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The first thing Hera notices when she enters the dining area was Ezra and Sabine huddled up at a corner table together. She bit back a grin, keeping her face neutral. They really thought they were being sly.
However, subtly had never been a strength for either of them.
She saw the coy glances, the poorly hidden blushes, and they had been more comfortable with not-so-discreet touches. It was plain as day to anyone with eyes. Or really, even to those without because she was pretty sure Kanan had picked up on it too. Kriff, she wouldn’t be surprised if half of the base knew the way they were going on about it. Maybe the signs were just more obvious to her because she knew them, and once she started noticing she couldn’t seem to stop. However she wouldn’t be surprised if there were several who were starting to pick up on it.
There they were sitting across from each other, matching grins on their faces while they ate dinner. Nothing that really seemed out of the ordinary for close friends, not until you looked a little harder that is.
But when you really paid attention, it wasn’t difficult to miss. The way Ezra’s arm was stretched across the table to rest his hand beside hers, the way Sabine’s foot was hooked around his ankle under the table, the way they were leaning just a little closer together than friends should.
To Hera they were basically lighting up a neon sign with an arrow that pointed down to them that said ‘we want to kiss’.
Again, they really needed a lesson on subtly.
She gives a chuckle under her breath over the ridiculousness of the situation and then goes to sit down. She can’t help but keep an eye on them as she eats, watching discreetly from her peripheral. Eventually, Sabine gets up, and Hera starts counting seconds in her head.
1, 2, 3…
Across the mess hall Ezra bumps his foot nervously.
22, 23, 24…
She eats another bite of her food.
46, 47, 48…
Someone behind her coughs.
58, 59, 60!
Ezra gets up, exactly on the minute. He moves across the hall with what was obvious to her as forced nonchalance. He throws away his plate and heads out in the direction Sabine left. It was smart to leave separately, but for someone paying attention it wasn’t all that discreet.
She had known for awhile what they were doing, but hadn't pushed them into any confessions… yet. Beautiful things like love and joy were getting harder and harder to come by in the galaxy they lived in, so she was letting them be for now. Eventually she planned on getting them to fess up, they couldn't stay secret forever.
However, at the rate they were going it wasn't going to be her that let it slip.
-
"Focus Ezra." Kanan called out to his padawan, who was slipping in and out of meditation. A quick scan of the force signatures on the Ghost with them gave him his answer why. Sabine was in her room, which just so happened to be right next to his, which just so happened to be where they were.
"I'm trying."
He had to give him credit, he was trying, just not very hard. Lately trying didn't mean much when Sabine was around. Kanan takes in a deep breath, reigning in his frustration. He could help Ezra, if he would just stop lying to him.
Kanan had known for a while that Ezra was hiding something from him, and had known almost as long what it was. He might be blind, but even he could see that Ezra and Sabine had more going on than they let on. They had been close for the past two years, but recently they had been much… closer. Even if not for the times he had caught them doing jobs together that only required one person, or both being unexplainably missing for extended periods of time, it radiated off of Ezra in the force every time she was around. It had changed significantly from what it had been the entire time since Ezra had joined the crew. Gone was the awkward embarrassment and longing he felt coming from Ezra in the force, in it's place was something more confident and sure. And also a significant decrease in focus and control.
If he was going to try to hide things from him, the least he could do is learn to conceal it in the force.
He was having a hard time not getting upset with Ezra for continually keeping things from him. He wasn't disappointed, but it grieved him that Ezra didn't trust him with something so important.
Although, he had a lingering suspicion that his padawan was worried he would be disappointed in him if he knew. He was sure Ezra probably thought that he would get a thorough scolding on attachments if and when Kanan 'found out'.
The truth of the matter was that Kanan was thrilled for them.
Real, sacrificial love did not equate attachment, he may have never finished his training traditionally, but of that he was sure. Kanan liked to think that his lack of vision had increased his ability to read people in the force, and he didn't find any trace of possessiveness or selfishness in either of them.
He would tell Ezra that if Ezra would just give him an opening.
He had some concerns about how distracted Ezra had seemed to be lately, but he couldn't properly guide him in that either unless Ezra could be honest with him first.
He speaks in a carefully measured voice, "Block out your surroundings, become one with the force."
"One with the force, one with the force…"
He could feel Ezra flickering in and out of focus, and he was atleast trying a little harder than before. After far too long of it, Kanan speaks up, "Is everything ok?"
Ezra lets out a frustrated groan, "It's fine! I just can't seem to focus."
"There something you need to talk about?"
Instantly Ezra's presence grew defensive. "No."
Another deep breath, force give him patience.
"Then focus."
Kanan thanks his lucky stars as he hears Sabine leave her room and then exit the Ghost. Ezra slips into an easy meditative state after that and training goes on business as usual.
He was trying his best to remain patient and let Ezra come to him in his own time, but his patience was beginning to wear thin.
-
Zeb grunts as he lifts another crate, sweat gathering in his fur under the hot Atollon sun. While he was thankful for occasionally only having to do low-stakes missions like supply pick ups, unloading them from the Phantom II was not his favorite job.
"Hey kid can you grab that…" He trails off, realizing he was now alone. He scans the landing platform around him.
Where the kriff was Ezra?
The sneaky brat had ditched him when they landed.
Oh, he was going to bash his head in.
He shouldn't be that surprised, sneaking off had become a favorite past time of Ezra's, and Sabine's for that matter. It would take an idiot to not understand what had been going on between the youngest two crew members.
And they were idiots if they thought they could get away with it forever.
They were getting increasingly more obvious as the days passed, snuggled up together on the couch in the Ghost's common room, hands so close they were all but holding on missions. If Zeb had to watch them moon over eachother from across the room one more time his head might explode.
Zeb would be lying if he said he wasn't happy for them. Both of the kids had gone through far more than anyone that age ever should. They were tough as nails but that didn't change the fact of how rough living the lives they had was on someone so young. If they had managed to find another way to cling to some form of happiness amidst all the hardships they went through, then he was proud for them.
However, that did not diminish his irritation when Ezra left him to unload an entire shipment of supplies by himself. Regardless of whatever went on betweem them, the galaxy still needed saving.
Much more of this and Zeb was going to confront them about it himself.
-
He sighs as he wanders around the base, searching for a particular lieutenant commander that didn't seem to want to be found. Why could these rebels never be where they were supposed to? And why did he always have to go find them?
Such was the life of Alexsandr Kallus.
Even when they were on the same team Ezra Bridger seemed to be a constant thorn in his side. Especially when he had to be the one to go find the Jedi for strategy meetings.
Across the courtyard he spots a familiar orange jumpsuit slipping behind a storage tent. With another weary sigh he heads that direction. He was going to kill Bridger for making this so difficult.
When he reaches the tent, Bridger is nowhere in sight. He pinches the bridge of his nose, taking in a calming breath. It's then when he hears the commotion coming from inside. When he walks over to the tent flap and lifts it open, he sees about the very last thing he expects to.
Bridger was pushed up against a stack of crates by Sabine Wren's hands on his collar. His were tangled in her hair and they were kissing like it was the last thing they'd ever get to do.
He takes a milisecond to get over the shock and compose himself before he clears his throat. At the noise they break, jumping apart like a pair of startled tookas, cheeks flushes a brilliant red. The beginnings of an explanatory babble he can't understand starts to come out of both of their mouths, but he interrupts.
"Bridger, Wren, Commander Sato needs you both for a strategy meeting. You're already late." He deadpans, keeping his face emotionless. He then closes the tent flap and walks away.
Not his circus, not his Kowakian monkey-lizards.