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Eli rounded the corner, relieved beyond belief to find the dark corridor empty. The vice grip he had on his training blaster relaxed only slightly as he resumed his position, back against the wall, edging towards the intersection ahead with as much stealth as he could muster. Combat training was an area he didn’t particularly pride himself in, and his nerves were certainly not helping him concentrate on his goal: to make it to the exit of this maze “alive”.
A sound – a footstep, he thought – drew his attention back the way he came. Eli’s stealth tactic (what he preferred to call it instead of ‘running away’) had worked up until now, but he knew they were still in the early game, and he was bound to run into other cadets on his way out. He bit back his apprehension and raised his training blaster, squaring his stance as he moved towards the source of the noise.
Eli heard it again, just around the corner he had passed only moments earlier. He took one tentative step forward, then another; his finger hovering precariously over the trigger of his weapon, heart hammering in his ears, when suddenly –
“Thrawn?” The Chiss stepped into his sights, his normal air of confidence apparently unshaken even when staring down the barrel of a blaster. The indicator light affixed to his uniform was still off, signifying he’d made it this far through the exercise unscathed, just as Eli had; though Eli certainly wouldn’t have expected anything else from Thrawn. Glad to be able to lower his guard, Eli let himself relax, bringing his weapon back to rest at his side.
“Cadet Vanto,” Thrawn replied coolly. Eli was still working on deciphering Thrawn’s facial expressions, but he was convinced that the Chiss had just smiled at him. Not even in a devious or plotting way, either.
“This way,” Thrawn said before Eli could get any other comments in, motioning further down the corridor with his training blaster. Eli wasn’t sure why Thrawn would want to help him during what was supposed to be a solo exercise, but they owed each other enough as it was. Despite his misgivings, he simply followed, giving a cursory glance behind to make sure no other cadets were lurking. Whatever Thrawn’s plan was, it wasn’t shaping up to be a very good one, as they quickly found themselves trapped in a dead ended corridor.
“What - ” Eli began impatiently, but was quickly silenced as Thrawn’s lips captured his without any warning. The logical part of his mind screamed at him, telling him how wrong this was, that he should stop, should get away, but… he didn’t listen. Something about the kiss was exhilarating; the feeling of his back pressed firmly against the wall, Thrawn’s fingers gripping his shoulders through the now crumpled fabric of his uniform, those cool lips working against Eli’s mouth, coaxing it to open, and –
The sound of a blaster bolt resounded through the hallway, pulling Eli halfway back to reality and breaking the kiss. Thrawn’s face was still far too close to his, their foreheads resting together as the Chiss looked down between them.
Right at the muzzle of his blaster pressed into Eli’s chest.
“Never let your guard down during battle,” Thrawn said simply, clapping him on the shoulder brusquely. The muted red pulse of Eli’s now active indicator light illuminated his daze as he watched Thrawn take off down the corridor without another word.