Chapter Text
The streaking lights from hyperspace were reflected beautifully in Rey’s glossy gaze. Hux found himself becoming lost in them as his eyes wandered over to his travelling companion. They had little time left before they reached his Finalizer, and Hux was unsure what would await them once they did. He felt the uncertainty turning his stomach, and he forced his anxieties down. As much as he wanted to believe that he would be praised for his ability to bring Rey into the fold, Hux knew better. Snoke would barely glance at him, and Ren would rather die than give Hux even the smallest compliment. No, Hux mused, it was more than likely he and Rey would be ripped apart the moment they exited this small fighter.
Pulling himself back into the present, Hux tried to centre himself and focus on taking advantage of the small time he had left to be alone with Rey. They had spent most of the trip in relative silence, both overcome with relief and fear in equal measure. Now that they were working together, it was suddenly dawning on them what that actually meant. Hux hadn’t had to watch out for someone other than himself in a long time. In fact, now that he truly thought about it, Hux realised he hadn’t looked after anyone, or been looked after by someone, almost his entire life. This was entirely new territory for him, and it shook the General to his very core. He wasn’t even sure what it meant, but as he glanced over at Rey once again, it seemed to make sense in an odd way.
They were both outsiders. They both had trust issues. They had both been betrayed, and had fought and clawed their way through extremely hard times. Ultimately, it was their shared goal that united them, but it was their similar character that would keep them together. Or at least, Hux hoped it would. Having Rey turn on him and become the second of Snoke’s Force-using lackeys would be incredibly unfortunate, and would crush any hope Hux had of defeating the tyrant once and for all. Fortunately for him, however, he knew how strong Rey was. She would withstand anything the old man threw at her. Hux only hoped she would be able to play the part of his willing Apprentice convincingly, and for long enough to allow them the time they needed to form and execute a proper plan.
“Credit for your thoughts?”
Rey’s voice jolted Hux out of his musings. The former scavenger was smirking at him from across the ship. Hux cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from her, slightly embarrassed at being caught staring.
“It’s nothing.” Hux muttered. He didn’t want to offer any more, but Rey wouldn’t let him off that easy it seemed.
“Armitage.” Rey’s voice was soft, and Hux found his gaze being drawn unwillingly back to her. “Talk to me.”
Sighing, Hux double checked that the Auto-Pilot controls were engaged, before moving to join Rey on the small window seat. Rey shuffled to accommodate him, and Hux gracefully sat beside her. He took a moment to gaze out at the stars barreling past, and was reminded of the time ticking away faster than he could comprehend.
“I used to hate travelling at light speed.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Hux could see Rey’s expression twist into one of confusion.
“Why?”
“Because as much as everyone told me we were moving at the quickest possible speed, everyone and everything seemed to slow down as soon as the lights began to streak across the viewports. I wanted nothing more than to simply arrive at the next destination. I used to pace endlessly, willing the ship to move faster.”
“You should have looked into teleportation.” Rey poked, and Hux let out a bark of laughter.
“I definitely remember thinking about it once or twice. But then, as I got older, the strangest thing happened.” Hux moved his gaze from the viewport to the young woman next to him. For some reason, her smile seemed to shine brighter than the stars outside. The corners of his own mouth lifted slightly in response as he continued. “I found myself enjoying those quiet moments. The moments when my life, my work, would just slow. It never stopped, of course, but for the first time it felt like I could breathe.” Hux paused, and shook his head. “That doesn’t make much sense, does it?”
“Yes Armitage,” Rey laughed softly as she reached out and brushed her hand against his. “It does.”
Hux felt his heart jump as their hands touched once again. It had taken him completely by surprise when she had done it in the cantina. No one had ever touched his skin in such a pure, friendly way, and it calmed him more than he could fathom. However, as much as he wanted to grasp her hand, and prolong their contact, Hux knew he had to stop indulging both of them before they reached his Finalizer.
He moved his hand a decent distance from Rey’s, and tried desperately not to wince at her small sigh of disappointment. Hux glanced up at Rey, only to find her once again looking out of the viewport.
“I’m sorry, my dear.” The sincerity in Hux’s voice evidently caught Rey’s attention, as she turned her gaze back towards him. Hux felt a sharp sting at the hurt he could see in the young woman’s eyes. He pressed forward in a feeble attempt to explain himself. “Snoke sees connection as weakness, and compassion as an illness. If we were to even stand near each other for a moment too long, the old fool would call it as a betrayal. We’re going to have to be extremely careful if we’re going to succeed.”
Rey frowned throughout his explanation, and Hux could see the wheels in her brain turning as she processed what he was saying. After a few moments, a pained expression overlook her.
“You say that as if we’re not going to be separated immediately.” Rey’s voice was quiet, and yet Hux could tell she was still slightly hopeful that he would correct her. That he would calm her nerves, and tell her that no, they would remain together no matter what. But as Hux stared at her, he found that he couldn’t do so. He wasn’t going to lie simply to quell her worries, particularly when the lie would be exposed so soon. No, he thought, he had to tell her the truth.
“You’re right.” Hux sighed as he saw Rey’s expression drop even more as her eyes fell to her lap. “From my experience, I believe Snoke and Ren will take you away to some far off world for training and mental manipulation.”
“Wow, thanks for softening it for me.” Rey’s tone was dripping with sarcasm, and Hux almost cracked a smile at it. Almost.
“I’m serious Rey. Look at me.” At Hux’s request, Rey’s eyes snapped to his. She seemed almost angry at this, and Hux could tell she was about a second away for tearing his head off for barking an order at her. Again, Hux had to stop himself from smiling. The young woman was growing on him more and more, which was only going to lead into pain and isolation. He had to be serious, for both of them. “Snoke already suspects I’ve gone soft because of you. He’s going to want to verify that you’ve joined him and the First Order, and not just me. You’ve got to prepare yourself for a long, arduous journey of playing a part and proving yourself, again and again. If you can’t, then we shall lose this war before it’s even begun. Do you understand?”
Rey stared blankly at him, the fire draining quickly from her eyes. It was replaced by panic, then by confusion, before finally settling on determination, for which Hux was grateful. He watched as Rey internally accepted the task set before her, and began steeling herself for what lay ahead.
“I can handle whatever that slime ball throws at me.” Rey said. A large grin spread across her face as she continued. “In fact, I think you’ll struggle more than me.”
Hux had to force the smile from his face and maintain his composure as he replied. “Whatever do you mean, my dear?”
“Well in a few short months, you’ll have a third superior giving you orders.” Rey’s eyes were sparkling as she verbally poked at him. Despite everything he had said before about steeling themselves, Hux couldn’t stop himself from smirking and playing along. If this was to be the last moments that they were allowed to be alone together for a long time, then he would be a fool to waste it being stern and serious in the face of such pure joy.
“Since when was giving Captain Phasma a promotion part of our plan?”
Rey’s grin slipped for a second, before understanding blossomed on her features. “You nerf herder! I meant me!”
Hux laughed as Rey shoved him playfully. “My most sincere apologies, Lady Rey.” Hux replied in a not-at-all-sincere tone.
Rey began to laugh as well. “Lady Rey? I’ve never heard anything more horrific.”
“You’re going to have to get used it, Lady Rey.” Hux dodged Rey’s attempt to shove him again. “We can’t all have intimidating titles such as mine, after all.”
“What, General?” Rey pretended to scoff. “Not exactly fear-inducing, Armitage.”
Hux held a hand over his heart in mock pain. “I worked hard for this title, little minx.”
Rey paused, mid-shoving attempt. “Little minx?”
Hux kicked himself. Why had he said that? And more importantly, how had he not even noticed himself saying such an endearing term? If he really thought about it, he and Rey barely knew each other. They had shared small details of their lives and respective pasts when he had been locked up in the Resistance base all those months ago, but they weren’t exactly friends, and they certainly weren’t at a level where the use of a nickname, especially one so intimate, was appropriate. Shaking his head slightly, Hux immediately backtracked.
“I’m sorry, Rey. I shouldn’t have called you that.” Hux was surprised to feel his cheeks heat up. Was he really that embarrassed by calling Rey ‘little minx’? He was the man who created Starkiller base. The man who ordered the simultaneous annihilation of five whole planets. And yet, here he was, alone on an unmarked fighter save for the young woman in front of him, feeling embarrassed at a minor verbal slip. Perhaps it would be a good thing when they were separated. At the very least, it would force him to get some perspective on the situation, and remind him of the reason he had recruited Rey in the first place.
Luckily, Hux was saved from his musings by the woman in question. “That’s Lady Rey to you.”
Hux glanced up at Rey to see the corners of her lips turned upwards, despite her clear effort to maintain a neutral face.
“Yes, I suppose it is.”