It was Ezra's bedtime. One of the things Kanan dreaded the most. It was almost uncanny, every night, before Kanan even said anything or made a gesture, Ezra had already gained wind of his plan to put the little Rebel soldier to sleep.
"Come on Ezra," Kanan said. "You know what time it is."
Before, Ezra would simply crawl away, but now he'd taken up walking away as quickly as he could. But that never stopped Kanan. Before this rebellion could even bloom, Kanan had caught Ezra and tucked him under his arm.
"Come on kid, it's time for bed."
The first thing they did, was wash up. Kanan's place wasn't one for luxury, but it did have a tub (if you could call it that). But the thing was so small Kanan's knees jammed up into his chin every time he tried to use it. It might not be great for him, but it was perfect for Ezra.
Kanan filled the tub, and ran his hand through the water. Just warm enough to be comfortable. Perfect. Sometimes, if Kanan felt he was up to it, he would fill the bath with bubbles and let Ezra enjoy himself for a little while. But tonight was not one of those nights. His back was killing him, and his fingers were burned from cooking the night's dinner, and his ears were ringing from dealing with angry customers at the bar all shift.
There wouldn't be any bubbles tonight, not that Ezra seemed to mind. He was too busy splashing, and make a huge mess on the bathroom floor.
"Come on kid," Kanan said as he shielded himself from the onslaught, "You gotta take it easy."
Kanan took a bottle of Slug conditioner (something the merchant at the market swore would be great for Ezra's skin) and gingerly poured some into his hand. He sniffed it, and then briskly shook his head. No, he didn't want to risk it.
Kanan had his own soaps and shampoos that he had used to great effect, and it was far less risky than using something bought from someone else.
"Okay kid, close your eyes." Kanan grabbed his own shampoo and poured it over Ezra's head. The kid moaned and squirmed as Kanan softly scratched the surface of Ezra's head. "I know, I know. You hate this part. But I have to do it."
Kanan washed Ezra's back, Ezra's little arms, and his legs. All the while, Ezra squirmed with each grab, and turned with each rinse. More and more water sloshed onto the floor. Kanan just shook his head. He would have to clean all of that up…tomorrow. Maybe.
The cleaning was done, and the PJ's were on, and now it was time for bed. Ever since Ezra, Kanan had done his best to make his one bed room apartment seem more…homey. He didn't really have a spare room, so he had to build a crib for the kid to sleep in, and place it next to his own bed. At least with this, Kanan could constantly keep an eye on him.
"Alright, time for bed," Kanan said as he placed Ezra in his crib. It was time for both of them to get some sleep. Kanan knew he needed it.
"Uh. Ah. Ag." Ezra said as Kanan walked away.
"Oh, right." Kanan slapped himself with his palm. "I almost forgot." He jogged to the kitchen, and returned with a small wooden spoon. "No rebel can sleep soundly without his weapon, can he?"
Kanan handed Ezra the spoon, and the little tyke settled into an easy peace.
Kanan rubbed his chin and sat down on his bed. "I guess you want a story, huh?"
Kids can't go to sleep if they don't have a story to listen to.
Kanan scratched his head, trying to remember a good one, but all of his best stories weren't exactly child friendly.
"Wait, how about this one?" Kanan scooted closer to the crib. "This is the story about a Padawan named Caleb Dume."
Kanan stood up straight and tall, and began his story. "Now, Caleb lived at the Jedi Temple and was training to be a Jedi. He had a wonder master named Bilbao who taught him well…and put up with a lot of his foolishness." Kanan closed his eyes at the thought of his master giving him one of her lectures. "One day, Caleb went to the market place to pick up some supplies for a meal he wanted to cook for his master. T-to thank her for all she had taught him. He bought carrots, and meats, and all kinds of things. He felt so happy when he returned to the temple. He could finally give his master something she would love."
Kanan smiled at the thought of that old memory. He had been planning that meal for weeks. He would cook everything she liked, and there wouldn't be a problem.
"Accept, there was one small problem. Caleb had no idea how to cook. At all."
It was true. At that age Kanan kind of thought you just put things in a boiling pot and out came edible food. Well, he soon found out that wasn't the case.
"So…Caleb found one of the empty kitchens, and placed all of his ingredients in a boiling pot. And then he waited, hoping everything would turn out as perfectly as he imagined."
And that didn't happen. No, Caleb didn't make an amazing meal for his master. He made a huge mess that nearly burned down half the temple. And when Master Bilbao found out…she was less than enthused. He ended up cleaning the Jedi Kitchens for a year.
But Ezra didn't need to know that part.
"And when Caleb opened up the pot, it was an amazing meal, and when his master saw it, she was so happy and they had a nice dinner. The end."
Ezra yawned at the end of the tale, and held his spoon close to him.
Kanan smiled, kissed Ezra's little forehead, and pulled the covers up to his little shoulders.
"G'nite kid. If you see any Stormtroopers, be sure to save a couple for me, alright?"
