Chapter Text
2017
Bachelor Mansion
There was no turning back now. Armitage Hux sat in the back of a limo whisking him off to an undisclosed location where he and nineteen other men would vie for the attentions of this supposedly famous, wealthy, mysterious Bachelor. It was pretty pathetic when you put it like that. All these dressed up gentlemen, fighting in front of cameras trying to get their fifteen minutes of fame. This would be his last moment of peace and quiet before he lost all semblance of privacy. Hux couldn’t believe he’d let Phasma sign him up for this. Sure he hadn’t been the most social of people lately. Running First Order Inc. was his main focus in life. He owed it to his employees and shareholders to be devoted to the company.
The slowing of the limo shook Hux out of his stupor.
“Hey, are you ready?” the limo driver asked as he brought the car to a stop. “The camera’s are gonna be on you as soon as they open the door.”
“Yes, of course.” Hux said tightly
“Well, I don’t want to tell you what to do, but you probably want to smile or something. You look kinda scary and mad right now”
Hux thought he looked relaxed. “Yes, well that's just my face.”
Nerves overtook Hux as the show host reached for the door handle. What was his name again? Poe? Hux tried to recall the briefing he’d gotten this morning. Where was the Bachelor? Hux couldn’t make it out through the heavily tinted windows and the glare from the camera lights. The humid night air hit Hux like a wall compared to the cool interior of the limo as Poe opened the door and welcomed him to the show.
“Armitage Hux, the Bachelor is waiting at the end of the path for you! Once you meet him please proceed inside to convene with the other contestants.” Poe flashed him a wide TV smile and pointed him down the path.
Hux nodded, straightened his back and strode through the palm tree lined path. He was a CEO, a startup tech wiz; he was nicknamed the General because every board room was his battlefield. He wasn’t going to let some reality show that started off as a prank entry intimidate him.
He spotted the Bachelor up ahead, surrounded by show lights and cameras. He was a tall, broad man. Long dark hair fell to his shoulders in soft waves, seemingly unaffected by the humid heat. The man looked up with the smile, about to greet Hux when the words died on his lips. Hux could feel the blood drain from his own face as his mouth gaped open.
“What the fuck are you doing here?
Benjamin Organa-Solo.
The love of Hux’s life.
The biggest mistake he ever made.
The reason Hux has been single for the past ten years.
He was the Bachelor and Hux’s life was so fucked.
--
2006
Boston University
It was springtime and Armie was obnoxiously in love. He couldn’t help it. He had spent most of his twenty-three years building an icy exterior around himself, never showing weakness, and never backing down. He knew what he wanted and he was going to achieve it. Which is why he still couldn’t believe himself. Laying in the grass next to Ben Organa-Solo, enjoying the tepid Spring weather as midterms came to a close.
Ben rolled onto his side with pieces of grass clinging to his soft wavy brown hair, “Armie, have you thought any more about a graduation party? Even if it's just friends? Lots of the restaurants around here are starting to book up.”
Armie sighed. Graduation. The thing he had been working towards for the past four years was now looming ever closer and he wished it wouldn’t come.
“What friends?” Armie said playfully as he stared at the sky. “You mean the other freshmen from your dorm? For some reason I don’t believe they’ll be interested in my college graduation.”
Ben threw grass in Armie’s face and kissed his cheek. “They’ll be interested in anything that has booze and food. It could be fun!”
Armie sighed and pulled Ben closer. “Lets not talk about graduation right now.”
--
2017
Bachelor Mansion
“I said what. The. fuck. Are you doing here?”
Hux’s mind went blank. He usually had a way with words but now with Ben crowding his space and his mouth was dry.
“I - I - I didn’t know. Ben, I didn’t know” Hux reached out as if to grab Ben’s arm. Perhaps too familiarly with everything that had happened.
Ben flinched away. “Don’t touch me. And don’t call me Ben. Its Kylo. Kylo Ren.” Ben, no, Kylo, ran his fingers through his hair. “Is this some kind of joke?” He whirled around at the cameras, searching for someone unseen behind the lights. “Did you know about this? Who set me up? Where is Snoke?” Kylo charged towards a hidden doorway, knocking over a production light with his shoulder. “Get him the fuck away from me.”
The camera crew were silent. Poe’s perfect TV smile had not faltered, but his eyes were panicked. Hux doubted Poe had known about his and Kylo’s relationship. This didn’t seem to be part of the perfect scripted unscripted drama the show thrived off of.
“Um well, that is certainly an interesting turn of events,” Poe laughed as he reached for Hux’s arm, eager to get the production back on track, “I’m guessing there is some kind of history here between the two of you?”
Hux stared at the spot where Kylo had disappeared. “Yeah. You could say that.”
--
2017
Bachelor Mansion Interior
Hux attempted to calm himself down as he walked through the ornate doorway of the mansion. Although he was used to living a luxurious lifestyle now, it was not the world he was raised in. Brendol Hux’s military academy was austere and being the son of the commandant earned him no special privileges. His father’s military austerity translated to his current preference for functional luxury and clean lines. But judging by the amount of chandeliers and carpeting, the decorators on this show prioritized tacky glamor. As Hux neared the end of the hallway a quiet murmuring of voices became clearer. Pushing through a set of french doors, Hux found himself in a lounge room filled with devastatingly handsome men. The room was almost full, every velvet couch and mahogany barstool occupied with another contestant. Hux wondered if he had been strategically positioned to be the last contestant to arrive, if his history with Kylo was being leveraged by some producer who had looked into his past. Hux nodded curtly at several gentlemen as he walked towards the bar. Judging by Kylo’s reaction, he didn’t expect to last long on the show, so he might as well attempt to enjoy himself.
Hux settled on an armchair in the corner with his whiskey and tried to tune out the other contestants. His “scary and angry” face kept the armchair opposite his empty, which was alright by him.
“Can you believe that Kylo Ren is The Bachelor?” Came a voice from somewhere to Hux’s left. “That dude is scary. I heard he almost killed some guy, but his mom got the charges dropped.”
“I thought he blew up his uncle’s boarding school and kidnapped his cousin!”
“Didn’t he try to emancipate himself from his parents and drop out of college after it turned out his grandfather was really some cult leader?”
“My sister dated a girl who used to be friends with the barista at the Starbucks next to Kylo Ren’s building. He is apparently a normal dude. But with a sick eight pack”
The entire room dropped their other conversations and started to chime their theories, oblivious to the fact that cameras and boom mics were picking up every detail. Apparently Kylo Ren was a bit of a rich enigmatic personality. A playboy trust fund tabloid magnet with a temper. Hux didn’t have much time for society pages or gossip magazines, he’d never tried to look Ben up after college anyways. But he couldn’t reconcile his sweet Ben Solo with this explosive Kylo Ren. Hux supposed he might have had something to do with that, but he didn’t like to linger on the thought. Silence fell across the room immediately as Poe stepped into the room.
“Hello Gentlemen. I hope you all enjoyed your introductions with Kylo and have gotten a chance to get to know each other as well. In a few minutes, you will meet Kylo on the patio for a cocktail party.” Poe motioned towards a wall of french doors at the back of the room. “Use your time with him wisely, as only fifteen of you will receive roses tonight and advance to the next round. Good luck!”
--
Hux was one of the last to walk outside. The patio was huge, brick work on the floor and ivy covered pergolas shading intimate couches and tables. Beyond the party was a long oval pool, throwing blue wavy light onto the reflective glass of the tables. Hux walked to the outdoor bar to order another whiskey, grateful that the sheer number of contestants meant that he was not currently being followed by a camera. Hux startled when he heard a laugh. Ben’s laugh. No, not quite. It was crueler, forced.
It was Kylo.
Hux scanned the tables until he saw Kylo’s dark head leaned into a tall blond man who looked like he could be a CrossFit model. Hux looked away before Kylo noticed him. He wondered what the producers told Kylo to calm him down.
Hux looked up again to see Kylo stalking towards him like a predator. He had fury in his eyes as he reached out to grab Hux’s shoulder and pull him towards a secluded part of the patio garden.
“What are you doing?” Hux demanded as he struggled to get out from Kylo’s grip. “Let go of me!”
“We need to have a conversation and I figured you wouldn’t want me to blast your reputation all over TV,” Kylo said between gritted teeth. He came to a stop between two shrubs and whirled around to face Hux directly. Hux could only imagine what it must look like to the cameras. “So now we’re alone, tell me. What. The. Fuck. Are you doing on this show? Who put you up to this? Why can’t you leave me alone!”
Hux was stunned. Did Kylo really think he did this on purpose? As if Armitage Hux, tech wunderkind, didn’t have anything better to do than stalk an ex boyfriend onto a reality TV show?
“Are you really still so self-centered that you think the world revolves around you? I did not come onto this show to stalk you. I haven’t even THOUGHT about you in ten years.” A lie, but not one Hux would admit now, not that his pride was at stake, “Just let me go and I’ll leave and you can go back to your harem of men throwing themselves at your feet.”
“Let you go? Do you think I want you here? And if I’m self centered, it's because you’re so selfish you think anyone who isn’t serving your interests is plotting against you.” Kylo let go of Hux’s shoulder to run his fingers through his hair. Hux wondered if it was still as soft as it used to be.
Kylo took a deep breath and stared at a spot over Hux’s shoulder. “I don’t want to know anything about you. I hope you are as miserable and lonely as your bio makes you sound.” And with that he walked away. Leaving Hux in the unfamiliar position of not having the last word in an argument. It was something about smelling him again, having his warm hand on his shoulder. It left Hux speechless.
--
2006
Boston University
Armie woke up at 5am like clockwork. He rolled over in his bed to scan his darkened room, full of carefully labelled boxes and wrapped furniture, ready for the movers arriving at 9.
“Armie, what are you doing?” Ben’s groggy voice asked from a pile of hair and pillows, “Come back here.”
“It’s too late, I’m up and I have to get ready. There’s not much time.”
“What else do you have to do?” Ben blindly reached for Armie and pulled him back into an embrace, “You packed everything but the bedsheets.”
“Which I will still need to launder and fold”
“Which you can throw in a box dirty. Just relax a second.”
He should have gotten out of bed. He wasn’t a student any longer. He couldn’t lounge in bed and sleep in with his boyfriend. But Ben’s big hands just pulled him closer and he let himself sink into Ben’s arms and fall back asleep.
--
2017
Contestant Confessional Camera
“Excuse me, Armitage Hux?” A tall brunette woman stepped into Hux’s vision, “I’m Lacey Unamo, one of the production assistants. I need to get your one-on-one interview before the Rose Ceremony.”
“It’s just Hux.” He answered reflexively. He had a hazy memory of being told these confessional type videos were required to be made throughout the day, and was kicking himself for not paying closer attention. While he relished in public speaking, Hux did not make it a habit to talk about himself.
“Of course, I’ll make a note. I prefer the same. Please come with me” Unamo led him back into the house and into one of the bedrooms. She motioned for him to take a seat as she busied herself with checking the lights and camera. It looked like he was ready to be interrogated.
“Ok I am going to just read a couple of questions and I’d like you to answer as conversationally as possible, like you’re talking to the viewer. I won’t be in the shot at all”
Hux straightened up and attempted to look relaxed.
“Hux, can you tell the viewers a bit about yourself?”
“My name is Armitage Hux and I am a 34 year old software engineer living in New York City.”
“Anything else? Hobbies, family, friends? Something the viewers can relate to?”
Hux searched his brain, “I have an orange tabby named Millicent who I leash trained.”
“Um, OK. Ah I see here it seems you had a confrontation with Kylo when he greeted you by the car, can you tell us a little bit about that? What happened?”
Hux considered his words carefully. He wasn’t sure how much of their past he wanted aired on the program. He also didn’t know what story Kylo would tell. Hux opted for a lie by omission.
“Kylo, or Ben Solo as I knew him at the time, is a former college classmate. We were familiar socially with each other for a time at Boston University until I graduated. When I got out of the car, he was understandably surprised to see me and stormed off.”
“And then you had another conversation in the garden?”
Hux wasn’t sure how to describe what happened in the garden.
“Kylo wanted to be sure I wasn’t aware of his casting as The Bachelor when I signed on. I let him know that it was as much as surprise for me as it was for him. I’m not sure it helped.”
--
2017
Kylo Ren Confessional Camera
“I’m Poe Dameron and I’m sitting with Kylo just a few moments before his first rose ceremony. Kylo, how are you feeling about the contestants chosen for you?” Poe gestured at the twenty framed headshots behind them.
Kylo gave a cursory glance at the photos. “Well Poe I think there are a lot of really great guys out there. I had some great conversations and I can’t wait to get to know them better.”
“It’s going to be tough to send home five gentlemen today. Do you have your mind made up yet?”
“Not quite”
“Tell us about your run-in with Armitage Hux. It looks like you were not happy to see him. What’s the history there?”
Kylo’s shoulders tensed up. His jaw clenched before he made a visible attempt relax his face before speaking.
“There’s nothing really to tell, Poe. We fooled around in college. I thought our relationship was more than it was and he let me know otherwise.”
“Sounds like he really hurt you. How will your past with Armitage affect your decision tonight?”
“I’m pretty sure my mind is already made up on him.”
--
2017
Rose Ceremony
After his interview with Unamo, Hux was ushered along with the other contestants to a large living room. They were directed to stand in two long rows in front of an ornate mahogany table. Fifteen roses were fanned out in front. Hux felt drops of sweat running underneath his shirt. The feeling in the room was one of excitement and anticipation. Hux suddenly cared very much what Kylo thought of him. He felt too pale, too skinny, too grouchy amidst all these tanned and muscular men. The cameras swung towards the doors as Poe and Kylo walked into the room.
Although he was shorter than most of the others, Poe commanded the room with his charisma and genuine excitement. “Welcome to the first rose ceremony. For five of you, this is goodbye. However for the other fifteen, this could be the start of a beautiful relationship.” Poe stepped back and motioned for Kylo to speak.
“Hello. Everyone. Thank you for coming here to get to know me.” Kylo’s speech was stilted and words chosen carefully, “I know I have a bit of a reputation but I hope to show you all that I am more than what the tabloids say.”
Poe looked over to Kylo, seemingly surprised that he didn't have more to say. However it was clear that he was finished.
“Ok folks, without further ado let's get started with The Rose Ceremony. Sadly, we will be sending five gentlemen home tonight. If your name is called, please come forward to receive your rose. After the ceremony is over, you will be shown to your rooms in the mansion. If your name is not called, we will ask you to say your goodbyes and go.”
Kylo stepped forward and picked up the first long stemmed red rose. Despite his better judgement, Hux tried to make eye contact with Kylo but he looked straight through Hux as he scanned the room. Name after name was called, and Hux’s breath came faster and faster. He couldn't hear anything but the sound of his heart beating. He felt his face go numb. Hux needed Kylo to give him a chance. He needed to let Hux explain. The moments seemed to stretch on for an eternity until Hux and the other five remaining men were called forward.
Poe moved to the center of the room, “Kylo, we are down to the final six gentlemen. Unfortunately you only have one rose left. Who will be invited to stay at the Bachelor Mansion and who will be sent home?”
Kylo seemed to clench his jaw and swallow hard before speaking. He kept his eyes down on the rose he twisted in his hands “I've thought a lot about who to choose today. I came onto The Bachelor looking for a second chance. So it is only fair to give someone else a second chance too.”
Time stopped. Hux felt his stomach fall to his feet. He couldn't mean what Hux thought he meant. This couldn't be happening. Kylo raised his eyes and looked at Hux.
“Armitage Hux, will you accept this rose?”