"you're safe with me, you always will be," - for Ganex and Alek please! 🥺
CW: overextending abilities
Ganex could tell it was a bad day before he stepped one foot into the room.
Alek had been in the training room for a few hours at least after returning from his patrol. As far as Ganex could tell, he hadn’t left the room since then. The ship’s computer indicated his usual training program had been running the entire time. Overexercising. It was a behavior Ganex would often see when Alek wasn’t doing well. A little over ten years under his command and he could tell when he was having a rough time.
He could hear Alek yelling and panting as he approached the training room. Ganex stopped outside the open doorway and watched him running through the final sequence of this level. He was fast, hitting and slicing through each projection as it appeared. But he was unsteady, unfocused and barely anticipating the next moves. He was purely reacting, keeping a pace without a plan. If he kept this up, he’d get too worn out to stand.
The program ended within a minute and Alek stood at rest with his fists clenched, panting for breath. Ganex watched from his profile and noticed his ears were tilted far back and his eyes were wide, as though something had frightened him. He didn’t seem to notice Ganex watching him as he readied to start the next level. Ganex decided it was time to step in when he saw his stance wavering.
“I remember the first time I got to train on a holo-projection deck,” he said as he stepped casually into the room. His chest pained a little when he saw Alek flinch at the sound of his voice his voice. He turned towards him and wiped the sweat off his brow.
“First time, sir?”
“Yes, I was a little older than you, around 270 or so. Renting a deck was expensive, mostly for soldiers and athletes who could afford it and my family never could. Myself and my fellow Rebels trained together, and none of us could keep up with the programmed speed.”
“Oh… I didn’t know.”
“Mmhm, we had to train old-school for a long time. You still practice techniques with Lexus and Byruk, yes?
Alek nodded. “Yeah, sometimes. I didn’t want to bother them, though, in case they were busy.”
I wish I could believe that’s the only reason. Ganex didn’t say it out loud, but he was silent for a moment, and that’s just enough for Alek to look away. He already knew he didn’t ask them because he wanted to be alone, to avoid having to interact with anyone and deal with whatever was going on by himself. Ganex had seen it countless times now, and he’d probably see it countless more. It never disappointed him, but it still made him sad. He sighed as he placed both hands on Alek’s shoulders.
“I understand if you find you need to take time to be alone, and it might feel strange since I’m your commander and general,” Ganex said softly. He squeezed Alek’s shoulders gently and leaned forward. “But you can always talk to me, about anything, truly. I want you to know that you’re safe with me, you always will be.”
When Alek looked back up at him, Ganex saw the eyes of a scared child staring up at him. Sometimes he forgot just how young Alek was. He gave him a small smile. “You’re never alone, or at least you don’t have to be, alright?”
Alek exhaled and nodded, his guard finally folding in on itself as he fell to hug Ganex. Ganex still felt him trembling in silence as he hugged back tightly. His fatigue seemed to seep out of him. Ganex worried that if he let go, Alek might just fall to the floor. He didn’t say anything else, patting his back reassuringly as Alek held onto him like a lifeline.
Those were words he had spoken before, many times. Ganex hoped that maybe this time, they’d stick.
