Toxic

General Armitage Hux entered the audience chambers and knelt waiting on Snoke to appear. He heard the buzz of the hologram and ducked his head a bit more, before saying, “Supreme Leader…” Hux broke off as he was hauled up off his knees and was hauled up to be eye level with a very unhappy Snoke.

“I can see your mind, I can see every thought there!” Snoke said, “I know what you and my apprentice have been getting up to when the pair of you think I am not looking!” Snoke gave the general a shake. “You have already lost Starkiller Base and it is only a long acquaintance with your father and his value to the Order that keeps you alive!” He dropped Hux.

It was a hard landing but he rolled to take the brunt of the impact, but the air was still knocked out of his lungs.

Snoke waited until Hux was paying attention again, “My apprentice has failed me for the last time. In your cabin, in a drawer in your refresher is a poison, swift and deadly. You will give it to Kylo Ren. You have twenty-six hours to prove that you are more loyal to the First Order than the man you have taken as a lover.”

*

“Tage?” Kylo could tell something was up with Hux, but ever since they had entered a more intimate phase of their relationship, he had not probed Hux’s mind. “Something’s up with you.”

“Minutia.” Hux said, preparing one of Kylo’s favorite drinks, a sickly-sweet monstrosity. He liked his drinks plainer, neat and on the rocks. He turned and nearly dropped both glasses.

“Not thinking of minutia now, are you, Tage?” Kylo said, now sprawled naked over his lover’s bed.

Despite everything, Hux had to smile. “No, not anymore.” He handed the drink to him and they tapped glasses, and both drank deeply, and when Kylo went to toss the empty glass Hux barked, “Oh hell no!”

Kylo let go of the glass anyway and it floated to a safe landing on a nearby shelf. “You’re going to complain about the lack of a coaster now aren’t you.”

Hux sat his glass down on a nearby coaster and stripped off his clothes as he walked over to his bed, “I’ll give you a pass tonight.” He said, straddling Kylo, taking Kylo’s face in his hands, rubbing their cocks together.

“How generous of you.” He said, rubbing Hux’s nose with his, pressing their foreheads together. It was part of the Arkanis traditions Hux had grown up with. Hux had realized that was when Kylo loved and respected him when he did the research on what was such a minor detail. He pulled Kylo into an embrace to place kisses on Kylo’s neck, enjoying the man’s moans.

Suddenly Kylo screamed in pain and arched his back. Hux was startled, but hung onto the other man, bringing him into an embrace, kissing the scarred cheek, whispering into Kylo’s ear. “I’m sorry, my love. Don’t fight it. It’ll be over soon. Please forgive me.” Hux broke into sobs.

“Clear.” Kylo ground out, then punched Hux in the shoulder, “Was it clear?!”

Hux ran his hand through Kylo’s hair. “Clear and odorless.”

Kylo took in a deep breath catching the scent of Hux’s favorite drink with his favorite addition of fruity bitters. Kylo focused on the minibar and brought the bitters to his hand. Hux watched as he ripped the cap off with his teeth and chugged the remaining three quarters of the bottle. Then closed his eyes and asked, “How much?”

“About a spoonful.” He continued to hold Kylo, who kept his breathing even, occasionally giving a wheeze, but his breathing evened out and Hux could feel his heartbeat slowing, but not stopping.

Hux continued to hold Kylo, gently rocking him. Kylo asked, “Snoke ordered my death.”

“Yes.”

“Are you crying?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I love you, you big idiot.”

Kylo gave Hux’s arm a squeeze, “I know.” A long pause and then asked, “Did Snoke give you the poison?”

“He told me where it would be in my quarters.”

Kylo slid down to look up at Hux’s teary face, “Did he mention your father at any point, I see he did.”

“Back to reading my mind?”

“No, your face clenches when your father, just like that, is mentioned.” He reached up and touched Hux’s face, before sitting up, slowly.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting dressed.”

Hux hung his head, resigned he asked, “Where are you going?”

Kylo was fighting with his undershirt then answered, “To confront your father, as powerful as Snoke is he can’t conjure up a vial of poison at a distance.” Kylo sat to put his boots on. “It’s not the first time Snoke has tried to kill me.” He got up slowly.

“Wait, I’ll go with you.”

Kylo looked at Hux, then sat back down to wait.


Brendol Hux looked up as his son and Kylo Ren entered the visitor’s cabin where he was staying. He checked the chronometer and realized his son had less than two hours on his deadline.

“Can you at least be subtle about checking the clock?” Kylo said, stopping a few steps inside the door, calling a chair to him to sit in.

“I did not invite you to sit.”

“Sorry, I just finished transmuting deadly poison into harmlessness, takes a toll on a body.”

“You what?” Brendol sneered, “What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Did you poison him? By enlisting the Supreme Leader’s help?” Hux asked unable to hold in his anger.

Brendol looked at his son, “I called in a favor, one of the few I have left to remove one of the blockages to your career progress.” Brendol sneered at Kylo who was sitting sideways on the chair so he could rest his side against the back of the chair. “I warned you about pursuing a relationship with an indolent commoner like him.”

“Not a commoner.” Kylo said. “That trick with the poison I mentioned? Only passed down through royal families. If you dislike your son’s lover, could you just write a nasty note instead of a third-party poisoning?”

Brendol sneered, “He can do better than a common born lout.”

“As my mother once said, unfortunately, it hurts all three of my feelings.” he wobbled to his feet, Hux supposed using the Force to do so. “Good day gentleman.” Kylo paused to press his forehead against Hux’s before leaving.
Hux looked at his father for a long moment. “Please stop trying to help me. Let me chart my own course.” He left the cabin and didn’t look back.