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“Are we in a rut?”
The question comes out of nowhere. It is a little before seven in the morning on a Monday and it could have been any Monday. Eli rose at the same time he always does, took a quick shower to allow for Thrawn to take a longer one. Eli made breakfast for the both of them—fruit, eggs, and toast—and now here they sit, cups of cacco in hand, plates mostly empty, time ticking down to when they have to head to Taharim to lead lessons for the day.
“A rut?”
Eli nods. “Yeah, you know,” he makes a vague gesture with his hand, “stuck in a routine.”
Thrawn gawks at him. For so long their lives have been tumultuous and, if he is being honest with himself, he is grateful for the reprieve. For so long, their lives have been filled with near-death experiences and political webs, but now they are two professors. At first it was a difficult adjustment. There is no need for a warrior in times of peace, but now he knows peace intimately and he is not willing to stray. “Routines are vital for function,” Thrawn hedges.
“I know,” Eli agrees, though he looks pained. “I'm just asking, are we in too much of a routine?”
“How so?”
“We get up at the same time every day. We go to work, pretend we don't know each other, come home and do our own activities. I make dinner. We go to bed at the same time. Thrawn, we fuck on Wednesdays and Saturdays.”
“We do not.” He knows as soon as he says it that Eli is right. His brain excels in pattern recognition. If anyone would know the patterns of their lives, it would be him.
“We do.”
Thrawn suddenly feels uneasy. Their relationship was forged in chaos, in military service. Maybe this tranquil life isn't enough. “Are you not happy?”
“What? Of course I'm happy! I'm just,” Eli sighs, “Maybe I just need a vacation.”
“You're what?” Thrawn presses, fearing the answer. Unhappy.
“Bored. I feel restless.”
“I see.”
“Don't you feel the same?”
“I do not.”
“Oh.”
Silence stretches. Thrawn's heartbeat rings out in his ears.
“Forget I said anything,” he says and stands to collect their plates. “I'm going to brush my teeth and then I'll be ready to go.”
Thrawn watches him. He has known Eli in many phases of life. He knows when he is upset or frustrated. It is in the knit of his brow. It is there now.
Thrawn grabs his questis and calls his office. He explains to his assistant that he is under the weather and that he will not be in. Then, he calls Eli’s assistant and relays the same fabrication.
He moves into the bedroom where Eli is brushing his teeth in the attached bathroom and leans against the doorway while he undoes the sealing strips of his tunic.
Eli catches his eyes in the mirror and turns around. “You okay?”
“We are not going to work today.”
“We aren't?”
“No.”
A smile splits across his face. “What are we doing instead?”
Thrawn hums, shrugging out of his tunic as Eli crows his space. “We will see where the day takes us.”
Eli reaches up to wrap his arms around Thrawn’s neck. “I know where I'd like to start.”
“Then I will allow you to lead the way.”
With a soft chuckle, Eli kisses him.