Never before in her life did (Y/n) think she would ever have the opportunity to fall in love with someone nor did she expect to fall in love with Throk, but as she'd learned love could come in many forms. From a young age she'd been trained as a slave and that her only purpose in life was to serve others; things changed sometime after her mental breakdown because Throk treated her as an equal, or sometimes even better. He seemed to genuinely value her as a person, which from her understanding was highly unusual for him, and he often made a point to be either affectionate with her or set a romantic mood, the human woman couldn't help but fall in love with him. (Y/n) knew basically everything about Throk after how much time she'd been with him, and despite his snarky exterior he had a soft side deep within, nevertheless he wasn't completely the lovey-dovey type. Ultimately, even though Throk wasn't the prince charming type like most women preferred, (Y/n) loved him as he was and she hoped he would eventually reciprocate her feelings.

As for Throk, he'd never considered being in a romantic relationship with anyone, much less a member of a lesser species in the empire's eyes, up until he realized that he'd fallen in love with (Y/n), which nearly gave him a stroke when the realization hit him. Actually having romantic and sexual feelings for the young woman hadn't been as bad as he originally anticipated, though, and over time he just kind of accepted it and began to think about what the future held for them. Courting and becoming mates with anyone who wasn't fully galra was considered disrespectful for not only the empire, but one's lineage as well. The more Throk thought about it, the less he cared about what others thought; he truly loved (Y/n) and he desired to have her as his significant other, the only problem was that he needed advice of what he should do next. Obviously if he pursued a relationship with (Y/n) he would have to abandon the empire, which he'd been considering ever since Zarkon had been put on bed rest. One evening while the young woman took a warm bubble bath, Throk called Vhyx from the monitor room where they could have a little privacy. Throk wondered if asking Vhyx for advice was the best idea, unfortunately it wasn't like he could ask advice from anyone else.

“I'm screwed. I'm so screwed.” Throk muttered when Vhyx answered the call and his face popped up on the screen, allowing his confused anguish out.

“What did you do?” Vhyx questioned blunty, knowing that something must have happened to have Throk so disturbed; it was so unlike him to act in such a way, and he planned on aiding his ally in any way he could.

“I'm falling in love with (Y/n) and I want her to be my mate, but she's not galra and the consequences of a forbidden relationship aren't something I can't escape easily. I hold strong affections for her, but I never expected to develop feelings for her, and I don't know what to do.” Throk explained his predicament; he genuinely didn't know how to proceed or if he should have (Y/n) sent back to central command, which he didn't want the latter to happen.

“I see… I can't tell you what to do, but finding love is a rare occurrence and sometimes it happens with someone who isn't galra.” Vhyx answered simply; obviously he couldn't tell Throk exactly how to handle the situation or what to do, nevertheless he could hopefully point him in the right direction.

Throk sighed and leaned forward in his seat, resting his forehead in his hands while he used his elbows to keep himself somewhat upright. He really loved (Y/n) and wouldn't mind having her as his life mate, nevertheless he wasn't entirely sure how she truly felt about him and he didn't want to pressure her into being with him; she had shown signs of having deep feelings for him, yet she never directly told him. Throk didn't have to worry about (Y/n) dying anytime soon because she'd been given quintessence throughout her younger years, which extended her life to the point where her natural aging process had been slowed way down, so there wasn't too much of a rush for them to get into a relationship if it was what the universe had in store for them. Falling in love and becoming mates with someone was the biggest decision one could make in life and it wasn't to be taken lightly, yet Throk had thought it over from many different angles, including the different outcomes. Vhyx waited patiently for Throk to say something, knowing that the other man was extremely conflicted about what to do and he had a lot of thinking to do until he came to a conclusion.

“I know. I don't want to lose her and I truly wish to have her as my significant other, and I understand the risks I'd be taking- You're right, though; for many, they only come across the one person they were meant to be with once in their lives and I shouldn't waste my opportunity with (Y/n). Regardless of what happens, I know she'll always be there for me whereas there are restrictions in the empire.” Throk lamented; sometimes difficult decisions had to be made, and it was up to him to decide the fate of his and (Y/n's) relationship.

“Whatever happens between you two, I'm sure it'll turn out well. Victory or Death.” Vhyx responded with a gentle tone, one that turned more serious as he concluded.

“Victory or Death.” Throk repeated; he didn't think it would be that bad when he confessed his feelings for (Y/n) and asked her if she wanted to be his mate, although he had to properly prepare first.

Unlike many of the other officers in the empire, Vhyx wasn't completely against interspecies relationships, especially when it came to those he was close with. Throk knew the basics of galra courtship methods just as all adult galra did, although he was kind of curious about how humans courted each other, yet he figured (Y/n) would be fine with him courting her the galra way considering that she'd been raised at central command, never having interacted with her own kind. However, Throk felt intrigued by human traditions and he would do his best to learn a few where love was concerned. Vhyx knew Throk was still anxious about potentially getting into a relationship with (Y/n) after he freed her from her status as a pet, so he changed the subject to what had been going on at central command recently. Throk couldn't control what happened between him and (Y/n); whatever happened, though, he would simply accept the outcome, even if she didn't reciprocate his feelings.

__________

As much as (Y/n) loved being around Throk, sometimes she liked having some time to herself to do what she wanted, and he never made a big deal about it which made her feel even more comfortable around him. There were a few things she wanted to do, then after thinking about it for a moment she decided to take a warm bubble bath in the huge bathtub in the bathroom. With plenty of time on her hands, (Y/n) went straight to the bathroom, closed the door and turned the heat on before she undressed herself and began to fill the tub. She appreciated that Throk kept a few different kinds of bubble bath in the bathroom and he always had extra in the storage room; without having to worry about running out of her favorite bubble bath mix, (Y/n) used the amount she usually did which left a thick layer of bubbles on the water's surface. The young woman let out a happy sigh after she stepped into the warm bubbly water and sat down after she turned the faucet off, laying back against the nearest side of the tub.

“This is exactly what I needed.” (Y/n) mumbled to herself as she stretched her legs out and got comfy, letting out a sigh.

Warm bubble baths were a regular thing for her when she had enough time; her life was so much better with Throk, yet she wasn't entirely sure how he truly felt about her. On one hand he always made a point to be affectionate with her since they were comfortable living with each other, nonetheless on the other hand they were so comfortable that she didn't know what the nature of their relationship was anymore. She'd noticed how he hadn't quite freed her yet and wondered if he was confused, too, and he hadn't given her an official courtship gift yet nor had he confessed his feelings for her. (Y/n) wondered if she was just being delusional by thinking Throk loved her, and she wanted him to very badly, alas until he said something she wouldn't know how he viewed her. While she sat a little more than halfway submerged in the warm bath, she couldn't stop her racing thoughts about her and Throk.

“What have I gotten myself into? Why do I feel this way about him, knowing that he probably just sees me as only his pet human and nothing else? I'm so stupid for having feelings for him! I don't know what to do.” (Y/n) asked herself very seriously, even though she didn't know the answers.

The anguish of her one-sided love felt as though it weighed her down, as though she was drowning in it, and no matter what she did she couldn't escape. (Y/n) never thought that she would ever fall in love with someone, and during that moment she desperately wished that she wasn't capable of having romantic and sexual feelings for her master. She figured that being close with another person who wasn't necessarily a relative always had the risk of romantic feelings being developed, yet she wished it hadn't happened to her. The sadness of Throk most likely not being in love with her felt like a punch to the chest and what started out as a nice relaxing bath quickly led to (Y/n) crying in sorrow, feeling betrayed by her own heart. She naturally assumed he could never love someone like her and that she would be single for the rest of her life, all hope seemed lost to her. However, in reality, Throk simply hadn't gotten up enough courage to ask the human woman if she wanted to be his significant other after he freed her from her previous status as a pet, all he had to do was plan everything right and gather everything he needed to make his confession perfect.