In the months following the attack, you were a wreck. You were jumpy, nervous, and kept crying at the most inconvenient of times. You felt like a constant burden, aware that the only reason you were here was to secure a treaty.
Over time, you started to feel better. Less useless. You were still more anxious than before, but it was manageable. You started to feel better, and you knew why. Thrawn. He was always there for you. Assuring you that you hadn't done anything wrong, it wasn't your fault. He was the Grand Admiral of an entire fleet, there were thousands upon thousands of people under his command. And yet, he somehow always made time for you.
Thrawn wasn't always there the instant you needed him, but he would always come as soon as he could. With his gentle words and soothing touch, he always seemed to know exactly what you needed. He understood you in a way no one else ever had. Little by little, you came to a surprising realization. You were falling in love with Thrawn.
It had been six months since your arrival on the Chimera. Only six months, and you were head over heels for him. You couldn't believe that you had once been afraid of Thrawn. You now knew that he would never hurt you, in any way shape, or form. When you told Mira, she seemed almost smug.
"I knew you would!" Mira sighed. "He's pretty much perfect!"
And she was right. He was perfect. Painfully so.
It seemed that Thrawn, in addition to being 'pretty much perfect' had several skills he had never mentioned to you.
"You're going to be teaching me self-defense?" you asked with a dubious look on your face.
"Of course," answered Thrawn smoothly. "After the recent incident with the former Senior Lieutenant, I realized that there may come another time when it becomes necessary for you to defend yourself."
"I hope not," you respond dolefully.
"So do I. However, by planning and preparing for the worst you can often prevent it."
"Alright. But wouldn't it be best to get a self-defense teacher or something?"
"I assure you, I am more than qualified to teach you in hand-to-hand combat."
You weren't entirely sure if you wouldn't be better off learning from a professional, but you decided not to argue.
"Alright, when do we start?"
"Tomorrow."
Thrawn hadn't been lying when he said he was qualified.
Thrawn had decided to just have the self-defense lessons in his rooms, as he had a private gym. You walked through the sliding door into the reception area of Thrawn's chambers. You had been here before on several occasions, but on previous occasions, he had always been waiting to greet you. Oh well, he was probably in the gym already.
You walked down the hallway to the gym, and gently pushed the door open when you saw it was closed. You were greeted by what was possibly one of the best sights of your life, and proof that Thrawn was incredibly qualified to teach hand-to-hand combat.
Thrawn was sparring with a couple of droids of a type you didn't recognize. And he was shirtless, clad only in a pair of black exercise pants.
It was the first time you had seen Thrawn in anything besides his white Grand Admiral's uniform, and you found that he looked even more handsome without it. You admired the way he moved. He was graceful, muscles rippling below his beautiful blue skin.
Thrawn was fast, incredibly so. Every blow he struck seemed… planned. Like he had carefully thought and considered it in the instant since his last blow had landed. Flowing smoothly, hitting powerfully. It made you melt.
Thrawn continued his beautiful and deadly dance for about a minute longer before darting one quick hand to the very center of the droid's chest to flip a small switch and deactivate it before turning to where you were peaking through the door.
Uh oh, you had been caught.
You opened your mouth, then realized you had absolutely nothing to say. You felt a hot blush spreading over your cheeks, and you were hit by a sudden flash of nervousness. Would Thrawn be angry about your spying?
"You're early."
The two simple words shocked you out of the momentary stupor.
"I am?"
Thrawn nodded. "You're early by…" he glanced over at a digital clock set into the wall. "About an hour."
You pulled out your Holo Pad, flicking through it till you found the message containing the time of your self-defense lesson, finding that you were indeed an hour early.
"Oh," you said lamely. "I guess I remembered the time wrong. I can come back later if you want…"
"That will not be necessary," Thrawn strode across the room to the simple black tank top hanging on a peg on the wall and pulled it on, much to your disappointment.
"We can begin your lesson now if you wish."
"Sounds good to me," you say, the blush fading from your cheeks as Thrawn covered his gorgeous muscles.
Thrawn beckoned you to come into the room, then pushed the droid to the side so it was no longer on the sparring mat in the middle of the room.
"We'll begin with what to do when someone grabs your wrist," Thrawn said, then proceeded to demonstrate how you could grab an attacker by the pinky and twist to make him release you, making you practice it over and over until you could perform the motion smoothly.
Thrawn was a great teacher. His instructions were clear and understandable, and you found yourself grateful that he had insisted on teaching you himself. And not just because you got to admire his biceps the entire time.
