Author's Note: This one-shot takes us back to 'Fire Across The Galaxy' starting off from the moment Ezra and Kanan are escaping in the Inquisitor's Tie Taking a slight AU on the line of events. Thanks to everyone for the reviews :)
Companions and Cheek Scars.
Tension, every fibre of Kanan's being was alive with adrenaline as they soared through the open skies, Ties shot out at them from everywhere. He dodged, left, right, down. There was just no escape. In the background the flaming ship of where he had been held was melting away in the sky, Kanan had a second to enjoy the closure brought with seeing that ship burn before swiftly turning to avoid another shot. Ezra's knuckle was white beside him, his small hand holding onto the seat with enough force to break it in two- all things considered though they were somehow still alive and that kept the spark in Kanan's eyes alight.
Suddenly out of nowhere there had been ships, all on their side, all fighting to help them. A large fleet, one of which Kanan didn't recognise. Ezra voiced his question but Kanan couldn't give him any answers, he was just as confused as to why those ships were fighting with them rather than against them. It was with some relief that Kanan quickly docked their Tie onto the bottom of one of the mysterious ships. Slowly the mechanism could be heard, safely attaching to the compartment. Kanan slumped in his seat, finally finally he could breathe. They were in hyperspace, he was out of that cell and away with the people who mattered most to him. He turned to Ezra, ready to stand to leave the ship. But the sight of Ezra's face had him doing a double take; the two jagged scars that now marked Ezra's cheek stood out prominently. Of course Kanan had seen them back on the empire's ship but his brain hadn't really processed it until now. Quickly he stood up and took Ezra's cheek in his hands, turning the boy's head.
"Uh… What you doing?" Ezra asked.
"Is this from when he knocked you?" Kanan answered with a question.
"Yeah- yeah I think so." Ezra replied, his small fingers coming up to gently prod the wounded area.
"Ezra" Kanan batted his hands away "Don't touch. Are they painful?"
"Well I've kinda been ignoring it so not really." Ezra commented, trying to take the worry off himself. "Kanan, we need to get out and get you looked at." He tried instead, remembering how his master had flopped onto him when he'd first released him from that cell. Kanan huffed at that.
"Don't think you're not coming too- a mark like that might need stitches. You know it's probably going to scar." Ezra could feel the regret and concern in Kanan's voice; did they really look that bad?
"I'm sure they look worse than they feel." Ezra tried to reassure. "The main thing is that we got you outta there, ok?" He tried again. Kanan sighed but was still staring at the marks on Ezra's face. That was just it, Kanan thought, the only reason Ezra had these scars is because of him. With a jolt that knocked the two slightly their ship finally opened to reveal that they were safely docked. Ezra had quickly hauled himself up, not wanting to spend more time under Kanan's gaze… He'd helped Kanan up into the ship, noticing instantly when Kanan's eyes met Hera's. He gave a knowing smirk to himself, watching as the two embraced. Then there was fur, lots of it, covering his vision. He glanced upwards and smiled as Zeb's face became clear. The lasat wasn't smiling though. Sabine was next to him too, her helmet removed, her eyes glued to that one spot on his face. The face wound. Ezra himself was doing ok and ignoring it but the burning sensation was only increasing. He could still feel the moment that sabre had sliced into his flesh; the searing pain had been intense, add that to the pain of the fall and Ezra remembered blacking out instantly. He had to stop his hand from reaching up to scratch the marks.
"Typical- we leave you alone for five minutes." Zeb half-heartedly joked, pulling Ezra to his feet.
"What happened, kid?" Sabine asked, as they turned their backs on the embracing couple.
"The inquisitor happened." Ezra finished bluntly, his two companions on either side of him as they strolled down the corridor. Ezra wasn't completely sure but he guessed they were heading to the med-bay.
"Now that's a story I wanna hear… But first let's see if there's something we can do to make that look a little less sore." Zeb said, pushing Ezra towards one of the beds as they entered the med-bay.
"It's fine, Zeb we should be ready for when Kanan gets here, he's going to need it more." Ezra stubbornly refused, ignoring Sabine's eye roll.
"Look Ezra, how about you sit down now and then we can get this over with so quickly that we'll be done before Kanan even gets here?" Sabine suggested, moving Ezra to sit on the bed herself.
"But-"
"No, no talking we're doing this quickly remember?"
Ezra huffed in annoyance, but didn't argue any further. He knew these two wouldn't let him out of this easy, it would be quicker to go along with what they said. Not to mention his wound was beginning to really agitate him now. Zeb came over with a pot of slave in his hand.
"I'm going to apply this- it might sting a little, but eventually it'll numb the pain and take the swelling down." Zeb informed, not giving any warning before coming at Ezra's face. Ezra couldn't help his flinch at the first touch but managed to hold himself there and grit his teeth as he felt the gel make contact with the cuts.
It didn't take too long, and as soon as Zeb pulled away Ezra hopped off the bunk.
"Where'd you think you're going?" Sabine called
"I haven't had a chance to see them yet… I'm just gonna go have a quick look." Ezra called back, entering the bathroom that connected to the med-bay. The door closing behind him.
"Think he'll be ok?" Sabine turned to Zeb.
"The kit's stronger then we give him credit for…. It's probably going to take some time but he'll be ok." Zeb consoled, glancing towards the bathroom. He wondered if he should go too, but at that point Hera entered with Kanan's arm over her shoulder and everything got a bit distracting.
Ezra's fingers danced over the two jagged cuts now scarring his cheek. He really didn't know what to think- he could see why the crew had been rather shocked, they were pretty prominent. The mirror reflected his new marks, he supposed they would most likely scar. Looking on the bright side they did look pretty cool, and it was a reminder of a challenge he had managed to overcome. For now though, he felt better not looking at them, pretending that they weren't there. That time wasn't moving quickly and that things would never hurt him or his family ever again. It was wishful thinking, he sighed at his thoughts as he turned away from the mirror. He should be ok with this, he couldn't be stuck on things like this when there were more important things happening; more important people to worry about. Without glancing back at the mirror he shoved away his personal emotions, content to just ignore them for now.
Kanan was conscious but his energy was all but gone, the adrenaline worn off and his body now protesting. He was half aware as the faces of the crew formed above him, wrapping bandages, taking his blood and giving him pain relief. It became a blur, making him sleepy. But he was resisting.
"Kanan- it's ok. Rest." Hera spoke, a hand on his shoulder.
"…Ezra…?" He got out, not remembering seeing the boy.
"He's been around… Become a little quiet, but he's here and treated just like you. I'll make sure he's ok don't you worry." Hera comforted, checking Kanan's vitals one more time as his eyes slowly shut.
Once Kanan was under all the frantic activity calmed down, members on board started to retreat from the room, Sabine and Zeb only left when it became late into the night. Hera stood alone by Kanan's bedside, the dim glow from the lamp casting shadows over her face.
"He going to be ok?" Ezra's small voice came from behind Hera as Kanan's breaths evened out. She turned to see him leaning against a wall, looking much more subdued and tired.
"He'll make a full recovery Ezra, it'll take some time but nothing permanent." She confirmed, trying her best to comfort him. He nodded slowly, eyes roaming over Kanan's sleeping form.
"I see Zeb gave you something for those cuts." Hera supplied, walking over to him.
"Yeah he did"
"Mm… Well he did a good job, they very painful?"
"No, no they're fine." Ezra was once again rather short with his answers, Hera couldn't make out what he was thinking, only that he was feeling upset... Then again none of them were feeling particularly bright at the moment.
She was reluctant to ask her question but now that Kanan was taken care of it was the only thing on her mind "When you- when you found him was there any signs of…?"
"Torture?" Ezra guessed "Yeah, yeah I think I saw a shock machine… He was strapped down too…" his voice faded out.
Hera sighed, she'd been so worried about that. Knowing he was a rebel and a Jedi would've given him a ticket straight to interrogation cells. He was lucky on the lack of physical damage, but she was yet to determine his mentality. She knew how strong he was but she couldn't help be concerned, mental torture could scar forever. It seems Ezra was thinking the same thing, the boy had walked over to sit at Kanan's bedside, his worry was obvious and fierce, it reminded Hera that without him they would never of gotten Kanan back.
She came over quietly putting her hands on Ezra's shoulders, a silent comfort as they both looked on to the man who meant so much to them.
"Hera… A-Are you ok?" Ezra asked quietly.
"I wasn't… But I am now Ezra." She smiled softly, squeezing his shoulder's gently before seating herself beside Kanan too. Their presence keeping watch over him the whole night through.
