A/N: Title taken from Troye Sivan's "Talk Me Down". Un-beta'd, although huge thanks to Lindsey7618AwesomeasPercabeth for reading through this and reassuring to me that it wasn't complete garbage. Also reviews and favorites/follows make my heart leap with joy!

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Hux stared at the bare white walls of his cell, blinking every once in a while. The floor underneath him was cold, but he hardly paid attention to it. Hux felt numb. Everything was wrong, and at the same time, nothing mattered, because he'd gotten himself captured by the Resistance. A massive failure, and albeit not fully his fault, something Hux should've been able to prevent from happening. He was a general, after all - or had been, at least. Hux was certain that Snoke had found a replacement for him by now. It'd been a few days already, and the First Order couldn't afford to wait around for Hux to come back. They needed everything to go smoothly, and in order for things to go smoothly, everyone had to be replaceable. That was how a machine should work - if a piece fell off, it couldn't disturb the main structure for too long. And that was all that Hux was, had been; a piece in a machine. Although, one could argue, a slightly more valuable piece than the rest.

He craned his neck to the right, glancing briefly at the only window in the room. The surface was shiny black, and Hux couldn't see to the other side, but he guessed that anyone walking past could see him. He had wanted that kind of windows in the interrogation rooms in the Finalizer, but there had been more important matters to adhere to, and eventually the idea had slipped from his mind. Hux let his thoughts wander from the Finalizer to the Starkiller Base, recalling every detail of the ship and trying to burn the image of the hallways and conference rooms to his memory. Something, maybe longing, passed his mind. Hux had once made a promise to himself to not get attached to anything, for occasions just like this. But alas, he'd failed. Hux was, indeed, very attached to the Starkiller Base, how could he not have been? It was the only thing in his life he was truly proud of.

And then there was, of course, the matter of Kylo Ren. Starkiller aside, Hux had been adamant about not getting attached to people. In his line of work it was something he simply couldn't afford, because attachment meant weakness, and weakness meant that he could be taken advantage of by anyone who found out and so wished to do. Which was, in fact, exactly what had happened. Hux grit his teeth, pressing his eyes shut as the shame and guilt washed over him again. It was all Ren's fault. All of it. Hux had been a damn near perfect general who was in control of himself and all those he commanded. Then Ren had boarded the ship, and well. It had all gone down the gutters, hadn't it? He'd risked his life for the bastard, and that had gotten him to where he was now. Rotting in a Resistance cell while some fool took over his ship, someone who probably wouldn't know how to treat the troops, or how to deal with Ren's bursts of anger, or how to write perfect reports, or how to greet Phasma in a respectable enough manner so she wouldn't start loathing you.

Hux sighed. Kylo bloody Ren. He entertained the thought that perhaps he had become to mean as much to Ren as Ren meant to him, that perhaps Ren- Kylo, what was the point of lying to himself anymore- would find him as something worth saving. But no, that wouldn't happen. Even if Kylo cared about Hux, which he'd claimed to do, it wasn't a rescue mission Snoke would approve of, ever. And Kylo wouldn't do anything that Snoke didn't approve of. A tiny flicker of hope in Hux stayed alive, though, a little flame too stubborn to die.

The images of Kylo started flooding in, without a permission. Kylo sitting in Hux's chair, feet propped up on top of the desk, smirking in satisfaction as Hux tells him for the umpteenth time to put the bloody feet down, or take his shoes off first. Kylo blinking rapidly as he takes his mask off, trying to adjust his eyes to the brightness of Hux's room. Kylo, combing his fingers through Hux's hair in the morning and messing it up just to annoy the general who's already late for a meeting and can't show up looking anything but put together. The way Kylo looks when he's been crying, when he's enraged, when he wakes up from a nightmare. The way his eyes crinkle when he smiles, the soft sound of his laugh, the way his lips curl up when he makes Hux smile.

It was dangerous, Hux knew, to think of all these things so openly. He was kept in the same Resistance base that General Organa was in, and Hux had more than enough experience of Force users poking through his mind. Although, what did Hux have to lose? At best, he was going to spend the rest of his life in this cell. At worst, he was to be executed by the next morning. If General Organa wished to know that the person she was keeping as a prisoner cared for her son, so be it. Hux was too tired and too discouraged to give a damn anymore.

Seconds, turned minutes, turned hours passed by. Hux didn't move from his spot in the corner, leaning uncomfortably against the wall. He wondered what time it was, what day it was, and what was currently going on in the First Order. What was going on with Kylo? Hux sighed, resting his head against his knees.

There was a sharp tap on the window as a warning, before the door to his cell slid open. Hux glanced up to see General Organa step in, her expression strained, and take a seat at the flimsy table in the middle of the room. Hux, trying to hold on to at least some remains of his courtesies, stood up from the corner with very little grace, and sat opposite the woman. He smirked as he realized this was Kylo's mother, here, in front of him. Talk about meeting the parents, he thought humourlessly. "You're General Hux, are you not?" General Organa asked, and Hux was taken aback by how much she reminded him of Kylo. He nodded, and then, as if to test that his voice still worked, added: "That was my title in the First Order, yes." She eyed him sharply, and Hux realized that whereas Kylo's anger was burning hot, chaotic and unpredictable, his mother's was cold and calculated.

"I don't suppose you're going to tell me anything willingly, Hux," General Organa said, dropping the title from his name like it was nothing. Hux swallowed. Even if he was most likely going to die soon, even if it didn't matter anymore, Hux had worked for that. When he'd been General Hux, he had been something. Now he was just Hux. If she noticed his discomfort, she didn't mention it. He opened his mouth to reply. "Well, considering my circumstances, I don't really see a reason for me to talk nor keep silent. Although, even if I talked, what good would my knowledge do to you? I only know what I was responsible of knowing. If you want anything concerning Snoke and his ultimate plans, I'm afraid I'll be of no use. Kyl- Lord Ren is the one who you'd want for that."

Hux cursed his slip-up as soon as it left his tongue. The General looked at him, brows raised. "You were about to call him Kylo?" She asked, her eyes meeting Hux's as she searched for something in him. "I didn't realize you were that close," she continued, silently commanding him to explain. Hux shook his head, dropping his gaze to the table. Should he tell her? Or did she already know, and was merely playing with him? And, in the end, was it really of any importance whether or not Organa knew of Hux's relationship with her son or not? It wouldn't help her or the Resistance in any way - he couldn't be used as leverage regardless, not when Snoke was on the other end, whispering to Kylo. Kylo's laughter flickered in his head again. Hux digged his nails into his palms, trying to clear his head.

"One could say that Kylo and I are... close, yes. We worked together for several years. I suppose it makes no difference anymore, considering everything, but we... I..." Hux drifted off, suddenly not sure on what to say anymore. The General was looking at him with interest now, and Hux felt a pang of melancholy hit him. It was the same look Kylo so often fixed on him when Hux was preparing his speeches, or telling Kylo of his past. Hux blocked the images for now. "We are- were, involved. In a way," he eventually explained, trying to keep his voice even. If the General was shocked, she didn't show it. "Involved how?" She questioned, leaning back on her chair. Hux wondered what Kylo would say if he were here in Hux's place. He supposed it didn't matter, either.

"Involved, as in, I... cared for him. Still care, I should say. We were professional partners for a long time, and we had to be civil with each other out of necessity, at first. Beyond that, well. We begun talking more, not just about strategies and work but eventually other topics. Personal topics. It evolved. You know how it goes," he said.

Hux felt something open up inside him, all the locked thoughts pouring out as he finally had someone to tell this to. "He has quite a temper. Kylo, I mean. The amount of times I've had write damage reports after his fits is absurd, really. Sometimes it didn't get that far. Occasionally, instead of breaking things, he came to my quarters. He had a habit of sneaking in while I was away and re-arranging all of my books as he wished. Sometimes, I'd come back and he'd have fallen asleep on my bed with that stupid mask thrown away, half of the books still on the floor." Hux blinked, smiling softly. "He looks peaceful when he's asleep. I never dared to wake him up."

Hux risked a look at the General, who looked taken aback, her shoulders drawn back in suprise. Whatever she'd been expecting, this wasn't it. Hux smiled to himself. So, at least the Resistance hadn't known before. He decided he might as well go all the way over, now that he was already tiptoeing on the line.

"He's why I'm here," Hux said, and he couldn't find it in himself to feel regretful over it anymore. He'd been the one to... to start having feelings for Kylo, after all.

(Kylo also had feelings for Hux, he knew, but it didn't matter anymore. None of what they'd had was of any importance now.)

"Care to elaborate?" The General inquired, slowly recovering from her stunned state, and Hux wasn't certain whether she wanted to know about how or why this had happened. He decided to tell her both.

"There was a miscalculation. A minor error, not on my part, but from some other officer. We went to check it out, I, Kylo and some troopers. Turned out to be nothing, at first. Until the Resistance came in. I don't know how you found us, nor do I wish to learn that now, but you did. And you almost got Kylo. You would've, if I hadn't intervened. Alas, he escaped, and now you have me. Poor trade for you, I'd say. Instead of the big fish, you caught his lover." Hux sneered at the last word. Had they been that? Lovers? A strange thought, even stranger for Hux. He went on. "And as to elaboration on my reasons for taking the hit for him, well. I did tell you that I care for him. I'm afraid he's become my... weakness, you could say. Very unfortunate, but it's what it is and there's no way for me to sugarcoat the truth."

General Organa stared at him, silent. Then she abruptly stood up, and shook her head, as if to shake out unnecessary thoughts. "I see," she said in a strained voice. "If there's nothing more you can reveal to me, I think we're quite done for today." Hux gave a huff, remaining seated. "Well, there's one secret I haven't told you. Or anyone else, for that matter," he begun, his lips curling into a cruel-like grin. She stopped, halfway through the door, and raised her eyebrows. "It might be very possible that I am, in fact, in love with your son," he confessed in a shaky voice. It was odd to say it out loud, something Hux had been avoiding even thinking about for the past few months. But he wasn't one to keep lying to himself. I'm in love with Kylo fucking Ren, out of all the people. General Organa gave him a pitying, sad look, before leaving without another word. The door slid shut after her, leaving Hux alone, staring at the bare white walls again.