100+ works later, that's a wrap on the first-ever Kylux Ficlet Fest!
Thank you all SO MUCH for your support and participation! Whether you posted your work with the hashtag or liked something you read this week, the whole fandom had a hand in making this such a successful event. I hope you all had as much fun as I did.
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An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
For @kyluxficletfest, Day 8: Wild Card!
Fandoms: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Rating: G
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Additional Tags: Modern AU, Married Couple, Sick Character, Domestic Fluff
Summary: Armitage has a cold, and it’s up to Ben to take care of him.
Prompt(s): Day 3 - Enemies | Lovers (@kyluxficletfest)
Summary: A failed planetary takeover leaves Armitage feeling bereft and useless, unable to pick up the shattered pieces of his pride.
Perhaps he can bribe Ren into doing it for him.
Fandom: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Self-Esteem Issues, Armitage Hux Needs A Hug, Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rivals With Benefits, (except Ren didn't get the memo about the rivals part)
1.4K || Also on AO3
After the briefing, it takes every drop of Armitage’s energy to drag himself into his office.
A bottle of wine awaits him under his desk. Normally, he leaves such indulgences to his chambers—or at least, after his shift; drinking on duty is a sign of an officer not befitting their station. However, the High Command has made it quite clear that Armitage isn’t an officer befitting his station; he might as well prove them right for a kriffing change.
Two hours. Two hellish hours of getting all his mistakes, big and small, dug up and thrown in his face—as if he’s made oh so many, or any that couldn’t have been attributed to the circumstances or information that was unavailable at the time. Oh, but failing to take Derilyn, a planet that isn’t even strategically important for the First Order’s operations, was a drop of blood in the water for those sharks. Never mind that Armitage had to go into battle with scarcely any intel, following Snoke’s whim alone. Never mind that none of them could have done any better in his place. Those kriffing idiots weren’t even considered for the mission Armitage was tasked with.
Armitage was chosen for it—and he failed.
He drops his head into his hands with a deep sigh, rubbing at his temples to ward off the headache he can feel develop. His mistakes may have been excusable, in and of themselves, but not when Snoke’s second-in-command makes them. He was hand-picked for his position among all the other generals and admirals of First Order; what is the point if he’s going to make the same mistakes they would?
How is he any better?
No. No, he can’t think like this. He is General Armitage Hux, the youngest general of the First Order, entrusted with the galaxy’s biggest superweapon, with which he is to end the war. He wasn’t promoted out of nepotism, no matter what the High Command insinuates; his record stands for itself.
Not so easy to own up to his past accomplishments while the failed takeover hangs over his head, though.
Oh well. If he can’t pick himself off the ground, he’ll have someone else do it for him—someone who has just lost the same battle as Armitage, who is similarly familiar with the bitter taste of failure.
It’s a risk. It always is, with Ren; Armitage has never met someone who could bring him to the highest highs and lowest lows quite as effectively as Ren. For all he knows, Ren might very well laugh in his face and destroy what little pride is keeping Armitage still standing.
Then again, Ren is smart enough to recognise an opportunity when it falls in his lap. He won’t dismiss the chance to see Armitage brought low and vulnerable for a quick laugh. More importantly, Armitage knows just what to offer him to secure his cooperation.
Switching his work comm with his personal one, he types out a quick message, asking Ren to meet him in his office at his earliest availability. It gets read almost immediately.
Armitage watches the screen for the next three minutes, drumming his fingertips on the desk. No response. Not even an indication that Ren bothered to start typing one.
Just as well. Releasing a deep sigh, Armitage taps out of the conversation, bringing up his task list. He won’t be able to cross anything worthwhile off for the rest of his shift; might as well get the clutter out of the way so that he can start fresh tomorrow.
The busywork helps. Going over reports and responding to holomails keep him from feeling utterly useless, although they hardly occupy his mind. He’s going to have to have a very early morning to make up for today’s inefficiency. As if the meeting wasn’t enough of a time and energy drain—
The access panel pings with a request for entry.
He pauses, hand hovering over the door controls embedded on his desk. If it’s Ren, Armitage hasn’t had enough time to prepare himself for that particular collision, not having expected Ren to consider himself available for Armitage anytime soon. If it’s anyone but Ren, he doesn’t want to see them at all.
He opens the door anyway.
Ren walks in with all the grace of a hurricane. That infernal mask of his is still in place, but at least he’s had the good sense to change out of his armour, wearing a simple tunic and leggings underneath his tattered cloak. The whole ensemble is inappropriate for a commander of his standing, but try telling Ren that.
“General,” Ren greets him, standing three steps from the desk like a proper soldier. He somehow manages to make it look like he’s refusing to sit, rather than waiting for permission.
“Ren,” Armitage says, gesturing at the nearest seat. Ren considers the armchair for a long moment before sinking into it. “Thank you for meeting me on such short notice. I’m sure you’d like to rest after the—” Shitfest. “—um, your mission, so I won’t keep you long.” Armitage latches his fingers together over the desk, forcing himself to meet the dark visor of Ren’s mask. “I’ve heard your TIE Silencer is out of commission. Again.”
Ren bristles, straightening to his full height in his seat. The low cushion keeps them at eye level at best. “If you called me here to lecture me about the budget—”
Armitage waves off the accusation. “That wasn’t my intention, I can assure you.” Although, a lecture would have been justified, under the circumstances. “In fact, I was wondering if I could help you have it back within a week.”
Ren tilts his head. “The technicians said it would take a month.”
“It will,” Armitage confirms. Closer to two, in fact, but he doesn’t blame the technicians for not saying that to Ren’s face. “The repairs require components that won’t arrive until the next requisition shipment. However, I can… make arrangements to have them on hand faster.”
“What do you want in return?”
Straight to the point, then. “Sometimes I need to be told... certain things,” he says, eyeing Ren for his reaction. If Ren does laugh, Armitage will find a way to ruin him, Force powers be damned. “Regarding my person.”
“I already praise you in bed.”
Armitage’s face grows warm. “I don’t mean in a sexual context. In fact, I’d prefer to keep it chaste, if it’s all the same to you.”
“Chaste,” Ren repeats. The tone is impossible to parse through the cursed vocoder. “Does that mean no touching?”
Touching? Why would Ren even want to, outside of sex? Thinking on it briefly, “Light touches are fine,” he decides. “Nothing below the waist. We could also… cuddle, I suppose.”
“Kissing?”
What does that have to do with— “No.”
Ren nods slowly, thinking it over—or so Armitage assumes. Any moment now, Ren will decide that this is ridiculous, that Armitage should find a proper lover if he’s desperate enough to seek comfort from a bed mate, and leave.
“What do you want me to tell you?” Ren asks at last.
Hells. Heat travels up Armitage’s ears, his nape burning. “This isn’t a holodrama, Ren, I won’t give you a script to follow. Just—close your eyes and pretend that I’m one of your previous partners. I can keep silent long enough not to ruin the fantasy.”
Ren stares at him in silence, his head still tilted. Armitage resists the urge to shift in place. It never gets any less kriffing eerie to be stared through that mask, as if Ren is trying to see through his soul.
“Listen,” he starts, licking his lips. Stars, what was he thinking? “I understand that this is… highly unusual. If you’re uncomfortable, or if you’d rather not do it for any reason—”
“I’ll do it.”
Relief fills Armitage, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “2100 hours, my quarters,” he says, instead of voicing the strange thank you waiting on the tip of his tongue. “You can stay the night or leave after I fall asleep, I don’t care which.”
“I’ll be there,” Ren says, getting to his feet. He’s gone as quickly as he came, the door that hisses closed after him the only sign he’s been here at all.
Rummaging for a corkscrew in his drawer, Armitage wonders if he’s just made a mistake to rival any others.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
For @kyluxficletfest, Day 6: Winter!
Fandoms: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Rating: T
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Additional Tags: Role Reversal, Pre-TFA, Kissing, Military Training, Forests, Snow, Winter, Huddling for Warmth
Summary: General Solo runs training exercises for his troopers, and Supreme Leader Snoke’s apprentice joins him.
Summary: Of all the new tasks that Hux expected to receive with the title of Chancellor, he did not expect to become the Supreme Leader’s personal dresser.
Of all the new tasks that Hux expected to receive with the title of Chancellor, he did not expect to become the Supreme Leader’s personal dresser.
“You are the leader of the First Order, Ren,” Hux says as he does up the tiny fastenings, resenting how often he needs to remind Ren of this fact. “You need to present yourself accordingly.”
Ren hums, stepping closer—too close for Hux to actually do his job. “Will you get me out of these, too?”
Hux smooths a hand down the front of Ren’s perfectly pressed tunic. “Let’s see how the night progresses.”
There are now 100 fics in the Kylux Ficlet Fest collection on AO3! And there are many more that haven’t been added yet but can be found on the site or on Twitter! You are all incredible and I am extremely grateful for your creativity and passion for kylux.
Check out the collection here: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/kyluxficletfest2021
The Twitter here: https://twitter.com/kyluxficletfest
And this year’s master list here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fz4wdbuSgCUgD_On9s8wwlwT_ICSuKFa-10WPb6WsB8/edit?usp=sharing
Walking into the General’s quarters was like walking into a sea of calm for the newly crowned Supreme Leader. Order reigned over every inch of the space, with not a single item even an inch out of place. He knew that the rigid system continued inside the cupboards too, with rows of perfectly polished boots, starched undershirts and pressed gaberwool coats lining the wardrobe in the bedroom.
Outwardly, Hux showed no signs of his preferences or desires. He rotated the items of his uniform regularly, determined that his appearance be pristine yet effortless, and his crew often gossiped amongst themselves about what casual attire might mean to their General.
Ren was the only one who was allowed to see the chaos beneath Hux’s carefully fabricated order.
“How did the negotiation go?” the ginger asked, approaching the force user and placing a kiss on his cheek. His hair was freshly washed, free of the pomade that kept it tame through his work day, and his slim form was clad in loose, comfortable pyjamas.
“As you predicted.”
“Come on then, get your robes off and let’s eat. You can tell me all about it over a nice cup of tarine tea.”
“You’d make an excellent husband to someone.” Ren was struck by the thought and couldn’t help but voice it, an image appearing in his mind of them living a quiet life on a planet somewhere with a cosy cottage, “Perhaps I’d consider taking you on.”
“Perhaps you should ask, you might like my answer.”
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
For @kyluxficletfest, Day 6: Summer
Fandoms: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Rating: M
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Additional Tags: Fashion Model AU, Celebrity AU, Friends with Benefits, Dressing Up (And Undressing), Flirting
Summary:
“We’re going for tropical themes,” Hux explains for what feels like the umpteenth time, even though it’s the first. “This is their summer campaign. Pineapples are tropical.”
For @kyluxficletfest Day 4: Supreme Leader & Chancellor
-
The Supreme Leader of the First Order leaned against the doorway of his Chancellor’s office, watching the man work diligently as the sun set over Coruscant. Document after document was examined and signed off, the man’s posture never changing and his face hiding his exhaustion well.
Hux hadn’t been sleeping in recent weeks, his dreams haunted by the destruction of Starkiller Base, and Ren knew that when he couldn’t rest he’d only plow himself further into his work. He’d tried to ease his former General’s thoughts with the force, but Hux’s will had proven too strong to allow any force suggestion to truly implant.
“That’s enough.” he decided, speaking the words aloud and moving fully into the office, “I have need of you, Hux, and I’ve waited long enough for you to complete your paperwork.”
The ginger looked up over the top of his reading glasses, his expression refusing to reveal his thoughts as he placed the tablet down and casually sat back against his chair, “What do you have need of me for? I’m a very busy man.”
“I’ll just take that-” Mitaka, former Lieutenant and now Chancellor Hux’s private secretary, reached out from his position beside the desk and attempted to slide the tablet away. Despite having more contact with the Supreme Leader in recent years and not being choked a second time, he remained skittish around the force user and was always quick to make an exit.
“Not so fast, Dopheld.” Hux’s slim fingers caught hold of the tablet, “If Lord Ren’s need for me is not urgent then we’ll need to continue with these budget forecasts.”
“This doesn’t change the way I feel about you.” Hux murmured, a breathy moan escaping his lips as hot kisses were pressed into his neck, “You’re still a useless oaf.”
“And you’re still an uptight arse.” was the response from Kylo Ren, whose large hands pulled the General’s hips flush against his own, “Keep your enemies close, right?”
Quiet fell over the storage closet, the only sounds being of their lips meeting and their clothing rustling.
The General pushed him away when the kisses turned to nips, a frown on his face, “No marks, Ren. Some of us can’t conceal ourselves in robes and masks, remember?”
“Not keen on your officers gossiping about your personal life?”
“Even they wouldn’t imagine a situation as ludicrous as this.”
“I think Mitaka probably has. He spends most of his time daydreaming about his favourite foxy ginger.”
Hux laughed and rolled his eyes, an unusually carefree action for the often stoic man, “As if anyone would daydream about me.”
“Maybe I have…” the force user teased, taking Hux’s hand and running it over his lightsaber hilt suggestively, “Perhaps I’ve thought of plunging my saber into your chest and seeing the look on your face.”
“I can’t say that I haven’t thought of putting a blade through your heart.”
“If I didn’t hate you so much then I’d probably find the image of you with a blade rather enticing…”
“And if I didn’t hate you then I’d be impressed by your abillities.”
They studied one another for a moment, before words were replaced by frenzied kisses once more. It wouldn’t be long before one or both of them were called away on another matter and neither liked to leave their encounters unsatisfied.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
For @kyluxficletfest, Day 5: CHAOS
Fandoms: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Rating: G
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Additional Tags: Crack, Pre-Slash, Pre-TFA, Birds
Summary: It’s a lovely day on the Finalizer, and you are horrible mourning doves.
For @kyluxficletfest Day 2 Alternate Universe/Canon Divergence
Both Ren and Hux survived TROS, but Hux is forever changed *gasp* XD
-
The rains of Arkanis were almost continuous, pounding down on Ben Solo as he carried crate after crate of freshly caught fish across the dock. He could use the force to move them, but after the war he’d run as far as he could from Kylo Ren. He’d chosen Hux’s homeworld as his place of exile, doing menial tasks for the locals as though he could ever repay his debt to the galaxy.
Sunlight was rare on the rainy planet and Ben couldn’t help but pause and look up as the clouds began to clear.
“Who knew that Kylo Ren liked fish?”
The voice startled the former Supreme Leader and he dropped the crate, spinning around to face the man he thought dead, the man he’d grieved for.
“Hux?”
“The very same. Come along, we’ve somewhere to be.”
Ben couldn’t keep the shock from his face as he took in the sight of the ginger stood just a few feet away from him. He wore his clothes like a uniform, his back effortlessly straight and a cane in his left hand. A hat covered most of his hair, casting shadow over his features, but there was no doubt it was the former General.
“Somewhere to be? This is where I need to be, I’m at work.”
“Ren, you’ll come along willingly or by force. We need to talk and it can wait no longer.”
He glanced around the dock, suddenly realising how quiet it had become around them. Where were the people who were usually dashing around? He nodded a little and moved towards Hux, following him to a shuttle idling at the gates of the port.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
For @kyluxficletfest, Day 4: Emperor/Hound
Fandoms: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Rating: T
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Additional Tags: Canon Divergence, 2nd Person POV, Outsider POV, Emperor Hux, Hound Kylo, Rumors
Summary: The Emperor rules the galaxy with an iron fist. But that doesn’t stop the people from talking.
