"Kanan?"

"Yeah?"

"Kanan, stop fidgeting and leave your clothes alone, you look fine!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"...I feel like this is too casual. Should I be wearing a suit?"

"For the love of Ashla, no, don't wear a suit!"

Zeb shakes his head as he watches Kanan debating this new outfit in the mirror-he'd changed so many times that Zeb had lost count of how many outfits he'd gone through. He'd agreed to help Kanan get ready for his date with Hera both to be a supportive friend and because Kanan had bribed him with a box of lemon bars from their favorite bakery, but he was starting to wonder if the lemon bars were worth it. Kanan was a total ball of nerves, and it was only his loyalty to their friendship that was keeping him here.

Yes, friendship. He was actually really happy that they'd finally gotten things worked out. As admittedly attractive as he found Kanan, he felt a lot more comfortable having him as a friend at the end of the day-no expectations, no pressure, and no reason to feel guilty about Alex. And Kanan had told Hera about the almost-kiss and she was fine with it so that was everything put to rest. Or at least they were trying to put it to rest. Hera had gotten this idea into her head about trying to have him and Kanan as well as her and Kanan dating at first-she'd seemed determined to play matchmaker. But fortunately she finally seemed to have given up on the idea. And now Zeb was here helping Kanan get ready for his first date with Hera, and vice versa-while he was physically only with Kanan, Hera was sending him a steady stream of texts about the date as well. Both of the poor kids seemed to be stressing out much more than they needed to, and Zeb was trying to keep them calm but was admittedly looking forward to getting out of here and going home to relax before-well, whatever they were doing tomorrow.

Hera said she had a surprise for them but wouldn't say what it was, just asking them to trust her, and Zeb had amiably agreed to go-he was always happy to go on an adventure as long as he was back before work on Monday, and since Hera had reassured him that they would be back by Saturday night he had no complaints.

"I still don't know if this is right," Kanan sighs, drawing Zeb's attention away from the text Hera had sent him about eyeshadow colors (like he knew kriff all about eye shadow but he'd said sure, he supposed that green would look good with her eyes since they were also green.)

"Kanan, it's not like she hasn't seen you outside of the game before," Zeb deadpans. "And I think it's pretty clear that she's so far gone on you that she wouldn't care if you showed up wearing a paper sack."

"I know…" Kanan hangs his head. "I just want this to be perfect…"

"I know you do," Zeb says more gently. "But I promise, all Hera wants is to spend time with you, I doubt she'll be paying too much attention to what you're wearing. There's a lot more of you to be looking at, after all, I think there's a problem if it's the clothes she cares most about."

"Zeb!" Kanan bursts out laughing, and when he finally stops he seems to have relaxed some. "Thank you for helping me with this and for, well, everything. You're an incredible friend."

"'Course," Zeb gives him a warm smile. "Just bring me back a doggy bag with some dessert or something and we'll call it even."

"Don't you mean a kitty bag?" Kanan teases.

"Oh shut up before I kick you out of here." Zeb rolls his eyes at him.

"You can't kick me out, this is my apartment!"

Right-Zeb had almost forgotten for a few seconds that they were at Kanan's apartment and not at his place for once. He was so used to spending time with Kanan at his house that it had been an automatic response.

"Well then, I can't kick you out," Zeb says, glancing at the clock on the wall, "But I can tell you that if you don't get going soon you're going to be late to the ball, Cinderella."

"Shit, you're right!" Kanan curses, instantly going back into panic mode. "Okay, I've got my keys, my wallet… What am I forgetting? I know that I'm forgetting something!"

"Flowers?" Zeb points to the bouquet of roses that were standing in water on the kitchen table.

"Flowers, yes, thank you!" Kanan hurries over to collect them.

"...Do you need me to drive you to Hera's?" Zeb asks, feeling a bit concerned. "You're so scatterbrained right now that I'm kind of worried about letting you drive yourself."

"I'll be fine," Kanan answers, waving aside his concerns.

"Kanan." Zeb raises an eyebrow.

Kanan, seeing the look on his face, stops and takes a deep breath. "Okay. I am calming down. I'm sure everything will go fine tonight, and I promise that I will drive carefully and pay attention to the road."

"Much better." Zeb playfully ruffles his hair as they leave the apartment together.

"Hey!" Kanan protests. "I just got it all to lie down nice and flat, don't mess it up!"

"Sorry," Zeb laughs, not feeling terribly repentant, mostly because Kanan looked so funny when he was pouting.

"So, we're meeting up at my house at eight tomorrow?" he continues before Kanan can get too huffy, leading the way down to the parking lot.

"As far as I know that's the plan," Kanan agrees. "I'll text you or call you if anything changes."

"Sounds good-and trust me, I promise I don't mind a bit if things do need to change because the date is going really well-and I mean really well."

"Zeb!" Kanan cries, and Zeb laughs when he sees the blush on his face.

"I'm just saying!"

"Keep your 'saying' to yourself," Kanan grumbles.

"Yeah, yeah. Now go sweep her off her feet, Romeo."

"Thanks, Zeb." Kanan gives him a grateful smile before getting into his car.

Zeb waits until he's seen Kanan safely leave the parking lot before getting into his own truck. It was a funny sense of deja vu, remembering seeing Kanan off on his first date with Hera back in the game. Both times he'd had an almost older-brotherly sense of pride, and it was nice feeling like he'd found his role in the family again. Now if only they could find the rest of the family, especially Alex…

Well, there wasn't much he could do about it tonight, so it wasn't worth dwelling on it. He had carry out barbecue waiting in the fridge at home for him, and he had a list of Disney movies that Kanan said were "required viewing" to get through, so he'd concentrate on that, and try not to think too much about how much better tonight would be if he had Alex there to share it with.

Kanan was both too elated for words and so terrified that he was afraid he was going to throw up the little bit of lunch he'd had in his office earlier. To be fair most of the theater professors were feeling that way so his nerves hadn't stood out too much-most of them had had some part in the production of the play, and as it was opening night emotions were running high. Kanan's feelings about the play compounded by the fact that he had his first official date with Hera tonight meant he was definitely on an emotional roller coaster, and he couldn't exactly blame Zeb for being worried about his ability to drive. But it was fine-he'd fought freaking Darth Vader before, he could handle this! ...No, actually that probably wasn't the best example considering how that had ended… But still! He could handle this. Somehow.

By the time he pulled into the parking lot of Hera's apartment his hands were shaking from trying to keep all of his emotions in check. He was being ridiculous-he and Hera had been texting and calling and video chatting every day and were getting along just fine. But he somehow felt like tonight would make or break this-to see if they could interact and be a couple not only in person but in public outside of the game. Kanan knew without a doubt that he wanted this: that he'd do whatever it took to make this work. But sometimes he wondered if Hera felt the same way. He knew from the game that she was slow about opening up about her feelings and moving forward with their relationship-any relationship, really. So the fact that she had agreed to go on this date with him at all was a good sign. But the fact that Hera had also taken so long to start looking for them-that she'd only done it because she felt she didn't have a choice-was always there in the back of his mind. Also the fact that, as many times as he'd said, "I love you" since finding her again she hadn't said if back, not even once. It was probably too much to expect-the fact that she considered any of their relationships at all real was more than he could have realistically hoped for. But he couldn't help but think of the game, how he and Hera had seemed to be having a breakthrough in their relationship right before his stupid forced death. And then Jacen had happened.…

God, Jacen. The fact that Hera had been forced to bear and raise a kid without him was something that still rankled deep down in his soul-it wasn't fair, and it wasn't right. But as for having kids out here with Hera… Was that something either of them wanted? He'd never really wanted the responsibility until he'd met Hera and then Sabine and Ezra had come into their lives. He'd come to love his position as their adopted father figure, and if he could have that back out here in the real world he'd take that opportunity in a second. But if they never found them… Then what? Would he ever want to have other kids, and if he did would he want to adopt or have biological kids? What were Hera's thoughts on having kids out here?

He was completely lost in these thoughts until he felt a very urgent nudge on his attention to check the time on his phone, and he gasps when he realizes that he only had about two minutes before he was late for their date. Shit!

He half stumbles out of the car, almost forgetting to lock it as he races over to the building that was supposed to include Hera's apartment from the large numbered sign on its side. Hera had mentioned having a third floor apartment at some point this week, right? He hopes for the best, taking the stairs two at a time to the top floor. She was in 432, so as soon as he reaches the top, he scans the doors of the apartments around him. 434, 433- Ah, 432! He runs over the door, taking a moment to catch his breath and make sure that both he and the flowers were still presentable before knocking on the door.

"Just a minute!" he hears Hera call through the door.

"Take your time!" Kanan calls back, checking the time on his phone and feeling a wave of relief wash over him-he'd arrived right on the dot of when he was supposed to be here.

After about a minute of waiting, the apartment door swings open. Kanan feels himself standing up a bit taller and straighter, trying to look as presentable as possible, but any sort of last minute jitters were quickly wiped from his concern as he saw Hera. She was dressed in a simple, short dark green dress with a black jacket over it, but it was somehow more beautiful on her than any dress Kanan had seen on any other person before. And her hair-it was half down, half up, cascading down her back in a waterfall of loose curls. But it was her eyes, as usual, that took the spotlight: glowing with excitement and maybe just a hint of bashfulness.

"Hey you," she says when Kanan fails to say anything, too in awe of just how beautiful she was to be able to form a coherent thought, let alone speak.

"H-Hey!" Kanan finally manages to get out. "You look… Wow."

"Thank you." Hera smiles up at him, playfully straightening his collar. "You clean up nicely yourself."

Kanan feels himself blushing, his brain already overloading from just this bit of time with Hera-how was he supposed to make it through a full date with her without a complete mental meltdown from just how happy he was to be with her?

"Oh, these are for you!" he says, finally remembering the roses and offering them to Hera.

"Oh, Kanan, that's so sweet of you!" Hera beams at him.

"Well, I had a hard time finding you flowers in the game, so I guess I'm trying to make up for lost time," Kanan answers, glad that Hera seemed to like his gift. "Also I couldn't find meilooruns out here."

"Don't remind me!" Hera laughs. "Is it bad that I've been craving one even though I know it's impossible to find them out here?"

"No, I totally get it," Kanan reassures her. "I've been wanting nuna meat but of course they don't have nunas out here-they kinda tasted like a weird combination of chicken and turkey with maybe a bit of pork and it's just not possible to find."

"Oh, absolutely. They can't fully replace the original, but if you can find substitutes they help. I've found a place near here that makes a strawberry mango smoothie, and if I get them to throw in just a bit of lime juice it tastes pretty close to a meiloorun-remind me to take you there sometime to try it."

"Sounds like a date!"

"Great!" Hera laughs, and Kanan feels his heart leap in his chest-Hera actually sounded like she'd want to have another date with him!

"Come on in, I'll put these flowers in water and then I should be ready to go," she tells him.

"Oh, sure!" Kanan agrees, following her into the interior of the apartment. He wasn't sure what to expect of Hera's living space, but he found that, while it was overall very neat and organized, there was a bit of comfortable clutter in the form of knickknacks and other colorful objects that looked like they'd come from all over the world. Things Hera had picked up in her travels as a pilot, maybe? He doubted that Hera was the kind of person to buy a cheap knockoff when she could have the real thing and support an actual artist. He didn't want to go too far into the apartment without Hera's explicit permission (it felt like an invasion of privacy, even though the apartment, like his, was on the small side so there wasn't much that could be hidden.) He looks around the living room from a respectful distance, his eyes widening when he notices the large orange tomcat lazing in the last light of day coming in through the living room window.

Hoping that Hera wouldn't mind, Kanan slowly makes his way towards the cat, being as quiet as possible. He was about three feet away when the felines' eyes blink open, fixing him with an almost unnaturally blue stare.

"Hey there," Kanan says softly, offering the back of his hand to the cat, remembering from other friends' cats that cats usually liked to sniff a newcomer before letting them interact with them. "So you're Chopper, huh? Guess you wouldn't recognize me, but I used to know a droid that looked a lot like you."

Chopper looks up at him, unblinking, before slowly standing up and sniffing Kanan's hand. Apparently he must have liked what he smelled because he doesn't pull away when Kanan dares to try scratching behind his ears, instead letting out a soft purring sound. Kanan grins and continues scratching his ears before moving down to Chopper's back. It took him a minute to realize with a small start that Chopper was missing a leg. Chopper didn't seem to have any problems getting around on three, though, as as soon as Hera walks back into the room he races right over to her, rubbing up against her legs.

"Aw, Chopper!" Hera laughs, scooping him up and kissing the top of his head. "Did you make a new friend?"

"I think he actually likes me, which is surprising considering how game Chopper felt about me," Kanan laughs.

"Oh, he can absolutely be a little shit. Never rub his belly, no matter how fluffy it looks-he got his name because of his teeth and claws being so sharp, like tiny knives, and he'll absolutely bite if you try to pet him there. He thinks he's just playing, but it still hurts."

"Good to know." Kanan made a mental note to be careful of that-he'd gotten enough of Chopper's shocks, he didn't relish seeing if his bites were just as painful.

"All right, Chop, be good-I'll be back later tonight," Hera says, kissing the cat's furry head before letting him back down onto the floor. Chopper looked slightly put out by the lack of contact, but he almost immediately returns to his puddle of sunlight and his previously comatose state.

"So, ready to go?" Hera asks Kanan.

"Definitely!" Kanan agrees, offering her his arm.

"Aww, ever the gentleman," Hera laughs, but she was smiling as she said it.

"It's the very least of the many, many things that you deserve," Kanan answers, and he feels a flurry of butterflies in his stomach as Hera momentarily rests her head against his shoulder in response.

"So, am I allowed to ask where we're going for dinner now?" Hera asks once they'd both settled in the car and Kanan had started driving.

"Well, I wanted to keep it a surprise, but I guess I should make sure it's something you'll eat before we drive all the way there-how do you feel about sushi?"

"I love it!" Hera answers with a grin.

"Good." Kanan lets out a relieved sigh. "I tried taking Zeb once but he refused."

"He doesn't like fish?"

"No, he likes fish well enough, but he said he'll only eat it if it's fried or maybe grilled. He said once he's caught and prepared the fish he wants to be able to eat it without wondering if it's going to try to swim right off his plate."

Hera lets out a small scoff that Kanan found absolutely adorable.

"Clearly he's never had good sushi, or he's just never given it a chance," she says, sounding a bit indignant. "If I could I'd take him to this place I found in Okinawa, it had some of the best sushi I'd ever tasted and I don't think even Zeb would be able to complain about it-"

Hera suddenly cuts herself off, and Kanan got the distinct feeling that something was wrong.

"Hey, you okay?" he asks gently.

"I…" Hera shakes her head. "Sorry. I started going off about my travels, and I've been trying to get better about not doing that…"

"Not doing it? Why wouldn't you want to talk about the places you've been?"

"It's not that I don't want to-I love travelling and seeing new places, meeting new people and learning about other cultures," Hera admits. "But most people say I talk about it too much, like I'm obsessed with it or bragging to make myself sound better than other people…"

"...Who the hell was feeding you that pack of lies?"

"Former friends and boyfriends?"

"Well I'm glad that they're former, otherwise I'd be staging an intervention," Kanan says fiercely, his fingers tightly gripping the steering wheel. "Hera, the fact that you've travelled so much is incredible! And it's obvious it's something you're passionate about, so you should be allowed to talk about it!"

"You really think so?" Hera asks with a small smile.

"Yes. In fact, I'm making it a rule of this date that you have to talk about your favorite stories for at least the next hour!"

"Kanan!" Hera starts laughing, her eyes lighting up and sparkling in a way that made his chest hurt (but it was a good kind of hurt so he didn't mind.)

"C'mon," Karen encourages her. "What's been your favorite place to visit?"

"Hm…" Hera seems to be considering the question. "It's kind of hard to narrow it down, but I will have to say that Greece was pretty incredible. It's so beautiful, not like anything we have here, and the amount of history there is amazing! And don't even get me started on the food-"