#formbrass

Summary: In which Un’hee is fostered by the House of Mitth, and demands bedtime stories from each of her three new guardians. As it turns out, none of them opts for the traditional route, but Un’hee hardly minds.

Relationships: Thrawn/Eli, past Thrass/everyone

Characters: Thrawn, Eli, Thrass, Un’hee

Additional Tags: Family fluff, court-martial testimony as bedtime stories, finger painting and ma’ch’aroni art analysis, SassaThrass, past discussions of Papa Mitth’s A+ parenting, nightmares, PTSD probably

“Will you tell me a story?” Un’hee asked, her mouth muffled by the blanket pulled up over her chin.

“Very well,” Thrawn said, inclining his head. “I believe I might be able to find something suitable in the lib—”

“No,” Un’hee said, giving a little shake of her little head. “I mean a real story. Like the one you told me about the Grysk. I like those best.”

Thrawn frowned. He had never told her a story about the Grysk. He made a silent “ah” of understanding: she was referring to his explication of the Grysk situation two years previously when she had been captured and recovered by the Steadfast and Chimaera.

He could do that.

“Very well,” Thrawn said once more, taking a seat on the end of the bed. “Allow me to share a story I also shared with the Imperial Court Martial.”

Un’hee sniffed and asked, “Did Court Martial like this story?”

Thrawn hesitated a moment, and admitted, “No. But you have far more imagination than an Imperial politicking Naval tribunal, and I expect you will appreciate the nuance and basic moral logic that was lost upon them at the time.”

“Okay,” Un’hee mumbled.

“Once upon a time,” Thrawn began, “then-Ensign Theli and I served upon an Imperial light cruiser called the Blood Crow—“

“Theli was there?” Un’hee asked with wide, red eyes.

“Indeed,” Thrawn said. “He plays a very important part in all my best—” He almost said courts-martial, but corrected to, “stories.”

“Please,” Formbi said, raising his chin. “You like the sounds I make too much to do that.”

“I know,” Thrass admitted with a sigh. “Even I have my flaws, I suppose,” he said, his voice getting closer as he leaned over Formbi, the soft silk of his robe sliding against his skin. “Gives me room for character development.”

Formbi was about to retort with something so utterly scathing, so destructively clever that Thrass would have been just aghast by his rapier wit—aghast!—but he decided to cut the poor man a break when he felt lips ghosting along his collarbone, moving up along the cord of his neck before placing a single, fleeting kiss at the pulse point beneath his jaw.

Breath danced across Formbi’s face as Thrass moved and his own lips parted immediately, sensing the teasing presence. There was a soft chuckle instead of a kiss before the warmth moved on.

Continue reading on Ao3.....