Work Text:
Thrawn half supported, half carried an extremely inebriated Commander Vanto from where he had found him in the Officer’s Lounge through the corridors of the Chimaera to his own quarters. He could not in good conscience leave Eli to his own devices - even assuming the man did not asphyxiate in his sleep, he would be completely useless tomorrow given how much he had drunk if he was not under constant care to clear the alcohol from his system. The call home, Thrawn surmised, had not gone well.
Taking Eli through his living space to his to his bedroom - where he could more easily watch over him, he told himself - Thrawn lowered Eli into a sitting position on his bed. He knelt down and reached for Eli's leg, pulling off one boot, then the other.
“Sir. Hey, Sir.”
“Yes, Eli?” Thrawn was fine using his name - Eli would not remember him having done so. Eli might not even remember the night entire.
“I love you five-ever.” Eyes glassy, Eli broke into a wide smile, swaying slightly. Thrawn paused, his hands on Eli’s tunic. Between his native accent and the copious amounts of drink, Eli's words were slurred to the point he was barely understandable. Luckily, Thrawn was very experienced in deciphering Eli at this point. Unluckily, he still make no sense whatsoever.
“Excuse me? Five.. ever?”
“Yeah. Five-ever. It’s more than four-ever.” Eli paused a beat. “Get it? Four-ever? Forever?”
“Ah. Yes. A joke. Very amusing.” It was not, but that didn’t stop Eli from cackling. Thrawn suppressed a sigh as he pulled Eli’s completely uncooperative arms from his tunic and went to get him a glass of water.
"FIVE-EVER!!" Eli shouted after him.
It was going to be a long night.