Archive of Our Own ^beta

The year was 1912, and Armitage Hux was boarding the most magnificent vessel his eyes had ever beheld. The Titanic was as massive as its name declared, and it was a testament to modern engineering. It's maiden voyage was a celebration, and Armitage was determined to revel in it. After all, he had had a major part in the design and funding of the project.

There was already a crowd when Hux arrived by automobile to the dock, even though it was hours before they were scheduled to depart. He had been promised a tour before they would properly get underway, and he wanted to examine every minuscule detail of the behemoth before him. He joined the others who would be accompanying him, all in immaculately pressed suits and slicked back hair, chortling over their success, basking in their glory, clapping each other on the back for the good show.

The tour showed that the ship was every bit as magnificent as the rumors had boasted. The finest details. The immaculate riches. The absolute excess.

The officer giving the tour began to wrap up as they reached the end of the First Class cabins, bidding them good-bye, before Armitage Hux caught his attention.

"The icing on top is all well and good," he began, "but aren't you going to show us the cake beneath? I am quite interested in seeing the engines and boilers and miracle of machinery that has made this glittering jewel possible."

The officer, a Mr. Mitaka, fidgeted and checked his pocket watch.

One of the other gentlemen clapped Armitage on the shoulder. "Hux, my dear boy, join us for a smoke. You've spent enough time pouring over schematics. Forget about your work, and celebrate your success."

"I would very much prefer to see the fruits of my labor," he insisted, returning his intense stare to Mitaka.

"I suppose I could accompany you, sir, before I must return to my other duties."

"Alright, Hux," another gentleman laughed. "We'll leave you to it."

Mitaka led Hux down into the belly of the ship, recounting various facts as they came to mind. Hux already knew each and every detail, but he allowed the young officer to prattle on to let him feel important.

They finally came to the boilers, loud and dirty and dark, but this was what lit Hux's interest. He had assisted in the design, and now seeing them in action brought him immense pride. He surveyed the busy workers, large muscled men shoveling coal and manhandling the machinery. It was a hive of activity, and Hux smirked at it all.

A flurry of activity caught his attention, where several men were gathering around some machinery.

"Oi! Tico!" one of the men shouted, shoving one of the other workers away from the halted gears.

Someone shoved past Hux and Mitaka, bounding down to the crowd of workers. They were incredibly small and wore a hat obscuring their face from anyone taller, which was everyone, but the much larger men stood aside as Tico swept past them. The small engineer jumped in, immediately knowing how to fix whatever had halted the engine.

"Who is that?" Hux asked Mitaka, yelling over the clamor of the engine room.

"They're Tico, sir," Mitaka responded. "Proved to be brilliant with the engines. Small enough to get into the tightest spaces. The others are very protective of Tico. Keep her around as a bit of a good luck charm. Can fix anything that goes wrong down here."

"Her?"

Mitaka paled. "Uh, yes, sir, her."

"There's a woman in my machinery?"

Mitaka stuttered, trying to find the words.

Tico was already bustling back towards them, having already solved the problem with the engine.

Hux stepped directly in her path, and she smacked right into his chest, as her eyes had been trained on the walkway. He snatched the hat from her head, and the hair that had been carefully tucked away fell over her face, flipping up around her cheeks. The rest was tied back, but the bangs framed her face as she stared up at Armitage Hux. Fear, surprise, and anger flitted over her face. She was not supposed to be here. All the reasons she was not supposed to be here flashed through her mind. A female mechanic of her heritage?

There was only thought in Armitage's mind, and that was 'oh dear, she's lovely.' He couldn't hear the engines nor Mitaka's stammering nor the approach of the other workers surrounding them. He had seen immense beauty and grandeur that day, but it paled compared to the woman in front of him.

"Would you kindly unhand our mechanic?"

Hux looked up at the coal covered workers gathering in front and behind them. He gingerly set the cap back on her head and removed his hand from her upper arm. "Good work," he said with a brief nod of his head. "Shall we continue that tour, Mr. Mitaka?"

"Yes, Sir," Mitaka stuttered, ushering Hux out of the boiler rooms.

"Are you alright?" "What I'd like to do to that smug face." "Don't worry, Tico. We wouldn't let you get kicked off the ship." "We've got you, Rose." "That's right, rat, you had better run." "He didn't hurt you, did he, Rosie?"

The men chattered around her, patting her on the head, slowly going back to their stations.

Rose's heart was still pounding. He could have destroyed her life, and the only thing keeping her safe were men she worked with.

"We did it, Rose," Finn cheered, throwing his arm around her shoulder as they climbed the stairs after their shift. "We're out in open water on our way to America! Our dreams will come true soon enough!"

She laughed and put her arm around his waist, their footsteps syncing up. "You're right."

"By the way, what happened with that suit that came down to the boilers this morning? There's been rumors about him manhandling you all day."

Rose shook her head. "Some puffed up shirt. I bumped into him, and he saw that I was a woman. The boys stared him down until he left. I'm alright. He's not going to do anything."

They came to their hallway of tiny cabins, bustling with people coming and going. A shock of slicked back red hair amid the chaos made them pause.

"Are you sure?" Finn asked.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked, stopping when Finn stopped.

"He was a ginger, yeah?"

Rose nodded.

"Looks like he's tracking you down," Finn sighed. "Here, let's head up top."

It wasn't hard for Armitage Hux to find the name Tico on the crew list. The trouble he ran into, though, was that there were two Ticos listed on the dockets. A Rose Tico and a Paige Tico were both listed in the same cabin. Which had been the one that had stolen his heart? In the end, he had decided to head down to the cabin himself, sure that he would be able to find her, whichever one she was.

The lower class cabins were filled to bursting and crowded and overflowing with life and excitement. They were nowhere near the level of luxury he was accustomed to, but it came with such a different contagious fervor that he wasn't bothered by the constant throng of bodies. And even though he was dressed as professionally as he always was, the fine tailoring drew no attention. Nobody cared where he was from down here, though he knew he didn't truly belong down here.

He came to the cabin, finding the door propped open with the sound of a fiddle pouring out.

"Poe, sweetheart, put that thing down," a woman's voice laughed from inside. "Let's go look at the sunset."

Armitage lightly knocked on the open door, peering inside at the collection of bags and people inside.

The man with the fiddle stood at the knock, and the woman who had spoken was pulling a shawl around her shoulders. Several children that had been dancing to the fiddle hadn't stopped when the man had, and they continued to spin in circles, holding each others' hands.

"Go on, find your mothers," the woman shooed, eyeing the man in the doorway.

Hux stepped aside to let the children go their way. He raised his eyes back up to the woman's face. "Excuse me, I'm looking for a Miss Tico?"

"What for?" the man demanded, setting his instrument into its case and striding forward.

Hux straightened up, filling every inch of his height with all of his authoritative demeanor. "I'd like to extend an invitation to join me for dinner."

The man's eyebrows raised straight up into his dark curls. "What's the likes of you looking for a little Miss Tico for dinner?" He blocked the doorway, leaning against the wall.

"I'd like to thank her for her work in the engine rooms," he provided, hoping that his words showed that his intentions truly were noble, rather than insidious or dangerous.

His mind had rested on her the entire day, which had been extraordinarily unusual for him. He was normally focused and single-minded. Well, he supposed he still was, but his single-minded focus had gone from his life's work to the woman who was highly esteemed among her coworkers and skilled in the own inner-workings of the very machinations that had come from his own brain. Not every man had been able to comprehend his plans and schematics, but this Miss Tico had such an impressive understanding that she could correct any inconvenience at the drop of a hat. What kind of woman was she to have that sort of ability? What kind of woman was she that all those men she worked with protected her as they had? What kind of woman risked everything to work aboard a ship in such dangerous conditions?

"Is that so?" the man humphed, eyeing Hux up and down. "She's not here."

"Would you please inform her that Armitage Hux was looking for her, and extend that invitation? Ah, perhaps..." He patted his pockets, wondering if he had kept his pen in his coat pocket, or if he had set it down when he had finally made his way to his own cabin. His own cabin was far larger than any of these, he noted to himself. These people were packed in like sardines. "Do you happen to have a pen?" He had found a folded program from some ceremony earlier that day.

"Where's that little artist kid, Paige?" the man turned to ask the woman with him.

"With the charcoal?" Paige returned. "I last saw him up on deck. I haven't seen him down here."

"Ah, well, my cabin is B-59," he told them, stuffing the program back into his pocket. "I'd be happy to receive her there when she is available." He took a breath before he continued. "If you don't mind my curiosity, may I ask her name? I only know her as Miss Tico. I did not have the opportunity to properly introduce myself."

The pair looked at each other and back to Hux.

"My name is Armitage Hux," he offered, hoping that his own vulnerability would lend some sort of trust, but they certainly did not trust him, and he knew it.

"Thank you so much for your visit, Mr. Hux," the man said, offering his arm to Paige. "We'll be sure to let Miss Tico know that you stopped by. We have our own evening plans. Excuse us." He made sure the door was closed and locked behind them and promptly disappeared into the bustling hallway.

Hux sighed and made his way out the other way. Finding Miss Tico would be a greater challenge than he had supposed. Thinking back over the encounter, though, he supposed he had already met the Paige Tico, so surely the Tico he was looking for was Rose.

"Well, there you are," Poe sighed, setting a hand on Rose's shoulder from behind. He and Paige smiled at Rose and Finn taking in the sunset, leaning against the railings of one of the lower decks.

Rose jumped when he touched her, but she gave him a smile. "Were you looking for me?"

"No, but a greasy red headed man was," Paige said in a lowered voice.

Rose's shoulders sagged. "You say that like I'm in trouble."

"You haven't been causing trouble, have you?"

"None at all!" She folded her arms over her chest. "But he came down to look at the boilers this morning. I bumped into him, and my hat fell off. He saw that I was a woman."

Poe shot a worried look over at Finn.

"Nothing happened, though. The boys made sure he scampered off."

"You have to be more careful, Rosie!" Paige insisted. "You earned your place here, and you're better with those engines than anyone!"

"I'm going to be careful!"

"You won't believe what he was looking for you for," Poe said, giving a soft laugh and putting his hands on his hips. He tried to impersonate his English accent. "I'd like to extend an invitation to join me for dinner." He broke character and laughed. "Like that's not the most obvious trap."

"He did what?" Finn laughed. "He did not."

Paige smiled. "He really did. If he didn't look so high and mighty, I might have considered he was sincere."

"Sincere?" Rose scoffed. "Sincere in asking me to dinner? After seeing me working the boilers, covered in soot? The most unladylike I could be? Why in the world would he do that?"

"He even asked us to tell you his cabin number. B-59. Like any of us would be caught dead up there."

Rose laughed along with them all, turning back to look out at the sunset.

This voyage was the start of their new lives. It was a miracle that they had been able to get tickets at all. It had all been Rose's doing. She had stumbled upon the job offer, and she had inquired, snagging a set of Finn's clothes to face the employers. She had impressed them and had managed to hide that she was a woman long enough to make friends with the other engine workers. A few people had found out over the course of the preparations of the ship for its maiden voyage, but by then, she was already a valued mechanic. They would have been crazy to get rid of her.

And that meant that she had an opportunity to bring her sister, Paige, along with her. She wouldn't budge without her fiance, Poe Dameron, of course, and so he joined. And he wasn't about to leave Finn alone. The young man was an orphan, fighting for everything he had, and Poe and the Tico sisters were all the family he had. Rose fully expected to end up marrying him. He was such a good friend, and she was far too busy with her work to bother properly settling down. Getting married was expected, and so unless he found someone he fell head over heels for, she fully expected to pair off with him. It's certainly not that she didn't like Finn. She actually liked him quite a bit, and she was sure that he would be a good husband and father. Rose just wasn't going to jump into a marriage if she wasn't inclined to, especially if she was able to care for herself, as she was with her superb mechanical skills.

Rose found herself wandering the ship early the next morning, before the sun rose, the light just barely lighting up the horizon. Her next shift wasn't for several hours, so she was free for a while to go about her own. She leaned against a railing, biting into an apple she had snagged from the kitchens.

"I didn't expect to see anyone out and about this early."

Rose straightened up and looked over her shoulder. The red-headed man was approaching, his great coat thrown over his shoulders. His eyes lit up seeing that it was the Miss Tico from the engine room.

"I should be going," she said, ducking her head and turning to pass by him.

"Don't go, Miss Tico" he said, stepping towards her. "I wanted to commend you."

"Sir, I earned my place here. I can do the work as well as any of the men." She kept her eyes down but her chin up.

"Yes, yes, I know. I'm very impressed."

That finally brought her eyes up to his.

"I would venture to say you do the work better than any of the men. At least, that's what I've seen," he offered, taking a step closer.

"Is that why you were looking for me? To tell me you're impressed a woman could do the work?"

He gave a single small breathy laugh. "In part. I designed those boilers and machinery. I'm impressed that you navigate them as if it's your nature."

Rose searched his face. This man in all his finery had created the machines she had become so fond of.

"I'm Armitage Hux," he introduced, offering his hand. "I should have introduced myself sooner."

She hesitantly took his hand, making sure that her grip was as strong as any handshake she would give her friends in the boiler rooms. "Rose Tico."

"It's truly a pleasure, Miss Tico," he said, nodding his head. He glanced admiringly down at her small bare hand gripping his own clad in black gloves. "It's rather cold this early. Why don't you accompany me to breakfast?" he offered.

She shook her head and held up her partially eaten apple. "I have breakfast."

"That, my dear, is an apple. You really should have something much more substantial if you're headed back down to the boilers today."

"How would you know that I work again today?"

"You're dressed in your work clothes," he said, gesturing to her jumpsuit and boots. "I wouldn't assume you go about polite society in a set of trousers."

"You assume I go about polite society."

"You don't?"

She hesitated, but she couldn't keep her emotions to herself. "I don't. I don't belong there, and everyone is quite clear about that. They're born into all that glitter and finery," she said before taking a bite of her apple and gesturing back towards the First Class decks. "I've had to work for everything I've had, and I always will. They think they can treat the rest of us like dirt because they've got more." She turned back to look out over the ocean, as far as the eye could see. "I'd like to put my fist through this whole beautiful ship." She took another bite out of her apple.

"You would, would you?" he asked, stepping closer to her.

She didn't answer, instead folding her arms over her chest.

"Rose, would you like to be a part of that glitter and finery?"