Chapter Text
The last thing Ben Solo expected to do was wake up. He’d been fully prepared to die. Giving his life to Rey had been the only way he could think to even begin to make up for the mess he’s made and the things he’d done. So why was he still here? Ben slowly tried to open his eyes. They were crusted shut as though he’d been unconscious for a long time. When he finally cracked his eyes open he squinted and tried to take stock of his surroundings.
He was lying on his back on the ground. It looked like he was still on Exogal, given the dark and the rocks. But if he was still here then where was Rey? Ben shot upright, groaned, grabbed his head, and fell back to the ground.
“Ow.” he groaned again and gently felt the back of his head for blood. Luckily there wasn’t any. Still, it hurt, and Ben hissed a few pained breaths through his teeth before slowly attempting to sit up again. Keeping his palms on the ground for balance he was able to carefully get himself into an upright sitting position. Turning his head too quickly was dizzying but he was able to slowly look around the cavern and ascertain that he was completely alone.
That shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did. Had Rey just left him? Sure, she didn’t owe him anything, and he had stalked her, and tried to kill her friends multiple times, and killed a lot of innocent people in general, and consistently fought her every time he saw her, and kidnapped her that one time, and killed his own father in front of her, and wow that was a lot actually. No wonder she’d left him here.
Ben grimaced as he thought through their past encounters. He really had been a monster and- Oh stars had he kissed her?! He had, hadn’t he. Why did he do that?! Ben felt his heart speeding up as he grappled with that alarming fact. He’d really kissed her. What the hell had possessed him to do something like that? As far as he knew he wasn’t even attracted to girls?! It had to have been caused by delirium and relief at being alive. That must have been it. Ben shook his head to dispel that unwanted memory, and then winced at the nausea the movement caused. He needed to get up and get off the planet, and make a plan.
Ben slowly rose to his knees and then his feet, sticking his arms out for balance. His legs were a little wobbly but they did their job and he managed to remain standing, despite a small wave of dizziness. Once standing he realized he couldn’t actually see the end of the chamber he was in. The rough floor seemed to extend indefinitely in all directions. That wasn’t right.
Ben frowned. Which way was out? He needed to find a wall, he reasoned. If he could find a wall he could follow it to the exit. There should be a wall no matter which way he went so it didn’t really matter. Having figured that out Ben shrugged and started walking straight forward.
Ben walked straight forward for a very long time. A very, very, long time. That couldn’t be right. He was surrounded by darkness now. Looking down he inhaled sharply in surprise to see there was no longer ground beneath his feet, just darkness and a faint white glow that looked almost like a path. Where was he?! A tiny voice in the back of Ben’s mind said he knew exactly where he was, but he shook his head again and pretended not to hear anything. He continued walking.
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Ben wasn’t sure how long it had been, only that he wasn’t tired yet, and that he’d long since given up hope of finding a wall to find his way out with. He just kept following the glowing path laid before him. He thought maybe he should be tired, but then again maybe it had only been a few minutes. He wasn’t hungry or thirsty, which struck him as strangest of all, as he had no idea how long he’d been laying alone on Exogal. The whole thing felt wrong and Ben couldn’t stop the pit of anxiety in his stomach from growing.
He was still holding out hope that things would finally make sense when it happened.
“Ben.”
It took just one word for Ben’s whole world to come crashing down. How could she be here? He froze, shoulders tense. But she couldn’t be here. He was alone and lost and why would she be here for him?
“Hey kiddo.”
Another voice and now Ben shook. His eyes burned from being held open but if he blinked he was certain tears would start falling. He couldn’t turn around, not knowing if he’d see his parents behind him or just more of the empty black that surrounded him. Not knowing which would be worse.
A hand on his shoulder. Ben’s shaking stopped and now he was ramrod straight, not daring to move or even breath.
“Ben look at me.”
He hadn’t heard his mother’s voice for so long.
“Mom?” Ben wanted to sound composed but the tremor in his voice gave him away. He brought a hand up to cover his mouth as he slowly turned around. The tears escaped his eyes when he finally saw his parents standing in front of him and he barely choked down a sob. “Dad, I’m-”
“I know.” Han- his father- didn’t look mad. Tired, and maybe a little sad, but there was no anger in his face when he looked at Ben. Instead he held his arms open, a silent peace offering. Ben wasted no time rushing into the hug. He buried his face in his father’s shoulder and felt more tears squeeze out of his eyes and soak into Han’s shirt. A moment later he felt his mother embrace him from behind, her arms barely reaching around him.
Ben wasn’t sure how long it had been when they disentangled themselves from each other, just that it could never be long enough. He rubbed at his eyes with his sleeve, embarrassed at crying like a child. Then again, his parents had just as many tears in their eyes so maybe it was alright after all.
Before he could figure out his emotions Ben felt a sudden tug in his gut, like he needed to be somewhere but had forgotten. He pondered what it could mean for a moment before Leia’s face changed from bittersweet happiness to carefully blank.
“Ben.” He couldn’t read her mood, her voice was just as expressionless as her face. Then she grabbed him by the ear and dragged his head down to her eye level. “What the fuck were you thinking?!” Ben knew better than to interrupt before Leia was finished. “Why didn’t you talk to us?! We are your parents Ben you can trust us with anything I thought you knew that?!” Her voice broke. “I know you were scared but what you did?! Killing all those children and running off to join Snoke?!” She spat his name like it pained her. “Ben you hurt so many people!”
Ben wanted to apologize, but there was nothing he could say to make up for what he’d done. The hug had felt so nice, he’d thought maybe his parents had somehow forgiven him.
“Ben,” Apparently Leia wasn’t done. “I am furious with you!” Ben winced and turned his eyes to the floor. He couldn’t bear to meet her gaze anymore.
“I’m furious.” Leia repeated, “And I’m so proud of you.”
Wait what? Ben looked back at his mother, confusion filling his face. “What?” His voice came out choked and uncertain.
Leia let go of his ear and moved her hand to his shoulder instead. “I’m proud of you. I know how hard it was for you to overcome, his, influence.” She hesitated before saying “his” clearly not wanting to repeat Snoke’s name again. “I’m furious you let him get such a strong hold over you without ever coming to us for help, but you beat him. In the end you did the right thing.” She smiled softly. “And even before you did, even when you insisted on being called Kylo Ren and you killed innocent people, I never stopped loving you.”
Ben gaped at her. “But I- The things I did- Dad!” He gestured at Han, who had been quiet through Leia’s outburst. “You can’t have still-” He didn’t want to say it.
It was Han who answered this time “She never stopped loving you Ben, and neither did I. Not even while I was dying. Which wasn’t for very long!” He was quick to reassure Ben. “It didn’t hurt either.” Han put his hand on Ben’s other shoulder. “We love you, kid.”
“You are our son, Ben.” Leia was smiling at him again. “We will always love you, no matter what you do or who you become. I wish you’d known that sooner, maybe then all of this could’ve been avoided.” Her voice was wistful, but sad. She blames herself, Ben realized.
“It wasn’t your fault.” Ben tried to look both his parents in the eyes at once but just ended up quickly glancing back and forth between them. “I was a stupid, scared kid. There was nothing you could’ve done to change what happened.”
Ben should have been expecting the second hug, but was still startled as his parents pulled him in against them. This hug was shorter than the first, but no less meaningful. When they all finally pulled away Ben noticed his surroundings for the first time.
“This, this is our house.” He turned in a small circle as he took in where they were. Somehow he’d ended up indoors, though he was fairly certain he’d been surrounded by the black void when he’d found his parents.
“Yep.” Han grinned at him. “Same as it was.”
“Exactly the same.” Leia agreed, before lowering her voice to a mock whisper. “Your father still hasn’t fixed the back door.”
Ben laughed. The backdoor of their old home had always creaked. Han had sworn he’d change the hinges for years but it never happened. “We’re dead, aren’t we?” He was surprised to find he was okay with that. If death meant his parents were happy and together, and they were back in his childhood home, he could live with that.
“Yes.” Han confirmed, “We’re all dead. You gave your life to Rey, from what I understand.”
“Well, we’re not dead. Just one with the force.” Leia corrected Han, who rolled his eyes dramatically at Ben, earning a light elbow to the ribs from Leia. Ben laughed again. He hadn’t laughed in a long time.
“Why don’t you come sit down?” Han gestured behind them all towards the living room. “I think we have a lot to catch up on.”
Ben was about to agree but stopped before the words could leave his mouth. There was that pull again. A gentle tug in his chest, though it was more insistent now. Regretfully he looked at his parents, not wanting to leave but knowing there was somewhere else he should be. Leia met his eyes. He wasn’t sure how but she knew, but she always knew.
“Go.” She nodded to him. “Trust the force. You’re needed somewhere. We’ll still be here.” It was the reassurance Ben needed. He could come back to them. He was always welcome with his parents now.
Ben took a steadying breath and turned away from his parents. He walked forward and the wooden walls and gentle light of his home melted away from him. The glowing white path reappeared and he took a few confident steps forward before looking back. His parents were standing together, arm in arm. Han waved to him, and Ben offered him a small smile before turning away again.
The darkness swirled around his feet and Ben looked forward with interest. There was something glowing in the distance, something besides the pathway. He picked up his pace into a light jog. The glow became clearer as Ben approached. It was a large glowing white circle, standing on its edge to the side of the path Ben was on. He stopped in front of it, feeling as though it was important, though not knowing why.
While Ben stared, the darkness within the circle began to ripple and change. He instinctively took a step back but didn’t turn away. He squinted at the ripple until it solidified into solid white. No, not just white, Ben realized, snow. He was looking at snow.
The image began to move, gliding across the snow until Ben could see red drops staining the perfect white. Blood. The image moved up and Ben saw himself, lying in the snow and bleeding. He cringed and brought a hand up to feel his face where his scar had been.
The Ben in the image, no, Ben corrected himself. That was Kylo Ren, not Ben. He’d changed since then. The man in the image was still wholly under Snoke’s influence. Kylo Ren was barely breathing, his eyes half open but unseeing.
Ben had no memory of what had happened after Rey had beaten him on Starkiller. He’d woken up in the medbay with a screaming body and an aching heart. He’d found out later that Hux of all people had been the one to save him. Snoke had commanded him to, but still. Kylo had been amazed Hux hadn’t just shot him.
Sure enough, Hux came into view in the image. He looked flustered, and Ben stared intently. Flustered was a strange look on the general. He was always so well put together but now his hair hung off his head as though distressed fingers had been run through it again and again. Hux’s face was grim, his mouth pinched thinner than Ben had ever seen it. Hux knelt next to Kylo in the image and Ben watched Kylo deliriously reach out.
Surprisingly Hux took Kylo’s hand before looking back and calling over his shoulder with words Ben couldn’t hear. Several stormtroopers walked into the image with a stretcher and lifted Kylo carefully up and onto it before turning back. The image followed Kylo as he was carried and Ben stared transfixed. Hux kept hold of Kylo’s hand the entire time. Ben watched himself be carried onto a small ship with Hux’s hand still gripping his. The ship took off and the image rippled before fading once more to black.
Ben was baffled by what he had seen. As far as he knew, Hux had still hated him then, so why? Ben shook his head. It wouldn’t help to dwell on the past. Things with Hux had been beyond ruined in the end. Ben shook his head and turned away, continuing down his glowing path.
It wasn’t long before Ben came upon another glowing circle. This one showed events he remembered. Ben watched Kylo Ren bully his way out of the medbay far earlier than was advisable. Kylo stumbled down the hallways of the Finalizer, cursing at anyone who tried to stop him. Ben watched as Kylo began to leave a trail of blood down the hall behind him, having torn open the bowcaster wound in his struggle to reach his own quarters.
Inevitably, Kylo fell, and Ben cringed at the pained noise his past self made. Before Kylo could hit the ground, however, he was caught and his descent was slowed until he was crouched on the ground, being held by a pair of arms in long black sleeves.
Ben watched from an outside perspective as Hux caught Kylo and attempted to calm him. The red haired man eased Kylo back to standing with an arm over Hux’s shoulder and begrudgingly helped Kylo to his quarters. Once inside Hux wrestled Kylo out of his hospital gown and began to redress Kylo’s wound. It would have been kind had Hux made any attempt to be gentle while doing it. Ben remembered Hux had made some comment about Snoke having his head if Kylo died, before leaving Kylo to rest. The scene rippled away.
Ben turned away from the glowing frame only to see a new circle just a few paces away. He approached and watched as this one showed Hux barging into Kylo’s personal quarters with the intent to force him to eat, only to find Kylo in tears on the floor. Ben remembered that night. He’d been trying to come to grips with his father’s death, with the fact that he had been the one to kill him. Hux had let himself in and immediately started ranting about how he hadn’t saved Kylo just to let him neglect himself and die. He’d seemed genuinely angry until he saw Kylo on the floor. Then he’d seemed unsure what to feel.
Ben watched Hux set down the tray of food he’d brought and kneel next to Kylo. Hux said something, but again there was no sound. Ben watched as Kylo silently screamed at Hux to get out. Hux retorted, Ben was fairly certain he’d said something about Kylo’s inability to care for himself. The two of them had fought before Kylo had felt all the energy drain out of him. Ben remembered that feeling. He’d felt so completely alone. Killing Han had destroyed any chance of anyone from his old life still loving him. Snoke had made sure Kylo was aware of that, the liar.
The Kylo in the image collapsed against Hux, anchoring his hands in Hux’s greatcoat and just clinging to him. Ben watched Hux’s face, something he hadn’t been able to see at the time. At first Hux looked furious, but the fury drained quickly into confusion before giving way to what Ben swore was concern. Hux hesitantly brought his arms up around Kylo, awkwardly patting his back with one hand.
Ben watched that scene too fade to black. He was hardly surprised when he looked down his path to see it lined with dozens of glowing circles. Approaching the next one Ben watched another scene of Hux caring for him after Starkiller. The circle after that showed a similar scene, as did the one after that. Ben was especially interested in the circle that showed Kylo and Hux kissing for the first time, right before Kylo left to complete his training with Snoke. Ben brought a finger up to ghost over his own lips as he watched.
More circles showed scenes after Kylo returned. Ben watched Kylo and Hux fight with each other, and kiss each other. Stolen kisses took a more intimate turn as Ben walked further down the glowing path before him. He watched things escalate from rushed hidden things in empty rooms to whole nights spent together. Ben watched with a growing sense of dread in his stomach, knowing exactly how this story ended. He didn’t want to relive what was coming next, but he still couldn’t turn away from the scenes being presented to him.
Ben felt sick when he finally came to the first of the scenes he’d been dreading. Still he didn’t look away. Ben watched Kylo force choke Hux before leaving him crumpled on the ground. He only covered his eyes when the scene was over, forcing himself to take steadying breaths before uncovering his eyes and continuing to the next scene. He watched himself throw Hux into the wall. Watched Hux stalk away from him as soon as they were back aboard the Finalizer.
Ben watched a scene he hadn’t known about, watched Hux retreat to his quarters and shake with tears, holding a hand over his throat where bruises were starting to form. Ben wanted to turn away but he forced himself to watch. He deserved this, to him it almost felt like watching what he’d done was the only way to punish himself for it.
Ben watched more and more scenes. He watched Kylo and Hux fight. He watched as Hux became more distant. He watched Kylo grow angry. The more Hux kept his distance the angrier Kylo got and the angrier Kylo got the more Hux tried to avoid him. It was a vicious cycle. Of course Klyo had never bothered to talk to Hux, to apologize or attempt to make amends. He watched as Kylo effectively stripped Hux of his command and had him answer to General Pryde. Ben blinked back tears as he watched Hux grow more subdued and cold.
There were so many more circles to go and Ben began to wonder if he would be made to watch every fight he and Hux had ever had. Ben was trying to mentally prepare himself when he heard screaming. He jerked away from the path and the circles to search for the source of the screams. There was nothing but darkness on either side of him. He heard screaming again and quickly turned in the direction he thought it was coming from. It sounded like a child.
Ben hesitated for a moment but the tug in his chest suddenly made itself known again, and it was strong. He stumbled a few steps forward towards the edge of the pathway before regaining his balance. Ben set his jaw, took one last look at his glowing pathway of memories, before stepping off into the darkness.
Ben walked hurriedly through the dark, barely noticing when a new path appeared under him. He practically sprinted forward when he heard the screaming start again. It was definitely a child. The tug in his chest was a pounding ache now, pulling him forward. He ran until he came to a place where the path widened. It looked almost like a clearing one might find in a forest, but instead of trees it was surrounded by darkness. In the middle of the clearing was a group of three figures surrounding a smaller figure on the ground. It was the small figure who was screaming.
Ben ran closer, feeling an overwhelming surge of protectiveness. The small figure was laying on their side with their arms covering their face in a feeble effort to protect themselves. They were letting out small choked sobs. Ben continued running forward, and he watched in horror as one the standing figures kicked the smaller one viciously in the back.
Ben could now make out the figures as three human men towering over the crying child. Ben rushed forward, reaching to his hip and pulling out his lightsaber. He didn’t question where it had come from or how long he had had it, he was just pleased it was blue and not red. Ben pushed between two of the men before turning and using the force to push them all back and away from the child.
“Stay away from him!” Ben had no idea who the child or any of these men were, in fact, he noticed the men’s faces were all slightly distorted, he couldn’t make out any details. That didn’t matter, he reminded himself, he needed to keep them away from the boy on the ground.
One of the men drew a blaster and fired off a few shots which Ben easily deflected. “Useless brat!” The man roared angrily.
“I’m sorry!” Ben turned slightly to look down at the boy who was trying to choke out on apology while still hiding his face and protecting himself. “I’m sorry. I can do better. I can do better just please stop!” Ben was about to offer some comforting words to the boy when the man with the blaster spoke again.
“Useless boy!” He had red hair that was just starting to go grey. Ben narrowed his eyes and swung his lightsaber through the man. The man disappeared like a wisp of smoke and Ben stumbled, not expecting the lack of resistance against his attack. Recovering his balance he quickly swung at the other two men who vanished just as quickly. Ben wasn’t worried about killing them now that he knew they would disappear. Could he even kill people here? They were all already dead so how would that work? A sniffle from behind him stopped his train of thoughts and demanded his attention.
Ben turned and knelt next to the small boy on the ground. The boy was still curled up and trembling, not seeming to notice Ben’s presence. He had red hair, like the man with the blaster, and Ben wondered briefly if they were related. He cautiously reached out and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“Are you alright?” Ben tried to keep his voice soft, not something he was great at. Even as Ben Solo and not Kylo Ren he’d never exactly had a soothing voice.
The boy tensed under Ben’s hand before slowly uncurling to look up at him. “You’re not a monster?” It sounded like a question the way the boy said it, and Ben was tempted to tell him that he had been, but then decided that wouldn’t be the most reassuring answer.
“No.” He told the boy. “No, I’m not a monster. My name is Ben.” He sat back next to the boy, pulling his hand back to give the boy room to sit up. “What’s your name? Who were those men?” Ben wondered if the boy knew he was dead. He’d broach that topic later. For now he needed to figure out who this kid was and why the force wanted Ben to help him so badly.
The boy sniffled and rubbed at his eyes. “I’m sorry, I’ll stop soon. I didn’t mean to cry.” He took a few breaths and blinked rapidly, clearly trying to stop his tears as quickly as possible. “My name is Armie.”
“Army?” Ben nodded. “It’s okay to cry, Army. It looks like those men were really hurting you.”
Armie shook his head. “Crying is a sure sign of weakness, which is to be despised.” He spoke as though he were repeating someone else's words. “What do you mean men?” Armie sounded confused now. “Are you talking about the monsters?”
Ben frowned. “Monsters?” That was weird.
“Monsters.” Armie confirmed. “Didn’t you see them? You told them to stay away from me.” Armie had stopped crying and was trying to straighten the white uniform shirt he wore. “The monsters have been chasing me since I got here. They’re really scary.” Armie continued. “They have glowing eyes and huge mouths and their bodies flicker!” He gestured widely with his arms to emphasize flicker.
“Umm, okay.” Ben nodded slowly. “Army, do you know why the monsters are chasing you?”
“Because I’m a disappointment.” Armie didn’t hesitate at all to answer. “Wasted potential must be beaten into productivity.” He spoke like he was repeating someone else’s words again.
“Who told you that!?” Ben was horrified. He was also starting to suspect that he’d been right about the red haired man being Armie’s father.
“My father.”
Ben groaned inwardly, not pleased to find out he was right. “Army, your father shouldn’t be hitting you. You know that right?”
Armie shrugged. “Can we just leave? I don’t want to be here when the monsters come back.” He hesitated and glanced quickly around before lowering his voice. “I want my mom.”
“They’re going to come back?” Ben wasn’t particularly alarmed, they hadn’t exactly been difficult to deal with. “Where’s your mom?”
“I don’t know.” Armie shrugged. “But I want to see her again.”
“Okay.” Ben frowned again, how was he supposed to find this kids mom? “What does your mom look like?”
“I don’t know, but I think she was very pretty.” Armie sounded sad now.
“Okay……” This kid had one messed up life. “What’s her name?”
Armie just shrugged, looking absolutely dejected. He stared at the ground in defeat, lightly kicking his foot against the black nothingness.
Ben felt that feeling of protectiveness swell back up. “Hey, we’ll find her, okay?” He held out his hand to the kid. “Don’t worry.”
Armie hesitantly took Ben’s hand, looking up at him questioningly. “Which way do we go?”
“I don’t think it really matters, I’m sure we’ll get where we’re going.” Ben started walking forward, tugging Armie’s arm gently until he followed. “The force will guide us.”
Armie wrinkled his nose. “The force isn’t something to rely on. Jedi rely on it, and it makes them weak.” He said the word “jedi” with some disgust.
Ben laughed. “Oh really? You know I’m a jedi, right?”
Armie frowned up at Ben, although Ben could swear he saw fear behind Armie’s eyes. “I don’t think I’m supposed to talk to you.”
“Did your father tell you that?” Ben guessed.
“Maybe.” Armie looked down at the ground, face flushing slightly. “Yes.”
“You shouldn’t believe everything your father tells you.” Ben smiled kindly at Armie, not wanting to worry him any further. “He doesn’t seem like he always has your best interest at heart.”
“He has the interest of the Order at heart.” Armie stated this like it was obvious. “My job is to further the First Order, if I can’t do that, there was no point in me being born.”
“Stars did your father say that too?!” Ben didn’t mean to shout but this was outrageous, and he’d never exactly been good with his temper. “I’ll kill him much slower if he shows up again!”
Armie shrunk next to Ben, hunching his shoulders and pulling his hand away to clutch protectively in front of his chest while he walked. “I’m sorry! I’ll stop talking about him!”
Ben cursed himself as he realized his mistake. “No I’m sorry!” Armie flinched and looked like he was about to apologize again. “I’m sorry.” Ben was quieter this time. “I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at your father. Wait- did you say the First Order?” That explained Armie’s view on jedi. “I used to be a part of that.”
“Used to?” Armie shook his head. “So you’re a jedi and a traitor? I really shouldn’t be with you.” He took a few steps back from Ben.
“Well, I’m your best bet at finding your mom, right?” Ben didn’t like the idea of this kid wandering around on his own, especially not with his father… ghost? Spirit? Memory? Not with his monster father looking to hurt him. Though, Armie was looking less like a kid. Ben hadn’t noticed it as they walked but Armie looked like a teenager now. With long awkward limbs sticking out of his uniform and Ben swore he’d grown a few inches. “Army, how old are you?” Ben tilted his head slightly as he looked down at the boy.
Armie’s face pinched as he thought. He opened and closed his mouth a few times as his frown deepened before answering. “I…. don’t know.” He looked up at Ben. “Why don’t I know how old I am?” His look turned suspicious.
“Err...” Ben glanced away. How was Armie going to take this? It was definitely a good thing Armie had aged up because there was no way Ben was going to try and explain to that terrified little kid that he was dead. “What’s the last thing you remember before you got here?” Helping Armie remember dying would be a good way to break it gently.
“The last thing……?” Armie trailed off, thinking. “They shot me in the leg? Who…?” He looked up at Ben again. “No, after that. There was something after that. I was very angry. Why can’t I remember properly?” Armie sounded more annoyed than afraid and Ben swore he’d grown again while he was thinking.
“It’s alright Army, take your time.” Ben tried to be encouraging. Armie remembered being shot, that was probably a good start to remembering whatever happened to him.
“Don’t call me Armie!” Armie snapped. “It’s childish, my name’s Armitage.”
Ben froze, staring as Armitage walked a few more steps before turning when he realized Ben wasn’t next to him.
“What?” Armitage sounded quite irritated by now.
“Armitage.” Ben repeated. “Your name is Armitage, you have red hair and you’re part of the First Order.” Kriff, how had he not connected the dots before?!
“Yes?” Armitage raised an eyebrow and stars did Ben know that look all too well.
“Armitage Hux.” It wasn’t a question. “Hux I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize you’d...” Ben trailed off, worrying his hands together. He would’ve liked to break something, but that wasn’t currently an option. “I’d hoped you survived.” He really had. Hux was smart, and a part of Ben had just assumed he would be fine, despite Ben’s betrayal and the Resistance destroying the First Order.
“Survived?” Hux stared at him blankly before his face was taken over with dawning realization. “He shot me. I’m dead. You’re dead. We’ve been dead this whole time.”
Hux stared at Ben and Ben was relieved to recognize the adult face looking at him. He was relieved, until a moment later when Hux’s face filled with recognition and then rage. Well, kriff.