An agent and a lasat meet in a bar

by Sheena Wilde

A chance meeting at a seedy bar on an Imperial planet changes the relationship between Agent Kallus and Garazeb Orrelios for good. Not that either of them are complaining.

It was one of the better looking bars in town that Kallus chose. It still looked a bit shady and he was keeping an eye on the other patrons, but then again, this was the only place where he doubted he would run into one of his colleagues. He wanted to spend his shore leave as far away from the Empire as possible – he was also dressed in civilian clothing, plain black pants with a turtleneck and a simple gray jacket, to avoid any conflict that might emerge if he was dressed in his uniform at this part of town. The planet they were on belonged to the Empire, sure, but no one was as stupid as to think they were safe everywhere on surface.

Kallus's only plan for the night was to get drunk. Brutally drunk. He already paid for a hotel room just a few buildings away so he didn't have to go back to his ship – it wouldn't have been unique, to see some officers stumble back from shore leave drunk out of their minds, but Kallus wanted to preserve his dignity by not having to require assistance from stormtroopers to find his own kriffing bed. It would also not do any good for him to draw attention to himself by behaving irresponsibly when he… when he already turned against the Empire. A rebel agent had made contact with him a few weeks ago, assigned him inner spywork, and he was glad – but it was hard. He knew he was doing the right thing, after years of his life, he finally was, but he had also never been lonelier. While he was still a dedicated agent, there was a sense of belonging somewhere at least, knowing his own place in the universe, but now it felt like he was alone. He didn't expect that doing the right thing would make him so miserable.

Not that he regretted his decision. Because he didn't, he had seen enough to know that turning against the Empire was the only path he could take. But while he knew he was doing something right and felt better about his conscience, it did nothing to improve his personal life. Not that he had expectations in that field… At least, not yet.

With a sigh, Kallus motioned to the bartender for another drink. He was at his third whiskey but the only thing he had felt so far was tiredness, so he had to keep on drinking. He needed to achieve at least a mild buzz – he wanted to forget about all his worries in the warm nothingness of alcohol haze. Maybe it was not the wisest decisions, but then again, Kallus couldn't remember the last time he was drunk. It was back during his Academy days, probably. He didn't remember drinking ever since he had first been promoted, as he wanted to be perfect, wanted to advance as much as he could, and he felt like he couldn't allow any mistakes. Even now he had to keep up appearances but getting drunk alone in a dive was nothing anyone would know about.

He just received his fourth whiskey and was staring ahead, now kind of starting to feel the buzz, when out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of familiar purple fur. No. No, that can't be, he thought as he snapped his head back in that direction, but there he was. Garazeb Orrelios was standing there, looking back at Kallus with equal shock. The lasat wasn't alone but fortunately it was nobody Kallus recognized, so hopefully it wasn't a trigger happy rebel. Kallus quickly turned away and lowered his head – he didn't want any trouble, so he would best not draw any attention to himself. After Bahryn, after him helping Sabine Wren, he was sure Zeb would not be an enemy anymore, but still. He would rather avoid the possibility of a conflict.

Clearly Zeb had a different opinion as Kallus had to realize when he felt a large hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see the lasat stand next to him uncertainly.

"Hey, Kallus. Long time no see" he said, not quite knowing where to look, but there was a small, tentative smile on his face.

Kallus actually snorted at that, his worries gone at the awkwardness of the other.

"Yes, well" he started as he turned towards Zeb, a small smile on his face. "I thought you would be happy about that."

"Heh. Depends" Zeb huffed out a laugh as he sat on the stool next to Kallus. "If it doesn't involve imps chasing us or crash-landing on frozen moons, I don't actually mind."

"You do realize that those were the only conditions so far in which we have met" Kallus raised an eyebrow as he watched the lasat quickly flag down the bartender and ask for whatever Kallus was having. He was intrigued by how this conversation was going, and he would be lying if he said he didn't want the company, especially since Garazeb knew he wasn't the loyal Imperial puppet anymore.

"Until now, yeah. But now we're at a bar" Zeb said slowly, then shrugged with a tentative smile as he looked over the agent. "You don't look half bad in civvies, you know" he added before taking a sip of his whiskey.

"Why, thanks, Garazeb, that's very nice of you" Kallus chuckled and leaned against the counter with his side, amused.

"So… This place doesn't strike me as an Imperial favorite. What brings you here?" Zeb asked curiously whole he took a sip from his whiskey.

"I wanted to get away a bit. I wanted to have a night when I don't have to be an agent…" Kallus replied silently, with a nervous shrug. "You know how it is."

"Oh. So that thing with Sabine was… not a one-time thing?" Zeb asked, voice quiet as if he was afraid of the answer, but his eyes were full of hope and his ears perked up in anticipation.

"No, it wasn't. I-" Kallus paused, eyes darting towards the bartender. "If you want to discuss these matters, maybe we should move somewhere more private. There are too many ears around us."

"Yeah, maybe that would be smarter" Zeb agreed with a nod. He looked around the bar and there were some circular booths around the back to offer some semblance of privacy to those who needed it. "Maybe over there?" he asked as he pointed towards them. Kallus turned around to have a look, then nodded.

"Better than here, yes" he said, then turned back to his whiskey, downed the remainders, and waved at the bartender for another one. Zeb raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing, so Kallus pretended he didn't notice. The getting drunk plan wasn't cancelled because of Zeb's appearance – who knows how long the rebel would stay before h got bored of Kallus, but he had a whole night ahead of himself.

When he received his refill, he stood and with Zeb beside him, they went to claim one of the booths. Fortunately, most of them were empty – the patrons preferred the bar stools or any table that was closer to the bar so they didn't have to go far for refills. This wasn't the type of place where romantic couples could retreat, either, as it was barely above the level where you wouldn't get shanked for credits.

"How come you're alone? I thought you rebels stick together" Kallus asked as they settled down, voice light and teasing.

"I wanted a drink. Hera doesn't really drink off base, Kanan wants to be a better example for Ezra, and Sabine's a kid, too. I usually drink with Rex but now no one else is around. So if I want one, I have to come alone" Zeb shrugged at that, then looked at Kallus. "And what about you? Do you normally go out with the other agents?"

"I don't really go out normally. At all" Kallus said, shrugging too, but his shoulders tensed. "I was so set on my duties that I never took shore leave. I wanted to use my time as efficiently as possible to serve the Empire. Now… I'm not that keen on doing that anymore" he finished and took a sip of his drink.

"Oh, I, uh, I see" Zeb muttered, because that was kind of awkward and… sad. Seemed like their jokes of the agent not having much of a personal life was actually true, but now, knowing Kallus slightly better, it didn't seem funny at all.

"You wanted to know if me helping Sabine was a one-time thing. It was not" Kallus continued, staring down at his drink to avoid looking at Zeb. He had been strictly instructed not to reveal his Fulcrum status to anyone, not even rebels, unless it was an emergency. The less people knew about it, chances were the longer he could remain undetected. And while he was a perfect liar, he found himself feeling bad for lying to Zeb now. Especially since he was the very reason he became Fulcrum at all. "I want to help the Rebellion, I want to help you."

Zeb was silent for a few moments, and from the corner of his eyes, Kallus could see the lasat watching him intently, deep in thought. Silence settled between them for a while, a heavy silence while Kallus was waiting for Zeb to say something.

"Do you… want to defect?" the lasat asked finally, and he too started inspecting his own drink instead of looking at the agent.

"No. Not yet" Kallus shook his head slowly. "In my position, I can access information that could be vital for you. I can manipulate reports, people, movements… I can prevent them catching you."

"But that is incredibly risky, Kal. You can be discovered" Zeb said silently, and he didn't have to say anything else – Kallus knew the implications.

"For years, I thought dying in service of the Empire was the greatest sacrifice" Kallus said with a snort. "Now I think dying for betraying them sounds like a way better option."

"Kal-" Zeb tried to start but the agent looked up at him and shook his head.

"No, that's enough of the topic. I believe I gave you a satisfactory answer" he said in a firm voice, and took another sip from his drink. Then he narrowed his eyes and looked up at the lasat. "Did- did you call me 'Kal'?"

"I, uh…" Zeb started and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, his ears flattening against his head, letting out an embarrassed laugh. "I did, yeah. I won't do it again if it bothers you. I mean, I just don't know your first name…"

"It's Alexandr" Kallus said with a shrug as he watched the lasat, smiling at his embarrassment. It was endearing. "But I don't much care for it. I think I prefer that nickname of yours."

"Oh? That's good then" Zeb said, and while he looked a bit surprised, he was smiling, smiling so sweetly at Kallus that he had to turn his head away, because it was too much. He felt so alone in the Empire lately, so lonely, that Zeb's sudden friendliness and warmth was… a bit too much. He raised his glass and finished off his whiskey.

"I'm getting another round" Kallus said as he stood, swaying as he did so, and Zeb had to stand quickly too, putting a hand on the agent's shoulder to steady him. Finally, the whiskey was getting to him, it seemed. He didn't notice while sitting down.

"Wow, there, Kal. Are you sure you should drink more?" he asked with worry.

"I'm a grown up, Garazeb, I am fully aware of what I'm doing. I don't need anyone to tell me what I should do" Kallus said with a frown and contemplated stepping out of Zeb's reach to prove his point but the warm hand on his shoulder felt really nice.

"Alright, alright. But you sit down, I'll get the next" Zeb grumbled, clearly not happy about it, but he couldn't tell Kallus what to do, and the man would obviously go through with what he wanted.

Kallus sat back down while he waited for Zeb's return. When the lasat came back with another round for both of them and took his seat beside Kallus, he didn't hand him his drink immediately. Instead, he kept it in his grasp and gave the agent a searching look.

"So what if you tell me why you want to get completely hammered before I give you this?" Zeb asked silently, never taking his eyes off Kallus.

"You are not my mother, Garazeb" Kallus said indignantly.

"I know. But I can still care about why you feel the need to drink so much now" Zeb started, keeping his voice low and his eyes on the agent. "Especially when you never even took your shore leaves before, as you mentioned."

Kallus stared at Zeb, undecided for a moment whether he should just leave, whether it was wise for him to continue talking to the lasat, if he really wanted to make himself so vulnerable. But honestly, their conversation on Bahryn had been the first in years anyone actually cared about what he thought and how he felt, and not just to check if he could perform his duties. Zeb wasn't asking this to evaluate him, he was asking this because he cared. It was frightening to realize how long he had gone without any emotional contact, and that it had to come from a lasat rebel on an ice moon for him to realize it.

"It's- it's meaningless, I know it is. But I- Ever since I realized what the Empire was doing, I can't- I can't justify what I've done. Until now it was- it was always for the greater good, all a sacrifice for the benefit of the galaxy, for peace" Kallus started and it was the combined effect of alcohol and Zeb that got him rambling so uncharacteristically. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. "And my job already made it hard to be close to anyone, but now that I don't even believe the lies anymore, I'm… alone. I can't trust anyone" he finished, then sighed. "Was that enough of an answer that I can get my drink?"

Zeb just wordlessly slid the whiskey over to the agent, who took it and immediately downed half of it. He bowed his head and closed his eyes – he shouldn't have talked about this so much. Not even alcohol was going to make him forget if he kept on talking about what he wanted to forget for a few hours. But Zeb was here, and even if they talked about something else, just his presence reminded him of his every worries.

Suddenly, Kallus felt a warm hand on his back, and looked up in surprise to see that Zeb had moved closer to him and was now looking at him with a small, sad smile. He just didn't get the lasat. After everything, why was he even here with Kallus? Why was he trying to comfort him? Why did he care about him at all? It seemed so implausible that of all people in the galaxy, it was the lasat rebel who actually gave a damn about him and the only one Kallus felt he… he could trust.

Zeb didn't know how they ended up like this.

One moment, he was still gently rubbing circles onto the agent's back in an attempt to comfort him, the next he had Kallus's hands on his shoulders, dragging him down, and then warm lips were pressed against his in a sloppy kiss. It was kind of a mess – Kallus was drunk enough to be a bit uncoordinated, his lips failing to find Zeb's properly at first, and Zeb's mind had yet to catch up to what was happening after the initial shock. By the time he actually managed to start kissing back, Kallus was already pulling away, his face completely red but then- then they were back to kissing again, because without his actual permission, his arm reached out and pulled Kallus back, and now it was him who kissed the agent.

This kiss was better. With Zeb's active participation, they managed to figure out the anatomical differences, and Kallus also seemed to have familiarized himself with the lasat's lips enough to find them properly even through the haze of alcohol. Kallus's lips were warm and soft against his, moving slowly but firmly against his, and his body fit just nicely in Zeb's arms as Kallus leaned into him, with his arms holding onto his shoulders. Zeb had his arms around him in an embrace, just holding him there firmly and securely. It had been some time since he had even considered an affair of any type, and even longer since he had acted on it, and he missed having someone close like this. The fact that it was Agent Kallus made things only mildly complicated.

They pulled apart to catch their breaths, both of them breathing heavily, and Zeb reached up to smooth back a strand of hair that had fallen into Kallus's face. Then he gently cupped the agent's face who was very intently staring forward, and Zeb had no idea what was going on in his head.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked silently, and when he still didn't receive any response, he tried to move away. "Maybe we should just-"

"Don't" Kallus said quickly as his hold tightened on Zeb's shoulders. Then his voice turned softer as he added. "Please, don't."

"I'm right here, Kal" Zeb whispered and tightened his arms around the agent, who actually let a soft smile sneak onto his lips.

"Good."

Then he leaned back up to kiss Zeb again. There was something about the way Zeb kissed him, the way he held him – maybe that none of his partners had been bigger than him and he had never been held like this before, this tenderly, delicately… It was completely new but thrilling, exciting and comforting all at once. He moved his hands up to Zeb's head, running his fingers through the soft fur, tugging him closer. Zeb let out a soft growl at that and deepened the kiss, and it was Kallus's turn to moan at that. Zeb's hands went down from the very respectful place they had occupied on Kallus's back so far to a less respectful position on his hips, and Kallus showed his approval by softly capturing Zeb's bottom lip between his teeth. Zeb let out another soft growl at that, softly raking his fingers up and down Kallus's hips.

It sent shivers up his spine and he wanted more. He swung his legs over Zeb's and slid into the lasat's lap. It startled Zeb and he pulled back from the kiss and looked up at Kallus as he suddenly had his lap full of the agent, and Kallus waited patiently, ready to be shoved off. But then the surprise was gone and Zeb's eyes darkened with want as he reached up with one hand to pull Kallus down to capture his lips in his own again. Kallus smiled into the kiss and threw his arms over the lasat's shoulders, and his smile grew into a smirk as Zeb playfully tugged at his hair.

"Stop being so happy about yourself" Zeb teased as his lips moved down to Kallus's neck, nipping at it softly, but he too was still smirking. He was now very glad that the man was in civvies and not in the high collar imperial uniform that would be very much in his way.

"You're the one to talk, Garazeb" Kallus retorted as he ran his fingers up the back of Zeb's head, through the soft fur, and tilted his head back, enjoying the warm lips on his skin.

"At this point, I think you should really start calling me Zeb" the lasat said as he pulled back just enough to look at Kallus. The agent flushed a little as he looked back at him but nodded.

"That's a… a reasonable request, Zeb" he whispered, and gods, if that wasn't the hottest thing Zeb had ever heard. He gently bit down on Kallus's neck, enjoying how the man needed to bring his hand up to his mouth to stifle his moan.

"Enjoying yourself?" Zeb grinned up at Kallus.

"As if you're not" Kallus huffed, then leaned to Zeb's ear to whisper into it. "Yes, I do. Maybe a bit too much."

"Perhaps… we should get out of here" Zeb whispered against his neck. Fortunately, they hadn't drawn much attention, but if they kept this up, then they definitely would.

"I… have a room, actually" Kallus said, somewhat embarrassed by how it sounded now.

"Ah, you, uh" Zeb started, then cleared his throat awkwardly and didn't look up at Kallus, not sure how to feel. "You planned on getting laid?"

"No, not really" Kallus shook his head quickly. "More like, I planned on getting so embarrassingly drunk that I didn't want to go back to the ship."

"Ah. That's understandable, I guess" Zeb nodded at that and even though Kallus was sure he was trying to hide it, he looked visibly relieved.

"Let's go, then" Kallus said with a smirk, slid off Zeb's lap and stood up. He took the lasat's hand and started leading him out of the bar and towards the nearby motel.

Fortunately, Kallus was just drunk enough to be able to navigate back to the hotel without any problem. He was focusing on the route deliberately, instead of whose hand he was holding, because he was impatient and didn't trust his self-control right now. He really wanted to get back to his room. Zeb was following him without a word, keeping an eye on the other people on the streets just in case. The receptionist gave them a weird a look – it was an Imperial planet, Zeb recalled bitterly, and ignored the man. He had more important things to pay attention to, for example the agent who pushed him up against the wall the moment the turbolift door closed on them, and Zeb kissed back eagerly, somewhat disappointed when the door opened on their floor. Kallus had the same opinion, it seemed, as he quickly dragged Zeb towards the correct door.

The moment the door locked behind them, Kallus was kissing Zeb again. As the lasat put his hands on the agent's hips to pull him close, Kallus quickly shrugged off his jacket and threw it away. Zeb pulled away at that, looking over the agent with an appreciative gaze – Kallus just grinned and grabbed the hem of his shirt, pulled it off with one swift movement, then threw it away, too. Zeb let out a low growl at that, but didn't do anything.

"Kal, are you sure?" he looked up at Kallus hesitantly.

"Yes" Kallus replied without a second thought, and his hands gripped the front of Zeb's jumpsuit, pulling him towards the bed. "I have wanted this since Bahryn."

Oh. And that shone a new light on things, Zeb thought as he followed Kallus towards the bed, helping him get the jumpsuit off him. Part of him was glad that this wasn't a whim on the other's part, that he had considered it before, without the influence of alcohol – but he also didn't know what to think about that. But as Kallus was lying there on the bed in front of him while he was taking the pants off him – he realized that this wasn't the best time to contemplate that.

In the morning when Zeb woke up, he was alone. He looked at the clock, and damn, it was late, Kallus must have had to get back earlier, and he should go to the Ghost before Hera starts worrying. He had only said he was going out for a drink, not… this. He got out of bed with a sigh and started putting on his clothes. Last night… It would have been better if Kallus was around in the morning to discuss it, because this was messy. Zeb just shook his head – no point in thinking of that now – and left the hotel as quickly as possible, not wanting to draw attention to himself. When he arrived back at the Ghost, he got a few questioning glances, but no one actually asked him anything, and that was good enough.

Rebel presence was reported from a neighboring planet of Lothal, so Kallus was sent with Lyste and a unit of stormtroopers to investigate it. After landing, part of the unit was sent to look through the market, part of it stayed in the spaceport to examine the ships there, and Kallus went to look through the town with the rest of the troops and Lyste. He was not quite keen on having the young lieutenant tagging along as he seemed more intent on talking Kallus's ear off than watching out for possible rebel activity, and Kallus just wanted to get over with this patrol, so he could enjoy a little silence.

They were walking down the busy streets with Kallus sending the troops off by twos at intersection so they would be more efficient, and finally it was only him and Lyste with two stormtroopers remaining. Walking down the streets in uniform with another officer and stormtroopers made Kallus painfully aware of the stares they received – the eyes full of fear as people jumped out of their way, as they hurried off to be as far from the Imperials as possible, the scorn in them… Kallus could thank years of training that he was able to keep a straight face. Ever since Fulcrum, he hated these trips to planets. On the star destroyer he was between people he now regarded as enemy but still, there at least he didn't have to face open hatred.

After they patrolled the main street with the two remaining troopers and Lyste, and no report had come in from the other troopers around the city, Kallus decided to start looking through the cantinas one by one. He doubted they would find anything, the stormtroopers walking around the city would have alerted any rebels that it was time to go, but he never knew. If it were some smugglers, they might want to wait it out to get their job done. Anyone else would have surely taken off by now, since there was no star destroyer above them. Yet.

Kallus was getting incredibly bored of this whole patrol. Before, when he still had the drive to catch the rebels, he had never realized how tedious this was. Lieutenant Lyste, on the other hand, was as motivated as ever, excitement clear on his features as he observed every face he saw with eagerness. He was sure he used to feel the same before he had realized what was going on in higher circles in the Empire.

Around the fourth or fifth cantina, Kallus wasn't exactly counting, his eyes caught on something as he was looking over the busy room. He didn't realize what it was at first, so he let his eyes roam over the room once more, slowly this time until he realized what he had seen. And he froze in fear when he did. Because what he had noticed was nothing else but the familiar purple fur of one Garazeb Orrelios who was looking back at Kallus in panic.

"Lieutenant" Kallus called out calmly as he turned back towards his companions. He needed to think fast and act calmly if he wanted to get Zeb out of here in time. "Take the troopers upstairs and have a look around the rooms. Report if you see any suspicious activity. I'll look over this floor myself."

"But Agent Kallus, you should take one of the troopers! You would be in danger if-"

"You think me incompetent in my job, Lieutenant?" Kallus turned to Lyste with his best thunderous expression and stared at him.

"No, I- I'm sorry, sir" Lyste replied, casting his eyes downwards, then saluted and motioned for the two stormtroopers to follow him upstairs. Well, that took care of part of the problem, for now at least.

He then turned towards where he saw Zeb and hurried through the crowd. It was easy to do in his Imperial uniform, as people jumped out of his way. He didn't walk up to Zeb, but went close enough to look in his eyes, then motioned for him to follow. He made his way through the corridors of the establishment to where it led out to a small street in the back. He didn't need to wait too long before Zeb appeared.

"What are you doing here? This is Empire territory!" Kallus hissed as soon as the door closed behind the lasat. "You have to get out of here."

"We had work to do here. I didn't know we drew the attention of the Empire" Zeb offered as an explanation and shrugged nervously.

"Of course you did" Kallus snorted, then shook his head. He didn't much care to defend the abilities of the Empire anymore, but the rebels still should be aware of it. "My whole unit is here in the city, searching for rebels. Searching for you. You have to go back to your ship and get out of here as soon as possible."

"Alright. Thanks for the help" Zeb nodded, then after a brief hesitation, instead of hurrying away as he should, he walked up to Kallus. "Kal, about last time-"

"Zeb, we don't have time for that!" Kallus said as he nervously glanced at the door behind the rebel while he gently pushed Zeb towards the back end of the street where hopefully he could get away unnoticed. He knew why Zeb would want to talk about that – hell, he wanted to talk about that, too, but now was neither the time nor the place. "Lyste and the troopers could be here any moment, just hurry up!"

"But Kal, I-"

"Zeb, I'm not kidding" Kallus said sternly as he put his hands on Zeb's arms. "You have to-"

They both heard the back door open and Kallus saw Lieutenant Lyste step out from the corner of his eyes. Before the young lieutenant had time to even draw his blaster, Kallus dropped into a fighting stance and using his grip on Zeb's arms, threw the lasat over his shoulder. Fortunately, Zeb knew what he was doing and, while he wasn't prepared for Kallus's move, he quickly recovered, jumping to his feet and turning around to face Kallus again. Kallus started to circle around him, moving just so he would be between Lyste and Zeb, keeping the rebel out of the line of fire. Then he moved in for a punch, but Zeb grabbed his hand, and tried to return the favor. He ducked, kicked one of Zeb's leg to make him lose his balance, and used that to yank his arm free. While doing this, he managed to get close enough to Zeb that hopefully Lyste wouldn't hear him whisper.

"Throw me at Lyste and run" he said as silently as he could while ducking another punch that was coming at his face. Zeb didn't answer, only nodded minutely, and continued with their fake fighting.

Kallus took a few steps backwards, making it look like the lasat was overpowering him but he still carefully stayed between him and the panicked Lyste. He deliberately left his side unprotected, and Zeb took his cue, delivering a punch there. It made Kallus gasp for air and Zeb really could have been a bit more careful about this, after all Kallus wasn't striking with full force. But while Kallus was trying to catch his breath, Zeb managed to get close enough to grab him and threw him at the young lieutenant as planned.

As Kallus was scrambling to his feet, rubbing his head where he hit it on the wall, he looked at the lieutenant he landed on. Lyste was also getting to his feet, although much slower than Kallus, but to his credit, he neither dropped nor accidentally fired his blaster. The latter was Kallus's only worry about his plan, he didn't want to end up shot by his man, but he chose to trust Lyste's imperial training.

"Why didn't you shoot the rebel, Lieutenant?" Kallus started strictly, still rubbing his head where it hurt, just to emphasize his point. "He was right there in front of you, occupied with fighting me, you could have taken him down!"

"I- I didn't want to risk accidentally shooting you, sir!" Lyste tried to explain, his face visibly paling.

"You had years of training in the Academy and you hold an officer rank. You should have tried to find a way to avoid that" Kallus continued, his face remaining stern. "By now they surely have managed to get away. We don't even know the location of their ship."

"I'm sorry, sir" Lyste said with his head bowed down. Kallus actually took pity on him, since honestly, it wasn't Lyste's fault… but he couldn't show that.

"Doesn't matter now, lieutenant" he said with a deep sigh, then shook his head. "Gather the troopers from the cantina, I'll comm in for the other patrols to go back to our ship."

"Yes, sir" Lyste nodded quickly and slipped back inside the building. Kallus immediately dropped his act and sighed in relief as he leaned back against the wall. At least Zeb managed to get away. He was alright. And they met, even if for only a few minutes, but they met.

Kallus shook his head as he pushed himself away from the wall and walked out to the main street. He would have time to muse over that after he was done here. He reached for his comlink and called in for the unit to gather at the ship, ready for departure.

Kallus was looking over personnel files, doing the monthly routine check as required by the regulations when he received an incoming message from an officer marked for high priority. Kallus frowned as he opened the message but he soon realized why it was so urgent. The message contained information of suspected rebel activity in their sector and Kallus was needed to piece together who these rebels were and where they could go next. Of course, the Phoenix squadron was suspected, since every rebel activity in this area seemed to come from them, hence why the officer chose to contact Kallus of all the ISB stationed in the vicinity.

It didn't take him long to calculate what their next target would be, based on what he knew of them, of the planet and where they had been so far – he quickly drew up a map, checked the coordinates of what he suspected, then typed up a message for the officer that alerted him containing the coordinates of where she should deploy her troops. With the message sent, Kallus also ordered a shuttle for himself for transport to the planet. Sent with high priority, by the time Kallus reached the hangar, it was ready and waiting for him. It was going to be easy to spot the rebels, Kallus suspected, especially that he had changed to civilian clothing on the shuttle, as it allowed him to easily blend in, and that was what he needed. Once on the planet, he made his way through the crowd towards the market from the hangar – based on their reported activity, they were in need of supplies before they could leave for their base, or they weren't going to last too long. Kallus hoped he wouldn't miss them, that his calculations were good and the intel he received was fresh.

He was just out of the marketplace and slowed down his steps to consider where he should go next, when he spotted a familiar purple figure. It wasn't hard to notice Zeb, as he stood at least a head over everyone on the busy streets. He carefully started to approach him but Zeb wasn't alone - Bridger and Wren were walking next to him, and all of them were carrying bags. Kallus knew there was a good chance of Zeb being with the others, so he tried to stay relatively unnoticed while moving closer to them, hoping he could catch Zeb's attention, but only his. He seemed to be in luck, as the kids went up to the window of a shop to stare at something, talking about it animatedly while Zeb hung back and looked over the crowd as he waited for them patiently. That was the chance Kallus was waiting for – he stepped out into plain sight, trying to catch Zeb's attention as he went as close as he dared with a jedi standing right next to Zeb. Fortunately, Zeb knew how to spot trouble, and his eyes found Kallus in the crowd. The agent looked back at him intensely, then turned away and walked into an alley.

It didn't take too long for Zeb to arrive, too, looking worried as he approached Kallus.

"So… should I comm the others that we need to get off here?"

"No, nothing so drastic. It's only me now" Kallus said with a small, unsure smile. He understood Zeb's concern, after all, the circumstances of their meeting last time weren't ideal.

"But if you know where we are-"

"-that means that the Empire has some intel on you, yes" Kallus interrupted Zeb, then gave him a half-grin. "But that also means that I might have accidentally given them the wrong coordinates to search for you."

"Oh, you- You're fantastic!" Zeb laughed at that, and made a move towards Kallus, then abruptly stopped in the middle of the motion, embarrassment creeping onto his features as he rubbed the back of his neck. "So do we, uh, do we have time to talk now?"

"We do, yes" Kallus smiled at Zeb, somewhat grateful to see the lasat equally lost as he felt. He stepped back to put some space between himself and Zeb, and when he felt his back hitting the wall, he just leaned against it, his eyes cast down. "I… I'm sorry if I have overstepped that time."

"No, you- It- it was fine" Zeb hurried to say, then looked away from Kallus, his ear flat against his head which Kallus recognized as a sign of embarrassment by now. "More than fine, actually. Did you- regret it?"

"No, I didn't. I was mostly worried you did" Kallus shook his head with a soft smile.

"No, as I said, I liked it" Zeb smiled back with more confidence now, and took a step towards the agent but didn't really have an idea of how to proceed. Both of them were silent and it was starting to stretch too long for Zeb's liking. "I want to do it again" he blurted out, realized he didn't exactly phrase his thoughts the best, so continued quickly. "I don't mean just- just the sex. I liked how we could talk, how we weren't an imp and a rebel, just… us."

There were a few moments of stunned silence following his words while Kallus looked absolutely speechless, then slowly, he started to smile again.

"Yes, I liked that, too. I agree, we should definitely do it again" Kallus said slowly, then his smile turned into a smirk. "Without that much alcohol, preferably. I wouldn't want to repeat the next day."

"Well, that was all on you" Zeb laughed at that softly, and took a step towards Kallus. "I- I really want to kiss you right now."

At that, blood rushed to Kallus's face and he knew that it was very visible that he was blushing. But he didn't care – how could he? he wanted the same - he kept on smirking, now happy for himself, and cocked his head to the side.

"Who's stopping you?"

Zeb mirrored his smirk and closed the distance between them, pushing Kallus up against the wall as he leaned in for a kiss. This was what he had been thinking of ever since he had woken up alone in that hotel room – this was what kept him distracted during missions when he saw Imps, thinking that Kallus might be amongst them – this was why he tried to avoid Kanan while daydreaming, no good ever came out of meddling jedi. Feeling Kallus put his arms around his neck while Zeb had his hands around his waist, feeling his body heat, his warm, inviting lips… Yeah, Zeb was very happy that no one was stopping him, and also that he got to see that adorable blush on the agent's face.

Kallus sighed into the kiss happily and his fingers played with the short fur on Zeb's head, raking through it and sometimes brushing over his ears. Zeb let out a soft growl and pulled back from the kiss but leaned their foreheads together. Then he slid his hands down to Kallus's hips, his grip tightening slightly and looked into the agent's eyes – then lifted him off the ground and pressed closer to keep him up. He heard the agent draw in a sharp breath, then saw his eyes darken and Kallus pulled Zeb into another kiss, with a bit more force, a bit more need this time.

Zeb let himself be drawn into the kiss without hesitation and tightened his grip on the agent's hips, responding into the kiss with equal need. He enjoyed feeling the firmness of Kallus's ass under his palms, the body heat radiating off him, and his fingers gripping and tugging playfully at his fur. He groaned and pulled back from the kiss to drag his lips along the soft skin at the agent's neck, licking at his pulse.

"Do you- ah, do you have some time?" Kallus managed between gasps.

"Yeah, why?" Zeb mumbled against Kallus's skin, continuing with his kisses.

"We could- oh, fuck- We could get a room again" he replied, tilting his head back against the wall, his hands gripping at Zeb's strong shoulders.

This made Zeb look up at the agent, eyes dazed with want but also surprised at Kallus's proposal. Kallus flushed deeply under that look, because, well, he was not used to making suggestions like that, at least not for his own benefit, and not so openly. Last time the alcohol also gave him some extra courage, but now neither of them were drunk.

"So that's really what you want?" Zeb asked, sounding just as uncertain all of a sudden as Kallus felt, and he felt relieved at that.

"Yes. Of course. I told you I want this, too, Garazeb" he replied seriously. Zeb lowered him at that, chuckling lightly which confused Kallus a little but he tried to not show it.

"Are we back to 'Garazeb' again?" Zeb asked him as he nuzzled hi neck affectionately. "Or is that some kind of turn on for you?"

"Well, I do love your full name" Kallus grinned lopsidedly at that. "But I'll keep to your nickname if you'd prefer."

"Yeah, please" Zeb nodded, then pulled back from Kallus, which took a surprising amount of self-control. "So do you have a place in mind?"

"Well, I haven't been to this planet before, but I'm pretty sure we can find somewhere nice" Kallus smiled, then took Zeb by the hand and led him out of the alley.

Neither of them had nearly as much time as they wanted, but they tried to make the most of it. When the Ghost crew commed Zeb that he should get back to the ship, Kallus called his shuttle to get ready for departure in ten. They said their goodbye but didn't say out loud what they were both thinking – that meeting again would be uncertain and maybe the circumstances won't be ideal… But at least it was something Kallus could up forward to, something positive. So he kissed Zeb a last time before heading towards his shuttle and changed back to his uniform once on board. He had already thought of a cover story for himself – he would file a report of him doing an undercover investigation on the planet to make sure there was no rebel presence, since it was so close to the area where the sightings were reported. That would do for his superiors, he knew.

Zeb was hurrying through the city, back to the Ghost. He had seen Imperial troops patrolling around the center of the city and he had commed Hera about it. Everyone was to go back as fast as possible so they can take off immediately after Hera and Kanan finish with getting their supplies. Zeb was close to the Ghost – just on the other side of the market was the port of this city. He was just about to enter the market area when someone suddenly grabbed his arm, and before he could even see who his assailant was, he was dragged to a dirty ally and pushed against the wall. He tried to struggle, to free himself but a hand came to cover his mouth as the other spoke.

"Sssh, Garazeb, it's just me!"

And yeah, it was Agent Kallus, Zeb finally recognized and stopped struggling as his mind caught up with the events. The agent still had a grip on his arm and now that he stopped resisting, led him even further into the alley, making sure they couldn't be seen from the main street, then pushed the lasat back against the wall and leaned up to kiss him.

"Kal-" Zeb started between kisses. "Kal, I can't-" he tried again, but when Kallus went in for another kiss, he grabbed the agent by the shoulders to push him away a bit and keep him away while he spoke. "I need to get back to the Ghost, Kal, there are stormtroopers here, we have to get out."

"Oh, you have a few minutes. That is my unit and I made sure to send them in the wrong direction. I know where your ship is" Kallus said with a self-satisfied smirk, then moved closer to Zeb again, sliding his hands up and down on Zeb's chest. "So, shall we get back to what we were doing? Because despite my best efforts to delay your discovery, we don't have nearly enough time."

"You're horrible" Zeb said with a grin, but pulled the agent flush against him and back into a kiss. If they did have these few minutes for themselves, then he agreed with Kallus – they should use it wisely and efficiently.

"Thank you, Zeb" Kallus whispered playfully between kisses.

They hadn't been standing there for too long when a comlink beeped. They pulled apart and both looked down at their own devices, and Kallus sighed when he realized it was his.

"Yes?" he answered it, not bothering to try to hide his annoyance – whoever was at the other side would think he was only angry because they hadn't managed to find the rebels yet.

"Sir, we have finished searching the southern part of the city" one of his stormtroopers started, his voice slightly nervous. "Shall we go to the northern part?"

"No. Spread out and move north like that slowly. We cannot let them slip past us" Kallus said, and looked at Zeb briefly. "I'm at the market district and it looks clear. Leave that for last and meet me at the market in ten minutes."

"Sir, yes, sir" the stormtrooper replied, then ended the call.

"Damn it. I think you should go now" Kallus said angrily as he put his comlink back into his pocket, and looked up at Zeb.

"Yeah, it seems so. Despite never catching us, your people are quite efficient" Zeb said with a sad half-smile on his face.

"Yes, well, they expect what they have been taught, not what you illogical rebels pull off" Kallus shrugged, mirroring Zeb's smile, then threw his arms around Zeb's shoulders and pulled him down to a quick kiss. "See you later, then. Whenever that might be."

"See you later" Zeb nodded, then after one last kiss, he pulled out of Kallus's arms and went back to the main street. The stormtroopers were nowhere to be seen yet, and as he cut through the market, then out of the city towards where they parked behind the spaceport. Hopefully the others were back, and didn't start searching for him – although Hera would have comlinked him first. As he finally reached the Ghost, Kanan was waiting for him on the ramp, visibly relieved when he realized Zeb was coming.

"Finally! Hera was about to send us to look for you!"

"I was… held up" Zeb said as they went into the ship and closed the ramp behind themselves. Kanan called in for Hera that they were all ready, and the Ghost immediately took off.

"You got into trouble? Were you seen?" Kanan asked immediately, and Zeb could imagine what he was thinking – Imperial ships just waiting for them to reach space.

"No, nothing like that, I just met with an old friend" Zeb shrugged nonchalantly and started walking towards the communal area to sit. He hoped that Kanan stopped asking him questions, as he would rather not explain why he was taking a risk by talking to an Imperial. He would also rather not explain the relationship between him and the agent… Even though his friends were open-minded and accepting, he was not sure how they would take that kind of news.

"Oh, alright. You did have us worried here, Zeb. Next time call in, okay?" Kanan said, clapped Zeb on the shoulder, and left for the cockpit.

Zeb could only nod in response, then sat down on the couch and slumped against the cushions. Well, he got away with it, for now.

Kanan and Ezra had barely even stepped into the cockpit of the Ghost where the others were gathered when the kid already started rambling at them.

"You won't believe what we discovered! Like, it's just- just unbelievable!"

"Ezra, maybe we should-"

"Kallus is the new fulcrum!" Ezra kept on speaking without bothering to listen to Kanan at all. "He is our new fulcrum! Can you believe it? Can you?!" the young jedi shouted, looking absolutely shocked and slightly horrified at the notion.

There was a short silence where Hera looked at Kanan for confirmation and the jedi only nodded, and at that, Chopper beeped in surprise and Zeb just stared in silence. The silence lingered for a few minutes, until Kanan eventually cleared his throat.

"Well, yes, we were taken by surprise at that, too, but he has just helped us get the data and escape" he said slowly, then shrugged. "Seems like he had a change of heart."

"That's… good then, I guess" Hera said slowly, looking at the members of her crew, taking in their expressions. "But I should call in to high command to see if it's true. Even if he was really convincing and he did help you."

"It didn't seem like he was lying" Kanan said silently with a shrug. "But double checking never hurt anyone. We should be cautious."

"Yes, we should" Hera nodded as she put the ship into autopilot and stood up from her chair, starting to walk towards the door when she saw Zeb. "Everything alright there, Zeb?"

The lasat was startled out of his thoughts by the sudden question – he had been zoning out for the last ten minutes or so. Knowing this fact now – knowing that Kallus was fulcrum, that he had been all along- Zeb couldn't quite identify the point where Kallus might have joined their side, if they had already been together at that point- he knew Kallus was under the weather when they met at that bar, when they first spent the night together and Kallus already wanted to help them but- had he already been their fulcrum? Or had he joined after? Perhaps because of Zeb?

"Yeah, I'm good, Hera" Zeb said quickly as he stood up, his head still full of these thoughts. "I just- I'm just gonna go to my room."

And he left the cockpit without a word. The others could deal with checking with high command, but Zeb had absolutely no doubt Kallus had told the jedi the truth. But if Kallus had been fulcrum all along, then this whole thing between them, whatever it was, it just became so much easier. If Kallus was truly, fully on their side, then he could be extracted in case of danger, he could be fully part of the Rebellion and for them, that would mean-

-that Zeb had no idea what this thing even was between them, how serious it was. If Kallus would want to keep it up once there's no Empire between them, once there's no danger. Or once Kallus would simply grow bored of him. Zeb collapsed on his bunk and stared at the bottom of the bed above. He already missed Kallus most of the time, but now with this turn of events, he just couldn't wait to see him again.

At Zeb rushing out of the cockpit so suddenly, Hera stopped in her tracks and looked at Kanan with a worried glance.

"Do you think we should talk to him? Maybe this was- a bit too much."

"Let's just give him time, for now. I'll talk to him if he's still upset tomorrow" Kanan replied and put a hand on Hera's shoulder. "If the agent truly had a change of heart and would join us sooner or later, I think Zeb would find it in himself to forgive him. If not… Well, Kallus can always be transferred to a different cell."

"That's true. I just hope Zeb'll be okay" Hera sighed, then shook her head. "I really have to talk to high command about this now. Thanks, love."

Hera pressed a kiss to Kanan's lips, then went to the common room to call in.

"You are fulcrum" Zeb said as he pushed Kallus up against the wall with an astonished look.

"Yes" Kallus replied with an unsure smile, but then Zeb leaned forward to kiss him, soft and gentle.

"You're fulcrum" he repeated in a whisper, beaming, his eyes shining, and kissed Kallus again.

"Yes" the agent breathed happily between the light kisses that Zeb was pressing to his lips and his face and his neck. "Yes, I am."

"I can't believe you" Zeb murmured against his lips with a soft expression on his face and lifted his hands to cup Kallus's face gently. "I can't believe you kept this from me!"

"I had to, Zeb. The less people know, the safest it is for everyone" Kallus said with a frown, eyes cast down. He hated to be like that, but-

"No, no, I get it" Zeb shook his head quickly and pressed another kiss on the agent's lips, his thumbs caressing his cheeks. "I just- I just wish I knew, cause now it makes much more sense."

"Oh, you think so? The evil imperial wouldn't have fallen for a lasat's charms?" Kallus laughed at that and snaked his arms around Zeb's neck.

"Oh, you definitely would have, my charms are irresistible" Zeb answered with a grin and nuzzled against Kallus's neck who huffed out a laugh at that. "But seriously, now I get it how you knew where we were, how you could meet me. And- and why you felt so alone when we met."

"Yes, it's- it's a bit isolating. Not that being ISB would get you the good kind of friends" Kallus said with a grimace, then leaned against Zeb and pressed a kiss against his lips. "Not that I feel lonely anymore."

"I'm glad" Zeb smiled sweetly at Kallus, his hand gently stroking the agent's – their fulcrum's – back. "Do you have some time now? Can we go somewhere more comfortable?"

"I'm afraid not" Kallus sighed with a sad expression. "I'm not even supposed to be planetside, I should get back before anyone notices that I'm gone. I came with a supply shuttle and should get back before they leave."

"Pity" Zeb sighed, too, and leaned to press a kiss on Kallus's neck, then suddenly, he got an idea. "I know what we should do. In ten days, we're going to stop to refuel on the same planet we met at that bar-"

"Zeb, don't tell me that-!"

"Just listen, okay?" Zeb cut off the agent's protesting and kissed him softly. It was sweet how he worried but now was not the time. "Let's meet at the same bar. If you can. I'll be there. It would be nice for once to plan our next meeting."

"I-" Kallus stared at Zeb, then gave him a small, sad smile. Zeb hated that look. "Yes, I agree. I'll see if I can be there. But don't you take stupid risks just to come, okay?"

"Same goes for you" Zeb huffed out a laugh at that.

"Oh, yes, because I'm the one prone to reckless decisions" Kallus laughed, shaking his head, then pulled Zeb in for another kiss. "See you in ten days, then, hopefully."

"Yeah, hopefully" Zeb murmured against Kallus's lips, and he didn't want to pull away, didn't want to let go. But at least now he knew when they would most likely meet again, and that at least made it somewhat easier to let go of Kallus and watch him disappear into the crowd.

Those ten days had been the longest ten days for Zeb. Ever. Having a set date to look out for, he realized, was worse than always waiting for the odd meetings, since now he was expecting to meet Kallus and was worried that the man might not be able to make it. But they finally landed on the planet they had planned to – thank Ashla, Zeb was so afraid they would be forced to change their plans – and the others were already gathering together at the entrance.

"Hey, Kanan" Zeb called out to the jedi as he was just about to walk down the ramp of the Ghost after the others. "I, uh- Now that we're here, I'd like to meet a- a friend."

"Alright" Kanan nodded as he waited for Zeb to catch up to him and the two of them walked down the ramp. "Just be back in time and call in if there's any trouble. Hera expects us to finish in two hours, then she wants to give Ezra some time to look around the city, so we'll leave at sunset" he said, then hurried to catch up to Hera and Ezra who were already a couple of paces ahead.

"Okay, I'll call in if I can't make it back in time for some reason" Zeb nodded, then took off in the other direction, towards the bar.

It didn't take him long to get there – now they parked at the space port because there wasn't any Imperial patrol on the planet, and the port was closer to their bar than where the ship had been last time. When he stepped inside the bar, his eyes needed some time to get used to the semidarkness of the room, but his eyes were already searching for Kallus amongst the patrons currently in there. The place was quite empty now compared to when Zeb was here last time, with only a few people here and there – it was still daytime, after all. Zeb slowly walked towards the counter, his eyes still roaming the room but he didn't see any familiar figure. As he stopped to order a drink and prepare to wait, the booths came to his field of view and he noticed a lone figure with familiar slicked back hair sitting in one of them with two glasses in front of him. Changing his route, Zeb started walking towards the booth, happiness bubbling up inside him. The lone figure noticed him approaching and raised his head, and Zeb could see Kallus's amber eyes glowing warmly in the dim light as a smile spread over his face. Zeb smiled back, and slid into the booth next to Kallus, immediately drawing him into his arms and held him in a tight embrace.

They stayed in the bar for the rest of the afternoon, spending the time just talking and enjoying each other's company. They only had a couple of drinks, neither of them wanting to get drunk, and when the bartender sent them an unhappy look, Kallus just returned it with his best glare, and the bartender decided to leave them be.

When Zeb's comm beeped, he answered it with a sigh. He knew how much time had passed already, but it still felt too soon.

"Yes?"

"Hey, Zeb" Ezra greeted him cheerily. "Hera's ready with the repairs and the refueling, and told me to comm you to get back. Kanan's on his way back, too."

"Alright, I'm coming" Zeb replied, then hung up, turning back towards Kallus. "Looks like I have to go now."

"Yes. I should be getting back, too. Taking two leaves so soon after never taking any in nearly twenty years might just be suspicious" Kallus said with a bittersweet smile, then they both stood up to leave. On their way out, Kallus gave a few extra credits to the bartender for his patience with them. They might come back with Zeb some time, he wanted to leave a good impression.

They walked in the same direction for a while, but Kallus was headed towards the hangar and the Ghost was parked somewhere outside of town, so they had to say goodbye after a few blocks. They pulled into an alcove for a goodbye kiss that quickly turned into a few more as they didn't really want to let each other go.

"A friend, huh?" Zeb heard a clearly amused voice suddenly, and as he pulled back from the kiss, he saw Kanan standing there with a knowing smile. And while the Jedi was blind, Zeb had no doubt that he knew what they were doing. "Nice to see you making friends in the Rebellion, Kallus."

"What are you doing here, Kanan? Is there something wrong?" Zeb asked, ignoring Kanan's comment and his smile that was slowly turning into a full-blown shit-eating grin, and just shook his head briefly at Kallus's confused, embarrassed gaze.

"No, not exactly. But you were expected to be back at the ship already" Kanan explained, the grin never leaving his face. Zeb knew this wasn't going to be an easy round. "Hera told me to search for you on my way back and see if you're coming. I'll go ahead and tell her you're okay. Just hurry up."

Then he left them standing there.

"I'm never going to hear the end of it" Zeb sighed with a shake of his head, then turned back towards Kallus who was looking extremely uncomfortable and his cheeks were flushed red. "Don't worry, it's going to be fine, they just like teasing."

"That's good… But I would have preferred them not knowing about us" Kallus sighed, avoiding looking at Zeb. "It's not wise that I'm in contact with you to begin with, but especially… this kind of contact. If word gets out, if the Empire-"

"Gotta cut you off there, Kal. The others won't tell a word about this to anyone" Zeb said, looking into Kallus's eyes. "I doubt Kanan is going to tell about this to anyone but Hera. Not even the kids. Gods, especially not the kids. They won't report this to command or anything. Don't worry."

"I trust you" Kallus whispered with a nod, then leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips. "Good bye then. Hopefully we'll run into each other soon."

"Yes. See you soon" Zeb nodded, too, and forced himself to let go of the agent. As they went their separate way, Zeb couldn't resist to look back, to see Kallus disappear into the mess of people.

Once back on the Ghost and on their way, Zeb wandered to the kitchen to grab some snack only to find Hera and Kanan there, sitting by the table, going suspiciously quiet once he entered. Well, that was to be anticipated, really, but maybe they would be content just to talk between themselves, without interrogating him.

"Hey, guys" he greeted them, then walked over to the cabinet where he was sure they had some chips left yet, and all the time he was just praying in himself that those would let this one go, that they didn't want to talk about it. He grabbed the back, closed the cabinet, and was in the middle of turning around when Hera spoke.

"Zeb, I think we need to talk."

Zeb sighed.

"Sure" he muttered, then, having already lost all hope, went to the table and sat down across from the other two. "So Kanan talked to you, I gather."

"Yes" Hera said with a nod, then glanced briefly at the jedi sitting next to her. "We're… quite surprised, to put it mildly."

"Kanan sure as hell didn't seem surprised when he was wise-cracking at Kal there" Zeb snorted and raised an eyebrow at Kanan, who feigned innocence.

"Kal? That's cute" Hera smiled in a motherly way, and Zeb felt blood rush to his cheeks.

"Yeah, well, Agent Kallus seemed a bit too formal" he shrugged.

"Yes, kissing in alleys isn't really what I'd call a formal setting" Kanan chimed in and earned himself a kick in the shin by Zeb in response.

"Look, guys, I didn't mean to keep it a secret from you forever, it's just-" Zeb rubbed the back of his head, eyes fixed on the table in front of him. "When it started, I didn't know where this would even lead and… It was just so complicated after that."

"So you knew Kallus was Fulcrum before us?"

"No, I didn't, I just- I knew he wanted to help us. I didn't know he had already been recruited" Zeb shook his head at that. It did make sense, in retrospect, that was all that had been going through his head when he first heard it. "After that, I wanted to tell you two about it but… It's not an easy situation, and I don't know what would happen if the war ever ended."

"We understand, Zeb" Hera said with a warm smile, and Kanan nodded along. "We never meant to judge you, it was just an unexpected revelation, that's all. If Kallus ever wants to fully join us, we'd welcome him to our crew. But until then, please keep us updated if anything important happens."

"Will do" Zeb nodded with a small smile, and gods, did it feel good to have this off his chest, even if it was still mildly embarrassing. With that, he stood up to go back to his room to have a little rest until he was needed. But as he turned towards the doorway, he noticed Ezra standing there with his expression a mix of shock and amusement.

"You and the agent? Really?" he asked, and a smirk started to form on his face. "Wow, that's-"

"You say a word more, and I'm throwing you out the airlock" Zeb growled in a menacing way, but Ezra was unfazed and now struggling to hold back laughter. Zeb took two steps towards him, and Ezra quickly ducked under his arm and fled into the kitchen.

"Ezra, don't" Hera said with a frown.

"Really? This is, like, the funniest thing I heard this week!" the young Jedi laughed and ducked Zeb's hand when the lasat tried to grab him. "Oh, it's going to be so much fun when Kallus will be working with us!" Ezra grinned devilishly, then fled the room before Zeb could catch him.

"He breathes a word of it to anyone in the Rebellion, the kid dies in his sleep, I'm telling ya" Zeb said turning towards the couple, then left for the cockpit. He was pretty sure that Rex will be content sitting in silence and won't ask him any prodding questions. He also had no desire to go back to their room where Ezra could poke more fun at him.

"What do you mean 'he didn't want to be extracted'?!" Zeb jumped to his feet at Kanan's words.

"I told you he'd take it badly, we should've made something up" Ezra turned towards his jedi master with a frown.

"Ezra, you know what I told you about lying-"

"Really, Kanan, this is the time to teach the kid about morals?" Zeb growled, annoyed, and threw his hands into the air before running his fingers through the fur on his head, then sat back down on his seat. "Why didn't he come? It's too dangerous for him to stay longer, we might not be able to extract him later…"

"He knows, Zeb" Kanan said silently and walked up to the lasat, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He stayed behind to do this as long as he can."

"Kal and his ridiculous hero complex" Zeb grumbled under his breath. "He wanted to be our spy, right? Of what use is a dead spy to us?"

"He's cleverer than that, give him some credit" Kanan said and squeezed his shoulder gently. "He'll find a way to leave when he has to."

"Well, we are on course back to base" Hera stepped into the room and gave Zeb a soft smile when she saw his pained expression. "Don't worry about Kallus. He's become an Imperial Agent for a reason, he's not stupid. He knows what risks he can take."

"I hope you're right" Zeb grunted, then stood up, shaking off Kanan's hand from his shoulder, and walked towards the cockpit of the ship. Watching the stars and listening to Rex's old war stories might have a chance to calm him down and take his mind off the matter. He knew that the couple was right, that Kallus was smart, but still – Thrawn wasn't an enemy to underestimate, as he had proven to them in the time he had been assigned to this sector. They needed an inside man, yes, but it was now more dangerous than ever before.

As they were on course for Yavin IV, finally rid of the Empire ships, everyone started to filter out of the cockpit to do their work. Zeb followed Hera and Sabine to the talks with command, then once it was done, he lingered awkwardly. Kallus was on the same ship, on the Ghost, finally officially on their side, and barely a room away from him… It seemed so much, so unbelievable, Zeb still had trouble really believing it. He wanted to hide away in his room for a while, think through what he would say to Kallus, but that was impossible – the ship was full of rescued people, and he would have to pass among them on the corridor, on the same corridor where Kallus was also waiting. Without having the pretense of work, he couldn't just ignore him.

Hera and Sabine finished talking, and when the girl left, Hera turned to Zeb with raised eyebrows.

"I though you'd be happy that Kallus is here."

"I… I am, it's just…" Zeb started, eyes cast down and awkwardly shifting his weight from one leg to the other. "I don't know what to tell him."

"You could start by telling him you missed him and happy to see him" Hera suggested and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Then you could patch him up best you can. He looks… rough."

"Once I get my hands on Thrawn, he'll regret that he ever laid a finger on him" Zeb growled angrily, and his hands clenched into fists at the thought.

"We all feel like that, Zeb" Hera smiled sadly and put a hand on Zeb's shoulder. "Now go, talk to him. He only really knows you on this ship."

"Yeah, I'm going" Zeb nodded slowly, and took a deep breath to calm his heart. "Thanks, Hera."

"It's okay" the woman smiled at him, then turned back towards the table, picking up a data pad.

With one final breath, Zeb turned towards the door that led to the corridor and started walking. He had wanted this for so long, to have Kallus on the same ship as him, at arm's length, and it was both terrifying and thrilling to finally have it. As the door hissed open, he immediately noticed the familiar blond at the end of the corridor. With a smile, he approached him. Kallus looked up at the sounds of steps and gave Zeb a tentative smile. He was badly beaten, bruises staining his light skin, his clothes disheveled and hair all over the place, but still, Zeb's breath hitched in his throat – Kallus was so beautiful, nothing could mask that.

"Hi" Zeb said sheepishly with a smile as he stopped in front of him.

"Hi" Kallus smiled back at him, looking just as uncertain as Zeb himself.

"We should, uh, we should go to the medbay. To patch up your bruises" Zeb suggested and reached out to gently push a loose strand of hair out of Kallus's eyes.

"Yeah" Kallus said, a little breathlessly, and with a faint blush appearing on his cheeks. "We should."

Zeb nodded at that and started walking towards the medbay. Kallus followed him, trying to fall into pace with him, but due to his leg, he was limping heavily. Zeb let out a hiss when he noticed it was the same leg as on Bahryn and stopped to turn to Kallus.

"Your leg… Did Thrawn do this?" he asked, feeling anger rise in him.

"Yes, he went for my bad knee immediately" Kallus said with a bitter smile. "Nothing escapes him."

"That fucker" Zeb growled, then stepped closer to Kallus, and putting an arm around his waist, lifted him, taking much of Kallus's weight off his leg. Kallus instinctively grabbed onto Zeb's shoulder at that with both hands, then laughed a bit in embarrassment.

"Thanks" he smiled at Zeb and started limping alongside Zeb towards the medbay. It was a great help, Zeb holding him, and his leg only hurt minimally. He hoped they'd get to the other rebel base quickly, because nothing could be done about his leg now.

The medbay was fortunately empty. Zeb helped him sit in the bed, then went to fetch a med kit – Kallus couldn't help but feel disappointed at the loss of Zeb's arm around him. But now wasn't really the moment for that. He was still covered in bruises and his knee hurt like hell, and Zeb was surely upset at losing the base and who knows how many people… They'd have time. He wasn't going anywhere anymore.

Zeb came back to the bed, put the med kit beside Kallus, then examined the bruises on his face. He took out a bacta spray and with the help of a cotton pad, gently applied it onto the bruised skin. Kallus sat there in silence, eyes closed, and let Zeb take care of him. He only moved to brush a loose strand out of the way – that one strand just wasn't staying in its place. Once Zeb finished with his face, he stepped back and looked at Kallus.

"Do you have any other bruises or cuts? Under the jacket perhaps?" he asked the other.

Kallus had no idea. He hadn't even thought of getting out of the cuirass, even though it was getting more and more uncomfortable. He also hurt all over, but between the beating from Thrawn and the death troopers, that wasn't anything new to him. He also didn't know how much they managed to hurt him, although it was ought to scar where he was shocked… He reached up for the straps of his cuirass, wincing as his stiff muscles ached at the movement, but he undid the clasps with practiced ease and threw the damned thing on the bed. Then he undid the belt that held his jacket in place, and finally, the buttons. He winced again as he moved to shrug it off, but he was stopped by Zeb's warm hands on his arms, and the lasat helped him get out of his jacket, then his tank top as well.

Sitting on the bed with a bared chest, Kallus felt so exposed. Which was so stupid, he knew, since he had been naked with Zeb before. But now, as Zeb applied bacta patches to the worst of the wounds with care and tenderness, it was so different from their hurried encounters.

Once done, Zeb helped him back into the tank top and the jacket, so he wouldn't be cold on the ship.

"Only until you get something else to wear. Then we burn the damn thing" Zeb said with a smirk, and Kallus couldn't help but laugh.

"Sounds good to me" he smiled as he carefully slipped off the bed.

"You can take my bed if you want to rest" Zeb offered as they walked out of the medbay, Zeb's arm around Kallus's waist again, helping him.

"I wouldn't want to intrude" Kallus frowned at that, however sweet the offer was.

"Nah, it's alright. I'll be needed around the ship probably" Zeb shrugged at that. "And anyway, we can share, if it comes to that."

"Now I wouldn't mind that" Kallus smiled at that and glanced up at Zeb, who returned it.

Kallus didn't feel how exhausted he was until his head hit the pillow – training and years of practice kept him going while he was on his feet, but as the warmth of the blanket and the softness of the mattress surrounded him, he felt sleep engulf him. He barely heard the door hiss shut behind Zeb, he was already asleep.

"Zeb! I need to talk to you!" Hera called out as she was approaching the lasat in the hangar.

Zeb was doing his stuff around base, helping out with repairs on ships and monitoring the incoming supplies, and Hera was busy with meetings with rebel command, mostly discussing what to do with Kallus. She always updated Zeb on the topic without mentioning why Zeb was curious. So far everything was going well – Kallus was over with the initial interrogations and passed the psychological tests, and was just a few days away from being cleared for active duty.

But today Hera's expression was stormy and Zeb felt a knot form in his stomach at that.

"What's up, Hera?" he asked nervously, hoping it wasn't as bad as his imagination supplied. The woman just beckoned to him and led him to the side of the hangar, out of earshot. Okay, this was definitely bad.

"Today we discussed where Kallus would get assigned, what he would be best suited for" Hera started, her frown not hinting at any good. "Draven, of course, wants him for intelligence, which would be fine with the rest of high command, except…" she paused for a sigh, then shook her head. "Except they want to be considerate of you and are thinking of shipping him off as far as possible. Draven is furious, but the rest of the generals think that this is the best solutions."

"They what?" Zeb said in complete shock.

"They haven't officially decided yet, and I told them that you wouldn't want that, but if you don't go there and convince them personally, this is what's going to happen" Hera said, putting her hands on her hips. "They don't know about what was going on between you two. Sort this thing out with command, as soon as possible. And with Kallus."

With that, she left him alone in the corridor.

This conversation had left Zeb filled with dread. He had been avoiding Kallus when he could since the man was out of the med bay. Going on missions helped him with that, too, and perhaps he had volunteered to a bit more handywork around base than usual to have the excuse of being busy… But he now had to have the conversation with Kallus that he was so afraid of. About the two of them. Having a thing while they met so rarely was one thing, Kallus even admitted that he was lonely in the Empire. It could have been only to ease that feeling, to simply take his mind off his worries, nothing more. But now that Kallus was here…

With the man so close every day, Zeb didn't want to do casual. He couldn't. He was in way too deep for that – he was in love. They had never discussed what they would do once Kallus defected, if he wanted a relationship out of this thing – if he returned Zeb's feelings. Zeb remembered the way Kallus smiled at him every time they met and hoped that he wanted the same.

Taking a deep breath, he started walking towards Kallus's room. He had a separate room in a highly guarded wing until he was fully cleared – as was protocol for defectors. High command liked to be sure about their men. As Zeb neared the room, he felt the knot in his stomach tighten and he had to pause for a moment before knocking on the door. He heard some noise and it took some time till the door was opened and he was facing Kallus leaning on a crutch.

"Hi there" the man greeted him with a smile and looked surprised – it immediately made Zeb feel even worse for avoiding him.

"Hey. Leg still not good?" he asked awkwardly, motioning towards the crutch.

"Not a hundred percent, no. Still hurts if I use it too much, so I prefer having the crutch to ease off it. Doctors say it will get better if I let it rest as much as possible" Kallus said with a sigh, then stood back from the doorway. "But come in and let's sit. I guess you came to talk about something?"

"Yes, pretty urgent, actually" Zeb nodded as he followed Kallus into the room, closing the door behind them. Kallus walked over to his bed and sat down, stretching his injured leg. After some hesitation, with nowhere else to sit, Zeb followed him and sat on the bed, too. He looked anywhere but at Kallus as he started. "So, I, uh, I know I've been avoiding you since you've been on base…"

"Yes, you were" Kallus said, hurt audible in his voice but his face emotionless as he leaned back against the wall and looked at the lasat. "I gave you the benefit of the doubt at first, but it became quite obvious after a while."

"I know, and I'm sorry, it's just…" Zeb made a face, and felt himself blush in embarrassment. He took a deep breath and started talking. "We've never really talked after you left the Empire, about us, and I don't- We've never discussed what it would mean for us if you ever really joined the Rebellion. I don't know if you want us to be together or… if I was just a distraction while you were Fulcrum."

There, he said it, he confessed all his worries ever since Kallus had first kissed him in that seedy bar. Now he was just nervously sitting there, staring at his hand while he waited for Kallus to reply.

"Oh, Zeb" Kallus said with a sigh, and Zeb could feel the bed shift as the ex-agent moved closer to him and placed a hand over his. "If I had known I came across like that… Not being open with emotions is a side effect of my job, I guess… I want us to be together, too, I wasn't going to just discard you after I joined. In fact, I've been waiting for the time when I could see you whenever I wanted and didn't have to wait for a chance meeting."

Zeb looked up at Kallus at that and was met with the warmest smile he had ever seen. He turned his hand around to take Kallus's in his own and returned his smile.

"Yeah, I wanted that so much, too" he said as he leaned closer to Kallus, who eagerly met him halfway in a kiss. It was soft and sweet, and Zeb's heart was ready to burst out of his chest. "I'm sorry I was so stupid."

"Happens to the best of us" Kallus laughed softly at that, then moved away a bit but didn't pull his hand away. "Was this the something urgent you had to discuss, or something else?"

"Partly. It's connected" Zeb nodded, his expression turning serious. "I met Hera just before I came here, and she told me we needed to talk to high command. Apparently, they had the genius idea, without talking to me, that I didn't want you anywhere near me, so they're planning on shipping you off base to somewhere far."

"What?" Kallus stared at Zeb absolutely horrified and was already reaching for his clutch, scrambling to his feet. It was one thing that the only people he knew were stationed here but being far away from Zeb was the worst thing he could have imagined.

"Hera put in a word, and the head of intelligence is fighting it. I just thought we should sort things out before going to them" Zeb explained, standing too and helping Kallus.

"Let's go then, before it's decided" he said with a determined look on his face, and smiling, Zeb pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Yeah, let's."

The walk to the command room was slow with Kallus hobbling. Zeb helped as mush as Kallus let him, but with so many people around, Kallus wanted to get along on his own. Zeb was patient though, and it didn't really matter if they got there five minutes later. So they made their way through the building, and Zeb noticed the stares and looks Kallus was receiving. The ex-agent seemed to not notice them, but Zeb did. At one particularly nasty look, he growled at the person, only to feel a warm hand on his arm.

"I don't care, Zeb. They'll get over it in time" Kallus told him with a smile.

"Well, I do! You've been working for us for so long, risking your life! They should fucking respect that" Zeb growled as he turned towards Kallus.

"Thank you for caring, but leave it. It's not worth it."

"You're worth it" Zeb countered, and Kallus only kept smiling, but he could see the blush spread on Kallus's face.

Once they reached the door to the command room, Zeb knocked. They didn't need to wait long, and the door hissed open, revealing most of the high command to still be in the room. It was fortunate, Zeb thought, they wouldn't have to come back later or repeat what they had to say to half of the command. They did get a stare from the generals and governors – based on what Hera said they thought of them, it wasn't too surprising.

It was Mon Mothma who gave them a warm smile and broke the silence.

"Come in, please. What can we help you with?"

Zeb glanced at Kallus nervously, only to see the ex-agent looking back at him, waiting for him to speak. Traitor. Although it did make sense, he admitted, since he had been in the Rebellion for years.

"We have heard from Hera of your plans with Kal. And I'd… I'd like to request that he be stationed here at Yavin, with me" Zeb said, and his ears flattened against his skull in embarrassment. It wasn't easy that everyone was still staring at them. "I understand why there'd be… misconceptions, but I don't hate Kal. In fact, we're, uh, sort of dating?" Zeb looked at Kallus for reassurance.

"We're definitely dating" Kallus nodded at that as he looked back at Zeb with a smile, then they both turned to see the reaction of high command. As expected, they found everyone staring at them with various degrees of shock and disbelieve.

"Well" a blond man broke the stunned silence finally and looked around the room with a triumphant smile. "That settles the debate. Kallus is going to be my agent then."

For once, Zeb couldn't be angry at Draven for only caring about getting what he wanted.

"Yes, it does seem so. Unless someone disagrees?" Mon Mothma asked and glanced around, but when no one spoke, she turned with a smile to the pair again. "It seems we have a job for you, Rebel Agent Kallus. Welcome to Rebel Intelligence and to Yavin IV. We'll fill you in on the details once you're cleared for active duty. Thank you for coming to us to settle this issue."

Zeb and Kallus nodded at that, and left the room. They were both smiling with relief at the outcome as they made their way back to Kallus's room.

"Well" Kallus said finally. "Rebel Agent does have a better sound to it than ISB Agent."

Zeb laughed and wrapping his arms around Kallus in a hug, kissed him.

On the day when Kallus had his final debriefing before he was put on active duty as a rebel officer, Zeb was on base, fortunately, and the thought that he was waiting for him just outside the door of the meeting room was helping him stay calm. At this point Kallus knew he didn't have much to be afraid of, but still, knowing Zeb was around calmed his nerves.

And just as expected, when he stepped outside after he was dismissed, Zeb was standing there, leaning back against the wall as he was waiting for Kallus to finish, and greeted him with a smile. Kallus walked up to him and held up his insignia to Zeb, who then pulled him into a hug happily. Kallus was from now on officially part of rebel command.

Since it was lunch time, when they finally let go of each other, they started walking towards the canteen.

"So how do you find your new job, captain?" Zeb asked with a smile and nudged Kallus with his elbow playfully.

"It's good. I'm going to get assigned to Rebel Intelligence, if you would believe it" Kallus smirked at that, and Zeb actually snorted. "Oh, yeah, I know, such a surprise. But at least I get to do what I know best. I am meeting the head of Rebel Intelligence tomorrow. Someone mentioned their name once, was it… Devon? Denovan? Something like that."

"You mean Draven?" Zeb raised an eyebrow at Kallus. "I've heard of the guy, he's… a bit difficult. But I don't think he'll cause you much of a headache after the Empire."

"You don't think he's going to give me a hard time for… y'know?" Kallus glanced at Zeb briefly, nervously. He saw the way some people looked at him around base – he knew not everyone was as ready to forgive him as Zeb and the Ghost crew was, even though he had passed the examinations of the high command.

"Nah. He's a bit of an asshole but he's also very utilitarian. If you've been cleared for duty, he'll make sure to use your abilities as best he can" Zeb said, his face darkening a bit at that. "Maybe a bit too much. I don't always agree with his methods."

"Well, I will voice my objections if I have any" Kallus shrugged at that. He used to be vocal about his opinions in the Empire, much as he dared, and the rebels weren't as ready to dispose of someone.

"Oh, I have no doubt" Zeb chuckled at that, then pulled Kallus into his arms and kissed him. Kallus smiled into the kiss, his hands resting on Zeb's shoulder – life in the rebellion was already looking better than he expected.