Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Eye of newt, toe of frog, turn this rock into a dog!”

There was a flash, a bang, and a pop.

Then smoke. A lot of smoke.

Rose threw open one of her living room windows, coughing, and fanning the smoke with her spell book.

“Are you alright dear?” Her elderly neighbour shouted across the street to her.

“Yes Miss Kanata, everything is fine.”

“Are you sure? I can send my grandson Kylo over to help you.”

“No, no, it's fine. I, uh, burnt some cookies!”

“If you're sure. Just holler if you change your mind.”

Rose waved to her thanks. Maz Kanata was a sweet old lady, but her hulking mountain of a grandson Kylo intimidated the shit out of her. He was always lurking around, dressed head to toe in black. Even in summer! He had randomly showed up on Maz's door step late one night last October and had been living with her for the last year. Despite the intimidation factor, Rose was secretly grateful that someone from Maz's family had finally shown up to help the old lady out! Not to mention his presence on Fleet Street helped keep the hooligans away. They'd learned the hard way to stop egging peoples houses in the neighbourhood.

Rose turned around and looked at her summoning circle.

“Oh! Hello there.”

In the centre of the circle sat a fox. But not just any fox: A Kitsune. A large one at that. It was closer in size to a large dog than a fox. And, as Rose observed, it had all nine of its tails. She had summoned a truly ancient and wise creature. Rose knelt in front of it to let it sniff her hand. It licked at her fingertips, then rubbed its head on her hands.

“You're so cute, but how did you get here? I was supposed to get a dog...” She stood again and examined her spell book. “What could have possibly gone wrong?” she mused to herself, flipping the pages of the book absently as she wandered into the kitchen.

Her familiar, Millicent, a sleek orange tabby cat, followed after her.

Rose grabbed one of the still warm gingersnap cookies she'd baked earlier and nibbled on it while she dialed her sister.

“I don't know what went wrong, Page. I was supposed to get a dog. Instead I got a fox. And not just any fox, a Kitsune!”

“Have you double checked the spell?”

“Of course, this isn't my first summoning circle.”

“What about your spell ingredients?”

“Penny assured me everything was legit.”

“She's usually pretty good about those things. I don't know Rose, maybe you should call Hermione.”

With her spell book in one hand, her phone in the other, and the cookie in her mouth, Rose went back into her living room.

“I still have some ingredients left, maybe I should just – ahhh!!!”

Her phone, the cookie, and the book all clattered to the ground. Millicent was hissing.

“Rose? Rose, what happened? What's wrong? Rose!”

In her shock, Rose had dropped everything, and tripped over her own feet while stumbling backwards.

In the few minutes she had been in the kitchen talking to her sister, the Kitsune had transformed into a very tall human male, dressed in a finely tailored black suit. As he turned to look at her, Rose noticed how striking he was in human form. Fire red hair, piercing green eyes, and features so chiselled that Michelangelo's David would be jealous. But at he started to walk towards her, Rose scrambled backwards until she hit a wall. When she could go no further, she reached for the small Damascus blade she always kept on her, ready to use it if needed.

He crouched in front of her, hands casually resting on his knees and looked her directly in her eyes.

“Why did you summon me?”

But Rose didn't get a chance to answer. A moment later her front door slammed open with a crash, the handle leaving a dent in the wall. A couple of the family photos Rose had hanging on the wall had fallen to the floor, the glass smashing in the commotion. A black blur had tackled the man with the fire red hair and was grappling with him on the floor.

Millicent was still hissing.

“Get him, Kylo!” Maz's voice came from the doorway.

But before Rose could get out of their way, the foot of one of them accidentally caught her in the temple.

When Rose awoke, it was later in the afternoon judging by the shadows on the walls.

“Oh, you're awake!” Maz was leaning over her, changing the cloth on her forehead.

“Wha...Miss Kanata, what happened?” She glanced around the room from where she lay on her couch, and saw Kylo standing over the human Kitsune, who was tied to one of Rose's dining chairs.

“We heard you scream and rushed over to see what was going on,” Maz explained.

Kylo sheepishly glanced over at her. “I'm sorry I kicked you, Rose.”

“It's okay,” she grunted as she sat up.

“Let me go! I demand that you release me, immediately,” the Kitsune struggled under the ropes.

“I don't think so,” Kylo growled at him.

The Kitsune growled back, baring his canines.

“Gentlemen, please.” Maz chided.

“Miss Kanata, Kylo, thank you for your help, but I can take it from here.” Rose ushered her neighbours from.

“Are you sure? You took quite the knock to the head,” Maz protested. “Plus your...unexpected visitor...”

“It's fine, really.”

“Alright then. Just call us if you need anything.”

Rose nodded as she closed the door behind them. She sighed, then went back into her living room. “How did you end up here?” Rose asked her unexpected visitor.

“You summoned me, obviously.”

“I didn't mean to. I was trying to transfigure a rock.”

The Kitsune scoffed. “Well you made a fine mess of that spell.”

Rose retrieved her spell book from where Maz had placed it on one of the end tables. She flipped through the old parchment pages until she found what she was looking for. “I don't understand how it went so wrong.”

“Let me take a look.”

“No thank you.” Rose snapped the book shut.

“Listen, lady, I don't want to be here any more than you want me here. If we can figure out how you summoned me, we can figure out how to send me back.”

Rose sighed as she considered her options. Her afternoon had certainly taken quite the turn. Still, getting him out of her hair seemed like the best option.

“Very well,” she said as she cut his ropes.

Rubbing his wrists as he stood, Rose noticed again how tall he was. Then she noticed the marks the rope had left on him.

“Oh, here. Let me help you with that.” She went into the kitchen to get her healing balm.

“There's no need.” He casually passed one hand over his wrist, then did the opposite. The marks faded and any discomfort he may have been feeling along with it. He followed her silently into the kitchen and when she turned around she bumped into him.

“Oh! Sorry...” She could feel her cheeks flushing as she looked up at him. “I, um...uh...”

He cleared his throat. “May I see the spell book?” When Rose didn't answer, he glanced down at her. “The spell book, if you please.”

“Right, yes...” Rose turned away from him and grabbed the book off her kitchen counter. She opened the book to the correct page and handed him the tome. She watched as his eyes moved quickly across the pages.

“May I see the blood you used?”

“Of course,” she handed him a small vial labelled Canis.

The Kitsune pulled the cork stopper out of the bottle and sniffed at its contents.

“This isn't wolf's blood. It's vulpini.”

Rose snatched the bottle from him, examining the label. “I spent good money on this.”

“At any rate, it explains how I ended up here, and not the canine you were hoping for.”

Rose sighed and rubbed the sore spot on her temple. Then she went into the hallway and returned with an extra blanket and pillow.

“You might as well sleep on the couch while we try to figure this out.” She thrust the blanket and pillow into his arms. “Do you have a name?”

“Most people call me Your Lordship or M'lord. But for you, my dear little witch, can have the honour of calling me by my given name.”

Rose chewed on the inside of her cheek, not impressed. “Which is?”

“Armitage Hux.”

“Very well, Armitage Hux. You may call me Rose. And if you see an orange cat around, her name is Millicent. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take a shower.”

As Rose stormed off, she failed to notice the smirk on Hux's face.

Chapter Text

It had been several weeks since Hux crash landed in Rose's living room. The day following his unwanted arrival, Rose marched him down to Penny Roundtree's magical supply depot, demanding to know what had gone wrong.

Penny had been just as perplexed as Rose as to why what was labeled Wolf's Blood actually contained fox blood. She promised Rose to look into it, as nothing like that had ever happened before. She would be having strong words with her supplier.

Rose had also spoken at length with Herminoe about what happened.

“Even with fox blood, you should have gotten a regular fox, not a Kitsune. There must be more to this fox blood than we know.”

“That's what I was thinking too.”

“Is Penny looking into it?”

“Yeah, she said she'd let me know when she had answers.”

“Okay, keep me updated. I'll do some research to see if I can find anything for you.”

“Thanks Hermione.”

Rose chuckled as she hung up the phone. Of course Hermione would go and spend time researching how her spell had gone so pear-shaped. Still, if anyone could find the answer, it was Hermione. In the mean time, Rose busied herself with her work. Valentine's Day was quickly approaching and she already had a number of orders for love potions.

Hux had made himself useful to Rose during the weeks he'd involuntarily imposed himself upon her. When she realised he would be around for the foreseeable future, he helped her tidy up her spare room so he wouldn't have to keep sleeping on the couch. He took care when moving her loom to make sure she could still access her project should she want to.

When Rose was out delivering to her customers, he would take the time to tidy the chaos of her kitchen. It always looked like a pair of Jinn had been fighting in the kitchen when she finished. One time he had made the mistake of commenting that mise en place would make things a lot easier for her, as she seemed to spend half the time looking for the very tool she had just used, because it was under something else.

The look he had recieved in return made him glad she wasn't a Gorgon. Even his most powerful magic wouldn't have been able to prevent him from becoming stone due to the look of utter irritation on her face.

“It's a process!” she'd yelled at him as he quickly retreated from the kitchen, empty tea mug in his hand.

On the Saturday before Valentine's Day, Rose was busy creating her usual chaos in the kitchen. Hux sat in the cozy chair by the fire that he'd claimed for himself, Millie sleeping at his feet. She had come around to the idea of his presence in the house, but at best it would be described as 'tolerated'.

Hux flipped through the weekend's paper. He had already read through it earlier that day, but he knew better than to step foot into the kitchen while Rose was working on her potions. If there was one thing he'd quickly come to enjoy about the mortal realm, it was tea. Specifically the mango green tea that Rose seemed to always have in large supply. The flowery mango flavour offset the slight bitterness of the green tea.

He glanced down at his empty tea mug and sighed.

Maybe...

Just this once...

He carefully stalked to the kitchen and stood in the doorway, holding his empty mug.

Rose was wearing her wireless earbuds, dancing to whatever music she was listening to.

As always, the kitchen was an absolute mess and Hux cringed and the idea of having to clean it up. Something had spilled on the stove and was burnt on. Something else had clearly dried while in the pot and looked like it was going to need a long soak to get it off. Dishes where everywhere, cooking spoons scattered across the counter.

And what was that?

Was...was something splattered on the wall?

Yes.

Yes it was.

He shook his head and sighed.

In all his years, he had never known someone as chaotic as Rose. And yet, despite her initial irritation at his presence in her home, he had come to learn what a big heart she had. There had been many nights where she would stay up late researching what materials she needed to create a poultice to help an old lady's arthritis, or what ingredients she needed for an emergency potion. On more than one occasion he had risen in the middle of the night with the intent of shifting to stalk the neighbourhood, only to find her asleep, surrounded by ancient, leather bound tomes.

And every time, he used his Kitsune magic to carry her to bed without waking her. Gods forbid her wrath should he accidentally wake her. He would tuck her in, then return to where she had been working. Hux would carefully mark the pages the books had been open to, before tidying them to his satisfaction.

In the mornings when he returned, he would find her at the kitchen table. With tea ready, she would mutter her thanks before going about her day.

Hux leaned on the door frame and chuckled as he watched Rose dance awkwardly around her kitchen, completely unaware of his presence.

What was that saying the humans had? Dance like nobody is watching?

Rose was certainly doing just that. And just as she turned around, belting out the lyrics to Sweet Caroline's chorus, she caught sight of him smirking at her from the doorway.

The sight of Hux startled her so much, she screamed and dropped the bottle in her hands. The bottle smashed, and its contents oozed their way across the floor.

“What are you doing?! You scared me!”

“I just wanted some fresh tea...” He held up his mug, indicating it was empty.

“Ugh, fine.” Rose grabbed the kettle off the stove and shoved it at him.

Its contents were stone cold, but Hux knew better than to push his luck.

Later that evening, after Rose returned from her deliveries and Hux had cleaned the kitchen for her, they sat in the living room, unwinding. Rose had her nose in another spell book, while Hux was attempting what the humans called Sudoku. He had discovered it on the back pages of the newspaper, along with a few comics and a crossword puzzle.

In his peripheral vision, something moved subtly, his keen Kitsune eyes picking up the small movement. He glanced down.

“Rose, by chance did you attempt a multiplication spell?”

“What? No. Why do you ask?”

“Millicent appears to have doubled.”

Rose looked up from her book to where Hux was indicating. At his feet in front of the fire, lay not one, but two orange tabby cats.

“Oh, that's Goose. Her owner is frequently away for work, so she often hangs around here.”

Hux narrowed his eyes at the new cat. There was something odd about Goose that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

“Would you like some tea?” Hux asked.

“Sure. There's some fresh milk in the fridge.”

He nodded at her, then went into the kitchen. While the water boiled, Hux opened the fridge to grab the milk, thinking it was odd at how much milk she had bought. Several bottles sat on the main shelf of the fridge.

Hux grabbed the nearest one and poured its contents into their mugs, before replacing the cork stopper and putting it back in the fridge. While the water continued to boil, he grabbed the loose leaf tea and filled two, whimsical Loch Ness monster shaped tea infusers.

Though he had used them several times, he never ceased to laugh at them. Cryptids were more real than the humans seemed to realize.

When the water finished boiling, he poured it into the mugs, making sure to pour it directly over the tea infusers. It was, in his less than humble opinion, the best way to start the steeping process.

Once he was satisfied, Hux returned to the living room and handed Rose her mug.

“Thanks,” she mumbled, not looking up from her book.

“What are you working on tonight?”

Rose held up the heavy book for him to see the title. “I'm trying to figure out how we can send you back. I mean, surely you're eager to return.”

“True. I was about to finally ascend.”

“But you have all your tails, why haven't you already?”

“It's complicated,” Hux sipped at his tea for distraction in the hopes that Rose would leave the subject alone.

“Oh, this tea is good. What kind did you grab?”

“Just the usual.”

“Really? It tastes better than normal.” Rose sipped eagerly at her tea.

Hux sipped his tea again, silently agreeing that it did taste better than normal. Perhaps it was just the nature of the season that made it taste better. Or perhaps it was the company.

As the tea warmed his belly, Hux drifted off to sleep in his chair. When he awoke a few hours later, it was past midnight. Millicent and Goose had disappeared somewhere. The fire had died down to mere embers. As usual, Rose had fallen asleep on the couch with her book. Using his powers, he carried her to bed and tucked her in. When he returned downstairs, he picked up her book to mark the page as he always did.

She had been looking at a particularly powerful spell. One that could potentially blow up half the neighbourhood if it went wrong.

Hux felt an odd pang of sorrow in his gut. He didn't want to leave the little witch.

Caught off guard by sentimental feelings that were foreign to him, he shook it off.

Hux let himself outside, carefully closing the door behind him and shifted into his fox form.

It had snowed during the night while Hux was out, and when he returned he found Rose not in the kitchen with their morning tea like he usually did. Instead, he found her outside in the back yard making tiny snowmen. They only stood about a foot tall because it hadn't snowed enough to make them any taller.

He watched her from the patio door as she rolled a small ball of snow and placed it precariously on top of another. Using her bare hands, she clumsily crafted it a pair of pointy ears and an awkwardly pointed nose.

“There you are,” she said when she caught sight of him. “Look, I made us!” she pointed to a pair of small snowmen. The twigs she had used for arms were holding hands.

“Indeed you have,” Hux said as he walked closer to take a look.

“It's a bit childish, but it's fun,” Rose laughed. “I grew up were we had snow eight months of the year, so the few times every winter it does snow here, I always need to make these.”

Hux nodded, about to comment, when he noticed Rose flexing her hands. They were bright red from handling the cold snow.

“Rose! You need to look after yourself,” he scolded, quickly taking her hands in his. He held them for a moment, trying to warm them with his own body heat. He then rubbed them vigorously with his own hands in an attempt to generate heat from the friction.

“Hux...” Rose said, breathlessly, as he blew on her hands.

“Rose, your hands are freezing.” His gaze shifted from her hands to her face, where he noticed her ears were also red from the cold. “Your ears...”

“Nope, my ears are fine!” Rose pulled her hands away from his and put them over her ears before running back into the house.

As she slammed the patio door behind her, he glanced down at his own bare hands, then back at the door, dumbfounded and confused.

What did I do? He wondered as his own stomach flipped and somersaulted, as if a kaleidoscope of butterflies had been released in his belly.