Work Text:
It takes a while to fall into some sort of normalcy. They patch their wounds. They sell the ship they stole which fetched them a handsome load of points. They manage to find passage well away from The Green Moon, not wasting the money on buying their own ship.
“Where are we going?” Cee asks, one night when they’re taking dinner together, sequestered away in a corner of the communal dining area.
He glances over at the shuttles schedule tapped up to the wall to remind himself of the name. “Lindao. It is a bustling environment, mostly a city sprawl. I require medication for the tickle in my lungs the Green has bequeathed to me and my skill set is wide enough I should be able to learn if a job opening there.”
Cee nods, but he can tell she wants to ask more questions. He waits. They’re getting better at this.
“Can you tell me your options before you pick one?” she asks, looking at her tray.
He squeezes his fist under the table, out of sight. Not for the first time, he’s glad he made sure Damon was dead.
“’Course. I’ll find a couple and bring them back with me.”
She doesn’t look up all the way, but he can see her smile, and that’s enough for him.
Ezra isn’t exactly prepared for Lindao.
Being around this many people, with no suit on, after… who knew how long in The Green, is overwhelming.
But more people means more business and more business means he’s more likely to get a job. A safe job, one that won’t put he or Cee in immediate danger. He’s spent too many sleepless nights thinking about what would happen if he took another job prospecting.
He spends most of the day job hunting, going from building to building, trying to ignore the claustrophobic press of bodies around him, how his clothing he’s borrowed from the shuttle is ill-fitting. He thinks about buying himself new clothing, but he figures he might as well wait until he’s with Cee, so they can do it together.
Today she’s staying on the shuttle. She found out the shuttle had a music library and has been methodically combing through their collection. Sometimes she tells him about a particularly good band, or why the album she listened to that day was bad. It’s nice to be the one listening.
He was correct, though. There are jobs of all kinds being advertised on Lindao, on planet work and off. He picks up a mix of all kinds that he’s comfortable doing. He’s already planning how he’ll talk about it with Cee, letting her read them through before they discuss.
On the way back, he does stop by a pharmacy for his nasal spray. His green lung has eased, not being around the particulars for so long, but the wheeze follows him in consciousness and sleep. The nasal spray eases it so he can drift into unconsciousness.
Medicine in hand, he walks past a market. There are too many people for him to walk through the main thoroughfare, but a stall on the corner catches his eye.
He glances at his watch. He still has an hour until he said he’d be back. He has time to browse.
Ezra hasn’t given a lot of gifts in his lifetime. He’s not received a lot either, but he knows he has to do this right.
He leaves the box set of books on the small table in their living quarters and then perches on his bed, waiting for Cee’s return. She said she’d bring dinner for the both of them.
She walks in, two trays in her arms, and stops in the doorway, staring at the box.
“Is that for one of your jobs?” she asks, hesitantly looking at it like it’s about to bite her.
“No, I thought you might have earned some levity after the… ordeal we were put through. It’s a gift, freely given."
He nudges it her way. She’s still wary, but she places the trays down before stepping forward to turn the box around. She stops dead in her movements when she reads the spines.
Her eyes snap up to his, wonder on her face. “I- I though… it was just the one book?”
He holds up a hand. “I remember, but the proprietor of the wares was very adamant that The Streamer Girl series contained four tomes, as well as a collection of short stories that takes place before the books. I figured a fan such as yourself would want the complete set.”
Her eyes are wide as she slides the books out. They are in mint condition, no scuffs or scratches on the corners, no broken spines. She flips through the first book, hands reverent over the pages. The small space fills with the scent of fresh cut paper as she moves onto the smaller book, the prequel.
Cee claps a hand over her mouth as she reads the back of the book.
“Clo’s parents? Reive’s entrance exam!?”
She looks up at him again and he can see the shimmer of tears in her eyes. She pauses, considering something, before she’s walking around the table and leaning down, hugging him tight. He freezes, not expecting this response. He’s quick to wrap his own arm around her. He doesn’t want to miss this opportunity to hug her, if this is to become a norm for them or if this is an exception, not a rule.
“Thank you,” she says into his shoulder before she’s pulling away. Her focus is again entirely on the books. He can’t help the smile on his face.
An idea that has followed him since he bought the books bursts forward.
“Would you mind… if I read them after you?”
She looks up. “You… you want to read them?”
He shrugs, a gesture that he has had to relearn to some extent. “I don’t see why not. It brings you joy and I would like to get closer to that joy.”
She considers him for a moment, mouth slightly ajar. A faint flush spreads over her cheeks as she replies, “Can I read them first?”
“Course, just don’t give any spoilers.”
“Okay!”
She puts four of the five books back in the box before bringing them back to her bunk. She settles into bed, the first book already open on her chest.
He stands up, reaching for the abandoned trays. “Dinner first.”
She groans, like a girl her age should and he grins.