"Good to see you again, Azmorigan." Lando walked in, giving the ugly red skinned alien a warm smile in greeting. He seemed to know the man pretty well, walking toward him with open arms.
"I have what you ordered." The man took a bite out of some fruit Ezra had never seen before causing the juice to pop out and dribble down his chin and neck fat disgustingly. He smacked his grotesque lips and looked past Lando to give the ghost crew the once over. His beady eyes landed on Ezra, looking the boy up and down before licking his lips clean of the juice that still covered the rest of his face. Ezra has seen that look before from his time living on the streets of Lothal. It never meant anything good.
"What do you have to offer in return?" The man reached his hand out, gesturing loosely towards where the youngest crewmate stood. Kanan and Hera hadn't seemed to catch on, seeming to expect Lando to hand over some credits for his cargo. However, Ezra already had a sinking feeling in his gut before Lando reached out and pushed him forward.
"His name is Ezra."
Ezra stumbled forward, barely catching himself before falling on his knees in front of the man he had just been sold to. He felt repulsed being closer to the alien, especially since he didn't look much better up close.
"WHAT?!" Hera and Kanan both shouted at the same time. They both made a move to grab the boy they considered their own. Lando stopped them both with an arm out to his side.
"Whoa, everything's fine. Trust me." Lando voice sounded calm and even despite the tense situation. Ezra felt both Hera and Kanan's panic through the force, yet Lando was still as calm as he sounded.
"You can't do this!" Hera shouted and went to shove past him. Ezra took a look around, noting the guard gripping their gun about to aim. He decided to hope Lando actually had a plan to get him out. Otherwise, the man was completely okay with abandoning the teen to this creep.
Before Hera could do any damage to piss off the man, Ezra quickly stood up fully. "A deal's a deal, guys."
Biting back the revulsion he felt doing so, Ezra stood in front of Azmorigan and presented himself with his hands on his hips. Letting the man get a proper look at him, Ezra tried to give the man a seductive smile, feeling a bit rusty from living safely on the Ghost.
"Well, he will need a more... proper attire." He rested his abnormally large head on his spindly fingers as he stared hungrily at the teen before him. "But the trade is acceptable."
Hera looked sick while Kanan went to shove past Lando in order to grab his padawan and leave. He stopped when he felt Lando grip his shoulder tightly to prevent him from causing any trouble. Ezra tried to send feelings of reassurance towards the man through their bond. He felt Kanan's fear and uncertainty of leaving the youngest member of the ghost alone with this creep. But he quit trying to move against the hand holding him back.
Satisfied that he no longer had to worry about the Captain or her Jedi attacking his contact. Lando moved forward to collect his earnings, trying not to make eye contact with Ezra as he passed. Ezra finally felt a pang of guilt from the man over leaving him with Azmorigan.
Ezra just couldn't let him leave without looking him in the eye first. Feeling annoyed that the man thought that by avoiding his gaze, he wouldn't have to face the shame for tricking his friends. He grabbed Lando's arm as he passed, forcing the man to stop and look down at him.
"Thank you, Lord Calrissian, for delivering me to my new Master." He tried to push down the feeling of guilt of calling another person his master besides Kanan. He bowed to the man, allowing his long hair to hide his face and his snarl for being forced into this position. By the time he stood back upright, he was smiling pleasantly. "I must find a way to repay you."
He let each word drip with false sweetness, hoping the man understood his message. Whether he understood or not, Ezra was going to make him pay for forcing him to act as a slave.
Lando seemed to understand, taking a step away from the teen as he began to retrieve his cargo. "Please don't let it concern you." He turned off the crates' gravity and began pushing it towards the exit.
"Enough of this! You're disturbing my supper," Azmorigan waved them off, juices flying from his hand and onto Ezra, who stood closest to the disgusting appendage. He bit back his nausea and tried to remain as impasive as possible. "Take your cargo and be off. Leave me to my newest... prize."
Ezra just about lost control and vomited right there on the ugly alien's shoes. Only the thought of what might happen if he did stopped him. He has experience with people like Azmorigan, and he knew it was better to give them what they wanted and not piss them off if he could help it. It was very different from how he handled the stormtroopers they dealt with on a daily basis.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Azmorigan." Lando gave the man a wave as he walked away. Hera and Kanan gave Ezra one last look before they left with the smuggler.
Once he was alone, Ezra finally let the fear and panic wash over him. He was alone on a ship with a man who clearly had not so innocent intentions for him. He watched the door shut, feeling more scared than he did all those years living alone on Lothal.
"Guard, bring the boy his new clothes." Azmorigan waved off the other alien, leaving him alone with Ezra and the droid holding his food tray. This did nothing to quell his nerves as he doubted the droid would have any moral quandary over letting his owner do whatever he wished with his newest possession.
He felt the ghost disembarking from the ship and pulling away. He felt his street instincts telling him that he needed to make a run for it and catch up to the ghost. He wanted to attack this guy and make a run from the escape pods Lando pointed out on the way in. But he had to wait for the right opportunity.
He could already imagine the opportunities he would get if Azmorigan got what he wanted. Letting people use him til they were too exhausted to fight back or chase after him if he escaped, worked with the street gangs or the odd stormtrooper here and there. But living on the Ghost with his new friends, he had gratefully left that life behind. Ezra really didn't want to return back to whoring himself out to escape.
"Come closer, boy. You look hungry." He took the meiloorun fruit from the tray and held it out to him.
Ezra was unsure if it would be more dangerous to deny the offer or to take it. He couldn't be certain what the cost for food was to the overweight alien.
Fortunately his hesitation allowed the time for the guard to return with his new outfit. Ezra tried to hide his joy from being interrupted from the man in front of him knowing he wouldn't be happy to see him wanting to leave.
"I'm okay, sir." Ezra added on the formal title having a feeling that Azmorigan was the type to appreciate having some type of title and he would rather not call the man Master when he already had one. "Perhaps you would like me to go and change for you?"
The man gave him a wicked smile before chuckling to himself in a way that made Ezra uneasy. "You don't need to go anywhere to change. You can do so right here."
Once again he moved his head to rest on his oddly thin hand making Ezra wonder how the limb supported his weight. He should have known the man wanted to spend as much time with his new possession like a child getting a new toy. Except Exra was Azmorigan's new toy.
The thought sent shivers of fear and uncertainty down his spine, terrified of the idea of how this man treated people he deemed his toys. He felt Kanan send calming signals through their bond probably sensing his emotions. The realization caused Ezra to bring his mental walls up. As scared as he was in this moment he wouldn't be able to look his Master in the eye ever again if Kanan knew what he was having to do.
Mustering up his most seductive smile and voice Ezra decided to try and be bold. "Wouldn't you rather it be just us while I change into something... more appealing to you?"
Azmorigan pulled his head up straight in shock and delight. He was probably used to being more forceful with his possessions due to his unsightly appearance and behavior. "Ohhh yes. You get out."
The alien guard left the outfit on the ground in front of Ezra before leaving promptly without a word. Ezra wondered if the Alien was more than a guard and had been in the same position as him at one point. That would explain his silence over this whole ordeal.
Pushing the thoughts out of his head, Ezra instead focused on looking as attractive as possible while he slid the zipper down the front of his jumpsuit. He felt Azmorigan's beady eyes trailing down his chest as more of his undershirt was revealed. He slid the top of the garment down his shoulders and off his arms leaving it hanging loosely around his waist. He managed to keep eye contact longer than he thought possible as he pulled his undershirt off and left it in a pile at his feet. He tried not to think about the pale scars that were covering his torso from his time living on the streets. He didn't like the way they made him look even though he knew from that some saw his scars attractive. Azmorigan let out a sound that reminded Ezra something close to a moan but it sounded strange coming out of the alien's throat. The strange sounds of arousal made it obvious that Azmorigan was already turned on. He turned his back to the sounds as he distracted himself with his buckle. He took a deep breath to settle his nerves as he slid the bottom half of his jumpsuit off his waist and legs. He accidentally pulled his underwear down with it leaving him completely bare as he freed his legs from the garments. He didn't want to risk angering the man by covering himself back up especially when being naked was probably better for distracting the man. It wasn't his first time yet he still felt anxious having everything out for the man to see.
Despite the noises he heard coming from the man behind him, Ezra turned around and gave him a smirk. He scanned and saw that Azmorigan was already on his last fruit, probably engorging himself with the juicy foods while he stared at the show Ezra put on for him. This was his opportunity to get the only other being in the room that could stop him if he attacked the creep to leave them alone.
"Would sir like me to fetch him some more fruit." He tried to act slightly bashful hoping the man would think he was wanting to simply put his clothes on and leave.
The act might've been too much given the snarl that Azmorigan gave him. "You will stay right there you little tease. The droid will bring us more fruit."
Aggressively waving his left hand at the droid as if to hit it, the service droid wheeled away to bring its owner more fruit. Ezra almost felt bad for the droid before reminding himself that he was now alone and naked with an angry Azmorigan. He needed to focus on himself before he worries about some random droid.
"Trying to get away from me after putting on such a provocative show is dangerous boy." He pointed a slender finger at him before motioning with it for him to come closer. Ezra obliged trying to shove down his instincts telling him to just run. He stopped right next to his new outfit, which now that he was looking at it didn't have that much cloth. His attention was abruptly changed when the overweight perverse alien grabbed his face tightly with his slender hands and pulled his face towards his own. Ezra's lips were suddenly attacked with Azmorigan's larger wetter ones. He felt the vomit rise back up in his throat and it was only experience this time that forced it back down.
The kiss felt suffocating and unbearably moist from Azmorigan's steady diet of fruits. The man's breath itself smelled sweetly rotten like a decaying Meiloorun. Ezra closed his eyes and pretended he was far away from this assault of red sticky lips. Just waiting for it to be over so he could go back to plotting his escape.
Once the man pulled away Ezra put back on his seductive mask to hide any revulsion he felt towards the man touching him with his sticky lips. Azmorigan gave him a smirk that told him that it worked.
"You're an experienced whore aren't you boy?"
The words caught him off guard and he felt not only his mask slip but his mental barriers as well. He quickly fixed them both hoping it was before anyone could notice. Azmorigan seemed oblivious to his slip up but he doubted Kanan wouldn't be as observant.
Not waiting for Ezra's response, the man leaned his face down and started biting and sucking a dark love bite into his neck. Ezra felt internal panic knowing that Azmorigan wasn't being so careful as to place it in a place he could hide it from his crew. He could already hear the questions about the mark now.
"Would it be a problem for you if I was?" Ezra purred out fighting everything inside him that screamed to pull away from the sticky hand that held his face. He took a couple short breaths to calm his nerves the best he could. It was quite difficult with Azmorigan sucking and biting his neck as if he was a delicate treat. Eventually the man pulled his lips back with a popping noise and went back to looking Ezra in the eye as if he didn't just mark him.
"I would've preferred breaking you in myself, but it seems that Calrissian found the perfect slut for me." His hand stroked Ezra's cheek where his scars from the Inquisitor lightsaber cut him. "What has your experience taught you?"
"Well why don't you let me show you, sir?" Ezra reached out gently trailed his hand along Azmorigan's chest trying to encourage the man releasing him.
It seemed to work in his favor when the man released him with more force than necessary. He took a small step back before righting himself before the man before him. He stood still for a second allowing Azmorigan a chance to look him over once more before moving closer to the man's side. Trailing his hand along the Alien's thinner forearm going up further until his small hand was rested on his fatter shoulder.
Absentmindedly Ezra wondered if that was the way Azmorigan's species looked or if that was from his eating. He would have to ask Kanan or Hera when he returned.
Shaking himself out of those thoughts mentally, he returned focus to the task at hand. "I have been told I have magic hands. I can give you a massage to relax you until you decide what you want me to do for you sir."
He continued his gentle motions with his fingers on Azmorigan's shoulder while the Alien pondered his statement. "I guess that would suffice... for now."
Ezra once again felt slight fear over what would happen if he failed to escape in time. He moved to stand behind Azmorigan and began to rub his shoulders. Gently easing the tension out of his large shoulders, Ezra moved closer to him til his chest was pressed against his back. He reached down and started to rub circles into the overweight chest causing Azmorigan to lean his head back against Ezraand let out that same sound.
Finally having his opportunity for escape, Ezra wrapped one forearm around the fatfolds surrounding his neck. Azmorigan probably thoat this was just another seductive move of his until Exra locked his arms and restricted his airflow.
Kicking his short stubby legs, Azmorigan tried to throw off the teen as he wriggled and reached around to claw at him. He grabbed a fistful of Ezra's hair in one hand and pulled at him while the other made lame attempts to pull him off on managing to scratch at his shoulder and neck. He managed to knock over a jug of wine on the floor during his struggle and right onto Ezra's jumpsuit before finally jerking still.
Despite his annoyance at his clothes being ruined, Ezra took the time to check Azmorigan's pulse before abandoning the fallen man. Satisfied he hadn't killed the creep and only knocked him out, Ezra turned and examined his soaked clothes. Not only his jumpsuit had been soaked in the alien's alcohol his undershirt and boxers were also too wet to comfortably wear. Plus he wouldn't want the rest of his friends to think it was blood and have even more questions to answer.
Sighing Ezra picked up the harem pants that the guard had left for him to change into. They were a dark red with a gold colored metal waistband that had intricate details carved into it. This was the only clothing that Azmorigan had wanted him to wear. He felt his lips curl back into a disgusted snarl before resigning himself to wear them home.
Gathering up his dirty clothes, Ezra turned his back on Azmorigan's fallen body and finally left. On his way out he saw the guard standing just outside the door. The alien's back was turned to the doorway sparing them the sight of their master knocked out. Ezra tried to play up the shame and disgust he felt to better hide his actions as he walked down the hallway. Either he successfully slipped past the guard or they genuinely didn't care what happened to Azmorigan. He didn't really want to know as he tried to walk down the hallway as fast as he dared.
He turned down the hallway remembering exactly where Lando had casually mentioned the escape pods. Thinking back on it now Ezra realized that was him trying to help the teen escape after the smugglers trade. Despite his anger towards the man that had put him through this, Ezra felt a pang of gratitude for the heads up.
Ezra wasted no time hoping into the space craft and programming the launch process. He never felt more joy hearing the airlock shut and being launched into space. He had fulfilled his role in Lando's messed up plan and was finally on his way towards home. He put in the ship's com link number and reached out to his friends.
It did not take as long as Ezra thought it would for them to pick up a transmission from a ship they've never seen before. They most likely didn't even bother screening it based on how quick it took for the transmission to lock on.
"Ezra?!" He heard Kanan's voice over the transmission speakers. The man hadn't even waited for him to talk before he was asking if it was him.
Taking a deep breath to steady his voice and any remaining feelings he had, Ezra answered his Master. "No, it's Jabba the Hutt."
The joke was well practiced and rolled off his tongue with practiced ease. He slowly lowered his mental barriers and allowed Kanan to reach out across their bond. Ezra made sure to resolve any feeling of fear or disgust before responding to prevent Kanan from worrying any further. Despite his effort his Master's worry and guilt was almost overwhelming once they finally made contact.
"Spectre 6 we are so glad you made it out. We are locking onto your coordinates now" Hera's voice came in over the com breaking Ezra out of his mediation. He felt relieved knowing shortly his crew would be arriving and he would be far away from Azmorigan and his ship.
"See I told you he understood the plan. You should have more faith in our crew." Ezra tried to bite back the anger he felt hearing Lando's voice, knowing it would only worry his Master more. Though hearing the smuggler let out a pained grunt from someone hitting him made him think he wasn't successful. Or maybe Hera was just being protective over her crew. Either was a real possibility.
"We are coming to get you Spectre 6. Hang tight we will be there soon." Kanan voice sounded strained unlike the rest who seemed relieved to hear from Ezra. He thought it was odd but decided not to think too much about it and relax before he was faced with questions and teasing about his appearance.
It only took roughly an hour before Ezra was docking into the Ghost. Despite how happy he felt to be back, he couldn't help the gut feeling that Kanan knew more than the rest of the crew. He pushed the feeling away and moved to get out of the cramped pod.
He stood in front of the airlock door and wait for the room to stabilize before the doors opened to reveal the entire crew staring at him. Their faces turned from relief at seeing their youngest to a mix of shock and horror. Hera had a had over her mouth as she stared at him with watery eyes. Sabine stood behind her with her eyes wide in shock and her mouth hanging agape. Zeb was looking at him with a mix of hurt and murderous rage with his ears pressed down against his head in anger. Kanan was the worst to look at. His green eyes shone like they had tears just behind them and his face looked absolutely horrified to see his Padawan dressed in slave attire.
Ezra felt eyes scanning his body before landing on the dark hickey on the side of his neck along with the scratches on his shoulder. He suddenly realized what he looked like and he started to panic. Worried they would think he was dirty even though he managed to avoid anything happening this time.
"Guys stop looking at me like that. Nothing happened I fought him off." He absentmindedly started to rub the mark on his neck to hide it from their view. "I'm fine, so if you will excuse me I need to get revenge on a certain smooth talking smuggler."
Ezra tried to push past his friends to get away from their looks of concern. He knew they meant well but he was at his limit for the day of people staring at him. Especially since he was half naked and he was painfully aware of his old scars that littered his torso and arms.
He was stopped by a large firm hand grounding his shoulder. Ezra turned to look back at Kanan who had been the one to stop him. The man regarded the teen with sad eyes. "That can wait. Are you okay? What happened back there, kid?"
He should have suspected that they would want to know what happened once he was left alone on the ship with that overweight creep. But hearing them ask sent a surge or panic to his stomach before he quickly smothered it. It would be harder to hide things from his Master now that they were back on the same ship.
"I'm fine, Kanan. Once you guys left they brought me clothes and after I changed, I distracted him and escaped. No big deal." Ezra kept from looking at their faces instead focusing on the wall behind them as he talked. "Really I'm fine, guys. You don't need to worry."
"Kid quit actin' like we're blind." Zeb's gruff voice sounded slightly annoyed at Ezra but there was a sense of worry underneath it. "We all can see the hic- erm, I mean, mark on yer neck. Somethin' happened to ya"
Sometimes he appreciated the blunt and honest nature of the Lasat, but right now was not the time. Ezra felt himself getting defensive after Zeb blatantly called out the bite on his neck. He knew how it looked but he couldn't help the frustration he felt at having to prove that Azmorigan didn't get the chance to fully use him. These people were his friends and only family yet they couldn't seem to believe him when he said nothing bad had really happened.
Forcefully pulling his shoulder away from Kanan, Ezra took a few steps forward to give himself space between him and the eyes of his crew. "Nothing happened, Zeb. I think I would know better than you guys what happened to me after you left." He tried to keep the bitterness he felt out of his voice. Ezra knew it wasn't anyone's decision to leave him behind other than that asshole, Lando.
Speaking of the devil, Lando chose that moment to walk in and take in the sight of Ezra reuniting with his crew. "Well it looks like you followed the plan perfectly. I couldn't be prouder."
He walked up to Ezra without so much as a hint of hesitation before he wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Ezra was about to push the man off and lash out at the one responsible for leaving him there with Azmorigan. His voice died in his throat when he saw Lando looking at Ezra's new outfit. He wasn't able to identify the way the smuggler was looking at him and it made him uneasy.
"The clothes suit you well. Much better than that ugly orange flightsuit." That was the last straw for Ezra. He quickly turned and sent an powerful punch to the man's abdomen. Kneeing him once in the groin when the man hadn't released Ezra from his grip.
Lando fell over with a pained groan letting out a sound that resembled a 'deserved that'. Ezra took the distraction to walk away from his friends and their prying questions. He only made it to the common room when they had rushed to follow him. Once again he was stopped only this time it was when Chopper locked the common room door forcing him to face his friends.
"C'mon Chop. I just want to change and maybe shower before we drop off our newest passenger." Ezra said the last word with so much venom he was surprised at his own voice.
"Why do you need a shower?" Sabine was standing behind him with her hands crossed over her chest. Ezra refused to turn around instead choosing to glare at Chopper. Hopefully if he ignored them they would drop it and just leave him alone.
Ezra had no such luck when he felt the Lasat's large furry hand rest on his shoulders preventing him from running off again. He just wanted to change and get rid of the smell of rotten fruit that seemed to cling to his skin. Ezra felt tired down to his core from all the attention and hands on his bare skin.
"Will you please let me go, Zeb?" His voice sounded weak and small even to himself. Ezra suddenly felt all the fight drain out of him as his shoulders went limp from the tension they'd been carrying under Zeb's heavy hand.
The Lasat released him after realizing that the unfamiliar voice had come from Ezra. He heard the shuffling from behind him and closed his eyes to try and calm the storm of emotions he felt from being trapped. Even if it was his friends that were the ones who trapped him.
"Ezra..." He listened as Hera seemed to slowly walk toward him as if he were a frightened lothcat. He would be annoyed at the treatment if that wasn't exactly how Ezra felt right now. "We aren't saying that we don't believe you. We are just worried you are more hurt than you seem. You should let one of us take you to med bay so you can be sure."
By the time she stopped talking Ezra realized that she was right behind him. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder ignoring the instinctive flinch that came from the teen. Ezra didn't realize that Azmorigan's hands were as small as the woman's until he felt Hera's touch.
He nodded numbly not having the energy to continue arguing with them. He looked down before opening his eyes trying to just relax now that he was home and safe. He refused to associate anything from the Ghost with that man. Especially not the safe and trusting hands of his Captain.
"I'll go." At hearing Kanan offer to go with him, Ezra started to panic. He still wasn't sure what Kanan knew and given the way the man looked at him earlier it wasn't anything good.
Quickly turning around to face them, Ezra shook his head a little too abruptly at his Master's offer. Realizing how his response could be taken, he hurried to cover it up, "Zeb can go. I would feel better if someone kept an eye on our... visitor"
There were a couple other names he could call Lando but he felt that now wasn't the time to get his jabs in. Mainly because the man wasn't available at the moment to hear the insults.
They seemed surprised to hear that the teen wanted Zeb to accompany him over Kanan. But they all took steps to try and cover it up from Ezra since they weren't in a position to argue with him. They didn't have to know it was because the Lasat had already seen his scars while changing in their shared room. It was just another question he could avoid by having Zeb in the room over his Master. Plus it helped that Zeb wasn't force sensitive and wouldn't be able to read his emotions behind his mask.
"Uh, sure kid" Zeb rubbed one of hands behind his furry neck awkwardly thrust into the spotlight with their youngest. "Let's go."
Chopper finally unlocked the door behind him allowing Ezra to leave the prying eyes that stuck to him. He didn't waste time walking away from them and heading down the hallway with Zeb's heavy footsteps behind him. The two walked in silence down to the room designated as the Ghost's med bay. Ezra walked in and hopped on the exam table wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.
Zeb had a little medical experience from his time with the Honor Guard. He knew how to do the basics but not much else. He felt a little lost looking at the teen sitting before him with only a lovebite on his neck and scratches on his shoulder. Zeb wasn't sure what he supposed to be doing here other than figuring out how okay the kid really was.
"So... what's the plan here?" Ezra kicked his legs hanging off the side of the table out of nervous habit. He stopped once he saw the way the harem pants flapped around his legs in the air. He wanted even more to get this over with so he could go and get back in his regular clothes.
"Need you ta' tell me wat happened. Then I'll decide if you're injured or not."
Ezra sighed and briefly wondered if he could've chosen Chopper instead. Then he wouldn't have to talk about it at all the droid could just scan him and treat whatever it thought was necessary. But the choice had already been made and now he had to deal with Zeb's methods. At least the Lasat was keeping a respectable distance and had hidden any concern he might've felt with his usual scowl.
"After Kanan and Hera left one of the guards brought me clothes. I changed out of my jumpsuit and into this," He pronounced the last word by pulling loosely at his harem pants. Ezra kept his voice as even as possible to try and sound convincing as he said the next part. "He had me entertain him briefly and I distracted him. I knocked him out before I grabbed my jumpsuit and..."
His voice trailed off as he realized that he left his jumpsuit in the escape pod. If he knew Hera she would scavenge the pod for supplies before leaving it in deep space. She would find his jumpsuit that he left. The jumpsuit that was covered in Azmorigan's red wine that might be mistaken for blood. That was the whole reason he had changed into the slave attire that had been left for him.
As if they heard the sound of Ezra's panicked thoughts, Hera and Kanan rushed into the room holding Ezra's stained jumpsuit in her hands. The small room of the med bay was almost immediately filled with the sounds of questions.
"Ezra where are you hurt?"
"There shouldn't be this much blood."
"Kid what the hell happened?"
"STOP!" Ezra raised his voice louder than he intended trying to stop the overwhelming sound of voices that filled his ears. Three pairs of eyes stared at him wide with shock. Ezra took advantage of their moment of silence to explain as calmly as he could. "He spilled wine on my jumpsuit when I knocked him out. It's not blood. Do you really think I would be standing if I bled out that much?"
Despite his effort to sound passive he couldn't keep the anger out of his voice. He was at his limit at them thinking that Azmorigan had used him like the creep wanted to. Before he could stop himself he let out a bitter laugh before continuing, "This is not the first time I have dealt with a creep like Azmorigan and I doubt it will be the last. I know you are all staring at the mark but that is all he got before I left him passed out on the ground."
Ezra looked down at his lap, seeing the pants on him that was intended for a certain type of slave. He felt himself feel disgusted for the thousandth time that day. Except this time Ezra felt repulsed by himself.
"I'm not a whore." Ezra didn't know if he was telling them or if he was reminding himself.
"Kid..." Exra looked further to the side letting his bangs hide his face from his Master's words. He felt more raw and exposed than he did on Azmorigan's ship with his lips marking up Ezra as his property. He honestly thought he felt worse than he did when he was back on Lothal pretending it was someone else who was pinned down under their attackers being used.
"Guys will you leave me and Ezra alone for a moment. Zeb would you bring me some of Ezra's clean clothes." Ezra looked back up at that. He really didn't want to be left alone with Kanan when he felt so weak and vulnerable. He looked with pleading eyes at Zeb and Hera wishing one of them would object after seeing his distress.
His silent pleas were ignored as both the Lasat and the Twi'lek nodded in understanding before turning to take their leave. At least Zeb had the audacity to look back at him apologetically for not honoring his wishes before the door slid shut.
Once he was alone with Kanan he realized that his walls had not been as guarded against his mentor as he thought. Their bond had been open for Force knows how long. Ezra prayed that he hadn't been so careless while he was with Azmorigan.
"I don't think less of you, Ezra." Kanan's voice sounded worried and concerned. It didn't really reveal to the teen what the man had gathered from reading him through the force. "When your walls dropped briefly while you were gone I felt your fear and shame. I don't know what exactly happened but I know there is more to what you're telling us."
Ezra swallowed his panic and tried to allow his natural cockiness to block out any other feelings that Kanan could read off him. He found it was easier to return to his normal false bravado than the jedi calm that Kanan had mastered.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Kanan. All that happened after you left was I changed-"
"When did you change into your... new outfit" Despite his even tone, Kanan hesitated on the right words to say to describe his Padawan's clothes. Still he looked at Ezra expectantly for a few moments while the teen sat frozen by his question. Not waiting for him to think of a lie, Kanan continued "When your walls dropped I could sense that you felt exposed and bare. Something you felt only slightly since you've been here in only pants. What really happened? You don't have to feel ashamed by what he did or what you had to do to survive. I am not one to judge anyone's past."
Ezra sat frozen and staring at Kanan with a blank stare, unsure of what he should do. Whether he should hold to his lie and only tweak what he needed to prevent his mentor from seeing him as dirty. Or if he should give into the reassurance he felt and finally be honest with everyone. Including himself.
Deciding to risk it all, Ezra let out a sigh before looking down at his lap once again. If he was going to be honest he couldn't look at Kanan and see his disappointment in him. "I didn't get a chance to put the clothes on until he was knocked out. When he knocked over the wine on my jumpsuit I didn't want to wear it in case you saw the stains on the legs and thought I let him... use me." He felt his voice hitch before he could get the rest out. He took a deep breath waiting for Kanan to ask his next question.
The man took a few steps crossing the distance between them and sat down next to him on the examination table. Instead of questioning him, Kanan seemed comfortable to wait for him to continue at his own pace. Ezra took another calming breath before trying to explain the drop in his mental state that caused his Master so much worry. "I didn't mean to lose focus and drop my barriers. I really didn't want to worry you that's why I tried to block you out. He just said something that messed with my mind more than I wanted to admit."
He hoped that was a good enough explanation for why all his practice with Kanan to strengthen his mind had failed. He really didn't want to disappoint the man as his student.
"I'm not worried about that. You were in a stressful situation and any Padawan would've lost focus way before you did." He reached out and placed a hand on Ezra's shoulder to make sure he understood that Kanan didn't blame him for losing focus for once. They both chose to not mention the way Ezra leaned into the comfort of the touch. Though Kanan did wonder what that creep could of said that bothered the teen so much more than anything that was done. "You said he said something. Would you want to tell me? Maybe I could help so it wouldn't bother you so much if you ever heard it again."
Ezra could hear the way Kanan wanted to promise that Ezra wouldn't hear those words again. But they both new since Azmorigan was left alive and breathing that the possibility of what happened getting out wasn't none. Ezra knew he needed to get over what happened but having a man he just met read his past so easily was more than a little upsetting. He wasn't sure how Kanan or anyone would be able to help him.
Sensing his doubt Kanan sat and waited patiently for Ezra to give him any response. They sat there for a while until Ezra let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. He finally had the words and the courage to tell Kanan as much as he felt he could.
"He kissed me and told me he knew I had experience. I didn't even kiss back but somehow he knew." Ezra felt sick once more but he didn't have the strength to stop it. He felt a bucket roughly shoved in his lap in time for him to vomit up his stomach contents into it. Kanan rubbed soothing circles in between his shoulder blades while he started dry heaving until the nausea worked it's way through him. He hadn't felt safe having someone rub his bare back since he was a child with parents.
Once he no longer felt at risk of vomiting, Ezra felt the tears that had gathered in his eyes. He chose to believe it was from being sick and not from revealing Azmorigan's words and their impact on Ezra.
Kanan gently took the bucket from him and set it on the floor by Ezra's feet in case he got sick again. His hand continued to rub his back despite the teen no longer feeling sick. Ezra unconsciously leaned into the comfort touch the touch gave him.
"How did he know? Am I that obvious? I thought being here changed me for the better. That I could be more than a thief or a whore" Ezra only realized he was talking out loud when his voice cracked and tears spilled out of his eyes. He knew he should feel embarrassed to be telling Kanan so much but all Ezra could feel was shame and disgust at the thought that he hadn't been fooling anyone but himself.
Ezra let out a noise of surprise when Kanan reached around and wrapped his student in a tight hug. He hadn't expected the man to be so willing to touch him after he admitted his past. Ezra thought he would disgust the man and lose the only home and family he has known in years. Instead the man wrapped his arms around him and provided Ezra the warm comfort he didn't know he needed. As well as the reassurance that he still had a place on the Ghost training under Kanan.
That was all he needed apparently before he completely broke down in the older man's arms. Ezra clutched the green tunic in his hands as he sobbed into Kanan's chest. Occasionally he would whimper out words the man could barely make out as apologies. Only understanding from their bond how torn up inside Ezra was from being left with Azmorigan.
Finally Kanan spoke after witnessing Ezra at his most vulnerable, knowing the teen didn't have the energy to continue after exposing so much of his past and his emotions to the man. "Ezra you are more than your past. You could never disappoint or disgust anyone on this crew. Especially me. Lando did something revolting by trading you to Azmorigan and I promise you will never go through that again. But no one thinks any less of you for what happened, Ezra. " He pulled away from the teen so he could make eye contact with those startling blue eyes. "Do you understand that, kid"
Ezra looked at Kanan and saw the man was trying as hard as he could to get the message across. Ezra wasn't sure if he truly believed it but he found himself wanting to. Unable to get his voice to work, he gave the Jedi a small nod hoping that would be enough.
It seemed it was when Ezra went back to the comforting feeling of being held by someone he trusted. He buried his face in his Master's green tunic and breathed in the scent. He allowed himself to feel safe and relaxed into Kanan's arms. Ezra felt tired soon after his nerves had calmed down from the stressful day and yawned into Kanan's shoulders.
Kanan pulled away to look down at him making Ezra let out a whine at losing the safe feeling his Master gave him. He hadn't seen the look Kanan gave him for making such a surprisingly cute sound. He did hear the man's chuckle at his antics, making him reluctantly pull away to save some of his pride.
Once the two were separated Kanan stood and walked towards the medicine cabinet so that he could retrieve a balm that would clear up Ezra's bite mark faster than normal. He had a feeling that the crew wasn't the only ones that felt sick seeing it mark the teen's usually smooth skin. Then his eyes trailed down the the scars from Ezra's previous life and Kanan realized that Ezra just covered the marks that would upset the idea that he was undamaged. That was another talk he would need to have with his Padawan but it seemed like Ezra was already at his limit for the day. Kanan decided to wait until a better time to bring up the scars of his past.
He went to hand the ointment to the teen so he could apply it to the bruise himself. He stopped noticing that Ezra was barely sitting upright anymore instead slouching over on his knees tiredly. Kanan let out a small sigh seeing his student act so different from the annoying ball of energy he had grown used to. He really hoped that this was only temporary and they would have their youngest back to normal soon.
He gently laid a hand on Ezra's shoulder to bring him more upright and get his attention. "I'm gonna put this on your neck. Should help it clear up faster. Is that okay, kid"
It took longer than Kanan would've liked for Ezra to acknowledge him and give him permission to treat the mark. Kanan barely touched the skin before he pulled back at the unnatural sticky feeling. The Jedi felt consuming rage when he realized that was Azmorigan's spit. He had more experience hiding his emotions from his bond with the force so Ezra didn't seem to notice his change in demeanor. But that didn't change the anger he felt towards the pervert that touched his student.
He grabbed a wipe from the table beside Ezra and began rubbing off the sticky substance that covered the hickey. Once Kanan was sure the neck was clean he started to apply to balm. He knew it would take about 2 days for a bruise that dark to disappear completely. He would have to take the Ghost out of missions for awhile. Hopefully the others had already finished Lando's ridiculous mission while he had been with Ezra and they had enough credits and fuel to last them until he was healed.
By the time he had finished Ezra was dozing lightly against Kanan's chest. He would be surprised if he hadn't seen the boy work til he fell asleep sitting up before. Kanan figured it was some type of habit the teen had gotten from living on Lothal. Or maybe he had always been hard to put to bed. The Jedi chuckled at the image of a young Ezra refusing to go to sleep despite how exhausted he looked that crossed his mind.
Sending thoughts of sleep and relaxation to Ezra through their bond, Kanan helped the teen lay down more comfortably. Right on time the door opened up to reveal Zeb holding Ezra's freshly cleaned jumpsuit. The man briefly wondered why he didn't grab another one of Ezra's suits when it hit him that the teen only had the one. It wasn't that odd to only have a couple articles of clothing to wear especially when you're in a Rebellion. But most of them at least had another outfit to change into in case one got ruined.
"Looked through the kid's stuff an' only found his armor and weapons. Didn' have anythin' to change in'ta" Zeb confirmed his thoughts as he walked into the room, letting the door swish shut behind him. "Gon have ta get 'im some clothes at some point"
Kanan nodded his agreement as he took the garb from the Lasat and looked back down at their youngest. Ezra was sleeping soundly and neither man thought they would be able to wake him of they tried. But at the same time it hurt to see his Padawan dressed as someone's sex slave.
Despite him not having the force to rely on, Zeb was able to see Kanan's internal struggle. The Lasat let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed the tiredness he felt out of his face. This day had been draining for everyone aboard the Ghost it seems. "Hold 'im up. It's not the first time I've seen what's under his flight suit like the rest of ya'. Think that's why he wanted me ta go back with 'im at first."
Zeb's voice snapped Kanan out of his conflict over what he should do to help his student. His reasoning made sense to the Jedi since his biggest concern was trying to respect Ezra's privacy. He also would rather have Ezra's permission to help him get dressed but the teen was dead to the world right now.
"Okay. Lock the door first. I doubt he would want anyone else seeing him like this right now." Kanan proceeded to go behind the table while the Lasat locked the door. He gently pulled Ezra up into a sitting position, moving so he was sitting right behind the teen so he could rest his back against Kanan's chest. He laid the orange jumpsuit on the table by the bed so Zeb could grab it.
Zeb stood on the otherside of the table waiting patiently for Kanan to get settled with Ezra. He placed his hands at the waist of the harem pants and looked up and Ezra and then him. Kanan knew the Lasat was waiting to see if Ezra would wake up in panic before he moved further. Closing his eyes Kanan reached out across their bond to send calming reassurances to his slumbering Padawan. The man couldn't sense any panic from the teen resting against his chest only a sense of safety that he felt from being on the Ghost. Still it didn't hurt to make sure Ezra felt protected while they change him out of his pants and into his usual outfit that he was clearly more comfortable in.
Kanan only noticed Zeb was almost finished when he felt the Lasat's furry hands pull Ezra away from him to pull the top of the flight suit over his tan shoulders. Kanan opened his eyes to see the orange fabric cover one of the darker scars on his left shoulder. He wished that they picked the kid up sooner now more than he ever did.
Once the teen was finally fully dressed and zipped into his normal outfit the men were able to see that the mark Azmorigan made peaked out over the top of his collar. Kanan had a feeling the suit wouldn't cover it but he had still hoped for Ezra's sake that he was wrong.
Pushing down all his negative feeling with a sigh, Kanan moved out from behind his student and allowed him to lay back down on the examination table. Despite having more clothes covering him, Ezra shivered against the cold metal. Kanan felt him seeking out the comfort being held gave him.
As much as he wanted to just let Ezra rest there until he felt strong enough to leave on his own, Kanan knew he would feel safer in his own room. He brushed Ezra's bangs back before lightly touching his forehead to provide some temporary comfort before regarding Zeb with sad eyes.
"Go ahead and take him back to his bunk, Zeb. I need to go tell Hera what happened." He pulled away from his Padawan and made a move to leave until the Lasat's voice stopped him.
"What did happen? Should I be worried bout 'im?" Kanan could hear the uncharacteristic concern in Zeb's voice. He turned and looked into his large eyes filled with thoughts of what could of happened to Ezra when they weren't there to protect him.
Knowing how serious the Lasan culture took acts like what happened to Ezra, Kanan knew why it was important to Zeb. When someone took advantage of one of the kits on their planet the man would be publicly castrated with their appendage shoved in their mouth until they choked on it. Kanan needed to make sure that Zeb knew Ezra didn't need that type of support without letting on to the teen's past. He refused to break Ezra's trust when he clearly still felt shame from his time on the streets.
"Azmorigan kissed him and left a bite on him. Fortunately our resident lothrat knocked him out before it went farther." Kanan hesitated to tell him what Ezra tried to hide before deciding it might be important for the Lasat to know since he shared a room with him. "His was naked in front of the creep for what I understand was awhile before he got the chance to change."
The Lasat's ears flattened back against his head as he let out a growl hearing that Azmorigan had completely bare and exposed before him. His face however revealed that he had his own suspicions about something like that happening. "I figured somethin' like that happened when 'e said tha guy spilled wine on 'is clothes. Jumpsuit would only be there if he changed in front of 'im."
Kanan was surprised that he hadn't picked up on that earlier like the Lasat had. Zeb was more observant than he was given credit for Kanan decided. It was probably from his time on the Honor Guard. He turned and looked back down at their newest edition to the family and felt a stab of guilt knowing he left him there. At least Zeb didn't have to live with the fact that he walked out of that room and left Ezra there alone.
He ignored his guilt for the moment, knowing it wouldn't do anyone any good right now. He nodded his goodbye at Zeb before unlocking the door and walking down towards the cockpit to have another heartbreaking conversation with their Captain.
Left alone with Ezra, Zeb looked down and felt his features soften seeing how much he looked like a small and helpless kit sleeping on their examination table. Reaching down and pulling the underweight teen into his arms, Zeb stood up and left the med bay without waiting any longer. Walking down the hallway, the only other crew mate they ran into was Chopper and he only gave a small warble that the Lasat didn't understand before rolling in the opposite direction. Otherwise they arrived to their room without much of a problem.
He went to place Ezra in his bunk only to find that he had a tight grip on the Lasat's fur refusing to let go. Zeb almost shouted when he first tried to set him down when he felt two sharp pulls. He stood in the middle of their cabin holding Ezra in his arms trying to figure out how he could set the kid without pulling out his fur or waking him up.
Sighing Zeb felt too tired to try and figure out a way to set down Ezra without causing a problem on either ends. He moved to lay down on his bunk, arranging the teen til he was rest comfortably on the Lasat's furry chest. Once they were both settled in Zeb closed his eyes and let the emotional exhaustion take over his body. Before he fell asleep however, he felt Ezra curl deeper into him finally releasing his death grip on his fur.
~BONUS~
Ezra woke up feeling warm and comfortable, snuggling deeper into his mattress and pillow. He opened up his eyes slowly blinking around the purple fur that surrounded his vision. It took him longer than he would've admitted for him to realize where he was. It wasn't until he noticed the door was at a different angle did Ezra know where he was.
He sat up with a start and banged his head on the bottom of his usual bunk. He barely even registered the dull pain in his head feeling too panicked seeing that he had been using Zeb as a pillow.
'If the Lasat knew about this-'
His worried train of thought was interrupted by Zeb letting out a tired groan and opened his eyes. He looked down lazily at Ezra's wide and terrified eyes before letting out a small annoyed grumble at being woken up.
"Ya' okay, kid?" His voice was low and gruff from sleep. It sounded a lot like Zeb growling to Ezra.
Unable to find his voice in fear of what might happen if he said the wrong thing while wrapped in Zeb's arms, he nodded dumbly. He was unaware how he ended up in this position when the last thing he remember was talking to Kanan in the med bay. Looking down he saw that he was in his jumpsuit instead of the harem pants Azmorigan gave him. Someone changed him out of them.
The thought made him feel nervous worried about all the scars and evidence from his past that covered his body. The only one on the Ghost to see him naked was Zeb and that was only on the occasion in the beginning when Ezra wasn't used to having to lock the door for privacy.
He looked back at the Lasat who was staring at him patiently while Ezra calmed himself down. He decided to try and risk asking Zeb what happened since he didn't seem surprised to find Ezra sleeping on top of him. "What happened? How did I get here in my flight suit?"
His voice sounded so raw and weak from Ezra crying before he fell asleep. Even Zeb winced at the sound of the teen's voice wishing he thought to bring the kid some water for when he woke up. Still the Lasat understood the words we'll enough despite how unused sound of Ezra's voice.
"Ya' passed out in the med bay. I gotcha' changed back into something more comfortable before I took ya' back here to put cha ta bed. Only ya' wouldn' let go so I just letcha' use me as yer pillow fer the nigh'" He observed Ezra's uneasy face and removed his arms from being wrapped around his smaller torso. Zeb figured he must've done that in his sleep after having such protective feelings towards the younger all day. "If ya' wanna go back to yer bed I won't hold it against ya'"
Ezra stared frozen for a few moments surprised that the Lasat gave him the option of staying. He wouldn't lie that after everything he has been through today it felt nice to be safe and comforted. Plus Zeb wasn't asking him anymore questions only answering them this time. He let out a yawn still feeling tired despite getting a couple hours of sleep already.
Ezra gave the Lasat a cocky smirk before laying back down and exaggerating his movements as he curled back into the warm and furry chest. Letting his hands smooth out the fur around his head as he gave Zeb an innocent look. "Well since you gave me the option..." He let the end of his sentence trail off intentionally as he closed his eyes letting the tiredness he felt wash over him.
Zeb let out a gruff snort before reaching back down and wrapping his arms back around the teen. He was glad Ezra was acting more like himself now that he wasn't being interrogated and back in his usual outfit. He could almost pretend that the whole day didn't actually happen. But the way Ezra seemed to breathe a little easier as he let out all the tension from his body against Zeb except for his hand. One hand stay gripped in his fur around his neck as if he was afraid of being pulled away from his friends and home. That was all the Lasat needed as a reminder that the traumatic events of the day were still all too real to Ezra.
He tightened his grip on the teen in his arms hoping he understood that Zeb would never let someone touch him again if he could help it. The hand in his fur seemed to loosen just a bit letting him know that on some level the kid understood he was safe with Zeb.
Still he didn't want to wake up with the kid acting all cocky about Zeb being sentimental with him. Going around telling people that the former member of the Honor Guard let Ezra use him as a pillow. So before the kid fell asleep for the second time that day Zeb made sure to add in a gruff tone.
"Don't get used to it, kid. An' if ya' tell anyone about this I'll tell 'em yer a cuddler."