James was nothing if not subtle, sneaky, and, well, everything that needed to be part of an assassinâs skillset. It wasnât necessarily surprising that he gave an obedient nod, salute, pretended to follow orders⊠And promptly did the exact opposite of what he was told.
This recruit had caught the Generalâs eye immediately. This man was older than the others, and the atmosphere around him was different. âThis was no ordinary recruit.â
âIâll have to keep my eye on this oneâŠâ Hux muttered to himself.
He was certainly careful enough - not too much sneaking around the base without perfectly good reason or an excuse at the very least; he wasnât stupid enough to be obvious about it. It could be brushed off as curiosity the first time he supposedly got lost in the winding hallways. Maybe even the second time, too. But now it was late, he was lost in the damned maze of a base, and this wasnât going to look good.
Though it was past curfew Hux still had a mountain of reports to fill out, but the cameras at the corner of his eye caught his attention. He saw this new cadet tiptoeing through the hallways and sighed to himself. âTheres always oneâŠâ
He stood from his desk and slipped his coat over his broad shoulders before leaving to find the recruit.
Once he caught sight of him he cleared his throat and called out to him. âYou there, what do you think youâre doing?â
And, caught again. âI can explain,â He replied rapidly - after all, who knew what weapons could be pointed at his back. Turning to meet the Generalâs eyes, he raised his hands in halfhearted surrender. âJust got lost, is all.â His eyes were still alight with curiosity despite the late hour, and he gave a halfhearted attempt at a sheepish grin.
He cocked an eyebrow at the recruit and circled him, taking in his appearance. He certainly was older than the others. Hux stopped in front of him and stood straighter.
âThen by all means, allow me to escort you to your cotâŠWhat is your name, Cadet?â
For a moment, it was easy to see the moment of hesitation. Easy to see his mind racing, the thought in his eyes. But really, this would be better, he was sure. âBarnes. James Barnes.â Still looking quite sheepish, he bowed his head respectfully for a moment. âHope I didnât interrupt anything important, Sir,â He offered.
Hux nodded at him and hummed in thought. âNothing at all, Cadet. Just some paperwork.â He motioned for James to follow him and began to lead him towards the cadet quarters, his heeled boots lightly clicking against the metal floors.
âSo tell me, James. Why were you really out and about after curfew.â
âLike I said. Curious.â He gives a shrug. No reason to give the explanation behind that curiosity, at least not yet. âNever been anywhere like this before - bit of a culture shock, I guess.â It wasnât entirely a lie - the way that his eyes still occasionally flashed about vouched for that.Â



















