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Aden couldn't exactly say that he was pleased about having another person aboard his ship- the X-70A Phantom had been his exclusive home away from home ever since he'd had it made and aside from himself the only things that had moved about aboard so far were his droids. Still, the information he had received was information that both he and Thrawn had decided they wanted to move on and his ship was certainly more covert than an Imperial Star Destroyer would ever be. Faster, too.

He had made a few simple rules to make everything a bit easier on both of them though- Thrawn was not to go into Aden's personal quarters, he was not to go onto the bridge or into the cargo hold, and he was to keep his mitts off of the computer in the main hold. Other than that, Aden was happy to let him get up to whatever he wanted- he had let him know that he could get anything he wanted from the bar, that the galley was open to him so long as Aden himself wasn't in there, that he could use the conference room if needed, along with the holoterminal in the main hold to keep in contact with his people. Aden did not foresee Thrawn needing to access the medbay, but its doors were open to him as well nonetheless.

And of course, the beds in the crew quarters were comfortable due to the fact that they'd never been used before. Aden had even popped a few of his paintings in there so that Thrawn had something other to look at than bare metal walls while he was in there.

Though the main hold was more the treasure trove of art that was not Aden's own creations- sculptures and the like here and there to give the space a classy feel that went with the blend of rich wood tones and more modern glass features along with the plush seating and well-stocked bar. For all intents and purposes, the Phantom looked more like a luxury shuttle than the intelligence hub that it actually was- all of its combat capabilities well-hidden, and its internal computers difficult to access unless one knew exactly where to look for them.

The Phantom had just dropped out of hyperspace as the ship's computers- and the few droids aboard to assist with computing and day-to-day tasks- worked on charting the way forward since there wasn't exactly any commonly traveled route out here and Aden took the opportunity to take a seat by the sleek desk in the main hold, the screen on the wall activating while the surface of the desk parted to bring up the keyboard hidden beneath.

There wasn't exactly a very stable connection to anything super important out here, but the ships internal computers still allowed him to work on a few things he wanted to work on- like reviewing the report he'd gotten from Watcher Three and Minder Four. The message to expect him and an ally had been sent well before they had set off, so that it would arrive before they did and allow the pair of agents on the planet to prepare for their arrival- so they would be ready to receive them along with setting up a safe house while they were there.

Glancing back as he heard movement, he spoke up, "If you want to update your people, I suggest you do that now. Signal's not the best, but it is secure, and it's not like we're going to linger here for long."

He didn't think he was telling Thrawn anything the man hadn't figured for himself, but still, "The ship's navigational computer is currently at 72%, so we'll be off in hyperspace again within about twenty minutes, I imagine."

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Thrawn generally didn't travel in luxury, having more utilitarian taste in things, including travel, but he could see the strategic benefit of traveling in a ship like the Phantom. And he had to admit, it was rather nice to travel in comfort.

He heeded all of Nine's warnings and rules, not wishing to jeopardize their partnership. For the first few hours of their trip, he occupied himself with looking at the artwork Nine had on display, getting more insight into the man. That, plus the artwork he'd made himself, told Thrawn that Nine was a complicated man. A man capable of being cruel and violent, but also one who could be benevolent when he wished. Someone who took care of those he liked, and who worked for him. Thrawn was more than prepared should Nine ever decide to betray him.

There was still that missing clue, however. It nagged at Thrawn, like looking at a puzzle that was nearly complete, but missing a few key pieces that kept one from seeing the entire image.

Putting such thoughts aside for now, Thrawn got out his datapad to review some plans he was working on for a raid he was planning soon. He looked up at Nine when he spoke.

"Thank you, Nine, I will do just that." Putting down his datapad, Thrawn went to the holoterminal to send an update to Parck, letting him know that he and Nine would soon be out of range and to keep things in order until he returned. Parck reported that things were normal before both signed off.

Aden glanced in Thrawn's direction when he went to send that update, though his gaze only lingered for a few seconds before his attention returned to what he was working on. It would be the last chance he got for a while to do any work that mattered, after all, before they were far enough out of range that all he'd be able to work on was locally stored information and it was still just barely due to how weak the signal was. His typing at the keyboard was quick, but rhythmic and practiced- the sort of rhythm of a man who'd gotten quite comfortable with inputting data into a computer though not quite at the level of an analyst.

Even now, Aden was more comfortable with work in the field. Even if he had less opportunities given his role within the organization he'd built.

His hands left the keyboard as the calculations of the ship's navigational computer reached 100%, followed by the now familiar sound of the hyperdrive coming back online and then the feel of the ship traveling through hyperspace soon after. His presence on the bridge wasn't needed at the moment given that the computer and two of his droids could handle things for now with more accuracy and speed than his organic brain and so both he and Thrawn would have quite a lot of downtime.

Without his input, the keyboard of his workstation was covered by the desktop once more and locked into place, as the screen switched off and Aden stood and stretched, before heading toward the bar and moving behind it, "Do you want anything to drink?" He asked as he opened the liquor cabinet mounted on the wall- needless to say, everything there could be considered top shelf and was very much in line with the luxurious vibe of the ship's interior.

Since he wanted a drink himself, he thought it'd be too rude if he didn't at least offer Thrawn something as well, all things considered. Had it been anyone else, Aden probably wouldn't have cared about being rude but he found that he was rather sweet on the man- even though it was sort of humiliating to actually have a crush on someone at his age.

Thrawn glanced at Nine whenever he could, trying to get a glimpse of how he worked, seeing what his body language said about him. He was so much more outward with his emotions than a typical Chiss, it was fascinating to watch. He also took some time to examine the layout of the ship, because ship layouts and designs were art too, and said much about the person who owned it.

"A drink would be lovely," His eyes scanned the bottles. "A glass of the Rodian brandy, if you please."

Though Aden was aware that he was being observed, he didn't see any reason why he should react to it- observing seemed to just be a Thrawn thing. Aden wasn't all that different himself, given his profession- spy work tended to include a whole lot of observing and trying to predict how people would act based on those observations. He thought he was a lot more subtle with it though, but then, he had to be given that he was usually mid-mission while doing his observations.

He fetched the Rodian brandy down from its shelf- much like the rest of the Phantom, the shelves were impeccably clean and organized- and ducked down behind the bar to fetch one of the brandy glasses. That was rather artsy too and looked expensive. He'd gone all in on very much making the Phantom look legit, and part of looking legit was to have the right glasses for the various different types of alcohol at above a certain price point.

He poured a generous amount into the glass, and then returned the bottle to where it belonged on the shelf, turning it so it stood perfectly with its label visible like the rest of the alcohol he had available, "Here you go," He said as he headed over to Thrawn with the glass, handing it over before going to fetch a glass of wine for himself, just as meticulous there. Both with setting the bottle back where it belonged and using the correct type of glass.

"If you'd like more once you're done, feel free to help yourself- though I'd appreciate if you put things back in order afterwards. I'm not the fondest of leaving things looking messy- gives me a bit of a headache, you see."

Thrawn thanked Nine for the drink and took a sip. It was a good vintage. "You don't have to worry about that. I'm not a messy individual when I'm a guest on another's ship." He wasn't a messy person in general, but he made it a point to be a good guest. "I've also noticed how clean and tidy you prefer your ship to be." He was inclined to believe it wasn't just to sell the image that this was simply a luxury ship.

"Well, it more or less goes for any place where I intend to spend a lot of time. Having the mess slowly grow around you makes for a difficult time focusing."

He'd always been cleanly and tidy, but especially so after his brainwashing and the subsequent brain damage. Busy environments felt like his mind was filling with junk data, and often left him with migraines, and while he could work around that when out in the field given the varied places he traveled to, when it came to his personal space everything was easier when everything was in its correct place.

"My droids are pretty good at keeping things clean and tidy, but there's no reason why we shouldn't give them a helping hand," He said with a shrug as he moved around to the front of the bar to jump up onto one of the stools, swiveling around so he could be facing Thrawn while they talked, taking a sip of his wine.

"And you didn't strike me as a particularly messy person, either. I'm just very particular about the level of tidiness I prefer."

"Judging by the tidiness of the ship, you seem to clean it more meticulously than the droids," Thrawn mused, sipping his drink.

"I also suspect that you put your artwork in the crew quarters for my benefit."

"I won't deny that."

Usually his droids did the preliminary tidying and cleaning- and then Aden followed and made sure everything was up to his standards. Though he had built and programmed his droids himself to ensure that they were detail-oriented, his own ability to clean still felt superior to what his droids were capable of.

A but neurotic, perhaps, but it helped.

"And I figured that you'd prefer something other to look at than blank metal walls. The crew quarters is usually kept bare since I rarely have people here with me."

Thrawn was certainly the first person to travel with him in this Phantom. Usually when someone came aboard, it was just a quick thing- a report handed over, or cargo to be moved into the cargo hold before Aden took off on his own. Of course things had been different back in his own time, when his crew had personalized their spaces. Not that he was about to mention that or talk about his previous companions.

"You can take the paintings with you once we're done with this little outing. Otherwise they'll just go back into storage, anyway."

"I may just do that," Thrawn said. If Nine was trying to butter him up, he knew what he was doing. Perhaps Thrawn could use this to his advantage. "You have been a most gracious host."

"Well," Aden said, reaching to rub at the back of his neck as his cheeks got a faint hint of purple across them- looking a bit awkward, "I'm no stranger to seeing people as pieces on a game board and treating them accordingly, but... Having a friendly relationship to someone I'll be working with for a while is superior to an antagonistic one."

Even aside from that whole humiliating having a crush on someone thing. Being a gracious host was preferable to keeping his distance, especially considering how he relied on Thrawn in much the same way that Thrawn had found a use for him and what he could supply him with.

"Besides, we're both Chiss."

He shrugged. Aden got along fine with aliens, but he was always going to have a certain preference toward his own people and give some amount of preferential treatment to them. That included being nicer, too.

"Indeed we are," Thrawn replied, swirling his drink idly. Thrawn had the Chiss of the Hand, but it wasn't the same. If any of them had romantic feelings for him, then they kept it to themselves. Besides, he had more to gain by having a close relationship with Nine.

"I have not forgotten your offer from before. The one you made after I made a show of kissing you." Namely that Nine was up for practice kissing.

Aden would still be nicer to a Chiss even without the attraction, but the fact that Thrawn was nice to look at and interesting to speak to certainly pushed his graciousness further than it normally would go even for another member of their species. Crushes were funny little things like that.

"Offer's still open, should you want to take it," He said, showing plenty more confidence there than he did in accepting being called a gracious host.

Physical affection and sexuality he could deal with. It was just the emotional bit that he found to be difficult to know how to deal with.

A cheeky smile then, "I might be inclined to use tongue though. And teeth."

Chaste was not quite him.

"So would I," Thrawn said, his voice low and silky. He wasn't exactly gentle when it came to kissing, or doing more than kissing. He sipped more of his drink, now down to just a few drops. He could hold his liquor very well.

"Seeing as we have a long journey ahead of us, perhaps I will take you up on this offer." Perhaps it was unprofessional to do this while on their way to do business, but sometimes Thrawn could indulge himself. There were times when he even helped himself to a glass of something strong while on duty. Besides, it was all going towards his plan to get Nine to do whatever he wanted.

Aden's eyebrows rose at that, an expression somewhat exaggerated to hide the way a shiver ran up his spine at the way Thrawn's voice sounded. He was no stranger to seduction given his line of work, but that low and silky tone should be illegal, "Oh really?"

He wasn't sure whether or not he was surprised, really. He was certainly interested though.

Aden sipped his wine, playing it pretty cool, though for the particularly observant it was obvious that it was at least partially an act, "Well, I'm right here should you actually mean that."

Nine couldn't fool him. Thrawn wondered what else Nine would do if he just asked. Placing his empty glass down near the liquor cabinet, he approached Nine.

"Oh, I very much mean it," He slowly approached Nine, until he was within arms reach. "You did say that I kiss well for someone who hasn't done so in a while, but a refresher is never a bad idea."

If someone had told him ahead of time that he would have this type of interest in Thrawn, Aden would probably have laughed at them and told them he didn't mix business and pleasure- usually it was more about stringing someone along when he got physical with them, after all. He did get the feeling that might partially be it from Thrawn's side, but well.

It was just a matter of who outsmarted who first if it became necessary. For now they were quite mutually useful to each other.

He set his still half-full glass of wine down on the bar and slipped down from the stool he'd been sitting on so he could step closer to the other man, looking equal parts flirtatious and mischievous, "No, it's certainly not."

He didn't exactly need any more encouragement than what Thrawn had given him already- reaching up to tug him down into a kiss.

Thrawn immediately kissed him back, putting a hand on the back of Nine's head, fingers digging into his hair, like he intended to keep him in place and not let him pull back. The kiss quickly became harder, Thrawn nipping at the other man's lip before shoving his tongue in his mouth.

He'd kissed plenty of humans, felt their warmer lips on his own, and it was actually kind of refreshing to feel cool Chiss skin again. Almost nostalgic.

For a man who didn't get a ton of practice, it turned out that he was still pretty good at it. Fingers in his hair, a domineering sort of grip that wouldn't let him pull away, those teeth that closed down on his lip and the exciting jolt of that sting of pain followed by Thrawn's tongue in his mouth and the taste of liquor that lingered along with Thrawn's own taste.

He groaned, not hesitating at all- kissing back and his tongue sliding against Thrawn's, moving his arms to wrap around Thrawn's neck, leaning up so that he was standing tiptoed so that Thrawn wouldn't have to lean down quite as much. Even so, he was doing the same thing as the other man was doing- very pointedly not allowing him to pull back.

Kissing another Chiss really was a superior feeling. The way he tasted- likely an imagined thing, but Aden could swear that he could tell the difference by taste alone between when he kissed someone of a different species and when he kissed someone of his own- and the way he felt, nice and cool compared to the heat of something like a human.

"Mm..."

Thrawn moaned into the kiss, practically shoving his tongue down Nine's throat, running it along his teeth, his tongue, the roof of his mouth. All the while, his hand tightened in his dark hair. Nine tasted of wine, mixing with the taste of the bourbon on Thrawn's own tongue.

His other hand drifted down, fingers digging into the flesh of Nine's thigh, which would leave purple bruises in the shape of his fingers. Nine would have to wear longer pants or leggings for a while to cover those up.

The assessment Aden had made that Thrawn was a commanding person had certainly been correct. Just how domineering he could get though was a bit of a surprise even if he'd assumed he would be. Fingers holding onto his long hair like that, not quite pulling, but certainly leaving no room to question just who was in control. Just how skilled that tongue of his was was a bit unexpected too, as well as the firmness of Thrawn's body against his own leaner and softer one.

What did that body look like beneath his clothes, Aden wondered. He definitely wanted to see it.

He groaned as fingers dug into his thigh, likely leaving bruises. Normally he didn't like having people leave marks on him, but with Thrawn it was oddly exciting. He definitely needed to show them off. He had a few skirts that should do the trick.

He wasn't one to be passive of course, his grip on Thrawn tightening as he pressed himself against him, moving one hand from where it had been resting at his back to run up along his neck, a gentle brush of fingers against that brilliantly gorgeously blue skin, briefly halting where he could feel the thudding of his pulse before continuing up to trail along his jaw as he continued to kiss him, playfully sucking at that tongue that seemed determined to shove its way all the way down his throat.

He certainly would not be the first person to pull back from this kiss of theirs.

Thrawn breathed through his nose as he continued to kiss Nine, determined to make him yield first. This had suddenly become a power play. Thrawn was stubborn, and he would only surrender if there was no other option. The hand at Nine's thigh went to the small of his back, keeping him pressed to Thrawn's body, while the hand in Nine's hair gripped it firmly and pulled.

Thrawn had a stubborn streak, it seemed. Another thing to add to his file. Aden liked that though because challenging the stubborn types, pushing up against the boundaries of how much he could fight them on something, was always fun- at least when it was a partner he was reasonably sure wouldn't actually hurt him for doing so. Pulling this sort of stunt back in his own time with Jadus had landed him in a bit more hot water than he had expected at the time.

Having his hair pulled did pull a groan from him, and he dug his fingers into Thrawn's back, while the hand at his jaw fell to hold onto his shoulder.

Thrawn tugging him closer was a boon, really, since the way he was being held allowed him some respite from the tension of holding himself in that tiptoed position and he couldn't help but open his eyes to look at the other man as they kissed to study what he could see of his expression. His breath was coming quicker through his nose, the physical aspect definitely turning him on, but more than anything he was determined to win this impromptu competition of theirs.

Nine wasn't giving up so easily, and unfortunately Thrawn was running out of air, not helped by the way their noses pressed against their faces as they attempted to devour one another. Deciding to take the loss (he would recoup his losses later, and win the next battle), Thrawn finally broke the kiss.

"Do not think you have won so easily."

Aden looked decidedly cheeky when Thrawn pulled back, his lips curled into this shit-eating grin that promised that he would be obnoxious about winning a battle even if the war was still up in the air. Very unlike a Chiss indeed but in this case he couldn't help himself. He was also rather flushed, breath coming in quick little gasps as he tried to catch it, but that was neither here nor there.

"I did win, though ~ ?" He hummed, in a sing-song sort of voice, "I think you'll have to take this l, Grand Admiral."

He looked very pleased with himself, and he was. He could tell his lips were either already bruised or well on their way to be, too, from how hard that kiss had been and he couldn't help but enjoy that too.

"I'll be looking forward to the war, though."

A challenge, certainly.

Removing the hand on Thrawn's shoulder, he reached to touch his own lips, humming softly, "I have to say that I think you practiced for that ahead of time though."

"Sometimes a warrior simply knows when to retreat. But in retreat, he prepares for next time, and is sure to achieve victory next time." Leave it to him to slip into tactician speak during this. He would just have to remind Nine of his place next time.

He took his hands off of Nine, running a hand through his hair in an attempt to smooth it back down. "I have kiss no other since the party," Thrawn stated. "It simply came back naturally to me after all these years." Meaning he'd kissed other men in the past the way he'd just kissed Nine.

Edited 2023-04-14 04:39 (UTC)

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