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lemongingerart · 1 year

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Chapter 2 - Shooting lessons (II)

Fic summary: The second arc of my Armitage Hux x OC fanfic, “chocolate cookies and tarine tea”, in which both need to deal with the mess they got into (and with each other, eh eh eh). Involves cookies that won't be eaten and tea that will get spilled. Same goes for certain feelings... they are going to be hungry ant thirsty 😏

You can find the link to AO3 and other chapters on Tumblr in the pinned message on my dash, both for the first and second arc 😊

Rating: Explicit. This is going to be very NSFW. So, Minors, do NOT read or interact. 18+. Family, friends and colleagues, please don’t read this. :’-)

Tags & warnings: TRoS fix-it (kind of), Hux!lives, Hux doesn’t like Kylo, Not a Redemption Arc, maybe a little bit, shameless fem!OC insert (there are cliches but entertaining ones imo), slow emotional burn, medium sexual burn, Enemies to Enemies With Benefits to Lovers, Hux is still a villain don't forget, Virgin Characters, masturbation against the door, pinv, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Awkward Sexual Situations, Past Child Abuse, dubious first kiss, Dom/sub Undertones, Mental Breakdown, Unprotected Sex, wet Hux, that deserves a tag/warning on its own, Minor Character Death

I will add tags as we proceed in the story, please let me know if I forgot one!

Taglist: @mylifeisactuallyamess, @morby and anyone who’d like to join 🥰

A/N: Yessss it’s Hux turn now to be embarrassed 😈 by the stars I hope I did him justice. And this is not even the real deal. How do people even write this stuff?

Oh wait, I just did… somewhere in the next chapters 😬🙋

(Don't get any wrong ideas, me publishing 2 chapters in 2 days is a unique thing 😂 Let me know if some parts are inconsistent - I reviewed this so many times and I am literally falling asleep on my desk. But publishing the previous chapter got me enthusiastic and now I'm doing things I might regret yolooooooooo)

This was different.

Once, when he was still a Lieutenant and reluctantly assigned to drill newcomers by Brendol, he instructed cadets on their first shooting lessons. He took the job seriously, but the mandatory physical contact was something he had liked to avoid as much as possible. Having his father oversee his progress didn’t really help. The latter thought he could never do any good and ever since Sloane had bestowed the group of commandants' cadets from Arkanis on him, and made it clear the commandant had to convey his teaching techniques to him, tensions were… high.

Nonetheless, he made sure the new cadets were on the top rankings within the then already distributed First Order training curriculum, and tutoring these classes became a routine job.

This time, however, he felt that every little contact filled him with static electricity, although he was absolutely certain that was scientifically impossible. It made him lighter in his touch, doubtful, but also slightly longing to explore the strange responses their physical connection was making. He was slowly becoming aware that he was lingering just a bit too long on her hands, her arm, her shoulder, but he could not let go just yet. Seeing goosebumps form on her lower arm and the fact that he knew he was causing them, made him want to see which other effects he could have on her.

He gulped, all of a sudden conscious that the mysterious effect was starting to become bidirectional. His head felt light, caused by little sparks popping up in his brain, and his face felt like it was burning. Contradictory, goosebumps formed underneath his clothes. He became aware of how the fabric was rubbing his skin and he couldn't stop thinking about how it would be if it were her warm hands instead.

Hux took a sharp breath and tried to concentrate on the task at hand, forcing his eyebrows into a harsh furrow as much as possible in an effort to hide any other evidence apparent on his features.

“Remember this position. The stance of your arm will catch up the recoil. Now, try to aim and shoot,” he said sternly, hoping she didn’t hear the slight raspiness of his voice.

The blush on his cheeks refused to subside though, as did the thoughts of exploring her exposed skin some more. So he hastily decided to create some distance between them, before he would do something he might regret.

Once he regained his wits somewhat, he slowly went to stand behind Miko, trying to march with a steady thread. He hoped she wouldn’t turn around to check on him, because he suspected she could easily notice the result of his state of mind now.

Stars , this wasn’t the first time she made him lose his cool like this. He hated it, how she threw him off balance, made him feel out of control.

Miko positioned the blaster as instructed and took a shot. The result wasn’t good, but definitely better than the previous feeble attempt.

Looking at her stance, there was still some work to do. "Spread your legs a bit more" he added, very much aware that the instruction could be misinterpreted, given the light tremor intruding his spoken words. To his relief, she didn’t say anything about it. Now that he thought about it, she hadn't looked his way nor spoken for a while now. He wasn’t going to complain about that, thank the stars , but it was curious in comparison to her usual manners.

“Again, watch your left arm. Compensate.” he instructed, still aware that his voice didn't sound as determined as it usually did. The distance he created slowly made him able to focus again, though. At least enough, so he wouldn't blurt out ridiculous things. Or worse, do something he might regret.

Again, again, again, he had to repeat for another 10 minutes, and she still wasn’t able to hit the target - and he still wasn’t able to let the unprofessional thoughts dissipate. The only thing he could do for now, was keep them at bay.

He sighed, thinking about her lack of precision. When a recruit performed this badly, he usually sent them away for maintenance personnel training or something similar. Sanitising duty if he was extra annoyed.

But now, he had to persevere, if only for his own good. On top of that, his mind was still betraying him. It was as if it was sending him little doses of impure ideas, while having to watch her bring up her arms to aim the blaster, the pose exposing her curves more than usual. He repeatedly dictated her to correct her stance, resulting in her pivoting her feet with her usual energetic attitude. The accompanying harsh movements made her butt move in ways he couldn’t divert his gaze from, once he caught sight of it. Every little thing he noticed about her was making the shooting lessons even more of a challenge. But at least, the distance made it possible to subdue those thoughts enough to proceed with the exercise.

After another round of disheartening attempts, Miko hung down her shoulders and let out a frustrated moan, the raw noise bringing Armitage right back to his problematic thoughtlines, but this time much worse. He couldn’t stop the rather lewd visualisation that the sound forcibly pushed into his head. He could feel his blood boiling, his cheeks furiously glowing, fingers tingling as if they've been deprived of blood circulation all the while and oh by the galaxy his pants were becoming tighter…

Of all times, she turned around to face him now, as if she knew what he was going through after that groan of hers. In a haze of panic, Hux swiftly turned on his heels, towards the door, trying to hide the blush and other evidence in the less well lighted area of the loading bridge.

‘Short break’, he almost whispered, before he left the small hangar space.

Armitage fled to his quarters, for the second time locking the door, leaning onto it. He was acutely aware of the déjà vu, and he knew back then the urge, the want, only increased after he had opened the door. Whenever she got close to him, it was as if his body had a mind on its own. Before, he was able to control himself, but what happened in the hangar was absolutely ludicrous. He needed to get her out of his system, so he could actually instruct her without thinking about trailing his hands over not only her hands and arms, but also her back, trace the muscles there that pull her shoulders back as a response to his fingers, map the bones of her clavicle, watch her throat gulp when he passes there with his thumb, then dipping down slowly, cupping and squeezing her breasts, seeing her shudder under his touch running downwards, working his fingers under the hem of her pants, pulling her closer by her belt and…

Fuck. It was no use.

He was again standing there, up against the door, like a stupid horny lowlife, with a rock hard boner he could hang his greatcoat on. He felt foolish and worthless, not being able to keep his subconscious needs where they should remain: subconscious. He’s a frigging officer of the First Order, he was able to withstand much more triggers than this, mentally taking note that he was taking over her horrible swearing habits as well. Seeing someone act so freely, without any emotional boundaries, was stirring up things deep inside him he couldn't bring to words yet. It was tearing down his carefully built up walls and he wasn’t sure what to think about it.

But the dick was a serious issue. He still had to finish the training, to give their mission any chance of succeeding.

Frack.

He snapped open the neck clasp of his uniform and pulled the clothing open with a speed which could damage the material, but right now he couldn’t care less. He clipped open his belt, making sure the thing didn’t clatter on the floor and alarm her. For all he knew, she was standing right behind the door he was leaning onto. Oh by the maker … he shouldn’t have thought about that, an almost painful throb shooting through his cock, which made him lower his pants with a bit more care than the uncharacteristically frenzy he performed on his vest.

He took himself in his hand, shut his eyelids and debated whether or not he should do this. It’s been a while, he usually pulls so many all-nighters, making him pass out on his blue sofa or in best case in his bed with the datapad on his lap.

But, by closing his eyes, his wretched imagination took over, taking him back to the hangar and the sounds she let out, suddenly turning into something much more explicit in his imaginary ears. Stars, he hated the fact that he couldn’t control his thoughts from flowing freely, but it was no use - he couldn’t stop the images from popping up.

A fraction of a second later, he heard the same indecent noise but the scenery was replaced with the one in which she was only in one of his towels. When she was looking for something to wear, a few days ago, bowing down. His towels, his shirt, his… he wanted her to be his to claim…

He suddenly was standing mere inches from her flushed face, their breath’s mangling when she righted herselves and slowly leaned into him. He started peeling off the plush piece of fabric in his fabricated dream while he automatically started pumping himself, not aware of his ridiculous stance and the cold durasteel on his back. He was so far gone he wouldn’t notice a star exploding.

Hux didn’t think he still had a few brain cells left for producing imaginary scenarios like this, since he had tried to ignore them for so long.

But by taking the plunge, they made him dive so deep into his subconsciousness he wasn’t even aware of what was up or down and by the gods of the galaxy he was yearning, yearning for a soft touch, to make her feel good and just feel something in return, feel worthy and content, for once in his life. To be in control of her pleasure, to make her whimper under his touch when he slowly traced her arms and shoulder, like he did in the hangar, her plump breasts, her buttcheeks, every detail of her skin. Just take in the effects he could have on her and feed on them. Greedily take the nape of her neck in his hands and pull her closer to taste her, pulling her legs up and press-

He shuddered, quickly imagining being buried deep down in her, the pressing of his hands on her hips and her neck leaving bruises, and pulling her impossibly closer on his spilling cock.

He opened his eyelids, the light of the room playing tricks on his retina because he squeezed his eyes close too hard. He only then realised his hands were sticky from his cum, coming down from a height he hadn’t been on for a very long time.

Actually, if he thought about it, he couldn’t have imagined it was ever like this. This…intense… real. Soft? His usual sexual fantasies were definitely not this emotionally loaded and soft. And took a while longer to reach its climax. This was ridiculously improvised.

Now that he was more or less thinking clearly, it made him feel sick.

He was still trying to catch his breath, pondering on why she was doing this to him. How was he going to be able to withstand these urges he never had to keep under control before?

Hux heard some rambling in the wardroom, snapping him out the leftovers of his trance. How long was he standing here against the door? She might start asking questions if I don't get my act together now . He stumbled to the sink, washed up quickly, hastily put on his clothes - hissing when he raked the bacta patch while pulling his pants up - and combed his hair. Then, he double checked his appearance in the mirror, wanting to make sure there was no evidence left of his previous state of distress.

He took a deep breath, put his head up high and took long strikes to the door. This time, he wouldn’t allow himself to get distracted.

He just entered the wardroom and noticed Miko walking towards the cockpit, datapad and some rubbish in both hands.

What is she up to? Again?

Armitage followed her wake, both annoyed by her sudden and unauthorised action and curious what got into her head this time. When he arrived, that droid and she were doing something at the comm unit and didn't look at him entering.

"All set and done. You should be able to connect to my commlink now!” She exclaimed with a smile, signalling him that she did notice his arrival.

"The new identification code they provided us with is also installed. Your ship should be listed as a cargo vessel right now." She happily mentioned, after she placed her hands on her hips.

Hux sighed, glad a practical conversation might make him forget about what he just wanted to do to her, and replied: "Let's hope no one wants to actually check it out, because one glance from an enthusiastic republican will get us into trouble." Miko quickly turned her head towards him. “We should’ve painted the ship in a happy colour, you’re right. Like, bright orange.” she whispered in a secretive way.

He cocked his eyebrow, not sure what to do with her comment.

”Kidding Hux, I don’t have a death wish. Although I don’t know if death at your hands would be worse than whatever we’re facing next.” she said smilingly, turning back to the controls.

Hux gulped and decided not to react to that comment. He was content to hear she didn’t underestimate him, but he did just think about fucking her with his hands on her neck and now… he decided the weapons controls needed to be checked.

Any distraction would do.

After a short pause, she righted her back and said to him: “I'm done here. Up for round 2?”

He harshly turned his attention to her, slightly confused and already sweating under his collar, the sentence having a completely different meaning in his ears. Before he could actually register what she was really talking about, she exclaimed “I’ll be in the hangar” and turned around with a slightly bubbly attitude.

He sighed again and followed her wake, keeping enough distance. He wasn’t going to get tricked by his hormones twice.

The training session went on for another 30 standard minutes. Hux kept his distance and was able to find back his instructor mode, and even keep any unwanted distractions to a minimum. They kept going, until she was able to automatically pull, aim and shoot. Actually hitting a target was beneath any standards, but for the approaching rendezvous, just having the movement in her physical memory would have to suffice.

The proximity alarm went off, signalling their arrival. The duo stopped their activities. Miko holstered the blaster, put PC on her back, and followed in Hux’ shadow towards the cockpit.

A/N: Shields breaking, walls cracking… next time, maybe teeth colliding? Who knows…

#general hux x oc #armitage hux x oc #armitage hux smut #star wars fanfiction #generalginger #gingergeneral #lemonginger #general hux #armitage hux #star wars fic #sw fanfic #sw fic

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lemongingerart · 1 year

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Chapter 1 - Departure (II)

Fic summary: The second arc of my Armitage Hux x OC fanfic, “chocolate cookies and tarine tea”, in which both need to deal with the mess they got into (and each other, eh eh eh). Involves cookies that won't be eaten and tea that will get spilled. Same goes for certain feelings... they are going to be hungry ant thirsty 😏

You can find the link to AO3 and other chapters on Tumblr in the pinned message on my dash, both for the first and second arc 😊

Rating: Explicit. This is going to be very NSFW. So, Minors, do NOT read or interact. 18+. Family, friends and colleagues, please don’t read this. :’-)

I will add tags as we proceed in the story, please let me know if I forgot one!

Taglist: @mylifeisactuallyamess, @morby and anyone who’d like to join 🥰

A/N: Good day! This time, I have a longer and hopefully more interesting chapter prepared 🙂

I had some quality issues with reviewing this one, so it took me a while to get rid of them, and from all the re-reading I’m not even sure everything makes sense anymore? Their "discussions" are precious to me though, that's why I did not go lightly over them 😇

I hope you enjoy this chapter and I look forward hearing if I’m taking too long for something to happen or not 💁💁💁

Miko’s mind was racing. The tranquillity and purpose she had found a few minutes ago, had been efficiently eaten away by her unwanted travel companion. That outburst all too vividly reminded her again of how dangerous, maybe violent, he might become.

When she left the cockpit, she had opted to sit on the bench in the wardroom, her knees pressed up to her chest and her head facing the closed cockpit entrance. That's where she was now, trying to get the time pass more quickly, while making sure Hux couldn't come near her without her noticing.

One of her datapads lay on the table to her left, the little droid charging right next to it, so she took it, in an attempt to distract herself and clear her head.

Her fingers started tapping the screen with a seasoned swiftness, accessing PC’S processing unit. Inspiration hit her, driven by what had happened in the cockpit, and she started to program a new procedure into the little droid's core.

She looked at the cockpit’s door for a second, doubt apparent on her features.

She was currently making sure that PC would record everything that happened around her, just in case. Both on Taris' planetside as around the creepy ex-general.

The droid could wirelessly connect to her built-in data chip and to her datapad, which could then save the holo onto a remote location, safely tucked away. It wouldn't protect herself at the moment itself, but at least she would have some evidence, should she ever need it. The last thing she wanted to be, was entirely defenseless.

She sighed. The trip to Taris was short compared to their first one together, now that their hyperdrive and the nav component was fixed. But, given how quickly the atmosphere had turned as cold as deep space, she already wished it was over. The grumpy ginger's mood was as bad as the Kessel storms and she wondered how she ever saw something in him. Who knew she could've gotten so caught up in physical needs? And why? Stress? Subconscious desires? Whatever she felt back then, she definitely didn't feel it right now.

Now, she was wondering if she could even bring up the courage to spend the next journey with someone as detestable as him.

“What are you doing?” she suddenly heard from behind her back.

She jolted up from her crouched position and turned her head. Hux had sneaked up from behind her and had scared her to death. Or maybe she just thought he sneaked up on her, since she missed the sound of the door because she was still in deep thoughts about him and whatever dark plans he might have.

She let out a breath, trying to calm down, and tried to ban the idea that he was being sneaky on purpose.

'N-nothing special' she blurted out, aware of the slight tremble in her voice.

'I wanted to check on you to make sure you weren't up to something you might regret' he added, almost whispering.

O-kay… he is most definitely creepy, she reconsidered, pressing the datapad close to her chest and mentally taking note she shouldn't ban the idea after all.

The stone cold atmosphere he had just created, made her forget that he was more or less insulting her, again. It only slowly seeped through that, from his point of view, seeing someone so focused on a datapad, when they had agreed that no communication channels should be used, might've looked suspicious. Still, whatever the reason was, there were better ways to relay the message.

Miko didn't immediately know how to respond and sat still, watching him step to the pantry and wondering what his plans were. To her surprise though, he opened a cabinet to take or make something to drink.

Oddly, he did have the decency to fetch something for her as well. Even more odd, it was the taste she preferred, given the limited choice aboard the shuttle. She stared at the mintea bottle in silence while it travelled her way. Hux sat the bottle in front of her, then turned around. She watched his back when he went to prepare his. It only took him a few seconds, so she had to avert her eyes once he turned towards her direction.

Miko started to wonder if the rather worrisome comment he had whispered her way was actually meant to be a conversation starter, seeing how he was trying to act casually and looking to sit somewhere on the bench as well.

Intrigued by this opportunity for a talk, she put her datapad sideways. She focused on the bottle in front of her, still having the urge to be cautious around him and avoiding eye contact.

After a small pause, he placed his cup on the table and took a spot to her right. It was subtle, but she could see him adjust his posture. Probably, he was looking for a more comfortable way to sit, because of the shot wound in his leg, she wondered.

When he stirred in the cup he had chosen, the smell of caf and another sharp spice filled the room. He slowly took a sip, not looking at Miko’s general direction.

Miko was utterly confused and - probably for the first time ever - didn't know what to say or do at all. He had the power to swing her mood to every corner of the emotional spectrum in mere seconds. She slowly became aware of that, and she didn’t like it.

Still unsure about what to do, she mimicked his movements and took a nip from the scented water. She didn’t even register the taste.

After a short but rather uneasy silence, Hux opened his mouth:

'I might have interpreted your remark about my teeth incorrectly, I was in deep thoughts, reevaluating our options and best strategy. I was reminded about the subsequent incidents on the Steadfast and felt rather… uneasy... I probably have misjudged the purpose of your comment. '

Miko blinked her eyes twice before she let out a relieved breath. Was that an apology? That’s…unexpected .

She dared to look his way. His tone was even and could easily have been mistaken as confident, but the way he applied pressure on the cup told her it took him some effort to admit his error. The hardly noticeable body language made her feel a bit more at ease, it was as seeing him struggle with something made her feel like she wasn't alone in this crazy situation.

She felt her mood brighten, feeling more on common ground with him, and found her usual wittiness back.

‘Don’t worry about it’, she replied with an overly cheerful tone. Although just a moment ago she was definitely bothered by his demeanour, seeing this new development apparently made her stupidly hopeful.

‘I shouldn’t have responded so crudely as well. We’re both out of our comfort zones. Seems like we need to find a way to adjust to each other.’ she added, an innocent smile forming on her face.

She eyed him sideways and he nodded without looking at her.

He took another sip, so she concluded he decided the conversation was already over. She huffed silently and turned her attention to PC again, to check if the update was successfully implemented.

Her mind started wandering and replaying the conversation. This was probably as good as it was going to get. It's not that she was hoping for a normal conversation, anyway. After everything she saw from him, she was highly doubting that was even possible.

The little droid bleeped, and the both of them looked up.

'All fixed', Miko exclaimed, breaking the silence.

Armitage gave her a quizzical look, which made her realise she didn't answer his initial question.

'I gave PC a little update on his backup system, nothing special . ' she explained and pulled up her shoulders. 'I don't want to lose him if something bad happens,' she murmured. She wasn’t going to tell him what kind of upgrade it really was.

She saw the ex-general shift his weight uncomfortably, probably as a response to her clarification and the mention of what could happen to them soon. She paused and tried to gauge his current train of thoughts. Was this about what could happen if they arrive at Taris? Or at the resistance base?

Curiosity got the upper hand over caution. She at least wanted to know why he was risking his life - and by extension her life - for.

She took a breath and quietly asked: 'Why did you do it - betray the First Order?'

He let out an annoyed sigh in response.

'Why would I tell you that?' he answered with a hint of arrogance.

She closed her eyes and reminded herself that she still shouldn’t expect a normal conversation with this asshole. Oh, he could easily anger her, but not this time. Or at least, that’s what she was hoping for.

'You’re going to have to have a solid story once we arrive at the resistance base. You might as well give it a try with me?' She said, using a different tactic and trying to sound encouraging. She tried to make eye contact, wanting him to open up to her for at least a little bit, for both their sakes.

He looked her dead in the eye, but remained silent for a few seconds. Kriff , involuntary, his piercing gaze was slowly taking her back two days ago, to the incident and the shower, and making her breathe erratically. She tried to subdue the effect and hoped he didn’t catch the change in her body language.

She was about to give up on their staring contest, to stop the memories and fantasies from pulling her into a state of slight panic, when he finally looked down and hesitantly spoke.

Miko wasn’t sure if she imagined a slight tremble of his lower lip, right before he started talking:

"I…I’m not sure where to start." He admitted softly.

Oh.

"...Start where the first things went wrong?" She quietly enquired.

He still didn't look up and hesitantly nodded.

He sighed, obviously trying to think of a good way to begin this conversation. Miko suddenly became aware of the shift in the atmosphere, the air became thick and loaded with suspense. The man before her was digging into his memory and bringing up things he'd rather would like to keep hidden, she could tell from his demeanour alone. She contemplated if asking the question was even a good idea; seeing him become so… unstable… reminded her too much of that time he lunged at her. She subconsciously put some extra distance between both of them.

As if someone opened a water valve, Hux thoughts were formed into words and were spilled out.

"I was in control, at the top of my game, and seeing a clear future for the galaxy. Order, peace, prosperity under the First Order 's flag."

His brows were heavily frowned.

Miko tried to keep a straight face and not comment on that statement already. It didn't really surprise her that this was his view on the universe. What a whole different perspective than mine , she mused. She tried to ignore the itch she got from his words and reminded herself that he would be out of her life in a few days, worst case. No need to throw another argument, just because of different values and norms.

He continued: "We had a good strategic plan, both in the short term and long term. I had to endure Ren as a competitor, but that was doable. And, in a way, he was a rather welcome respite. It was easy to make him lose face before Snoke. But I’m getting distracted. The moment word arrived that that cursed old Jedi was still around, and there was a clue to his location, chaos broke loose. It was as if every single event just was planned against everything the Order stands for."

He paused and stared at the cockpit's durasteel door.

"The whole Jedi-hunting offensive escalated into an irrational chase, regrettably distracting supreme leader Snoke and driving Ren even more insane and unmanageable. "

He waved his hand through his hair, freeing the strands from the leftover gel.

"I don't have proof, but I highly suspect it was Ren and not the jedi girl that killed Snoke. He illegitimately seized power, and by doing so he created a chism in the chain of command."

Hux absently rubbed his throat, but the gesture didn't go unnoticed by Miko. She could almost feel the mix of spite and ire, but underneath that thin layer she could distinguish that something unsettling happened there, something that ran deeper than the competition he just had described.

After a pause, Armitage continued: "He started a chain reaction, by following his obsessions he got lost in them and didn't want to hear that his actions were not in the best interest of our powerful Order. Other officers complained to me, but every single time I took action, he slammed the door right in my face. He took my advice as critique, not that that was different than before, but now he was the illegitimate fragging Supreme Leader and he still couldn't distance himself from his ego. I've always been better at making management and strategic decisions. He was supposed to remain the deterrent for any kind of rebellion. He wasn’t supposed to lead us."

He was clenching his fists now, and Miko could swear she could hear the heightened pace of his heartbeat.

She had asked him for some context, and she didn't really know what to expect. But this was certainly more intense than what she could have guessed.

He didn't look at her through, and she wondered if he was even still aware of her presence. It was as if he was contemplating his situation and just saying it aloud, as if she wasn’t there.

He swung his head to one side and let out an exasperated sigh, before he continued: "And when that wretched message was broadcasted from the late Emperor, Pryde and his reserve troops appeared from the unknown regions, much stronger than anticipated. Their numbers… I am still flabbergasted at how he could manage to gather so many men. I highly doubt they were trained for something more than cannon fodder, they couldn't all have followed basic training, but I'm getting distracted again. "

He paused and gave her a sharp look.

"The fact is that right then, Ren saw an opportunity to demote me. Not in rank, but in practice. Putting more responsibilities in Pryde's hands, and eventually in the other generals. He wasn’t even subtle about it.

And the decisions he made… I couldn't keep supporting them but each time I expressed my concern, it backfired."

He sighed and waved his hand absentmindedly.

"I guess it was in one of these discussions that I started to realise I didn't recognize the Order and what it stood for anymore. Without Snoke or anyone from the original high command, without me being able to have a steady hand on the decision organ… the Order was drifting apart."

He bowed his head and frantically rubbed his hair a few times before he froze for a minute. He didn’t look up and continued.

"And… then I made a huge gamble. If I wanted a stable future for the Order, I had to make Ren and his acolytes disappear. The emperor 's message was the obvious choice. I had to lure Ren and his knights away, or at least let him lose enough face to be able to seize power as supreme leader myself. Putting pressure on him by involving the resistance and that jedi girl was going to drive him even more unreasonable, that's what I anticipated. But… I knew he or someone else might find out. Spreading this information could only come from somewhere high up the ranks, and I already lost favour. I just hoped I had time to frame someone else. Preferably Pryde. "

His voice turned soft now, almost like a whisper: "But, ironically, he was the one who put the puzzle pieces together. You know what happened after that."

Miko gulped and nodded. She remembered Pryde and could’ve guessed both generals were a close match when it came to being power hungry backstabbing psychopaths. But hearing him explain what drove him to abandon the Worst Order - well, not the Order, but the command structure - told her he wasn't only a damn well versed manipulative strategist but also genuinely worried about losing his home and ideals. Guessing he was a rather young general, the First Order was most likely where he grew up and grew into. He was losing the only life he'd probably known and the future he'd hoped for. Although her idea about the Worst Order didn't change from this elaboration - on the contrary - she did feel sorry for him. And that should probably unsettle her more than it actually did.

This was one of the hardest conversations Hux had had in a while. For the first time saying out loud that he had betrayed what he once stood for, made it all the more real. Looking for the right words, finding out how to tell her, and himself, was difficult at first.

But once the sentences had started to form, they just flew from his brain like they were ready to burst.

He couldn’t remember if he ever had been so earnest with someone. Even with Sloane, he used to be more cautious once he grasped the concepts of lobbying, negotiation and manipulation. This exposition felt like a confession; dangerous and relieving at the same time. Now, though, he realised that he was just staring at her and fiddling his fingers and showing a part of him he’d rather not show to anyone. Or see for himself.

He realised what a pathetic impotent mess he must look like, and wondered why she didn’t comment on that. She could humiliate him, throw in another argument, but she just… listened. Looked his way with an apprehensive gaze. It confused him, why she didn’t make use of this weak moment. Somehow, the fact that she was trying to understand him, was hitting his defences harder than humiliation could.

"I- think you might want to leave out some parts, but you sound pretty convincing", she instead whispered, while she continued looking at him with big eyes. She peered at him, trying to find something he wasn’t sure of, but the intenseness unsettled him. He quickly nodded and looked down, staring into his cup and trying to ignore the cold sweat that appeared out of nowhere.

Stars , it was as if her gaze had almost trapped him, the way the amber eyes bore through his own retina and looked right into his forsaken soul.

Humiliation would’ve been so much better.

He at least knew how to handle that.

He tried to focus on the caf in his hands, studying the vibrating ripples in the liquid. Wait…why was he shaking? He didn’t dare to look up again, unsure about what was happening to him. He tried to concentrate on his breathing, in hopes of making the tremble disappear. What was this? Was he angry at her, just for looking at him? No, this wasn’t anger… it was something di-

"When will we arrive at Taris?" Miko suddenly asked him, in a welcome effort to break the awkward silence. Her question brought him back to reality, and the trembling abruptly stopped. He didn’t right his head, though, it was too soon for that.

"ETA is 3 hours, so we should discuss strategy." He softly answered, taking the hint and glad to change the subject.

She remained silent, so he risked looking up.

Miko looked at him with a smug smile.

Did I say something crazy? He thought sceptically, but deep down he was also glad to fall into their recently developed routine of not always friendly bantering.

She took out her datapad, performed some commands and started reading: "apparently, the coordinates lead to a highly populated area. From the available info, the meeting point is situated just next to a marketplace."

Hux looked at her with a slightly threatening face, mixed with a hunch of panic. Why was I glad again? She's going to be the death of me.

She caught sight of his distress and immediately responded: "relax, Hux, I retrieved this intell when we were at Utapau Four. I used Tagge's company network, put up a proxy, did a local copy and removed the crumbs afterwards. There's no way they can trace anything back towards us."

He leaned back into the backrest of the bench, while recuperating from a minor panic attack and trying to maintain a blank face. She was young and maybe a bit naive, but at least she thought things through. The fact that she wanted to go to the meeting spot prepared, was surprising and strangely comforting to him.

"Taris used to be the centre of the galaxy, thousands of years ago. The population could've been compared with Coruscant this age. Its population has dwindled though, and a lot of the cities were destroyed in several wars. The jedi war, the rebel alliance. The empire had to give up its rule on the planet and since then it's been New Republic territory. I should be wary of thugs and cons and take the necessary precautions,” Hux mentioned matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean, "I"? I'm going with you, you know!” Miko responded, slightly raising her voice and eyeing him.

She took PC from the bench and placed him on her shoulder with a rather forceful action. After that, she stood straight, turned around and walked to the door with a steady thread.

What?

"What are you doing?" Hux demanded with a hissing tone, before she got out of his sight.

"Getting ready to gear up, of course. Isn't that obvious?" She huffed in his general direction.

He stood up, felt his blood pressure rise, and clenched his fists. "You should stay here. These kinds of places can be dangerous. Let me do the transfer." He responded while slowly raising his voice and pointing to the deck.

Miko turned his direction, crossed her arms and cocked her head. "You? What do you think they'll do if they see your face? Remember how my father reacted. You won't have the chance to do any talking. And… and you'll blow your cover!" She half shouted at him, before she continued her path.

Hux cursed inwardly. She was right. But he didn't want to let her go. She might get caught as well. He wouldn't be too surprised if that bastard Pryde might've sent out a warrant for her. And if they find her, surely he'll be compromised. She lacked experience and from what he'd seen from her, that foul mouth could get her into some real trouble. Including the type of trouble leading back to him.

But on the other hand, she did have a point. Going with her was an invalid option. Even if he had some kind of disguise, to get to the intel they needed, he would have to take serious risks. Much more compared to sending her and her loud mouth out there alone. If he could avoid those risks, he normally would, without thinking twice. But why has he thought of getting himself in the line of fire, before her, now? This didn't make any sense.

Maybe, it was because if something happened to her, he would be stranded here. All chances were on her succeeding. Or that's what he was trying to make himself believe. Why was he so nervous?

He quickly went after Miko, passed her with large steps and stood still right before her, blocking her path so she had to halt her movements. She looked upwards to him, an troubled expression on her face. Stars, those eyes again. Nobody has looked at him like that before. Straight eye contact, without disgust or fear. He gulped but quickly found back the words he was going to relay on her.

“Make sure I can trace your location and contact you without it getting noticed. I'm going to follow every step and action you're taking.” he commanded.

“Don't you trust me?” she replied, looking annoyed by his directive tone.

Only now he realised he might’ve stepped up a bit too close to her; he could feel her angry breath and he wondered why he was staring at her lips right now.

The droid on her shoulder turned its head, mimicking her annoyance, but he didn’t register it. He did try to come up with a quick response:

“I don't trust anyone. And no, I want to make sure you'll be safe. I need you, remember?“ he countered, his tone directive but his eyes still for some reason glued to her lips. They opened up in a small 'o', momentarily making him forget what he just said. Until his own words dawned upon him.

That sounded disturbingly awkward, he realised while slowly raising his gaze to look up into her eyes. And the way she looked back at him right now, confused and wide eyed, her mouth slowly closing, made it very clear that she misunderstood it just the same. He was slightly aware of how his heart was throbbing in his throat, how dry his mouth suddenly felt, and he desperately tried to ignore the confusing feeling. Oh by the stars in the galaxy… He had to break this pause before it got even more awkward.

He averted his head for a split second, looking to the hyperspace stripes through the viewport, trying to kriffing calm down. He then placed his hands behind his back, trying to find back his reasoning and returning his steel focus on her and what he still wanted to relay to her. He needed to focus on the upcoming mission, not on her lips.

“Look, if you see anything suspicious, report it to me. And if you feel unsure, retreat. Don't do anything rash. Playing the hero usually renders those people dead." He said. "Carry a blaster.” he quickly added with a stern voice. Getting back into his directive role helped to subdue the burning he could sense on his cheeks.

“You know I can't and won't shoot .” she replied, crossing her arms with a bit of effort, since both of them hadn't moved and they were still standing at a few centimetres distance from each other.

Sigh, how can she be so stubborn about not killing anyone? Hux wondered with reluctance.

“You're going to have to kill someone sooner or later, Miko.” He bluntly stated, looking down on her.

“Maybe in a world shaped by the First Order, mister ex-general. But that's not the world I prefer to be in. So I'm not planning on carrying a blaster with me.” she boldly replied and looked sideways with her arms still crossed, the swing of her body movement making her left elbow touch his stomach.

Armitage became acutely aware of how uncommon and awkward and dangerous this conversation was becoming. How both of them refused to yield, both in the conversation and physically, and he hated that he felt so bothered by her close presence. He never was keen on someone entering his personal space, but this was different. Luckily, though, he was annoyed enough to ignore the unsettling effect the lack of distance was having on him.

And annoyed he was: “You don't know what you're walking into, this is no playground! You should at least take something with you! Worst case; set it to stun. For your own sake.” He threw at her, realising how she was getting on his nerves again and wondering if this conversation had any purpose at all.

She was looking pretty worked up as well now, he could notice from this up close; the blush on her cheeks was more pronounced than usual. But when he mentioned the stun function, she paused, took a deep breath and looked to the ground.

“Okay, I can live with that. I think. Not that I'll be able to kriffing hit someone with it anyway.” she mumbled after a small pause, while she was staring at his boots with a defiant glare.

He held his breath for a split second. “I’ll give you a crash course. Let me fetch some blasters and let's meet up in the cargo bay,” he stated, slightly surprised and relieved with her decision. He hoped he could at least maximise his chances a bit by preparing her for possible conflict.

A/N: I haven’t found any evidence whether Taris is in this timeline under new republic flag or not, so I pretend it to be allied with the new republic but rather neutral.

#armitage hux x oc #general hux x oc #oc x canon #star wars fanfic #general hux #armitage hux #generalginger #lemonginger

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