Heyo, human beings from outer space!
Who woulda thought it's so hard to think of ways for one kid to save another kid? Well it was. It was still fun, but I literally sat there and festered in it for like two weeks. And I couldn't write anything else because Blue Moonflower and Purple Moonflower had to go back to back y'know?
This was a request over on ao3
Read on if you dare.
"Miss Tano, perhaps you should answer question twenty-four."
Ahsoka snapped awake, eyes bleary and mind fuzzy. She mentally cursed herself for falling asleep. She hadn't yet recovered from her last mission and her teachers were obviously annoyed with this.
"Yeah, sure," Ahsoka said, her voice rough and cracky with sleep. "It's uh..." Kriff. What were they talking about? She glanced down at her paper and skimmed the question. Kriff, kriff, kriff... Her brain wasn't working.
From the corner of her eye, she saw a little jerk of motion, and automatically glanced over. It was Caleb, looking very focused and subtly holding up a hand signal. Plan B.
"Uh, it's B," Ahsoka said.
The teacher, for just a moment, looked a bit disappointed. She said, "Correct," and went to pick on another young Jedi who seemed to not be paying attention.
Ahsoka grinned gratefully back at Caleb, making a mental note to thank him later, maybe get him some candy. She turned back to the front of the class and made a great attempt to remain present for the class, but ended up out cold on her desk a few minutes later.
–
They were supposed to train together, but Caleb had a gut feeling that Ahsoka had forgotten. It was only two minutes past the time they'd agreed on. She hadn't showed up yet and Caleb doubted she would. He didn't know why, she could have a very valid excuse and show up in a few minutes.
Maybe it was the Force that drew him to his feet and through the halls down to Ahsoka and Master Skywalker's quarters. It must have been because he knew something was wrong the moment he got there.
Caleb, heart beating a little faster than it should've, called Ahsoka's name. He could hear something from inside, but it wasn't coherent. It almost sounded like... spluttering?
"Ahsoka? Please open the door!" Caleb called frantically, adrenaline starting to pump. "Ahso– AAH!" the door flew open suddenly and he fell inside, catching himself right in front of Ahsoka's kneeling form. He glanced up and felt himself blanch.
Ahsoka doubled over, sputtering and heaving, clawing at her neck.
"A-are you choking?!" Caleb gasped, and he knew it was stupid even before he said it because of course she was choking.
Caleb scrambled to his feet, whirled around, and pounded Ahsoka on her back. She flew forward, catching herself with her palms, and harsh coughs ripped from her throat. She wasn't choking anymore.
"That was scary," Caleb breathed, sitting back on the floor with relief.
"T-tell me ab-bout it," Ahsoka rasped with a harsh-sounding chuckle. "Thanks for the save."
"You're welcome."
–
"That's a really bad idea."
"I've had worse. You can ask literally anyone and they'll tell you about something way stupider," Ahsoka said, strategically sliding an IV out of her arm, pushing a cotton ball against it, and wrapping it tightly to stop the bleeding.
Caleb watched with wide eyes, thinking that if she could do this with such practiced precision, she'd done it far too many times. He watched as she unhooked herself from a heart monitor, somehow keeping it from flatlining, and then swung her feet around the side of the bed.
"It's really not that bad. We've got my boys to help out and Kix approved, so you know it's at least safe," Ahsoka said. "They'll be there to grab us as soon as we get out."
How could she sound so calm about all of this?! They were about to sneak her out of the Halls of Healing. They were about to break a million rules! Why was she acting so nonchalant?!
Ahsoka, with some difficulty, pushed herself up from the bed. Caleb steadied her when she stumbled. He wished he could just carry her, it would make things easier, but she was a few inches taller than him, and he fell down enough when he had nothing in his arms.
The two of them slipped out of the room and slunk down the hallways, Ahsoka limping slowly and Caleb holding onto her arm to try to help her keep her balance. Surprisingly, they made it out of the Halls of Healing without being spotted. It was late and the whole Jedi Temple was dim, along with less Healers and other Jedi milling about.
They took the turbo lift to the ground floor, snuck out through the main entrance. When they reached the steep stairs they had to descend, Ahsoka stopped to lean against the railing. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out slowly, then began painstakingly stepping down the stairs. She took them one at a time and it seemed to take forever.
Halfway down, she halted with a pained puff of air squeezing its way out of her lungs.
"You okay?" Caleb asked.
"Yeah," she gave him a forced smile of reassurance. "Let's take a break." Swaying on her feet probably from vertigo induced by the stairs, Caleb helped lower Ahsoka to sit on the stairs. She held her head in her hands and groaned. "Ugh, I hate stairs."
"I bet," Caleb hummed. He bit his lip nervously and glanced around. He didn't want to push Ahsoka, but he didn't want to sit here for too long and be spotted and punished.
Luckily for him, backup arrived.
"Hey, Commanders, ready to go?" called a clone from the 501st, waving at them.
"Yeah," Caleb called back hesitantly, setting a hand on Ahsoka's shoulder. "Ready, Ahsoka?"
"Totally," Ahsoka grunted unconvincingly, attempting to drag herself to her feet, only to crash back down a second later. "Less totally."
The clone who'd called them came skipping up the steps along with the 501st captain, Rex. Caleb scooted aside so they could crouch around Ahsoka. As Jesse started shifting her to lean on him, Rex observed her injuries briefly.
"Just tired," Ahsoka said, not bothering to open her eyes as she waved a hand limply at Rex.
"Kix is ready and waiting at the barracks," Rex said. "Let's not keep him waiting. He's been griping all day about how he doesn't like this or that about your Halls of Healing."
Ahsoka gave him a half-hearted chuckle with a small, genuine smile. Jesse scooped her into his arms. She didn't fight him like Caleb expected her to, instead she just rested her head on the front of his shoulder and muttered, "Thanks, Jesse."
"No problem, Commander," Jesse chirped, but he kept his voice low enough so as not to hurt her.
Caleb watched from the steps, fear starting to swirl in his gut. He had to sneak back into the temple now, and he didn't have Ahsoka's stealth or experience. If he was caught... he shuddered. Caleb could already imagine Master Bilaba's disapproving gaze.
"Hey, kid," Rex called, snapping Caleb out of his thoughts, "you coming?"
Oh, he was invited, too?
"Y-yeah," Caleb stammered, springing up from the steps a little too quickly. He careened forward and stumbled on the steps but managed not to fall on his face.
Jesse situated Ahsoka on the back of his speeder and sat in front of her, nodding to Rex to show they were ready. Rex motioned for Caleb to hop on the back of his speeder. Caleb threw himself onto the back and gripped the captain's shoulders.
Soon enough, the speeders were cutting through the air, and then slowing to a stop in front of the barracks. Kix was waiting for them and immediately took Ahsoka from Jesse, whisking her into the barracks.
"Come on, kid, we'll show you the way," Jesse promised kindly, waving for Caleb to follow him as Rex took care of the speeders. As Caleb quickly followed, he caught sight of a small, purple form scooting across the pathment ever so slightly. He glanced over to see that it was a stray moonflower, carried over by the wind.
Without thinking, Caleb dashed over, snatched it up, and returned to Jesse's back shoulder, following him to the med-bay. Kix was a flurry of motion, re-wrapping Ahsoka's ankle, wrist, and shoulder, fixing the dressing around her head, sticking a new IV in her arm, and who-knew-what-else. Medic stuff, Caleb could only say.
And even though she still looked tired, Ahsoka perked up quite a bit from how she'd been on the steps of the temple.
Jesse and Rex talked with her while Kix worked and Caleb tried not to listen in. He tried to make himself small in the chair beside her bed, rolling the purple moonflower in his fingers back and forth. He felt like an intruder in their family, their system.
But eventually, Kix finished and Rex and Jesse left, so it was just Caleb and Ahsoka sitting together in the med-bay.
"Thanks for your help tonight," Ahsoka said, shifting to face him better.
"Yeah, I wish I could've been more helpful," Caleb muttered.
"Nah, I probably would've fallen on my face seven times and then eventually just ended up staying on the floor if it wasn't for you," Ahsoka said.
Caleb cracked a small smile and then glanced down at the moonflower, outstretching his arm to give it to her. "Here."
"Oh?" Ahsoka said, the corners of her mouth quirking. "A moonflower, dear Caleb?"
"Yeah, for the funeral I thought we were both gonna have if we got caught," Caleb said. "And for not having to put 'verbal smackdown the Jedi way' on our death certificates."
Ahsoka laughed and took the moonflower, drawing in its gentle fragrance. "Thank you, sir! I shall cherish it eternally."
—
Ezra was pushing Kanan into the Phantom, screaming again and again for Ahsoka to come, that she could still make it. But Kanan knew from the start that it was useless. Ahsoka had set her mind to something, and even from the first time they met, he knew that meant she wouldn't be giving it up for anything... not even her own life.
Kanan felt the little blast of the Force and heard Ezra hit the floor, heard his grunt and his despair and surprise and in his own head alarms were blaring and his thoughts were racing and he wanted to scream and–
And he couldn't let himself get like this. He wasn't a padawan anymore. He was an adult and he had to take care of his padawan.
Kanan didn't know exactly what happened next. He grabbed Ezra and dragged him into the Phantom. They were zipping away a moment later, and by then Ezra was sobbing uncontrollably.
Kanan held Ezra as he cried nearly the whole way back. Kanan was internally shriveling up, sobbing harder than Ezra, but he couldn't show this. He was a Jedi, he was Ezra's Master, he was Kanan Jarrus.
They made it back to Chopper Base. Everything was a blur. Everything felt dim, dark, desperate.
Kanan ended up in his quarters, elbows on his knees and head in his hands. He didn't know if it was possible to cry anymore, he didn't know if he was crying, but he was certainly shaking.
It might've been ten minutes or it might've been two hours– time was irrelevant– when Kanan shoved himself up from his bunk abruptly and felt his way to a wooden box on a shelf. He slid it open and very gingerly dragged his fingers against the wood inside until he came upon a little cylindrical stalk— a stem.
Kanan pulled it out and felt the crisp pedals. It was a flower– a beautiful blue moonflower he'd been given by Ahsoka back as a padawan, and Master Bilaba had been kind enough to show him how to hang it so it would dry out and he could save it. He could almost see it now, he knew exactly what it looked like.
Kanan plopped back down on his bunk and ran his fingers up and down the flower, and when he brushed a peddle, it ripped off and fluttered to the floor.
He stood again and stepped on it, rolling it back and forth under the toe of his boot. He felt it crumble on the floor and he left it there, dead and alone, just like Ahsoka.
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Word Count: 2,028
Published: 22 July 2023
I have delivered and now I shall probably disappear for another fat minute and a half!
Also, I need some help naming some rabbits. I can't find a good name for two of my baby bunnies. They're white with gray spots. Any ideas?
Requests are open, feel free to message me or make a comment if you have any ideas!
Bye, peoples!