I've had this idea in the back of my mind for a while and had the sudden urge to write it. I'm delaying my publishing of Star Wars: Into The Unknown for a few more days so I can finish Thrawn: Alliances and make sure there's no contradictions, so I thought I may as well write something in the mean time.
This is just a very small fic that's sort of a meta commentary on Ezra and Sabine and the way people see them. I just thought it'd be fun to put that idea into a story for the fun of it. It's set in the first part of Season 4, some time before they all go off to Lothal.
Inventory duty on Yavin base was easily at the bottom of the list of duties you wanted to be assigned. A large hangar had been converted into a storage area for the rebels, giving ample room for meticulously categorised crates of anything the Alliance could scrounge up. Checking up on it all was a daunting and mind-numbingly boring task. They were rather indiscriminate on who they picked for the job so more often than not those doing the menial task were massively overqualified. Looking around now, Rex couldn't think how much more 'overqualified' it could get than this.
First, himself. A clone veteran, Captain of the 501st, hero of battles from Christophsis to Mandalore, right hand of Anakin Skywalker and trusted friend to Ahsoka Tano. Yet here he was, counting blaster packs in a dingy corner of some warehouse. A few feet behind him, crouched behind some crates to count the number of rations was Alexsandr Kallus. Former Imperial ISB agent turned top secret rebel informant, the man had commanded Star Destroyers and hunted Jedi before risking his life sabotaging Imperial projects and spying on one of the Empire's most important and talented leaders. Worst of all though was the young man standing next to him, reading tiredly through a long and overly detailed list of what should be in each and every crate. Ezra Bridger, Jedi padawan, one of the last of that ancient order with the ability to move objects with his mind and to cut down whole squads of troopers with a lightsaber. An exceptional team of accomplished warriors doing jobs better suited to an outdated protocol droid.
"Gah, this is bantha fodder", Rex groaned.
"Complaining won't help", Kallus murmured from behind him, "These jobs may not be glamorous but they are important. You can't plan a mission to destroy a relay if you only have half the ordnance needed to blow it up."
"I know that, but why do we have to do it? Where's AP-5 when you need him?"
Kallus poked his head up from the crate, "I believe he's also doing inventory on the Y-Wing torpedoes ready for next patrol."
Rex shook his head and returned to counting the ammunition with a complete lack of enthusiasm. Ezra was so quiet that Rex started to think the poor guy had fallen asleep. A quick look at the drool pooling from his mouth as his head rested on his arm showed that he had. Much more of this and Rex started to think he'd join him in that.
A shape suddenly walked through the hangar door and waved a hand at them, "Hey, you boys having fun back there?"
The distinctive and colourful Mandalorian armour could only belong to Sabine Wren.
"Oh you know, it's a blast. You're welcome to join in", Rex offered.
Sabine laughed, "No, I'll leave all the fun to you." She walked closer and looked around the area, "Where's Ezra?"
Rex nodded over to Ezra, lying slumped over with his eyes closed above the manifest.
"Hey nerf-herder", Sabine hit the crate in front of him and made him jump in shock.
"Wh-wh-what!", Ezra stammered as he woke up.
Sabine rolled her at eyes at him, "Sleeping on the job again, hmm?"
"No! I mean, I was just resting my eyes and, uh, stuff", Ezra awkwardly scratched his head and looked away, "Okay, I might have been."
"Well wake up and get to work. I found this clearing just outside the perimeter and thought we could go spar with the training sabers before it gets dark."
Ezra looked miserably down at the manifest, "Yeah, I don't think we're gonna be done much before dark."
"Ah, dammit", Sabine sighed. "Tomrrow? Wait... no I'm helping with the perimeter defence tomorrow."
"Karabast", Ezra said under his breath.
"Hey kid", Rex interrupted them, "You go, we'll finish up here."
Ezra looked at him with surprise, "Wait, are you serious?"
"Yeah, you two go have your fun. I'm sure me and sideburns over there can handle things", Rex said as he pointed over his shoulder.
"I heard that!", Kallus' voice sounded from behind a crate somewhere.
Ezra and Sabine exchanged a smile as Ezra set the manifest down and jumped over the crate. "Thanks, Rex. I owe you one", the Jedi said to him.
"And don't you forget it", Rex warned jokingly. "Now go on, daylight is wasting."
Sabine and Ezra set off together towards the hangar door.
"I'm driving the speeder", Ezra said as they left.
Sabine scoffed at him, "You are definitely not driving."
The two teens disappeared out of the hangar, bickering and joking with each other all the way. They broke in to a sprint as they cleared the door, no doubt in a race to see who could reach the speeder depot first.
Rex watched them both go with a smile and a sigh. "Poor kids", he said to himself.
Kallus looked up from his crate, "I thought you wanted this done as soon as possible? Yet you let Ezra go off and skip duty."
The clone shrugged, "What can you do? You gotta let the two love birds have their time together."
The former Imperial wrinkled his nose and stood up fully, his own checklist still in hand, "Love birds?"
Rex looked quizzically at him, "Ezra and Sabine? I know they're not official but you'd be blind not to see that they're head over heels for each other."
"What? No", Kallus said. "They're just friends. Closer to siblings than anything else."
"Have you been on deathsticks?", Rex laughed and turned back to Kallus, "You've seen them together, they can't be apart for more than a few hours."
"They spend time together because they're good friends, like a brother and a sister", Kallus set his checklist down on the crate.
Rex shook his head at him, "Have you not heard the stories Zeb tells about when Ezra joined up with them? The kid was a like a love-sick tooka."
Kallus pinched the bridge of his nose, "When he joined up with them, yes. Do you see him pulling out the awful pickup lines now?"
"Maybe he grew out of them", Rex suggested.
"Or maybe he doesn't want to use them on her", Kallus countered.
"Bah", Rex threw up his hands, "I've been around soldiers all my life and I know a love struck soldier when I see one."
"And I've been around siblings all of my life and I know how they act", Kallus pointed a finger to himself. "Not every boy and girl that become friends end up falling in love."
Rex turned back, "I know that, my best friend was a woman too."
Kallus smiled, "Good, then you know they can just be friends."
"I do know it", Rex answered, "And I know what they have isn't 'just friends'. A lot of relationships start off as friendships, you know."
Kallus nodded, "True, but a lot of friendships are just that... friendships."
"What about Ezra? You've seen how nervous and fumbling he gets around her, textbook romantic interest right there", Rex said.
"Also true, but when isn't Ezra bumbling around like an idiot?", Kallus asked.
"Okay, that is a point", Rex conceded.
Kallus continued, "And even if Ezra was still into her, what makes you think Sabine feels the same way? Has she ever flirted or gotten nervous around him?"
Rex stroked his beard, "Not that I know of, but when does Sabine ever let out her feelings? Mandalorians like her don't let those things show."
"That is... a fair argument", Kallus admitted.
"Even then, it's Ezra she's the most open with. How often do you see her laugh or smile at something that isn't a painting or an explosion unless it's with him?", Rex continued.
"Do I ever smile unless I'm around my friends?", Kallus sighed. "We seem to be at an impasse."
"So it seems", Rex folded his arms and leaned back on the crate. "Tell you what, fifty credits says those kids end up married in a little corner of Lothal some day."
Kallus smirked at the clone's offer, "You're on, grandpa. Fifty credits says they live a lovely happy life as good friends... and nothing more."
Rex extended his hand and shook Kallus', "Jokes on you, I'll probably be dead by then anyway", the clone laughed.
Kallus recoiled and his mouth hung open, "What? What sort of a joke is that?"
Rex chuckled to himself, "Lighten up, Kallus. I'm only half serious."
"Hey you two!", a gruff new voice called from the hangar door. "Are you done yet? And where's Ezra?"
Both of the men saw the lumbering figure of Zeb standing on the far side of the hangar.
"Zeb!", they both said in unison. "You need to settle something for us."
Like I said, a small thing. Even though I'm firmly in the Ezrabine camp, I tried to keep it balanced and not explicitly say one is right over the other. Dare I say that I'd probably place my money on them not becoming a thing in the future, as much as I really want them to. We'll see what Filoni has in store but I know what outcome I'll be rooting for.