"Ice? For your eye?"
"Fuck you."
"Fine." Ben tossed the bag of ice onto the table.
The four were in the kitchen where Rey had been eating, the bag of food still there. In the middle of the room sat a table, a single light directly above it. There were two chairs; Poe had roughly forced Hux to sit on one, keeping a hand on his shoulder. Ben had slipped into the opposite chair across from Armitage. Rey hovered anxiously, looking between the two at a complete loss.
Ben folded his hands on the table. He leaned forward. A dark look haunted his eyes. Besides that, his face had become completely unreadable. Poe shuddered.
"You know you're really creepy when you want to be--"
Ben immediately rose a hand. Poe slammed his mouth shut, genuinely disturbed by the way Ben was staring at Hux. Hux was leering back.
Poe cocked his head to the side, looking between the two. "Why do I feel like I'm missing something?"
"You mean how the man sitting before me betrayed not only me but my army, and everything I ever stood for?" Hux snarled. "Rebel scum."
"What are you doing here?" Ben asked, his expression still blank.
Hux was holding his face where he had been punched. "You know, I could ask you the same thing."
Ben jumped to his feet, knocking his chair over. Both Rey and Poe jumped back. Ben slammed his hands down on the table, causing Hux to jump.
"YOU ARE IN NO POSITION TO BE ASKING THINGS. YOU ARE ON MY SHIP."
Attempting to calm Ben down, Poe said, with some hesitation, "You know, technically, it's not just your ship. Rey and I chipped in for it, too."
Ben slowly turned his head, looking murderous. Poe laughed nervously, taking a step back. "I still stand by what I said, that you're really creepy sometimes... "
Ben help out his hand, ready to strangle Poe with the Force. Poe took another step back. Suddenly, as though he deflated, Ben then lowered his hand and picked up his chair. Sighing and going back to how he had been sitting he ground his teeth, his left eye twitching.
"Speak."
"Wow,"Hux said mockingly. "You really have changed. If that was me, or anyone else, they'd be dead."
Ben narrowed his eyes. "I'm only asking you this one more time. What are you doing here?"
Hux rubbed his face and then ran a hand through his hair. He sighed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me."
Hux sat back and crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm on vacation, Ben."
"Don't call me that."
The General outright laughed. "What would you like me to call you then, Kylo?"
"How about nothing."
"Don't act so wounded," Hux snarled, "need I remind you that you're the one who--" Hux stopped talking, glaring at Rey.
"She knows."
Hux rolled his eyes, a blush creeping up his face. "Oh, that's just wonderful. I suppose you told the whole blasted universe?"
"No. Just her."
"Hey," Poe said, taking a step forward. "I don't like secrets."
"One more word out of you and I'm making you shut up," Ben hissed.
"You stupid, little--"
"Stop it already!" Rey snapped. Everyone looked at her. "Poe, back off."
For once, Poe had nothing to say, stunned.
Ben swiveled his head back towards his ex. "You being on vacation still doesn't explain your presence on this freighter."
"I really am on vacation," Hux said earnestly. "I was on that transport and was looking for the first opportunity to sneak away."
Ben rose an eyebrow.
The General sighed, picking up the ice pack and putting it to his eye. "This is the first vacation I've ever had. Literally. I wanted to enjoy it without being traced. I just wanted a little..."
"Freedom?" Ben offered.
Hux looked at Ben directly in the eyes. He then lowered his head and looked at his lap.
"I hopped aboard the first non-First Order ship we came across. Unfortunately it happened to be this one."
Silence befell the group. After a few minutes, Poe spoke up. "So... What do we do with him? Torture him? Throw him out of the nearest airlock?"
Hux's head shot up.
"Nothing."
Everyone looked at Ben.
"I'm sorry, I could have sworn you said nothing," Poe quipped.
Ben got to his feet. "I did. Get him restrained and put him with the cargo. We'll figure it out once we're done with the mission."
Poe laughed sardonically. "Mission!? Mission is fully aborted, pal!"
Ben came around the table and stood directly in front of Poe. "We continue what we're doing, and then afterwards we bring him to my mother and let her decide what to do with him."
"Ben! Wake up! We have a GENERAL of the FIRST ORDER. We could just kill him and--"
"You will do no such thing," Ben snapped. "You will not harm a hair on him!"
"How sweet," Hux drolled. "I hate to say it but I have to agree with your pilot here. I mean, you already failed to kill me once..."
Ben glared at him, and then turned the look at Poe. "You are to bind him, put him in the cargo hold, and we will continue on our way as planned."
Ben swept out of the room. Poe stared after him in disbelief. Annoyed, he then called after him. "Hey! Who ever put you in charge!?"
"Poe," Rey pleaded. "Don't. It's...Complicated."
Poe looked down at the General. "Yeah... So I'm starting to understand that."
~
General Hux had his wrists and ankles tied, and then he was put into the cargo hold. Ben had shut himself in one of the bunk rooms. Rey and Poe stood in the hallway, bickering.
"Don't you find it a little odd," Poe was saying, "that he comes up with this cockamamy scheme, putting us right in the enemies territory, and then--oh look! His old boss just magically appears aboard our exact same ship?"
Rey crossed her arms. "Poe. There is no way he planned this. That doesn't make sense--it's just one man. If we were being sabotaged an entire fleet would have been waiting for us."
"And who's to say there's not? Who's to say he doesn't have a tracking device sewn into his clothing, or he swallowed it, or--"
Rey rolled her eyes. "The man is on vacation."
"So he says." Poe glared down at her. "You're too naive. You're too trusting."
"You just don't like Ben!"
His brow furrowed. "Damn straight I don't like him! I've seen him kill multiple people in cold blood! He kidnapped you. He tortured me. He tortured you!"
Rey looked off to the side.
"I don't believe this little show he's putting on. And I love General Leia, I do, but that's her son. Of course she would trust him. He's manipulated her just like he's manipulated you!"
I can hear you, you know, Ben told Rey through the Force.
"Lower your voice."
"Rey, open your eyes!" Poe took her gently by the shoulders, searching her face for understanding. "Please. He's not to be trusted. And I don't know if he's done some sort of Force...thingy on you or what, but... Come on, Rey!"
Rey pushed herself out of Poe's grasp. "Fine, don't trust Ben. But can you at least trust me?"
Poe didn't say anything. For a moment Rey's face crumpled in hurt. Pursing her lips, Rey spun around and stalked away.
"Rey--Rey, come on. Rey!"
~
General Hux awoke with a start. He had fallen asleep in an awkward position, his head resting on his shoulder. When he moved his neck screamed in protest.
The pain vanished when he realized Ben was squatting before him, mere inches from his face. He immediately frowned, propping himself up as best he could.
"How long have you been watching me?" Hux looked disgusted, barely able to see Ben in the dim light. "The pilot was right. You really are creepy."
Ben sat down cross legged.
"What time is it?" Hux asked. He then shook his head, wincing. "Never mind. Guess it doesn't really matter, does it?"
Ben still was silent. Hux shifted uncomfortably. "So...have you come here to just stare at me? Or are you going to kill me? If it's the latter, just please hurry up and get it over with already."
"Everyone else is asleep," Ben finally said.
The General rolled his eyes. "Great. So I'm stuck here alone with a psychopath."
"I thought we could talk."
"Talk?" Hux laughed outright. "I don't want to talk to you. You're the last person in the entire universe I want to have a conversation with."
Ben looked down.
Hux laughed again, his voice growing louder in indignation. "You're even more messed up than I thought if you honestly thought we could have a conversation!"
Ben was silent.
"Seriously," the General continued, "what could you possibly have to say to me?" Hux leaned forward, sticking his face into the other man's. "Nothing you could ever say would fix what you did to me."
"I get it," Ben mumbled.
"Do you now? Then not only are you messed up, but you're stupid too! Because I get the feeling that you came here seriously believing that you could--what? Say your sorry?"
"I am sorry."
Hux laughed again, his voice echoing off the large chamber.
Ben looked at him, eyes wrought with guilt. "You have every right to be angry--"
"Angry!?" Hux shouted. Ben didn't even bother to tell him to lower his voice. The General laughed bitterly. "Anger doesn't even begin to scratch the surface Kylo--Ben. Whatever the fuck your name is."
Ben flinched.
"You hurt me. Do you understand that? You betrayed me."
"I know."
"Do you!?" Hux ranted, his voice becoming strained, a vein becoming visible on his forehead. "I trusted you! I let down my guard for you."
"I know."
"Not only did you do that to me, but you made me look like a fool! I went crawling back, ashamed. I made up a story about how I crashed the ship just so I could show my face on the bridge again."
"Hux--"
But it was too late. Tears quickly gathered in Hux's eyes. "I'm trying to keep my job Kylo. I'm trying to keep my livelihood. My job--that life--is literally all that I know! If they found out what really happened--"
"Hux--"
"If they found out how easily you took over my mind, if they found out how weak and pathetic I was--"
"You're far from pathetic--"
Hux leaned forward, hitting Ben's shoulder with his bound hands. "I haven't been sleeping Kylo! Every single damn thing reminds me of you!" Tears spilled onto his cheeks.
"Armitage--"
"I can't escape it, Kylo! That ship is my life, and you haunt every nook and cranny!"
"Armitage, please, I'm so sorry--"
"Why, Kylo? You never told me why. What changed? What could I have done differently to make you not become a person I hate?"
Ben abruptly kissed Hux. The General didn't move, didn't breath.
"Oh shit."
Ben spun his head around at the voice. Mortified, Hux looked over Ben's shoulder toward the door where Poe stood.
"I--" Poe stammered. "I. Uh. I heard a commotion and--uh. I wanted to see what was--I mean."
Poe looked at the ground. "Whoo boy. Rey wasn't kidding when she said this was complicated. Goodbye. Sorry--uh. Yeah. Bye."
Poe rushed away.
Hux snorted. Ben looked at him. Hux broke into hysterical laughter. Before long, he was leaning his head on Ben's shoulder, half-laughing, half-crying at the absurdity of it all.