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Hux pressed the codes to his door into the lock, and stood straight whilst he allowed his door to unlock and hiss open. He glanced sideways, staring at the chest and palette leant against the wall and he rolled his eyes.
Just as to why Snoke had demanded that Ren and Hux all but share quarters, the General would never know. He watched the door open and Ren appear, the palette lifting. The Knight froze, and stared directly back at Hux with a quirked eyebrow.
“See something you like?”
“Just wondering how I’m going to deal with such an impertinent child for a neighbour.”
“I am not a child.”
“Act like it then.”
Hands were around Hux’s throat and the only sign of alarm he showed as Ren force choked him was the slight bulge of his eyes.
“Snoke will punish you.”
The Force hands were there for a moment longer and then they were gone and the palette slid in through Ren’s door. Hux rolled his eyes and disappeared into his own door.
Sighing, he shrugged his General’s jacket off, hanging it on the back of one of his chairs as he sat down. His white tank was a little sticky, exposed to his sweat all day in the heavy jacket. Running a hand through his hair, Hux relaxed in the silence of his quarters... only to jump out of his skin where there was a series of large bangs and knocks coming from next door.
“What the fuck, Ren?”
Hux glared at the wall that connected his quarters to Ren’s, and then almost immediately, everything went quiet. Hux narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the wall but he stood up, hung his jacket up, and then went through to his bathroom.
Within half an hour, he was showered, fed, and tucked up in bed.
-xox-
The sound of a scream pierced through Hux’s consciousness and he groaned, weakly blinking his eyes open.
Laying in the dark, he focused his hearing, but nothing came. Frowning, he sat up, rubbing a hand over his face. Yawning, he stood, shuffling through to his small kitchen. He turned the faucet on, getting a small glass of water. He sipped at it, blinking too much from weariness, when the scream came again.
Hux jumped and dropped his glass, moving backwards as it smashed on the ground.
It came again.
Hux realised it was coming from Ren’s quarters and the General growled, gritting his teeth and balling his fists.
Storming to his door, not caring that he was only in a tank top and a pair of boxers, Hux walked into the hallway and jammed his access codes into Ren’s lock. It took a few seconds for his codes to be recognised as an override, and then the door hissed open.
Hux stormed straight for the bedroom.
The door slid open with no hiss, and Hux started, “what sick fucking games are you pla-”
Only to freeze when he saw Ren curled up on his palette, asleep, tossing and turning. Hux stared at a bantha plush, dangling from his hand, shaking in Ren’s grip.
Hux frowned and moved over to sit down on the edge of the Knight’s palette. He recognised the reactions to a nightmare and he worriedly reached out. His thumb brushed over Ren’s cheek bone and he screamed out, desperately whimpering no, no, no, no don’t make me, no, please before he went back to his fitful tossing and turning.
Hux gently tugged the bantha plush from Ren’s hand and did his best to press it against his chest.
Ren slowly stopped thrashing around, and his breathing evened out.
Hux frowned a little and ran a hand through Ren’s hair, feeling how warm he was. Hux gently tugged the blanket down a little, having it rest over his stomach rather than right up by his neck. The General stood, and heading to the door, intending to go back to his own quarters when a soft, “Hux?” stopped him in his tracks.
Turning around, he saw Ren peering at him, biting into his lip.
“Hey...”
“D-Did I wake you? I’m sorry.”
“Nightmares can’t be helped.”
Silence fell between the two men and Hux went to leave, only to be stopped by Ren clearing his throat.
“General-”
“Hux.”
“Hux...” Ren smiled weakly before looking away nervously. “W-Would you stay? It... I sleep easier.”
Hux hesitated a moment, and looked back at the door to the hallway and his own quarters before he turned his back. The door closed and Hux moved to slide onto the palette.
Wrapping an arm around Ren’s waist, Hux pressed a soft kiss to the mass of black hair. Ren snuggled back against Hux, clutching the plush to his chest.
“What is that?”
“A present from... from my old life.”
Hux didn’t question any further. He merely held the Knight to his chest, and let sleep claim him once more.