Falling In Love With Your Mortal Enemy

Sickness

I was sorting through Flimsi sheets in a storage room on Yavin 4 and have been for the 2 weeks after arriving there. The rest of the Ghost crew was still on Mandalore dealing with Sabine Wren's family.

My stomach growled and wrenched in pain from only eating barley enough ration bars in a single day to get get me through since arriving. I had been working where the Intelligence sector of Rebellion.

"Kallus?" Came a familiar voice behind me.

"Hey Zeb!" I said, not looking at him because if I did, his face would scrunch up in concern, and I couldn't take that right now.

"You ok?" He asked.

"I'm fine!" I lied.

"Well, would you like to go get some dinner with me?" He asked, concern seeping into his voice already.

"No thanks! I had a big lunch, so I'm not hungry, thanks for the invitation though!" I said, guilt rising in my chest about lying to him about the eating a big lunch.

"Why do you keep lying to me!" Zeb growled, grabbing my arm and turning me to face him.

"I'm not lying!" I said, tears in my eyes. This was strange coming from him, especially towards me.

"Yes you are!" He said.

"Why do you care so much?" I asked, guilt rising in my heart again.

"Because you're a friend Alex!" He said.

"Now I totally regret telling you my first name because now you can use it against me!" I said, pulling away slightly.

"You need to eat Alex! Rex and Hera are worried about you, as am I because you don't look so good and you're getting a little to skinny!" He said, grabbing me by the shoulders.

"Again, why do you care so much?" I asked.

"Your my friend Alex, since you revealed that you were Fulcrum and we talked when you bring us information!" He said, his eyes pleading.

"Oh Zeb!" I said.

"Please come get food with me for dinner!" He said.

"Ok Zeb, you win!" I said, nodding. He turned me around and shoved me from the room.

                             ***

"I don't know that I can do this?" I said, walking into the Mess Hall.

"How's that Alex?" Zeb asked, looking at me.

"I've avoided this place because of all the angry glares I've gotten from a lot of the younger Rebels!" I admitted, feeling embarrassed.

"You'll be fine if you stick with me!" He said, grabbing my arm by the elbow and leading me to the food line.

"Ok!" I whispered. When we got to the front of the line, I saw a whole assortment of food. Roasted Porg meat, Nerf and Bantha burgers, Colo Claw Fish meat, Five Blossom bread with an optional topping of Melurun fruit sauce, Ishi-tib cracked coconut syrup on pancakes, sliced Melirun fruit combined with bananas and Ithor Jewel fruit.

"What can I get you?" A female Twi'lek said.

"Um, can I get two Burgers with garlic buns, lettuce, and ketchup, Corellian potato fries with salt and garlic powder, and I'd like to try some of that Mon Calamari brown rice with the spicy red bean sauce, please!" I said, blushing.

"Of course!" She said. When she was finished with a particular object, she handed it to me and I placed it on my tray.

"You sure are loading up your tray there aren't you Kallus?" Zeb asked, smiling.

"Yeah, I'm actually a lot hungrier than I originally thought!" I said, blushing.

"Really? I had no idea!" Zeb joked, smiling. I elbowed him in the ribs when we got the rest of our food and went to find a table.

"Mmm!" I groaned, noticing just about every table was full with a few empty seats hear and there.

"Follow me!" Zeb said, walking away. I stuck to him until we found a mostly empty table in the corner of the Mess Hall.

"Look guys! An Imperial officer made a Friend!" A young Trandoshian said to his friends, a young human man, a young Toydarian female, and a young human female.

I rolled my eyes to myself and ignored him and his chuckling friends. Zeb however, didn't.

"You want to say that to my face?" He growled, standing up to his full height. The kids stopped laughing and ignored us.

"That's exactly why I didn't want to come down here!" I whispered under my breath.

"You really need to stand up for yourself Alex?" He whispered to me.

"Damn your Lasat hearing!" I said, realizing that he heard me.

"You have to stand up for yourself!" He repeated.

"Given that I did horrible things in the past, I deserve whatever they have to say about me!" I said, picking at my rice and red sauce.

"No you don't! You're a Rebel now, so you have to believe in yourself and that you belong here!" Zeb said. I just nodded and started eating.

                              ***

After dinner, Zeb walked me back to my quarters. As we walked, I couldn't help myself from sneaking glancing at the Lasat who walked beside me and imagining that I was in his arms and kissing his lips. I mentally kicked myself for having those thoughts.

"So, Alex! Same time tomorrow?" Zeb asked when I opened my door.

"What?" I asked.

"As long as we're both on world, I'm going to make sure that you at least get one meal a day since I can't always be with you!" He said.

"Then sure! Same time tomorrow!" I said, smiling. Zeb smiled too, at least until I sneezed and started coughing like crazy.

"You ok Alex?" He asked, helping me to my cot in the tiny room.

"I'm ok! I've had these coughing fits every so often for the last week!" I said, laying down.

"An even bigger reason to stay in bed until you get better!" He said, placing a hand on my forehead.

"I'm fine!" I lied, coughing again.

"No you're not! You're burning up and you're not looking so good! You'll work yourself to death if you keep going like this!" He said.