Photophobia

The Rain

He quickly regretted his insistence to follow the nerf. His hip started to hurt again and his head-ache was getting worse. He had to take breaks and sit down while Tico made efficient use of her time and collected larvae from dead wood.

He watched her as she used the dagger to dig into the stumps. She had made a cone out of a big leaf and held it pressed against her body with her broken arm. She was indeed tenacious.

When she returned to him she said: "You can go back to the camp if you want. I can go on alone."

Oh, he wanted to. But that was of course out of the question ... he had to stay strong. "I'm fine."

She stalked over and pressed her hand against his head -- he was completely taken aback about the sudden contact.

"You still have fever, you should take it easy." She pulled her hand back.

It almost sounded as if she cared about him, he thought. He scoffed – why in the galaxy should she care about him?

"Don't be ridiculous, specialist. I'm not some weak-willed cadet who can't handle a little adversity," he said a little sharper than he intended.

"Suit yourself, though, man."

Though ... man? Yes, an accomplished soldier like herself saw of course that he was only pretending to be strong. He gritted his teeth but didn't say anything.

Hux was holding the cone with the larvae as they continued their way. She had taken point and cut a path through the high grass and the bushes. His gaze was fixed on her back, and from time to time he saw her profile. Specialist Tico, 26, skilled survivalist, tenacious soldier, poor shot ... and pretty.

No, that was completely irrelevant. And still he noticed it from time to time. He glanced at her saw how she brushed her hair back, before he could stop himself he wondered how her hair would feel like. Perhaps- perhaps he was just- it had been a while since he had intercourse. Yes, that was it. That was all. Of course it was.

After a while the silence began to bother him. He tried to think of a topic of conversation. Finally he decided to ask her about the reptile.

"Where did you find the snake?"

She glanced over her shoulder. "Under a log. I was lucky though. It was about to bite me but I somehow managed to cut its head off first. It tasted good, didn't it? Almost worth dying an agonizing slow death."

What a woman! "Ah, I suppose you received high marks in survival class?"

She stopped at a bush and checked its dark blue berries. "Survival class? What's that supposed to be?"

He frowned. "Didn't you go to school?"

She the berries in one of her pockets then she turned to face him. "Of course I went so school! I mean we were poor as dirt but all the children in the colony got an education." She sounded indignant. "Wait ... There were survival classes at your school?"

"Of course."

"Isn't that stuff for the military academy?" She gave him a small smile. He tried his best not to blush. It didn't mean anything of course, it was just hot and he had a fever.

"What's the difference?"

"Huh, you were with the First Order from the start. No wonder ..." She continued to follow the track. "How old were you when you first attended these survival classes?"

Hux gulped. Long supressed memories of his childhood resurfaced; his hackles rose when he remembered the weight of his father's hands on his shoulders. "I was 6."