Chapter Text
Eli should have known switching was a bad idea.
It was a few days after Thrawn's promotion and debriefing of his new mission. The newly promoted Grand Admiral was already exhausted when he returned to the Chimaera that he basically handed the bridge to Faro before retiring to his quarters.
Of course, Eli followed, wanting to cheer him up with a small… celebration .
Unfortunately, Thrawn was tired, so that's when Eli suggested the switch. The blue man was too tired to argue about it at the time, so he simply agreed.
Now Eli knew that it was definitely a mistake.
"Hey, hey, easy," He gently rubbed circles on his lover's back.
Thrawn only grunted, trying to hold breakfast in, but his head ended up back into the toilet.
Eli sighed, dread crawling up his stomach. Had he gotten a flu bug? Or a stomach ache from the different types of food that he had seen the Chiss order for the past few days?
After another few minutes of hurling, Eli helped his partner to the bed. He got some water from the table and handed it over.
"I think you should call in sick, Sir,"
Thrawn gratefully took the glass to drink, allowing the wet liquid wash away any leftover vomit in his throat. He finished and took the glass from his lips, panting.
"No."
Eli sighed. "Thrawn…"
"I am alright, Commander." Thrawn set the glass down and carefully stood up. "Now, there are more important matters to attend to."
Eli frowned but couldn't argue as the Chiss hastily left to fetch his uniform for the day.
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~~•~~
It had been a week.
A week of Thrawn hurling the contents of his stomach down the toilet but still refusing to call in sick or call the medical bay.
Not to mention, the appetite of the Chiss at every meal time. Sometimes he would request something strange. Sometimes it was a combination of food that sounded too uncomfortable if you have a soft stomach.
As his aide, Eli made it his duty to make sure the other was okay. But Thrawn had been making it difficult the entire week.
Thrawn refused to take the breaks Eli suggested, nor any trip to the medical bay. He stubbornly went off on his work, with or without Eli, which frustrated the man since he had to chase and follow him before he could hurt himself.
And when they were alone, Thrawn wouldn't speak. He was silently tucked in his blanket, his back facing Eli as he slept.
By the end of the week, Eli was at his wits end.
"Thrawn, why don't you go to the medical bay to get yourself checked out?" He asked while he sat up, even as Thrawn laid down to sleep.
"Because I am fine." Thrawn answered. "It is only an illness."
Eli sighed. "It's not okay to have an illness that lasts a week. Two or three days, and they should be in the medical bay,"
"That is for humans," Thrawn simply replied. "I am not."
"Seriously?" Eli groaned, combing his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Thrawn, come on…"
Thrawn didn't respond. Instead, he closed his eyes and curled up, attempting to sleep.
Eli could only sigh. He laid back down and turned to face Thrawn's back. He hummed and slowly wrapped his arms around him, missing the clingy warmth of the hug the blue man usually gave every night.
Thrawn seemed to tense a bit but slowly calmed down. He slowly moved an inch closer to Eli, who silently chuckled and closed his eyes to rest.
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~~•~~
Another week.
Thrawn was not getting any better.
His movements were a bit slow as he walked through his duties, Eli noticed. His uniform also seemed to be quite tight on him. For the past few days, Eli had watched his lover struggle to zip up his pants. Even when he asked if he could help, the blue man discouraged it.
Not to mention, his consistency to go to the refresher is easily noticed not just by him but by the other crew members as well.
"Is the admiral alright?" Faro asked.
"No, he isn't," Eli sighed. "but he turns down any suggestion to the medical bay. His excuse isn't all that great either," he huffed.
Faro frowned. "Doesn't seem like a regular flu bug," she observed.
"Yeah, I know," Eli groaned. "But he's stubborn. I love him, but he's very stubborn,"
"Sounds like him," Faro chuckled.
"I know…" Eli let out another sigh. "I still can't convince 'im to head to the medical bay. I don't know how,"
Faro patted his back. "I'm sure you'll convince him… somehow,"
Eli smiled but he highly doubted it.
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~~•~~
Thrawn was shot.
It was a small battle in the Chimaera after a few rebels attempted a break-in to steal some data. They were successfully apprehended, but the grand admiral was shot in the middle of the crossfire.
Eli had him rushed to the medical bay immediately. The shot was on his chest, extremely fatal. It left Eli shaking and hoping the other would be alright.
He will be alright, right?
He… He's Thrawn. He's always alright.
…
Right…?
"Lieutenant Commander Vanto,"
Eli turned to the medical droid as he sat by Thrawn's bedside, waiting for him to wake. "Yes?"
"We have completed the body scan on Grand Admiral Thrawn," the droid spoke, handing over a small pad. "There is no other fatal injuries than the blaster shot but there is a strange occurance that seems to take place in his abdomen,"
"A strange occurance?" Eli frowned, taking the pad. "Like… a tumor?" His stomach started to churn at the possibility.
"Negative," the droid replied. "It seems no danger to his body except for a few side effects, which includes nausea, muscle pain, and weight gain at this early stage,"
"…Huh," Eli now confused, turning on the pad.
He scrolled down through the scans before tapping the abdomen. The details appeared on the screen, and his eyes widened as he scanned the picture from the scan.
Thrawn was… pregnant.