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Ezra could have sworn that he was on fire.
It felt like every cell in his body was simultaneously combusting, like he was begin roasted on a spit over lava on a volcano planet, slowly cooking him through. His head pounded as though a mallet was being rhythmically bashed against the inside of his skull with no pauses or breaks.
A tear squeezed out of one eye as he lay on his side, staring vacantly out into the darkness around him. He just wanted to go to sleep so he could escape the pain for a while.
Moments later, he heard the sound of a door sliding open, allowing light to flood into the room. Ezra whimpered at the pain as it stabbed into his sensitive eyes, making the mallet hit all the harder. He slammed his eyelids shut and refused to open them, even as the light disappeared moments later.
Soft footsteps seemed to echo in the silence of the room as someone moved closer to Ezra. Fear began to curdle in his stomach as Ezra curled even tighter into himself. Had to protect his bag, have to protect his stomach, don’t let them hurt you—
A hand brushing across Ezra’s forehead made him flinch. But the touch didn’t hurt him like he expected. The fingers were cool and soothing as they brushed his sweaty bangs away from his face, and within moments, Ezra found himself melting into the touch. He pressed his cheek into the hand and felt the rough calluses on the palm scratch softly against his face. He could feel the strength in the hand as it held him, and Ezra could picture his father’s hands clearly, big and warm, always ready to catch him when he fell.
Suddenly, Ezra felt another hand card through his hair, ever so gently working the snarls and knots that had formed without ever pulling too hard. This hand was smaller, more slender, but still felt strong and sure. The gentle movements had his mother’s face flashing through his mind, and Ezra hummed in contentment as the fingers scratched softly at his scalp.
After several moments, both hands moved to support the back of his head, working gently to lift him up from the bed he was laying in. He whimpered softly at the motion, pain lancing through his mind at the change of position, and immediately, the soft hand came back, combing through his sweaty hair once again, and this time was accompanied by a familiar voice, melodic and soothing.
Ezra couldn’t make out the words, but the comfort and love came through clearly, and he relaxed as a cup was pressed to his lips, and cool water flowed into his parched mouth. He greedily sucked down several mouthfuls before it was gently pulled away, and Ezra’s eyebrows furrowed into a pout. A rumbling chuckle almost startled him, but it was familiar too, and Ezra could picture his father’s smile as he laughed at a joke his mother had made long ago.
Ezra felt his lips curl into a faint smile as his head was gently lowered back down, and the strong hand moved to hold one of his own, grounding him firmly as the soft hand continued its soothing motion, easing his headache with its constant ministrations.
A warmth seemed to press against his mind as well, bringing feelings of warmth, peace, and home. It seemed to push back the waves of heat and discomfort that had tormented Ezra and kept him awake, a cool, soothing balm. Ezra felt his mind begin to drift towards sleep, crossing the distance that had seemed so insurmountable just minutes before.
The voice came back as he was drifting off, and this time Ezra could make out the words. “Go to sleep, love,” it whispered softly, “You’ll feel better after.”
“Okay, Mom,” Ezra muttered as he began to slip away, barely noticing the way the gentle hand in his hair stilled at his words. The strong hand tightened its grip on his hand slightly as well, making Ezra’s grin grow slightly as he pictured his father’s smiling face. Just in case his father felt left out, Ezra also managed to whisper a soft, “Good night, Dad.”
And then he was gone.
***
Hera stared down at Ezra in shock as his face relaxed in sleep, and lifted her gaze to meet Kanan’s to see the man’s reaction. The older Jedi had something indecipherable in his eyes, a strange mix of grief and love, as well as something else she couldn’t quiet understand. He noticed her looking at him and smiled, tilting his head towards the door. He gently slid his hand out of Ezra’s and stood slowly, careful not to disturb the boy.
Hera nodded back and copied his movements, removing her hand from where it was still resting in Ezra’s hair and preparing to stand before pausing and looking back down at her youngest crew member. Okay, Mom, rang through her ears again, and as she looked down at the boy, her heart melted. She leaned forward carefully and pressed a kiss against his feverish forehead, a strong feeling of maternal love swelling in her chest. As she turned to stand she could see Kanan smiling at the two of them.
They left the dark cabin quickly after that, leaving Ezra to sleep. Earlier that day they’d moved him down from his regular bunk to rest in Zeb’s, just in case. The kid had come down with a nasty case of the Lothali strain of the flu several days ago, which manifested itself in a terrifying fever and left Ezra highly sensitive to light, sound, and touch. Zeb had been staying in Kanan’s cabin since it started without complaint while Sabine scoured the holonet searching for remedies and cures that could help. Everyone had been worried when the fever refused to go in spite of all of their efforts, and the only advice they received from the locals was a sympathetic grimace, telling them to make sure Ezra was comfortable and well-hydrated while the sickness worked its way out of the boy's system naturally.
Then, early that morning, Chopper had woken her with poorly disguised relief the moment he’d detected a change in Ezra's condition. Ever since Ezra’s symptoms had begun, the old droid had taken to scanning the boy almost constantly, monitoring for the slightest difference in Ezra's temperature. He only ever paused his surveillance so that he could snap angrily at anyone he thought was making too much noise or doing anything else that could disturb Ezra.
She’d laughed in relief at the news and grinned fondly at the droid, all irritation and concern melting away in an instant. She knew that for all his blustering and whining about how much he hated the organics that crowded the ship, the ornery droid had been worried about Ezra.
With the news that Ezra was recovering, the entire ship had seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. But even though Ezra was out of danger, it didn’t mean that he wasn’t still suffering. So when Kanan had asked her to come with him so that they could get Ezra some water, she hadn’t hesitated to say yes.
Seeing the pain on Ezra’s face had broken her heart, and she’d done what she could to try and ease the discomfort. Taking no notice of the sweat that coated the boy, she had carded her fingers through his navy hair, knowing from experience with Kanan and Sabine that it was a sensation that almost all humans enjoyed. The boy had relaxed, allowing them to lift him so he could have a few sips of water to keep him hydrated. She’d kept up her soft ministrations as Kanan reached out into the Force to the boy, pulling the pain away so that he could sleep.
But when Ezra had called her Mom… she’d frozen for several seconds, not because it felt wrong, but because it felt right. She’d looked at Kanan in shock, tears forming in her eyes as he’d smiled at her before Ezra had doubled their shock by calling Kanan Dad.
If Kanan hadn’t been there, she might have stayed by the boy’s side for the rest of the day, but instead she followed her partner out into the hall where they just stood for several moments, processing what had just happened.
Kanan spoke first. “I wonder sometimes if we made the right decision when we invited him to come with us.” The words were soft, almost guilty. “If leaving him on the streets was the better option when compared to painting a target on his back by training him as a Jedi.” The man let out a watery laugh. “And then he’ll pull something like this, and I can’t bear the thought of him suffering like that all alone for eight years.”
Hera laid a comforting hand on Kanan’s shoulder, pulling him into a hug as he shook with emotion, a tear or two escape her own eyes as well. “He’s not alone anymore, love,” she whispered, feeling him squeeze her just a bit tighter at her words. “He knows that.”
They stood there for several moments, letting their emotions out and supporting each other as they gathered their thoughts. This time, Hera spoke first, in a voice so soft she worried Kanan might not hear her. "Are we replacing them?" she asked, not bothering to clarify who she meant.
Kanan stilled, clearly pondering how to answer her. "I don't know," he admitted. "But I do know that he needs us, and if he's anything like his parents, I'd like to believe that they would want us to be here for him." Hera allowed his words to wash over her, pulling away some of the grief and guilt she carried. She'd never wanted to replace the Bridger's, and she still worried about what might happen if they ever did manage to find the couple with Tseebo's fragments of information.
But for now she allowed herself to take comfort in knowing that they were doing what they felt was best for Ezra, and they always would, no matter what. She breathed deeply, calming herself with the smells and sounds of her ship, her home, before eventually pulling away from Kanan. As the two turned to walk back to the common area, Kanan reached out and caught her hand in a firm grasp, squeezing slightly, making Hera smile as the doors in front of them slid open to reveal the rest of their crew, all looking over, hopeful expressions on their faces. Her smile widened.
Her family was okay, and that was all that mattered.