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Hux believes in practicality and efficiency, even if some aesthetic appeal is lost to it. He wears black because it is easiest for stealth, the cheapest fabric, and because stains can be easily hidden. He keeps his hair short and neat because it stays out of his eyes and is less likely to get pulled during an impromptu battle. He eats three meals a day, at regular times, because it’s good for his body to be on a schedule.
But Hux can appreciate beauty. Oh, can he appreciate beauty. He actually keeps a small potted orchid in his personal quarters that he’s nursed to gorgeous purple blossom from a small seed. He admires the light given off from distant stars. He enjoys art and music. He admires beautiful things and their aesthetic appeal.
Kylo Ren, when he still stalked the halls of Starkiller, was beautiful. Of course, now that he’s gone, the same hallways only seem mechanical in comparison, haunted by something cold. They seem heartless and the echo goes on far too long for Hux’s liking.
Hux can still remember the first time he saw Kylo without his iconic mask. One of his many, many idiosyncrasies was to keep the bulky mask on in whatever company he’d been in, but once Hux walked into his quarters without much of a warning and Kylo hadn’t had the thing on.
That was when Hux first realized Kylo Ren is not an Alpha.
Before Kylo, Hux assumed almost everyone on Starkiller was an Alpha or a Beta, save the rare Omega working in medical or repairing TIE fighters. He’d also thought Kylo was an Alpha. Tall, dark, imposing, the man gave orders and radiated confidence like he’d been born to do it. Which, obviously, Hux thought he had. Hux had warned Kylo off more than once, stupid enough to think that their argumentative relationship had to be some kind of Alpha pissing contest.
How wrong he’d been.
Kylo’s face was soft, skin light and it looked fragile in the poor lighting emanating from the stars outside Kylo’s window and the lamp nestled between his wall and the regulation-sized bed. Not only was he mask-less, he wasn’t wearing the drapery he passed off as robes. His body, usually broad, looked slender and small, despite his height. Kylo’s eyes, typically unreadable, rested on Hux for a long time before he raised an eyebrow.
“Is there something you need, General?” His voice was like his face—soft. In that moment, something changed Hux’s opinion of Kylo Ren. Kylo was no Alpha, and hell, Hux would’ve been truly surprised if he’d been found to be a Beta. He was an Omega.
Knowing then what Hux now knows, he’d have immediately turned from the room. He’d have never taken the initiative to befriend Kylo. He’d have never even went to his quarters that night.
Because now, on the deck, looking out at the galaxy, Kylo is somewhere out there. He left six weeks ago, no one sure why. Snoke is still furious, snarling at Hux whenever he reports without Kylo by his side. Phasma is beginning to doubt the Order as well, because he can sense in her what he felt in Kylo before he left. Hux has no idea how to keep his carefully constructed control anymore.
All his life, he’s been devoted to the Order. Raised in preparation to take a position of immense power one day, he’d accelerated faster than anyone ever thought, landing himself the title of General by the tender age of twenty-eight. In the year he’s been a General, he’s seen more suffering and destruction than anyone should. With FN-2187 deserting, Kylo leaving soon after, and now even Phasma privately hinting towards a departure, even Hux is beginning to doubt what exactly the First Order hopes to achieve.
Startling Hux out of his reprieve, Phasma says behind him, “General.”
He doesn’t turn to face her, but he does move over so she can gaze out the rounded window with him. When the quiet peace is held for several moments, he looks over and is startled to see Phasma’s shock of short blonde hair instead of her flashy helmet. She holds the helmet between her hip and her forearm, casually, like it’s not vital to her position here on Starkiller.
“Captain,” he murmurs, after another long pause.
“I’m to receive another promotion for my obedience,” she spits. “Apparently it will soon be Lieutenant Colonel Phasma.”
“Congratulations,” Hux says, with the same soft quality of voice. He’s not surprised; he authorized the promotion.
“I can’t stay here, Hux.”
“I know.”
“I can’t receive another promotion. I can’t kill more defectors. I can’t kill children. I can’t kill the rest of my family.”
With a raised eyebrow, Hux asks, “The rest?”
“My brother was a Resistance pilot. He defected when we were eleven. I recently heard word that the unit of Stormtroopers I dispatched three weeks ago took out his entire base.” Phasma drops her helmet, and she doesn’t bother picking it back up. Instead, she hits her fists hard against the newly-installed railing and yells, “Dammit!”
“You’re lucky it’s after-hours or almost everyone would’ve heard that,” Hux comments dryly.
“Dammit, Hux. Don’t you have a heart? Are we to spend our lives on this godforsaken weapon in hopes of getting a shot at Leia Organa or Luke Skywalker while we claim thousands of innocent children all around the galaxy as our own? Program them for obedience for day one until they become mindless? I can’t do this anymore.”
Hux nods. He agrees, but how is he supposed to tell anyone? How is he, the highest-ranking official on this entire base and one of the highest in the First Order, supposed to tell all of his subordinates that their mission is ghastly? How is he supposed to rebel against Snoke?
“Even Ren left,” Phasma says, to the void around them more than Hux. “Even Ren, the man who killed his own father to prove how loyal he was. He left so soon after. He was no more than a scared boy, and I feel sorry for him.”
With the mention of Kylo, Hux’s chest tightens and he feels the tension around his eyes and neck increase. “I imagine that’s part of why he left. I don’t think we’ll ever really understand why he left.”
“I’m not staying. I can’t stay. Hux, I can’t do it. You know I can’t.” Phasma’s usually controlled demeanor is breaking right before his eyes and Hux desperately wants to help his oldest friend, but he’s totally unsure how.
“I understand,” Hux says, looking back at the stars while she cries beside him.
A week later, Phasma restates her pledge to the Order and receives the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in front of all of the Stormtroopers and Hux. Within the next year, she will have the potential of rising all the way to Major General of the Stormtroopers, if she can prove herself worthy. The Stormtroopers all raise a fist to her, their officer and Alpha.
It’s really a shame, because she and Hux are leaving in six days. Three days ago, she came to Hux and asked him to leave with her. She said she respected his decision, and wouldn’t pressure him, but before she could finish her spiel about it Hux agreed to steal an airspeeder and leave, almost exactly like FN-2187 decided to do all those months ago.
Later that night, after her promotion, Hux goes to her quarters and they share a bottle of wine that Hux took from a cantina the last time he was actually out on a field mission. After half the bottle is gone and both of them are loose, Phasma asks, “Do you miss him?”
“Yes,” Hux says. “I just want to know why he left.”
“It’s been almost two months. Do you think he’s alive?”
“I’m sure of it. He’s probably throwing wild fits in some cantina on Tatooine and getting himself in trouble, then using the damned Force to kill people so he can leave without paying his measly tab.”
Phasma giggles and sips her wine. Quite abruptly, her expression changes. “Amusing as it it, I don’t think so. I think he left because of something important. He wouldn’t just leave you to throw tantrums on Tatooine when he could do it here and have the satisfaction of destroying things that cost more. Besides, I’m sure it’s not the same when he doesn’t get a thorough fuck afterwards from his Alpha, hm?”
Hux’s mind is filled with vivid images of those fucks and he winces at the stab of pain in his chest at the thought. “Phasma–“
“No, I’m certain he had a good reason. He told me so,” she says triumphantly.
“He told you?” Hux demands, staring at her with a newfound interest.
She nods and refills her glass of wine before speaking again. “He always went on about the Light and Dark sides warring within or whatever garbage accompanies the Force. I think the Light finally won, although I suppose it would be incomprehensible to us, since we aren’t Force sensitive. Said something about Snoke knowing and him not being safe.”
“And you didn’t tell me this why, Phasma?” Hux nearly growls, gripping the delicate glass tight in his hand and sending a long crack up its edge, some wine seeping out at a sluggish pace. He puts it down on the table and stands to pace, like he’s wont to do when he thinks about Kylo’s departure.
“I figured he’d have told you why he left,” Phasma whispers, voice small like she’s afraid. “I’m sorry, I thought–“
“No, he never told me anything,” Hux says. “If the Light took him over, Snoke would know. He would’ve killed him.” He stops pacing and the only thing he can think to say is, “I need to find him.”
Phasma, bewildered, asks, “You think you can find one person in the entire galaxy?”
With a new sense of determination, Hux says, “No, but I can probably find my Omega.”
***
They leave the next night. Phasma hugs Hux when they reach their airspeeder, at the end of the line and almost a two mile walk along all of their fighters. No one comes out this far unless they’re on patrol or assigned to these fighters, but it’s hours after lights-out and no one is scheduled to patrol here for the next hour.
“Thank you, Hux,” Phasma says. She’s not in any of her uniform, clad in a pair of dark pants and a grey shirt instead. It’s jarring–they’ve been friends for years and for most of it, he’s only ever seen her in white and then silver gear. Hux, too, isn’t wearing his uniform. He’s wearing black, but with a white shirt and a black jacket over it. Even when confronted with the choices to wear what he wants, he still sticks to his own agenda of dark colors and practicality.
“Will you pilot or should I?” he asks. Neither of them are up to par with Poe Dameron, but they’re still required to be proficient in the skill.
“I’m better with the blasters,” Phasma informs him. “You pilot, I’ll keep us alive.” They get in the craft and while they prepare it for their departure, Phasma asks, “Where are we going?”
Hux hums to himself before he says, “Talus, in the Corellian System.”
“Really?” Phasma asks, a note of disbelief in her voice. “Why there?”
Hux shrugs, and the airspeeder takes off. “Just a hunch. He’s somewhere in the Corellian System.”
“How do you know?”
“That’s where he always said he wanted to go. I know of a few Resistance bases there, and a few are small. We should check those first. Talus is just a first guess.” He turns to look at Phasma. “Do you mind if we look for him?”
“As long as I’m out of that damned Order, I’ll go anywhere.” She turns to monitor the radar for following TIE fighters for a while before she says, “I’d like to be called Kya. It was my name before– Before they renamed me.”
“Kya,” Hux says, tasting the word on his tongue. It fits her. “That’s a lovely name.”
***
It takes them a while, stopping on random planets to ask about a rogue Knight of Ren, but Hux’s hunch proves to be true as more gossip leads them to the Corellian System. When they get there, Kya lands the ship on Talus and they almost get Talus and Tralus confused. It takes them another two weeks on Talus until they finally get a word about Kylo Ren.
“He’s on Drall, s’what I heard,” some drunken man tells Kya when she asks about a Knight of Ren turning to the Light. “Heard he’s a ‘mega, too. No wonder he killed everyone in a fit of rage, bloody ‘megas are feral, I tell ya. My wife threw a bloody knife at me, just ‘cause she’s pregnant. Not my damn fault, you wench.”
“Actually,” Kya says, hate in her tone, “Isn’t that your fault?”
“I don’ really have to answer to you,” he replies, glower on his face. Hux jabs her under the table because, although this man may be drunk, he immediately knew where Kylo was and Hux needs to know.
“You said he’s an Omega. Really?” Hux asks, feigning ignorance to get the guy talking again.
“Yeah! Kylo Ren the ‘mega.” His speech is slurred. “Word has it is that there’s a base on Drall that used to be used during the Rebellion, but the Resistance is now using it, thinkin’ no one in the Order will suspect. Kinda brilliant, actually. Hope it works for them. A guy who swears he’s a pilot for the Resistance comes here to get drunk sometimes and he tol’ me Kylo Ren is on that base. Weird, huh?”
“Weird, indeed,” Kya retorts with a roll of her eyes. “Where on Drall, do you know?”
“Nah, probably around Meccha or Mastigophorous. Probably Meccha though, because it’s closer to the Boiling Sea an’ they could use it for food an’ supplies and importing and exporting and–“
“Yes, I got the picture. Thank you,” Hux says.
“Although,” the man says, raising his head from the table where he’s been rambling this whole time, “The Boiling Sea is a tourist attraction, so maybe they’re in Mastigophorous. I dunno, either works I guess.”
“I’m sure,” Hux says, standing and paying his and Kya’s tab. He nods at the bartender, a Twi’lek woman who nodded her large head at him.
Before they leave the cantina, Kya grabs the man’s arm and snarls, “Maybe your wife is so angry because you go out and get drunk all the time instead of being supportive towards your child. Just a thought. Go home, you’re despicable.” She turns and Hux notes how shocked the man looks. He leaves the drunken man and the twi’lek bartender with a polite nod.
“Should you have said that?” he asks, as they walk back to their ship. They’ve since traded the airspeeder because it was very obviously an Order ship.
“Yes,” she says, and that’s the end of it.
***
It takes another three days, but they find the Resistance base a few miles from Mastigophorous’ outskirts, forest slowing their search. The base isn’t tall, but it stretches on for a mile and there’s a runway on either side, trees stripped from the forest floor to make room. Soldiers and pilots milled around the base, starbird emblems emblazoned on their jackets.
“Well now what?” Kya asks. “We can’t just go in there and say ‘hi, I know we’re some of the highest-ranking officers in the Order, but we’re looking for Kylo Ren and we defected can we join you?’ That’s in bad form, Hux.”
“Oh, we’re joining them now?” Hux murmurs, looking at Kya’s blank face.
“Obviously. We’re not safe without them. I’d rather not be on the run from Snoke. He’s dangerous.”
“I’m glad we share the same feelings,” Hux says, gaze back on the landing strips where three Resistance pilots are getting ready to take off. “I think we should go in with our hands up.”
“We do not surrender,” she says indignantly. “We have more pride than that.”
“And we can’t have pride if we wish to join them, Kya. We have to put that aside for the greater good, can’t you see that?” She grimaces, but eventually yields. “Good, let’s do it right after their pilots take off.”
When the three supply planes take off, most likely only going to another base on the planet, Hux emerges from the tree line before Kya does, offering himself first in case they decide to shoot first and ask questions later. When a band of soldiers sees him, they all raise blasters in his direction, but he puts his hands up. They likely don’t recognize Kya, since no one has ever seen her face, but he looks almost the same, except for the facial hair he’s decided to let grow.
Hux not only puts his hands clearly above his head, but he drops to his knees when he reaches the hard concrete of the runway. It’s strange, deferring to others, but he feels like he does it with the grace of an Alpha. When one of the soldiers reaches them before all the others, Kya gasps, “FN-2187.”
“Captain Phasma,” he says, blaster falling to his side. Like magnets, six other men swarm Hux and Kya, keeping them restrained. The Alpha smell on him is strong, because the Stormtroopers who were particularly dominant were provided pheromone blockers to keep the hierarchy obvious and unchallenged. Here, off of Starkiller, everyone is free to be dominant if they please and it’s been a strange adjustment to meet Alphas of equal stature of Hux, who’d never taken the blockers.
“They’re with the Order?” someone beside him asks. Hux doesn’t recognize the man. Probably a random soldier.
“This is the General of Starkiller,” FN-2187 says, motioning to Hux. “And the Captain of the Stormtroopers.”
“You’re kidding!” a feminine voice shouts, before the very girl who’d nearly destroyed them all runs over to see what the commotion is all about. She stops and stares for a long time before she says, “Well damn.”
“We should take them inside to an interrogation room,” FN-2187 says.
“Finn, you want to take them inside?” she asks incredulously. “You trust them in the base? What if they have tracking implants on them or something? What if they’re spies?”
“General Organa will want to speak to them. We can have a video conference with her,” FN-2187, Finn, suggests.
“We left the Order,” Kya says, looking up at them. With hate in her eyes, she says, “The Order killed my brother, the Empire my father. I have no use for murderers and people who are no better than puppets for Snoke to use as he pleases. Not anymore.”
“Rey?” Finn asks, watching her while she intently stares at Kya. Kya stiffens for several long seconds before it occurs to Hux that she is using the Force to pick through Kya’s mind. When Kya’s body slumps and she looks at Hux, dazed, he feels the penetration of his own mind. He’s far more used to it, since Kylo would often talk to him through the Force or, sometimes, send him lewd fantasies when their shifts didn’t match up for a few lonely nights.
When Rey pulls out of his mind, she purses her lips and looks at Finn. “As far as they know, there are no Order ships following them, no tracking devices, nothing. And they’re telling the truth. I think they’re safe to be interrogated.”
“Take them inside to separate interrogation rooms,” Finn tells a Beta soldier on his right. “I’ll get in touch with General Organa.”
“Wait!” Hux nearly shrieks. “I heard that Kylo Ren is here. I need– Is he?”
Rey, who Hux is learning has a very expressive face, bites her lip and her eyes get very wide. She looks at Finn, who answers with, “You’ll be filled in after your interrogation.”
***
Hux spends seven hours in interrogation, telling the Resistance officers door codes, ship layouts, maps, impending plans, base locations, and even the birth names of some of the Stormtroopers and commanding officers. He tells him the dubious details he knows about Snoke and his grand plan for the Order. He tells them weak points of TIE fighters that they hadn’t already known. He sells out the Order for everything they’re worth.
He’s been sitting alone for an hour, with only a guard standing in the corner who won’t let him know what’s going on when an officer comes in with a small droid following him. It’s the droid that had been carrying a fragment of a map that led to Luke Skywalker. He rolls to where Hux is sitting and chirps a few beeping noises before General Organa’s face is projected into the air for him to see.
“General Brendon Hux,” she greets
“General Leia Organa,” Hux replies.
“I won’t lie, at first I thought Finn and the rest of my officers were just playing some elaborate prank on me. I didn’t believe them until I spoke with Kya.”
Kya, never one to allow people to treat her poorly. She must’ve corrected someone when they called her Phasma. She’s probably already corrected someone on her updated rank within the Order as well. He wants to laugh.
“It is rather unbelievable,” he allows.
“We know why she defected, but why did you, General?” General Organa asks, brusquely and without pretense.
“I agree with all of her reasoning, of course, but I’m looking for Kylo Ren.”
The hologram of General Organa looks put out. “Why?”
“I’m sure Rey already told you,” he says. “She rummaged through my mind for a while before they brought us in for interrogation.” He pauses. “It sounds like I want to take him back to the Order, but I truly don’t. I want to make sure he’s safe, wherever he is. That’s all.”
General Organa huffs, but nods. “I can respect that. I just want to know why everyone who defects from the Order ends up on that base.”
Hux’s heart lurches in his chest and starts beating quickly against his ribs. “You mean–“
“He’s on that base, yes. Kylo Ren is a member of the Resistance now. He helps with interrogations if need be.” General Organa nods at Hux. “You’ve done us a great service today, but obviously I cannot allow you to go unsupervised in our base. I’m sure I understand.”
“I do.”
“I’ve given you and Kya shared quarters. Rey will take you there. Someone will stand guard at your door tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll video conference with you again. I need to hear everything you know about Snoke, but you must be very tired, General.”
“I am, thank you. Oh, before I forget, our ship is about two miles northeast of the base. It has all of our belongings and clothes in it. It’s in the forest, but it’s hidden well. The door code is one-one-seven-eight.” Hux stifles a yawn and General Organa almost smiles at him.
“I’ll send someone to get it in the morning. At the risk of sounding like an old woman, thank you for what you’ve done for us today, General Hux. Obviously it’s no easy thing to give up your entire life and join your enemies, but the information you’ve given us today is already proving essential to our campaign. You’ve done the Resistance a great favor. I won’t forget this.”
“Thank you, General.”
“Someone is outside your door to escort you to your quarters. Goodnight, General Hux.” General Organa’s face disappears and the droid starts beeping furiously again, something to fast for Hux to make out. He tells the droid thank you as well and the silver door slides open to reveal Kya and Rey, standing a few feet apart and both looking very impatient.
“We’re sharing quarters,” Kya says.
“What, you don’t want to share quarters with me?” Hux teases, in a rare moment of amusement. They’ve been friends forever and they’re both Alphas. Even if they wanted to start something, they’re not biologically driven towards each other. They probably couldn’t feel arousal if they tried.
“Oh, shut up. Don’t pretend like you’ve developed a sense of humor all of a sudden,” Kya teases right back. Rey snorts and shakes her head, like she doesn’t want to laugh and is fighting it off.
“C’mon, I’ll show you where.” Rey leads them down a long corridor and then makes a left before Hux catches a faint whiff of Kylo. The smell still looks like a glowing orange sunset and he’d recognize it anywhere. He freezes in his tracks and whirls around, only to see Kylo Ren standing where they’d just turned. He’s wearing beige robes that billow around him to the point where Hux would consider it excessive fabric, but he looks beautiful. He looks even better than when he’d been with the Order, soft skin glowing. He still looks young and fragile, like Hux could break him if he truly wanted.
Hux steps forward, choking on his own words that seem to have lodged in his throat, when Kylo’s expression finally shifts from surprise to fear. His scent tinges black around the edges and he backs off, like a frightened animal. With that, Kylo is gone, whipping himself around and disappearing into another hallway. Hux wants to follow him, wants to reassure him that he’s not here to take him back to the Order, but Rey puts a hand on his shoulder and she motions for him to follow her.
“Tomorrow,” she says. “Things have changed.” She has to bodily steer him twenty more feet, because he seems to have lost all control of his lower body, which will be spectacularly terrible if he ever sees Kylo again.
She stops in front of a door that has a large eighty-nine on it. “Here we are. I’ll fill you in on everything at breakfast, okay? Like I said, things have changed. I’ll meet you at your door at eight fifty.”
“Thank you, Rey,” Kya says, taking Hux’s shoulders. Her hands are strong and remind him of how she may not look it, but she’s a powerful Alpha. “I’ve got him from here.”
“See you two in the morning.” Rey looks at them and before Kya shuts the door she says, “I just wanted to say that some others might give you trouble, but I’m on your side. You both have good intentions and you know that you’ve done wrong.”
“Thank you,” Kya says, voice grateful while she looks down at the small girl. “It means a lot.”
Rey grins. “It’s true. My opinion carries a lot of weight on this base, y’know.”
“I’m sure,” Kya says, stifling laughter. “Goodnight, Rey.”
When she shuts the door, Hux is already pacing around their small room. He can’t get the smell of Kylo out of his head–how saccharine and mouthwatering. But what’s truly bothering Hux is the underlying scent of something he’s never smelled on Kylo, something still cloying, but a different kind of cloying. Something delicate and rosy, with a hint of spices underneath. He’s never smelled anything like it in his life. It makes him want to chase after Kylo, to keep him beside him, to protect.
“You’re letting your instincts get the best of you,” Kya says, folding herself onto the bottom bunk of their bed. “He’s just a person, in the end.”
“You wouldn’t understand,” Hux snapped. She’s never had an Omega to call her own. She’s never even helped an Omega to ease their heat. She’s always stayed away from those kind of encounters.
Kya raises an eyebrow. “I may not understand, but I can obviously see that you’re emotionally compromised.”
Hux stops and with great distaste, he says, “Emotionally compromised.”
“Ever since you and Kylo began you’ve been like this,” Kya teases triumphantly. She falls back into her pillow and crosses her arms behind her head with a small smile on her face. “Go to sleep, Hux. We’ll get our answers from Rey in the morning and then you can chase down Kylo and talk to him.”
Hux sees the practicality of the situation and realizes that it’s doing him no good to pace and fuss about a situation he can only think about. He nods–unsure if Kya sees it–and strips his shirt. Hux climbs up the ladder to the top bunk of their bed, cautious about how well the ladder is bolted to the frame of the bed.
From his perch, he can see the table and two chairs on the other side of the room and the two dressers. He can also see out the small window, covered with what looks like flimsy glass. The runway on the northern side of the base is crawling with people. Hux wonders why so many people are out after hours, but then realizes that they probably don’t have a curfew on this base. It’s strange to be somewhere so lax and new.
“I can hear you thinking,” Kya chides.
“Apologies,” Hux says, before rolling over to stare at the wall for an hour before he falls into a dreamless sleep.
***
“Good morning!” Rey says cheerfully. “I’m to show you around certain parts of base today.” She offers them two big grey knapsacks, Order regulation. “These were on your ship.” Hux thinks about the orchid he left on his table on Starkiller and thinks that it would’ve looked lovely here.
“Thank you,” Kya says, voice sweet as she towers over Rey. Hux watches her closely and he can see the pink tinge gracing her normally pale cheeks. It must be the Omega pheromones coming from Rey, since they have no blockers for Alphas and, apparently, Omegas alike. The only reason Hux could smell that Kylo was an Omega was because the blockers messed with he Force, according to the man himself.
Rey claps her hands together. “Well, the food is calling. I think they’ll have eggs this morning! Poe got back from a supply mission last night.” She looks delighted. Hux wants to smile; her enthusiasm must be contagious.
“Poe Dameron?” Kya asks. With Rey’s nod, Kya continues, “I didn’t think the best pilot in the Resistance would be flying supply missions here.”
Rey shrugs. “He comes here on his downtime and when he’s in heat. Him and Finn bonded a few months ago, I think. When he has a mission, he’s nowhere to be seen though.”
“You’re allowed to be bonded to someone here?” Hux asks incredulously. It slips out before he can contain himself.
Rey gives him a weird look. “Of course. Why, were you not allowed in the Order?”
“Fraternization between Alphas and Omegas is strictly forbidden on Starkiller,” Kya says, with the same deadpan she used to possess when delivering orders to her subordinates.
“Oh,” Rey mutters. “No wonder you left.” She gives Hux a long, calculating look. He doesn’t feel her in his mind, but he feels like she’s reading his thoughts all the same.
“Well, shall we go eat?” Kya asks, sensing the tension.
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” Rey motions for them to follow her and Hux falls in step behind her and Kya as they chat about this and that. Hux can smell Kya’s Alpha coming out, and Rey’s Omega seems to be responding. It’s unfamiliar to Hux, because he’s never seen an Alpha and Omega in the early stages. He and Kylo breezed right past that.
When they enter the dining hall, there’s a lull in conversation so everyone can either glare at them or look very confused. Hux scans the room, but he smells Kylo before he sees him. His eyes follow the scent and he spots Kylo sitting beside, of all people, Poe Dameron and Finn. Hux freezes before Kya pulls him forward into the line.
“After we get food, okay?” she murmurs to Hux. “I’m sure Rey will want to sit with them anyway.”
“Yes, all right,” Hux concedes. He’s handed a tray along with Kya and Rey, filled with different things, but including eggs. He almost smiles, but he’s too tense to feel happy right now. When they finally get out of the line, almost ten minutes later, Kylo is gone, but Finn and Poe Dameron are still sitting in the corner of the room. Hux almost swears in frustration. If nothing else, he just wants to hear Kylo’s voice again. They're not bonded, because it would’ve been far too risky on Starkiller, but keeping them unbound was one of the hardest things Hux has ever done.
Rey sits beside Finn, who’s across from Poe Dameron. Kya sits beside Rey and to even things out, Hux ends up beside Poe Dameron. It’s strange, being with these people who he used to want dead, but instead of their animosity, he only feels awkwardness rolling off of everyone.
“Where’d Ben go?” Rey asks, munching on a strip of what looks to be bacon. Hux isn’t going to take his chances.
“I think he went to conference with Luke,” Poe Dameron says. “He wasn’t really clear.”
“Luke Skywalker?” Kya asks. “He’s here?”
Rey shakes her head. “No, he’s with General Organa. Did he say why?” she asks, directing the question back to Poe.
“No,” Poe answers, and then the conversation dies again.
Desperately, Kya asks, “Who’s Ben?”
Rey jerks and nods. “Kylo Ren goes by Ben Solo now.”
Hux ponders this for a moment. Yes, when they were knotted together and Kylo was feeling particularly pliant, he would confide in Hux. He told him about his doubts sometimes, about the Force, about his old life. He knew Kylo’s old name was Ben Solo, but he’d never realized that the Force completely changed who Kylo was. Perhaps, in those tender moments, he was actually Ben and not Kylo.
“How–“ Hux tries to speak, but the words get stuck in his throat. Everyone at the table swivels to look at him. He tries again and manages to ask, with a shaky voice, “How has he been?” Clarity dawns on Poe’s face and Hux resists the urge to flinch. It looks like Poe knows something he doesn’t about Kylo, about Ben.
“He’s been good,” Finn assures Hux with a bright smile. “He spends more time conferencing with Luke and Genera Organa than with us, though. I think he’s probably finishing his training with Luke.”
“Oh,” Hux responds, like he’s grasping for something he can’t quite reach. Poe and Finn sneak a knowing look towards each other and Hux doesn’t miss it, but he doesn’t comment either. Something is going on that they’re not telling him, but still he clears his throat and asks, “No one from the Order has been here looking for him, right?”
“No, he’s been safe,” Finn assures Hux. It’s comforting, but Hux still wishes Ben would’ve come to him when he wanted to leave. Hux would’ve went anywhere with him. He would’ve abandoned the Order for Ben, would’ve faced Snoke on his own for Ben. Anything to keep him safe and happy.
Rey leans forward. “I know you’re supposed to be supervised at all times, but I know where he is right now if you’d like to speak with him.”
“Rey,” Finn says, in warning, but she raises a hand to brush him off.
“Ben can’t hide away forever,” she retorts, and Finn doesn’t fight her this time.
Pushing his tray away, appetite lost, Hux nods. “Yes, I’m ready when you are.”
***
After breakfast, Finn offers to show Kya where a small workout facility is while Rey takes Hux to see Ben. It must be strange for Finn, but he doesn’t look particularly bothered with having his former superior here, in a different setting like they’re friends. Maybe they will be someday. Rey stands and Hux follows her lead, content to trail behind her while she leads him to a small room near the end of the complex.
“He probably knows you’re coming,” Rey warns him.
“I figured as much,” Hux comments.
“I just– A lot has changed. Don’t hurt him.” With a sigh, Rey opens the door, presumably using the Force. Hux wants to deny that he ever would, ever could hurt Ben, but she’s already stepping into the room. It leads to another section of doors, about eight of them in the hallway, and she points to the one farthest down on the right.
“He’s probably in that one,” she says. “It offers the best view of the forest and he likes it. If not, try the one across from it. We use those rooms for Force training. The other six are used by pilots for flight simulation training.” When Hux thanks her, she says, “I’ll leave you two alone. Don’t tell the General.”
“I won’t forget what you’ve done for me,” Hux says softly.
Rey grins. “And I fully intend to cash in on the favor someday.”
She winks at Hux and gives him a little nudge towards the door. Rey departs after that, closing the door behind herself when she leaves. Hux is alone in the hallway when he walks towards the door she told him to go to, which is tightly sealed shut. Hux realizes that it’s probably only openable by use of the Force so, forced to swallow his pride for the umpteenth time since coming here, he knocks and waits.
He stands there for a full minute without anyone answering, but he hears someone moving around behind the door. Hux would get angry, he should be getting angry, but instead he waits and knocks again.
“Ben,” he says this time and really, it sounds like he’s pleading. “I would just like to speak with you.”
“Brendon,” a voice, Ben’s voice, says through the door. Just that one word, quiet and hesitant, makes Hux want to wrap him in his arms. He wants to kiss the skin of Ben’s neck and feel his soft hair tangled around his fingers again. He just wants to see his face. He wants to make sure Ben is still healthy.
“Please,” Hux says. He puts a hand on the door,wishing he could feel Ben through the thick metal. “Please, Ben.” He’s not proud to admit it, but his voice cracks when he says Ben’s name. “I just want to see you. You’re under no obligation to– To continue what we had.” It makes Hux’s chest tight, because he wants, oh how he wants, but he can’t force Ben into a relationship.
The door slides open, revealing Ben to Hux. Hux stares at his face, trying to control his rapid heart rate and breathing. He looks radiant, more beautiful than the flowers on Corellia. Hux takes a step forward before he can stop himself, eyes glued to Ben’s face. He puts a hand on his cheek and just breathes him in. Ben’s eyes slide shut. Hux wants to kiss him, wants to bury his face in Ben’s neck, but he might not want that anymore.
“Ben,” Hux says again. Ben makes a sound in his throat, halfway between a whimper and a gasp. Hux runs his thumb under his eye, where sleep deprivation is wreaking havoc on his skin.
“Brendon,” Ben says again, like a prayer. Hux is in love, he is so in love with this man.
“I would’ve left with you,” Hux says. I would follow you anywhere.
Ben shakes his head. “I couldn’t ask you to do that. I couldn’t make you give up everything.”
“And yet, because you couldn’t, I had to chase you across the galaxy,” Hux says, biting back laughter. He feels light, freer than he’s been in the last three months since Ben left Starkiller.
“You didn’t have to,” Ben murmurs, putting a hand on the junction between Hux’s shoulder and neck, subtly trying to rub his scent in there. Hux turns his head and kisses the hand, light and happy and completely adoring.
“Of course I did.” Hux takes a step back and looks at Ben completely before he freezes. Ben seems to realize what’s happened too, because he tenses and the affectionate expression drops right off of his face, morphing into something worried.
Ben has put on weight. He looks–
“Ben,” Hux chokes out. His gaze snaps back up to his face. “Are you–“ Ben steps back into the room, panic written on the arch of his brow, the lines of his mouth. With this view, it’s obvious that the weight on his stomach isn’t just laziness and excessive appetite at work. He pulls the billowing dark brown robes hanging off his shoulder around himself, a futile attempt to hide the body Hux is so familiar with, but it’s too late.
Like a premonition, Hux can sense what’s about to happen. “No, please don’t shut–“ He’s always been sure about Ben though, and in the next second the door slides shut, sealing off Ben Solo from the world. Hux stares at his own shocked expression in the reflective metal of the door, wondering if this is just a dream.
Everything on the other side of the door goes silent, but Hux knows that Ben’s in there right now. He steels himself to stand there all night if he has to, all week if it means seeing Ben again, but that’s the moment Rey peeps her head through the door at the beginning of the hallway.
“General Organa said that I’m to give you and Kya a rundown of the important places on the base, right?” she asks, either pretending to be oblivious of what just happened or truly unaware. Hux feels like his entire world is spinning the wrong way, but she’s just standing there like nothing even happened.
“I– I believe so,” Hux says. “Now?”
“Unless you want to stand there all day,” Rey says, like she knows Hux was about to do just that. “He’ll talk to you again when he’s ready.”
“Of course,” Hux replies, resigned to the fact Ben won’t talk to him again today unless he corners him somewhere unexpectedly. With the Force, that’s highly unlikely. Kya appears behind Rey and looks at him with a pitiful smile.
“Ready?” Rey asks.
“I suppose,” Hux says. With a great effort, he walks away from Ben’s door.
***
“Pregnant?” Kya asks that night, when they’re sitting at their table and Hux finally decides to confide in her. “You’re sure?”
“It was obviously not just weight gain,” Hux responds. He wishes he were with Ben right now, sleeping beside him and pressing kisses wherever he could reach. What has this man done to him? He used to be ruthless, and now he feels sappy and doting.
“That must be why he left,” Kya says thoughtfully. “He knew that when Snoke found out he would’ve probably killed him. Despite being his protégé, he would’ve been useless to him once he felt the baby through the Force.”
Just the mention of Snoke killing both Ben and their unborn child makes Hux grip the edges of his chair with a kind of malice he’d also like to grip Snoke’s neck with. Hux doesn’t care who Snoke is, he would’ve eviscerated him if he killed them. He wants to do it even now, just for making Ben feel like he had to leave Starkiller without telling Hux why.
“I don’t know how to get to him again,” Hux confesses. “He’s going to avoid me.”
“You have to show him how much you want this. That is, assuming you want it.”
More than anything, Hux thinks, but he only nods.
***
Halfway through the night, the entire base begins loudly talking all at the same time. Hux sits up, head grazing the ceiling of their quarters, and begins the descent down the ladder. Kya is already awake and dressed, the lighter sleeper of the two.
“What’s going on?” Hux asks.
“I don’t know,” Kya admits. “I heard something outside and when I stood up on a chair I could see that a ship landed. It didn’t look Order regulation, but they led some Stormtroopers off the ship. There were people being led in with handcuffs as well, but I couldn’t see their faces from here.”
“They captured members of the Order?” Hux asks, disbelief coloring his tone. “Where? How?”
“Hux, I’ve been in this room the entire time. How am I supposed to know?”
“Right, right. Well, do you want to go see if anyone will tell us anything? Maybe there’s something we can do.”
Kya licks her lips and nods. “That’s a good idea. We should find Rey.” Hux opens their door and Finn is already coming towards them in the corridor. He perks up when he sees Hux and motions for him to follow.
“What’s going on?” Hux asks Finn.
“There was an ambush on Sacorria,” Finn tells them. “Some of the Stormtroopers got away, but most of them are here on base right now. Rey and Ben are doing as much as they can to question people right now, but it’s a slow process.”
“Hux and I can help,” Kya offers. “We have a quite a bit of practice interrogating Stormtroopers.”
Finn gives her a hesitant look before he mutters, “I’ll ask General Organa what she thinks, all right?”
“Yes of course,” Hux assures him. “We understand that this is a situation that requires delicacy. Is there anything we can do to be of assistance?”
“Actually yeah, I’m supposed to go check on Rey and Ben, but if you two do that I can go talk to General Organa now. That might get everything going faster.”
“Show us where they are,” Kya says, almost slipping back into her Order voice, but she keeps her tone lighter. Finn blinks at her for a few seconds before he shakes his head, as if to clear his thoughts, and waves his arm for them to follow him.
They take several turns, but eventually Finn opens a door and lets them in a room that’s almost completely glass, save a ceiling. He leaves right after, assuring them that they can’t be seen. There are windows that show about eight interrogation rooms, all of them taken by a Stormtrooper, or, in two of them, a commanding officer. In one of the rooms with a commanding officer, Rey stands. Her back is to Kya and Hux, but the officer looks uncomfortable and he’s squirming in his seat. The Force is truly a strange thing to feel when it’s not being used in a friendly way to probe into your mind. Hux pities him.
He can’t hear what any of them are saying, but in the room farthest to the right stands Ben. Like Rey, his back is to the glass, so Hux can’t see his face. Just knowing he’s safe is enough though. Hux stands by this window for a long time, watching the rise and fall of Ben’s shoulders as he breathes and the Stormtrooper gives up information.
Eventually, the Stormtrooper pounds his fists on the table and rises, face twisted in something threatening, as if trying to intimidate Ben, and Hux almost snarls out loud. His mind is screaming for him to protect, protect what is his–his Omega and child.
Ben, though, he has it handled. The Ben inclines his head, just slightly, and the Stormtrooper slams back down into the wooden chair. Ben takes a step towards him and he leans in very close. The Stormtrooper goes white all of a sudden and he starts to squirm in his seat, a look of something bordering on pain written on his disgusting face. He hears the Stormtrooper shout, but it’s muffled and he can’t make out the words.
Ben shakes his head and turns to leave the interrogation room. Hux can clearly see his distended stomach and he breathes deeply before Ben opens the door and steps into the room with Hux. He looks tired, face pale from exertion.
“Ben,” Hux says, with only a respectful nod of his head, although his voice may betray his longing. He’s going to have to try a different approach, and he realizes that now. As much as it pains him, Ben is going to have to come to him. Ben nods, more out of courtesy than an actual greeting and he practically collapses in a seat at the long table in the room.
“Shouldn’t you be reporting to someone?” Kya asks innocently.
Ben looks up at her and shakes his head. “No, there are recording devices in these interrogation rooms. The recordings have been sent to my mother already. I believe they can listen to them live as well, if that’s what they desire.”
“That’s rather convenient,” Hux comments. When Ben only nods, Hux tries to keep the conversation going with something, anything. “Do you need anything? Finn sent us to check on you.”
“No, I just need to rest,” Ben replies. He rolls his shoulders back and stands. “Make sure Rey is all right. That officer doesn’t feel right.”
“What do you mean?” Kya asks, snapping back around to check on Rey.
“He’s Force sensitive. I offered to question him, but it’s not safe for me to be with malicious Force sensitive people right now. If anyone tries to invade my mind right now they could hurt her.”
“Her?” Hux asks. Ben looks down at the floor. Hux hasn’t seen him this timid since his second heat, when he sought out Hux for his help. Even then, Hux was powerless to deny him anything.
“Her,” he repeats, putting a hand on his stomach. Hux’s stomach swoops and before he can stop himself, he steps into Ben’s space. Ben’s smell is overpowering when he’s this close, but it’s good, it’s so good.
“You can tell?” he asks, and later, he’ll be embarrassed with the awe in his voice, but not now. Now, he can only look at Ben with wonder in his eyes. He’s a sap, but he’s also a father. He allows himself a moment of weakness. He figures there’ll be a lot of weakness around Ben in the coming months, the coming years. Maybe, if he plays his cards right, the coming lifetime.
“I– Yes, I can sense her through the Force,” Ben explains. “I can feel when she’s happy or hungry.”
“That’s incredible,” Hux breathes. “You’re incredible.” And with that, his resolve to let Ben come to him shatters. He needs to be around Ben, needs to keep him and their child–their daughter–happy.
Ben drops his head, but Hux can clearly see the pink splotches on his cheeks. “You left everything you knew for me, without knowing about a child, because you need me. I think that’s more incredible, Brendon.”
Before he can stop himself, Hux emits a small whimper that he’ll deny until the day he dies. Kya will never let him live it down, but Ben smiles a small smile in response, and dammit, that makes the embarrassment worth it.
“Can we go to my room?” Ben asks. “I need to speak with you.” Hux looks at Kya, whose hand is on a very exhausted-looking Rey’s shoulder. She nods at him, expression soft and fond while she watches Hux and Ben.
Voice small, Hux confesses, “I think I’m supposed to be supervised at all times.”
With a grin, bordering on suggestive, Ben tells him, “I’ll gladly supervise you.” He turns to Rey, questioning expression playing on his features. “You don’t mind?”
“No, it’s fine with me. I’m not really in charge of them anyway,” Rey says. She waves them off while Kya offers a hand to help her out of her chair. Hux turns away.
“C’mon,” Ben says. His hand grasps Hux’s and he tugs him from the room, leaving Kya to dote on Rey in the company of six Stormtroopers and two officers from the Order. Truly the epitome of a romantic moment in the making.
They go down a hallway close to Hux’s own and Ben steers him down it. Hux would try to make conversation, but he’s content to trail behind Ben and just admire the view. It’s really been too long, he’s allowing himself this one indulgence.
When they get to a room clear at the end of the hallway, the door slides open with the use of Ben’s Force. He turns to look at Hux, almost like he’s asking him if this is still the best course of action, which, of course it is. Hux nods, a gesture to get Ben moving, which is exactly what it does. After Hux is safely through, Ben closes the door and pulls Hux close.
And oh, it’s wonderful. Having Ben in his arms again, holding him tight to his chest is exactly what Hux wants to do forever. He wants to keep Ben forever, in his arms, in his bed, in his life. They could never do this out in the open on Starkiller. Hell, Hux was nervous to spend more time than strictly necessary together even in the safety of his or Ben’s quarters then. Hux’s arms tighten, just thinking about what being here means for them, what it means for their unborn daughter.
It’s that that spurs him on to put a hand on Ben’s swollen stomach. It’s large, but not unsightly. Nothing about Ben could ever be unsightly. He thinks about what’s under the layers of clothes and skin, a creation both he and Ben made together.
“She can sense you,” Ben murmurs to Hux. “She’s happy.” Despite Ben being an Omega, they’re of a similar height and all Hux has to do is lean in to press his lips to Ben’s soft ones. He breaks their connection quickly, just a chaste kiss, but it doesn’t seem to satisfy Ben. He tries to lean back in for a kiss, but Hux looks back down at his stomach.
“I– Thank you, Ben,” Hux says reverently. Ben pauses in his attempts to get Hux to kiss him again. “I never thought I could have this, an Omega that I love and a family.”
“I’ll give you everything you want, Brendon,” Ben replies. His hand strokes Hux’s cheek, soft fingers tracing his cheekbones. “When you first got here, I thought somehow you fooled Rey. I thought you’d come to take me back, to bring me back to Snoke and the Order.”
Hackles rising, Hux hisses, “I would never–“
“But I quickly realized, that isn’t the case,” Ben says, soothing his nerves. “I was just scared. I wasn’t sure if you would want her or if you would be angry with me for leaving.”
“I understand why you had to, Ben. I do. I wish you had told me, but I understand,” Hux assures him. He presses a kiss on Ben’s nose, then his cheek, then his other to match. “I wish I hadn’t made you feel like you had to choose. Even if Kya didn’t want to leave, I’d have left with you.”
“When you came to the training room, I knew. I knew that you weren’t going to abandon her.”
“I couldn’t,” Hux swears. “I don’t want to. I’m here, and I would be without a daughter.” Ben melts into his embrace and Hux squeezes him tight to his body, feels Ben press against him and thinks, this is where I should be.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Ben whispers.
“Where else would I be but with you?” Hux asks.
Ben tilts his face up and their lips meet, this kiss longer and wetter than the first. It’s both a promise and a homecoming. Ben tastes like he used to, but sweeter. He tastes like love and a vow that they’ll always be like this. Hux could easily lose himself in Ben.
“Take me to bed, Alpha,” Ben all but purrs, and how is Hux supposed to deny him that? Hux doesn’t pick him up, but he does gently manhandle him towards Ben’s bed, which isn’t big enough for two unless they stay close, but Hux isn’t going to complain about that.
Hux works on taking off Ben’s clothes, methodically and seductively, but it’s difficult when he’s kissing Ben. He has to pull away from their kiss and Ben huffs, but he seems to realize that not everything can be done at once.
“I haven’t had you since my last heat,” Ben says, on the verge of a whine. “I’ve missed you, missed your knot in me. It’s been very lonely without you, Brendon”
“With talk like that,” Hux growls, “My knot is what you’ll soon be getting.” He flings Ben’s shirt, beige and quite soft, to the floor before getting a mouth on his chest, on his nipples. Ben arches into the air, body a tight arc. He’s getting more sensitive with his pregnancy and Hux growls again at the thought.
He kisses his navel, where their daughter is, before drawing away again to get Ben’s pants off of his slender legs. When he frees his legs, he presses another kiss to Ben’s smooth calf. Ben’s panting above him, more from arousal than anything Hux has done to him.
“Hurry, please,” Ben begs. Something sparks in his eyes and a mischievous gleam takes over. Without warning, Hux’s buttons begin undoing themselves. Within seconds of Hux realizing what Ben is doing, his shirt is being pushed off his shoulders.
“Ben.”
“What?” he asks innocently. “I’m not even touching you. And you’re not touching me, come on.” Ben rolls his hips, only clad in loose underwear, and it spurs Hux on.
“You’re gorgeous,” Hux says, pulling down the underwear. Ben, spread out like this, looks more delicious than the strawberries Hux’s father used to spoil him with once a year before he died. “I love you.”
“Yes, you too. Brendon, please, I’m dying. I know you want to be tender about this, but I haven’t been fucked in five months and I just can’t get the right angle with my fingers. You’re going to kill me.” He’s whining now, hand gripping the sheets as he pushes his hips up again, cock jutting out.
“That’s what you want?” Hux asks. He strokes Ben’s cock, just to tease him. “You want me to fuck you, rut into you until you see stars? You want my cock in you?”
“Yes, yes,” Ben says. Hux feels his hole and when he’s satisfied that Ben’s wet enough from his own slick, he worms a finger in. Ben’s eyes go wide and he lets out a positively filthy string of promises to Hux. Hux resists a blush, but he does press a second finger in to accompany the first.
“Look at you,” Hux says, almost gleefully. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” Ben looks like he’s been made to writhe on Hux’s fingers, just like this, but Hux knows it isn’t enough for Ben.
“I’m ready, please, please,” Ben cries, but Hux shakes his head.
“You said you haven’t been fucked in months. I’m not going to risk hurting you,” Hux tells him. He does, however, give Ben another finger. He feels more slick gush out of Ben and desperately, he wants to taste it. Another time, though. Maybe in the morning he’ll wake Ben up to his questing tongue, but tonight, he just wants to give Ben what he wants.
When Ben is crying out again, gasping for release, Hux frees his cock up and lines it up. He presses it in slowly, like a prayer. Ben almost screams, gagging for his release. Hux knows neither of them are going to last as long as they’d like, so he fucks him without hesitation. It’s not brutal, but it’s not gentle either.
Ben pulls him close, one hand wrapped in the soft hair at the nape of his neck. He presses his lips to Hux’s, and soon their tongues are sliding together along with their bodies. Ben’s other hand is on Hux’s shoulder blade, short nails digging into the muscle there.
Ben comes before Hux, crying out and shuddering, squirming on Hux’s cock. He clenches down and one, two thrusts later Hux is coming, knot swelling and locking Ben to him. Ben wails again, rolling his hips over and over so he can feel the knot.
“You’re wonderful,” Hux says, kissing him deeply again.
“You’re perfection,” Ben counters.
“Stay with me.”
“I’ll never leave you again,” Ben promises, voice a whisper.
“Please,” Hux begs, voice just as soft.
***
Later, when they’re laying in bed, hands clasped together and talking softly like lovers, Ben asks, “What should we name her? You’re named after your father, right?”
Hux nods. “Yes, his name was Brendol, but my mother hated that name for me. Brendon was the closest they could compromise.” He sighs. “If it’s all right, I’d rather not name her anything after me or my father.”
“I don’t want to name her after–“ Ben’s voice breaks, and Hux shushes him before he can say his name. “I want her to have something unique. Let her create her own legacy.”
“That’s a good idea, my love.”
“‘My love?’” Ben teases, kissing his cheek. “What’s become of the strong General who used to face down Snoke and the mightiest in the galaxy?”
“I met this Omega, completely changed my life. You should meet him.”
Ben giggles and Hux presses their foreheads together. He’s content to let this moment live forever.
Something comes to Hux's mind. He kisses between Ben's closed eyes. "Ben?"
"Hm?"
"Do you know where I can get an orchid seed?"
Ben opens an eye. "An orchid seed? Why?"
Hux smiles and says, "No reason."