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Hux is always amazed at how much Kylo can take.
And how much Hux wants to give him.
“I’m going to untie you now, okay?” Hux murmurs.
Kylo nods slowly, eyes still glazed. He’s stunning like this, red ropes wound around his body, securing him. Anchoring him.
Hux knows Kylo could escape using the Force anytime he wants. But this has been the pattern Hux and Kylo have followed for years now: Kylo comes to Hux, and Hux provides him with what he needs. What they both need.
Kylo had rolled his eyes the first time Hux had put his knife next to the bed, but Hux is in charge.
He gets to keep that safety net for himself, ready to split the ropes at the first sign of any issues.
The knots give way easily under Hux’s practised fingers anyway.
Hux never would have called the male form ‘curvy’ before Kylo, but the rope accentuates it: tucking under his pectoral muscles, around the arch of his biceps, the slope of his hips and crook of his waist. His broad thighs are covered in dozens of small loops of rope too, spreading them wide.
But that fun is done now.
“Any numbness, Kylo? Tingling?”
Kylo shakes his head. Hux rolls Kylo over with one hand to loosen the rope column there. Kylo’s so different like this, body pliant and almost soft despite his size.
Kylo’s arms are free now.
“Tense your fingers- and now the other hand.” Hux commands.
He nods as Kylo follows orders, then picks Kylo’s left foot up, massages the sole slightly with his thumbs.
“Feel okay?”
Kylo nods. His gaze is more focused now.
Hux repeats the action on Kylo’s right foot. The thigh loops are loose across his lap, Kylo pushes them off, rolls over onto all fours.
...he’d been on all fours earlier and Hux can spot the reddened stripes where the paddle landed between the ropes. Can see how puffy and used Kylo’s hole is.
Hux’s dick twitches, even though he’s spent and he grins. They’ve been together *years*, Hux is almost forty - and yet Kylo still has the same strange effect on him that he did that very first night together.
Kylo stretches out on the floor, like a cat, spine and hip popping as he does, old injuries flaring. He’s not as young as he used to be either, but his body is still strong and powerful. Supreme Leader in both body and mind.
“Let’s go lie down.” Hux says softly.
The Chancellor’s quarters are far plusher than Hux’s quarters on the Finalizer but he’s kept a similar colour scheme: deep grey furniture, ice blue upholstery. If it’d been up to Kylo the entire room would have been monochrome: black, certainly, possibly white though Hux laughed out loud at the thought of Kylo Ren in a bright white room, looking like a strange lab specimen perhaps.
He takes Kylo by the hand and brings him to the sofa. Kylo lies down, curling his body up and waits for Hux to put a blanket over him, just as he always does. The room’s temperature is warm enough they were both comfortable being naked, but Kylo likes the blanket, so Hux tucks it around the curves of Kylo’s body, smooths it down.
Kylo’s hair looks inky against the ice-blue fabric, skin pale. He doesn’t look quite *real*. Hux reaches out and strokes his hair.
“Thank you.” Kylo whispers, eyes still shut, dark lashes against his cheek.
Hux strokes the back of his hand across one of those cheekbones. “You’re welcome.” he whispers back.
Kylo has never thanked Hux outside of these activities. Never once thanked him as a General for sacrificing squadrons of TIEs to assist him in whatever ridiculous Force quest he was on. Never thanked him for sleepless nights modifying the Silencer to be the best single fighter ship in the entire galaxy.
But here, in their bedroom? Kylo will thank him for every night, every kiss, every time the paddle lands on his skin.
Being the General, being the Chancellor: those are Hux’s duties.
This aftercare is also his duty.
“Have a sip for me.” Hux coaxes and Kylo’s eyes flutter open. He obediently takes the straw and noisily slurps up some of the water Hux offers.
Hux sits besides Kylo, waits for him to place his head on Hux’s lap. This is Hux’s second favourite part of playing with Kylo: coming just behind the moment where Kylo breaks and begs for Hux’s dick. That moment of victory is sweet.
This? This is simply sweetness.
He strokes one hand along Kylo’s forehead and watches Kylo smile. He knows what’s coming and he loves this part too.
“You were so good tonight, Kylo.”
These words have the same practised flow as Hux’s speeches, but he means every word in these moments. It’s not propaganda or twisted truths to tell a story to the masses. It’s how he truly feels. That would have scared Hux once, showing vulnerability to someone else. Terrified him, in fact.
But Kylo shows vulnerability every time they play together, in both body and mind and Hux has learnt to love showing his own vulnerable side back in turn.
Hux strokes Kylo’s hair, pushes it back from his face, digs his fingers in to massage his scalp.
“I am proud of you. You were so good for me.”
Kylo pokes one hand out from his blanket cocoon and takes Hux’s free hand.
“You listened and obeyed me. Thank you.” Hux continues, still petting Kylo.
The rest of the speech is similar, gratitude and affection mixed up with care and joy.
Kylo twitches his fingers and the bath in the adjoining room starts to run.
When Hux’s speech is over they get in the bath together. Kylo eats a protein bar while Hux washes his hair, scrubs the sweat and come off his body. There’s still a pattern of rope lines along Kylo’s skin: tiny curved marks from the twisted braids of rope and Hux kisses a few of them as he washes.
When they’re both clean they crawl into their bed naked and hold each other.
Sleep comes easily on these nights.
The galaxy spins around them, their Order and their Rule.
But in here, they only need each other.