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youkailuvr · 4 months

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RebelCaptain Secret Santa 2023

Hi @luciechat !

I’m not your original RCNSS, but I volunteered to whip up a little something for you when your original SS had irl happenings that prevented them from writing it.

Your prompts honestly sounds very much like something I would like to read. As usual, this almost grew a life of its own and I hope it meets enough of your prompts to make it enjoyable. It's titled <a href=https://archiveofourown.org/works/52791835>Choice</a> and it's also on AO3.

It’s been a heck of a year and I haven’t really written anything for a long time, so I really hope you’ll like this.

Enjoy! (Summary is below; full fic below the cut.

*****

She scoffed, sipping again at her cider. “Cassian, the only reason I’m even here in the first place was because Melshi and the others broke me out of prison. You can’t seriously think I actually would have come if I had been given the choice? With who I was then? Not a chance.”

Nearly a year after Scarif, the surviving crew of Rogue One found themselves fully immersed in the Rebel Alliance’s efforts against the Empire. Not only was the Alliance searching for a more permanent base after evacuating Yavin IV, but they were actively and heavily recruiting to boost their numbers, which is how Cassian Andor and Jyn Erso found themselves on the miserable little world of Agmir.

Cassian had only been fully cleared for all field missions a month previously, finally relieving him of the frustration of being on desk duty and intelligence analysis. During his lengthy recovery (which involved several surgeries and many hours of physical therapy), he and Jyn had grown closer. Jyn’s recovery had taken much less time than his and, as she found her place in the Rebellion, her talents as a fighter and coder had not gone unnoticed. Jyn had already been on a few missions with the Pathfinders and given several (unofficial) sparring lessons, but she always returned to Cassian’s side after each mission.

Once Cassian was cleared for full duty, he made it clear (with Jyn’s permission) to Draven that he would only be taking field assignments with her as his partner. (As much as it pained him to not have K-2SO by his side, Cassian had yet to find a suitable body for the droid’s backup disks.) Draven had then given him the assignment to investigate the planet Agmir for possible Alliance recruits and suppliers. A milk run, really, an easy job that Cassian hadn’t had to do for years, but having a non-life-threatening mission for once had seemed appealing at the time.

If only he had known about the rain.

Agmir was a developed planet, semi-populated, with the standard sector mix of rural and urban, wealthy and less-fortunate, law-abiding and law-breaking. For most of the planet’s rotational period, it was temperate – a few rains here and there to avoid droughts, but mostly pleasant. For the remaining two standard months, however, Agmir received eighty percent of it’s annual rainfall, resulting in daily rain and many destructive storms.

And, of course, Cassian and Jyn arrived a month into that two-month window. They realized very quickly that the rainy season was not prime time for tourists or even off-worlders in general, so they changed their cover stories from a clueless vacationing couple looking to explore the ‘edges of civilization’ to a pair of traveling laborers looking for work who had the poor luck to land on Agmir during the worst time of the year.

The rain would be bearable, Cassian thought as they entered the local bar and shook the rain from their shoulders, if only we were getting results. As Jyn walked to the bar to get drinks and Cassian headed for what had become their customary seats, he reflected on what was likely to be a failed mission. They had visited several cities so far and had currently been in this primarily working-class city for a week now. Typically, those lower on the social rungs of society tended to be more sympathetic to the Rebellion’s cause and more willing to fight for it.

However, it was becoming quite apparent that the people of Agmir were completely uninterested in any of the happenings of the galaxy outside of their little world – no one had even remotely shown any desire to stand against the Empire. And Agmir didn’t produce anything that the Rebellion could use; at least, not that they couldn’t get elsewhere for lower costs and easier shipping.

Jyn returned with two glasses of a simple brewed cider, easily the least alcoholic drink the bar offered and one that had become their go-to. They sat side-by-side on stools against the back wall of the bar, no table in front of them, but two small tables on either side, shared by other stools nearby. He took his with a word of thanks and kept his eyes on a group of five hard-looking laborers that had just walked in – already loud and possibly already drunk.

“So, when do we get to leave here again?” Jyn sipped at her cider, looking askance at his questioning expression as she did so. “Don’t give me that look. You know as well as I do that this place doesn’t offer us anything.”

“True,” Cassian replied. “We should stick it out until the end of the rainy season. Not being cooped up for days on end with nothing other than work to occupy the minds of the people could be helpful.”

Jyn rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen it before, Cassian – I used to be like every person here. Nothing will change their behavior until it affects them personally.”

Cassian’s attention was caught on the men who had walked in after them and he could tell Jyn was watching them, too. They seemed to be the rough and tough sort of folks – bodies large and shaped by decades of manual labor. But their voices were growing in volume, and they kept turning to look towards the rest of the bar. Cassian wasn’t sure if it was true, but he thought they looked toward him and Jyn a little more often than was normal. He kept an eye on them all the same.

Jyn’s words finally registered. He looked at her, lowering his drink from where he had raised it. “I don’t believe that.”

“What, that these people don’t care?”

“That you didn’t.”

Cassian took a drink of his own cider and watched the room for a moment before answering. “I saw you fight –”

His words were cut off by the sound of raucous shouting coming from the men they had been eyeing. One broke off from the rest and stumbled over towards them. Jyn and Cassian both put their drinks down and their hands drifted to their waists.

“You…girl,” the man slurred.

(Cassian amended his original notion – the men had most certainly been drunk when they arrived.)

“You, you should come over here. With us. We could – could show you a good time.” The man’s breath and words were laden with alcohol as he leered openly at Jyn, who stared stonily back.

“I don’t think that would be a good time,” she deadpanned.

The man scoffed and stepped closer. “How-how will you know if you don’t give us a try? We’ve seen you here, with him,” the man glared at Cassian as if he had been personally offended by the rebel captain.

“Me and my friends could wipe the floor with him in a tick,” he turned back to Jyn and smirked, “Then we could show you what a real man’s like.”

Cassian slid off his stool to his feet at the same time Jyn slid off hers.

“I said no,” Jyn repeated before looking to Cassian. “Time to go?”

He nodded once and they stepped forward, intending to walk past the drunken man and leave the bar. The drunkard had one more trick to try, however, and grabbed Jyn’s wrist as they stepped past.

Jyn’s other hand whipped out and caught the drunk on the chin, forcing his head up and back hard enough that the man released his hold on her. Howling in pain, the man stumbled back and held a hand to his face.

“You bitch! Forget a good time – I’m gonna kill you now for that.”

“Try it and you’ll regret every second,” Jyn hissed. Cassian looked around and saw that the commotion had roused the other bar patrons. Most were simply watching the altercation, but the man’s drinking buddies had risen from their seats now and were stalking in their direction.

Cassian slipped next to Jyn and placed a hand at her elbow. “We should go,” he muttered, low enough for her ears only, “We don’t need a scene.”

He felt her stiffen and saw a raised eyebrow. “It wasn’t me that started it,” she responded.

“I know,” Cassian smiled slightly.

Jyn followed his lead and turned to continue their path out of the bar, but they were stopped by the drunk man’s also drunken friends.

One of the bigger and burlier looking ones stepped closer. “You hurt our friend.”

“What of it?” Jyn asked, defiant.

Another spoke. “We want payback.”

“I don’t think you do. We certainly don’t want a fight.” Cassian knew his attempt at pacifying the men would likely fail, but he had to try.

“Oh, but we do,” said the man Jyn hit. The other men closed in.

Cassian saw Jyn reach just under the edge of her rain coat, where he knew her favorite set of truncheons lay.

Oh well, he thought and set himself into a defensive stance just as the men lurched forward.

---

Twenty minutes later found a drenched Jyn and Cassian opening the door to their rented room. As the door closed behind them, they peeled off their soaked outerwear and hung it to dry. Though given the chill in the room, their clothes weren’t likely to dry much.

The bar fight had not been a hard one. The drunks were easy enough to incapacitate; a few bottles had been broken (and maybe a wooden stool or two). Jyn and Cassian had maneuvered the fight out of the bar and away from the other patrons, but what had made it worse was that the moment they had succeeded in luring the men outside, the skies opened up, turning what had been a steady, if heavy, shower into an absolute downpour.

Cassian wasn’t sure if he had ever been this wet, even after Eadu.

He glanced over at Jyn, who looked back, just as soaked to the skin as he was. “You can clean up first. I’ll see about what’s wrong with the heater.”

“Thanks.” Jyn grabbed her pack and walked across the room to the small, attached refresher, closing the door behind her.

Ten minutes later, Jyn emerged, now in clean clothes with a towel across her shoulders to prevent her wet hair from soaking into her dry shirt. “Your turn,” she said, coming to stand beside where he knelt in front of the room’s heater. “Any luck?”

Cassian leaned back on his heels and shook his head. “No. I can reprogram droids without a thought, but this heater? Nothing I’ve tried has worked.”

Jyn reached out a hand and pulled him to his feet. “Go get changed – I’ll give it a shot.”

He flashed her a grateful smile before grabbing his own pack and heading for the ‘fresher.

When he emerged a few moments later, a second towel around his own shoulders, it was to the sound of low cursing coming from the area around the heater.

Jyn was kneeling by it, forcibly replacing the outer cover and cursing quite brilliantly under her breath as she did so.

“No luck?”

Jyn easily rose to her feet. “No,” she sighed, “At least it’s not cold enough to turn this rain to snow.”

Cassian hummed in acknowledgement as he stowed his bag next to hers by the door. The rainy season here wasn’t cold by most sentients’ estimations, but the dampness seemed to seep into the bones and make even a moderately cool ambient temperature feel much colder.

Body heat would likely be their best option for a safe sleep. Given how close he and Jyn had become, it wasn’t unusual for them to share a bed, though all they ever did was sleep. The comfort of knowing someone was near, was next to you – someone you could trust to have your back and protect you, should you need it – had given them a respite on the nights when their past became a little too prominent in their thoughts.

Jyn’s ease around him was obvious when she unerringly stepped forward and pulled down the covers on one side of the bed. “Are you coming?” she asked.

He smiled slightly and followed her lead, laying their towels across a nearby desk chair. As they settled into bed and dimmed the lights, a flash of red on Jyn’s arm caught Cassian’s eye. Her shirt sleeve had gotten pushed up enough to bare her forearm and he saw an angry red slash across it. He immediately sat up from the pillow.

“Jyn – what happened?”

She sat up as well. “What?”

“Your arm.” He reached for the injured limb and it was a testament to their familiarity with each other that she didn’t flinch away from his touch. He held her wrist gently as he turned her arm to see the mark on her outer forearm – a defensive wound, then.

Jyn stared at her arm. “Oh, it’s fine. It had stopped bleeding by the time I got changed.”

Cassian released her hand and slid back out of the bed.

“Where are you going?”

“We need to clean and wrap that. Who knows what was on whatever cut you,” he said, reaching his pack and removing the medkit.

“Cassian, it’s fine – it’s not even bleeding!”

He sat back down on the edge of the bed and held out his hand for her arm. “I’m still going to do this. An infection is the last thing we need right now.”

Jyn let him disinfect and bandage her arm. “Anywhere else?” he asked.

“No,” she responded. “What about you?”

He shrugged. “A few bruises, but they’ll heal.”

Jyn raised an eyebrow. “You made me show you mine. It’s only fair I get to see yours.”

Cassian flushed slightly and hoped the lowered lights would hide it. “Fair is fair,” he agreed, and showed her the two worst bruises – one to his ribs and one to his bicep. Her fingers lightly slid over the one on his arm and he could tell she was worried.

“They’re superficial, I promise,” he assured her, reaching for her hand on his arm and holding it tight. “I’m alright.”

They settled back down and further dimmed the lights, though they didn’t turn them off entirely and left just enough to see by if needed.

Side by side, they lay there and tried to rest. Cassian and Jyn both knew that Agmir was not what they needed, so they had decided on the way back to the rented room to leave the next day, rain or no rain. But to do that, they would need a good rest, if only a few hours’ worth.

Sleep proved elusive, however, as the chill of the room only deepened. The blanket provided to them in the room had previously been enough to keep them comfortable, but the combination of a cool room combined with the soaking they had received during the fight was proving difficult to regain that warmth and rest.

Finally, he had enough and turned to her, intending to offer the most basic way of warming he could think of.

“Jyn –”

She turned at the same time.

“Cassian –”

They both laughed lowly. “Go ahead,” he offered.

“No,” she said, still smiling, “You first.”

Cassian inhaled. “It’s cold in this room and I know you’ve got to be just as cold as I am. Why don’t we lay closer and share the body heat? It’s bound to be warmer than not.”

Jyn looked at him, thoughtful. “Okay,” she simply said, before sliding closer and curling against his side, her head on his shoulder.

Cassian froze. Jyn noticed and he felt her tense as well.

“Is this okay?” she asked, hesitantly.

“Yes, only let me just...” Cassian eased his arm out from under her to rest along her back. “Okay?” he asked, hoping she was comfortable. It had only been a moment for him, and he felt like he could rest there forever.

He felt, rather than heard her nod. Moments passed and Cassian felt himself drifting off when he heard Jyn speak.

“Cassian?”

“Hmm?”

“What did you mean earlier?”

Cassian woke himself fully. “When?”

The tone of Jyn’s voice was uncharacteristically vulnerable. “In the bar; when you said you didn’t think I was like these people. What did you mean?”

Cassian blinked, looking down at the top of her head on his shoulder.

“I mean that...I saw you. I may not know every detail of your life before we met, but I saw you then. I saw you fight for yourself. Fight to protect that little girl on Jedha. I saw you befriend two forgotten warriors so fast that they were willing to leave all they had behind to follow. I saw that when it came down to it, you wanted to do what needed to be done so others could have the chance to survive, to win – and your conviction was enough for others to stand and follow. That’s all this Rebellion really is – people who see what needs to be done and do it.”

Jyn was quiet for long enough that Cassian worried he might have overstepped. Then he felt her shift and lay her free arm across his chest. “Thank you,” she whispered. “I see you, too. I see the man who has given his life time and again to a cause he believes in. A man that befriended the most annoying, most loyal droid in the galaxy. I saw you come back for me. You’re the only one who’s done that in a very long time.”

Cassian’s smile at the mention of Kay faltered a little at the reminder that many of the people in Jyn’s life (and his own if he was being absolutely truthful with himself) tended not to stay long. And they couldn’t promise each other a full life together either. Even if they were to ever leave the Rebellion, civilians were never safe in a war.

Cassian gently pulled Jyn closer to him and tugged the blankets a little more snuggly around them. A moment passed and he felt Jyn relax into the first tendrils of sleep. But maybe, he mused, maybe we should take our own advice and take the chances given to us.

A gentle smile graced his face with the hope of the future as Cassian followed Jyn into sleep.

#therebelcaptainnetwork #rebelcaptainsecretsanta #luciechat #fanfic #gift fic #rebelcaptain #secret santa 2023 #cassian andor #jyn erso #star wars #rogue one

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youkailuvr · 1 year

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RebelCaptain Secret Santa 2022

Hi @grexigone! I'm your RebelCaptain Network Secret Santa!

I sincerely hope you like this - it ended up being different than I had planned in my head (I think over half of it wrote itself), but I think it still works. It's titled Rest and is also posted on AO3.

The summary is below; full fic below the cut.

*****

While the Rebellion prepares to leave Yavin IV after the destruction of the first Death Star, Princess Leia and General Draven have a particular mission in mind for Cassian and Jyn. Who knows? Maybe they'll actually get a chance to rest on this one.

Three months after the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the Death Star found Cassian Andor standing in front of both General Draven and Princess Leia.

“Good to see you on your feet, Captain,” greeted the Princess, “If you are agreeable, we have a few tasks we’d like you to complete.”

Cassian nodded. “Of course. What do you need me to do?”

Draven answered him. “As you are still officially on light duty after Scarif, we would like you to complete a handful of diplomatic visits.”

Cassian blinked, the only outward sign of surprise he allowed himself. “Diplomatic visits, sir?”

“Yes,” confirmed Princess Leia, “The Death Star has been destroyed, yes, but we need to capitalize on this time to strengthen the relationships we have with our allies. Your background in recruiting for the Rebellion and, the fact that, as the General said, you are on light duty, makes you an ideal candidate to accomplish that. While you are meeting with our allies, we will focus the rest of assets into selecting a new base and starting the evacuation of all our forces – now that the Empire knows our location, it is unsafe to stay here any longer than strictly necessary.”

The logic was sound and, Cassian had to admit, it would be nice to get off base again for a while. “When do I leave?” he asked.

“First thing tomorrow morning,” Draven told him, “You may take a partner with you, if you wish. Details will be sent to your datapad within the hour. If you have no further questions, you’re dismissed to prepare.”

Twelve hours later found Cassian seated in the pilot’s chair of a small, but functional, shuttle with Jyn in the co-pilot’s seat. Jyn had been getting a little restless herself and practically jumped at the chance to leave base.

“So we’re just checking in on our allied planets? Sounds boring.”

Cassian raised an eyebrow as he flipped on the autopilot. “I thought after the last time we flew somewhere together that you might want something ‘boring.’”

Jyn grinned. “Alright, so the last time was a bit much. How long do we have to reach the first planet?”

“Long enough to go over the mission debrief information the Princess sent to us,” Cassian said, standing from the chair and walking to the back sitting room of the shuttle. Jyn rolled her eyes, but got up to follow.

What came after was three weeks of traveling from planet to planet, meeting with the Rebellion’s allies on each. Some were openly supportive of their efforts, allowing Jyn and Cassian to accomplish their goals more easily. Most, however, had to support the Rebellion in secret. On those planets, Jyn and Cassian disguised themselves as tourists, newlyweds, bounty hunters, smugglers – whatever would help them to blend in.

Many of the allies were willing to keep supporting the Rebellion in what ways they could, especially after hearing of the destruction of the weapon responsible for the annihilation of Alderaan, but the implosion of Jedha City.

The rest needed more convincing, even with the Death Star’s destruction. They knew that the Empire would strike back hard after loosing their most powerful weapon, against both the Rebellion and any people or places connected to them.

Rebellion Command was pleased with their reports thus far and the trip was proceeding about as calmly as Cassian expected it to. The constant space travel and adapting to different planets, however, was starting to wear on his still healing back and spine. He was very grateful, therefore, to reach Carosi XII, one of the Rebellion’s strongest allied planets.

Carosi XII was openly supportive of the Rebellion, making it a haven for not only the Rebellion troops, but for free traders and those fleeing the Empire. The planet was mostly composed of cold and glaciers, but volcanic activity had formed one portion into an oasis of naturally formed, mineral-rich hot springs, which in turn had attracted tourists and provided for the people of the planet.

All of that meant that Carosi XII was an excellent mid-point in Cassian and Jyn’s journey. Their timeline even allowed them to take two days to rest planet-side before returning to their shuttle to finish their trip. After landing, they met with the governmental leaders of Carosi.

Confirming Carosi XII’s continued support was an easy, quick affair; the planet had been an ally for so long that the meeting was little more than a formality. Soon, Jyn and Cassian arrived at a guest cabin that had been prepared for their short stay before continuing to the next planet.

Jyn dropped her bag on the couch just inside the cabin door on her way to explore the place with Cassian right behind her. As soon as Jyn returned to say the cabin was clear (they may have been on a fully allied planet, but they couldn’t entirely drop their guard), he allowed himself to drop into the nearby waiting armchair and let his head drop back to rest against the back.

“Tired?”

Cassian cracked open one eye to look at her, perched on the arm of one of the other chairs. “Three weeks of space travel on a newly healed back will do that.” He pretended not to notice her slight wince at his mention of the wounds he had sustained on Scarif.

Jyn stood and turned to walk towards one of the back rooms. “Well, I’m hungry – I’m going to raid the kitchen.”

“Can you cook?” he asked and watched her shoulders shrug in answer.

“Well enough. Food is food.”

Cassian’s curiosity about the provisions available to them overrode his exhaustion and he got up to follow her to the kitchen.

The kitchen was very well stocked, as it turned out, and together, they made a hearty meal of noodles topped with a thick spicy red sauce, complete with good sized portions of the local protein and a dessert consisting of a sweetened fruit salad topped with a whipped cream (which oddly enough, was pink, due to the mineral deposits the native milk animals favored).

Afterward, they cleaned up and took turns in the ‘fresher. One perk of being on this planet was a source of seemingly inexhaustible hot water. Yavin IV had good facilities for a force of its size, but there was something to be said for being able to take as long as they wanted (even though neither took very long). Jyn went first and while Cassian was taking his turn, she explored the cabin a little more, including checking into the back courtyard.

When Cassian stepped out the ‘fresher, wearing a simple shirt and pair of pants, toweling his hair dry, Jyn was waiting for him. “Guess what I found?” she grinned.

Cassian raised an eyebrow, but followed her anyway when she turned and walked back through the kitchen and out the door that lead into the back courtyard.

He knew from the briefing that Carosi XII was known for its hotsprings, but he hadn’t thought they’d have time to actually visit one. Apparently, Cassian was wrong.

There, in the middle of the courtyard, was a natural hotspring. The water was steaming as it let off a mild mineral odor; there were just enough stone outcroppings surrounding the pool to allow for easy access and a place to sit while mostly submerged in the warm waters.

Cassian turned to look at Jyn, who was still grinning.

“These springs are supposed to be good for sore bodies,” she said, opening a cabinet nearby. “And look – they even gave us things to wear and extra towels.” She held up a pair of silvery gray shorts in one hand and a thick fluffy towel of the same color in the other hand.

Cassian gave her a small smile in return and took the items from her. They both turned back into the cabin to change. By the time they returned to the hotspring, Carosi XII’s sun was settling itself on the horizon, which meant that it was nearing 2100 ship time, which also meant that Jyn and Cassian had both been up for nearly 24 hours thanks to a restless night of sleep the night before.

Cassian turned to look at Jyn standing next to him in a similar pair of shorts, but with an added, semi-loose fitting tank top in the same gray as the shorts and her own towel slung over her shoulder.

He extended his hand toward the waiting water. “Ladies first.”

Jyn rolled her eyes, but set her towel on the small stool-like table standing next to the pool and slid inside, letting out an involuntary sigh of approval and satisfaction at the heat of the water.

Cassian stepped in next to her and was hard-pressed to not do the same. “You were right.”

“Of course I was.”

Cassian and Jyn settled side-by-side on a submerged stone bench and leaned against the side of the pool.

“This is amazing...I might have trouble getting out of this pool later.”

Jyn grinned. “I know...I wonder if we could convince the rest to add one of these to the next base.”

Cassian huffed a small laugh. “The chances of us being on a base that could support these springs are slim-to-none. Though I could ask to be assigned to come here whenever needed.” He thought for another moment.

“I’m sure I could convince the Princess that the leaders here would like to talk to her face-to-face. Then, of course, she would need a security escort.”

Jyn happily added on to his fictional scenario. “And seeing as she’s a Princess and one of the Rebellion leaders, she’d need more than one escort. Two would be the minimum, I would think.”

“The pair would have to be two people who worked well together and could blend into most crowds, giving the Princess the illusion of being out on her own.”

“You think we could convince Draven to let you go whenever she asked?”

Cassian smiled a little crookedly at that. “If the Princess asked, he’d have to.”

They both laughed at the thought of Draven having to follow the young leader’s wishes (when he clearly didn’t want to), before falling silent and enjoying the warmth of the spring.

Sometime later, Jyn turned to Cassian. “Does your back still hurt?”

He shrugged one shoulder slightly. “The water’s helping, but I think it’s stiff and sore from spending so much time on the ship and not sleeping in a decent bed for more than a few hours.”

Jyn set her jaw. “I could help.”

Cassian turned to her and blinked. “Help?”

She nodded. “I’ve done some reading...there are some techniques for working and rubbing the muscles that can ease stiffness or pain. I know you have the exercises from therapy, but the back is hard to get on your own.”

He blinked again, surprised at her offer. “You want...to give me a massage?”

It was hard to tell with the heat of the water, but he thought Jyn might have flushed slightly. Clearly embarrassed, she shook her head and turned slightly away from him.

“No...well, yes, but obviously if you don’t want me to, I won’t. Actually, forget I offered. This never happened.”

“What if I do?”

Jyn’s head whipped back up to look him in the eyes. “You do what?

“What if I want you to do that?”

Now it was Jyn’s turn to blink. “You want me to give you a massage?”

Cassian nodded slightly, feeling a slight warmth in his own cheeks that had nothing to do with the heat of the water. “If these techniques work, I don’t see why we can’t give it a shot. This water feels incredible, but we won’t always have the option of stopping here when my back aches again, so why not? That is, if you’re alright with it?”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it.”

“Okay then,” Cassian said, twisting away from her to present his back to her.

“I-I don’t think I can do it here. The water will make it hard to move properly.”

Cassian turned back to her. “Then we go back inside.”

With a little reluctance, Cassian and Jyn left the soothing waters of the hotspring, wrapping themselves in their towels before heading inside.

Cassian let Jyn go ahead of him once more to ensure the back door was locked after they entered. He padded through the cabin to check the front door lock and turn off the lights. He stopped in the bathroom to change back into the pants from earlier before heading toward Jyn.

He found her in the larger of the two bedrooms, dressed in a soft-looking, deep green sleep shirt and pants, standing next to the bed and staring at it.

Most Rebellion bunks were furnished by either barrack bunks or, for officers and those who required a single occupancy room, a bed that was little more than a cot. None of the beds were very large, barely enough for one person, though Jyn was small enough that they could share Cassian’s ever-so-slightly larger-than-a-bunk bed, which was useful on bad nights when neither could sleep and they just laid together, passing the hours in companionable silence, grateful for the presence of someone trusted.

The bed in this room, however, was nearly three times the width of the bunks on base and at least half again as long. The ivory sheets were a soft, slightly fuzzy material and felt as if they’d be the perfect weight. The blanket was an intricately sewn quilt of variegated shades of blue and green and the pillows were filled with a soft material that gave gently under his touch but felt as if it would be supportive enough to not cause a neckache.

All in all, the bed was the most luxurious thing either of them had seen in quite some time.

And neither of them quite knew what to do with it.

“Well, how do you want me?” Cassian asked.

Jyn blinked out of her daze. “What?”

“Do you need me to stand here, sit on the bed, what?”

“Oh,” she said, “I suppose you should lie down. On your stomach. It’ll be easier for me to reach that way.”

Cassian hesitated for the briefest of moments, less than a second. Exposing your back to someone and lying in such a vulnerable position could, in his line of work, be a risk that ended your life. But this was Jyn. If he couldn’t trust her, he couldn’t trust anyone.

He stepped to the head of the bed and pulled down the blanket and top sheet. He then laid down, grabbing a pillow as he did to rest his head and shoulders on, curling his legs underneath it.

Cassian felt the bed shift as Jyn climbed on and knelt next to him, followed by the feel of her cool hands against his shoulder blades. He flinched and the hands disappeared.

“Sorry – did I hurt you?”

He turned his head just enough to look at her. “How are your hands so cold after we just got out of that hotspring?”

She grinned sheepishly and rubbed her hands together to warm them. “Let’s try again.”

Cassian turned his head back to the pillow and let Jyn do what she wished. Her hands were still cool, but a little warmer than before and soon warmed up even more as she kneaded and pulled and pressed her way up and down his back. She paid special attention to the areas around his lower spine and ribs, where he had surgeries to correct the damage.

As Jyn worked, Cassian felt himself relaxing more and more until only the absence of her hands woke him from his doze. He looked over just as Jyn slid off the bed and reached to turn out the light.

“Where are you going?”

“I was going to let you get some sleep.”

He reached out a hand and she took it. A small tug and she toppled back into the bed next to him. “You need to sleep, too, you know,” he said, voice low with the pull of sleep.

She looked at him softly. “You sure?”

He just pulled their joined hands closer to him in response. Jyn gave him a gentle smile before slipping her hand from his long enough to turn off the bedside lamp and pull the blanket up over them.

Cassian turned onto his side in the bed and reached his hand into hers again, tugging her closer to him.

“Sleeping on your side like that might aggravate your back again,” Jyn whispered, but, judging by the way she was relaxing in his arms, she wanted him to move about as much as he wanted to.

Cassian settled further into his pillow and tucked his arm around her waist.

“Worth it,” he mumbled.

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