and seemingly only a few years sit between them.
The omega cocks his head, remaining silent.
“Hux?”
But a shrill, female voice comes from behind them, making them both jump.
“Oh! Gentlemen!” A togruta—a beta—rather old and with a light blue skin tone and yellow/blue stripes down her headtails that cascade up to her montrals, glasses slipping down her nose. “I am so sorry for keeping you waiting. I’m Ms Roshi, and I’m the caretaker of this home. Mr and Mr Solo, I believe?”
Hux had side-eyed Kylo at his lack of creativity when it came to creating their new alias but he’d shrugged.
“That’s right,” Kylo nods. “We’re looking to adopt and we’ve only just—”
“Those two girls,” Hux says, interrupting Kylo, keeping his gaze on the children as the older braids the other’s hair whilst she hums. “What’s their story?”
“Hmm? Oh!” Roshi pushes her glasses back up her nose. “Yes. Rosalie and Emery. Rosalie is the eldest. They’ve been here for almost a year now. Poor girls. Most children here have been orphaned and have no other families. But those two girls. Their mother and stepfather were nobles and wanted the girls to act in a certain way but their ways became…neglectful. Rosalie was to be sent away to a very expensive boarding school whilst her sister was to remain behind—I believe her mother was very forceful in making Emery believe she was useless. But she refused to leave little Emery behind. They were abandoned here and we’ve been unable to find a home for them. They aren’t to be separated, you see. Rosalie is very protective of her little sister.”
Even without looking at him, Kylo can feel Hux’s sadness radiating off him like a supernova. It’s blazing, as though he feels something familiar inside his chest, and Kylo even picks up the image of a little red-haired boy that’s beaming from the centre of Hux’s mind.
“Hey,” Kylo takes Hux’s hand, squeezing it. “Hux. What is it?”
Hux blinks, sighs. “Nothing. I just…I’d like to meet them.”
He looks to Kylo, and he nods. “So would I.”
“Please,” Roshi gestures for them to take the lead. “By all means. Introduce yourselves to them! But do be careful around Rosalie. Her temper is a little…explosive.”
Kylo’s lips curve into a smile, remembering how his parents would call his temper ‘explosive’ when he was a boy. As they step closer to the children, Kylo begins to feel flutters in his chest and an excitable jitter in his fingertips but there’s something deeper. Already, he can feel his instincts shifting almost defensively, feeling hatred towards the parents of the two little girls, wanting to take them into his arms, cover them with his cape and protect them from any other harm.
Perhaps that same feeling is what had Hux frozen to the spot.
“Hello,” Hux squats in front of them, and Kylo even sees Rosalie take her sister’s hand in her own. “My name is Armitage, and this is Kylo. Do you girls have names?”
“Emery!” Emery says, pointing to herself, and Kylo smiles when he sees one of her front teeth is missing, but gets a sharp glance from her big sister.
“That’s a pretty name,” Hux says. “What about you, darling?”
Rosalie looks at Hux then at Kylo, then back to Hux.
“I’m…Rosalie,” she says finally, curiousness and cautiousness swirling around in her untamed mind. “Why are you here?”
Kylo smiles at her boldness, unable to stop himself from seeing so much of Ben in her.
“We’re trying to find someone to join our family,” he says, looking down and taking hold of Hux’s hand. Hux nods. “And we’d like to get to know the two of you. And you can get to know us. And you can decide whether you’d like to come and…live with us.”
“B-both of us?” Rosalie asks, tone between nervous and excited.
“Of course,” Hux says. “You and Emery. You’re obviously such a wonderful big sister that we’d love to take care of both of you.”
“She’s my hero! With her magic!” Emery says—shouts—and throws her arms in the air, though Rosalie is quick to pull them down.
“Magic?” Kylo says, eyebrows raised.
“Mmhmm! Rosie makes things float!”
Rosalie remains quiet, much to her sister’s dismay. Hux and Kylo share a glance, smiling and both giving a gentle nod.
Their little family feels perfect already.