Chapter Text
Kylo kept his thumb pressed on the button, the treadmill under his feet gaining speed until he was finally able to stretch out his long legs and enjoy the exertion it brought. He would have preferred to be outside, running laps of the college campus where he was unlikely to run into anyone else, but the weather was too lousy, even for him. So instead he settled his earbuds more firmly in his ears and let the music shut out the other gym patrons.
That, however, didn’t allow for someone stopping and standing directly in front of him. He was clearly waiting for a response, and probably not the one that Kylo gave, increasing the speed of the treadmill again to burn off the rage he felt, teeth grinding, glaring at the interloper as if fury alone could sent him scurrying away.
“I know I’m the last person you want to see right now,” Poe said, holding up a hand.
Kylo said nothing, breathing heavily through his nose as he ran.
“But I thought you might like to know that this morning myself and Finn were gatecrashed-”
Kylo bit back on the retort he was about to spit out, but pulled out his earbuds so he could hear Poe speak more clearly.
“-by someone you know.”
Despite himself, Kylo was curious. Poe had that effect on people, getting under their skin with promises of secrets he always seemed to have. Kylo kept running and though Poe had dropped his hand, he still just stood there, looking up at Kylo.
“Fine,” Kylo said, breaking the stalemate, “what?”
“That bitchy guy you’re always hanging around with-”
“Hux?”
“Yeah, him. He didn’t seem to get the memo that you’d moved out. Seemed quite upset to not find you at home.”
“And?”
“Nothing. That’s it. He didn’t say anything to me really.”
“So what,” Kylo said, panting now with the added exertion of talking, “I’m supposed to thank you for this?”
“No,” Poe said with an infuriating smile. “But I do wonder why you’re so angry still when you seem to have gotten over me already.”
Kylo grabbed the handles of the treadmill, lifting his feet off the belt and onto the rigid sides of the machine. His chest heaved now at the sudden lack of motion, and Kylo floundered for words.
“What?”
“Hux? He’s not your-”
“No,” Kylo snapped, lifting his towel from the machine to dab at his face.
“Oh,” Poe said, his smile only growing broader. “My mistake.”
He left before Kylo could growl at him, leaving him confused and frustrated. What was the point of that, Kylo didn’t think he was the kind of person to rub someone’s nose in something like that. He wasn’t petty. So that meant…
Despite the sheen of sweat on his body, Kylo suddenly felt chilled. Hux hadn’t talked to him in weeks, and now was knocking his door down - his old door - early in the morning. Knowing Hux the way he did, Kylo knew he had only two modes of operation; 3am and after noon. Something was going on. And he needed to talk to Hux to find out what it was.
Kylo stomped out of the gym, pausing only to grab his bag from his locker, pulling on his hoodie as he stepped out the door. Kylo paused as he fumbled with the zip, looking up and down the street. A heavy rain shower was just easing off, the air heavy with the scents of wet soil and rubbish it had stirred up. He needed to figure out where Hux had gone. He didn’t know where Kylo’s new apartment was, and he had likely gotten soaked so-
Kylo turned and began to jog down the path. There was a cafe they often frequented, the whole gang of them. A small place that was never too busy, and didn’t mind a crowd of students taking up one of their tables for hours at a time. Sometimes when Hux wanted a smoke, he’d move to their patio area, often taking long enough that everyone would follow him outside to grumble about the weather.
Sure enough, Kylo took the last corner and he could see a bedraggled shape hunched on one of the chairs, though he had no cigarettes in hand. Given how soaked the rest of him looked, maybe they’d gotten too wet to light. Kylo huffed, and slowly closed the distance between them.
“Hey,” he said.
Hux said nothing, but the brief interruption in his shivering showed he was aware of Kylo being there.
“C’mon, let’s get you back to my place and get you warmed up,” he said, nudging Hux’s shoulder.
Hux stood, and it took Kylo a moment to realise that he wasn't being followed. He turned back to Hux to find him watching him, a curious look on his face.
“Why do you do this?”
“Do what?”
“Take care of me? Treat me like a stray puppy.”
“I don’t treat you like that-”
“You do though. I’ve seen you chase other people out of your place, then go get an extra blanket for me.”
Kylo opened his mouth to reply and closed it again when no words came.
“Is it…,” Hux looked away and took a deep breath. “Is it just a friendly thing to do? Is that all it is for you?”
“Hux…”
“Because it’s not for me,” Hux said, the words spilling out in an angry rush. “I like you Kylo. I think somewhere along the way I even-”
Hux’s mouth snapped shut, a flush creeping up his cheeks despite his shivering. Kylo stared at him, half afraid to move in case the moment shattered between them.
“I don’t… want to be friends any more,” Hux said, shoulders slumping.
Kylo was frozen to the spot, unable to move as Hux started shuffling towards him. He watched as Hux’s hand reached out, grabbing the strap of Kylo’s bag and using it to pull Kylo to him. As a kiss it was awkward, Kylo off balanced and Hux’s lips cold with the rain. As Kylo stiffened, Hux released his hold on the bag strap, allowing Kylo to rock away from him.
“Hux?”
“Yes, well. That was a thing.”
“What was that?”
“Just.. an experiment… a test of sorts.. Nothing important…”
Hux turned away, head hanging low as he began to move away. Kylo stared at him moving away, and finally shook himself to action.
“No.”
Hux had barely heard Kylo speak before Kylo grabbed him, pulling him back and grabbing his face with both hands. He pressed his lips to Hux’s again, trying to tell Hux everything in just a moment; warmth, want, need. He felt Hux’s hands come up, his cold fingers clinging to Kylo’s hands as the contact between their lips lingered.
“I don’t want to be friends either,” Kylo said, eyes closed as he pressed his forehead against Hux’s. “Not just friends.”
Kylo felt Hux stir, and loosened his grip enough for Hux to pull back and look him in the eye. Whatever Hux had been about to say next was stopped as a full body shudder wracked through him.
“Right,” Kylo said, hands sliding down Hux’s arms to take hold of him and pull him forward. “My place. We need to get you warmed up.”
Hux gave no resistance as he started to pull him along, and when he looked back he noticed Hux was staring at their joined hands. Kylo felt a jolt at that, and turned back as his cheeks flamed. They said nothing more until they got to the door of Kylo’s new apartment building, Kylo reluctantly releasing Hux’s hand so he could dig out his keys and fiddle with the door he’d already learned tended to get stuck in wet weather.
Door open, he drew Hux into the hall, Hux shuddering again as he stepped into the dry air. Normally he took the stairs, considering it extra cardio, but he brought Hux to the elevator, wrapping his arms around Hux and rubbing his back as they ascended to the third floor.
The extra expense was worth having the place to himself, his own kitchenette and bathroom where he wouldn’t be disturbed. He closed the door and ducked around Hux, fetching his fluffiest towel. He wasn’t sure it would do much good, but he didn’t think Hux was quite ready to jump into the shower just yet.
Kylo wrapped the towel around Hux’s shoulders, folding up a corner and brushing gently at his hair. Hux’s eyes drifted half closed as he allowed the treatment, and Kylo couldn’t help but watch his eyelashes, wondering what it might be like to kiss them.
“How did you know I was looking for you?”
Kylo smiled, folding down the towel and leaving Hux’s hair sticking up wildly. It was more endearing than he wanted to admit.
“The guys you gatecrashed this morning told me someone was looking for me,” Kylo said. “Said you seemed upset.”
“I wasn’t upset.”
Kylo swallowed the butterflies he was feeling and leaned to kiss Hux.
“Of course not.”
Hux’s eyes snapped up to Kylo’s, the threat of a scowl undermined by his body’s renewed shivering.
“You need to warm up,” Kylo said, chafing Hux’s arms as he looked around, thoughts wandering. “This place has a bathtub, if you’d like?”
Hux nodded mutely and Kylo left him to run the water. He was glad it always ran hot here, so Hux wouldn’t have to wait much longer than it would take him to peel himself out of his damp clothes. However, when he came back to the main room, Hux had barely moved, holding the towel tightly around him.
“I’m not above dunking you into the tub fully clothed.”
“You would,” Hux said darkly, toeing off his shoes.
When Hux made no move to release the towel, Kylo crossed the room and swept him up in his arms. Rather than protest and fight, Hux went limp in his arms, turning his head into his shoulder. It made something in Kylo’s chest clench painfully.
He set him down gently on the bathroom tiles, pulling the towel away and undoing the buttons of his shirt and fly, anything this cold fingers might not be able for. He forces himself to step back then.
“I’ll ah, leave you to it.”
He turns to leave when he feels Hux’s cold fingers close around his arm. Hux isn’t looking at him, but his cheeks are red, and not from cold.
“Will you keep me company?” he asks quietly.
“Sure, yeah. Just.. let me grab something to drink.”
Kylo leaves and grabs a couple of bottles of water from the fridge. He hesitates, tapping his fingers on the counter, wanting to give Hux plenty of time to get comfortable. When he feels he has waited long enough, or rather, can’t wait any longer, he knocks on the closed over bathroom door, waiting to hear Hux’s voice before he goes back in.
Hux is sitting up in the tub, a mountain of bubbles sitting halfway up his chest, bobbing slightly as Hux moves his hands under the water. Kylo is both disappointed and relieved that the water is thick with bubbles and offers one of the bottle to Hux as he sits down on the tiles, one arm resting on the bathtub edge.
“You didn’t tell me you were moving,” Hux says after a while.
“It happened kinda late. I was going to tell people the night of the last movie night.” Kylo looks up to meet Hux’s eyes. “You left that one early.”
Hux drops his eyes first, crushing bubbles between his hands.
“I didn’t think you liked me much after that,” Kylo mused.
“I was sure you weren’t into me.”
“Why?”
Hux let his hands fall into the water as he shrugged.
“When you hooked up… at that party…”
“I was an idiot.”
“No argument here,” Hux said with a smirk.
“What changed? Phasma talk sense into you?”
“Dopheld.”
“Huh.”
They lapsed into thoughtful silence then, thinking of the often silent companion in their midst. Somehow while they were lost in thought, Kylo’s hand dipped down into the water at the same time Hux’s hand swept by, chasing bubbles. Their fingers brushed against each other, but neither jumped. They brushed again, and when one hand stretched, the other moved against it, fingers twining together like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“He knows too much.”
“I think we might owe him one for this.”
“Oh?”
“Well, how much longer might this have taken if we were left to talk it out.”
“So that it? We’re official now, just like that?”
Hux lifted their joined hands out of the water, suds sliding off their skin.
“You don’t want to be?”
“I-”
“Oh no, it’s fine,” Hux said, smiling broadly as he attempted to extricate his hand from Kylo’s. “If that’s how you feel, that’s just fine-”
Hux yelped as Kylo jumped up, leaning over him in the tub to grab both of his hands. He pulled him upright, pulling a wave of water that slopped over the rim of the bath and soaking Kylo’s clothes.
“I want to be your boyfriend,” Kylo said. “I’m asking you out.”
Hux’s smile was radiant as he closed the distance between them. “Then I accept.”
It was difficult to kiss when they were both smiling so much, but somehow they managed. Hux was still smiling when he looked down at Kylo’s clothes, the material dark where the water had soaked in.
“You’re drenched worse than I was,” he said. “You should get out of those clothes.”
“And get into a hot bath?” Kylo asked.
“You know,” Hux said, moving back to make room. “That’s not a bad idea.”
Kylo’s new apartment didn’t have the appealing sight of tree branches just outside his bedroom window, but it did mean the sunlight could warm his feet directly where they were stretched out on the rug. This was his last weekend off before term started and he had to resume giving classes to the undergrads, so he was determined to make the most of it.
He was reading a vintage sci-fi novel, a book that had been gifted to him over the summer. He had a mug of coffee beside him that he would occasionally sip from, before grimacing having managed to forget about the contents.
When the covers started to move on the bed behind him, he had to fight back his grin, fixing his eyes determinedly on the book in front of him. He could hear small, high sounds behind him as the person stretched, before they moved towards him and long, pale arms wrapped around his shoulders.
“Good afternoon,” Kylo addressed his book.
Hux made a sleepy sound and pursed his lips against Kylo’s neck, sagging there as if the act had taken all his energy. Kylo tilted his head against Hux’s, enjoying the sleepy murmur he gave. It wasn’t long though before he stirred again.
“You have coffee.”
“I do,” Kylo replied.
“Gimme.”
“Mm-mm,” Kylo said, shaking his head. “It’s mine.”
Kylo could feel Hux’s brows draw in against his neck as he frowned.
“You don’t drink coffee.”
“I might have started.”
Hux levered himself up from Kylo’s shoulders then to look him in the eye, giving Kylo the opportunity to enjoy the sight of him in one of Kylo’s stretched out old t-shirts. Despite his sleep rumpled appearance, Hux fixed him with the hardest stare he could muster.
“Give me my goddamn coffee.”
Kylo grinned and leaned forward to place a kiss at the end of Hux’s nose, watching how Hux fought not to smile in response. He shuffled away from the bed, far enough that Hux would have to actually climb out from the covers to reach him, and the mug.
“Make me.”
Hux glared at him, eyes narrowing. With a melodramatic sigh he swung his legs out from the bed, pulling the duvet with him to wrap around his shoulders like a cape. Kylo moved the mug out of the way as Hux tottered the two steps to him, then collapsed in his lap, wrapping the duvet around both of them.
“You’re such a jerk.”
“So mean,” Kylo agreed, teasing his mug-warmed hands under the duvet and onto Hux’s skin.
“Don’t ever change,” Hux said as he melted into Kylo’s arms.
Kylo kissed the side of Hux’s head, smiling as Hux hummed contentedly. He could get used to this.