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Hux didn’t even need to open his eyes to know. He didn’t need to get up and go to the bathroom. He didn’t need to look.
He didn’t need to pull the duvet back and glance down to know that his dark sheets would be darker with blood, his underwear and pajama trousers ruined.
Tears pricked up behind his eyelids as he curled up, gasping in pain, trying to deal with the cramps that had settled in his stomach. He couldn’t breathe, he felt like he might be sick if he tried to stand up. Hux opened his eyes and took some deep, gasping breaths before forcing himself to sit up. He kicked the duvet off and reached for his holopad, sending in a sick note.
Bracing himself, Hux tried to stand, but his stomach curled violently and he had to sit down.
“I swear you just punish me,” he groaned in a vague breath, directing it at his uterus before he took more breaths.
Get painkillers; go for a shower; change of clothes, and a change of sheets. Hux nodded and repeated it in his head before he went to stand.
His stomach coiled again, but this time he forced himself up with a whimper. “Fuck you.”
“Well, fuck you too, Hux.”
Hux jumped out of his skin and spun around. “R-Ren how did you- get out, get out!”
The Knight held his hands up and then took his helmet off, licking his lips. “You know, the way you kept pushing sex off really had me curious. I have access so I looked in your files.”
Hux’s eyes widened.
Ren set his helmet down and moved to start tugging Hux’s sheets off the bed. “You could have just told me.”
“You-”
“Don’t care.”
Ren raised an eyebrow before he dug in a pocket, holding out a small tub of painkillers.
“Go shower. Clean up.” He jerked his thumb at the sheets with a smile. “I’ve got this mess.”
“T-Thank you.”
Hux remained where he was, just watching Ren take the soiled sheets through to where his washing facilities were.
“H-How did you know?”
“I had my suspicions that you take two days of leave once every single month. I asked Phasma about it, and before you panic, don’t. I gave no indication that it was you I was talking about, love; and then when you sent in a sick note... I made an educated guess.”
Hux continued staring blankly at the pill tub in his hand.
“Hux, just let me know when you’re gonna get out the shower!”
“W-Will do.”
Hux stood there, still in disbelief, his gaze turning to the door before he felt it and he pulled a face, rushing to the bathroom.
-xox-
“I-I’m getting out in about five minutes, Ren!”
A soft gotcha filtered through the rooms and then Hux jumped out of his skin when the bathroom door opened. Self-consciousness hit him like a brick wall and he turned.
“I’m blind here, Hux, what am I doing?”
Hux peered over his shoulder, relaxing a little when he saw that Ren was backwards; his back was pointing in to the bathroom, and he was staring into Hux’s quarters. In his hand, waving around... blindly, just like he’d said, was a towel. Hux reached out and grabbed it, brushing past Ren’s fingers.
The fabric was warm, and Hux realised with a jolt that Ren must have heated it.
“Thank you...”
“I warmed some clean pajamas and boxers for you too, just let me know when you want them.”
Hux couldn’t help but smile as he turned the shower off, covering himself fully. “I... I’d like them now, if that’s alright?”
Ren nodded and walked straight ahead, picked up the bundle from the bed and came back, still a little blindly.
Hux noticed how the boxers were the ones he’d bought especially for this occasion, underwear made specifically for men in his situation.
“Thanks, Ren.”
The Knight made a noise and disappeared into the rooms outside, shutting the bathroom door. Hux smiled and got dressed quickly.
-xox-
Ren was stirring a spoon around a cup when Hux finally made his way into the kitchen. He felt fresher, cleaner, and he didn’t feel so bad about himself. Ren turned to look at him with a smile, offering a mug to him.
Hux hesitated before taking it, peering at the thick brown liquid still spinning loosely around the mug.
“Go on, try it.”
Hux glanced at Ren for a moment before he took a sip of the scalding liquid. He winced a little but... the liquid was smooth, creamy. It was thick, sweet, and satisfied something in him he didn’t know what.
“It’s called hot chocolate. I found some in an abandoned ship. Tried it, took their reserves. Phasma said that chocolate is good around this time. I thought you might like this.”
“It’s sweet.”
“I know.”
Hux laughed and Ren blew across his own mug, taking a soft sip.
“Why are you doing this, Ren?”
The Knight opened his eyes with a frown. “What do you mean?”
“Why are you so cool over this? Why aren’t you being a rude, snarky piece of shit like I was expecting you to?”
Ren set his mug down and reached out for Hux. The man hesitated before he set his mug down, placing his hands in Ren’s. The Knight wasted no time pulling the man towards him, leaning down for a kiss.
“You’re my boyfriend, Hux.”
The words gave Hux a vague sense of security; he felt more secure.
“You are my boyfriend and I don’t give a shit. I can’t believe you actually thought I would judge you, I’m actually a little offended.” Ren smiled and stroked a hand through Hux’s hair. “I’m doing all this because it’s what boyfriends are meant to do around this.”
Hux smiled weakly and leant up for another kiss, sniffing a little. “I love you, Ren.”
“I love you too.”
-xox-
Hux whimpered as he woke up, breathing heavily, trying to remember how to uncurl. His stomach ached like there was dead weight sitting in his intestines, dragging down and down.
Tears started streaming down his face and then the arms were tightening around him and Ren was sniffing a little.
“Hux, love, what’s wrong?”
“Hurts.”
Ren shifted around so he could pull himself out from underneath Hux and got out, stumbling as he did so, yawning. Hux noticed how Ren rubbed the bottom of his spine and remembered that he needed to stop letting Ren sleep on his couch.
The Knight came back with a drink of water and the painkillers, and Hux gladly took two.
Ren sat down beside him, his hand moving to rub at the bottom of Hux’s back.
“What can I do to help?”
Hux shrugged, leaning over as the pain flared in his stomach. “I don’t know... no one ever helped me with it before.”
Ren lay down and patted his chest. Hux took a moment to unfurl before he collapsed against the Knight, curling up tightly again. He watched Ren lazily move his hand, and then heard the kettle boiling in the kitchen, among the sound of things moving around.
“Lazy.”
“I’m not leaving you alone.”
Hux smiled and lay there, relishing in the sound of Ren’s heartbeat before he cried out as Ren started tugging his shirt up.
Ren’s hands flew up at the sound, in a surrender pose. Hux suddenly became aware of the hot water bottle floating by the couch and he sniffed, relaxing. Ren carefully pressed the fabric the bottle was wrapped in to Hux’s lower stomach, before he settled down, wrapping his arms around Hux.
It wasn’t long before Ren had fallen back to sleep and Hux shifted to pull the blanket from the back of his couch down over them both.
Sure, this time of the month was absolutely fucking hell... but maybe they wouldn’t be so bad from now on.