Unprofessional | General Hux x Reader

Chapter 5

       Along with several of the Stormtroopers, I had been asked to stay on board while Ren and the General were off taking care of things. I wouldn't have minded so much if there was something to do, but there wasn't, and they had been gone for hours. All I could do was sit in General's quarters and wait for word that we were heading to the Finalizer. I'd never been aboard the massive ship, right from training I had been employed on the Starkiller base, so the whole place was foreign to me.
       Lost in these thoughts, I almost didn't hear the sound of the ship's doors opening and the familiar stomp of feet of the metal floor. I stood up immediately, about to go greet them when I heard the General yelling out orders again. He wasn't in a good mood, that I could tell.
The door slid open and the General walked in, a deep frown set in his features. He glanced at me standing in the middle of the room awkwardly, and stopped, letting the door shut behind him.
"We need to talk," he stated flatly. I felt my stomach sink into the ground just at the phrase.
"About what, sir?" I asked with an unsteady voice. I had a bad feeling about what he needed to discuss.
He walked towards me, and out of worry, I backed up to the nearest wall. "Are you afraid of me?" he asked. "That's not what Ren told me."
I flushed darkly, but tried to hide it. "What did he tell you?"
He closed the space between us, standing over me so I had to look him in the eye. I couldn't tell what he was feeling, his face remained stoic as he spoke.
"He said something about you favoring me, like a student does their teacher. Is that true, ______?" he asked.
"I do look up to you, sir..." I mumbled, trying to save myself any embarrassment by hoping Ren left it at that.
"I don't think that's what he meant," General said, and I could hear a confident tone in his voice. "He was implying something more...."
       "I'm sorry, sir," I apologized immediately, feeling my face grow hot. "I'll get it under control, it won't continue, I swear."
       My voice was small and I was too worried to look him directly in the eye. He took the opportunity to lean his head beside mine, and I could feel his breath ghosting over my ear as he spoke.
       "I'd prefer if you didn't," he whispered. "It's rather flattering."
       My heart skipped a beat. "S-sir?" I stuttered out in surprise. "I'm afraid I don't understand..."
       "I think you do," he murmured. "I like that you have a little crush on me."
       "General, is...isn't that unprofessional?" I stammer, my back pressed hard into the wall. I couldn't believe what was happening, and I could only imagine that it was a joke.
       He moved back just enough for me to see his eyes. They were normally unyielding and cold, but as he stared at me I could see a glimmer in them. They held something I could only describe as pleasure, though I couldn't tell if it was coming from making me flustered or if he really meant what he said.
       "Unprofessional for a general to be secretly courting a younger, new arrival subordinate?" he asked rhetorically. "Incredibly so. But do I care? Not at all."
       I was still unconvinced by the way he spoke. It seemed so unlike himself, yet I desperately wanted to believe him. I could only imagine if Ren saw us now, he'd be having a great time teasing us both. In fact, that seemed like a much more probable cause for the general's attitude.
       "You aren't serious, you can't be," I said, looking up at him. I could feel my eyes burn with tears that threatened to fall. "If Ren is putting you up to this, just tell me and be done with it."
       The general stepped back, looking at me carefully. His expression changed to one of confusion and almost hurt. "Ren didn't put me up to anything," he said. "He only told me thinking I'd be embarrassed."
       "Why aren't you?" I asked, still staying near the wall. My heart was still racing from the closeness a few moments prior and I couldn't dismiss the idea that they were conspiring against me.
       He was quiet for a minute, just watching me. "I don't know," he said honestly. "I probably should be, because we work together, not to mention our differing positions. But you've helped me more than I care to admit, and I've felt better having you around. That's why I wanted you to stay with me last night. I didn't intend for anything to come of it, I was just trying to look after you. But when he told me how you felt...I rather liked the idea."
       There was a long moment of silence of us staring at each other. I moved from my place on the wall and stood a bit closer to him. His response seemed genuine and I wasn't as worried as before.
"I'll give you a warning though," he started, his voice more factual now. "It's probably not a good idea to get involved with me. I do have a price on my head. Anytime I go on a mission could be the last time you see me. You should understand that."
"The same would go for me as well then, General," I countered, looking up at him. "You couldn't protect me if we are attacked again."
He nodded. "I'm aware," he said.
I looked down, trying to make up my mind. I knew I wanted it, and that I was lucky to have his affections. Though at the same time, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea.
His hand cupped my chin and lifted it up to look directly at him. "Just consider it," he said. "Take a bit of time."
He moved away from me, standing a more respectable distance. He regained himself, straightening his uniform and reverting back to his usual posture. His calculating eyes glanced over me again, void of any emotion that had been there a few seconds ago.
       "I have to oversee some things as we take off," he said. "Feel free to stay here and relax. You can use my shower if you'd like one."
       With that, he turned and left me alone again. I wondered what was going through his mind and how it was possible for him to mask his feelings so easily. I needed to learn how to do that.

A/N: This was so difficult to write and keep in character, so I'm very sorry if it isn't. Hux is pretty stone cold anyways, so any emotion that isn't anger or apathy feels weird. That being said, he will be sweet and such at other points in the story because he is human so this is just a taste of his other side ;) I hope you enjoyed this chapter and see you in the next :)