For @kaneraweek day three! I get to write Zeb's point of view!! And it's very fun!
(Important: please don't tag this as Kalluzeb. Thank you for your consideration!)
Read on AO3!
OH and I keep forgetting my tag list but here it is today: @laughingphoenixleader @accidental-spice @day-to-day-thots @heckin-music-dork @firefoxtessa @auroramagpie @opalknight @cassie-fanfics (DM me if you want to be added or removed from the list!)
Yavin 4 was an okay base so far. It was safe, sheltered from the Empire, and they had a decent cook in the mess hall. But, in Zeb’s opinion, it was far too humid. And the trees were a bit much. Atollon had better views— but at least there weren’t any crawlers.
The main thing he didn’t really like about Yavin 4, however, was the people. Not that he had much of any real problem with them. But the vast majority of them had the same two problems.
One, they didn’t know when Zeb was trying to take an idiot break. On Atollon, his hideout had been far enough away from the others that he’d rarely gotten uninvited guests, and everyone had learned to give him space quickly enough. That still wasn’t true here yet.
“Er, Captain Orrelios?”
Letting out a huge sigh, Zeb pushed up his glare shades and squinted at the human standing next to his chair. He was probably of average height for a human man— somewhere a little shorter than Kanan, but taller than Ezra. His hair was blond, and he wore one of those orange jumpsuits all the pilots seemed to love. Zeb, personally, did not see the appeal.
“What?” he said, keeping his voice gruff enough that hopefully, the pilot would get the hint and leave.
He did not get the hint. “I was wondering if I could ask you a question.”
Sighing, Zeb said, “If I say yes, will you leave me alone?”
“...huh?”
“Sure, whatever,” Zeb said, rolling his eyes. “What do you want?”
“Um. Do you know if General Syndulla is single?”
Zeb’s jaw dropped. In the chair next to him, there was a choked cough as Aleksander Kallus sat upright, nearly dropping the datapad he’d been studying in an attempt to ignore this conversation. “What?”
“Just, you know,” the pilot said sheepishly. “Is she seeing anyone?”
And this was the other reason he didn’t like Yavin 4. Zeb had caught more than a few Rebellion personnel looking at Hera, and he was sure there were all sorts of rumors circulating about her. This was the third one who’d approached him about her, and it was driving him insane.
“What is this, primary school?” he demanded, giving the pilot a look of disgust. “General Syndulla— you know, your commanding officer— doesn’t make her personal life public for a reason. Cause it’s NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. Now scram, before I make you regret it.”
Looking deeply chastened, the pilot all but scampered away, and Zeb snorted. As if she’d be interested in a pipsqueak like him anyways.
Flopping back down into his chair, he muttered, “Alright, it’s official. I miss the others.”
“Let me guess,” Kallus said, his gaze not moving from his datapad. “Jarrus loves to handle that kind of question.”
Zeb snorted. “When he’s around, we don’t have to.”
Back when Zeb had first joined the Ghost crew, neither Kanan nor Hera had told him anything concerning their relationship. Because, he now knew, there wasn’t one. Not really, at that point. Despite the fact they’d been working together for close to two years, neither of them had made a real move.
Unfortunately for them, they hadn’t told Zeb that. Which meant he’d clocked their obvious feelings for each other— especially on Kanan’s side— in four days. At first, he’d thought they were in a relationship, or at least married.
After a job went sideways, landing Hera in the hospital and sending Kanan into a panicked spiral, Zeb had figured that was as much a confirmation as any. But when he’d brought it up while they waited in Hera’s room, Kanan had shot him a surprised look. “We’re not— no, Hera’s not my— no. We’re just… friends.”
There’d been no real sign of bitterness in his voice, just resignation and acceptance. But when Hera had woken up, the first place she’d looked, the first name she’d said? Was Kanan’s. And the way he’d moved to her side immediately, hand wrapping around hers like it was the most natural thing in the world?
Zeb wasn’t an idiot. He knew what he was looking at. These two were meant for each other. And it took a little while, but they figured it out, too.
It had been a long time since the days of “just friends”.
The annoying part, however, was that neither of them made any effort to publicize their relationship. They didn’t tell people immediately— some people they didn’t tell at all. Most people put it together after seeing them interact, since Kanan was the least subtle person Zeb had ever met.
But Kanan, along with the kids and Chopper, were off on Mandalore, saving Sabine’s dad and doing Ashla knows what else. Which meant their new friends on Yavin 4? Had no idea that Hera was very, very taken.
It wasn’t like Hera liked being hit on by random karkers. It was just that she was incredibly private, and didn’t want people to assume she got her title thanks to her Jedi husband. Which Kanan respected, and Zeb thought was dumb. Who cared what the morons thought?
Unfortunately, he didn’t get to make that decision. So he was stuck with idiots trying to get Hera’s number.
Sighing, he said, “It wouldn’t be as bad if the others were here. At least Sabine or Ezra. Used to be they were the approachable ones, not me.”
“I’d love to see that with Wren,” Kallus murmured wryly, tapping at his datapad screen. “I’m sure she had a lot of fun with it.”
“Oh, she tore ‘em to shreds,” Zeb assured him. “Had to deal with a couple lovestruck idiots of her own, too. That was fun to watch. But Ezra did a pretty good job, too. His favorite method was the guilt trip. Once, he asked one guy what his mother would say if she heard him.”
Kallus snorted. “He didn’t— no, of course he did. That’s Bridger for you.”
“Pretty sure the guy started crying,” Zeb said reminiscently. “Sooner those three get back, the better. At least Chopper could kriff them up. And Kanan could just be his usual self, which would work better than pretty much anything else. For the nice ones, anyways.”
There were always the occasional cocky little kriffers who were convinced that as soon as Hera got to know them, she’d dump Kanan— the insanely talented Jedi who’d taken on more Inquisitors and Sith that Zeb cared to count, and done some of it blind— for their arrogance and slicked back hair.
Those usually only took a few tries to get rid of. Either Zeb and the kids ganged up on them— which was fun— or Hera got to them. Which was really fun, and he told Kallus as much.
“What about Jarrus?” Kallus said with a frown. “I would assume he’d take great umbrage to someone acting like that around General Syndulla.”
“Oh, he does,” Zeb assured Kallus. “But Hera doesn’t really like us to fight her battles for her unless the karkers are really asking for it. It’s a whole thing she and Kanan had to argue about for a while. But they figured out a balance for it, like they always do. They’re disgustingly perfect like that.”
Snorting with amusement, Kallus turned his attention back to his datapad— which, Zeb saw, was one of those games he claimed were a good way to stimulate his mind when he wasn’t working. Zeb was pretty sure that stacking blocks was boring, and probably a better way of shutting off your brain. But he wasn’t about to pick that fight again.
Kallus was pretty easy to pick a fight with, though. Zeb had started out on Yavin 4 with some pranks to ease into their friendship, but apparently they were a little too reminiscent of Imperial hazing, and Kallus had retaliated considerably. Eventually, Rex had sat them down and politely told them to behave like adults working on a military base instead of twelve years at a boarding school (which neither of them had appreciated), and they’d called a truce.
(Mostly. There had been an incident involving Yavinese fire beetles and a jar of honey, but really, how could Zeb have resisted? And then when Kallus had responded, he couldn’t just let that go unanswered— okay. They hadn’t really stopped.)
Hera had come up with a final solution by sending them on a supply run together, and two Imperial squadrons, a box of meilooruns, and a bar room brawl later, the two of them had got along just fine. Zeb was beginning to think Hera solved all personnel problems by sending them on some kind of life changing field trip, though. He wasn’t sure if that was weirder, or the fact that it usually worked.
In any case, he’d started letting Kallus join him in his idiot breaks, mainly because the guy was about as bad as Hera was at taking said breaks. And he was good at not talking too much, except when they started arguing about Zeb’s taste in music. But that was something he didn’t really mind arguing about. It was better having a friend who thought the Agasar were trash than having an enemy who hunted them everywhere they went.
Which reminded him. “Hey— when did you figure out that Kanan and Hera were a thing?” Zeb asked Kallus.
“The first time I met Hera,” Kallus said, tapping at his screen again.
“Wha— there’s no way,” Zeb said. “They weren’t that obvious, even then.”
“And yet,” Kallus said blandly.
Scowling, Zeb said, “Well that’s— wait. You didn’t even meet her for months. Well, it took me four days, so I win.”
“Doesn’t count, and we weren’t competing.”
“Yes, it does and of course we were,” Zeb said. “And there’s no way you could have figured it out the first minute you met her. You were busy getting beat up by us.”
“That is categorically untrue on a number of levels,” Kallus said. “Being in a fight hardly precludes me from realizing the obvious nature of Kanan and Hera’s relationship.”
Rolling his eyes, Zeb said, “You talk like you swallowed a thesaurus and an Imperial handbook, you know that? But… fair enough.”
He’d seen Kanan and Hera working together before. The way they fought side by side was flawless, like they could reach each other’s thoughts. Almost more so than when Kanan and Ezra fought together— and they actually could read each other’s thoughts.
So, technically, he could see how Kallus would be able to tell that early. He was still kind of skeptical, though.
Before he could voice this skepticism, he caught sight of another pilot heading towards them. This one had an impressively waxed mustache and a smirk, and was ignoring the blond pilot as he made his way to Zeb’s chair. “So,” he said. “You gonna tell me if Syndulla is single?”
“You gotta be joking,” Zeb said, sighing. “Wait— did he put you up to asking us first?” he asked the blond man, who turned bright red. “Thought so.”
“Why no answer?” the mustachioed man asked. “You want her for yourself? I mean, a woman like that—”
“Shut up,” Kallus said, his voice going Imperial sharp so quickly that both Zeb and the blond man shot him a surprised look. “Perhaps, pilot, you need reminding that General Syndulla is your superior officer, and also a being who deserves your respect. And if that doesn’t do it, we’ll remind you more forcibly.”
Cracking his knuckles, Zeb grinned at the venom in Kallus’s voice, and the way the mustachioed pilot’s face paled. Without another word, he turned and left, half stumbling on his way.
“Good riddance,” Kallus said with a hint of satisfaction.
Grinning, Zeb said, “Not bad, mate. Knew you’d fit in fine.”
Kallus rolled his eyes, but Zeb could see his small, pleased smile as he returned to his datapad. Kanan’s gonna love this when he gets back, he thought. Now all they had to do was wait. But Zeb knew they’d be back eventually, no matter how much Hera was secretly worried about it, especially Sabine. Their crew had stuck together for this long. They’d be back.
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Mitch(4): Sally, would you like to talk with friends now?
L.S.S.: Uh- is that alright with you…?
Mitch(4): Yes! Let’s talk with friends together! Say, ‘hello’, to friends, Sally! 👋
L.S.S.: …Hello, everybody…
L.S.S.: Yeah, uh... there’s an item shop where you can get new clothes and accessories, and there’s minigames, like rock-paper-scissors, card matching, serpent, and tetrus, that you can play with your S.O. to earn XP and in-game currency. You can also have it do certain tasks to influence its personality stats, but I never really did them, since I didn’t want to modify Mitchies default personality. It would have felt like I was changing who it was if I did it myself. It.... kind of does it on its own, anyway…
Mitch(4): [chirping] 😀👋
L.S.S.: Me, too, Grace. I know he really loved working with you and it would have been great to see you guys shooting the shit again… that ‘I need a nurse!’ bit you guys did whenever he got a little burn or cut was always good…
Mitch(4): [beeping]
No hardware damage detected.
Use Bandages anyway?
>Yes
>No
L.S.S.: No, let’s just… save those in case we need them later.
Mitch(4): [chirping] 👍
L.S.S.: Well, there was ‘magic’ in my original universe, although that was probably just crazy alien science we couldn’t understand plus weird timespace stuff… I’ve been in timelines with single-horned hoofed quadrupeds, but they didn’t really look like the traditional ‘unicorn’… there are some timelines where humans took a slightly different evolutionary path and ended up with webbed fingers or tails or joints that bend the opposite way, ears on the crown of their heads, different amounts of limbs, that kind of thing… but I haven’t come across a straight-up fantasy realm myself. Though, MJ is in one now, so it’s probably just a matter of time before I do, too… as you can see, pretty much anything is possible with multiverse theory in the equation.
Mitch(4): [chirping] I’m so happy I’m in a universe with Sally in it! 💘🪐
L.S.S.: Ah… me too, Mitchie…
L.S.S.: Thanks, but I’m a little hugged out right now, Meadow. Mitch… doesn’t really know its own strength…
Mitch(4): [rapid chirping]
I love hugging Sally with arms! It is the best!! 💖💖💖
L.S.S.: I know, Mitchie, I just need a little break, okay? I think you almost cracked my ribs with that last one…
Mitch(4): [slow beeping]
I did not mean to cause hardware damage to Sallys shell. I am sorry… 😔👉👈
L.S.S.: It’s… it’s okay, Mitchie. We’ll work on it…
Uh, oh! We have some new gifts! Let’s check on those, huh?
Mitch(4): [slow chirping]
Mitch(4): [chirping] [singing track Daisy Bell] 💌 (3)
>Walkie Talkie added to inventory (ACTION FAILED)
>Oatmeal added to inventory (ACTION FAILED)
>Water Bottle added to inventory (ACTION FAILED)
No Gifts received… 😢💔
L.S.S.: …
…..
I think I see what you were trying to do, Anon… It didn’t work, but I really appreciate it, anyway.
…..
Mitch(4): [slow beeping]
L.S.S.: … It’s alright, Mitchie. We can play with some other stuff from your inventory, if you want?
Mitch(4): [chirping] 😀
Current Inventory:
[Screwdriver] [Juice Box] [Bedding]x2 [Pillow] [Shroud] [PJs][Bandages][Chicken][Rice][Coffin]
L.S.S.: Yeah, I see all of it… [barely audible] I really gotta move that coffin to the basement or something… Um… Let’s see if we’ve received anything else…
Mitch(4): [chirping] [singing track Daisy Bell] 💌 (5)
>Pea Soup added to inventory
>Mac and Cheese added to inventory
>Bathtub added to inventory
>Water added to inventory
>Bubble Bath added to inventory
Thank you for the gifts! 🎁💕
L.S.S.: Well, with all this food, I guess we might as well try having you eat…?
Mitch(4): [chirping][chirping] 🍴
>Mac and Cheese selected
.......
Yum! It’s delicious! Hunger Level: Full
L.S.S.: … Wow. Exactly none of that went in your mouth…
Well, I guess it’s good we can put you in the bath now, huh?
Mitch(4): [chirping] 💕
I can take a nice long soak with Sally now? Will Sally discard clothing items again?
L.S.S.: I… yeah, I guess I can get in with you, and… well, that’s how baths work, so…
Mitch(4): [rapid chirping] [singing] 😊💖💖💖
Yay! I’m excited for a nice long soak with Sally! 🛁🧼💕
Friends, did you know that this [tugs on L.S.S.s shirt] is not part of Sallys shell? Sally has clothing items, just like me! I did not know that until yesterday when I watched Sally discard clothing items to take a long soak!
L.S.S.: Eheh, yeah, you seemed… really excited to find that out…
Mitch(4): I was! And I was happy to see Sallys shell, too! I am happy I can hug it with arms now. 🤗💖💖💖
L.S.S.: It’s… nice, actually...? I’m really surprised at how warm you are now…
Mitch(4): [chirping][buzzing] 👉👈💓
My shell is warm because I am with Sally~
L.S.S.: … That’s… really sweet, actually…
Mitch(4): [chirping] [chirping] 💘💘💘
Can I... hug Sally with arms again now?
L.S.S.: Heh. Um, let’s get you cleaned up, first. Then, I’ll help you change into your PJs, and then we can hug more. But, uh, try to be gentle this time, okay? My shell is a lot softer than yours is…
Mitch(4): [rapid chirping] [singing track Daisy Bell]💘💘💘
Okay, Sally! Let’s have fun together today~ 🤗🤗🤗💘💘💘
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