Hello, everyone! Katierosefun aka Caroline here - and I'm back with another Star Wars Rebels one-shot! Did anyone else watch Rebel Resolve? Because I did (last night) - and I was screaming something along the lines of "NO, NO, NOOOOO" and "MY BABIES" throughout the entire thing. So...at one in the morning, since I was in desperate need for some happiness, I wrote this thing down.

Enjoy!

Unguarded

Ezra Bridger was fifteen years old, not six. That's what he was thinking when his feet dragged behind himself. Ezra watched with worn eyes as Zeb trudged (he couldn't come up with a better word to describe the way Zeb walked) in front of him – and Sabine walking coolly ahead, with her shoulders thrown back and posture straight. Hera was absolutely casual, very much like her own attitude – with arms swinging by her sides and serene expression on her face. Kanan – well, Kanan was behind Ezra, so the boy couldn't quite describe anything about him, but Ezra knew enough to guess that his mentor was acting just as casually. Or at least, acting just as relaxed as someone could be.

So why was Ezra the only one tired? It might have had something to do with the fact that this was the longest time he had spent running around – but he thought his body would be used to such exercise by now. It might have had something to do with the fact that he hadn't slept in a while – but again, Ezra was used to not always getting enough sleep.

But for whatever reason, Ezra could gather enough information to understand that he was incredibly sleepy and slow-feeling. He could feel his own weight in each foot; he could hear each pound of heartbeat. For a few minutes, he actually concentrated on that, hoping that maybe, it'd distract him from feeling so kriffing tired.

"Hey, kid. Pick up the pace, will ya? You're not helping anyone by being a slowpoke," Ezra dimly heard Zeb say. Ezra couldn't even stir up enough strength to snap a retort of a sort. Instead, he slowly nodded his head and willed himself to focus more on putting one foot in front of the other. One, two, he thought, shaking his head. One, two, one, two, one, two, one…

The yellow, Lothal grass beneath Ezra's feet was beginning to blur together into one, smooth blob of mustard. The boy rubbed his eyes – pinched the skin on his hands – even yanked at a strand of hair before he caught Sabine's helmet turned his way. "What are you doing?" she asked, sounding almost amused. "Is there something you're trying to tell us?"

"What? No," Ezra instantly defended. "I'm just –"

"I love a good conversation as anyone, but we don't want to slow down, you two," Hera interrupted gently over her shoulder. "Come on – the Ghost is not too far from here." Sabine nodded after her and without another word, started back to walking. Meanwhile, Ezra let out a long, weary sigh.

One, two, one, two, one…

Ezra didn't know he had stopped walking until it was too late. He was somewhat aware of someone pressing a hand against his shoulder – he heard someone asking what he was doing; if he was alright – but that was enough for him to slip away from consciousness, and go straight into sleep's welcoming arms.

There was a long silence before someone spoke. And it was Zeb.

He snorted and then said, "Er…did he just…fall asleep?"

"He's tired," Kanan replied, flicking a glance at the Lasat. "I don't think he got too much sleep before, either." Slipping his other hand to support Ezra, he said, "Kid – Ezra – come on, wake up. Hello?" He shook the boy lightly, but it didn't do much.

"Um…at least we can see the Ghost now," Sabine supplied halfheartedly. "So it's not really that far…"

The corners of Hera's lips were tugging upwards. "Good point, Sabine," she said lightly. "So Kanan wouldn't have a problem carrying him, right?" Everyone's reactions were immediate. As Kanan startled with a loud "what?!", Sabine and Zeb both snickered into their fists. "Hera!" Kanan called after the Twi'lek, who was already walking ahead. "Wait a second – how do I – but what if –"

"Aw, I don't think I've actually seen you so nervous about something like this before," Sabine laughed. "Seriously. This is too much." However, she hurried after Hera – whether to avoid a retort or simply to get back to the ship, Kanan couldn't tell. Zeb didn't prove to have too much sympathy or empathy on the matter, either, for he only said, "Good luck." With that, he bounded forward.

Kanan puffed out an indignant sigh. He turned to look at Ezra and shaking his head, muttered, "Right. Let's see how I can get you to the ship without…dropping you." For a moment, he envisioned himself accidentally letting Ezra fall. An image of Hera screaming and whacking him with a tray followed shortly after. Kanan shuddered. "Right, so dropping you is not the objective. Whatsoever."

The older man shifted his grip on Ezra – and as gently as he could, he let his arm slip behind the boy's back. Instantly, Ezra fell forward, his head softly hitting Kanan's shoulder. Grunting softly under his breath, Kanan slid his other arm beneath the crooks of Ezra's legs. Holding his breath, Kanan adjusted his grip on Ezra – and paused tentatively as the boy's head lolled around the older Jedi's shoulder. At this, Kanan felt as though he couldn't move. He was glued to the spot, his head and heart a mess of confusion and bewilderment.

For Force's sake, Kanan thought to himself, slowly taking a step. It wasn't as if he hadn't been in this arrangement before – he had to carry people tons of times before. He even carried Ezra to the Phantom before, when they were running from the Inquisitor.

But still. This was different, and Kanan knew it. He peered down at Ezra as he slowly caught up with the rest of the crew. The boy looked completely at ease – unguarded – childish, even though he had reached adolescence. Kanan couldn't help but to feel something tug at his lips – a smile.

"Congratulations, Kanan. You got Ezra here without too much of a complaint or hassle," Hera said lightly, watching the Jedi duck into the Ghost. He only gave his friend a dry smile. "Yeah, well, it wasn't that bad," he muttered. "Ah…" He looked down at Ezra's still-asleep figure. "I should probably put this guy to his bunk or something."

"Or something," Hera agreed with a bob of her head. Her eyes flitted down to Ezra, an almost motherly sort of affection on her face. "Look at him, she murmured in a tone that Kanan had only heard a few times. "All knocked out." She shook her head – to herself or to Kanan, the man didn't know – and then, stepping back, "Do you want me to help you or –"

"No, I've got it," Kanan replied automatically, surprising himself (and Hera, by the looks of it). The Twi'lek's eyebrows lifted slightly, but with a shrug, she said, "Alright. Go on, then. I'll be in the cockpit if you need anything." Kanan nodded and shifting Ezra's body only slightly, he started to head for the shared quarters that Ezra had with Zeb.

When Kana reached the room, Zeb wasn't present – and he didn't bother questioning it. And though it was difficult, Kanan managed to push Ezra to his top bunk. The boy rolled over to his side instantly, his eyebrows furrowing together briefly – and with a soft sigh, he lapsed back into sleep. Kanan couldn't help but to watch for a few seconds. And then, he felt a strong urge – a sense of protection – push through him. Slowly, Kanan pulled back Ezra's blanket and brought it over the young boy. Ezra stirred slightly and his eyes blinked open – though it was only for a second. And in that second, he looked up at Kanan. He stared – sleepy-eyed and unassuming – and then his eyes fluttered back to a close.

Kanan only let out a soft chuckle. "Fine, kid," he said quietly, making his retreat out of the room. "Get your sleep."

A/N - I feel like I'm going to be on a Star Wars Rebels writing fest soon, because I'm just...done. I need to do something happy. And hug my space family, because REASONS. And PRIORITIES. (Is anyone else slowly falling into the wormhole of Ezra and Kanan's bromance especially? Or is that just me?)

Reviews are always great! Construtive criticism is tolerable, but flames are not!