Kanan Jarrus

I hope you’ve had a fabulous weekend. It’s been really warm here. 90s F. But the evening’s have been wonderful. While I was sitting out, watching my dog roll around in the grass, it made me think of that one ask forever ago. OlddogNewpup? I went to read through it again and it just made me smile to see the Clones try so hard with Kanan yet give him his space. And at the same time, give Ezra some love. If the muse hits ya right, maybe some more moments between Kanan and the group of Clones?

Posted on av swmoddy

Gathering
his boy into his chest, Kanan let out a breath so harsh it made his
chest hurt as he slowly rocked back and forth, flinching a bit when a
blanket was dropped around his shoulders.

But
he didn’t stop rocking Ezra and holding around his padawan.

His
boy.

Ezra,
who was still groggy and blue lipped, wet to the bone and freezing
from falling into the frozen lake the Empire had built their research
station on that the Alliance high ups had wanted information from.

It
had been going great to begin with, the
infiltration going without a hitch,
even if Kanan had been forced to work with the karking
clones again.

Rex
was tolerable even if Kanan didn’t trust them further than he could
throw them without the Force, but they were tolerable people at
least compared to some of the sleemos that were in the Alliance.

And
then Ezra had taken a tumble into the frozen lake after being hit
with a stun blast, the thin sheet of water cracking easily beneath
even his thin, bird like frame that they were so desperately trying
to fatten.

Kanan
hadn’t consciously thought about it, it went too quick for him to
use the Force to pull Ezra out and instead he had dived right in
after his stunned padawan.

Submergence
had knocked the breath from his lungs with
the abrupt coldness closing in around him
but Kanan had the Force as his alley and used it, his lightsaber on
his belt as he worked on auto pilot, swimming after the orange spot
in the otherwise so dark, shockingly cold lake.

He
could faintly spot red and white lights in the water around him, knew
the others were still fighting.

But
Ezra was unconscious in the water, floating downwards, his tanned
skin looking corpse pale somehow, his limbs floating limply around
him in the water where he was weightless with his hair floating
around his head like a black and blue halo.

He
couldn’t get himself out and Kanan couldn’t… he wouldn’t
leave him behind.

He
got his hand on Ezra’s sleeve and pulled the Lothal native to his
chest, turning his attention back to the surface where he could still
spot red, swimming as fast as he could with one arm around Ezra’s
chest, going as fast as he could.

His
lungs were burning but finally he broke the surface, gasping as he
dragged Ezra with him to the shore and threw the boy out first.

Blurry
eyed as he was, he could spot people in white falling around them in
a half fan to keep them shielded.

‘Clones.’
His numb mind supplied as Kanan pulled himself out of the water with
numb, frozen hands to kneel at his padawan’s side.

Ezra
however, laying on the thin snow that covered the ground like a
blanket that was rapidly melting around him thanks to the water, was
not moving and that was the important thing. Ezra was not
moving and that was terrifying.

Ezra’s
chapped lips were blue and slightly parted and his eyes were closed
with his skin so white and dark hair stuck in his face.

Numb
hands tilted Ezra’s head back, fingers pinching his nose shut as
Kanan leaned down and started CPR, begging the Force not to let Ezra
join Master Depa just yet. ‘I know you wanna meet him but not yet
master, not yet.’

Kanan
wasn’t sure how long he tried to breath life into Ezra, wasn’t
sure how many breaths he blew into the boys mouth or how many times
he compressed his chest, it felt like forever, he could feel a rib or
two break under his touch and he could feel his own desperation grow
even as the blaster fire grew silent.

And
then Ezra jerked, gasping, rolling to his side as he spat out water
and a confused mumble of, ‘Kanan?’ was the most beautiful sound
Kanan had heard in years as he gathered the boy to him and held on.

And
that left them here, Kanan sitting with Ezra, a blanket wrapped
around his sopping form as Rex continued to bark orders at his fellow
clones, Kanan watching with drained eyes as the man took charge.

Another
clone with red and
white streaked hair
was at the Jedi’s side, was carefully checking on Ezra first while
also tugging the blanket around Kanan’s form, murmuring
reassurances and information as he went through medical care.

‘A
medic.’ Kanan’s numb mind supplied as Ezra blinked dazedly and
let the trooper touch him and care for him without
fuss,
Kanan to tired to protest and too desperate for Ezra to be alright
to even care that it was clones treating them.

He
could freak out about it later, when Ezra was warm and dressed in dry
clothes.

He
could freak out when Ezra’s lips weren’t blue, his
ribs weren’t cracked from Kanan getting water out of his lungs
and he was asleep in his bunk on the Ghost.

‘Or
maybe my bunk… just so I can keep an eye on him…’ Kanan noted
to himself before resting his cheek on Ezra’s wet hair, a
shuddering breath escaping the rebel.

He
could have lost Ezra today.

Either
to the lake or to the Empire’s soldiers afterward and while the
former he had himself to thank for saving Ezra… the latter he had
the clones to thank for.

‘Later…
right now… just rest a bit until Hera comes for pickup.’ Kanan
told himself, closing his eyes for just a little while, savoring Ezra
breathing and alive in his arms.

Still
his young and
alive
padawan.

In a kinder universe, how does Ezra deal with being in the creche? Does he have trouble being with a bunch of stranger kids?

Posted on av swmoddy

Nomming
the pudding out of the bowl, Ezra shot the ones in his room a big
smile even as he tugged the blanket more up around himself.

Caleb
smiled at the sight, before turning to healer Eerin. “So he’ll be
okay in a few days?” He questioned quietly, relaxing as the mon
calamari nodded.

“Indeed,
his fever is going down as we speak and he’s recovering thanks to
the food we’re giving him which he has to continue eating so we
will be giving the creche a schedule for him and approved food items.
He’ll be able to join them soon enough and start socializing with
kids his own age.” She said happily.

The
healers had done the best they could, putting in a colorful blanket
with tooka’s covering it and a few soft toys but a Hall room was no
place for a child long term though some could not avoid it. They
always tried to make the rooms as child friendly as possible when
that happened but thankfully Ezra would only need the room for a few
more days until his fever and infectious period was over and then
he’d be able to be around other children.

He
had been given all his immunization shots and Healer Eerin had
actually been happily surprised by how strong Ezra’s immune system
was.

There
were a few other notes, a few strong vitamins the kid would have to
take for a few weeks and he was allergic to a particular Lothalian
grain but other than that, Ezra would be just fine.

There
was of course the trauma and Eerin had warned Caleb, as the boy’s
future master, that Ezra had a badly healed break in his left wrist
that they would have to take a closer look on as he got older since
Ezra was left handed.

Which
had confused Caleb and he had refuted that by saying Ezra used his
right hand quite a bit which lead to them discovering that Ezra was
neither left or right handed, he was ambidextrous, being equally
adept at using both right and left at the same time.

Ezra
had just shrugged when asked about it and said that sometimes his
left or right ached so he used the one that didn’t ache.

A
simple and blunt explanation from a child who didn’t see what was
so special about it.

Bowing
to the healer, Caleb moved to Ezra’s side, sitting down on the
bedside with a small smile as he held up the pad. “Brought the
story I promised.” He chuckled when blue eyes lit up, excitement
filling the air as Ezra tucked back into the pillows though he also
pulled the tray with him to finish off his pudding.

Pulling
the blanket up to the boys armpits to leave his arms free to continue
eating, Caleb settled back against the headboard covered in large
pillows, powering up the pad to start reading and
as they got into the story, he felt Ezra settle into his side.

Quickly,
Caleb looped his arm around the boy to make it clear the contact was
welcome.

()()()

Ezra’s
first few hours in the creche was…quiet, the boy staying close to crechemaster Dutra for the most part with an uncertain look in his eyes as he looked around at all the kids.

Caleb
kept a discreet eye as he volunteered that day, just to keep an eye
with his future padawan but kept a bit of distance too so Ezra wouldn’t
latch onto him. He had wanted to be around the boy but the
crechemaster had warned him that Ezra needed to find his own legs and
not latch onto Caleb.

Making
him dependent on Caleb and him alone would be bad as he needed to be able to rely on the other adults in his life and reach out to other kids but if Ezra showed
signs of outright distress he could intervene.

Luckily
Ezra started to come out of his shell after a few of those quiet hours of uncertainty, finding another human boy by
the name Jai and a rodian girl named Saph that shared his interest in
animals, all three of them looking up different animals on the holopad stationed in the learning corner and
attracting a small circle of younglings that listened to the holo
audio explain the animals they saw.

Ezra
quite liked the purrgils
for some reason, clapping his hands in excitement.

Letting
out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding, Caleb felt some calm
settle into his body, knowing that Ezra was making bonds in the
creche…

That
felt good.

Even
though he was still a tiny bit tense around adults he didn’t yet
know, that was fair too with his life until now. Ezra would learn that the temple would
safeguard him and that was all Caleb needed in that moment to feel
himself settle.

The
knowledge that his future padawan was safe and would be cared for
until it was time.

Caleb
would be ready by then.

He
had
to be ready by then because there was no way he’d let Ezra slip
through his fingers.

With
that in mind he turned to the togruta he was feeding only to feel his
face fall as a certain smell reached him, informing him it was diaper
change. ‘Never to much of a Jedi to be humbled by poo diapers I
guess.’ He sighed and set the bowl aside, lifting the youngling up
with a half smile.

In a kinder universe, how does Ezra deal with being in the creche? Does he have trouble being with a bunch of stranger kids?

Posted on av swmoddy

Nomming
the pudding out of the bowl, Ezra shot the ones in his room a big
smile even as he tugged the blanket more up around himself.

Caleb
smiled at the sight, before turning to healer Eerin. “So he’ll be
okay in a few days?” He questioned quietly, relaxing as the mon
calamari nodded.

“Indeed,
his fever is going down as we speak and he’s recovering thanks to
the food we’re giving him which he has to continue eating so we
will be giving the creche a schedule for him and approved food items.
He’ll be able to join them soon enough and start socializing with
kids his own age.” She said happily.

The
healers had done the best they could, putting in a colorful blanket
with tooka’s covering it and a few soft toys but a Hall room was no
place for a child long term though some could not avoid it. They
always tried to make the rooms as child friendly as possible when
that happened but thankfully Ezra would only need the room for a few
more days until his fever and infectious period was over and then
he’d be able to be around other children.

He
had been given all his immunization shots and Healer Eerin had
actually been happily surprised by how strong Ezra’s immune system
was.

There
were a few other notes, a few strong vitamins the kid would have to
take for a few weeks and he was allergic to a particular Lothalian
grain but other than that, Ezra would be just fine.

There
was of course the trauma and Eerin had warned Caleb, as the boy’s
future master, that Ezra had a badly healed break in his left wrist
that they would have to take a closer look on as he got older since
Ezra was left handed.

Which
had confused Caleb and he had refuted that by saying Ezra used his
right hand quite a bit which lead to them discovering that Ezra was
neither left or right handed, he was ambidextrous, being equally
adept at using both right and left at the same time.

Ezra
had just shrugged when asked about it and said that sometimes his
left or right ached so he used the one that didn’t ache.

A
simple and blunt explanation from a child who didn’t see what was
so special about it.

Bowing
to the healer, Caleb moved to Ezra’s side, sitting down on the
bedside with a small smile as he held up the pad. “Brought the
story I promised.” He chuckled when blue eyes lit up, excitement
filling the air as Ezra tucked back into the pillows though he also
pulled the tray with him to finish off his pudding.

Pulling
the blanket up to the boys armpits to leave his arms free to continue
eating, Caleb settled back against the headboard covered in large
pillows, powering up the pad to start reading and
as they got into the story, he felt Ezra settle into his side.

Quickly,
Caleb looped his arm around the boy to make it clear the contact was
welcome.

()()()

Ezra’s
first few hours in the creche was…quiet, the boy staying close to crechemaster Dutra for the most part with an uncertain look in his eyes as he looked around at all the kids.

Caleb
kept a discreet eye as he volunteered that day, just to keep an eye
with his future padawan but kept a bit of distance too so Ezra wouldn’t
latch onto him. He had wanted to be around the boy but the
crechemaster had warned him that Ezra needed to find his own legs and
not latch onto Caleb.

Making
him dependent on Caleb and him alone would be bad as he needed to be able to rely on the other adults in his life and reach out to other kids but if Ezra showed
signs of outright distress he could intervene.

Luckily
Ezra started to come out of his shell after a few of those quiet hours of uncertainty, finding another human boy by
the name Jai and a rodian girl named Saph that shared his interest in
animals, all three of them looking up different animals on the holopad stationed in the learning corner and
attracting a small circle of younglings that listened to the holo
audio explain the animals they saw.

Ezra
quite liked the purrgils
for some reason, clapping his hands in excitement.

Letting
out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding, Caleb felt some calm
settle into his body, knowing that Ezra was making bonds in the
creche…

That
felt good.

Even
though he was still a tiny bit tense around adults he didn’t yet
know, that was fair too with his life until now. Ezra would learn that the temple would
safeguard him and that was all Caleb needed in that moment to feel
himself settle.

The
knowledge that his future padawan was safe and would be cared for
until it was time.

Caleb
would be ready by then.

He
had
to be ready by then because there was no way he’d let Ezra slip
through his fingers.

With
that in mind he turned to the togruta he was feeding only to feel his
face fall as a certain smell reached him, informing him it was diaper
change. ‘Never to much of a Jedi to be humbled by poo diapers I
guess.’ He sighed and set the bowl aside, lifting the youngling up
with a half smile.

Akinderuniverse: Is Ezra going to be scared of Caleb or is the bond going ot make it easier for Caleb to interact with the kid?

Posted on av swmoddy

Settling
on the bedside, Caleb shot Ezra a small smile as the boy peered at
him curiously. So far Ezra had shown signs of not being too paranoid
but if that was due to his bond to Caleb or an understanding that he
was safe thanks to the Force was anyone’s guess as Ezra hadn’t
actually said a word since he woke up.

Instead
he communicated in head shakes and at this point Caleb was getting
worried that between the war and living on the street that Ezra might
be mute.

Maybe
from being alone or from trauma.

So
he was trying his best with talking around the boy in a way to
encourage him to pick up on language or encourage his safety to talk.
The young Jedi lifted the two small bowls in his hands. “Tabs
suggested we go easy on the kind of food we gave you since your
stomach is kind of fragile, so I got some white rice here for you and
some nice warm broth,” He said softly, smiling when Ezra’s eyes
lit up at the mention of food, settling the bowl of rice down on the
bedside table before holding the small bowl. “Do you think you can
feed yourself or do you want me to do it?” Caleb questioned
carefully.

Ezra
stared at the spoon before lifting a skinny hand, picking it up and
staring as the spoon shook in his grasp before dropping it back in
the bowl with a little splash, wincing and peering up at Caleb before
pointing at the knight.

Nodding,
Caleb picked up the spoon. “That’s fine kiddo. Tabs said you
weren’t doing so hot still
and I wasn’t about to expect great feats just yet.
Though your fever has gone down which is good.” He grinned
reassuringly as he feed the boy a spoonful of lukewarm broth.

Ezra
happily swallowed it and opened his mouth for more, eyes wide and
hopeful.

Smiling
softly, Caleb continued feeding Ezra the broth slowly and steadily as
he knew that overeating could prove to be a real problem for Ezra and
the last thing he wanted on top of the fever was for Ezra to also get
a stomach ache.

Spoon
after spoon of broth disappeared until eventually the bowl was empty
which was when Caleb switched to the rice after checking that Ezra
was indeed still hungry and not showing sign of an ache.

They
got halfway down into the rice bowl when Ezra started to hesitate.
“Seems you’re full now, that’s good but if you get more
hungry…” Caleb set the half eaten bowl of rice on the table.
“Well, I’ll set this here right now and we can always get more
food for you though Tabs is most likely going to feed you some
pudding after two hours or so.” He hummed.

Ezra
blinked at him, looking at the bowl then wrinkling his nose and
pointing at the medical office Tabs
disappeared into sometimes to write down medical reports.

Blinking
back, Caleb had to think. “Tabs?”

The
boy nodded.

“…Oh
you’re curious about Tabs feeding you in two hours?”

Once
more Ezra nodded.

“Well
we want you to gain weight,” Caleb poked Ezra gently in the
stomach, knowing it must be full and
therefor not wanting to make Ezra ache with too harsh a poke.
Happily all Ezra did was squeak and cover up his stomach with a
little grin. “You’re much too little but eating a lot of food
isn’t the way to gain weight healthily, you have to eat small meals
several times a day full of nutrients.” Caleb explained with a
wink.

Scrunching
up his nose, clearly trying to absorb and understand, Ezra nodded
slowly in confusion before just shrugging and sticking out his
tongue.

Chuckling
faintly, Caleb reached up and gently ruffled his fingers through
Ezra’s greasy hair, promising himself he’d get the boy into the
sonic very soon, Ezra giggling squeakily under his hand.

Akinderuniverse: Is Ezra going to be scared of Caleb or is the bond going ot make it easier for Caleb to interact with the kid?

Posted on av swmoddy

Settling
on the bedside, Caleb shot Ezra a small smile as the boy peered at
him curiously. So far Ezra had shown signs of not being too paranoid
but if that was due to his bond to Caleb or an understanding that he
was safe thanks to the Force was anyone’s guess as Ezra hadn’t
actually said a word since he woke up.

Instead
he communicated in head shakes and at this point Caleb was getting
worried that between the war and living on the street that Ezra might
be mute.

Maybe
from being alone or from trauma.

So
he was trying his best with talking around the boy in a way to
encourage him to pick up on language or encourage his safety to talk.
The young Jedi lifted the two small bowls in his hands. “Tabs
suggested we go easy on the kind of food we gave you since your
stomach is kind of fragile, so I got some white rice here for you and
some nice warm broth,” He said softly, smiling when Ezra’s eyes
lit up at the mention of food, settling the bowl of rice down on the
bedside table before holding the small bowl. “Do you think you can
feed yourself or do you want me to do it?” Caleb questioned
carefully.

Ezra
stared at the spoon before lifting a skinny hand, picking it up and
staring as the spoon shook in his grasp before dropping it back in
the bowl with a little splash, wincing and peering up at Caleb before
pointing at the knight.

Nodding,
Caleb picked up the spoon. “That’s fine kiddo. Tabs said you
weren’t doing so hot still
and I wasn’t about to expect great feats just yet.
Though your fever has gone down which is good.” He grinned
reassuringly as he feed the boy a spoonful of lukewarm broth.

Ezra
happily swallowed it and opened his mouth for more, eyes wide and
hopeful.

Smiling
softly, Caleb continued feeding Ezra the broth slowly and steadily as
he knew that overeating could prove to be a real problem for Ezra and
the last thing he wanted on top of the fever was for Ezra to also get
a stomach ache.

Spoon
after spoon of broth disappeared until eventually the bowl was empty
which was when Caleb switched to the rice after checking that Ezra
was indeed still hungry and not showing sign of an ache.

They
got halfway down into the rice bowl when Ezra started to hesitate.
“Seems you’re full now, that’s good but if you get more
hungry…” Caleb set the half eaten bowl of rice on the table.
“Well, I’ll set this here right now and we can always get more
food for you though Tabs is most likely going to feed you some
pudding after two hours or so.” He hummed.

Ezra
blinked at him, looking at the bowl then wrinkling his nose and
pointing at the medical office Tabs
disappeared into sometimes to write down medical reports.

Blinking
back, Caleb had to think. “Tabs?”

The
boy nodded.

“…Oh
you’re curious about Tabs feeding you in two hours?”

Once
more Ezra nodded.

“Well
we want you to gain weight,” Caleb poked Ezra gently in the
stomach, knowing it must be full and
therefor not wanting to make Ezra ache with too harsh a poke.
Happily all Ezra did was squeak and cover up his stomach with a
little grin. “You’re much too little but eating a lot of food
isn’t the way to gain weight healthily, you have to eat small meals
several times a day full of nutrients.” Caleb explained with a
wink.

Scrunching
up his nose, clearly trying to absorb and understand, Ezra nodded
slowly in confusion before just shrugging and sticking out his
tongue.

Chuckling
faintly, Caleb reached up and gently ruffled his fingers through
Ezra’s greasy hair, promising himself he’d get the boy into the
sonic very soon, Ezra giggling squeakily under his hand.

I kinda just want to poke you for another emotionalneeds update. Like, what happened when Ezra got caught by the Seventh Sister in the old Republic medical station and she tried to break into his mind?

Posted on av swmoddy

Supporting the half conscious
Ezra to the bench, Sabine spoke to the adults. “I don’t know what
she did to him but this Inquisitor was talking about his mind
and…well I think she broke into his mind Kanan.” She said
worriedly.

Cursing
a bit, Kanan slid into the bench too to sit at Ezra’s side,
ignoring the old clone trooper as he prompted Ezra to look him in the
eye and open their bond up. “Ezra?”He
rumbled out quietly, waiting on the other to acknowledge him.

There
was a tiny flicker in the others deep blue eyes, a slight nudge in
the Force and Kanan breathed out before carefully pressing the others
head to his sternum while interjecting his shields on top of Ezra for
additional support.

“Kanan?”
Hera murmured worriedly, stepping closer with her hand hovering over
Ezra’s back without touching. She had learned her lesson in
touching Ezra if his shielding was screwed over by a dark sider as
the last time had sent Ezra into a seizure.

“He’s
alright. He’s just in pain so he’s going to need rest and I’ve
put my shields in as additional protection,” Kanan noted quietly,
cupping the back of Ezra’s head to rub the others hair and scalp
slowly. “He also has one hell of a headache going on.”

He
could feel the others banging headache, this seventh Sister had done
quite a bit of damage when trying to break open his padawan’s
shields.

Hera
settled her hand on Ezra’s back, rubbing slowly. “I’ll get get
him a painkiller injection from the medbay. He’s going to stay with
you tonight then I bet.” She stated more than asked, lekku’s
twitching slightly with her worry.

Nodding,
Kanan rested his cheek on Ezra’s head. “Best keep him close with
my shields acting partly as his. So yeah, he’ll be sleeping in my
bed.” Kanan agreed quietly.

They
had done that a few times ever since Ezra came out as an empath and
Kanan had been aiding him when things had gone wrong. It was better
to stay close then or at least that’s what Kanan told himself, that
it wasn’t just Kanan practically having a miniature heart attack
every time Ezra was out of his sight when he was injured or sick.

“Should
get him to eat before he sleeps.” Rex suddenly said, unwelcome in
Kanan’s opinion but correct.

Sighing
deeply, Kanan looked to Hera. “I’ll get some soup into him if you
get the painkiller for him?” He questioned only for Sabine to cut
in.

“I’ll
get the painkiller, I need to move and I don’t mind.” She said
quickly before already moving to fetch.

Hera
shrugged and went to the galley to cook up one of the cup soups.

“Don’t
take the noodle one if we have, Ezra hates the spices in it.” Kanan
called after her before settling back, rubbing Ezra hair slowly while
listening to the soft snuffling against his chest and ignoring Rex.

‘Damn
it kid, how come you always end up getting your shielding torn…’
Kanan sighed mentally, tucking his arms protectively around his
padawan.

I kinda just want to poke you for another emotionalneeds update. Like, what happened when Ezra got caught by the Seventh Sister in the old Republic medical station and she tried to break into his mind?

Posted on av swmoddy

Supporting the half conscious
Ezra to the bench, Sabine spoke to the adults. “I don’t know what
she did to him but this Inquisitor was talking about his mind
and…well I think she broke into his mind Kanan.” She said
worriedly.

Cursing
a bit, Kanan slid into the bench too to sit at Ezra’s side,
ignoring the old clone trooper as he prompted Ezra to look him in the
eye and open their bond up. “Ezra?”He
rumbled out quietly, waiting on the other to acknowledge him.

There
was a tiny flicker in the others deep blue eyes, a slight nudge in
the Force and Kanan breathed out before carefully pressing the others
head to his sternum while interjecting his shields on top of Ezra for
additional support.

“Kanan?”
Hera murmured worriedly, stepping closer with her hand hovering over
Ezra’s back without touching. She had learned her lesson in
touching Ezra if his shielding was screwed over by a dark sider as
the last time had sent Ezra into a seizure.

“He’s
alright. He’s just in pain so he’s going to need rest and I’ve
put my shields in as additional protection,” Kanan noted quietly,
cupping the back of Ezra’s head to rub the others hair and scalp
slowly. “He also has one hell of a headache going on.”

He
could feel the others banging headache, this seventh Sister had done
quite a bit of damage when trying to break open his padawan’s
shields.

Hera
settled her hand on Ezra’s back, rubbing slowly. “I’ll get get
him a painkiller injection from the medbay. He’s going to stay with
you tonight then I bet.” She stated more than asked, lekku’s
twitching slightly with her worry.

Nodding,
Kanan rested his cheek on Ezra’s head. “Best keep him close with
my shields acting partly as his. So yeah, he’ll be sleeping in my
bed.” Kanan agreed quietly.

They
had done that a few times ever since Ezra came out as an empath and
Kanan had been aiding him when things had gone wrong. It was better
to stay close then or at least that’s what Kanan told himself, that
it wasn’t just Kanan practically having a miniature heart attack
every time Ezra was out of his sight when he was injured or sick.

“Should
get him to eat before he sleeps.” Rex suddenly said, unwelcome in
Kanan’s opinion but correct.

Sighing
deeply, Kanan looked to Hera. “I’ll get some soup into him if you
get the painkiller for him?” He questioned only for Sabine to cut
in.

“I’ll
get the painkiller, I need to move and I don’t mind.” She said
quickly before already moving to fetch.

Hera
shrugged and went to the galley to cook up one of the cup soups.

“Don’t
take the noodle one if we have, Ezra hates the spices in it.” Kanan
called after her before settling back, rubbing Ezra hair slowly while
listening to the soft snuffling against his chest and ignoring Rex.

‘Damn
it kid, how come you always end up getting your shielding torn…’
Kanan sighed mentally, tucking his arms protectively around his
padawan.

Oh man. I feel a little awkward asking for #OldDogNewPup again but I just love it so much. I love how you write Rex and Kanan and Ezra. Also, I was grinning like a fool when I read the song you used in the last update. Made me so happy! With Ezra having nightmares occasionally, do you think Kanan gets them too or flashbacks of his time in the clone wars now that there are clones near him? I wonder if he has accidentally called out for Stiles, Grey, or Stance? I hope you had a great weekend!

Posted on av swmoddy

Sitting
there frozen with his cards in his hands, Kanan gaped down at Ezra as
the boy peered up at him with faux lidded as
he rested his arms on the play table. “What did you say?” The
Jedi rasped out.

Shrugging
a bit, Ezra looked away from Kanan and the rest of the poker players.
“Just wondering who Stance is, heard you call out for them last
night through our bond and everything and you don’t normally do
that,” He mumbled out. “Even asleep you have pretty good control
over your shields to keep things on the low.”

Scrubbing
a hand over his face while thinking fast, Kanan let out a deep sigh
from somewhere low in his stomach and then he glanced over to Rex and
Sabine, lips twisting as the two pretended to study their cards
closely.

The
truth it was then, Ezra could sniff a lie out a mile away and he’d
rather not lie to the kid anyhow, taming a street rat was harder than
it sounded since it wasn’t just about feeding them but also about
getting the person to trust you.
“…He was the first clone trooper I really befriended back when I
was a padawan,” Kanan finally admitted with a quite sigh. “He got
killed in one of the first skirmishes I was in too and it was… hard
on me back as a kid to see friends die up close. It messed with me
badly back then.” Kanan settled on telling, rubbing the back of his
neck as he tucked his cards into one hand so not to show the other
two what he had.

Ezra
blinked at him a bit before shifting and sitting closer to Kanan on
the bench, pressing their thighs and sides together.

If
anyone knew how it felt like to get messed up by seeing things they
shouldn’t, Ezra could claim that title.

‘Sometimes
I wonder which one of us got most messed up,’ Kanan mused bitterly
while running his fingers gently through Ezra’s hair in a tender
motion. ‘Me by the war and the Jedi order being wiped out,
essentially condemning me to a life on the run and constant
subversion. Or Ezra by the Empire when they dragged away his parents
one night, leaving him to care for himself on the streets and
becoming a pickpocket that had to look out for just him alone.’

That
wasn’t to say that others on the ship didn’t have it bad of
course.

They
all had their version of misery dicks they could play.

Sabine
with her stories from Mandalore and then further on the Empire’s
academy.

Hera
and the constant fights on Ryloth not to mention how her father
behaved after the death of her mother and brother.

Zeb
and the death of his planet,
the genocide of his own people for crying out loud!

And
Rex, the tool abused by the Republic with the aid of the Jedi, a
systematic slavery run by the very government who claimed to be for
sentient rights and freedom.

They
all had their own play at misery dicks though Kanan was grateful they
weren’t trying to play it.

He
didn’t want to know who would win, who had more trauma.

What
he cared about was being able to be there for those who were his
family, to help Ezra recover as best he could by offering comfort
both physically and through the bond where Ezra was cautiously pawing
at through the Force to seek reassurance that he hadn’t overstepped
the line by asking.

Latching
onto the bond and pressing his affection to the boy at him, Kanan
focused back on his cards while playing with the dark hair, ignoring
the small smile on Rex face as the clone trooper watched them.

He
instead studied his cards and threw another credit into the pot with
Ezra pressed into his side.

Oh man. I feel a little awkward asking for #OldDogNewPup again but I just love it so much. I love how you write Rex and Kanan and Ezra. Also, I was grinning like a fool when I read the song you used in the last update. Made me so happy! With Ezra having nightmares occasionally, do you think Kanan gets them too or flashbacks of his time in the clone wars now that there are clones near him? I wonder if he has accidentally called out for Stiles, Grey, or Stance? I hope you had a great weekend!

Posted on av swmoddy

Sitting
there frozen with his cards in his hands, Kanan gaped down at Ezra as
the boy peered up at him with faux lidded as
he rested his arms on the play table. “What did you say?” The
Jedi rasped out.

Shrugging
a bit, Ezra looked away from Kanan and the rest of the poker players.
“Just wondering who Stance is, heard you call out for them last
night through our bond and everything and you don’t normally do
that,” He mumbled out. “Even asleep you have pretty good control
over your shields to keep things on the low.”

Scrubbing
a hand over his face while thinking fast, Kanan let out a deep sigh
from somewhere low in his stomach and then he glanced over to Rex and
Sabine, lips twisting as the two pretended to study their cards
closely.

The
truth it was then, Ezra could sniff a lie out a mile away and he’d
rather not lie to the kid anyhow, taming a street rat was harder than
it sounded since it wasn’t just about feeding them but also about
getting the person to trust you.
“…He was the first clone trooper I really befriended back when I
was a padawan,” Kanan finally admitted with a quite sigh. “He got
killed in one of the first skirmishes I was in too and it was… hard
on me back as a kid to see friends die up close. It messed with me
badly back then.” Kanan settled on telling, rubbing the back of his
neck as he tucked his cards into one hand so not to show the other
two what he had.

Ezra
blinked at him a bit before shifting and sitting closer to Kanan on
the bench, pressing their thighs and sides together.

If
anyone knew how it felt like to get messed up by seeing things they
shouldn’t, Ezra could claim that title.

‘Sometimes
I wonder which one of us got most messed up,’ Kanan mused bitterly
while running his fingers gently through Ezra’s hair in a tender
motion. ‘Me by the war and the Jedi order being wiped out,
essentially condemning me to a life on the run and constant
subversion. Or Ezra by the Empire when they dragged away his parents
one night, leaving him to care for himself on the streets and
becoming a pickpocket that had to look out for just him alone.’

That
wasn’t to say that others on the ship didn’t have it bad of
course.

They
all had their version of misery dicks they could play.

Sabine
with her stories from Mandalore and then further on the Empire’s
academy.

Hera
and the constant fights on Ryloth not to mention how her father
behaved after the death of her mother and brother.

Zeb
and the death of his planet,
the genocide of his own people for crying out loud!

And
Rex, the tool abused by the Republic with the aid of the Jedi, a
systematic slavery run by the very government who claimed to be for
sentient rights and freedom.

They
all had their own play at misery dicks though Kanan was grateful they
weren’t trying to play it.

He
didn’t want to know who would win, who had more trauma.

What
he cared about was being able to be there for those who were his
family, to help Ezra recover as best he could by offering comfort
both physically and through the bond where Ezra was cautiously pawing
at through the Force to seek reassurance that he hadn’t overstepped
the line by asking.

Latching
onto the bond and pressing his affection to the boy at him, Kanan
focused back on his cards while playing with the dark hair, ignoring
the small smile on Rex face as the clone trooper watched them.

He
instead studied his cards and threw another credit into the pot with
Ezra pressed into his side.

I was going through your awesome blog and rereading some fun stories when I found #OldDogNewPup prompts from a while ago. It just reminded me how much I love that dynamic of the clones with Ezra and Kanan. You don’t have to continue that prompt because it has been a while but I would love to see more of the Clones and Kanan. Hope you are having/had a lovely weekend.

Posted on av swmoddy

“Remember
me, though I have to say
goodbye. Remember me, don’t let it make you cry…” The soft
singing was what woke Kanan, the remains of a nightmare lingering in
the bond between himself and Ezra fully wakening him up as he
hurriedly pushed himself up on his elbow with the embers of the dead
fire.

In the
dim glow he could see the clone, Rex he reminded himself the name
was, sitting beside Ezra, running his hand slowly over the boys hair
while singing softly.

Biting
back the urge to yell at the clone to get away from Ezra, Kanan
slowly sat up and glanced towards where Zeb was suppose to be on
watch only to find the lasat snoring. ‘Of course… he’s had a
few long days.’ Kanan reminded himself while trying to breath as
deeply as he could.

Finally
Rex was done singing, turning his head enough to meet Kanan’s eyes.

They
stared at each other for long moments, Kanan’s hand clenched on his
lightsaber that he had gone to sleep holding, unable to relax in the
presence of a clone trooper.

Rex
however did nothing or well, nothing threatening.

He
grunted while sitting back and rubbed at his knees. “Damn joints…
keep locking up,” He sighed deeply before nodding to Ezra. “He
had a nightmare, you might wanna talk to him about it in the morning
after or before you two train…”

Kanan’s
hand spasmed before slowly withdrawing from his saber. “I thought
Zeb was on watch.” He finally gritted out.

Nodding,
Rex stretched his legs out slowly, the joints popping as he did. “He
was but he was ready to fall asleep standing so I offered to take it.
As I understand he’s been doing some scouting missions at night and
hasn’t had much sleep lately.” He shrugged.

Grunting,
Kanan nodded before crawling over to Ezra with
his sleeping bag.

Carefully
he rested his hand on the boys flushed cheek, finding them still hot
and wet from the tears he had
shed while asleep.

So
that kind of nightmare huh…

Honestly
they weren’t unusual for Ezra who didn’t allow himself to cry in
the light of day though Hera and Kanan were making headway in getting
Ezra to understand he could be vulnerable with them. Could
come to them for reassurance but it was hard for Ezra who had spent
so many years on the street to trust.

They
were getting there, slowly and steadily.

“This
a common occurrence?” The clone asked.

Grunting
a bit, Kanan whispered reassurances through their bond as he slowly
suited Ezra around to face
him until he could lay down
and wrap himself up around the boy with
Ezra instantly pushing into him in return, unguarded in his sleep.
“Common enough that both Hera and I know to deal with it… why’d
you interfere, you must know
that as his master I would have been alerted to his pain?”
He shot Rex a glared.

Shrugging
a bit, Rex peered back with tired but knowing amber eyes. “Guess
the whimpering got to me, never could stand hearing a kid cry…”
The clone mused before sighing. “You don’t have to trust me
Commander but you have to understand this, before the chips wiped
away the vode true personalities, they were all loyal to the Jedi,”
He said quietly, resting his hands in his as he leaned forward a bit.
“Each and everyone of us would have stood by our Jedi, not the
Republic though that was the initial training but those of us who
served with the Order? We knew where our loyalty laid.” He glanced
at Ezra.

Kanan
tightened his grip on the boy, pressing him to his chest as Ezra
snuggled closer in his sleep.

Rex
didn’t need to say it out loud because Kanan could practically hear
the thought.

Ezra
was Jedi.

And
Rex?

Rex
saw the boy who treated them just like everyone else who weren’t Imperial, with kindness and
respect.

Ezra
had Rex’s loyalty.

‘That
doesn’t stop my own dreams of them blasting Ezra just like they did
Master Depa.’ Kanan thought bitterly as he cocooned Ezra in his
arms, face pressed to the dark hair. “Not a commander.” He
growled bitterly before going silent, the sounds of the embers
crackling, Zeb’s snores and the wind in the trees the only noises
filling up the silence.