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He finds Ren on the ground.
(Not like he’d expected any less when Ren disappeared and didn’t come back to flaunt his victory.)
His helmet was nowhere to be seen, neither was his lightsaber, and a line of blood was spattered on the snow just to his left.
Foolish, Hux thinks, and then wonders when that became such an automatic response.
He hurries over to the fallen man and studies his face, which is pale and slightly blue from the cold. A large gash across his face is crusted with drying blood, and Hux finds himself despairing at such an unsightly thing sprawled across Ren’s face.
He quickly rids his mind of the thought.
And he absolutely doesn’t let his eyes skip over the various moles and freckles (he’s a controlled man, a careful man) on Ren’s skin as he checks for any sign of life. Thankfully, from Ren’s lips come soft puffs of air.
Hux tentatively grasps Ren's non-damaged shoulder and shakes it, muttering something that comes out like, 'please be awake.' Ren groans softly in response and grimaces. With a sigh, Hux shoves an arm under his back, grabbing hold of his wrist to swing it around his own shoulders. He wrenches the sorry mess up into a sitting position where he hears a slight hiss. A glance at Ren forces him to quickly direct his gaze forward again--the man is all impossibly black hair caught on thick eyelashes and pink chapped lips and white teeth being ground together.
Hux almost says something snide, but then he doesn’t.
Ren doesn’t protest nearly as much as he should when Hux pulls him to his feet, his silence and little huffs of labored breath sending uneasy chills rolling down Hux’s spine. Nerves flutter in Hux's stomach, but he pushes them away.
Everything will be under control
Everything is under control.
Ren murmurs something inaudible as they near the edge of the treeline.
“What is it?” Hux snaps, struggling to conceal growing anxiety.
“Thank you,” Ren murmurs. His voice is ragged.
For once, Hux is unable to find a response.