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Hera sighed, rubbing the base of her tchun to try and stave off the incoming headache. It had been a long day of meetings. Her eyes were strained from hours of staring at the blue light of the holos. She was looking forward to curling up with Kanan and passing out.
But when she walked into her cabin... it was empty.
She frowned, staring at the empty bunk. Worry niggled at the back of her mind. It was past midnight, where would he be?
Ever since he had been released from the medbay two weeks ago, Kanan has spent every night in Hera's cabin. In fact, he was spending most of his time hiding away from the others, insecure with his new blindness. Occasionally he would ask Hera to lead him out to the edge of Chopper Base where he would meditate alone, but mostly he stayed in. So where was he now?
Panic began to blossom in her chest as she turned around and checked his cabin. She pressed on the notification button, her heart racing as she waited. "Kanan?" she whispered harshly, not wanting to wake anyone else up.
Relief washed over her when she heard a soft thump. She pressed a hand over her chest, trying to calm her racing heart as she waited for Kanan to open the door.
After an uncomfortably long time, the door opened to reveal a slightly disheveled Kanan. He was clad in his sleep clothes, his hair loose... and a mask over his face.
Hera frowned at the sight. "Were you sleeping with that on?"
Kanan shook his head, leaning heavily against the doorway. "No," he mumbled.
Hera's frown deepened. While Kanan was self conscious about his face, he hasn't bothered with the mask in the privacy of their cabins, alone with Hera. "What's wrong?" she asked softly, putting a hand on his arm.
"Nothing," Kanan said, his voice slightly clipped. "Just... figured I should sleep in my own cabin for once," he mumbled.
That wasn't it. Hera's eyes narrowed slightly. Kanan was hiding something. She put a hand on his chest and pushed him back into his cabin. She didn't stop until Kanan's legs hit the edge of his bunk, making him sit back on it. Keeping her hands on Kanan as an anchor, Hera knelt down in front of him. "Talk to me," she said softly.
Kanan let out a shaky sigh, turning his head to face slightly away from her. "It really is nothing," he mumbled.
Hera took a moment to consider her options. While she didn't want to be pushy, Kanan was already avoiding everyone else in the wake of Malachor. She didn't want him to cloister himself off from her as well.
So, her fingers lightly trailing up Kanan's arms to make her intentions clear, she reached up to grab the edges of his mask. When Kanan didn't move or say anything to stop her, she gently pulled it off.
Hera immediately hissed in sympathy at the dark purple bruise encircling his left eye. "What happened?" she asked.
Kanan cringed and turned his head away slightly. "It was stupid. I tried going to the galley to get some food... and I tripped."
"Why didn't you comm me?" she asked. It looked very painful, the skin slightly swollen and pulling on the existing scar tissue. "I could have helped you treat it."
"I don't need you to babysit me," Kanan snapped. "It's fine, it's just a bruise."
"Kanan, you only just got out of the medbay! Aggravating your wound like this - "
He let out a bitter bark of laughter. "Yes, god forbid I might have made myself even more blind."
Hera leaned back slightly at the venom in his voice. For a moment, she was speechless. What could she possibly say to that?
Then Kanan sighed, slumping slightly. "'M sorry," he mumbled.
"Don't apologize," Hera said softly, her chest aching slightly. "Let's just..." She just barely touched the edge of the bruise with her fingertip. "... get this treated, then go to bed. Okay?"
Kanan winced slightly and pulled away from her touch. His brow was furrowed as he pursed his lips together. "It really is just a bruise. And I'm tired." He reached a little blindly for her hand before grasping it tightly. "Let's just go to sleep."
She bit her lip. Perhaps she was being a little paranoid. But more importantly, Kanan was obviously embarrassed and didn't want to linger on yet another reminder of what he's lost.
"... Alright," Hera conceded.
Kanan was visibly relieved as he smiled slightly and pulled her up onto the bunk alongside him. Laying down, he wrapped his arms around her middle and held her tightly. "Thank you," he whispered against her neck.
Hera just gave a small nod, intertwining her fingers with Kanan's. Something told her she wasn't going to get much sleep tonight.