You're Mine Now:
Ezra walked over to where everyone else was gathered around Chopper, who was projecting the schematics of a Star Destroyer. He was basically in a daze over the concept of having kids sooner than later, so he didn't contribute to the conversations, but he did manage to more or less listen.
Alrich was speaking as Ezra stopped beside Kanan. "Saxon has worked hard to keep the weapon secret, so he likely has it aboard his Imperial Star Destroyer outside of Sundari. Needless to say, it will be very well guarded."
Sabine was next. "Once we get inside that ship, we'll need two teams. One to find the weapon and one to wipe out every shred of data on the Imperial computer systems." Ezra suppressed the urge to smile like a dork from listening to her voice. It was sweet and commanding at the same time. How she did that, he didn't know, but he sure was a sucker for it.
"This weapon. Is there any way it could be turned against the Empire?" Fenn asked Sabine.
Sabine blinked twice at the suggestion because it was actually something she'd thought of many times in the dead of night. And unbeknownst to her instructors at the Academy, she had done preliminary research on calibrating her weapon to focus on other types of armor. The problem with changing the parameters of the Duchess meant that it would then be her who was the one with questionable methods of destroying her enemies. And if the Duchess was left intact, it could always be changed back. That could never be allowed to happen.
She gave her curious audience a short version of her thoughts. "I've studied stormtrooper armor, and, while the thought has crossed my mind, that isn't our mission," she replied. But I wouldn't mind if Saxon felt the power of the Duchess.
No. Bad Sabine. Don't talk yourself out of this.
But…
I said no!
Fine. Vengeful Sabine pouted and retreated to the back of her mind. Mostly.
Moralistic Sabine had the final say with her rapt audience. "No. No, we have to destroy it."
Ezra and Kanan caught the hint of something in her voice that said a conflict was brewing at the back of her mind. Ezra wouldn't be surprised if Sabine did something completely unexpected during the mission. She was good at that; coming up with new ways to destroy things on the fly. I bet if the opportunity presents itself, she WILL tinker with her weapon. She won't be able to resist.
She could practically feel Fenn's disappointment in her answer. Too bad, Fenn. I'm not mass murdering stormtroopers to win this war. They're not the ones running the show. It's the leaders we need to eliminate. Also known as Tarkin, Thrawn, and that skeevy Sheev Palpatine.
What happened when I invented the Duchess, anyway? How did a simple science project turn into something so terrible?
"If I can get to the weapon, I can make sure it's destroyed," Sabine finished with, radiating determination.
"I'll get you there," Bo-Katan said, just as determinedly.
"Ezra and I will take Chopper to the data core," Kanan volunteered for them. Ezra hid a frown. He would rather be with Sabine's team, but he didn't oppose his Master.
"All right. Let's go over our infiltration plan." Sabine became more animated and hopeful as she talked about her plan and the schematics of the Star Destroyer and the most likely place the weapon would be located.
Ezra's attention divided as Fenn and Bo-Katan stepped away from the group and started talking quietly to each other.
Unobtrusively studying the pair for a moment, Ezra opened his bond to Kanan up again. "Hey, Kanan."
"What?"
"Look at Fenn and Lady Kryze. Is it just me or is his signature softer and yet more lively than I've ever seen it?"
Kanan didn't have to turn his head to do as requested. His incredibly detailed Force Sight went around him three hundred and sixty degrees. Ezra had been practicing, but his Sight still only showed him what he was more or less pointing towards. And he was sure he didn't get even a fraction of the details Kanan did. He couldn't read with it like Kanan did, that was for sure.
After a few seconds, Kanan replied. "Nope. Not just you. Fenn definitely fancies her. A lot."
Ezra hid a smirk by rubbing his nose. "And what about Kryze? Does she like him back?"
"She's not sure yet. Her emotions are curious but cautious."
"That's what I thought too. I hope for his sake that she gives him a chance. He deserves to be just as pathetically lovesick as the rest of us."
Kanan's mouth quirked up, mentally chuckling as he nudged Ezra with his elbow. "You're bad."
Ezra elbowed him back. "I know."
Ezra found it quite amusing that Fenn seemed to have fallen so quickly for the woman. He could see the appeal... if you like beautiful badass female warrior types. Which I do. And I fell just as fast for mine, didn't I?
Ezra's attention returned wholly to his own badass female warrior and he couldn't help the small smile as he watched her animated face as she brainstormed over her plan of attack with her father and the assistance of Chopper's holo display. Alrich, despite being an artist, seemed to know an awful lot about the layout of Star Destroyers and the postings of the troops on the Destroyers and in the city. I wonder if he's more like an undercover spy? Sabine certainly isn't surprised by his input.
She was so good at this and really was a born leader. Ezra was more than happy to stand at her side and let her make the big decisions, protecting her back as necessary. He could lead when he had to, but he enjoyed watching Sabine take control of things more. When it came to her, Ezra was just happy to spend whatever time he could with her.
The meeting came to an end some fifteen minutes later and Bo-Katan invited them to dine with her clan for the evening meal. The attack on Saxon's Star Destroyer was scheduled to take place a few hours before dawn, so more forces could arrive, giving them about six hours to eat and rest.
Dinner was interesting.
Ezra sat between Kanan and Sabine while she picked at her food, frowning at it absently. His appetite was fine, but he hadn't lost a chunk of his family only hours before. He spent most of his time observing the Mandos around him as they chattered away in Mando'a. Every once in a while, he'd catch a word that he thought he recognized, the most common of which was 'Jetii', the Mando'a version of Jedi, or some of the swear words that Sabine was fond of. If their emotions and barely civilized looks were anything to go by, the Mandos were not in love with the idea of having Jedi in their camp.
And they were even more displeased by the fact that Ezra was attached to one of their females, completely disregarding the fact that Sabine wasn't exactly their favorite person either.
Ezra discovered this fun little snippet by accident when he refilled her cup for her and she'd given him a half-smile in thanks, her eyes far away and sad. Hoping to bring her back to the here and now, and restore a proper smile to her face, he'd brushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek the same way that she had his; soft and lingering, before whispering that she should try and eat something to go with her mead or she'd end up woozy.
Sabine had blinked at him, smiled for real, and actually put a bite of food in her mouth.
The rest of the hundred or so warriors seated at tables around them had basically stopped breathing and the tent had gone silent for a good ten seconds. The temperature in the big tent had dropped like a sudden attack of winter. And their emotions had gone from displeased to outright repugnance.
For the sake of entertainment, Ezra had found half a dozen more excuses to touch Sabine while encouraging her to actually eat her dinner. The tent sizzled with tension every time.
It was hilarious, if somewhat alarming for Ezra's life expectancy.
Sabine was somehow oblivious, but she seemed to be working through things in her mind, so Ezra let it slide.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Kanan whispered to him after Ezra put his free arm across her shoulders and snuggled her a little closer into his side. Their displeased audience all but gasped in outrage.
Ezra grinned at him when Sabine hummed in a happy but still distracted way and then forked in another bite of salad. "Worth it," he whispered back smugly.
Kanan shook his head at him, amused resignation trickling down their bond.
Fenn, who was sitting across the table from them, smirked into his cup of mead. "Can you blame him, Kanan?"
Kanan sighed in an exaggeratedly forlorn fashion. "I suppose not. Girl's been making him wait for four years. I guess he's earned the right to a few death-defying displays of affection."
Ezra grinned wider when Sabine actually focused on the people around them long enough to lean around Ezra and smirk at Kanan. "Yes, he has." She then kissed Ezra on the jaw before poking at her salad and mentally going elsewhere again.
Alrich raised a brow. "Four years, huh?"
Ezra shrugged. "More or less. She was worth the wait, though."
Kanan barked out a laugh. "Even when she was telling you to go take a flying leap off the top of the Ghost again because you wouldn't leave her alone?"
Ezra flushed lightly. "I was fourteen," he said defensively. "I had no self-control back then. She hasn't told me that in years."
Fenn paused with his fork halfway to his mouth. "Wait, why does it sound like you actually did take a leap off the Ghost at some point?"
Both Ezra and Kanan winced. "Ummmm. That's a long story," Kanan mumbled.
Alrich stopped eating too, sensing a really good story. "You must tell it. We have time."
"Uhhh. Well," Ezra started. "I was just learning how to be a Jedi…"
"And I was just learning how to teach him to be a Jedi…"
"And I wasn't very good yet…"
"And I over-faced him…"
Sabine huffed in exasperation, her attention caught again in the present reality. "Uuuhg! You two are TERRIBLE storytellers." She looked across at Fenn and her father. "Kanan was trying to teach Ezra how to use a lightsaber by having Chopper throw empty water bottles at him. Chopper and Zeb went a little nuts and threw too many all at once. Ezra tripped on one and fell backwards off the Ghost. We happened to be hovering about a kilometer above the ground at the time."
"Shabla hell!" Fenn exclaimed.
"How did you survive?!" Alrich asked with wide eyes.
"Kanan caught me with the Force and pulled me back up," Ezra said proudly. "It was amazing."
The other two men gawked at the bearded Jedi in admiration.
Kanan flushed under his mask. "It was nothing."
Sabine snorted. "Kanan's had to rescue Ezra from falling to his death more than once. I think today was the first time that Ezra more or less saved himself."
"Hey!" he protested out of principle, even if it was true. "I've gotten better at not getting myself into precarious situations in the first place."
"That's true," she admitted, patting his arm consolingly.
Ezra decided to call that about as good as it got in terms of praise from her and dedicated himself to finishing his dinner.
Now up to the dessert course, Ezra took his and Kanan's empty plates and Sabine's half-full one away and returned with three small plates filled with a deliciously gooey-looking chocolate cake. Where they got the chocolate cake from, he had no idea, considering they were in the middle of a rather large, covert operation against the Empire. But then again, Bo-Katan was the Countess of one of the wealthiest and most influential clans on the planet. If anyone could afford to buy a cake for a hundred people, it would be her.
Somehow, while Ezra was gone, Sabine had acquired a datapad and was typing at lightning speed on the touchscreen with a focused dedication that indicated all of her previous thinking had produced something interesting. "What are you working on?" Ezra asked curiously as he set a plate in front of her.
"Just… things," she said evasively.
"Evil weapon things?"
"Maybe." She frowned at him then focused on her datapad again.
Ezra dropped it, sensing she wasn't going to talk about it.
Deciding to focus on something more pleasant, Ezra took a forkful of cake and placed it into his mouth, nearly moaning in taste bud delight. "Karabast, this is good. We never get cake like this at Chopper Base."
Kanan forked in a bite and quickly nodded in agreement. "Heaven."
Fenn was inhaling his cake like he'd never get another piece. Probably so he could go back for seconds before it was all gone.
Sabine was still typing away, cake untouched.
Knowing how much Sabine loved chocolate, Ezra frowned at her. He picked up her fork and stabbed some cake for her and then held it to her mouth. "Open. This is really good and I'm going to eat it for you if you don't."
The warning got through to her occupied brain enough for her to open her mouth for his offering.
Then her eyes closed and she actually did moan in taste bud bliss. "Stars, that's good," she said after swallowing. She snatched her fork from him and immediately put all of her concentration into savoring her cake, pushing the datapad away and pulling the plate closer, curling over it possessively. "Mine," she all but snarled at Ezra.
Alrich chortled into his napkin as he wiped away cake crumbs. "Never get between a girl and her chocolate cake."
Ezra grinned to himself, forking up another bite for himself. Mission accomplished.
Somehow, Ezra found himself braving the wild herd of Mandos for the second piece of cake for his ladylove.
She'd finished her cake in record time for someone who was clearly savoring every bite, and then she'd looked at the lineup to the buffet table assessingly. When she sighed and let her shoulders drop in clear defeat, Ezra couldn't stand it.
So he shoved the last quarter of his cake into his mouth all at once, just to make sure he actually got to eat it lest someone else decide it was fair game while he was gone, and then he was leaping up from the table.
"Where are you going?" Sabine asked as she dragged her datapad back in front of her.
Ezra swallowed down the massive bite with effort before answering. "To get you more cake, my beautiful Cyar'ika." And then he was gone, sliding around tables and people with swift ease.
Sabine gawked for a moment before a very soft smile that might be interpreted as loving appreciation crossed her face and she turned around fully to watch her Jedi perform what should be an impossible feat.
Bo, overhearing, actually felt her heart melt a little at the boy's devotion. Jedi or not, that one's a keeper. And would you look at that; not entirely the bumbling buffoon I thought.
Their whole table watched in avid curiosity as the lithe Jedi boy literally slithered around and under the bigger warriors. Not a single person seemed to be aware of what he was doing because he didn't touch any of them. "How is he...?" Bo started to ask, with wide eyes.
"Former street rat," Kanan said as his only explanation.
That was enough. Bo got it. Orphan, then, most likely. She also concluded that he was probably older than he looked because nearly every street rat she'd met had been half-starved and smaller than they should be. But they did make fantastic spies and informants.
Ezra grinned to himself in triumph when he'd maneuvered his way to the front of the jostling and impatient line without any exclamations of protest. He arrived just in time, too, because there were only five plates of cake left.
He snatched one up and that's when someone finally figured out he'd just cut in front of about forty people.
"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" a very large warrior with dark skin and purple eyes growled at him, prompting more protests of a similar nature to erupt down the entire line.
Ezra smirked at the young man who reminded him of Ketsu for some reason. "I'm taking a piece of cake. What does it look like?"
"I don't think so, Jedi." The warrior moved to snatch it from his hand but Ezra was faster.
He jumped backward, balancing the cake carefully, and assessed the situation. The warriors were all but salivating like rabid Mookas as they closed in on him menacingly. In his mind, Kanan was laughing again, cursing him.
"How are you going to get yourself out of this one?" Kanan teased unmercifully.
"I take it no help is on its way?"
"Not a chance. This is way too entertaining."
"Thanks," Ezra replied, layering on the sarcasm.
Making a decision based on his will to live, Ezra gathered the Force around him and leaped, flying right over the heads of the shocked warriors. Thank whomever that the ceiling on this tent is generous, he thought as the top of his head scraped the material.
"Now that's just cheating!" the first warrior called across the tent as Ezra landed beside his table.
Ezra turned his head over his shoulder and yelled back, "All's fair in love, war, and cake!"
Amidst the rumbles of discontent and even a few chuckles, Ezra presented the piece of cake to Sabine with a flourish. "For you, My Lady."
Sabine took the cake graciously, grinning widely. "Thank you, Kind Sir."
Beaming with pride, Ezra sank back down onto the bench beside her. She snuggled in close and then shoveled in a bite of cake, moaning in pleasure again.
Ezra couldn't have been happier. Or more turned on.
"Smooth, kid. Real smooth."
Ezra smiled across the table at Kanan as he snuck an arm over Sabine's shoulders again, and she turned to kiss his cheek between bites of cake. "I thought so."
The warriors were still grumbling and giving Ezra dirty looks, which he was blithely ignoring, but Bo had had enough of their childishness.
She stood abruptly drawing every eye to her and silence quickly filled the room. "Get over yourselves already! Jedi or not, the boy won that cake for Countess Wren. Although not exactly in the fairest fashion, but it's done, so shut up or get out."
No one moved.
No one said a word.
No one dared.
Nodding in satisfaction, Bo sat back down again, smiling to herself.
Her tablemates gave her grateful smiles and Fenn winked. Bo had the sudden urge to fan herself.
"I like her," Kanan thought to Ezra.
Ezra laughed back. "Don't let Hera hear you say that," he teased.
Kanan kicked him under the table.
Since the mission was now only about four hours away, Sabine and company were invited to stay with Bo-Katan's camp. A spare tent was erected in minutes (which included a race that ended up in a tickle war that Sabine wasn't actually sure who had won) for them and five cots placed around the edges.
Sabine stripped off her armor, belts, gloves, and boots, but left everything else on, and fell into the cot, exhausted from the long day, but too agitated to sleep. With her hands folded over her stomach and her stocking feet crossed at the ankles, she stared up at the ceiling of the tent while she listened to the breathing of the men turn regular and deep once Fenn finally showed up to retire. The lump in the darkness that was Fenn was the first to start snoring. Within minutes, her father joined in and they were snoring in harmony. Then Kanan and Ezra added their own, fortunately, softer, versions of probosci's harmonies. Normally, it would have been either comical or annoying as hell, depending on her mood, but tonight, Sabine was mostly just numb.
She'd spent a lot of time thinking whole at dinner.
Thinking about everything that had gone wrong today; from attacking the wrong facility to almost losing Ezra, to finding out the hard way that the Duchess was back. Every new thought was more depressing than the last.
So, to distract herself, she'd started mentally digging up her research on the Plastoid armor that Imperials wore, pulling it out of a mental file that had been buried more than five years ago. The more she thought about the properties of the Plastoid, the more she was convinced she could adapt the Duchess to target it. By the time dinner was over, she'd come up with all of the necessary formulas and calculations on a datapad and then transferred the codes to the computer in her vambrace. Just in case.
Ezra's affectionate touches had been just distracting enough to prevent her from completely getting lost in her mind like she did sometimes. The first one had nearly startled her because she wasn't used to him being that forward with her person. (Or anyone, for that matter.) But after that, she welcomed them. Even though she knew the reason she was craving touch so much was because she was in an emotionally vulnerable place right now, and she normally would retreat from the world to protect her tough girl shell, Sabine wasn't going to push Ezra away. His gentle touches and sweet little kisses were exactly what she needed to help her remember that she had something worth living and fighting for.
And he seemed to get a kick out of annoying the other warriors with his displays, which had almost been enough to make her laugh at one point. They were going to have to get used to Ezra in her life whether they liked it or not because she wasn't giving him up for anything.
Her mouth quirked up in a temporary half-smile as she remembered how Ezra had risked death to get her a second piece of cake before it was all gone. So incredibly sweet. But he'd always been like that. I just chose not to see it for what it was.
Ezra's cake snatching had inspired near-chaos from the pack of grumpy Mandalorians but Bo-Katan had swiftly nipped their anger in the bud.
She certainly has a way with people. Everyone respects her. Everyone looks up to her.
I wonder…
Is SHE the leader I've been looking for to give the Darksaber to?
Sabine decided to see how the mission went tomorrow before deciding for sure, but in the back of her mind, she was pretty much already decided. With Korkie Kryze deceased, Bo-Katan was now the rightful heir to Duchess Satine anyway. She should be ruling the planet right now, not Saxon scum.
The Darksaber had found its new Mand'alor.
And it wasn't her.
It never was meant to be, but the thought of giving up the weapon that she'd trained so hard to master hit her harder than it should have. Like Kanan said, she'd connected to it in some fundamental way that she couldn't exactly feel mentally because she wasn't Force-sensitive, but her heart knew.
She was going to miss having the lightsaber hanging on her belt. Reaching down a bit, and fumbling blindly at the pile of things beside her bed, she unhooked the Darksaber and clutched it gently in her hands, holding it over her heart, wishing she could hear the subtle hum that Ezra said the black Kyber crystal emitted.
One more mission.
We'll avenge Mother, Tristan, and my other clan members together. And then I'll give you to your new human. You'll like her. She's fierce and proud and every bit as badass as a Mand'alor should be.
She's exactly what Mandalore needs right now.
And with the Darksaber in her hand, none will question her right to lead again.
Not like they'll question me. I don't know if I can be the Countess of my clan. So many people hate me.
Why? Why did Mother have to die?
Sabine was grateful to have her father back, but the cost of losing her mother and brother just made it agonizingly bittersweet. If I had known this was how it was going to play out, would I have done it again? Could we have done things differently, or was it all a setup by Saxon? Is he even smart enough to orchestrate all of that? How does one choose between the father that you adore and the mother you respect but can't ever love again because of what she did to you? And what about my beloved baby brother? Tristan didn't deserve this. He was only seventeen for frag's sake. None of my clan deserved to die today.
As her thoughts fell into the realm of depression again, her eyes started leaking bitter, frozen tears, the tracks running down into her ears uncomfortably.
Hating herself right now, Sabine rose silently from her cot, keeping the Darksaber in her hand, then grabbed her boots and gun belt and ducked out of the tent. She shoved her feet into her boots, buckled on her belt, hooked the Darksaber to it, and walked with crossed arms holding her together through the nearly silent camp. The guard at the perimeter wall peered at her but didn't say anything as she walked past him out into the desert and just kept walking.
When the camp was just a speck in the distance, she sank to her knees in the sand and let the sorrow take over but held back the screams, not wanting to wake the camp that would hear her, even as far out as she was, since sound carried well on the barren, cracked, and desolate land.
With her head bowed and her shoulders shaking with the force of her grief, her eyes closed and the sound and sight of the Duchess doing its evil work assaulted her mind, memories taking over from today and years ago.
Ezra had been asleep for maybe an hour when jolts of pain and sorrow woke him up, feeling like they came from within him, furrowing his brow in surprise and consternation. He glanced over at Kanan and saw that his Master was sleeping soundly and quietly, the bond between them quiet. Kanan had had his share of bad nights, but this wasn't his grief. So who...? What?
Ezra looked to Sabine's cot next and found it empty. Understanding dawned as he realized he was feeling Sabine. Holy frag.
Jolting off his cot, he stuffed his feet into his boots, buckled on his weapons belt, and shoved his arms into his orange jacket, having gone to bed in just his t-shirt and trousers. He hurried through the camp, sensing that Sabine needed him. NOW.
Ezra went to pass the guard but paused when the man called out, "She went that way."
The guard wasn't surprised by Ezra appearing shortly after the new Countess had left. He'd seen how protective the young Jedi was of her and had observed them together during the evening meal. The two were clearly close and rumors had been flying around the camp that the new Countess had picked a Jedi as her consort. No one knew quite what to make of that, but no one dared insult her choice now. Not after Countess Kryze had all but endorsed the match. After the Wren girl had retired for the night, Fenn Rau had told the tale of how she had defeated Gar Saxon with the Darksaber and everyone's opinion of her had increased a notch or two. Rightfully possessing the Darksaber also made her one of the most powerful people on Mandalore right now. If she chose to be the next Mand'alor, some would oppose her, but not many.
Ezra gave a quick nod of acknowledgment, not actually needing the help, but was glad the warrior was being friendly. Had something changed since dinner?
He took off at a run, beelining for where he felt Sabine's presence off in the distance, his path lit by faint moonlight. As her sorrow built and built to something he wasn't sure even she, with all her innate strength, could survive, Ezra, pushed his legs into moving faster, calling on the Force to lend him the speed of the wind.
Within moments, he was sinking down to the sand beside her and drawing her into his lap, hugging his arms around her shaking body. He knew she hadn't had enough time to grieve properly earlier, and so wasn't too surprised by this, but his heart near broke for her anyway.
"Shhhhh. I'm here, Cyar'ika. I'm here," he murmured.
Sabine buried her face in Ezra's shoulder. "Ezra," she managed to sob out. "It hurts."
He kissed the top of her head and rocked her gently. "I know, Sabine. I know. Just let it out. It helps. I promise," he whispered in a voice almost as haggard as hers. "Kanan would tell you to give the pain to the Force if he was here."
Sabine clenched her hands on Ezra's shirt and tried to give the pain away, but she didn't know how to. It was all just so built up in her. Years and years of holding it all in, culminating with the loss of her family, and it was just too much. All she could do was cry harder, which didn't seem possible, but she did.
Ezra desperately wished he could help her, more than just being there to hold her. He wanted to take her pain away. Make her feel better. Make everything right for her again. Turn back time even. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. So very very sorry," he whispered into her hair.
He didn't know how it happened but he was pretty sure he now had a mental bond with Sabine much like his with Kanan. He was feeling her much too clearly for it to be anything else. He was practically drowning in her grief. Maybe because she'd decided to open her emotions to him earlier today?
Not sure if she would hear him, but decided to try it anyway, Ezra closed his eyes and pushed his thoughts into Sabine's mind, her despair leaving her naturally shielded mind more open than usual. "Give me your pain," he thought clearly. "I can take care of it for you. Let me do this for you."
Sabine nodded slightly against his chest and opened her mind wider, sending her pain to Ezra instinctively, because she trusted him to take care of it.
Ezra almost gasped as she opened the floodgates, but he breathed through it, deep and slow, and started siphoning it out into the Force like Kanan had taught him so many years ago, basically going into a meditative state to do it. He didn't know how long it took for Sabine's grief to slow down, but he dealt with it. When the last trickles of sorrow had been given to a better place, Ezra squeezed her a little tighter to his chest and kissed the top of his head again. "Are you feeling better now?" he asked in her mind, not wanting to give up the deep connection that they'd established.
Sabine nodded again, scrubbing her face against his soft jacket, and suddenly noticing how hard his body was underneath of it. "Mmmm hmmmm, thank you, Ez'ika."
Ezra smiled gently into her hair, loving the feel of the strands against his cheek. It was so silky and smelled like the sweetest of flowers with the permanent undertone of paint that clung to her. "You're welcome."
This is nice. I like being on Ezra's lap. And his voice is so soothing. It's like melted butter in my mind.
Wait. In my mind? He hasn't been talking out loud?
Now hold on just one nerf-herding minute! Sabine's eyes opened wide and she reared back in his arms. "Ezra Bridger, are you talking in my mind?!"
Ezra shrugged and one side of his mouth quirked up and he returned to talking out loud. "If I say yes, will you be angry?"
Sabine narrowed her eyes at him and thought about it. It was a rather serious invasion of privacy, but on the other hand, he did help me feel better. "I'll let you get away with it this time, Bridger. But you better not make a habit of that. My mind is my own."
Ezra smiled and pulled her closer again. "I know, Sabine. I would never dare to intrude unless it was important. This felt important."
Sabine relaxed against his chest again, finger tracing the line on his jacket where two different colors met across his collarbone and up to his shoulder. "You're right. It was important." She looked up at him, eyes taking in the line of his jaw from that angle. It looked very kissable all of a sudden. "I know you can do the whole Jedi Mind Trick thing, but I didn't know you could actually be telepathic with other people."
Ezra looked uncomfortable all of a sudden and his eyes no longer met hers. "I can't, not usually. Only to people I have a Force bond with, like Kanan."
He and Kanan's mind speak to each other? That explains a lot. No wonder they're so in sync with each other sometimes.
Sabine's eyes widened as she realized what else he was saying. "And me? You have a bond with me?" she asked very softly.
Ezra looked back at her, his brilliant blue eyes looking almost black in the dark. He nodded ever so slightly. "And you."
Sabine breathed in as she understood the implications of that. They were BOUND. That's incredible. And thrilling. Ezra really is mine now.
Her arms crept up around his neck and her fingers rubbed against the short hairs at the back of his nape. She suddenly wished he'd grow his hair out again so she could play with it properly. (Not to mention the rich dark blue color was nearly lost when it was this short.) "Ezra," she said softly, invitingly, raising her mouth towards his.
Oh, Kriff! This is it. She wants me to kiss her for real. Don't panic. I can do this. Just touch her mouth with yours and try not to smash your nose into hers. Simple.
Yeah right.
Just do it, Bridger. Don't keep the warrior goddess waiting.
He took a deep breath and studied her, making sure she was one hundred percent on the same page that he was.
Her shining eyes and barely parted lips said she was.
Ezra's breath caught in his throat at how beautiful her pale face looked in the moonlight. "Sabine." He cupped one side of her face with his hand lovingly and bent down to press his mouth to hers in a featherlight, experimental kiss. The electricity that surged through him at the contact was heady and shot straight to his heart and he wanted it again.
Force, her lips are soft. I could kiss her forever.
Kriff, that was nice, she thought as a faint shiver ran through her from head to toe. Again, Ezra.
Their eyes met for a moment and then shuttered closed as their mouths pressed together again, fitting just right and whispering soft caresses. Sabine opened her mouth a little with a gasp at how amazing this felt and found herself the recipient of Ezra's questing tongue. She sucked on the tip, which made him groan, and soon they were dueling in the most passionate way that made her shake with need and move around on his lap so she was straddling him, wanting to get even closer and feel even more of her body pressed to his hard one. She found herself grinding against the hard length that was in just the right place now to stimulate her senses even more. Jolts of electricity shot through her with every slight movement of her hips.
When she felt like she was going to combust from the fire trying to take over her insides, Sabine pulled her mouth away from his and stared at him in shock, breathing in shallow gasps. "I had no idea it could be like that."
Ezra sucked in necessary air, the bare fingers of one hand buried in her silky hair and his other hand curled around her hip and basically holding her against his hardness. He THROBBED against her and he could swear he could feel her heat through their layers of clothes. It felt like he was about two seconds away from exploding then and there. He gulped as he realized he was holding her butt and was practically forcing her to rub against him. Oops. Maybe a little too presumptuous for a first make-out session, there, Bridger. I doubt she wants to know the precise dimensions of Little Ezra so soon.
Speaking of... Settle down, boy, before you strangle yourself to death. There's only so much room for you in there.
Ezra reluctantly forced his hand to move up a little higher to the curve of her waist. He gave her a bashful, crooked smile. "I didn't either. I think I lost all control."
Sabine smirked and wiggled just a little, deliberately teasing him, inspiring a pained groan that rose up from deep in his chest. Oh kriff, let the strangulation commence.
"You're not the only one, babe," Sabine admitted coyly, biting her lower lip in the sexiest fashion that made his heart pound visibly in the pulse at his throat. She rubbed her chest against his, happy she wasn't wearing her armor plating, but wishing her bodysuit was a little less thick. Is it too soon to start striping? That Lightsaber in Ezra's trousers seems to think that's a fantastic idea. "I think we need more practice. You wanna do it again?"
Ezra's eyes went wide before a predatory smile settled on his face. "Force, yes."
Sabine hummed a little in contentment as his mouth crashed down onto hers again. How is he so good at kissing already? Not that I'm complaining. Most definitely not complaining. Kriff, do that swirly thing with your tongue again. That move goes straight to my core. Holy nerf. I'm claiming your tongue (and the rest of your more interesting body parts) as my property from now on.
Choosing Ezra as her future husband was definitely not a mistake.
Mando'a translations:
Shabla - fuck, fucking, or fucked up, depending on the context.
Mand'alor - Ruler of all of the Mandalorian people. The Darksaber is a traditional symbol of the Mand'alor's power.
