Ezra was walking behind Kanan in silence, looking at his dad as he tried to find his way through the store. In his hand was a list, a list that had arrived this weekend to disturb their lives.

Ezra opened the door to take out the trash and saw the little white envelope on their door mat. It was addressed to Kanan and Ezra had just assumed it was from the social services.

He had placed the small envelope on the plastic table and went to throw out the trash. He hadn't thought of it until Kanan came back that evening. It was Sunday so he came back early. He set the Thai food on the table and noticed the letter. He frowned for a second before opening it.

He smiled and Ezra that was setting the plates looked up at him, smiling too.

"What is it?" he asked. It was nice to see Kanan smile.

"It's your school list" Kanan said waving it a little and then handing it to him. He ruffled his hair and started pouring the the content of the paper boxes into the plates. Ezra kept looking at the list. He felt like he was suffocating.

Ezra loved school. He would sit on the last row and  disappear in the crowd. He would loose himself to the words the teachers said. Things that he had never heard of before. Even the lessons that seemed so boring to everyone else Ezra loved. It was something new, something new that he had the chance to learn. He didn't really participate in class but he always had a perfect record when it came to tests and exams so his grades were always what his teachers called 'exceptional'.

But back to school shopping was his least favorite thing about school. He watched as the kids around him were picking multi-colored pens, notebooks with pictures and new clothes and school uniforms.

It made Ezra feel so uncomfortable and ashamed. Not because he couldn't buy the same stuff, he didn't need the same stuff. He wasn't ashamed of Kanan either. Never of Kanan. Even if he was walking around the store with a faint green and stained shirt and loose stands of hair that had escaped the tight hold of his ponytail while the other parents were dressed in new-looking clothes, with bright colors.

He felt ashamed because Kanan thought that Ezra needed new clothes and notebooks with pictures. He didn't and being here made him feel like a monster because it was another thing Kanan had to do for him. Another thing he had to give him. Another burden he had to bear.

It didn't help that Kanan seemed so excited for this. He had told Ezra that their income was the best one yet. That the owner of the coffee shop 'Old Joe' was a good old man that knew their situation and was willing to give him a very generous bonus. As a favor to Ezra's parents.

Ezra had never really met his parents. He knew they used to live here. It was one of the reasons Kanan had moved them here. He knew that Kanan knew them before they died. Kanan was pretty open about them. He always answered all of Ezra's questions. Well, except for one. "How did they die?" Ezra asked that question when he was eight and couldn't realize the true meaning of death.  It was the first time he had seen Kanan scared.

Now the only thing he had of them was a picture with them, holding him as an infant. They were both smiling.

"There we are!" Kanan announced suddenly coming to a stop. "Aisle 7. Okay, pick any notebooks you like. I'll go get your books, okay?"

Ezra forced a wide smile and nodded. When Kanan was out of sight he let the smile drop. He turned to the selves filled with piles of notebooks. He didn't look at the pictures, or the colors. He looked at the prize tags instead. Every year he followed a small plan he had made for himself. Always take the cheap, considerably big notebooks so he wouldn't finish them mid-year and then need new ones.

He got the cheaper ones. They were simple. A lot of pages and a bright yellow cover made from hard carbon paper. Ezra carried them to where Kanan was carefully picking his books. He let them drop on the shopping cart.

Kanan picked one up to inspect it. He brushed his hand over the surface.

"These the ones you want?" he asked raising an eyebrow. Ezra nodded. Ever since the first time they went shopping for school Ezra had been picking the plainest of notebooks. Kanan had assumed early on that the boy was worried about money. He had hoped that this year things would be different.

Ezra nodded taking the notebook from Kanan and putting it back on the cart. Kanan put a hand on Ezra's shoulder and the boy froze. He didn't look at him. He kept looking inside the cart. Kanan knelt down next to him.

"Ez, you can get notebooks with pictures if you like. You know that right?"

The boy didn't turn around but Kanan saw him nod. Kanan tightened his grip on Ezra's shoulder slightly, trying to reassure him.

"Are you sure these are the ones you like?"

This time Ezra turned to look at Kanan.

"Yes" he said. The honesty in both his eyes and his voice caught Kanan off guard. "I like the color" Ezra continued smiling, never breaking eye contact. "It's bright and makes me smile" he said a little childishly. Kanan smiled.

Ezra started flipping the pages of his new books and Kanan kept looking at him for another moment. Maybe he was overthinking things. Maybe Ezra just liked plain notebooks. He hoped he hadn't made the kid feel bad for his choice.

Ezra took deep breath in hopes to calm his beating heart. "That was a close one" he thought. Thankfully he wasn't lying when he said he liked the notebooks. He liked that they were cheap and big and that it wasn't another weight Kanan had to carry. And he did like the color.

He placed his new biology book back in the cart carefully and followed Kanan to the cashier where they paid. Ezra looked at the price that lit up in the small screen of the cash register and had to hold back a wince. He had estimated the cost of the notebooks but Kanan got all the books. Apparently they were more expensive than Ezra had expected.

But Kanan didn't seem upset by the price at all. Ezra felt overwhelmed by guilt as he watched Kanan taking his wallet out and handing the cash to the employee. He hugged himself when a small tremor shook his body.

Kanan placed the plastic bags on the cart and walked out of the store. Ezra followed him close behind. For a moment he thought that this nightmare was over. When he saw Kanan walking toward the clothes stores and not the exit he covered his mouth with his hand to muffle the groan.

"Kanan?" The man looked at him while still heading to towards the store. "I don't need new clothes. I got those last year remember?" The man smiled and stopped the cart. Ezra felt relief wash over him until Kanan knelt in front of him. He took the edge of Ezra's shirt in his hands and tried to stretch it down a little. Then he did the same with his sleeves.

Kanan looked up at him still smiling. "You're getting taller" he said standing up.

"But they still fit me!" Ezra complained. Kanan chuckled.

"But mot for long kiddo. You're becoming thirteen in two months. You're in that age where growth spurs begin and I want to get ahead of that. Unless you want to be going to school with my oversized shirts" he joked. The image made Ezra feel a little embarrassed. He had tried Kanan's shirt once, out of curiosity and it was more like a dress than a shirt. Of course he was ten back then and he had gotten a little taller since, but Kanan still looked like a giant when they were standing side-to-side. 

They entered the store and Kanan placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Get anything you like, okay? An early birthday gift from me" he said and Ezra felt his heart dropping at the kindness and happiness on Kanan's voice. He knew how much Kanan had always wanted this. To walk into a store with Ezra and tell him to buy anything he liked. Ezra knew that it wasn't that cool for a twelve year old to hug his dad, especially in front of all these other kids that were here with their parent but he didn't care.

He wrapped his arms around Kanan's torso and pressed himself on his side. Kanan seemed surprised by this sudden show of affection. But he smiled and wrapped his arms around Ezra squeezing him tightly against him.

Ezra let go and went to look at the clothes. Kanan was right beside him the whole time. He still got considerably cheap clothes, he couldn't help it but for the first time he actually liked the design. Kanan made him try all of them, sitting on a chair and waiting for Ezra to come out of the dressing room and clapping whenever Ezra opened the curtains, laughing when Ezra's face would turn red every time.

While they paid for the clothes they were still both feeling euphoric. Ezra felt a string of guilt seeing the prize but it was nothing compared to the happiness and pride on Kanan's face when he paid for the clothes. Ezra might felt like a monster for making Kanan pay so much but he was so happy to see how much Kanan enjoyed it. Which made him feel even worse later on.

They were finally heading for the exit and Kanan was checking the bags making sure that they had gotten everything. Ezra was trying to calculate the money they had spend today compared to Kanan's weekly salary. That's when suddenly they crashed with another cart.

"Watch it!"

"I am so sorry, I- Hera?" Kanan asked in surprise. Hera's face softened as the anger dissolved from her features.

"Oh, Kanan, hi. Hi Ezra!" she waved. Ezra waved back as he tried to contain his laughter. Sabine that was standing next to Hera went walked up to him nudging him on the side. For a moment the adults just looked at each other without saying anything, both of them obviously blushing, which made their kids laugh even harder.

"I see you're a public danger in general, not just at work" Hera said teasingly, not an ounce of meanness in her voice. Kanan gave a sharp laugh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ah, sorry. If it makes you feel any better I got the scare of my life when I bumped into you" he said with a goofy smile. Sabine had already taken her sketchbook out and was sketching down the moment, while Ezra watched her, making silent comments on how red and silly they both looked.

"So" Hera started breaking the awkward silence "What are you guys doing here?"

"You know, some back to school shopping"

"What a coincidence, me and Sabine too. Which school is Ezra going to?"

Kanan proudly clapped Ezra on the shoulder "Lothal High" he said.

Hera laughed "Sabine too. She won a scholarship on an art competition. There's no other way I could have afforded it" Hera said pushing her cart forward a bit.

Kanan nodded. "Yeah, I get it. Ezra has a scholarship too. But it was different for us. The principal, Ryder, was a old friend of Ezra's parents. He has kept in touch all those years. Made me swear I would enroll Ezra in his high school when he became of age and threatened to hunt me down if I didn't"

Ezra snickered.

"Wait, Kanan's not your dad?" Sabine asked a loud enough for the adults to hear.

"Sabine!" Hera warned.

"No, no, it's okay? Right Ezra?" Kanan said quickly in hopes to save the girl from Hera's wrath.

Ezra nodded. "Yeah, I've known ever since I was like five. It's not a big deal"

"Still" Hera said eyeing the girl "It's not nice to ask like that"

Sabine nodded and Hera smiled.

"Well, how about we all go for an ice-cream?" Kanan said easing the tension.

"Yeah, okay. I'd go for an ice-cream. How about you kids?" Hera asked as both her and Kanan started walking forward. Sabine closed her sketchbook and nodded happily. Ezra wanted to say no. He didn't want to waste more of Kanan's hard-working money. But something in the way Kanan looked at the woman on his side told Ezra that this was more about Hera and less about the ice-cream so he too nodded.

"Great" Kanan said ruffling the boy's hair.

After leaving their stuff on their cars and getting ice-cream, the kids and the adults sat on different benches. Sabine and Ezra carefully observed their parents as they talked. It was true that they had never seen them so radiant.

"It's weird" Sabine said.

"Yeah" Ezra said. "He has had a couple of girlfriends before but he was never that happy"

"Mom was never happy with my dad" Sabine said pulling her knees up to her chin.

Ezra didn't comment on it. It didn't feel like he should.

"Is Kanan good?" After sometime the girl asked. Ezra looked at his step-dad for a second. He said something that made Hera laugh and he was smiling so big.

"He's the best" he said truthfully.

Sabine looked back at the parents again.

"Has he ever...hurt you? When you did something bad?" Sabine didn't seem or sound sad or worried. Just curious, like this was a normal thing to talk about.

Ezra shook his head. And then he stopped to think for a sec "Kanan has never hit me" he said with a small emphasis in the word 'me'.

"He hits other people?"

"Once" Ezra said. "He was working on a bar when I was eight. Sometimes he couldn't find a babysitter so he took me with him. There was a drunk man who tried to take me with him into his car. Kanan told him to let go but he wouldn't listen. He had to"

Sabine understood. Comfortable silence fell between them. Sabine broke the silence again.

"What happened to your parents?"

Ezra hesitated.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me"

She said and Ezra nodded. Sure, he had never met them but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt sometimes. He had never really felt comfortable with talking about his parents with anyone but Kanan, or even hearing other people talking about them. Many of their old friends kept visiting them through the years and while Kanan thought it would do him good, it always made Ezra feel really lonely.

"How is Lothal High?" Ezra asked curiously. He had never been to a private school before and he had no idea what to expect.

"I don't really know. It's my first year there too but everyone says it's great. Big life opportunity and all that-" she stopped herself before she could say the word and both of them giggled.

"Okay kids" Hera said. "We have to go, there's still a few things we need to get. How about we call it a day?"

The kids (and Kanan) seemed sad that they had to part ways. But nonetheless they all got up and said their goodbyes.

"See you Ezra!" Sabine said as she and her mother waved them goodbye.

"Bye!" Ezra said back, waving too. Kanan wrapped a hand around him.

"Now that's something I was afraid I would never see" Kanan said while they walked to the car.

"What do you mean?"

"You made a friend" Kanan said smiling a little. It was true that Ezra never really had friends. Sure he had kids he stuck with at school but Kanan understood that it was merely for survival purposes. He never went to play outside and never brought anyone home. No one ever really called to invite Ezra to their house either. Kanan would lie if he said that he wasn't concerned. He wanted Ezra to have friends and socialize. And maybe now he would finally get the chance.

"Yea" Ezra said happily. "I guess I did"

Kanan smiled. Yes moving here was the right call to make.

Well, won't you look at that. It's only been three days and I am already updating another story. One of you must be either a wizard or God because I have no idea how the hell I had time to finish this so early. I really wonder what kind of dark magic must've taken place here. Anyway, may the force be with you. Always.

(If any of you actually used dark magic I hold no responsibility for any side effects like loss of soul or deals with the devil. I am sure there's been some kind of miracle/ higher force/ magic/ voodoo stuff going on because there was no way I could've normally finished this as fast as I did)