A Different Lighthouse

Chapter 12

Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

Hux wasn't sure at what point between getting locked in the bathysphere and subsequently being released he'd gone out of his fucking gourd, but clearly he had. His lips still tingled a bit from the sensation of pressing against Ben's, and he kept passing his fingertips over them like he was trying to replicate the feeling and for fuck's sake. Ben had tasted sweet and warm but was it worth it? Was the possibility that Snoke had seen worth it? Even if Snoke hadn't had an eye on them at that exact moment, how in the hell was Hux meant to carry on, now? Now that he'd... now that Ben was...

Now that everything was much, much more complicated.

"Hux? You okay?"

Hux looked up, meeting Ben's eyes and unable to help the fuzzy feeling in his chest at his concern. Stupid, stupid, this was so fucking stupid. He nodded, readjusting in his seat and leaning back against the wall of the Bathysphere. The ride to Hephaestus had been quiet thus far, even Blue sitting still and silent.

"M'fine. You?" he murmured. Felt weird to talk aloud when it was so quiet.

Ben paused, then shook his head, sighing through his nose.

"No. I-" He frowned, meeting Hux's eyes again. "Things are starting to get so confusing."

Hux could certainly agree with that fucking statement. "What do you mean?"

It was silent for a few moments. "Did you ever know a woman, Leia Organa?"

Hux quirked an eyebrow at him. "Aye, she was a dancer at Eve's Garden. She's got posters everywhere, ain't you noticed 'em?"

Ben shrugged, his expression a bit far away. Almost lost. "I guess not. I... I've been having weird hallucinations again," he said. "I saw this woman, she said her name was Leia, when I was at Eve's Garden. It seemed like she had a thing with Ryan."

Hux nodded slowly.

"It was the worst kept secret in Rapture at the time. Ryan was a regular at the Garden, but he liked Leia special. She treated him nice, I guess."

Ben chewed the inside of his lip. "He killed her."

"Did he? Well, that don't surprise me none."

"Did he kill people often?"

Hux shrugged, "Well, not usually with his bare hands. But he certainly wasn't above a little murder here and there. Only odd thing is why it would be her - usually he went after folks that spoke out against him. Never heard of her doin' nothin' like that."

Ben reached into his back pocket and produced a small black book, flipping it open and handing it over.

"This is her diary, I think," he said. "Says that Dr. Phasma paid her to get pregnant intentionally from Ryan, and let her take the egg. I think maybe Ryan found out, and murdered her. Though I don't know why it would make him that angry, or what the hell Phasma would have done with it."

Hux frowned, reading the passage a couple of times. "That's definitely odd," he agreed, handing the journal back. "Never heard of anythin' like that. I try not to tangle with Phasma if I can help it." A pang of guilt struck him like a punch in the gut, but he ignored it, as usual.