Eli's sleep in his childhood bed had been restful. After so many years on military cots, he'd almost forgotten what a proper mattress felt like. In fact, his sleep had been so good, it was nearly enough to make up for the mess that was last night.
Talking with his parents in the living room had led nowhere. Jerrod and Brandi were both drinking, which didn't help. Jerrod ranted about how no one listened to his authority, Brandi complained that no one listened to her in general, and Eli and Mala took turns pacifying both of them.
Somehow, the conversation turned to what Eli was going to do when his six year contract ended with the Navy. Eli had confessed he wasn't sure if he would renew or not, and his parents exploded. How dare he not want to join the family business? If he wasn't going to help them score Imperial contracts as a supply officer, why was he still a soldier? Did it have something to do with Thrawn's presence on their home planet? Eli fielded dozens of prying questions, determined not to say anything that would set his parents off.
By midnight, getting their parents to bed wasn't that different from luring Micah to sleep. The only major difference was Eli's choice of bedtime story. Instead of dramatizing his time in the Navy, Eli recalled the family's trip on a vacation space cruise seven years ago.
Once their parents shuffled off to bed, Mala and Eli shared a silent high five before crashing in their rooms upstairs. Sleep was a relief, but the morning brought a new host of problems.
Sometime during the night, Brandi had gotten it into her head that tomorrow couldn't be a normal family day. Because Thrawn was coming over, she wanted to show off what an amazing mother she was. That meant Eli had to gulp down his breakfast before joining his mother in the kitchen where they made "all his favorite things" together. Jerrod ran off for something work-related, and Mala used Micah as an excuse to get out of joining either parent. Technically, she had only promised to help Eli with their father.
Brandi shoved her spare apron into Eli's chest. Once he put it on, she filled his hands with a pan and a bag of thawed meat. "How did you sleep, dear? You still look tired."
"I slept great, Mom." Eli wished he were still sleeping now.
"Oh good! You still love your room, don't you?"
"It's just like I remember it." From when he was sixteen.
Brandi smiled over her work gathering vegetables onto the cutting board. "Good. You don't spend enough time at home, Eli. The Xandeys have a son in the Navy too, you know. He takes leave at home twice as often as you do."
"Leave requests have to get approved, Mom. How often a soldier can take them depends on where they're stationed, what work they're doing, and-"
"And who their commander is?" Brandi raised an eyebrow.
Eli sighed. Might as well nip this in the bud now. "Captain Thrawn does not have final say over my shore leave. He can recommend me for leave, but it has to be approved by someone higher up."
His mother scoffed. "Well, he doesn't recommend you enough. I'm going to make sure he knows that once he gets here."
"Please don't." Eli thought Thrawn recommended him for leave an appropriate amount. If Eli spent too much time away from the Thunder Wasp, they would never accomplish their objectives. He still had hope of being promoted one day, and the Empire didn't promote officers they saw as lazy.
"Oh no! I'm out of your favorite broth." Brandi changed the subject. "Can you keep things going in here, Eli? I'll be back in a few minutes. We'll have the best meal you've eaten since joining the Navy."
"You don't have to do that Mom, we have the other broth in the-" Brandi waltzed out the room, "...fridge."
Eli groaned. His mom ultimately meant well. Cooking the foods she remembered him liking was her way of showing love. Eli just wished she didn't make him do all the work for it.
He hadn't cooked much of anything in the past five years. Eli was bound to mess something up, and he knew he would have to contend with grief from his whole family when he did. All on a day of shore leave when his only goal had been to relax.
"Well. What do I do now?" Might as well pan-cook the meat, he supposed. He scraped the leftover grime off the surface of their old stove before turning the burner on. The smell of burnt crumbs overtook the air.
Shortly after Brandi drove off in her speeder, Thrawn and Ennis arrived at the Vanto homestead. Eli heard the boom of his uncle's voice before he saw anyone. When the two men stepped into the kitchen to greet Eli, Eli stopped over the stove mid-meat flip.
"Hey there, stranger! How's the cooking?" Ennis was laughing and smiling as usual, but his right eye was covered in black bruising.
Eli lurched forward, nearly dropping the meat on his spatula. "What happened to you?"
Ennis's hand flew up to his injured eye. "Oh, it's nothing. I got up early this morning to chop some firewood and walked right into a tree branch. Nearly poked my own eye out!"
Tree branches didn't cause black eyes. Not big ones like that. Eli furrowed his brow, confused as to why his uncle would lie to him. He was about to press the matter further when he caught Thrawn's eye. Thrawn shook his head ever so slightly.
Hm. Eli would have to question Thrawn later. For now, he had kitchen duty. "And what about you, sir? How was your stay with my uncle?"
"His lodgings are deceptively elaborate. The craftsmanship is quite advanced. Particularly impressive given that he is self-taught in the ways of carpentry."
Ennis's smile was thinner than it had been yesterday. "You're a tease and a flirt, Captain."
Silence. Sensing that his comment had made things awkward, Ennis returned to an earlier question of his. "What are you making, Eli? Why just you in here?"
"Mom ran to the store for some broth. She wanted to make sure I ate my favorite meal while I was on shore leave."
"You're cooking your own welcome present? That's a new one for Brandi." Ennis stepped closer. He peeked over Eli's shoulder. "Well, then. Why don't I just-"
"You can't catch me!" Micah raced through the doorway to the kitchen. He wasn't watching where he was running. As a result, Micah ran right into Thrawn's knees. "Ow! Sorry, U- ooh!"
Micah's eyes went wide as he stared up at Thrawn. To reduce his intimidation factor, Thrawn bent down to the boy's level, smiling as he did so. "Good morning, young Vanto. My name is Thrawn. What is your name?"
The little boy stared into Thrawn's eyes, dumbfounded. "You're… You're Captain Thrawn. You fight pirates."
"I have in the past," Thrawn confirmed. "And you are?"
"Micah! Get out of the kitchen. Uncle Eli is… cooking in there," Mala called after her son. Her sentence slowed as she stepped into the now-crowded kitchen. Her eyes landed on Thrawn kneeling before her son. "Good morning, Captain. Uncle. I didn't hear you come in."
Thrawn rose to his feet, smiling at Micah as he did. "Good morning, Ms. Vanto. You have a lovely child."
Mala glanced at Eli. He shrugged. She turned back to Thrawn. "Thank you. He's a handful."
"Will you tell me more pirate stories? Uncle Eli told me one last night, but now he's hiding in the kitchen."
Yes. Hiding. Eli would much rather be bonding with his nephew than slaving over a skillet.
"I would be happy to tell you more. Come, let us allow your uncle some peace."
Micah followed eagerly after Thrawn. Mala stayed on the pair's tail to make sure her son stayed in line. This left Eli and Ennis alone in the kitchen.
Ennis took over the stovetop while Eli finished chopping the vegetables. The pair had cooked together numerous times in Ennis's cabin. It was all coming back to Eli now.
"What really happened to your eye, Uncle?"
Ennis shrugged. "I got a little too friendly with your captain last night. He made me put a sock in it. By socking me."
That didn't make sense. Thrawn wasn't a violent person. Eli had seen him keep his cool with Imperials who treated him a million times worse than Ennis had. He'd never assaulted any of them.
Eli thought back to last night. He remembered the way Ennis had kept trying to touch Thrawn. How uncomfortable it had been for the Chiss.
After all those minor incidents, Thrawn had still gone to bed sharing a residence with Ennis. Maybe Ennis had cornered Thrawn by accident. Given him the wrong impression. The whole thing could have been a misunderstanding.
Eli knew his uncle. Ennis didn't mean anything by his touches. He'd always been open with his affection towards strangers. Still, Eli understood why Thrawn might have taken it the wrong way. Eli had warned him about men showing "too much affection" on Lysatra, after all.
Eli assumed that was all there was to it until his dad waltzed into the kitchen. He'd just gotten back from a last-minute trip to the family warehouse. When Jerrod saw his brother's black eye, all he had to say was, "you did it again, didn't you?"
"Shut up, Jerry."
Jerrod did not shut up. "Get out front with me. We need to talk." He nodded to his son. "Business stuff."
Before Eli could respond, the two men took their conversation outside. There went Eli's only helper in the kitchen. His mother had yet to return from her errand. What was taking her so long, anyway?
Eli stewed on his thoughts as lunch simmered beneath him. This was not how he thought his shore leave would start. He spent an indeterminate amount of time alone in the kitchen when Thrawn slipped back into the room with him.
"Your nephew looks up to you. His love for you is… charming."
Eli smiled despite himself. "Micah is a good kid. My sister does a good job with him."
"Indeed." Thrawn stood behind Eli, their torsos a hair's breadth from touching. Warmth radiated onto Eli's neck and back. "What meal are you making?"
Eli licked his lips. Between the body heat on his back and the steam on his face, the kitchen was getting hot. "It's a local stew. My mom made it a lot when I was a kid."
"The meal is sentimental to the two of you. Or so your mother believes."
"Yeah." The heat was unbearable. Eli had to step away. "Excuse me. I need to get some spices from the pantry."
He stepped around Thrawn, heart racing faster than was appropriate. The Vanto food pantry was large, one Eli could walk into and close the door behind him. As a kid, Eli had hid from Mala several times in that tiny room. Eli pulled the cord for the light as he stepped inside.
Big as the pantry was, it did not comfortably accommodate two grown men. Eli discovered this firsthand when Thrawn stepped into the pantry behind him. The door stayed cracked behind Thrawn's back. "What are you doing?"
Thrawn blinked, innocent. "Helping you find your spices. You seem overwhelmed with meal preparation."
Oh. Of course. Eli's shoulders relaxed at the news. "Okay, they should be on the shelf right here. I need…"
Eli listed off the spices he was searching for. Thrawn grabbed a few off the top shelf, past where Eli could reach comfortably. Why Eli's mother stored spices in places she needed a stool to reach was a mystery no one in the household could solve.
Once they had everything, Thrawn made an offhand comment. "I wonder what I shall do tonight, given that you elected to forego our schedule."
Eli shuddered. Just the mention of their private schedule was enough to stain Eli's thoughts. "I didn't want to cancel. I had to. For the safety of us both."
"I understand." Thrawn laid a free hand on Eli's shoulder. In a shockingly affectionate twist, he planted a soft kiss on Eli's brow. "Thank you again for inviting me to your home planet, Eli. Despite all the stress it causes you, I am grateful to experience a type of homestead again."
A soft daze spread over Eli's face. It was as if the kiss had vaporized all the frustration Eli felt that morning. "You're welcome."
The pounding of feet outside broke Eli out of his reverie. He and Thrawn poured out of the pantry, spices in hand. Eli scanned the room for their newest visitor. When they returned to the kitchen, the room was empty.
A second later, Brandi came in with a carton of broth. "There you are, Eli! Why is the Captain here with you?"
"He offered to help prepare lunch." Just like that, the tension from before was back in Eli's shoulders.
"He's a guest. Guests don't do kitchen work."
How Eli wished he counted as a guest in this house. He turned to Thrawn. "Thank you for your help, Captain. If you would wait in the living room, I'm sure Micah would be thrilled to hear more of your Navy stories."
Thrawn nodded, then silently made his retreat. Now that his mother was back in the kitchen, lunch was back on track. Eli and Brandi had no further interruptions that morning.
Once they had their meal for seven prepared and the table set, Brandi corralled everyone around a long oval table, hand carved from local wood. Mala confiscated a fist full of candy from her son's hands, demanding to know where he got it and receiving no answer. Jerrod took his seat at the head of the table, Ennis to his left and Brandi to his right. Micah sat between his mother and grandmother on a booster seat, pushing Eli to the other side of the table. Still concerned about putting Thrawn too close to Ennis, Eli chose the spot to his uncle's left. One empty chair sat at the foot of the table.
Jerrod took food for himself first. He tasted it, then smiled at his wife and son. "It's good."
Eli beamed back. His mother demurred, clearly pleased. "I'm glad you like it, dear."
Once that was over, everyone else was able to get what food they wanted from the center of the table. Eli bit eagerly into his meal, relishing the taste of home. Thanks to his mother's intervention, everything tasted just right.
"Grandma! Why did you make stew? I don't like stew," Micah complained after his mother heaped a serving onto his plate.
"Your Uncle Eli likes stew. We made it for him because he's visiting."
Micah made a disgusted face at Eli. "You like icky stuff."
"Micah! Don't be rude," Mala scolded him.
Eli laughed. He really should spend more time with his nephew.
Brandi watched her husband warily. "Is everything okay at the warehouse, Jerry? You seemed rushed this morning."
"It's fine. I was responding to a message from your sisters. Some Imperial contractors wanted to cease negotiations for our future contract because they heard we were facing smuggling charges. I had to run out there to our long range holocom and convince them the charges were krayt spit." Jerrod shook his head. "In one year, that contract has the potential to become half our business by volume. We can't afford to lose them."
"You know, if you hadn't canceled your contract on Batuu, the business wouldn't be so reliant on a single potential client." Ennis spoke with his mouth full, not meeting Jerrod's eyes. "Why bother trying to muscle further in on the Outer Rim when no one on our level is operating in Wild Space? We should be expanding away from the core, not towards it. There's less competition that way. More opportunities too. That's why our grandfather moved out here in the first place."
"And if you ran the business, you could make those calls. But you don't." Jerrod shut his brother down.
Eli groaned. Not this again. Almost every time his father and uncle got together, they argued about the company. When Eli was a kid, Ennis would come to Jerrod with all sorts of ideas and deals. More often than not, Jerrod rejected them. It wasn't always clear why.
"Why did your father choose you to run the family business, Mr. Vanto?" Thrawn asked.
Jerrod tensed at the question. His fist closed around a steak knife, turning tan knuckles white. "And what's that supposed to mean, Captain?"
Shrug. "Simple curiosity. If both you and your brother are active in the company, why not run it as partners?"
"We would have, but I got into some legal trouble when I was around Eli's age. Nothing violent, but it cost me my… reputation." Ennis took a long swig of water, then hung his head. "That's when I moved out of the city limits as well."
Brandi swallowed a bite of food, then shook her head. "You should be grateful your father left you with a job at all. Jerry lets you keep it, too."
Jerrod slammed his fist on the table, causing Eli to flinch. "Let's not talk about this. If you want to finish your lunch, Captain, no more curiosity. Am I clear?"
Thrawn gauged Eli's reaction, his expression unreadable. When he turned back to Jerrod, he offered a small nod. "Of course."
Ennis's criminal record… to this day, Eli didn't know what crime his uncle had committed. Years before Eli had been born, his grandfather, Paul Vanto, had paid local authorities to seal the record. In exchange for Ennis moving into the woods by himself, the community agreed to erase the incident from collective memory. Half the community took the mission a step further and pretended Ennis didn't exist, hence why he loved it so much when strangers came to town. Being a part of the biggest shipping company in the sector was the only thing that made such a peculiar arrangement possible.
Eli remembered asking about the incident as a child. Both his parents would get angry, but Ennis had just been sad. He always said the same thing: "I made a stupid decision as a young man. I'm lucky I had your father and grandfather around to catch me when I fell."
Eli's father wasn't the nicest person, but he was always there for his relatives. Jerrod Vanto made sure everyone had a part to play in the family business, and whenever something broke, he was the first one on the scene to fix it. That was how Jerrod expressed his love to his family.
In an effort to lighten the mood, Mala turned to her son. She combed her fingers through his hair and asked, "what are you thinking about, buddy?"
Micah was staring at Thrawn. Thrawn nodded, encouraging him to speak. "What games do you like, Captain?"
Thrawn smiled across the table. It looked practiced, well at ease. "My work doesn't leave much time for games. There was a strategy game I enjoyed back in my old home." Thrawn turned to Mala. "I don't suppose Tactica is a familiar game on Lysatra?"
Mala shook her head. "I've never heard of it."
"I see… Micah, have you ever heard of a game called Dejarik?"
Micah's face lit up at the name. "I know that! Grandpa likes to play with Great Uncle Ennis sometimes. They say I'm too young to play."
"Hm. Tactica is a game like Dejarik. It teaches people how to use strategy. Strategy is what I use in my job to fight pirates, among other things."
Micah bounced in his seat at the mention of pirates. "Ooh, I wanna learn strategy. Will you teach me Dejarik, Grandpa?"
"Maybe when you're older." Jerrod's rough edges softened a little when he spoke to Micah. "You're already growing up to be a very smart boy."
"Awwww. I want to learn now!" Micah complained. When Jerrod didn't budge (nor Brandi, nor Mala), he turned back to Thrawn. "What about the game you play with Uncle Eli? Do you like that game?"
Game? Eli couldn't remember playing a game with Thrawn. "What are you talking about, Micah?"
"This morning, in the kitchen. You and Captain Thrawn were in the pantry playing a game. I've seen Grandpa and Grandma play it too."
Eli's heart dropped. He laughed nervously. "No, no game, Micah. Thrawn was just helping me reach some spices on the top shelf."
Micah paused, confused. "Mommy calls their game 'Mommies and Daddies' It's where the Daddy kisses the Mommy with a big 'mwah'!" He made a loud kissy noise for effect. "Mommy says I'm supposed to look away when Grandma and Grandpa do that because it's a game for grown ups. Just like Dejarik!"
Eli started sweating. Mala pushed her chair back, taking Micah by the arm. "Micah, buddy, Eli doesn't want to talk about that. Let's just eat, okay?"
Micah didn't listen to her warnings. "But why was Eli playing the Mommy? I thought only girls could be mommies."
The back of Jerrod's chair hit the wall as Jerrod rose to his full height. Eli withered in anticipation of his father's fury, and it wasn't even directed at him. His anger was concentrated on Thrawn. "You laid hands on my son? In my house?!"
Mala dragged her son out of his chair, to the boy's protest. "Micah, go to your room. Now. I'll make you food later."
"Yay! No more stew!" Micah ran towards the stairs, oblivious to the fire his careless words had lit.
Jerrod waited for his grandson to leave earshot before he started yelling. "What sick scum are you? You take my son, a perfectly good boy, off his course at the academy. You force him onto an assignment with you in weapons when he went to school for supply. You use his labor for promotions while he stays stuck at the bottom for over two years. You've taken my boy's entire career away, and now you're molesting him?"
After double-checking to make sure her son was nowhere near, Mala ran to her father's side. She grabbed his arm to get his attention. "Dad, Micah's a little kid. He probably didn't see what he thought he saw."
Brandi shrieked. She always lost her composure when Jerrod yelled. "I saw them come out of the pantry together when I got back. They were… they were…" she whispered, "thick as thieves."
"Mom!" Mala protested. "Why are you making this worse?"
"Are you going to call your mother a liar as well, Mala?" Jerrod cocked his head. Mala staggered back. She tried.
Brandi began to sob. "It's him! He's why our boy doesn't want to come home to us anymore!"
Jerrod looked into Brandi's eyes for a second, then turned towards the men's side of the table. He took large, hulking steps towards Thrawn. Eli kept his head down, ashamed of himself.
He shouldn't have risked the kiss. He should have told Thrawn no. He should be standing up for Thrawn now.
Why was it so hard? Eli had stood up to moff's aide on Thrawn's behalf. He'd faced thugs and criminals at Thrawn's side. Objectively, those situations were far more dangerous than this one. What was it about his father that was so hard to stand up to?
Thrawn had no problem standing up. He stepped away from his chair before Jerrod arrived at his side of the table. Though he didn't dare look behind him, Eli knew Thrawn was standing between him and his father. Jerrod laid a hand on Ennis's chair for support, causing Ennis to shrink away. He looked as panicked as Eli felt.
Jerrod's voice was low. Threatening. "I'll only ask you this once. What did you do to my son in that pantry?"
"I helped him find the spices he needed for our meal." Thrawn's voice was cool, even. He sounded like he did every day on the Thunder Wasp. Hearing it offered Eli a sense of normalcy.
"Did you touch him?"
"I have not had inappropriate relations with Ensign Vanto in any location on this planet, nor will you find any record of me behaving inappropriately with him during our service to the Empire."
"That's not a no." Jerrod leaned in closer to Thrawn. Eli could see it from the shadow they cast on the other wall. His father's intimidation tactics might have worked better if his height didn't stop at Thrawn's nose. "Answer my question, smartass."
"You have my answer. I have not touched your son in any offensive manner." Thrawn turned his red eyes onto Eli. Brandi gasped when he laid a reassuring hand on Eli's shoulder. "You can ask your son himself."
Thrawn's touch gave Eli the strength he needed to look over his shoulder. Instead of staring into his father's angry face, he kept his attention on Thrawn. Thrawn's expression was calm, relaxed. The same way it looked when he commanded a ship in battle.
Jerrod spat, "Well, out with it. Who's lying, your family… or this Chiss?"
At that moment, Eli gave up on keeping the peace. He was tired of holding his tongue to keep his parents at bay. He was tired of hiding who he really was. What he was really doing with Thrawn out there in the galaxy. "No one lied. Thrawn didn't molest me. I… I wanted him to kiss me."
Silence. One would think Eli had shattered glass on the floor. Mala met his eyes first. She gulped, shaking her head. "Eli…"
Ennis laughed. It started as a chuff, then turned into a howl. Everyone looked at him like he'd gone insane. "You too, huh? I always wondered, you know. But I could never ask!"
Jerrod broke eye contact with Thrawn in favor of lunging at Ennis. He grabbed the other man by the arm, lifting him out of his chair and slamming him against the wall. Even though Ennis was taller and more muscular than his brother, he didn't fight back. "It's your fault! I never should have let your filthy hands touch my kids. Once a pervert, always a pervert."
"Jerry-"
"You think I don't know what you do with all those aliens? You think I don't know you whore yourself for shipping contracts in the Unknown Regions? Why do you think I want us to get out of that, huh?" Jerrod shook his head and his brother at the same time. Tears collected in the corners of his eyes. "Maybe it's my fault too. I got greedy. I looked the other way because it made us all money." He choked. His voice got quiet. "I let my boy spend his weekends with you. What did you do to my son?"
"That ain't it, Jerry. That ain't it." Ennis's voice cracked with fear. He raised his hands in surrender. "I love Eli. Never laid a hand on him. But things like this run in the family, and-"
"And you're a weak pervert of a man who can't keep his hands to yourself. Or did this alien punch you for another reason? And you!" Jerrod threw his brother aside, facing Thrawn again. Thrawn stood firm, using his body as a shield to keep Jerrod away from Eli. "You need to get your sticky blue fingers off my family. You need to stop manhandling… manipulating my son. Get off his dick and out of his head. Now!"
"You're a poor commander for this business enterprise," Thrawn remarked casually. "Fear is an inferior substitute for respect. Acceptable in the short term, but repulsive in the long.
"In the Chiss Ascendancy, talented individuals from common backgrounds transcend their families in favor of adoption by the Great Houses. At one point in life, I found this system callous. Now I wish it existed universally. You, Jerrod Vanto, are unworthy of your son's talents. Through the Imperial Navy, Ensign Vanto has a path out of your iron grip. Nothing but emotional manipulation could possibly pull him back. And I have faith in the ensign's fortitude."
Jerrod swung a fist towards Thrawn's face. Thrawn caught it midair. Jerrod tried to pull his fist out of Thrawn's grip, to no avail. Thrawn held onto it, crushing light brown skin in a web of deep blue. Jerrod's other arm swung upwards, but Thrawn caught that too. Jerrod's eyes widened as his predicament grew more dire.
"What are you doing?" Brandi cried. "Let my Jerry go!"
"You wouldn't assault me. Not in my own house." Jerry's breath was ragged.
Thrawn's nose crunched up at the scent of the man's breath. The rest of his face stood motionless. "I would not. A pity you lack the same courtesy for me."
"Let me go!" Jerrod tried to pull back out of Thrawn's grip. He could not escape. Ennis watched from a meter away, not daring to step any closer. Both Mala and Brandi stood on the opposite side of the table. Mala tried to run towards her father, but Brandi held her back.
This time, it was Eli's hand on Thrawn's shoulder. He stood fully into his father's view, a full step behind Thrawn. "Thrawn… I don't think we can spend the rest of our leave here. Let's go."
"Perhaps not." Thrawn threw Jerrod onto the dining room table, staining his shirt with stew. Jerrod growled, but didn't stand up right away. "May I borrow your speeder, Ennis Vanto?"
"I-I can drive you guys. It might be time I leave too." Ennis darted out of his brother's reach. "This was fun, guys! We should do it again."
Thrawn led the other two men out of the room. Brandi and Mala gave Thrawn a wide berth, their eyes wide with shock. Brandi sighed at all the food left on the table. "I made all your favorite things for nothing. Eli, I-"
"I know, Mom." Eli couldn't find it in himself to be mad at his mother. She didn't handle her husband's anger well, but neither did anyone else. "I know."
At the same time, Mala followed Thrawn to the door. "This isn't what I meant, Captain. This isn't what I wanted."
"Perhaps not. But it's what this situation needed." Thrawn nodded his goodbye to Mala. Their gazes shared an understanding Eli knew nothing about. "Reassure your son that none of what has transpired is his doing. Find him a more suitable home in which to grow up. Have faith in your own abilities." Thrawn rattled off advice before ending with. "Farewell, Ms. Vanto."
Before anyone could say more, a primal scream echoed from inside the dining room. Dishes shattered on the floor, causing a second, higher pitched scream to join the chorus.
Ennis shoved Thrawn and Eli through the front door. "We need to go. Now."
Ennis ran for the driver's seat of his speeder. His speeder was soldier and rustier than his brother's. Once Thrawn and Eli were both inside, he slammed the accelerator pedal and lurched out of the Vanto family driveway. He moved like the getaway driver from a robbery, causing neighbors to yell through their windows. The sunny autumn day belied the turmoil Eli felt inside.
Once the house was out of their sight, Ennis started a new conversation. "I don't think I'm reporting to work tomorrow. I think Jerry needs a few days without my face in it."
Eli looked at his uncle, aghast. "How are you still planning to go back there?"
"Oh please, brothers fight. This isn't the worst argument Jerry and I have had. It won't be the last either." Ennis shrugged it off, then added. "But just so we're clear, I am not a manwhore. If a trade representative has already agreed to a deal, and we're having fun with drinks after… sometimes things happen.
"And just so it's on the record, Captain, I'm sorry I hit on you last night. I wouldn't have done it if I'd known you were taken." Ennis smiled at Thrawn through the rearview mirror. "It's just… I grew up on stories of how powerful and dashing the Chiss warriors are. It was an honor to finally meet one in person."
Eli smiled at the mention of Ennis' stories about the mythical Chiss. He'd been the one to tell Eli about them as a kid. It seemed both men had taken the same lesson away from those legends.
Thrawn inclined his head towards Ennis, dignified as always. "Apology accepted, Mr. Vanto. If you would also forgive my defensiveness regarding personal matters last night. By now, you must realize why I maintained my secrecy."
"I do. You're living the dream, Eli. I wish the men I liked stuck up for me like that."
Part of Eli was still shocked to know his uncle was gay. The other part felt like he'd known all along. Everything Eli had once found strange about Ennis seemed to make sense now. The criminal record, the social ostracism, the eagerness to know about and speak to aliens… Eli related to his uncle more now than ever before.
At the same time, Eli never wanted to have the life his uncle led. Ennis lived a half life on the periphery of town, connected to the world only by his work with the family. His father (and later, his brother) were the only things keeping Ennis from total isolation on Lysatra. Jerrod might support his family, but he did it entirely on his own terms. The more Eli thought about it, the less acceptable he found those terms to be.
But what did he do instead? Eli had grown up believing it was inevitable he would work for his father one day. After his six years as an Imperial supply officer were over, he would return to Lysatra with the knowledge of how to acquire and maintain Imperial shipping contracts.
Then when his father died, Mala would take over the company. Eli would work with his sister to make the fourth generation of Vanto shipping bigger and better than the third. He would maintain the vision his great-grandfather had had over eighty years ago when he moved to Lysatra from the Mid Rim. It wasn't his dream, but it was every Vanto's dream. At no point in his life was Eli granted any dreams of his own.
Not until now.
Ennis stopped at the edge of town. He was about to pull off the road towards his own cabin, but then he asked. "Where should I take the two of you? If you go to the spaceport now, Jerry will be expecting you."
"Where do you recommend we go?" Thrawn answered the question with one of his own.
"Do you still want to see those cave paintings? There are some nice spots for camping out there. I can give you supplies." Ennis hesitated before adding, "and if you stay out there for a day or two, I can get you transport offworld that Jerry won't know about. You can spend the rest of your shore leave anywhere you like."
"Is that acceptable, Eli?" Thrawn looked to Eli for a decision.
Eli stuttered, unsure. His thoughts were racing at hyperspeed. Emotionally, part of him still felt like he was in the dining room with his father. His heart pounded in his chest, aching for the future he seemed to have lost.
Thrawn noticed Eli spiraling. He laid a hand on Eli to steady him. "I am not asking you to decide the rest of our shore leave. All we need to decide now are the next two days. Where do you want to spend them, Eli?"
"With you," he whispered.
"Then let's go to the caves. We can analyze the ancient art of Lysatra together." Thrawn leaned in, a grin taking over his face. "We can keep our schedule after all."
"Okay." And with that, the speeder took off for Ennis' residence. He filled them up with tents, jerky, blasters, and more, then sent them on their way through the woods.
At this point, Eli was fine with the sex happening tonight. Whenever Thrawn fucked him, Eli forgot everything he knew about the galaxy around him. He forgot what it meant to be himself, consumed as he was by the man who thrusted above him.
Right now, there was no one else he wanted to be a part of.
Earlier that day…
Thrawn had finished telling the youngest Vanto boy a story about his time in the Chiss Ascendancy fleet. It was an old tale in which he had formed a temporary alliance with a Jedi Knight. After concluding the narrative, Thrawn had asked Micah Vanto for information about himself. When the three year old mentioned the candy with which his grandmother bribed him, Thrawn latched onto the information.
"And where does your grandmother keep your favorite candy, young Vanto?" Thrawn asked quickly, before the boy's mother came back from her shower and heard them. He and Micah Vanto were seated next to one another on the living room couch. Thrawn had led the boy out there to grant Eli peace in the kitchen.
"The tippy top shelf of the pantry. I've climbed every shelf I could, but I can't reach it." The young boy lamented his short frame, crossing his arms as he did.
"I will bring you some of your candy today… if you do something for your uncle and myself."
"Ooh, I get to be part of your mission? What is it? Do I fight pirates? Blow up droids?" Micah jumped to his feet, bouncing up and down as he did.
Thrawn shook his head. "No pirates. But listen to me. This is important. When I go into the kitchen to find you your favorite candy, I should only be a moment in the pantry with your uncle. If I don't come back right away, I need you to come check on us. Can you do that for us, Micah?"
"Yep!" The young boy nodded excitedly. He was so eager to receive his treat that he didn't question why Thrawn wanted him to do such a simple thing.
Thrawn slipped into the kitchen, followed Eli into the pantry, and offered reassurance to his young companion. When Eli had his back turned, Thrawn removed a few candies from the top shelf. He listened for the sound of little feet on the kitchen floor. Once he heard them, he shared affection with Eli. Affection that could be easily understood romantically by a young child.
When he returned to the living room at Eli's insistence, Micah held out his hands expectantly. Thrawn dropped the candy into the toddler's outstretched palms. "I heard you keep your promise. Good work, young Vanto."
"Thank you, Captain!" Micah beamed. "Why were you playing that game with Uncle Eli? I thought a boy needed a girl to play."
Thrawn had never heard affection addressed as a 'game' before, but he knew what the boy was getting at. "Ask me later. Your mother is returning."
Micah stuffed the candy into his overalls' pocket before his mother could see it. Mala examined the pair of them extensively, searching for any sign Thrawn had been improper with her child. She found no evidence. "You wouldn't know when lunch will be ready, would you?"
"I would not, Ms. Vanto. Your mother has returned, however. I am certain that will hasten the progress of meal preparation."
"Yeah, I'm sure it will." Mala listened for the sound of distant voices. "Dad and Uncle are still going at it."
"It would seem that way, Ms. Vanto."
Mala flopped on the couch, exhausted. Confused, Micah took a seat next to his mother. She combed her fingers absently through her boy's curly hair as she spoke. "You care about Eli, right? As a person, not just an aide?"
"I do. Why do you ask?"
"If you care about him, you shouldn't be here. You're making Dad worse. He's been angry since he saw you, and I don't want him to blow up on Eli. I promised my brother I would protect him these next two weeks."
"Perhaps that is why I am here," Thrawn sat on Mala's other side. "I care for your brother too much for him to regularly subject himself to your father's rage. This family thinks they control the destiny of each of its members, even when one has more to offer the galaxy elsewhere."
Mala groaned. She slapped her own forehead. "Sh.. You're the reason he might renew his soldier contract."
Micah pulled Mala's arm away from her face. "Mommy, what's wrong? Is something wrong with Uncle Eli?"
"No, sweetie. Why don't you go wash up for lunch?" Mala sat up, thenshooed Micah away. Once he left the room, she confronted Thrawn once more. "Look, I don't know what you want with my brother… but I know what Dad wants with him. The same thing he wants with me." She sighed wistfully in the direction of her son. "I stay here because I have to. I can't raise Micah on my own."
"You are a logistics officer, no?" She nodded. "I can name a thousand Imperial vacancies for an officer of your skill. Some military, some civilian. If you and your brother are comparable in talent, you can succeed anywhere in the galaxy. Not just here on Lysatra." Thrawn recited his personal comm code to Mala. "Speak to me if you wish to find new employment."
"All I 'wish' is for Eli to get through his shore leave unharmed. You're making that hard enough as it is." Mala shoved her glasses back up her nose, chewing on her lip in thought. "Do me a favor and keep my dad off your ass. Off Eli's ass, too."
Thrawn thought of the plan he'd set in motion, the one using Micah as a pawn. He could honor Mala Vanto's request in the literal sense, but no other. "It will be done, Ms. Vanto."
For all the days Thrawn had known Eli, the young man had clung to the destiny his father assigned him. No matter how hard Thrawn tried to open him to greater possibilities, Eli remained wed to the idea he would once again fall under the thumb of Jerrod Vanto one day. Eli needed to see that the arrangement was undesirable for him. Between Ennis, Micah, and Mala Vanto's collective insights, Thrawn believed he had all the tools he needed to open Eli's eyes.
It would be painful, but Thrawn would be there for Eli in the aftermath. He would comfort Eli during his transition from one family system to the next in a way that no one had comforted Thrawn. Both times Thrawn had lost his family, he had done so without external guidance.
All in the name of a greater good.
A/N's: I take way too long to act on my ideas. This chapter here was the inspiration behind the whole fic, and I had the idea like a year ago. Don't ask me why I enjoy family fights so much, I just do. And for the Vanto family fight... if it were on Reddit under "Am I the Asshole?", I think it would win an "Everyone Sucks Here" rating. The only people who might be exempt are Micah, Mala, and perhaps Eli himself.
There is one more chapter after this. It's from Thrawn's POV. He sees the consequences of Eli losing all his friends and family relationships on the boy's mental health/self-esteem and tries to fix it in his own Thrawn way. Stay tuned for that.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter, everyone! Glad I caught the tail end of Thrantovember!
