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He couldn’t believe how tired he was. It was a struggle just to keep his eyes open, and several times now he had startled when he realized that Admiral Thrawn had been speaking. Thankfully, it seemed that each time Thrawn was merely commenting more than anything, not expecting a reply or a suggestion from his aide. Even so, the rush of adrenaline was enough to wake him up a little bit each time.
But then the exhaustion hit again. He glanced at the time, blinking blearily at the datapad in his hand. Well, at least it was nearly the end of shift.
“Commander?”
Eli straightened immediately, looking up to find that Thrawn had started down the command walkway and was half turned toward him, eyebrow raised questioningly.
“Oh! Sorry, sir. Coming.” He hastily dropped the datapad to his side and hurried to follow after the admiral. Thrawn watched curiously for a moment before continuing onward, leading the two of them off the bridge. There was still over half an hour left before Eli could head back to his quarters. Where were they going now? Obviously he had missed something else.
Perhaps he had caught something while they were on that jungle moon. He couldn’t even remember the name of it right now. All he could remember was that it had been hot and humid and filled with bugs and slimy creatures. His health check had come back clean after they returned, but maybe it was a delayed reaction. Or maybe he was just overworked. He had been pulling a lot of long hours lately.
Raising his head, he saw that they were now in the secondary command center. He frowned, wondering why they would have come here. Thrawn strode to his chair, leaning over the controls in the armrest. A moment later, the room filled with holographic art, paintings and sculpts and reliefs. Eli wilted slightly. Was that all? They were here to look at art? Again? And why did Eli have to be here? Thrawn was usually content to do this part on his own. Dragging his steps slowly, he made his own way to the command chair, coming to a stop just a few feet away.
Thrawn’s gaze was already focused on the nearest pieces, but instead of settling himself in the chair, he approached the hologram, studying it from every angle. Eli stared blankly after him, focusing all his own energy on remaining upright. Thrawn moved slowly from piece to piece, not saying a word, merely inspecting the artwork silently, his glowing red eyes taking in every detail.
Eli glanced at the large padded chair. Perhaps he could sit for just a moment, take some of the pressure off his feet. He flicked his gaze briefly at Thrawn, but the Chiss was wholly absorbed in his observations. Surely he wouldn’t mind. Cautiously, Eli lowered himself onto the chair, feeling his entire body relax the moment it touched the surprisingly comfortable surface.
Yes, just a moment. He would just close his eyes for a quick second and be up again before Thrawn even noticed.
~~~~~
Thrawn had been curious when Eli followed him, particularly after Thrawn had given him leave to end his shift early and go rest. The young commander was clearly exhausted. Perhaps he had something he wished to speak with Thrawn about.
But no. He merely stood beside the command chair wordlessly, gazing around at the holograms filling the room.
It had not even been five minutes before Thrawn realized that Eli was no longer beside the chair. Frowning, he turned, his gaze sweeping the room, wondering where he might have gone.
Ah.
His expression smoothed out as he stepped up beside the chair. Curled up on one side, his head resting on his arm in the crook of the chair, lay Eli. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was even, indicating that he had fallen asleep. Thrawn tilted his head.
“Commander?”
There was no response. He knelt down, moving closer.
“Commander Vanto?” He kept his voice low and calm, putting just a tiny bit more urgency in it. Still nothing. Eli was deeply asleep.
Reaching up, Thrawn brushed the hair from Eli’s forehead, resting the back of his hand briefly against the skin there. “Eli?” He could see that the human’s core temperature was higher than normal, and the touch only confirmed what he already knew. However, it was not dangerously high. He was most likely fighting off a slight infection, possibly aggravated by their recently busy schedule. A quick visit to the medbay should help, but at the moment rest was the best option.
However, he could not sleep here. When he did not react to Thrawn’s touch on his shoulder, Thrawn took a deep breath, setting his resolve. With careful movements, he slid his arms under and around Eli, lifting him gently from the chair. A moment later, he was settled against Thrawn’s chest, his head on Thrawn’s shoulder, his arms folded over his own torso and his legs dangling over Thrawn’s arm. With slow, deliberate steps, Thrawn made his way to the door and out into the hallway.
It was empty. He moved steadily down the corridor, making his way toward the officers’ quarters.
“Sir!”
Thrawn stopped, turning toward the voice. An officer from the bridge hurried toward him, skidding to a halt when he saw Eli. Thrawn inclined his head. “He is uninjured,” he explained calmly. “Merely indisposed at the moment. How can I help you, Lieutenant?”
“You weren’t answering your comlink, sir,” the lieutenant said. “Something came up that requires your attention on the bridge.”
Thrawn nodded. “Very well. I will make my way shortly.”
The lieutenant’s eyes shifted to Eli for a moment before he bowed slightly. “Yes, sir.” He spun and walked briskly away.
Thrawn’s own quarters were the closest, and it appeared that he wouldn’t be retiring any time soon. Without a second thought, he carried Eli to his own room, settling the commander on his own bed. He paused a moment, then reached down to pull Eli’s boots off gently, settling him into a more comfortable position before covering him with the blanket. He allowed his fingers to brush against Eli’s cheek before turning away.
~~~~~
When Eli awoke, it took him a moment to realize that he wasn’t in his own bed. He sat up with a start, staring at the room around him.
No, this wasn’t his room. This was the admiral’s quarters. The admiral’s quarters!
He gasped, quickly pushing himself to the edge of the bed. How had he gotten here? The last thing he remembered was being in the secondary command center with Thrawn. He had—
Oh.
He felt his face go hot with shame. He must have fallen asleep in the chair. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair. And if he didn’t remember anything else, then Thrawn must have brought him here.
He just hoped nobody else saw.
He glanced downward at the floor. His boots sat there, waiting for him. Looking down at himself, he discovered that sleeping in his uniform had left it well and truly rumpled. He sighed again, running his hands over the fabric uselessly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something on the nightstand beside the bed. Two somethings. One was a glass of water. The other was his datapad. He reached over and grabbed the pad, flicking it on to see how much power it had left.
A note had been left on it.
Commander Vanto:
I apologize for leaving you here unexpectedly. You appeared to be exhausted and possibly unwell. Please visit medbay before returning to your duties and take what rest you need.
Admiral Thrawn
Eli smiled grimly. Well, at least Thrawn hadn’t been offended. And the trip to the medbay wouldn’t be a bad idea. His head felt like it was full of cotton, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to make it through another day without something to help. Downing the glass of water, he pulled on his boots, straightened the bed, and grabbed his datapad, making his way to the door and hoping no one saw him leave the admiral’s private quarters.
That would stir up the rumor mill for sure.