"Why my quarters?" Hux asked as Kylo followed him in. "If you wanted to speak with me privately …" Hux turned to face him, feet apart in something akin to a firing stance. His body was poised, but he was trying to make it look like it wasn't.

"I'm tired of fighting," Kylo told him. "That's all we've been doing. I'm done with it."

A long, tense silence flowed between them as Kylo waited for Hux to reach the obvious conclusion about his intentions. Dealing with this man was such a frustration. There had to be another way. An apathetic, hopeless part of Kylo didn't care how Hux took his statements, so long as this was resolved. But that was not the entirety of Kylo Ren. A part of him still hoped.

Hux reached for his blaster, trying to draw and fire from the hip. It was ludicrously obvious. Even someone without the Force might have been able to disarm him before he got off a shot, given they were two strides apart. Kylo shoulder slammed the smaller man into the wall as soon as Hux's hand reached his weapon. By the time Hux had drawn it, Kylo's hand was finding his wrist and there was no way Hux could orient the muzzle to hit him.

They struggled, but the angle was bad for Hux's leverage, what with his arm to his side and Kylo in front of him. Even assuming they'd been of equal brawn, Hux would have lost. Kylo yanked and shoved Hux's hand against the wall and then upward where he had even less strength. With his other hand, he grabbed Hux's neck and paused there. His grip was firm, but not choking. It took only a second for Hux to realize he was being pinned and threatened – not attacked. He stilled.

There was still that sliver of hope in Kylo – hope that Hux had merely misunderstood, yet again. Hope that he had thought Kylo was proposing killing him and that Hux wouldn't go out without a fight. Sadly, it fit their pattern more than anything else. Kylo shifted back, straightening his arms so one still held the blaster pinned to the wall while the other held the recalcitrant man's throat. They were both breathing hard.

He could smell Hux – caf and clothing and him. Kylo had been noticing the scent for too long. It dragged at his consciousness whenever Hux walked by, begging for Kylo to pay attention to it, to savor it. But they were practically enemies and Kylo had been rejected too many times before – parents, friends, masters, even people he was kriffing bonded to! He knew he shouldn't even be doing this now - perhaps Hux's combative instinct was right and they'd never have anything between them except hostility. Kylo didn't want to believe that.

Hux's face was defiant, half-sneering, waiting for Kylo to say his piece so Hux could spit in his face over it. Kylo looked at his lips. They were flushed, smooth, even. It was an attractive mouth. After a long moment of regarding it, there was a slight twitch at Hux's eyes that drew Kylo's gaze upward. Most of the sneer was gone. In its place was puzzlement and uncertainty. Kylo looked back to Hux's mouth deliberately, letting Hux see where his thoughts were. Kylo's nostrils flared and he took a deeper breath.

With his hand at Hux's neck, he felt the man press back harder against the wall. There was no way to get away from Kylo, but the movement was likely involuntary. With a slow blink, Kylo met Hux's eyes again. "I'm done with fighting," he said, although he was pretty sure Hux had finally gotten the message. Kylo wasn't even positive what the message was. 'Fuck me or die' was the crudest way to put it, but it wasn't what he meant. It was more, 'Please stop fighting me. Please. I'll give you anything you want. Anything at all. Even this. Just stop trying to hurt me. Don't say no.'

Hux's eyes were grey-green and pretty this close up. His lashes were golden. The narrowed, tensed aspect of them eased. Under his hand, Kylo could feel Hux's breathing slow and deepen. Finally, Hux's eyes dropped to Kylo's mouth, then looked around the rest of his face as though taking him in for the first time. It probably was the first time Hux had regarded him with this sort of thing in mind. Kylo waited while Hux took his time about it.

Hux swallowed, touched his tongue to his lips briefly, and lifted his chin a half inch and a little to the side, like it was uncomfortable. He didn't ask for any accommodation verbally, but Kylo shifted his hand off the man's neck to cup the side of it. Hux's free hand rose to Kylo's elbow, touching it thoughtfully for a moment before dropping inside Kylo's cloak and finding his side, then the top of his belt. Hux met Kylo's eyes again and for a second time, a bit of tongue was visible at his lips. It lingered there.

Kylo leaned in, letting the hand at Hux's throat wrap around the back of his neck. They watched each other warily the whole way. Kylo still had the man's gun hand pinned to the wall. Hux didn't wait for him to come the entire distance. About three-quarters of the way, he moved in himself. They kissed gently for a second, then harder, like they both had something to prove. A moment after that, Kylo eased up and let Hux set the pace – if he didn't want to fight, then he needed to stop fighting. Hux curled his gloved fingers inside of Kylo's belt and tugged, sliding his hand around to the front.

Kylo glanced up when Hux shifted his grip on his blaster, but he was only taking his finger off the trigger. Kylo let his eyes slide shut, his tongue touching against Hux's and Hux's lips. They were soft as he'd suspected. The general was a clumsy kisser, but enthusiastic. Kylo was grateful for the implication that Hux wasn't any more experienced than Kylo at this. His hand began to drop – the one with the blaster – and Kylo's eyes snapped open again. He allowed it, easing up his grip as Hux's hand went to waist level and he pushed at Kylo's grip.

He released Hux's wrist. Kylo froze on the kissing part. Hux continued, but slowly. They were both very focused on what that hand was doing. Hux could shoot him now and Kylo wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to stop the shot. Hux might think he couldn't at all at that range. More important was if Hux would try it. The hand rotated carefully to keep the muzzle clear of Kylo at all points as he turned the blaster tip-down and then holstered it. Kylo exhaled heavily.

Their mouths parted as Hux pulled away slightly. "Shall we take this to the bed?" He toyed with Kylo's belt, pulling it back and forth a little.

Many responses ran through Kylo's mind, each with a particular nuance. But the one that won out, the one that best conveyed what he wanted, was simply, "Please."

"Please?" Hux said archly as they moved to his bed. It was impeccably made and big enough for one person to sprawl on or two to be cozy. Kylo's own bed was more … ascetic. He hadn't known anything about Hux's, but he was glad to see it was more welcoming than his own.

"Yes," Kylo said, kissing Hux's unresponsive lips as they reached the bed. "Please."

Hux kissed him again at the word. He unfastened Kylo's belt, tilting his head to the side and narrowing his eyes speculatively. "You know what would please me? You know why we keep fighting?"

"Why?" The belt unfastened, but Hux didn't drop the wide leather strap.

"You won't do what I tell you to do." Hux folded the leather in his hands.

Kylo gave him a crooked smile. "You talk too much."

Hux dropped the belt to the side with a heavy clunk. He took a half step back and began to take off his shirt. His expression was bitter. "You don't listen to me when I do."

Kylo lifted his head, reconsidering his tone. You need to rethink your technique, was a bit of advice from an unlikely corner, but what he'd been doing had not been working. This wasn't something he could brute force like pulling information out of a prisoner. "I'm listening now," he said, making Hux the center of his attention in a way he'd never bothered to do before. Hux winced, but didn't object, at the mental intrusion.

"You want this as much as I do," Kylo said with surprise at what he saw. Kylo ran one hand up and then down Hux's side as Hux shrugged out of the shirt and set it on the end of the bed more carefully than he'd handled Kylo's belt.

Hux snorted softly. He took off his belt – the blaster with it – and set it on the shirt after raising the whole harness in Kylo's direction as illustration to his next statement. "A way to interact with you where I'm not in danger of death or dishonor at any particular moment? I don't know that I can believe it. You probably saw that, too."

"I did. You will." Kylo pulled off one glove and worked it under Hux's undershirt. Hux sucked in air and tensed, his expression shifting to concern. No one had ever touched him – not just sex, but at all. Kylo knew that kind of loneliness. He pulled Hux to him, kissing his neck and then his shoulder. Hux grabbed his head awkwardly at first, then pulled his own gloves off hastily. Hux threaded his fingers through Kylo's mane and petted it. Still kissing every bit of bare skin he could get to, Kylo shucked off his jacket, the suspenders, and his undershirt. The last finally dislodged Hux from his fascination with Kylo's hair.

Hux ran his hand along Kylo's jaw, tipping it up. He glanced down at Kylo's body before asking, "I will?" Hux's smile was a broken, hopeless thing. Kylo kissed him, wiping it from his lips. He never wanted to see that look there again. Hux returned it, hungry and desperate. Kylo pulled up Hux's undershirt, breaking the kiss at the last moment. They fell back on the bed, both nude from the midsection up.

Hux climbed over him, settling their groins flush with one another. They kissed more, rocking together, rubbing until they hardened. Kylo threw away his last glove and ran his hands up and down Hux's back. The man groaned in pleasure at the touch, as though that by itself was novelty. Hux slid off and knelt on the floor, sliding open the seam on the back of Kylo's boot. He took the heel and toe in hand and worked it off, then did the other the same way. Kylo unfastened his pants and pushed them down over his knees. Hux pulled them down the rest of the way, pooling them on the floor.

"That's impressive," Hux said, eyeing his cock.

"What would you have me do with it?" He stroked himself idly.

"Take me," Hux said after a moment. His voice hardened to add, "Fuck me. So there's no illusion about what happened between us."

Kylo reached down for Hux's arms and then stood, drawing Hux up with him. "This is real. And I will do what you tell me to do." He unfastened Hux's pants as he said it.

"Suck me, then." It was said as a flippant challenge, but Kylo acted on it. He kissed Hux's chest in the center and worked his way down as he knelt slowly. He worked off Hux's pants, pulling them downward. Hux touched his hair cautiously, his expression uncertain. Kylo ran the tip of his nose along Hux's penis. It wasn't erect anymore, having been wilting from the moment they'd stopped grinding. Kylo lipped at it. Hux stammered, "I wasn't- I wasn't serious."

"I am." Kylo wrapped his mouth around the tip of it, sucking lightly.

Hux made a noise in the back of his throat and his fingers tightened in Kylo's hair. His other hand covered the bottom half of his own face. It was the most charmingly innocent thing Kylo had seen Hux do. Also, the man was hardening in Kylo's mouth – fast. "No, no, that's enough. Thank you," Hux said in a tone that was trying very hard to be strict and unaffected. It wasn't succeeding.

With a grin, Kylo pulled off. Hux's cock was at full attention now. The man was panting like a few more seconds would have had him coming. Kylo looked down and opened the seam on the inside of Hux's boots. He guided Hux to sit on the bed, then took off the boots. Pants were next. He left the socks on, as he'd left on his own. He kissed each of Hux's knobby knees. "No more sucking?"

"No." Hux blushed. Suppressing a smile, he pressed his lips together so hard they paled. His hand fluttered like he wanted to cover his mouth again like some embarrassed youngling.

"Hm," Kylo purred, kissing the man's knees again. "Maybe next time. If you want me to fuck you, then you need to get on the bed."

"Over the edge?"

"No, all fours. In the middle." Kylo did not know much about sex beyond the basics, it never having been a subject that interested him by itself. He had not previously seen it as a route to gaining anything he really wanted. Hux procured a bottle of lotion from a cabinet over the head of the bed, handing it off to Kylo before arranging himself on all fours. Kylo found himself presented with a creamy-skinned ass. He kneaded the cheeks, getting a pleased sigh. Kylo dispensed some lotion and toyed with Hux's hole, using his fingers to try to judge if it would (could?) open enough to admit him.

Hux trembled as Kylo breached him with two fingers, moving them in and out slowly. After an initial period of stillness, Hux swayed with the motions. He was soon rocking into Kylo's hand enough that Kylo added a third finger. It went in easily enough, but it was tight. He added more lotion. Hux was breathing fast and pushed back against him with a faint whine. Kylo moved his hand back and forth, then rotated it. He got a new range of noises from Hux for that, along with a curse word that didn't sound at all upset.

He kept moving his hand in and out as he applied lotion to his cock, smearing it liberally. He knew enough to at least have heard this act tended to benefit from excessive lube. He wasn't sure what 'excessive' was, so he erred on the side of extra.

Hux was making subtle groans with each motion of his hand by the time Kylo was ready. He removed his hand and guided himself to Hux's body, using his thumb to press the head of his cock inside. He pushed forward in slow thrusts, driving his shaft deeper. Hux's noises shifted higher pitched. Kylo could feel a connection forming between them. It was normally something Kylo resisted when touching other people, but this was more intimate than anything he'd done before. He could sense the wholeness of Hux's mind, even though the man's thoughts were currently fuzzing out. Hux was overwhelmed and loving it.

When Kylo was deep enough to not need a hand guiding himself, he put them both on the man's narrow hips, hooking them in and pushing in the rest of the way. Hux collapsed his upper body to the mattress, surrendering to it entirely. They were socketed so tightly that it seemed to pinch somewhat to move. Kylo pulled out halfway and gave them both another squirt of lotion. It went easier as he slid back in. Hux's eyes were rolled up in his head. He would have splayed himself even more in submission if he could have, purely on instinct. He was so full. His erection bobbed stiffly beneath him. Kylo started fucking him in earnest.

Hux was loud. He started off making unself-conscious whines and grunts, but soon he was making noisy calls with every thrust. It was like he couldn't contain the sound, like every plunge into him forced out air on the other end. Kylo filled and refilled him, reaming him out and making him take every inch of his considerable endowments. He could feel Hux's body loosen gradually. As the thrusting went on, Hux regained enough of his senses to shove back into him in tandem, matching his movements and taking him deeper. Kylo growled as he hammered into him.

He could tell when Hux's peak was near. Even if it wasn't singing in the man's mind, he could see it in the way Hux's knuckles whitened on the blanket. He could hear it in the way his voice choked on the calls of passion he'd been making with every thrust. He could feel it in the way Hux's body faltered in its movement, too shattered by the onrushing sensation to continue, letting Kylo plow into him harder and faster.

Kylo let himself go, let go of all the careful restraint. He pounded into Hux hard, feeling the spasms around his cock and hearing the sobbing gasps Hux was making. He could smell Hux's release, musky and hot where it had spurted on the bed. He must have come without even touching himself. With two more quick shoves, Kylo buried himself in the other man as he came.

They both panted, locked together post-orgasm as Kylo sorted out his thoughts from Hux's dazed ones. He rolled to the side, pulling Hux with him and keeping him out of any mess on the bed. Hux twitched hard at being moved. Some of it was a flinch but he didn't try to get away. Kylo insinuated his arm under the man and up across his chest to rest his fingers on Hux's far shoulder. Hux was that narrow-chested; Kylo's arms were that long. He pressed Hux back and into Kylo's chest. It was delicious.

Hux reached past his head with his top arm. When Kylo started to release him, Hux grabbed Kylo's arm with lower and held it against his chest as though he wanted it there. With his top arm, he fished around until he found the pillow and yanked it over to make himself comfortable. He buried his face in it first, rubbing his face against it, but Kylo could still smell the tears.

Kylo kissed him tenderly on the back of his ear. He whispered, "You can't hide how much that made you feel. Not from me."

"You don't have to pretend you care about my feelings," Hux said brokenly, finally finding his voice. It was scratchy.

That he'd made the general hoarse from yelling during sex was flattering. Kylo grinned briefly about it. "I know. I'm not pretending."

"It doesn't have to be real. It was just something … Now you've done it. It's over."

"No." He laid slow smooch on Hux's shoulder, nipping him lightly.

Hux asked, "What will you be doing next? Just this once, or … or …?"

Kylo moved on to showering Hux's neck with a succession of tiny pecks. He didn't answer.

Hux said, "Not that I mind. You can … do …" Hux made a sound that was half-whimper, half-exhalation at the continuing affection. He pressed Kylo's forearm to his chest like he never wanted to let go of it. "Um, do … whatever you like."

"I am doing what I like: you."

Hux's huffing noise emulated a laugh. Kylo thought he caught the edge of a smile on the man's face – a genuine one, which was a type he'd never seen before. Then it slipped away. "But what happens?"

Kylo sighed and squeezed him firmly. He was still inside Hux, though so soft that the slightest motion of his hips would end that. "Not long ago, a … friend … told me I wasn't alone. I discovered I could reach out and … find others. Other friends? Maybe even … a lover?"

Kylo pressed the side of his head to Hux's. "Or make them, somehow. I don't know how to do these things. But I know I am tired of fighting with you." He swallowed. "I want to do other things. I want this feeling inside of you right now, the one I can sense, the feeling that we're together. That's what I want to have happen. You're my general. Help me win this battle."

Hux laughed for real, then. Kylo found himself expelled. Hux jerked and shifted. "That … that felt odd." He looked down his body with apprehension.

"It's okay," Kylo told him. "I need your help. I'm not going to let you shoot me."

Hux eased back down. He was silent, lost in deep thoughts. Kylo stroked his shoulder and bicep with his fingers. Hux said, "Prove that this means something, then."

"How?"

"Make me your consort."

"So you can rule the galaxy by my side?" It was an interesting inversion – Kylo had asked Rey, she'd declined. Hux was asking him now.

"Yes," Hux said.

"I accept."