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Looking at Thrawn now, you wouldn’t know he had spent a full two hours glowering and huffing and attempting every trick he could think of short of pulling rank to keep himself on the Chimaera and off the glorious, pristine beach he had ended up on. The weather was sunny and perfect, the sand black and silky underfoot. Vanto, Faro, Hammerly, and Pyrondi were playing in the warm blue water, Pyrondi on Faro’s shoulders and Vanto on Hammerly’s, with Lomar and Agral cheering them on. Thrawn himself had spent some time swimming with them, then had retreated to a towel spread out on the sand. It was there he was lounging and enjoying the warmth of the sun, though he would have denied that fact had anyone accused him of it.
Loud shrieks and a louder splash drew his attention, one eye cracking open to lazily investigate; Pyrondi and Faro were cheering, Hammerly and Vanto were rising from the water sputtering and laughing. Thrawn huffed a laugh of his own and turned over, resting his forehead on his arms. Agral lifted Hammerly for the next round as Vanto left the water, heading back up the beach to check on the Grand Admiral. He knew Thrawn was accustomed to colder climates and wanted to be sure he was tolerating the sun okay; the last thing they needed was Thrawn to get heatstroke. They would never get him off the ship again.
The beach was crowded and a number of people seemed to be staring at Thrawn as they walked past where he lay. It made Eli mad; he expected that in the heart of the empire, but Thrawn was hardly the only nonhuman here. Tensed and ready to tell off some especially giggly people passing by, the impulse died when he laid eyes on Thrawn. The Chiss was stretched out on his stomach, the flexing muscles of his back on full display; his skin had darkened from its usual milky cerulean to a rich shade of sapphire under the sun. Beads of sweat ran down his limbs in between the gusts of cooling breezes, flowing along the muscles of his arms and legs. His toes were curled in the sand, his feet flexing every so often. And his swimming trunks were discarded on the ground next to him, giving a full view of his tight, muscular ass to anyone and everyone passing by.
“Sir.” Eli snached up the cloth and draped it over Thrawn’s backside. “Put your swimsuit back on.”
Thrawn lifted his head, glancing down at the trunks then up at Eli. “Commander? I am not swimming. And I will have.. tan lines..? if I wear clothing while lying in the sun, will I not?”
Eli nodded at the correct term, but his expression was no less stern as he replied. “You can’t be naked on this beach, Sir. Put those back on.” It was a great view, but not one meant for the entire planet to see, damnit. “No one will be able to tell you have tan lines. All you wear is a full uniform or workout gear, and they’ll be covered.”
Thrawn frowned, then rolled over with a soft sigh, trunks in hand; now instead of his back, it was his tight abs and shapely chest that were on display, not to mention his uncovered groin. Thank goodness for Chiss biological differences; only the hint of Thrawn’s closed slit indicated there might be something more there to see, and he wasn’t that comfortable yet.
“SIR. Honestly.” Eli hissed the words, scandalized; he had seen Thrawn in states of undress before, but not so blatantly.
Thrawn shook his head, but slowly pulled his trunks back on as directed. Now he would have miscolored patches of skin where the cloth covered him, and even if no one else knew, he would. Humans really had no appreciation for aesthetics.