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“It is not a double date!” Hux hissed through his teeth, faking a smile at the hostess as she led them towards the table. Not that it was very hard to spot the two they were to sit with, their hair colors of red and blond easy to spot in a crowd. “We’re third and fourth wheeling.”
“Well it sure looks like a double date, to me. We arrived together, after all.”
He turned his head just enough to glare at Kylo for a moment.
“That’s only because you actually showed up on time, relatively speaking.”
“And you were five minutes late.”
It took much self-control to not turn and throttle Kylo Ren right there, in the middle of the restaurant, wipe that grin off his face, off his lips, those lips--
“That is not the point.”
“Here’s your table, sirs. Hope you enjoy your dinner.” The hostess flashed them a smile, one that seemed much too knowing. Hux moved to correct her, but was interrupted by Kylo pulling him away, practically forcing him into a chair before taking his own seat.
With a huff, he scooted his chair in. At the very least, Kylo could have done that, couldn’t he? Apparently not. Hux levelled another quick glare at him before turning a small smile--more genuine, this time--at the other two at the table, the whole reason for him being here in the first place, for suffering this night with Kylo.
He could get through it.
That’s what he kept telling himself through the night, through each of Kylo’s lame jokes, through his snarky comments, through each dig. The mantra repeated with each brush of skin against his, with each lingering look, with each swoop of his stomach at the sight of that smile.
It was just this night. Just this night and he could go home and not have to deal with Kylo again. Well, at least not until the next day at work.
A small tendril of hope bloomed as the end of the meal started to approach, their dinners cleared away. It was only a little while longer and Hux could leave, could be away from Kylo for twelve hours, have some time to himself and then blessed, blessed sleep.
When the waitress came by, he had to hold back the groan at the fact that they were given two checks, one set in front of Matt, the other in front of Kylo. The latter flashed him a grin, Hux’s stomach flipping at the sight of it even if it was too cocky, too sure of himself, as Techie frowned and began to fret.
“I’m sorry, I...it was all supposed to be on us.” His hands began to shake a little, looking up at Hux and Kylo, eyes pleading. Matt put an arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer. Hux almost envied the easy kindness and affection the man gave his brother. “For, you know, everything, helping us get together. Just.” Ducking his head, he gave a shy smile, fingers fiddling with the silverware in front of him. Hux nearly wanted to reach out and lay a calming hand on him, like he’d often done as they grew up. But he had Matt now for that. “Armie, you helped me with all the anxiety, and Kylo, I know you helped Matt out a lot too, and we just, I know it hasn’t been long, but we...we’re really happy and wanted to thank you. But you weren’t supposed to have to pay, we were supposed to treat you, I’m sorry, I--”
“Techie, honey, we’ll just tell the waitress we’re paying for both,” Matt interrupted with an easy smile at all of them. Hux couldn’t help but return the smile, for some odd reason. He barely knew the man, just knew him as Kylo’s best friend and Techie’s crush for a year.
“Ah, right. Well, again, thank you both.”
It took only a few more minutes before the check was settled, thankfully with ease that settled Techie further. Hux glared at the arm offered him by Kylo as they all stood, that cocky grin in place again. He was still annoyed at the assumptions made by the waitress. Granted, it was fairly obvious he and Techie were related, and, well, Matt and Kylo did have a similar build, so it possibly wasn’t too entirely out of left field, but that wasn’t the point.
What was the point was Kylo’s insufferable comments and actions like they were something. They weren’t. Just two coworkers. Granted, coworkers that had schemed together to get Matt and Techie together as they were unable to do so by themselves, but coworkers all the same, ones that had barely gotten along since they met, only recently doing so for their friends that were so obviously smitten with one another. They had no reason to interact beyond that which their workplace required.
To say that Hux was annoyed when Kylo followed them after they bid farewell to the couple would be an understatement.
“You did not park near me,” he spat before stalking off down the street, doing his best to ignore Kylo as he kept up beside him.
Another flash of a grin, Hux again trying to push down that flutter at the sight of it, the sight of the man in general. He was not some pubescent girl to get butterflies. And over Kylo...no. It was just not possible.
“No, I thought I would walk you to your car.”
Hux stopped, staring as Kylo took a few steps before noticing and turning around. Walk him to his car? That was...he couldn’t...no. It did not fit anywhere in the image of Kylo Ren, not the one he knew, the one he’d worked with for three years. Granted, perhaps he had been a bit...nicer, recently, as they helped Techie and Matt start dating, but this...this was just that bit different, new. He wasn’t sure if he could handle that.
“What? Do I have something between my teeth?”
“You...why? Why would you do that?” He hated how shaky the words came out, how unsure he sounded; it was not his way to sound anything but fully put together, sure, confident. But, Kylo did always bring out the worst in him, didn’t he?
Kylo shrugged, looking away, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Thought it’d be nice.”
“Nice.”
His lips twisted in a frown, as if offended by Hux’s flat, slightly incredulous, tone. Kylo sighed and turned back to him. “Yes. Sorry you can’t deal with anybody being fucking nice in your life--”
“I didn’t say that.”
“--but some of us didn’t actually hate the last few months of actually talking and being friendly and I--,” he cut himself with a groan as he raked a hand through his hair, turning his head away again.
His heart beat faster in his chest as he bit his lip, mind awhirl. Kylo...who’d always been the more vocal in his frustrations of everything Hux did, more like to get upset about something, harder to get along with...didn’t hate him? Granted, he wouldn’t say his own personality traits were the best, either, but at least he’d tried. Hadn’t he?
“Whatever. Just. We’ll go back to hating each other if it makes you happy.”
Kylo started down the street, back towards where his car presumably waited, shoulders hunched over, not holding any of the confidence he seemed to hold before.
Hux’s body moved before his mind caught up, his hand grabbing Kylo’s wrist, stopping him. The other turned and looked at him, eyebrows lifted in surprise, mouth slightly open. It was all he was able to take in before his lips were pressed against Kylo’s, his other hand pulling Kylo in by the back of the neck, fingers burying themselves in his hair.
When they finally pulled away, Kylo just stared at him, enough that Hux started to blush harder from embarrassment and pull away, but instead was drawn back in by strong arms wrapping around his shoulders. A grin lit up Kylo’s lips, one that he couldn’t help but reciprocate, his stomach now constantly fluttering.
“Well, we’re idiots, aren’t we?” Hux asked of Kylo, thumb now rubbing circle into hips, wondering how exactly it got to this, to the two of them standing in the street, probably looking rather odd in their embrace, when just moments before, they’d been closer to enemies than anything like this.
“Perhaps. But, what do you say to a second date?”
Hux kissed the grin off of Kylo’s lips in answer.