Blinded by the Dark | General Hux

XIV

"How is it?" Hux asked when Amelia walked into his office just down the corridor from the bridge a few days later, standing when he saw her with a small smile. "Your forehead?" 

"Getting better, I think," she replied, sitting on the opposite side of his desk and pulling her hood down, her hair spilling onto her shoulders. He put his pen down and walked to sit next to her, removing the dressing carefully, apologising when she winced at the tape pulling on her skin then laughing a little when she did. 

"Yeah, it looks it..." He brushed a gentle thumb along the scar and she caught her breath but he thankfully didn't seem to notice. "You can probably leave this off now." He threw the plaster in the bin and returned to the other side of the desk. "Have you spoken to Ren yet?" 

"No, not yet. He wants to talk to me but I've been avoiding him. I would hope he would've gotten the message by now but apparently not...I know it was probably just a one-off and he 'won't do it again' but I don't know..." 

"He certainly acts before he thinks and that shall be his downfall. I've said it before, many, many times, but he is an idiot. He's just a stupid hot-tempered child who's never known anything more."

"He's not always like that. We've had proper and civilised conversations before where he seemed like he cared. He's not a complete monster..."

"Maybe...But I've never seen that side of him." 

"No..." she laughed to herself, looking at him with a little smile that he just about returned. She was captivated by that little gesture, how it seemed to light up his cool, green eyes. "But...um...what are you working on?" 

"I'm meant to be looking over these strategy plans for the surveillance of a suspected Resistance hideout. Emphasis on 'meant'." he muttered, dragging a hand through his hair and flipping a file closed, throwing it aside in favour of another. She got the message and stood up, going to leave, feeling a little dejected and lonely and of course like this liking him in a more affectionate way was completely, completely stupid of her. Like he'd ever care for her. 

"Yeah...of course. Sorry."

he turned his pen in his hand, looking away from the paper and catching on to her sadness. It wasn't that he wanted to be bothered, in fact, he certainly didn't have the time for it, it was important to stay on task, but if there was one person he would throw away all his work and time for, it was her. He could do with the company actually, even better if it was hers, and he knew she did too. 

"Amelia...hey, you can stay. Actually, I'd like you to," he managed to get out, a smile twitching as he did so. "Neither of us have anything better to do." 

"Your plans though...It's fine, I don't want to be in the way." 

"Plans can wait, I've been staring at them for hours. It's a little repetitive." 

"And here I was thinking you took your job seriously." 

"Me too..." he muttered, signing off on something then set it all aside, watching her lean against the window in his peripheral

"You get the best views, don't you?" she murmured, resting her hands on the sill to push herself a little closer to the glass, looking out at the small blizzard sweeping the outside. "Do you think the Supreme Leader would have something to say about Ren's actions...? Y'know, maybe reprimand him seeing as we can't." 

"Well, I could but it wouldn't end particularly well. Unfortunately, I don't think the Supreme Leader has time for quarrels between his apprentices given the extent of his duties. He doesn't take much interest in personal matters."