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[Hux sits in the library, communicator in his lap, looking physically intact but emotionally on the brink of something he can't identify. He stands up when he sees Rhys come in, walking over to him.

The stun baton gets Rhys a confused, if grateful point in Hux's head]

Thank you.

[Can we just. Walk in silence for a bit? Thx.]

[Rhys let's Hux pick the direction, and doesn't object to the silence at first. The stun baton doesn't seem to be necessary, but Rhys is mentally flicking through candidates for whom something can have gone wrong with.

Iris seems impossible to repel. Harry's a maybe, but as Rhys turns this over in his mind, he's not the most likely candidate.

He lets Hux have his silence for a few, long moments, before, in a tone of quiet resignation:]

Bodhi Rook?

Edited (WHAT THE FUCK AUTOCORRECT) 2018-11-06 00:57 (UTC)

Mmn.

[Hux is headed back to his cabin, it seems; but he wanted an escort. Someone he trusted to be near him while he's going through his emotional somersaults]

It was only a matter of time.

[So he doesn't know why he's so kriffing upset about it.]

Maybe. Doesn't keep it from sucking though.

[other people get to come to the Barge and start over. They get a clean slate and start from zero. Only Hux's slate followed him, and that suuuucks.]

I lost a friend this week too.

[He offers conversationally, just to get ahead of the idea that this is a Hux only problem.]

[Hux has no answer to that. That's life. Here and in the past; it sucks. He can hate it all he wants, he still feels useless against it.

He glances over at Rhys, the unexpected admission surprising him out of his dark thoughts]

Who?

Ehn. I don't really wanna go there, if it's okay.

[His voice is still casual, but the answer is Jedao. Rhys just doesn't want Hux to trace a line of cause and effect back to himself as an infinite friendship ender.]

They did something super lame, and when I went to talk to them about it, they just--

[He pauses. Shrugs.]

It's was like, In that conversation, I really needed them to be all the good things that I'd seen in them before, but they just couldn't walk away from this one super lame thing they'd done. And I just... I couldn't see them being both. And it sucks because when you lose them, you loose all of it. The good as well as the bad.

It's fine.

[He'd be hypocritical if he tried to get Rhys to talk about this when he's been less than forthcoming. Though that's more to the case that he doesn't even have words for this, yet]

So is there a solution to this?

Going forward, I mean.

[He doesn't think either of them are thinking about rekindling what was lost, anyway]

Do you learn to pick better friends in the future?

I guess, you learn to look for warning signs? And maybe-- I mean, look, people are gonna have deal breakers, and you aren't always gonna know exactly what they are.

[He folds his arms, glancing across towards Hux.]

If you're careful and lucky, you might get the chance to break it to them in a way that saves the friendship, but sometimes you just have to roll the dice and risk getting hurt again.

[He gives a startled sort of half-breath when Rhys mentions the emotion he's been reluctant to admit he's feeling. Hurt is not something he's used to feeling - is meant to be feeling. It's ridiculous. He should be stronger than this]

What's yours?

What, my deal breaker?

[Rhys glances at Hux, and flashes a warm little smile.]

For you? No deal breaker. We're in this for the long haul.

[Such is Hux's state of mind that he neither scoffs nor smiles back. He's not even sure he believes Rhys at the moment.

Instead, he gives a tired nod back and continues down to his cabin door.]

You must think I'm acting like a child.

And I am. This is childish. I'm upset over a traitor and an enemy sympathizer.

I'm pathetic.

Hey, Hux?

[He draws level with his inmate as they arrive at Hux's cabin door.]

You mind if I touch you really quickly? Just to illustrate something?

[He stops short of his cabin door, glancing at Rhys skeptically. Finally, he gives a nod, allowing Rhys to come closer]

[Rhys takes a step towards Hux, carefully places his hands on Hux's shoulders, then shifts forward to give the other man a careful hug, chin bumping gently into his shoulder.]

You're not pathetic, and I don't think you're acting like a child. This sucks and it's totally normal for you to be upset about it.

[He lifts a hand to give Hux's back a little pat.]

But you're gonna make other friends. When people get to know you, they're gonna really like you. Like I do.

[well okay chalk this up to even more new and bizarre experiences for the day. Hux, as per his usual self, remains awkward and uncomfortably still when Rhys goes in for a hug, not really sure what he's meant to be doing, if at all.

What the hell, even.

He exhales a bit, putting up with it because it's Rhys doing this and obviously he's being comforting.]

I don't see why. I barely like me.

[A pause, and then]

How long do these hugs usually last? Am I supposed to..?

[Look, he's holding up his own arms in exasperation, looking at them over Rhys' shoulder. What. What even.]

Yeah, but that doesn't count. You don't like anyone.

[Rhys says lightly, to Hux's shoulder, not ceasing his hug.]

And just give it a minute. You also need the practice.

[Because your mum didn't hug you enough, RHYS DEFINITELY DOES NOT SAY.]

That's not strictly true.

[He sighs, but puts up with it, because Rhys has been unusually helpful in the past couple of weeks and he seems to think it will help the mood.

He counts to ten in his head, then gives Rhys's shoulder an awkward pat as an answer]

You gonna tell me that you don't need the practice? Because I hate to break it to you, but this hug is getting a C+ at best.

[But, okay, he's going to have mercy on his inmate, and eases off with a little flash of a smile, in response to the awkward shoulder patting.]

Okay, okay, you're free. C+ for hugs, but a solid A for being patient, because I know you hated that.

I meant about the 'liking people' part of that sentence, but fine.

[Hux gives a bit of a grumble about hugging in general, but seems more or less content with that]

I'm not planning on improving that score, by the way.

[The first order doesn't give or receive hugs, Rhys]

Yeah, but I didn't wanna force you to admit that I'm your favourite.

[He's just gonna take it as a given.]

And don't be like that. That hug had potential. I could see you getting a solid B+ by the end of the semester.

[There's no way Hux is falling for this. Surely he can't apply his weird perfectionism to hugging.]

[He gives an eyeroll but neither can confirm nor deny that. Rhys is making him feel better about Bodhi, by some miracle]

And I suppose a failure would be equivalent to, what? A chokehold?

Or trying to wriggle free. You also would have lost points if you hadn't given me the little pat on the end.

You have an insipid and arbitrary grading rubric. Let this be the first average score I've ever earned.

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that was an amazing typo

Every night I go to sleep in a tube of queer resignation.

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