The Artist and the Jedi - Sabezra Oneshots

Winter Fete

Set during season three:

Summary – The rebels enjoy a short break for a winter holiday, and while most of the crew relax, Ezra has his own mission... involving mistletoe...

The Winter Fete, originating from the planet Pelagon, had slowly spread its way through the galaxy, and was now universally recognised as a week of rest. This holiday marked the end of the galactic year, and fell on the very last week of each year, right in the heart of winter. The Ghost crew had never found the time to celebrate such things in the past, but with Phoenix Squadron now safely settled in their new base on Atollon, there came a certain sense of security. For now, at least, the rebels were safe from the dangers of Thrawn and the Empire, and thanks to this fact, Commander Sato had granted the Spectres a week long leave for the Winter Fete. After a vote, they decided to spend the little time that they'd been given on a barren icy world known only as Hoth.

Zeb sat there, on his own, in the pilot's seat of the cockpit, rubbing his arms to the chorus of his chattering teeth. It was cold. Very cold. The crew didn't have resources to waste on heating the ship, and they were all outside playing in the snow anyway, all except Zeb. Needless to say, the Lasat had voted against coming to this frozen wasteland. It was an awful place, full of vicious wampas and irritating tauntauns. The only advantage was that with everybody else out playing in the snow, he finally got some peace and quiet.
"Zeb?! What are you doing in here? The fun is out there buddy!" Ezra shouted from the doorway of the cockpit, causing the Lasat to roll his eyes with a sigh. Peace and quiet became an impossibility as soon as that cocky Lothalian entered a room.
"I told you earlier, I don't like snow! Can we please put the heating on already?!" he asked in reply, his gruff voice sounding just as moody as he felt.
"Sorry pal, Hera's orders, we need to reserve the fuel for the journey home. Not gonna find any here, are we?" Ezra answered, sliding into the co-pilot seat and grinning at his friend.
"Karrabast..." Zeb muttered, shivering in his seat. How could Ezra be so lively right now? How could any of them? It was kriffing freezing! As the Lasat pondered these thoughts silently, he noticed a sudden change in Ezra's behaviour. The kid started looking around furtively, as if making sure they were alone. Zeb supposed he was getting too old to be called kid, but it was just an instinct for him now. And Ezra never seemed to mind being called it by him.
"Zeb? Can I talk to you about something...in private?" the ki- Ezra asked in a suspicious voice. The Lasat looked around with a grin on his face, plainly seeing that they were alone, and wondering what could possibly be on Ezra's mind now.
"We are in private, everyone else is outside...for some reason. What's on your mind?" Zeb inquired, turning towards his friend curiously. Ezra shifted uncomfortably on the spot, repeatedly opening his mouth to speak, but never finding the words he wanted.
"I like Sabine!" he eventually blurted out, coughing afterwards. Zeb chuckled a little, this was hardly new information.
"Tell me something I don't know. If you like her so much, why are you cornering me awkwardly instead of her?" he asked.
"It's been a year since I properly flirted with her...I sort of gave up, she always thought I was too immature. But...I don't know, with all of the seriousness these days, wouldn't she appreciate a bit of immaturity? And besides...I'm no kid anymore" Ezra explained, rubbing his neck awkwardly with a frown.
"So...what...you're asking me for advice?" the Lasat questioned, he'd never been asked for advice like this before, a fact that he was quite happy with. He knew nothing about romantic relationships, especially between a couple of teenagers.
"Yeah, you felt like the person to go to. You know Sabine, and since we have this week off, I wanted to take the opportunity to give it another go. I just...I want your take on how I should go about it" the teen answered, leaning forward and making ready to listen to Zeb's intelligent response.
"Look...this isn't really my area...but if you really want my opinion, I think you're right. Sabine may well appreciate a bit of light-heartedness with everything that's going on. You've gotta find a way to show her that you've matured, but you haven't changed enough that you're a different person" Zeb answered, quite pleased with the response that he'd managed to come up with. Ezra silently thought this over for a moment, frowning as his mind tried to concoct the perfect plan, and then, with a mischievous smile, he came to a realisation.
"Thanks Zeb! You were a big help!" he said, punching his friend lightly in the arm before charging out of the cockpit. Zeb simply rolled his eyes.
"I thought the kids had grown out of this sort of thing" he grumbled, before shivering again with the cold.