Chapter Text
She was trying to garden again. He had to give her points for trying so hard. The ember of his cigarette flared as he took another drag, eyes lazily flicking towards his new neighbor. Her hair was up in three buns down the back of her head, a few pieces falling loose to curl around her face. Her bare arms were streaked in dark earth and sweat. Music played from a small portable speaker next to her. She was humming along as she dug a hole, put a plant inside, and refilled the hole.
Hux shook his head, turning. He stabbed out his cigarette and walked back inside the house. Kylo grew up in a theater and insisted on "dark days" where Hux's restaurant didn't open, even if he wanted it to. So here he was, on a golden Thursday afternoon, watching his lover's neighbor try to plant a flower garden, again. It was June now, and this was her third time trying to get plants to grow. She was...enthusiastic about it. Maybe sometime Hux would help her with the garden, or give her a book at least. He glanced out the window at the barely controlled disorder of her flower beds and shook his head. Definitely buying her a book. He can't handle the thought of one of his books being treated like her garden is being treated.
Strong arms wrap around his waist from behind. Kylo kisses his temple, murmuring into his hair, "You look grumpy about something today." He presses his face into the space where hux's shoulder meets his neck and brushes featherlight kisses there.
"Just thinking about buying your neighbor a gardening book. Isn't this her third time trying to grow flowers? How she manages to keep killing marigolds, I'll never know." Hux grumbles the last bit to himself and turns in Kylo's arms. Hux looks up at Kylo, taking in his long, dark hair, full of soft waves and curls. He looks into Kylo's warm golden brown eyes and sees a spark of mischief in them.
"Well you did say you were going to order us a book about Shibari as well, so you might as well find one for her. Hux, she's the one I told you about." Kylo stops and looks at Hux seriously. "I like her. She's smart and funny and definitely determined." He finished ruefully, his eyes lingering over Hux's shoulder.
Hux turned around to follow Kylo's eyes. What greeted him was possibly the funniest thing he'd seen recently. Rey was on her hands and knees in the flower beds wrapping around the front of the house. Her roommates orange and white dog was beside her, digging up all of the plants she was trying to plant. Hux could barely hear Rey laughing and scolding the dog through the closed windows of the house. Hux turns back to Kylo, smiling despite himself. "Alright she is pretty adorable. Is her birthday soon by chance? And have you ever even spoken to her?" Hux asked Kylo.
"Her birthday is next month, and of course I've spoken to her, how else could I know how smart she is or how funny she is?" Kylo asked incredulously. He continued, "and also, you work late more than I do, I told you we had talked a few times." He smirked at Hux. "I think she wanted to kiss me, once." He full on grinned at hux's slightly furrowed brow and pursed lips.
Hux continued to look grumpy, then brightened. "Well I guess it's time for me to meet her then. If you're truly serious about her maybe joining us for a tryst or two." Hux turned on his heel and stepped quickly through the hall into the kitchen. He pulled together all the ingredients for his signature mint lemonade. Working quickly and efficiently even with Kylo's eyes following every move, he quickly had a full pitcher of lemonade with sprigs of muddled mint in 3 glasses waiting for him to pour the lemonade. He did so with a small flourish, watching appreciatively as Kylo snagged a glass and took a long drink.
"Perfect as usual. No idea how you do that." Kylo said grumpily.
Hux just smiled at his lover and grabbed the remaining two glasses. He walked out the front door, and down the steps into his yard. He smiled at Rey as she pulled the wiggling dog out of the flowers again.
"Hi! I don't think we've met yet, I'm Hux. You look like you could use a drink so I brought you some lemonade." Hux held out a hand to the confused girl on the ground, the other one holding both glasses. The dog jumped up on Hux's stomach and his one hand wasn't enough to save the glasses and fend off the dog. Hux watched as a glass of his lemonade tumbled in slow motion over Rey's outstretched legs, spilling the lemonade and hitting her legs bottom first.
"Ouch, shit. BB! Down! Ah crap. I think it cut me!" Sure enough, Hux looked at Rey's shin where a line of blood from the heavy glass cup was welling up. "BB, inside!" The dog ducked its head and ran to the house where a doggie door had been put in. "I'm sorry about BB, Hux, you said your name was right?"
The sudden question combined with the bright, steady gaze really threw Hux, it took him a few moments to respond. "Ah, yes that's my name, I'm so sorry about your leg. If you want to come to Kylo's house I am fairly experienced with patching up cuts and bruises..."Hux trailed off as he met her eyes and found her studying him like he was a puzzle.
"I can take care of it myself, it's really not that bad." Rey dropped her eyes from Hux's and made a face at the dirt. "I wouldn't mind the help though, BB is gonna make it harder." She hunched down to look at her leg closer. It was still bleeding slowly, just a trickle really.
"Well, come on, let's not let more of your blood water the marigolds. Can you walk?" Hux said. He offered her his newly free hand to stand up. Her palm slid into his, the calluses scratching lightly against his skin. He pulled Rey up and balanced her while she gingerly put weight on her injured leg. Blood started to trickle down her shin, getting closer and closer to her socks. Rey smiled up a Hux.
"Are you always so dramatic? My blood watering the marigolds?" Rey started to laugh as she slowly hobbled towards Kylo's house. She looked back at him and stopped, seeing that he hadn't moved. Hux was staring at her, completely taken by her smile and easy teasing. He started to smile back at her and hurried to catch up.
"I tend to get more dramatic the longer I'm around Kylo. He makes life...fun." Hux laughs and shakes his head. "Actually, he makes it a bit of a pain. But there's a lot more fun in there too." Hux turns to Rey to help her with the three steps leading up to the porch. Belatedly, he remembers the other glass of lemonade and offers it to her. "Would you still like a glass of lemonade?" He clinks the ice invitingly and hands her the glass when she reaches for it.
Rey takes a small sip of the lemonade, which turns into a long gulp. She turns to Hux a step below her, eyes wide. "This is good!! Like really good! What is in this? How do you make this?" She peppers Hux with questions, heedless of the danger her socks are in. "Can you teach me how to make this?" Rey turns to Hux fully with the last question. He looks at her, realizing that with her a step above him, they're almost the same height. He looks into her expressive hazel eyes and discovers that he can't disappoint her.
"It's my own recipe," Hux offers, "I can teach you to make it, but I like trading knowledge more." Hux smirked, watching her emotions flit across her face, as she processed that. "If you will teach me something, I'll teach you how to make my lemonade." Hux smiled at Rey. Held out his hand to shake. "Deal?"
Rey enthusiastically grabbed his hand a shook it vigorously. "You have yourself a deal. I have no idea what I could teach you though." Rey looked at him brightly, grinning. Hux felt like his smile would freeze there on his face forever. He glanced down and started back up the stairs rather quicker than he had been.
"Come on Rey, your socks are going to get ruined if we aren't careful. I'd hate to be the cause of your socks demise." He said the last part very dramatically. He brought up a hand as if to clutch at his chest, turning to glance at Rey. She was full out laughing behind him. Holding her belly as the laughter just kept bubbling out of her. Hux had expected a smile, maybe a giggle or two, not that laughter. He turned to look at the doorway and caught a very confused Kylo staring at them both, his hair halfway into a ponytail with a hair tie hanging out of his mouth. Hux giggled at the look Kylo was giving them. The laughter from behind him was starting to slow, so he turned and looked at Rey.
"You should have seen Kylo's face!" She exclaimed. "He looked like someone had hit him with a frying pan, and he wasn't sure if he was more surprised or confused by it!" She dissolved into giggles again, which set off Hux too. They stood together laughing for a few more seconds before Kylo got the hair tie around his ponytail and more importantly, out of his mouth.
"Well I'm glad you two get along so well," he started bitingly. "I'm not sure what is so funny, besides Hux's dramatic-". He cut himself off while giving Rey a once over. "What happened to your leg??" Kylo finished saying, bending over for a closer look at her leg. He shot Hux an accusing look over his shoulder.
Suddenly, he straightened up to his full height, towering over Rey. Hux noticed her eyes widening and her instinctive flinch when confronted with all of Kylo's impressive bulk. Hux stepped forward and used his much slighter frame to slip into the gap beside Rey before Kylo could start to step forward. Bending his knees, Hux pulled her left arm over his shoulder and slipped his right arm around her side loosely.
Hux said brightly "Well, lets go get your leg taken care of, then I'll teach you how to make my lemonade!" He started to step forward as Kylo scowled at them both. Hux shot Kylo a glare and shook his head very slightly. Kylo stepped back to let them pass. Hux and Rey hobbled awkwardly through the door and into the house. He guided through the living room, and into the kitchen. Together they made their way to the breakfast bar and got Rey settled onto a bar chair. Hux picked up the pitcher and refilled Rey's glass. Then he bent and grabbed the first aid kit from under the counter and placing it across from Rey. He opened it up and started sorting out what he would need. Out came the band aids, the antibiotic ointment, and a bunch of gauze.
Hux knelt down next to Rey's chair, pulling her long, tan leg into his lap. He gently started cleaning the blood off her leg.
"You know, you aren't nearly as big of an asshole as you seem." Rey commented suddenly. "I can see why Kylo likes you now."
Hux stared up at her, mouth hanging open in shock. Recovering himself quickly, he looked back down at her leg and began cleaning it again. "You thought I was an asshole? Why did you think that?" Hux finished wiping the blood off of Rey's leg and finally got a better look at the cut. He inspected it closely, waiting patiently for her answer.
"Um, well, you know. You just always look like the world is beneath your notice, and I'd never seen you smile before today, and yeah. You just seem grumpy all the time." She shrugged as she finished, looking down at Hux.
"Oh he is an asshole, just not to people we like." Kylo chimed in helpfully from the doorway. "But he also has the worst case of resting bitch face I've ever seen." He finished as he walked the rest of the way into the kitchen. He crouched down beside Hux and handed him the antibiotic ointment and finally a bandaid.
Hux ran his thumb over the bandaid, looking up at Rey. "There. All done. Does that feel better?"
Her eyes were wide when she met his gaze. She stared at the men at her feet for a second, then nodded.