Sabezra Fics

Smiles

What's up guys? Sorry I haven't updated in so long, but big question: Have. You. Seen. It.
You know what I'm talking about. The tiny little Star Wars movie known as THE FORCE AWAKENS. No spoilers here, but it was spectacular. But now the thrill is over, ( insert Luke's whiny voice) I miss Reeeebels!!!!!
So to pass the time till January (ugh) here's a short little headcanon that I thought of involving Ezra's thoughts about the crew and their smiles because I'm soppy that way. It's written in a different style than normal, but I wanted to experiment. And yes, just before you stamp on me there IS sabezra (because duh, it's the title of the book) so please comment, rate and revieeeew!!!! Tell me what you think, peeps, and here we go!

Smiles don't come often in the Ghost, but Ezra knows them when he sees them. He watches for them, almost unconsciously, and what he sees is different each time. Kanan and his snarky, sarcastic smile, the cocky smirk he uses when bamboozling bucketheads, those are fun. But the real smile, the one that pops out whenever Ezra does something right for once in his training, or when Hera expresses her love for him and he for her - or even laughing at Zeb during a game of dejarik - those surprised smiles are the ones Ezra looks for, rare as they are. They light up his face and show that inside the swaggering cowboy is a pure, happier soul, the boy that was once Caleb Dume. That smile makes Ezra feel happy and yet sad at the same time, as it reminds him of a happier, more civilised time.
Hera is a different story. The calm, tranquil composure hides a fearless bird of prey, diving for the kill, and a terrifying mother wampa protecting her babies. She has a kind, nurturing smile, the one that made Ezra know for sure that she could look after him. She has a ferocious death glare that could scare even Zeb. But, as Ezra found out through his first time flying freely with her, her true smile came out when she flew, high, high above the clouds and into space, when and only when there were no imperials to run from (every rebel's dream), nor any concentration to stay alive needed. It was here that he saw the pure exhilaration on her face and the wide, excited smile that shine through the mask of calmness like a new beacon. She even has a special smile just for Kanan, which Ezra and Zeb giggle like little girls whenever they see. Hera really does have more smiles than any of them, because she sees the best and brightest in everyone.
Zeb has the loudest laugh, the widest grin and the biggest heart. He acts like the grumpy Lasat he is, but Ezra knows better. Zeb is one big fur ball of laughs and he, Ezra, knows it. Not for nothing has Sabine labelled him, Zeb and Chopper the 'delinquents', as they are the ones who get into the most trouble together. Even after all he went through, Zeb knows how to fool around, though he's certainly the toughest one out of all of them. His smile appears often, and is a stark contrast to the normal grouchy expression on his features, and for Ezra this makes it all the better when he pranks him and Zeb retaliates, chasing him around the Ghost, Chopper electrocuting him, them both chasing Chopper, him sitting on top of Chopper and bashing him with a spanner, yada yada yada. It's all worth it, even when they get in trouble together with Hera and try to act innocent. Zeb's real smile takes over his whole face, and his green eyes glow with joy. It's a real thing to see.
Sabine... Well, Sabine is another story. It's known in the crew, especially Zeb, about his, um, attraction to her. How could he not? It's not as if spending more time with her, them becoming friends and teasing him back when he flirted and them generally going on missions, arguing and more and more 'having each other's backs' as he put it was going to change that. No, if anything it makes them stronger, more potent - and that causes him minor problems. She doesn't smile very often, acting all gruff and grumpy and sarcastic, very much like Zeb. But they come out. The half smile and the eyebrow quirk she obviously copied off him whenever she dares anyone, storm troopers or a blaster wielding Chopper. That little smile she shoots him whenever he does something stupid that looks like she's trying not to burst out with laughter makes his stomach do a triple backflip. When she does laugh out loud, a clear happy sound, his stomach adds a flying somersault to that mixture and his heart goes ka-BUMP.
Her laugh is spectacular, a series of chortles and giggles, crinkling her eyes up at the corners, and his heart melts a little when he has the privilege of ever seeing it. He doesn't mind her laughing at him, so long as he gets to see it. So the stupid pranks and jokes, the tripping over (completely unintentional, actually) and the wisecracks - if it cheers her up after a day of bad memories, that would be his victory.
Her true smile is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen, and he marvels at it when he even gets a glimpse. Maybe she's alone sometimes, but when she shows them her pieces, or wins a shooting competition or, he'll, even a waffle eating competition, that's when the beam comes out. It spreads across her face, white teeth gleaming and her looking the happiest she ever has. These smiles make him wonder what life could have been like before the empire, and if he could have seen more of them. They don't know it, but he treasures them like he treasures his prized helmets, and he never wants them to go away, or be taken from him. He'll protect those smiles - after all, his dad used to say to him whenever things got too down, "Life's a joke. You can either reject it, not get it or laugh it up, and tell another one."
He was determined to live by all of his parents teachings, to stand up for others and to keep happiness, no matter how dark things got.

And there y'are! (If you read that in a pirate voice I salute you.)
Hope you liked that, and look out for the next chapter hopefully coming soon because the new year is ahead and one of my resolutions is to update quicker! Let's see how long I can keep that up for. Anyways. Go watch TFA, and may the force be with you. I may just even write a TFA version of this!!!
Bonus paragraph for those who read this bit because I love you guys:
Little does Ezra know that Sabine sees his smile all the same, though she hides it well. She sees the devilish grin he wears on a daily basis, and the mischievous glint in his eye when he pulls a prank or cracks a joke. She likes the way his hair flicks in front of his eyes sometimes when he doesn't notice, and the way his grin curls from one corner of his face to another. The surprised laugh is a cute one, and the trying-for-innocent expression makes her want to yell, "DORK!" at him and burst into peals of laughter. Yes, she does like a lot of things about his smiles - maybe she even loves some things, if it came to that. But Sabine was never good at the whole feelings thing, so she'd have to wait it out, like she always did. It doesn't mean she like like likes him - does it? She doesn't know. She tries to convince herself off him, but it doesn't work. She sees something in him, in all his cocky grins and cheeky comments that makes her insides melt a little. And it's involuntary. Whatever the case, she would have to see where it went. They had time. One day it could be on top of the world, the next she couldn't speak to him. All she knew was that he was a real ray of sunshine peering through her life.