Dreaming is For Sleeping:
The beach was beautiful; all white sand stretching down the coastline in either direction without interruption, tall, frothy shade trees in the jungle behind him, and a restless turquoise ocean that sent gentle waves across the sand in rhythmic pulses.
But it didn't compare to the female who was soaking in the life-giving rays of sunshine with breathy hums of pleasure as she lay on her stomach on a towel, head pillowed on her crossed arms.
"Stars, Kanan I needed this," Hera said on a happy groan, rolling over again with her arms outstretched to absorb every possible glimmer of light, turning her head to beam at him. "One more day on that miserable winter planet while we made repairs, waiting for the kids to get back with new parts for the Ghost, and I was going to shrivel up into a petrified ice cube."
Kanan chuckled from his own towel about a centimeter away from hers where he reclined on an elbow. He reached across the (miniscule) space between them and trailed a finger down a lek that was wriggling slightly with the pleasure she couldn't quite keep contained. It curled up at the end in response and Hera shot him a heated look that went straight to his groin. "You know I'd never let you freeze to death, darling. It's my mission in life to keep you hot and bothered at every available opportunity."
"Like now?" she asked, her plump lips quirking up in a knowing smirk.
Kanan blatantly raked his eyes down her luscious body covered only in a two piece, cream coloured swimsuit that hugged her most interesting bits lovingly, matched the markings on her lekku, and left little to the imagination. "Yes, definitely like now," he growled out huskily. "I've been waiting for you to finish toasting so I can have my wicked way with you." He inhaled deeply through his nose, sucking in her warm scent like it was worth more than oxygen. "Are you done toasting, my beautiful green marshmallow?"
Hera trailed a finger down his bare chest teasingly, her blunt nail doing crazy things to his insides as it tickled his skin and stimulated the fine hairs. Her hand came to a stop right above the waistband of his dark green trunks and traced a circle around his navel as she glanced at him from under heavy lidded eyes, her lashes casting shadows on her elegant cheekbones. "Perhaps," she whispered alluringly.
And then she rolled back over onto her stomach and pretended to go to sleep.
Kanan growled, literally growled. Like an animal. "Oh, you little tease." In retaliation, he dug his fingertips into her ribs on either side and proceeded to tickle her into paroxysms of giggling laughter.
"Kaan… naaan!" she protested half-heartedly. Hera wheezed and wiggled and gasped on sobs of laughter, trying to get away, ending up in the glistening sand, but Kanan was relentless. He straddled her thighs and refused to let her escape his torture. His mouth joined the fun as he leaned over her and tickled her neck and the sensitive bases of her lekku with his beard and feathering lips.
"Now... You're... Just... Playing... Dirty..." Hera complained between giggles.
Kanan pressed down into her, sliding his hands up her sides and cupping her breasts, rubbing his aching length into the crevice of her cushiony buttocks. "That's the idea, sweetness," he whispered into her earcone. "Is it working?"
"Hmmmmmm," his feisty twi'lek purred as she arched her back and rubbed her ass into him enticingly. "It might be."
Kanan groaned as her lekku slithered up his arms in a dual caress and then locked behind his neck. She knew very well how much that drove him crazy with desire. "Herraaaa." His mouth was soon locked onto her succulent neck, licking and sucking on her throbbing pulse as he rubbed against the softest part of her in a nearly mindless haze and his fingers squeezed the bounty in his hands.
"Unnnnn, Kanaaaaan," she panted. "Let me turn over. I want to kiss you."
Liking that idea very much, he dug his hands and knees into the sand and gave her space to turn underneath of him. Hera's smile was a brilliant show of glowing eyes, soft lips, and white teeth as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her lekku fell down into the sand. "Come here, my sexy Jedi Knight," she murmured in that sultry voice that inspired new levels of commitment from his already aroused cock.
"Yes, Captain," he practically grunted back as he all but fell back onto her pliant body, his length finding a perfect haven in the hot vee of her thighs and his tongue an equally perfect haven in the sweetness of her mouth.
As he kissed his mate like he'd never get another opportunity to do so, Kanan wished for their swimsuits to disappear, and because it was a dream, they did.
The head of his weeping cock made instant contact with her drenched core and just like that, he was surging inside. He tore his mouth away from hers to grunt in bliss as she cried out his name yet again.
"So perfect," he praised before setting into a steady rhythm of deep thrusts that bottomed out with every surge of his hips.
Hera gave the sweetest little gasps in time with his movements, her hands buried in his long hair as she held on for the ride, and her strong legs wrapped around his own. Their eyes locked together, turquoise meeting emerald and made silent declarations of love.
Nearly undone with how beautiful she was and how perfect she felt under and around him, Kanan lowered his lips to hers again for another passionate kiss that matched the activity further south in perfect harmony.
"Love you forever, Hera," he whisper/gasped as his arms tightened under her back and drew her even closer to his heart.
In the way that always seemed to happen when his dreams were just getting to the good part, Kanan woke up in the real world of never-ending darkness. His chest clenched with sorrow as the vivid colour of his imagination faded away like fluffy clouds on a windy day.
He also happened to be sporting a raging hard-on and a pounding heart as the last of his dream of Hera and him doing very un Jedi like things faded from the forefront of his mind. Knowing there were others present, he reflexively squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fists for a minute until he had the presence of mind to initiate his meditative breathing techniques to regain control of his thrumming body. Force, what I wouldn't give to be alone right now.
Or even better, on the Ghost with Hera, where I belong.
After breathing through it for a minute or two, not willing to give in to the temptation to take care of the problem with others in the tent, their steady breaths like a bellows to his sensitive hearing, Kanan eventually realized he was feeling more than his own passion.
He also realized that there wasn't enough people breathing around him. Calling on his Force sight, it only took him a second to figure out which two people were missing from the tent.
Thunking his head against the pillow, he suppressed the urge to groan in embarrassed horror, understanding that a great deal of the current problem in his pants that was refusing to go away didn't actually stem from his own emotions. At least, not any longer.
Although, in all fairness, this was exactly how he and Ezra had discovered they had a bond in the first place. Years ago, Ezra had come knocking on Hera's door while they were getting frisky, and asked if it was normal that he could basically feel everything Kanan was. Hera had literally freaked out and banned Kanan from her room and there were no more frisky moments between him and Hera until he and Ezra learned how to shield.
Right now, Ezra had completely forgotten his shields and Kanan wasn't impressed. He didn't begrudge the kids their fun, since that would make him the galaxy's biggest hypocrite. But kriff, this wasn't how I wanted to find out they had moved on to the kissing and petting stage.
Throwing politeness to the wind, Kanan thought very loudly and very clearly, "EZRA! Put up your fragging shields!"
Kanan sighed with relief when, a moment later, the sensations of Ezra's lust came to a full stop and he felt a massive wave of embarrassed remorse from his Padawan. "I'm so sorry, Kanan!" came through loud and clear and then his sense of Ezra became little more than a tiny blinking dot at the back of his mind, indicating the boy was still alive. Kanan never even had a chance to reply that it wasn't that big a deal as long as it didn't happen every day. I'll tell him later. Kanan then closed his own shields down to the barest minimum. He couldn't make himself close them all the way, just in case Ezra needed him, but he could make it so Ezra would have to mentally shout to be heard.
He also had to wince at the realization that Ezra might have felt some of the runoff from Kanan's rather erotic dream and been influenced by it. Sleep was a tricky thing; they could go to sleep with their shields up, but that didn't mean they would stay up.
"Kriff," he muttered into the dark, his only consolation that he was once again the master of all of his body parts, even the most wayward ones.
Fenn's eyes popped open, body on alert again. "What's wrong?" he whispered urgently to the Jedi Knight who'd sounded rather distraught.
Kanan focused two cots over, past the still dormant signature of Alrich. "Nothing," he whispered back.
Fenn scoffed quietly. "That didn't sound like nothing. Does it have anything to do with our missing young people?"
Kanan chuckled in the depths of his throat, shaking his head. "Noticed that, did you?"
Fenn smirked at the shadowy blob of Kanan. "Of course. I happened to be the only one who noticed when they both left. For a Jedi, I thought you'd be more aware of the goings on of your charges," he teased in a deep whisper.
Kanan snorted under his breath. "I don't claim any responsibility for what they get up to anymore. They're both adults now. They can do whatever they want to each other."
Fenn laughed softly. Something tells me that Kanan knows exactly what the teenagers are doing right now and he's not happy about it. "That still doesn't explain how I was the only one who noticed when they left. I would have assumed that you'd be just as attuned to your surroundings as I was. More so, even."
Kanan couldn't help the heat that covered his cheeks, hoping with every atom of his being that it was too dark for Fenn to see him clearly. "Normally, you're right, I would have woken when they left, but I happened to be having a rather exquisite dream about Hera, and my subconscious sometimes forgets to pay attention to the rest of the world when that happens," he admitted.
Did Kanan just admit to having a sex dream?! The steadfast Jedi Knight who now radiates control and calm at all times like a bloody monk? (Except when Hera's around, that is.) Fenn had to stop himself from bellowing with guffaws of laughter so he wouldn't wake up Alrich, who was proving to be able to sleep through quite a lot of racket, his sonorous snores still echoing through the tent in a steady pattern of inhales and exhales. Instead, Fenn scrubbed a hand over his face to stifle it, noticing he was overdue for a shave. He very calmly whispered, "I see. I doubt there are many men who are capable of paying attention to their surroundings when a gorgeous Twi'lek is doing 'things' to them, dreamland or not." He couldn't help teasing Kanan. He doubted even a blaster to his head would have stopped him from teasing the Jedi.
Kanan huffed, giving the other man a squinty eyed look that he didn't care if Fenn could see or not. (It was the thought that counted.) He grabbed a boot from beside his cot and chucked it with perfect aim at the Mandalorian's head. "Hey!" he hissed. "That's my gorgeous Twi'lek, frag you very much, so you just keep your imaginings on other people. Like Countess Kryze."
Fenn raised an arm and deflected the object hurling at his face just in time. With lightning reflexes he caught the boot before it could fall all the way to the ground and then chucked it right back. Refusing to rise to the bait, Fenn continued his taunting. "Someone's grumpy. Dream interrupted before it got to the good part?"
Kanan caught his boot in midair and seriously thought about throwing it again; this time with three times as much force, but he flashbacked to a memory of a similar situation from when he was a youngling, and his arm froze.
Their camp was in chaos. Or maybe an all out war would be a better description as a dozen objects of various descriptions from boots to pinecones to pillows hurtled back and forth over the central fire that sputtered in the night.
The class of younglings, eight years old, taken away from the Temple for the first time to experience how the galaxy wasn't just one big city, had let the fresh, clean air of Kashyyyk go to their heads. They were supposed to be sleeping, but one of the moons was full and it was shining brightly directly down on them in their clearing and they'd been whispering back and forth across the fire for hours, way too excited to sleep.
And then the inappropriately named Somme, an Iridonian male who had arrived late to the Temple as a five year old and was anything but tranquil, even on a good day, made the snide comment, "I bet the reason Master Fisto hasn't come out to scold us yet is because he's too busy getting a 'tentacle' rub from the freshly Knighted Secura."
The girls had gasped in horror at Somme's crude suggestion while most of the boys had sniggered at whatever mental images they came up with, as if they had a clue as to what they were sniggering at.
Kanan, then known as Caleb, was appalled by the suggestion and had thrown a boot at the other boy. "That's disgusting, Somme. Just before dinner, I overheard Master Fisto offer Knight Secura a lesson in meditation that she'd likely missed from her own Master since Master Vos is not known for being the most dedicated of Jedi in terms of the traditional lessons. They're probably just deep in the Force right now and not aware of us."
Somme laughed mockingly, throwing Caleb's boot back with more enthusiasm than necessary. Caleb just barely dodged it. "You're so naïve, Caleb. All of you are." The orange and black striped boy had stared pointedly at the big tent that was only a stone's throw from the campfire as if willing it to make some sort of sound to back up his words. "Trust me; they're getting it on in there."
One of the girls threw her pillow at Somme. "You take that back."
And then another pillow went flying. "Yeah. Take it back. Master Fisto is a good Jedi."
Somme used the Force to stop the pillows in midair and push them back towards their owners. "Make me."
And just like that, pillows were flying everywhere and the question of what their two adult teachers were doing in the tent was forgotten.
Within minutes, the children were laughing harder than they ever had in their lives, unaccustomed to such freedom of play.
When they finally exhausted themselves, they cleaned up the mess they made in moments, suddenly terrified of getting caught.
And then they all fell into deep, dreamless sleep, lips curled up into secret expressions of joy.
The next morning, at the crack of dawn, Master Fisto emerged from his tent, a calm and composed Aayla Secura on his heels and then walking off in the direction of their ship. The ageless Nautolan male surveyed the area and the younglings as they quickly lined up in front of him. His all-knowing, massive black eyes blinked once, and then he gave them a hint of a smile. "I trust you all slept well after your activity of last night?"
Caleb sucked in a breath along with his companions. He knew! How much trouble were they going to be in?
As a group, they all reluctantly nodded their heads, not saying a word.
Master Fisto smiled wider. "Excellent. That means you will be well rested and well practiced for this morning's exercise of Hide and Catch the Youngling." He pinned Somme in his wide gaze. "And you, Somme, will be the first one that is 'it'. I trust you will be well practiced at dodging or catching the paint balls thrown at you."
Somme nodded with wide orange eyes, knowing he'd been targeted first for a reason. "Yes, Master."
Master Fisto nodded towards the surrounding woods as Secura pushed a crate full of small training orbs filled with paint up to the group. "Good. You will have one minute to hide before we will come to catch you. Do not get hit by a ball. Collect what you can for they will be your ammunition in future rounds. Understood?"
Somme nodded again.
Fisto smiled widely. "And… Go."
Somme took off like a shot.
Fisto indicated the rest of the younglings should fill their pockets and belt pouches with the small metallic orbs. They scrambled to do so as he continued speaking. "And the rest of you; never be afraid to enjoy every experience you are given to the fullest because no matter what impressions you are given at the Temple, life is meant to be lived, not endured."
Caleb and the others beamed at the Master, understanding that their play of the night before would never be punished. "Yes, Master Fisto," they said in practiced chorus.
He smiled warmly back, then winked. "Now go. Catch Somme. If you can."
They ran, laughing, into the forest.
Kanan found himself smiling widely at the memory that he'd forgotten until that moment, lost in a haze of war that had overshadowed his younger years. He felt freer than he ever had, as if Master Fisto had just endorsed his relationship with Hera; for that was what Kanan was doing. He was living his life with the most possible joy he could scrape from it.
Another thought struck him as well.
What WERE Masters Fisto and Secura doing in that tent all night long? Could they possibly have been in a secret relationship? I do remember seeing them together a lot. Wow. Just wow. What I wouldn't give to go back in time and ask him now.
Kanan set his boot down on the floor gently and finally answered Fenn, who'd come to the conclusion that Kanan wasn't going to answer at all. "Actually, no, my dream wasn't interrupted before the good part," he said softly. "Because every moment I spend in my sleep with Hera is a blessing because I can see her there. And every moment I get with her in real life is even more special because the person I used to be when she found me didn't deserve her. Hera is the only reason I'm still alive and functional. The only reason I'm not old before my time from overuse of drugs, alcohol and too many sketchy women. The only reason I didn't give up again when I first lost my sight. I owe her everything. She IS my everything."
Fenn actually felt himself choke up a little at the Jedi's confession. That is so incredibly sad. "I wish there was some way to restore your vision," Fenn said back on a humble whisper.
Kanan sighed. "I've wished that many times, myself, Fenn. Many many times. But dreaming is for sleeping and real life is for living, so I choose to live the life I have to the fullest."
"Kriff, that's deepest thing I've ever heard," Fenn said, taking the words to heart. Now I just need to convince Bo to live the rest of her life with me to the fullest.
No biggie.
Ezra was drowning in Sabine.
He was overwhelmed by her sweet taste. Her scent of flowers and paint. The feel of her weight on him. The feel of her slender curves under his hands that had lost the ability to stay still. The way she moaned and hummed her pleasure in tiny sounds in her throat as he worshipped her cute little ears and neck with his lips and teeth and tongue, careful of the small bandage on one side.
When he did manage to open his eyes, he drowned in the sight of her passion filled features, so exotically beautiful. The skin of her face was exquisitely soft, making a mockery of his own somewhat stubbled and scar covered one. Her eyebrows arched just so over the amber eyes he'd never get tired of looking into. Her cheekbones were high and well defined in her delicate face, a flush of pleasure colouring them, even in the dark. Her nose was adorable. Her chin and jawline, proud and pointed. Her lips were the perfect pillows for his own, parted right now as she gasped in air.
Somehow, he was managing to maintain enough control over his flaming body to keep from shooting off in his underwear, but he wasn't sure how.
Sabine could barely think, Ezra was doing such a good job turning her brain to mush. Who knew her neck was so sensitive? Or her ears? And her clit was practically singing from all the grinding she'd been doing against the large bulge in his pants. She loved the fire he brought to life in her and wanted more, so much more.
Deciding that he needed to feel this too, Sabine grabbed the sides of his face, since he didn't have enough hair to hang on to, and pulled his mouth away from her neck and plastered her lips to his in another mind blowing kiss. She had the passing thought that they'd wasted a lot of kissing time over the last four years, but it quickly flittered away.
Putting her hands on his shoulders, she pushed his back down to the ground so she was completely perched over him and in control. "You're mine, Ez'ika," she said teasingly.
Of course I am, Ezra thought in dazed acceptance. She looked like a goddess with the moonlight outlining her face and figure. "I always have been," he murmured, smiling with a flash of white in the dark. "No one before you and certainly never anyone after you. I'll love you until the end of this life and into the next."
Haar'chak, Ezra, you're killing me. How am I supposed to respond to that? This is all so new for me. He reached up a hand and pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear in a gentle caress that sent another shiver through her. Frag it, I'll just show him how I feel. And so she smiled at him with a predatory baring of teeth before she swooped down and pressed her mouth to his neck just like he'd been doing to her a couple minutes before.
Ezra's eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head. No wonder she'd been making little pleasure noises. This was GOOD. Bite my neck as much as you want. "Sabiiiinnnneee," he moaned.
In response, one of her hands snaked down his chest and then back up again, but this time under his t-shirt. Ezra sucked in his breath at the feel of her little hand on his bare skin and almost forgot to let it out again. Every exploratory sweep of her hand left him feeling more lightheaded than the last as even more blood travelled south and stayed there. He was literally going to combust from the delicious torture and he never wanted it to stop.
Oooooooo, hard. Me likey. Sabine couldn't help but be impressed by the toned muscles she was feeling. There wasn't an ounce of fat on him. His skin was smooth and soft over a layer of durasteel in a complete contradiction of sensations. His abs and ribs were like little waves below the gentle hills of his pectorals. And this is his teenage body. His mature male body is probably going to blow my mind. After teasingly skimming over his tiny little nipples, her hand came to rest over his heart, feeling it pound under her palm. She found that incredibly intimate and thrilling, her core seeming to pulse in time with his heart. She nipped his ear and then kissed a path down the slightly rough texture of his jawline and returned to kissing, delving her tongue in his mouth once again, yet another little moan escaping her throat at the raw pleasure of the carnal act.
All he could do was groan back, tangling his tongue with hers. Never wanna stop. Kiss her forever. Love. Love. Love.
"EZRA! Put up your fragging shields!" a thought that wasn't his own blasted into Ezra's mind.
Oh frag, karabast, and shabla! Totally freaking out, Ezra pushed Sabine back as his eyes popped open, and he gulped in horror "I'm so sorry, Kanan," he thought back, then slammed his shields closed between him and Kanan, completely mortified.
But that also closed him off from Sabine. Ezra gulped in air as his sense of her disappeared. But even without his link to her emotions, it didn't take a genius to comprehend the wounded look on her face. Shit. Why can't I ever do anything right?
Sabine stared down at Ezra in befuddled hurt. Did I do something offensive? Is it possible to be too aggressive with a tongue? Maybe his Jedi conscience just kicked in? No. It was probably me. "What's wrong? What did I do?"
The disappointment on her expressive face was killing him. Ezra sat up quickly, pushing her back so she sat on his thighs and away from his rapidly deflating erection. He hugged her and kissed her forehead in apology, his passionate mood lost to the flaming embarrassment. "It's not you, I swear. You were perfect. It's me. I forgot to keep my shields up between me and Kanan and he just yelled at me, clearly aware of what we were doing."
Sabine blinked a couple times and then her own cheeks burst with heat as well. Her frisky mood shrank down like someone had just thrown a bucket of ice on her. Unfortunately, she still had the damp underwear to remind her of how close she'd been to climaxing just from the friction of rubbing against him. "Oh, kriff, that's embarrassing."
Ezra buried his face in her shoulder. "I know, right?" he mumbled into her bodysuit.
Sabine sighed and wrapped her arms around his back, putting her forehead on his shoulder in return. "Oh well. Just imagine it as repayment for all the times we've stumbled upon Kanan and Hera making out," she muttered against his jacket.
Ezra's head popped up as he chuckled. He kissed her hair before encouraging her to look up at him with a finger under her chin. "You mean like the time Zeb and I practically fell on them in the cargo hold when we were chasing Chopper?"
Sabine laughed. "Which time?"
Ezra smirked. "The day we stole that TIE fighter, years ago."
"I remember that day. You still have the painting I made in your room." This had always pleased her.
Ezra grinned bashfully. "And I always will. Or at least as long as Hera let's me call that room my own, despite the fact that I have my own ship now. I don't care how stupid it makes me look. You painted it, so it's staying. I've had a lot of battles with Zeb over it, by the way. Captain Smelly thinks we should have painted over it years ago. I threatened to sic Chopper on him if he so much as dared cover a corner. Once, I even had to hold his bo-rifle hostage." Ezra's mouth curled ruefully. "He didn't like that very much, and didn't talk to me for a week, but it was worth it. Keeping any sort of connection to you is worth it; even living with a sulking, hulking, molting, purple Lasat."
Thank the Manda I didn't have to share a room with a Lasat. Sabine snorted in amusement, beaming at him, and kissed his cheek, letting her lips linger, whispering against it, "You keep saying things like that, Bridger, and I might just have to fall in love with you." Her tone was light and teasing, but Sabine could feel the truth of her own words in her heart. She really was falling in love with him. Maybe she was already there. Maybe she'd been there for years and just refused to see it.
What did she just say?! Ezra lost his breath once again. He pulled back a little as he studied her face. "Do you really mean that?" he asked quietly. Hopefully. Nearly begging, in fact.
Seeing his open expression that looked so incredibly vulnerable right now, Sabine knew she could never break his heart. She cupped his face in her hands, fingers resting on the sexy dual scars on his cheek, and met his eyes, willing him to feel her sincerity. "Yes, Ez'ika. I do mean it. You're my everything too."
Thank the Force. Ezra gulped and worked up the courage to say what had wanted to tumble off his tongue for years. He raised his hands and cupped her face in return. "I love you, Sabine. I have since the first day I met you. I saw you blow up a bike right under the noses of the Imps. You jumped off a roof onto a moving bike like it was nothing. You didn't shoot me when you could have. You literally picked me up and tossed me out of your chair. You blew up some TIEs like it was fun. You were relatively nice to me compared to most people who encounter a streetrat. And of course, there was how beautiful you are, but that's just the icing on the puffcake. By the end of that first day, I loved your colourful hair. I loved your big amber eyes. I loved your feisty spirit. I loved your warrior heart. I love you. With everything I am; heart, body, soul, and mind. Even my connection with the Force loves you, letting me bond with you. You are perfection. To me at least. There is NOTHING you could do that would make me stop loving you, do you hear me?" He willed her to understand that he didn't blame her for the deaths her invention had caused, something that he'd sensed earlier that she needed more confirmation on.
Oh, stars, Ezra. Sabine gawked and blinked at the boy who'd just taken her shattered heart and glued it back together even stronger than before. That was an incredible speech, and she'd never felt more like she was actually worth something in her life. She felt special because she understood now that Ezra thought she was. Looking at herself through his eyes helped heal a broken piece inside of her that her mother had caused when she was banished from the clan all those years ago. His words healed the piece of her that had been fractured when Ketsu abandoned her. His love restored the faith in herself that had been lost when the Duchess was used again against her family.
His words were exactly what she needed and she nearly burst into tears all over again because of them. She swallowed the urge back with difficulty and somehow managed to speak past the lump in her throat. "I do hear you, Ezra. I do." With every ounce of the ever-growing love in her heart, she pressed her mouth to his in a very gentle kiss that expressed everything she was feeling. Gratitude. Love. Acceptance. Need. Want. Home. "Thank you," she whispered against his lips, and then she pressed her forehead to his and they just breathed together, no more words needed between them.
Ezra didn't need his new bond with her to feel how much she loved him too, she was radiating it so clearly into the Force for anyone to sense, and he was humbled by it. And so grateful that she was letting him see her vulnerable side because it meant that she trusted him implicitly. He pressed a very loving kiss to her forehead, sighing in contentment as he moved his arms around her back to hug her closer. She copied him, the strong grip of her arms feeling like the most secure place in the galaxy to be.
They sat like that for a while, wrapped around each other, their heads eventually finding a comfy place on the other's shoulder. Soon enough, Sabine's breathing settled into a deep and slow pattern that indicated she'd fallen asleep.
Knowing that she needed her rest, Ezra didn't move for a long time. Not even when more arriving ships flew past or when a cold breeze picked up. He just ignored it all, pulling a little Force to him to warm them up as needed. He basked in her presence in his arms, having thought for years that this moment would never happen. At some point, his legs fell asleep, but he didn't care about that either. Sabine was all that mattered.
Ezra eventually fell into something that resembled a meditative trance, the Force swirling happily around and through him. He used the time to figure out how to separate his shields so he could feel Sabine and not Kanan, or vice versa, or both, in varying degrees. He knew it was possible, because Kanan had a bond with Hera too, so Ezra set to work with determination and started very carefully experimenting.
As the moon drew near to setting in the distant horizon, Ezra felt Kanan approaching, but he still didn't move. At this point, he wasn't even sure he could.
A minute later, his Master appeared out of the gloom. He stopped and looked down at them with a raised brow, amusement and something that felt a lot like pride and approval in their bond for him to feel. Ezra still flushed with embarrassment anyway. "Hi."
"You look comfy." Kanan teased.
Ezra snorted mentally. "One would think. But you try putting a hundred pounds on your thighs for an hour and let me know if you can still feel your toes at the end of it."
Kanan's mouth twitched and a strangled laugh could just be heard. "Want some help?"
"Please."
He knelt down beside them and very carefully extracted Sabine from Ezra's arms, standing and holding her small form in his while Ezra grimaced through the process of rubbing circulation back into his legs. Force. Kriff. Ow. Ow. Ow. The tingling was awful, but Ezra breathed through it while Kanan did a valiant job of not laughing out loud. Mentally though…
Ezra glared at him.
"Was it worth it?" the bearded man laughed.
"That's a stupid question. Of course she's worth a little pain."
"Then get your shebs off the ground, as Rex would say, and let's roll. The meeting starts in twenty minutes."
"I'm moving, I'm moving," Ezra grumbled, but gave it a few more seconds anyway.
Once the blood flow had been restored to his feet and he could wiggle his toes inside his boots again, the boy felt confident he could stand without promptly falling right back down. Sucking in a deep breath, he got to his feet in a less than graceful, but successful move. Ha.
Ezra took Sabine back, cuddling her against his chest. She hummed happily in her sleep, wrapping her arms around his neck and snuggling back into his shoulder.
Kanan chuckled mentally again as they started walking. "Well, we know who she prefers in her sleep."
Ezra grinned like a dork. "Mine. She loves me, Kanan." Ezra kissed the silky hair on top of her head adoringly.
"I know. I'm very happy for the two of you. Treasure her. Love her. But never become dependent on her because you must always be ready to let her go if the Force wills it."
Ezra nodded once in resignation. "I know. We've already had this discussion about our views on attachments. I understand that my duty is to the Force first and my loved ones second. But that doesn't stop me from loving you all with everything I have."
Kanan smiled a little mistily. He reached over squeezed Ezra's shoulder fondly. "Love you too, kid. I remembered something a little while ago that made me think we weren't the only Jedi with more liberal views on the 'no attachments' rule."
"What's that?" Ezra asked curiously as Sabine rubbed her face into his neck and made a tiny little sound that was almost a purr. He wanted to hear it some more. Preferably when they were alone.
"Master Fisto once said to me and a group of other younglings, 'Never be afraid to enjoy every experience you are given to the fullest because no matter what impressions you are given at the Temple. Life is meant to be lived, not endured.'"
"Wow. I like that one."
"Yeah. Me too. Even though I forgot his words for decades, I think my subconscious didn't because I've never had a problem with changing the 'no attachment' rule to better suit how we live now."
"I think our method works just fine. We know our duty, but we live and love. How hard is that?"
Kanan grinned down at him, his face still annoyingly mostly hidden by his dark green jaig eye mask, but his mouth could express so much, it didn't even bother Ezra all that much anymore. "Exactly. Most of the old Jedi Masters were a bunch of stuffy old idiots."
Ezra snorted with amusement, prompting a stirring from the girl in his arms. Oops. Oh well, we're almost there anyway. She should probably wake up.
He looked down at her sleepily blinking face and then up to his Master, walking quietly beside him, their bonds humming softly in his soul. My family. Not all of them, but the ones I love and need the most, no question. Ezra was incredibly content in that moment, and he would file it away as one to treasure forever.
A/N: The title of this chapter was inspired by Hedley's song, 'Dreaming's For Sleeping'.