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“We’re going down!”
That was the last thing you heard the pilot say before your ship jerked in the air, several hundred feet away from the surface of the planet as it was shot down. One minute, you were standing next to General Hux, discussing your transport down to the planet for a meeting with the planet’s leaders, and the next, you hit your head on the wall and inky blackness swarmed your vision as rebel forces shot your transport ship right out of the sky.
The next thing you were aware of was hands shaking your shoulders.
“Commander!”
The voice in your ears was fuzzy and far away. You could barely hear as you stirred, your head swimming with fog.
“Commander, wake up!”
A hand landed on your face and you grimaced as it turned your head side to side, searching for injury.
“Commander, can you hear me? Commander, wake up!”
Hux’s voice finally penetrated the fog enough for you to recognize it, and you started to force your eyes open, taking in the blurry figure over you as he came into focus.
“I thought you were dead,” Hux breathed out a sigh of relief as he set his hand on your shoulder, steadying you as he looked up and away, scanning your surroundings.
As you came to, you realized you were no longer on the ship. You were somewhere outside, in a foreign forest, and you could smell the sharp scent of something on fire.
“Where’s…” you stopped speaking as soon as you started. Your voice sounded miles away with the way your ears were ringing. You tried to lift your head, but you felt immediately, intense pressure that sent you back down to the ground. You felt Hux slid his gloved hand underneath your skull to ease it to the ground.
“Dead,” he answered. “I thought you were as well, you have a nasty gash on your head.”
“Ugh.”
Great.
“You likely have a concussion,” he assessed. “Which is just… just perfect, ugh.”
Hux stood up and walked away, throwing his hands up before he rested them on his hips, looking at the burning wreckage around you. The ship was blown apart with the impact, the engines causing smoke to billow up into the sky. It was a miracle that you and General Hux had survived.
Or a curse. Your head really hurt.
You turned your head barely to look at the remains of the ship. From your spot on the ground, you could see a substance dripping from the back of the ship onto the ground, dangerously close to where one of the wings was on fire.
Fuel.
Shit.
“Sir,” you croaked, finding your voice. “It’s going to explode.”
Hux quickly ducked to follow your gaze, and cursed under his breath when he saw it.
You panicked. You could barely lift your head, let alone run away.
“Get out of here,” you said hoarsely, waving your hand weakly to try and encourage him.
“I don’t take orders from my second in command,” he scoffed.
You were about to tell him to leave you here for his own sake again when you felt him grab the shoulders of your uniform, dragging you backwards. You were not the lightest soldier thanks to your extensive combat training, and General Hux was not the strongest man, but he managed to drag you across the forest floor for a few dozen feet before the ship (or what was left of it) exploded, sending chunks of metal flying through the air.
A huge, flaming piece of metal just barely missed you, and Hux yanked you away from it so fast you groaned out in pain.
“Just leave to die,” you groaned, wishing you were still knocked out.
“Not happening, Commander. I don’t leave extraordinary soldiers to die.”
“Extraordinary…. Oooh, you like me,” you teased in your weakened state, chuckling under your breath.
“Not the time,” he huffed, grabbing your uniform again and dragging you further away from the wreckage to avoid the fire.
General Hux continued to drag you until you were well enough away that you were not at risk of the fire from the crash. You might have to move again soon, though, if the fire continued to grow and spread through the forest. Thanks to being stuck looking at the sky for now, you could see rain clouds forming, and hoped they would douse the fire. However, they might also soak you.
You sighed heavily, and it caught the attention of Hux again.
“We will just have to stay put and manage until a rescue team is deployed,” he reasoned, adjusting his gloves.
“What happens if the rebels find us first?”
“They won't,” he scowled.
“What if they see the wreckage and assume we're dead?”
No answer.
“General?”
“I'm thinking,” he snapped.
You heard him walk away, then back, then away again. He was pacing.
You closed your eyes, listening to the sound of his boots crunching leaves.
“Has your head improved?”
“No,” you sighed. “I feel like I'm going to throw up if I move it.”
“Ew, well, don't do that.”
You chuckled softly. General Hux was still just so… him.
“I don't see what's so amusing about this situation.”
“Just… no one else I'd rather be stuck with, sir,” you answered simply.
There was an uncomfortable silence afterwards and you assumed Hux didn't know what to do with the sentiment. You moved on to testing your head again by moving it side to side, but every small movement still made your head swim.
“I feel horrible.”
“You look horrible."
You frowned at his audacity when he continued.
“You have a nasty gash on the side of your head, but I've heard head wounds bleed dramatically. Hopefully, you'll be alright after some rest.”
“Wishful thinking,“ you sighed.
“Your professionalism is lacking, Commander.”
You internally rolled your eyes.
“Sorry, sir.”
You heard General Hux continued pacing around you, likely taking in your surroundings. Who knew what kind of wild animals were out here, and if it rained or got dark soon… you shuddered.
“I think I see a cave up ahead,” the general informed you. “We will rest for 10, and then continue on.”
“What if it belongs to something big and nasty?”
“That’s just a risk we will have to take, Commander. We cannot stay out here much longer.”
You sighed, closing your eyes to at least enjoy the next 10 minutes of rest before the general started dragging you across the ground again. Your uniform was probably ruined beyond repair between the dirt, damage, and blood.
When you opened your eyes again, you were already in the cave. Your eyebrows immediately furrowed in confusion when your gaze no longer met sky, but instead the grey stone ceiling of the cave.
“Good, you’re awake again,” the general almost sounded relieved.
“I passed out again?” you asked in disbelief.
“The moment you closed your eyes.”
General Hux crouched next to you, dusting off his gloves as he looked you over.
“I can’t tell without any equipment if you suffered brain damage,” he continued.
“Great,” you sighed, closing your eyes again.
You felt Hux’s hand on your shoulder immediately, shaking you lightly. You groaned in protest and pried open your eyes again to glare at him.
“Do not pass out again,” he ordered, as if you could help it.
“Fine.”
General Hux pulled his hand away and dusted it off on his coat as he stood, looking out the entrance to the cave again. You could smell rain in the air. You must have gotten here just in time.
“Looks like we just beat the rain, then?”
“Hm? Oh, we got here an hour ago.”
Yikes. You’ve been out for longer than you thought.
“Oh, sorry.”
He waved you off and turned back around, crouching around a pile of wood you hadn’t noticed before. He must have gathered some branches while you were out. Smart.
“This cave is very shallow, and I did not find any evidence of a creature living here,” he explained, pulling out a blaster and setting it to the lowest setting to shoot the gathering of sticks, igniting them to make a small fire to keep you two warm for now. He must have grabbed the blaster before you evacuated the wreckage.
“That’s good. At least we won’t be eaten.”
“Unless something from the forest notices us and decides we’re worth a quick meal.”
You swallowed nervously.
“Relax, Commander. I’ll shoot anything that comes near,” he scoffed, sitting back against the wall of the cave opposite of you.
Outside, thunder began to rumbling as a drizzle started to coat the forest, rain pattering against the ground in front of the cave. Water began to pool near the mouth of the wave and you tried to shuffle further back to avoid it. General Hux also shifted to avoid getting wet.
The temperature in the cave dropped significantly once the rain started, and soon you were shivering on the cold stone ground. The small fire General Hux had lit started to die down after just a couple hours, and he couldn’t venture out to get more wood in the downpour.
“I’m f-freezing, sir,” you whispered, trying to curl inwards around yourself.
You managed to roll over onto your side, your head protesting the movement but not so much you couldn’t manage to curl up. You wrapped your arms around your middle and curled your legs up, wishing the meager fire could provide more warmth.
You felt something drop down next to you. Or someone.
“You have lost a lot of blood, Commander,” Hux muttered softly. “No doubt you are feeling the effects of it now.”
“Y-you’re not cold?”
“Not as cold as you seem to be,” he observed.
“C-can you do s-something about- about it?” A shiver wrecked your entire body and you groaned. You were so cold, it hurt.
“This is going to be unprofessional. Do not discuss it to anyone.”
“What?-”
You suddenly felt a warmth drape over you, and realized General Hux had laid down beside you on the ground and was curling his body around yours. He lifted the edge of his greatcoat to share it with you, draping it over your side as he wrapped his arms around your stomach.
Slowly, your shivers started to die down, and the cold started to become much more bearable. The back of your neck was still exposed to the cold air, though, and you wished he would close that final distance between you.
“Hux,” you whispered.
“Hm?”
“Please rest your head against the back of mine,” you asked. “My neck is cold.”
“Oh, erm…”
You felt his cheek rest against the back of your neck after a moment, and his warm breath huffed against your chilled skin. You sighed in relief and closed your eyes, promising silently not to fall asleep again. Not yet.
He was stiff and awkward against your back, but it was clear he was genuinely trying to help. You think this is the closest you’ve ever been to him in all your years serving him, and then becoming his second in command. Come to think of it, you don’t remember him being this close to anyone.
“Relax, sir,” you whispered.
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t bite,” you added softly.
“I just don’t want you to think this is anything but out of necessity to keep you warm.”
“It’s okay if it’s not,” you found yourself saying. Head injuries make you brave, apparently. Or maybe it’s the near-death experience. Or the fact that you might not make it out of here. “We’re friends, aren’t we, Hux?”
“...Of course we are, Commander,” he admitted, relaxing against your back.
His arms loosened around you and his hands rested over your stomach instead of hovering awkwardly, and his head leaned heavier against the back of your neck. You sighed, feeling your own body relax in response to the warmth and comfort his embrace brought you.
You slid your hands over his, rubbing your thumbs against the material of his gloves. You heard him sigh softly against your neck.
“Permission to sleep now, General?” you asked.
“Granted. Get some rest, Commander.”
“You too,” you added, closing your eyes again.
The soft lull of distant thunder and Hux’s even breaths against your back soothed you to sleep.
—⭒☆⭒—⭑⋆⋆⋆⭑—⭒☆⭒—
When you woke up, the rain had stopped.
The small fire had long since gone out, and there was an early morning chill in the air, so you were still cold. You turned over, pleased to find that your head was feeling better, and curled into the warm beside you. The general’s hands tightened on your back, and you heard him sigh softly. He must still be asleep.
You opened your eyes and looked up at your general, admiring him as he slept. His hair was broken from the perfectly groomed state he kept it in, and it fell loosely around his ears. You fought the urge to ruffle it, because that would certainly wake him up.
It was only now that you realized he was injured.
He had a cut just above his eyebrow, but it seemed superficial. His clothes were burnt and torn in a couple places, and his greatcoat looked like it was in need of some serious repairs once you got back home.
Home.
You hoped troops from the Finalizer would find you soon.
Your gaze drifted along General Hux again, and you took in a tear in his uniform sleeve where flying debris likely sliced into his skin. You immediately felt worse that he had to drag you around. Your head was starting to feel better, so maybe you could start to pull your own weight now.
You laid your head down against his chest and held him tighter, vowing silently to be more help. You felt General Hux waken and stir at your action, and quickly closed your eyes to pretend to be asleep. You felt his hand settle on your side and he muttered something you didn't catch, but he settled back down.
You fell back asleep soon anyway.
When you woke up next, Hux was no longer at your side. You rolled over, feeling the ground and confirming that he was no longer there.
Opening your eyes, you saw his back as he stood at the entrance of the cave, looking out as sunlight washed over him, making him glow as the planet’s sun rose to begin the day. He was so beautiful, even when he was disheveled from the crash landing yesterday.
Pulling yourself up, you dusted off your clothes and found that your head no longer protested every moment. You grabbed onto the wall of the cave and pulled yourself up to your feet. Every muscle in your body ached and protested the movement, but it was no longer unbearable. You could manage. You’d have to.
You walked to General Hux’s side, dusting yourself off again and straightening your uniform.
“Good morning, sir,” you greeted.
He didn’t seem surprised by your presence as he hummed in acknowledgement.
“Not much of a good morning,” he sighed. “The First Order will have noted our disappearance by now and be searching for the wreckage.”
“Do you think they’ll find us?”
“Not if we stay here. There’s a cliff over there,” he pointed to the distance. “If we get to a higher point, we can light a fire to get their attention.”
You followed his gesture and your heart sank. That was so far.
“What if the rebels see the fire instead? What if they find us?”
“That’s just a risk we have to take, Commander,” he said sternly, clasping his hands together behind his back. “At the very least, we might survive. The rebels have misguided morals about keeping their prisoners alive.”
“...right,” you replied softly, still staring at the distance between your current position and the cliff.
It was so far. Sure, you could stand now, but for how long? How long could either of you really go without food or water? Would your bodies give out before you get there?
“I am relieved you appear to be improving,” Hux added in a softer tone, glancing down at you. “How’s your head, Commander?”
“Not swimming so much,” you answered.
When you turned to look at him, he cupped the side of your face and tilted your head, looking at the wound that had scabbed over on the side of your head. You’d need to get it properly treated soon if you wanted to avoid infection.
“We will survive, Commander.”
You looked up at him, shooting him a small smile.
“Of course, sir,” you agreed.
You don’t know if he said it for your sake or his own, but you appreciated it either way. He dropped his hand and turned back to the cave, picking his greatcoat up off the floor and shaking it out. He put it back on and attached the blaster to his belt, and you were all packed up and ready to get moving.
General Hux took the lead, because of course he did. You’ve followed him into everything from bridge duty, meetings with the Supreme Leader, and battle. You would follow him into hell if he’d let you.
Hiking through the forest was a bit of a challenge, but you were determined not to let your general down. He was moving slowly, presumably to allow you to keep pace with him with your injuries. You were finding all sorts of new injuries on yourself aside from the bump on your head as you made your way through the forest, over fallen logs and around boulders. You were bruised and battered all over, and it was a miracle nothing was broken.
You took a break around midday when you paused by a stream. Neither of you knew if the water was drinkable, but you didn’t have much of a choice. Risking parasitic infection, you both stopped to cup your hands in the stream and take a few drinks to combat dehydration.
After adequate rest, you were back on your way to the cliffside.
You reached the bottom of the cliff by midafternoon, and that was where you ran into the most trouble. Now you would have to climb up the side of the rocky cliff to reach the top. You could try going around to see if there was another way, but that could add hours or days onto your journey.
General Hux sensed your reluctance and started climbing first, offering you his hand to help you get started. Grateful, you took it and let him help pull you up until you got a good footing, and then you both started your slow ascent.
“I’ve never been more grateful for mandatory yearly drills in my life,” you chuckled as you caught your breath partway up the cliff.
“It’s important for all officers to stay in shape,” he agreed, looking up to see how much you had left to go. You weren’t even halfway up yet. “You never know when these things will happen.”
“Hopefully, never again,” you huffed, grabbing onto the cliffside to start climbing again.
General Hux was just above you as you climbed, and you mostly followed his lead. He had longer limbs than you, so he could reach different holds as he climbed. You tested every rock or ledge you grabbed first before you trusted it with your weight. You would hate to slip and slide down the-
You felt sudden pressure slam into you, and realized General Hux had slipped and got knocked down the cliff from where he had been above you. You quickly shot your leg out to help hold him up and wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him from falling several dozen feet to the ground. Your heart jumped into your throat with the sudden rush of adrenaline and panic, and you held onto Hux tightly as you waited for a sign he was alright.
“Thank you, Commander,” he muttered, and you caught a soft groan in his voice.
Looking back at him, you caught him holding his ribs with one arm while his other hand held onto the cliffside for dear life. His head was bowed, and you were instantly worried he got hurt.
“Are you injured, sir?” you asked. “From the fall?”
“No.” He groaned again, nearly doubling over.
Then it happened.
He coughed and choked, which only made you hold him tighter to keep him from being dislodged from the ledge you were currently (barely) fitting on to stand. General Hux bent over and gagged again, a thick, dark mass of blood dripping from his mouth.
“Armitage,” you whispered in disbelief, ducking your head. “Holy shit, are you okay?”
Hux didn’t answer as he gasped for breath, closing his eyes as his entire body shuddered. He stayed very still for a moment until the shivers calmed down, and then he nodded, wiping the blood off his chin with his fist.
“We must keep going,” he commanded hoarsely.
“Are you kidding me?!” You held him even tighter. “You have internal damage, don’t you? Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt from the crash?”
“Yours seemed worse,” he muttered. “I needed… I’m strong.”
He wasn’t making much sense.
You ducked your head to press your forehead against his cheek affectionately.
“Don’t die on me,” your voice broke.
“I’m not going to die,” he scoffed, like he didn’t just spit blood on the ledge between the two of you. “The universe is not that kind.”
What did that mean?
Before you could ask, Hux started to shrug you off, and you had to let him go so you wouldn’t be dislodged from the cliffside.
“We must press on,” he ordered, clearing his throat.
He didn’t wait for you as he reached up and started to climb again with newfound energy. Or desperation.
You had no choice but to follow him, keeping a close eye on him now in case anything else happened.
—⭒☆⭒—⭑⋆⋆⋆⭑—⭒☆⭒—
It was evening by the time you reached the top of the cliff, and the planet was bathed in warm, orange light as the sun started to set. It had taken you all day to reach your destination, and you didn’t even know if the First Order would still be looking for you.
You collapsed the moment you reached the top, laying on your back against the soft grass as you caught your breath. General Hux did not rest yet, and called out to say he was going to gather wood for a fire so he could signal for help. Forgetting his injury in your exhaustion, you waved in acknowledgement and let him go.
It was 10 minutes later, when you heard the violent sound of gagging, that you remember he was bleeding internally, and you shot up so fast you nearly went back down thanks to your head. You managed to stumble to your feet and run in the direction of the sound, finding Hux kneeled over on the ground some distance away, the sticks he was gathering forgotten at his side as he coughed more thick ooze.
“Armitage,” you choked on your words, falling to your knees beside him.
He trembled as you set your hands on his back, rubbing to try and soothe him. You didn’t know what else you could do.
“I think-” He coughed again, spitting out another vile clump. “The fall on the cliff made my injuries worse.”
“You think?” you hissed, tears in your eyes at seeing him like this.
You waited until he was done, until the trembles stopped again and he could breath, and you helped him to his feet. He tried to reach for the branches he gathered, but you swatted his hand away.
“I’ll come back for them. Come on, you’re going to rest.”
He didn’t bother to protest as you led him back towards the edge of the cliff, where you could clearly see the sky. You guided him to sit down with his back against a fallen log you found, and left him there as you went back for the wood.
You weren’t in the best shape, either. You were exhausted. Your head still hurt. But, damn it, you weren’t going to let him die out here.
You assembled the pile of makeshift firewood and then went back to him, holding your hand out. He looked at you oddly before he realized you wanted the blaster, and he handed it over. You went back and lit the fire, hoping it would provide warmth and maybe, just maybe, attract a rescue team.
When you were finished, you collapsed at Hux’s side. You didn’t care anymore. You turned your head and let it fall against his shoulder, feeling him stiffen up instantly.
“Armitage,” you whispered, finding his hand. You pulled off his glove and let it drop onto the ground, then you laced your fingers with his and held his hand tightly.
His shoulders relaxed, and he turned his head to press his forehead against yours.
“We’re survivors, Commander,” he muttered. “And we will survive.”
“I sure hope so. You still owe me 10 credits from our last game of chess.”
Hux let out a startled laugh, and it warmed your heart to hear it from him. He chuckled and pressed his forehead harder against your, letting his nose brush yours as he squeezed your hand.
“That’s what you’re worried about?” he mused.
“No, but it got my mind off our situation,” you answered, bumping your nose against his affectionately.
You opened your eyes again and found his brilliantly green ones staring back at you with a softness you’ve only seen a few times in your career together. Usually, in quiet moments, when you were sharing a cup of tea in his office or playing chess in his quarters, the only ‘social time’ either of you really got nowadays. You smiled up at him and he smiled back.
“If we die,” you whispered. “I’m glad I’m by your side, Armitage.”
“Likewise, Commander.”
“You can use my name, you know.”
“Hmm… maybe,” he decided, his smile growing the smallest amount as he squeezed your hand.
The moment was broken when another coughing fit overtook him. You quickly moved your head back and let go of his hand, but only to wrap your arm around shoulders to help keep him steady. He settled down after a few minutes, not puking this time, and cleared his throat as he adjusted. To your surprise, he leaned against you, ducking his head to place it on your chest, over your heart. You held him closer, rubbing your hand down his back to try and comfort him.
“I wish you had told me you were hurt,” you whispered.
You felt his hand find your free hand, lacing his fingers with yours again.
“I didn’t want to appear weak,” he admitted softly.
“We’re only human, Armitage,” you murmured, leaning down and kissing the top of his head. You heard him sigh and he leaned more heavily against you.
“They used to call me weak, you know,” he murmured, slowly sliding down your body until he was laying in your lap, holding your hand as he rested against your stomach. “Frial. Too much like my mother.”
You held your breath, gently running your hands through his hair to smooth it out of his eyes. He had never spoken about his mother before to you.
“I wouldn’t know,” he sighed. “I never knew her. I often wonder how my father convinced her to give me up. I don’t even know why he wanted me, either. A bastard… weak, and useless, and pathetic…”
Your heart ached for him. You had no idea.
“Did I ever tell you I had him killed?”
Oh.
Erm.
“Should you be telling me that, sir?” you whispered.
“I don’t know or care anymore.” He turned his face into your stomach, one arm loosely wrapped around you while the other still held your hand, rubbing his thumb against yours. “Does it matter anymore?”
“You’re not going to die, Armitage,” you said quickly, trying to hold it together.
“It’s getting dark out. I doubt they will see the fire now- if any rescue team came at all. You saw the ship explode,” he muttered. “They think we’re dead.”
“They wouldn’t give up hope on a First Order general so easily, surely-”
He chuckled against you, shaking his head.
“They hate me,” he sneered. “All of them. They don’t want to find me.”
It was very unnerving to watch General Hux fall apart in your arms. You knew him as strong, confident, brave, sure of himself and always put together. He never let anything get to him. He was untouchable.
At least, you thought he was.
“I don’t hate you,” you whispered, brushing his hair gently away from his forehead with your thumb.
“I can’t imagine why,” he scoffed.
You needed to find some way to cheer him up.
You looked up, noticing that the sun had dipped below the horizon, and the sky had turned inky black with stars scattered across it. They were much more beautiful from a planet than from a ship in space.
“Look, sir, the stars are out,” you whispered, squeezing his hand.
“So what?”
“Come look at them with me.”
You didn’t give him much of a choice as you pulled him up. You kept him close and leaned back against the log, holding Armitage against you while you tipped his head to look up at the sky with you.
“Look, aren’t they beautiful?”
“They’re stars.”
“They’re life,” you countered.
You kept one arm wrapped around him and went back to threading your fingers through his hair with your free hand. He seemed to lean into the touch, sighing softly as he melted into your side.
“Each of those stars could be a planet,” you continued. “Thousands of people could be looking back at us.”
He scoffed.
“Oh, you’re such a pessimist,” you scoffed, holding him closer.
“I’m a realist.”
“Shut up,” you scoffed, ignoring the fact that you just said that to a superior officer. If you ever got out of this, he could write you up for all you care. “I’m trying to make you feel better.”
You pulled him closer again, pulling him into your embrace as his head fell onto your shoulder again. A wave of exhaustion hit you and you were suddenly filled with a sense of dread when it hit you, darkness creeping at the edge of your vision.
“We’ll make it out, Armitage,” you whispered. “We have to.”
Hux said nothing as he slowly raised his arms, returning the embrace. He let you slump into his arms, and he almost gave out against the log himself.
“If I had to pick someone to die with,” he murmured. “I am both glad and regretful that it’s you, dear.”
You sniffled, smiling into his neck as you let your eyes fall shut.
As you slipped into darkness, you heard voices shouting nearby. You didn’t know if they were locals, rebels, or troopers.
But whoever they were, you were by Armitage’s side. You would face them together.
You would either live together or die together.
And you wouldn’t have it any other way.
—⭒☆⭒—⭑⋆⋆⋆⭑—⭒☆⭒—