Chapter Text
Ezra wasn't sure what game they were playing, and even if he knew, he would have had no idea whether he was winning or losing.
It all started a few weeks back when he and Sabine had been assigned a mission on their own, going undercover at a big Imperial party for some meaningless government holiday. Ezra had no idea which holiday it was, and frankly, he hadn't cared. In fact, he'd pretty much tuned out of the mission briefing after Hera had explained to him that they'd be dressing up in formalwear as part of their disguise.
Having grown up mostly on the streets, there had never been a reason for Ezra to put on a suit, and throughout all that time, he'd never had a desire to either. In his mind, suits reeked of stuffy discomfort and snooty aristocracy. They practically screamed everything opposite of who he was as a person.
And so for the three days between the briefing and the mission, Ezra only worried about how uncomfortable he knew he would be all evening at the party. He wasn't sure if he would be able to focus on the mission at all. Not with that ridiculous suit on.
It turned out that he was right…he was uncomfortable all evening. But certainly not for the reason he expected.
See, as soon as Ezra saw Sabine step into the lounge of the Ghost in her “disguise,” he completely forgot about his own attire. His eyes roamed up her body of their own accord, following the lines of the sleek black evening gown she wore. When he finally made it to her face, he noticed that she was wearing makeup and that her hair was dyed back to its natural brown, pulled into a stylish updo.
She looked…well the only word Ezra’s stunned mind could think of in that moment was “gorgeous.”
Right after the thought entered his mind, he heard Zeb snicker off to his left. He turned to see the La’sat chuckling and Hera next to him smirking, and Ezra realized that he'd actually spoken his thoughts aloud. With panicked eyes, he whipped his head back to Sabine, who simply smiled and said “Thank you.”
She didn’t even threaten him with bodily harm!
It was that moment, Ezra realized in retrospect, that was the start of this weird game between him and Sabine.
They made it through the mission without a hitch, but Ezra kept finding Sabine much closer to him than usual during that night. They weren't posing as a couple, but it didn't stop her from adjusting his tie twice, or looping her arm through his when they walked into the building together.
At one point, she told him that she needed to get better eyes on one of their targets, so she dragged him out on the dance floor during a slow song. When she grabbed his hands and placed them on her hips, he was certain he would combust.
It had been a long time since he'd gotten that awkward, tense feeling around Sabine, and the last time had been back when he was harboring a pretty serious crush.
That couldn't be good.
All in all, it was a much better evening than he’d expected…he might even describe it as a great evening. But it left him feeling weird.
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The day after the mission, Ezra noticed Sabine acting strange again. That morning, she touched his arm three separate times while they were talking in the kitchen, and then she playfully bumped into him after making a joke. It was definitely out of the ordinary – she usually avoided touching him as much as she could.
It was almost like…she was flirting?!
But no, that couldn't be possible. Sabine didn't flirt. He'd never seen her act that way around guys, even the ones on the base who obviously flirted with her – they were always promptly shot down. (Including the really good-looking ones!)
So there was no way she was flirting with him.
But then again, the touching and the smiling all felt pretty flirty to Ezra.
He really didn't want to talk to Sabine about it, but it didn’t stop in the following days. She continued to find excuses to put her hand on his arm, his shoulder, or his back. And with each encounter, she was holding the contact for longer and longer. He once counted an entire 13 seconds before she removed her hand from his shoulder.
Boy, counting the seconds in his head made him feel REALLY lame.
Finally, he made it to the point where he needed some answers. But how could he learn the truth without having a super awkward discussion that might totally and completely embarrass him? He had an idea.
Ezra decided that the best way to get to the bottom of this would be to turn things around on Sabine and see what happened. And thus, they began a strange two-player game.
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The next morning, Ezra walked into the kitchen and found Sabine already there. She was reaching for something on an upper shelf, giving him an opportunity so perfect that it almost felt staged.
He walked up next to her, placing one hand around her waist to steady her.
“Here, let me help you with that,” he suggested, keeping his voice as deep and smooth as possible.
(He honestly felt ridiculous – but this was how people flirted in the holodramas that she and Hera liked to watch, so he was going for it.)
Ezra felt Sabine suck in a breath of surprise as he grabbed the bowl from the shelf and handed it to her, keeping his hand in place on her waist longer than necessary as their eyes met.
The room was thick with tension.
“T-thanks,” she stuttered.
Ezra nearly smirked in triumph – he'd never heard Sabine stutter before.
He left the room without any additional commentary, feeling pretty proud of himself. Maybe those holodramas knew what they were talking about.
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After his over-the-top display in the kitchen, Sabine was certain that Ezra had noticed her extraneous affection recently. But he'd caught her pretty off guard with the whole bowl thing…as evidenced by the stuttering.
She wasn't going to let that happen again.
A few hours later, she made up an excuse to go and talk to him while he was working on his lightsaber forms in the cargo hold. She knew that he sometimes practiced shirtless if he was getting particularly sweaty.
His shirtless form typically didn't phase her (nothing she hadn't seen before) but today she had a plan.
She marched into the cargo hold, watching him run through several moves before he turned around to face her. She asked her rehearsed question, but before she left, she paused, then raked her eyes slowly over his bare chest, taking in every sharp line and smooth muscle. She wanted to make her ogling as obvious as possible.
And Sabine had to admit – she wasn't entirely unaffected by his physique.
Ezra noticed her gaze and immediately, a deep red flush fell over his face and chest. He turned away bashfully and Sabine smiled to herself, sauntering out of the room knowing she'd won that round.
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Ezra put two and two together that Sabine had figured out his little game, and he wasn't going to let her get away with that, so he took things up a notch the next day. While she was tinkering with some of the circuits in the cockpit of the Ghost, he came up behind her, sliding his left leg into place behind her right and pressing his body slightly against her back.
Ezra felt her tense up, but she didn't seem uncomfortable. He leaned over her shoulder, watching her work with slightly unsteady hands.
Odd…she was usually so calm and collected when she was doing repairs.
It was obvious that his proximity was affecting her, so he pushed the boundary a little further. Leaning down until his lips were next to her ear, he spoke in a low voice, “You know, if you did that the other way, it would take half the time.”
He didn't miss the shiver that traveled down her neck and into her shoulders at the feel of his breath on her ear. But she recovered quickly, stiffening up again and rolling her eyes. “Yeah, but it'll just break in two days again…sometimes you have to take your time to do things right Ezra.”
He was left wondering if her words had a double meaning.
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His little stunt in the cockpit didn't go unpunished. The next day, Sabine showed up to breakfast in her pajamas and Ezra nearly choked on his food at the sight of her legs in shorts. He let out three haphazard coughs and Zeb shot him an annoyed glare from across the table.
But before Ezra could recover and compose himself, Sabine was already walking back out of the kitchen, caf in hand and a triumphant smirk on her face.
She pulled double duty that day, later approaching Ezra in the lounge while he was watching news on the holonet. She didn't say a word, but with some simple gesturing, she forced Ezra to scoot over on the bench and she slid in next to him, throwing her legs across his lap and leaning into his side like it was the most casual thing in the world.
Ezra’s jaw dropped open of its own accord, but when he turned to try and read her demeanor, it was stoic and expressionless, as if nothing was different in the slightest.
He had to control his breathing carefully for the next hour so she wouldn't know how much her behavior was affecting him.
From that point on, it was clear that something was going on between them. Ezra had no idea if he could “win” this game, but he certainly wasn't going to lose without a fight.
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It went on for several weeks like that, each one teasing the other without ever admitting what they were doing. Sitting closer when no one else was around, casual brushing of hands, whispered innuendos, and flirty comments meant to catch each other off guard.
So far, the exchanges had been limited to their time around the Ghost and the base, but a new mission was likely to change that completely. Ezra and Sabine were assigned to make a supply run to some allies in another system, carrying some important intel with them to pass off to the other Rebel cell.
But there was a catch – they’d be doing this mission alone.
They were assigned to take the Phantom II, and the trip was going to be a long one. They would have 24 full hours of nothing but each other’s company to keep them entertained.
And Ezra was VERY worried about it.
It was one thing for them to flirt in secret on the Ghost, but those moments they’d shared had usually only lasted a few minutes at a time before one of them would retreat, heading back to their own cabins or moving on to the next task of the day. Without much else to do but talk, would they have to discuss what had been going on? He really hoped not.
They had one day to prep for the mission, and throughout that time, things were incredibly busy. They stocked up the Phantom II with supplies, fuel, and a small arsenal of weapons…just in case. (You never know what trouble you’ll get into when you’re part of the Rebellion.) Ezra and Sabine were briefed on the intel that they were taking to the other Rebel cell, and they reviewed the supply list with the officers multiple times to make sure everything was correct for pickup. It was a whirlwind.
In fact, it was so busy that Ezra fell asleep the night before the mission without even thinking about being alone with Sabine again. However, when he woke the next morning after a restful night of sleep, it was the first thought on his mind.
Already laden with anxiety, he dressed and headed to the kitchen to grab some breakfast, where he found everyone else already assembled and eating. They reviewed the plan once more over their meal, and then before he knew it, Hera was sending him and Sabine on their way.
Ezra was not ready.
The takeoff was uneventful as Sabine took the pilot’s seat, flying them away from the Ghost, out of the atmosphere, and then into a carefully calculated hyperspace jump.
The next few hours were a weird kind of torture as Ezra awkwardly navigated their strange new dynamic. For the most part, Sabine seemed to be acting normal (as in pre-flirting normal), but he wasn’t sure if things would change quickly. They performed some ship maintenance, reviewed the supply needs, and she did some painting while he alternated between meditating and practicing his lightsaber forms. They ate lunch and dinner in between their activities, and carried on conversations as normal...as if they hadn’t been slowly building this unspoken flirtatious tension the past several weeks.
Basically, Ezra was just trying to follow her lead.
After an incredibly long day, it finally came time for them to settle down for a few hours of sleep. Luckily, those preparations were uneventful as well. They simply set up their temporary bedding, said goodnight, and tucked in separately for some rest.
Within a few minutes, he could hear Sabine’s breathing slow down into slumber, but he lay awake for far too long wondering why she was suddenly acting normal again. Finally, his thoughts exhausted him enough that he drifted off to sleep.
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Ezra awoke the next morning to beeps from the ship’s navigator. Sabine was already in the cockpit, ready to pull out of hyperspace and fly them the rest of the trip to their allies. Today would be spent partially in briefings sharing the intel from some of their recent missions and partly spent gathering and loading the supplies they were sent to pick up. If all went well, they’d be back on the Phantom II by nightfall and heading home to their own base.
They arrived at the unfamiliar base just half an hour later, docking in their hangar bay and disembarking to greet the Rebel officers there. From that point, it was business as usual and Ezra was grateful for something familiar to throw himself into. They went through a few debriefings with the leaders of the Rebel cell, breaking down the intel that they’d brought along. After that, they spent a few hours sorting through a very unorganized supply inventory (how did they get anything done around here?!) to see what they needed to take back to the Ghost.
By the time they’d pulled together a list, it was too late in the evening to travel, so they joined the other Rebels for dinner in their large mess hall.
After making their way through the buffet line and choosing a few things to add to their plates, Sabine and Ezra found a spot at the end of a long table. They expected to eat alone, but they were soon joined by a few young pilots, not much older than the two of them.
The three young men sat down at their table and introduced themselves. There were two humans and a Rodian, but Ezra only took notice of one of the humans – a tall guy with long, blonde hair who sat directly next to Sabine. The mysterious stranger flashed Sabine a dazzling smile and soon they were off on a riveting conversation about their work for the Rebellion. Ezra tried his best to listen in on the conversation, but he was being bombarded with questions from the Rodian and the other human.
Throughout the hour that they sat at the table, Ezra caught small fragments of the conversation happening across from him, and he could tell that the pilot was doing his best to impress the Mandalorian woman. He told stories of rescue missions and dangerous run-ins with the Empire, making sure to drop in mentions of times that the Rebel officers had praised his good work.
Ezra had to physically stop himself from rolling his eyes.
With each story, he got a stronger urge to put this jerk in his place, but all of Ezra’s battle stories involved some kind of Jedi antics, and he and Sabine were trying very hard to keep his identity as a Force-user on the down-low. So instead, he sat back and tried to tune the far-too-handsome pilot out while he listened to the Rodian and other human discuss maintenance needs for their ships.
After a painstakingly long amount of time, the pilot who had been doing his best to charm Sabine stood up and offered to show her and Ezra to their provided accommodations. Since the two of them had flown in on a simple shuttle and the supply inventory had taken longer than expected, the Commander of this Rebel cell had prepared a place for them to stay.
The pilot continued to ramble on about some “dangerous” supply mission he’d flown a few rotations back as they walked through the halls of the base to an area filled with sleeping quarters. The walk seemed to take forever, but he finally stopped in front of a door.
“This is your room,” the guy said, gesturing to the door.
“Which one of us?” Ezra asked, looking to the doors on the left and right as well.
“Both of you. We don’t have much extra room right now, but we were able to get one room available for tonight.”
Ten different thoughts ran through Ezra’s mind in the following seconds as he wondered why he’d been cursed to spend so much alone time with Sabine on this mission. But before he could get his bearings, Sabine had already bid the pilot goodnight and opened the door to the small cabin.
“Are you coming in? Or are you planning on sleeping in the hall?” she asked, waiting just inside the room and staring at Ezra with one eyebrow raised. “I certainly wouldn’t complain about getting a room to myself.”
Ezra shook his head slightly, trying to stop his mind from running all over the place. He took a few cautious steps into the room and was relieved to find that it was fitted with a set of bunks.
He waited for Sabine to claim one, and when she placed her helmet on the top, he took the liberty of sitting down on the bottom one and beginning to unlace his boots. His mind was still reeling with annoyance from the way that pilot guy had been blatantly trying to impress Sabine, so he was uncharacteristically quiet as he removed his shoes and jacket.
Sabine took a quick survey of the room and then turned to Ezra, giving him a quizzical look. “Do you not want to go to the ship and get your bag?” she asked, seeming confused by his actions.
Ezra stood up to fold his jacket and place it on a nearby table. “No, I’m just ready to go to bed.”
He removed his belt and holster, and he knew that his movements were stiff and unnatural, but he carried on as if nothing was wrong. When he had placed everything on top of the table, he looked up and his eyes met Sabine’s across the room.
She looked as if she wanted to say something…as if she wanted to ask him if everything was okay. Her mouth opened a fraction, then closed abruptly without making a sound. Glancing down at the floor, she seemed to collect herself, then looked back up at him.
“I'm going to go get my stuff from the ship. I'll be back in a minute.”
Ezra watched her turn, open the door, and then close it behind her as she stepped into the hallway. He let out a frustrated groan once he was alone, flopping down onto the bottom bunk.
What was his problem?! Why was he so upset that some guy had shown interest in Sabine? It wasn't like she was his , so technically he had no reason to be jealous.
But he still was.
Ezra could deny it all he wanted, but he was certain that it was jealousy he was feeling. Over the past few weeks, the flirting and teasing, and tension with Sabine had changed the way he thought of her.
In a way, it felt like she was his…even though she wasn't.
He had to break that line of thinking.
But right as that thought crossed his mind, she came back in the room carrying two duffels.
“I know you said you didn't need yours, but I brought it anyway. Just in case,” she offered, sitting the bag down on the table next to his stuff. “You probably won't be comfortable sleeping in those clothes, no matter how much you deny it.”
Ezra sat up, nearly bumping his head as he glanced over at the duffel on the table. His heart swelled. Sabine knew what he needed even when he didn't.
She was the perfect partner, he was sure of it. Intelligent, talented, brave, thoughtful. He'd known it for years working on missions with her. But now he was starting to wonder if those same qualities translated well into other types of relationships.
His eyes followed her as she walked back to the door with her duffel, presumably to head to the refresher down the hall. He couldn't help the smile that crept up on his face as he thought about how much better his life was with her in it.
And then another thought crossed his mind as she left the room again.
The past few weeks he'd been worried about whether he was winning or losing this back-and-forth flirty game with Sabine. But after tonight, it was possible that he might lose Sabine to another player.