Hux perched at the edge of the bed, knowing very well this was the tipping point and Ren would very likely murder him in an agonizing way.

The woman in bed beside him was snoring softly, the sheet pulled up just over her bare breasts, her long scarlet hair fanned out around her. Last night it surrounded and enveloped him as they'd wildly fallen into his bed, moaning and fucking like it was their last night alive.

Massaging his neck and shoulders, he leaned back against the pillow. The things they'd done! Just the memory of it gave him an erection and he couldn't help but be pleased with the plethora of new experiences, though he couldn't fathom what it was she said that made him agree to their romp. How did this even happen? Hux stroked his whiskers and struggled to recall his thought process. Something strange had come over him, indeed.

As his fingers worked the sore muscles in his neck, they traced along a tender spot he could only assume was a purple and brown blossom of a hickey. Her passion and uninhibited desire left him exhausted and sore in places he didn't know existed. Beside the small violet bruises and bite marks across his chest, long scratches down his back stung in a strangely pleasant way. Heat rose in his cheeks. Yes, the Supreme Leader would truly murder him.

The redhead beside him rolled over and sighed in her sleep. She had been worth the dangerous affair, to be sure, and he'd long dreamed of bedding her, but never in Hux's life had petty matters like desire usurped his will to survive. Gemma, she was called, was too much of a risk to ever consider. She was a Knight of Ren and the Supreme Leader's second in command in Dark Side matters. Fortunately she was not a naive fool like Ren's scavenger girl, no. Hux always fancied her for her cunning and intellect. What made her appealing made her doubly off-limits and now the general would have to face the dire consequences of playing with one of Kylo's toys.

He stared at the black ceiling and wondered again how this situation had even happened. It was all so unlike him...

Suddenly his door slid open. Unannounced and unabashed, Ren strode in in a storm of annoyance. "Gemma. How did I know I'd find you here?" he barked as he spotted the ruby hair. When he saw Hux scrambling back under the sheets to cover himself, his lip curled.

"Good morning," the woman cooed as she stirred. She sat up and the sheet fell away, exposing her nude body. She stretched and yawned, rubbing her eyes and cracking her neck.

Hux sucked in a breath, but Ren's expression remained unchanged. Instead of ogling her perfect breasts and magnificent legs as she climbed out of bed and padded across the floor to her clothes, still puddled on the floor, his eyes narrowed as if he was disgusted by her very being.

"Perhaps you could give us a moment, Ren," Hux offered hesitantly, hoping to grant her some semblance of privacy. He immediately regretted the comment. Had he truly just told Kylo to leave? He blinked in confusion. Something was certainly misfiring in his brain. This was not how Armitage Hux played his cards.

Ren regarded him for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't have a moment to give. Gemma. Get out," he warned her.

Gemma wrinkled her nose. "Master, you have no sense of adventure. Just because you don't have any fun doesn't mean I can't." She pulled her dress back on and strolled to the mirror to smooth her long hair. "What good is all this if you don't use it?" She eyed Ren for a moment. "I won't let myself go to waste."

Offput by the comment, Ren scowled harder. "I'll deal with you later."

"Please," Gemma scathed back at him. She threw a scandalous look over her shoulder at Hux and smiled to see him watching her, slack jawed. Her lip curling into a wicked smile, she crawled back onto the bed and cozied up against him. "I'm not done with my general." She kissed him as her hand wandered down his torso. Ren immediately reached out and used the Force to drag Gemma from the bed and across the floor. Her heels squeaked on the tile as she struggled against her master's power. "Leave me alone," she laughed as she came to a halt before him. "What's it matter to you what I do with him?"

"Get out." The tone of Kylo's voice dared her to disobey.

She swallowed hard before huffing and storming into the corridor.

The door slid shut again and Ren leaned against it. He looked to Hux, who was still trying to grasp the situation. Their eyes locked, Ren's amber and his own blue. The Supreme Leader's gaze was more intense than usual, though it seemed like an impossibility. This is it, Hux thought in horror.

"I told her to leave you alone. She deliberately disobeyed me. Are you okay?" Ren asked solemnly.

Hux swallowed and felt confusion wash over him further. "Whatever do you mean? It wasn't unwanted by either participant, I assure you," he sputtered, uncertain why Ren's blame was falling on the opposite party.

"Hux." Ren rubbed his brow and then crossed his arms. "We're not friends but I can't pretend this wasn't abhorrently wrong. She used her power to weaken your resolve. She raped you." He studied the general's expression with a foreign look in his eyes Hux had never seen.

Hux shook his head. "No. I- I've wanted an encounter of that sort for some time. I only ever refrained because she is your subordinate and-"

"Exactly. You've always refrained," Ren cut him off. "I won't have anyone using the Force to connive officers into sex. Are you okay?"

Suddenly shivering, Hux stuttered, "I- I suppose I don't remember why-" he trailed off and pursed his lips. "But it can't be an assault. I enjoyed it. Let's drop this embarrassing matter and-" he trailed off once again. It was as if someone were turning a dial in his mind back and forth rapidly from one extreme to the other. Pride. Shame. Ecstacy. Danger. Satisfaction. Regret. Joy. Horror.

Ren crossed the room and sat on the foot of the bed. He held up his hand, but then inclined his face and asked, "May I?"

Feeling ill at a sudden wave of churning emotions, Hux nodded. "I don't feel right." He closed his eyes and felt Kylo push into his mind, searching for who knows what, perhaps replaying the memories from last night.

"You were putty in her hands," Ren commented angrily. "I'm sorry." He backed out of his mind and cringed. "Do you need to talk to a counselor, a-"

"Stop," Hux snarled, humiliation flowing from every pore. "I- I- I might not have decided this on my own, but I'm no victim. I wanted her." The words weren't false, but they felt like poison in his mouth. He cried out in frustration. By now his voice had risen to a hysterical shriek. He glared at Ren. "What are you doing to me? Something's not right in my head!"

"Hux," Ren said firmly. "There's no shame in this. She's powerful and has nearly succeeded in doing the same to me." He thought for a moment, then reached out and touched Hux's bare shoulder, hoping the act would have some sort of reassuring effect. "I was in your mind. This wasn't your fault. Desire isn't an invitation for unwanted sex."

Hux's mouth moved wordlessly, then he simply nodded. "What's happening to me?"

"When I sent her away, her enchantment broke. It's wearing off. This is how you really feel." Ren took a deep breath, then nodded to himself. "Her fate is sealed. I'll execute her myself."

"You're killing her?" Hux breathed. "I thought you'd kill me for fucking your knight."

"No," Kylo snapped. "She's too dangerous to banish. She's always had these cruel urges. I didn't think she'd actually do it." He heaved a heavy sigh. "I'm so sorry. I feel responsible."

Hux tried to catch his breath. "She only fucked me. You don't need to kill her."

"She raped you."

Hux gritted his teeth. Truly, he was beginning to see Ren was right. "When I woke it was thrilling but the longer she's gone from me, I- I-" He stroked his lips. "I never wanted to do those things- I – they're against my principles." His skin crawled. "I'd never do such violent things to a woman – I'd, I'd never-" The memories were no longer tantalizing, but horrifying. "Can-" Hux whispered after a moment. "Can you make it so I don't remember it at all?" Goosebumps ran down his torso and arms and he looked up to Ren with pleading eyes. "Erase the night from my mind. I beg you."

"I can," Ren answered from his spot at the foot of the bed. "Is that what you want?"

Hux nodded violently. "Yes, please. I- I could have hurt her."

"Lie back. You'll come to with no idea what happened last night and I'm sure you'll blame me for it." Kylo grinned humorlessly and Hux offered a solemn chuckle in return. "I imagine you're right," he replied. "Thank you."

Kylo held out a masked hand and softly said, "Don't be afraid."

A moment later, Hux took a deep breath and studied the man before him. "What are you doing in my quarters?" he roared. "And where are my clothes?"