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scruffyhappaboreherder · 5 years

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Pumpkins and Problems

(A Halloween fic, ~1600 words. Cassian and Jyn are neighbors. Jyn has had a lousy day; she doesn’t know it, but Cassian has too. Fallout ensues. Warning for mention of an offscreen transphobic action, abuse of a spare key, and a conflict between Jyn and Cassian that isn’t resolved by the end.) Now has a followup here.

Jyn trudged wearily to the door to her duplex. Her first graders had been fidgety with excitement about Halloween, and her car had been dead when she tried to start it. Normally she could have called her neighbor for a ride home after she dealt with having the car towed to a repair shop. She had tried, but his number had gone straight to voicemail, and after waiting a few minutes for a return call or text she had taken the bus home.

The nearest stop wasn't that close, and she had gotten drenched when the heavens opened up moments after she stepped off the bus. All she wanted now was to shower before she had to be ready to hand out candy. Having enough time to dry her hair would be a bonus.

She stopped short at the steps. Her neighbor's side had eight pumpkins neatly lined up. All of them had designs: half of them had faces. The others were a witch on a broomstick, a cat with an arched back, a skull, and a wolf howling at the moon.

"That's ... festive," she muttered. The pumpkins hadn't been there when she left. Well, her neighbor worked at home most of the time; one of the benefits was that you could carve out the time to carve a pumpkin or eight.

She turned the key and let herself in, making straight for the stairs, leaving her purse on the floor and strewing clothing as she went. She was done with the feeling of wet fabric sticking to her skin

Her socks were the last thing to go. Hot water, here I come. She stepped over the wall of the bathtub and shrieked. She was up to her ankles in ... goo. Cold, gloppy goo.

She looked down nervously. The goo was orange. Pumpkin slime. She was standing in pumpkin slime.

Jyn thought of the freshly carved pumpkins on the steps. Well. I guess I was wrong that I could trust him with a spare key. "What did I ever do to you, Cassian Andor?" she muttered.

She bent down and swept the rug aside, climbed gingerly out, and sat on the toilet. She moved the trash can, held her pumpkin-coated feet over it, and reached for some toilet paper. This was not going to be fun at all.

Half an hour later, her feet were no longer wet or sticky. She had toweled herself dry, picked up her dirty clothes, and thrown them in the hamper with more force than was strictly required. Her hair was brushed and semi-dry; now she was hesitating in front of the closet. The temptation to put on pajamas was strong; but when there was any chance she might encounter her students and their parents, she made a point of looking presentable. She settled on tights, a black broomstick skirt, and a long green sweater that would hide her braless state. Black flats finished the ensemble.

She put on mascara and a little lip gloss and went downstairs to assemble the candy and other Halloween goodies she was going to be handing out. She had novelty erasers and pencils for the kids with allergies; the candy she planned to dole out was free of several of the common allergens, but you never knew.

A few minutes before the designated trick-or-treat hours started, she was ready, seated on the couch with the candy bowl ready to grab. Her doorbell rang, and she got up.

It wasn't a trick-or-treater. Well, it wasn't a child trick-or-treater. The costume was impressive even if she had no idea what it was: a glowing-eyed pumpkin head and a black robe over an outfit with tall boots and crossed belts featuring a skull and crossbones.

"What are you dressed as?" Jyn said finally, breaking a silence that was rapidly becoming uncomfortable.

"A reminder that you shouldn't fuck with the person who has your spare key," said her neighbor.

"You're the one who decided I wanted a pumpkin pedicure," Jyn snapped. "And I want my spare key back by the end of the night."

"I want mine back, too."

Jyn ducked back inside and slammed the door. It was a short walk to the kitchen drawer where she kept Cassian's spare key. She opened the door, startling a trick-or-treater who was reaching for the doorbell, and then had to fumble for the candy bowl. "Nice Spider-Man," she told the kid, and dropped some candy in the pillowcase that was held out to her.

When the kid was gone, she held the key out to Cassian. He took it, and then had nowhere to put it. Apparently his costume didn't have pockets. She swallowed a smirk as he dangled her key awkwardly from his one free hand.

But she really did want it back, so she took it, and slid it into her skirt pocket. "Your costume is less impressive now that I know it doesn't have pockets," she informed him.

He scowled at her. "It does have pockets. But it's none of your business where they are. I am not talking about my costume to someone who tried to ruin it."

"I didn't even know you were wearing one, so how could I have possibly tried to ruin it?"

"Freezing my new binder inside a giant block of ice and filling the boots with kitty litter made a good start."

"What? I didn't do that! I wouldn't have done that. Except that right now I'd like to buy whoever did it a beer."

"You're the only one who has a spare key. Unless you think it was the management company." He handed some candy to a girl dressed as Elsa, and Jyn followed suit.

"Are you really, really sure about that? That no one else ever had a spare key?" She flashed back to the time over the summer when he'd asked her to feed his cat while he was away, and she couldn't, because she was going to a conference. Not that the beast would have starved over the weekend—it was a huge Maine Coon—

She dragged her thoughts back to the present and looked at him. It was impossible to see if any realization had struck behind the mask, but she had looked back in time to see his shoulders slump.

"Oh, shit. Jyn, I'm sorry."

"I'll take that for what it's worth." She doled out candy to a pair of pirates. "Right now? Not much."

"I guess I deserve that," he said when the pirates were gone.

"No argument here."

"Any chance we can hash this out when we aren't being swarmed by children?"

"What is there to hash out? You jumped to conclusions and vandalized my bathroom. You're not getting the time you need to talk your way around that tonight."

The sound of a throat clearing pulled her attention away from Cassian's response, if he had one.

"Hello, Ms. Erso."

Jyn blinked, and turned to look at her latest visitor. She didn't recognize the child in the turtle costume, but she did know the man who'd greeted her. "Mr. Malbus. Hello. And Happy Halloween, Lan." Lan held out her teal pumpkin, and Jyn gave her a handful each of erasers and pencils. "Candy too? It should be safe." She held her bag of lollipops up; Lan's father nodded provisional approval, and Jyn gave her a handful. Lan had serious food allergies; Jyn hadn't realized she lived close enough to show up at her house, but she was glad she'd prepared. She'd been thinking of kids like Lan when she'd picked out her candy and other offerings.

"Happy Halloween again, Ms. Erso! And thank you," Lan added.

Jyn smiled. "You're welcome, Lan."

"Is everything all right?" Mr. Malbus asked, and Jyn wanted to die of embarrassment. He wasn't just Lan's father; he was also Jyn's co-worker. At least she knew he wasn't much for workplace gossip.

"I'm fine," she assured him, after what was probably an awkwardly long pause; it was the best safe answer she could find.

"All right, then. Lan and I will see you tomorrow."

"Of course." Jyn managed what she hoped was a properly collegial tone. "See you then. Have fun, Lan."

"Bye, Ms. Erso," Lan called, and turned to wave as she and her father walked away.

"Bye, Lan," Jyn replied, trying to summon up her teacher's smile. She probably failed miserably; in any event, she could feel the attempt turning into a glare as they walked away and she remembered that Cassian was still there.

"You talked yourself right into that, so don't try to blame it on me," he said before she could speak. "I think that's enough for this evening."

He opened his door, and swept inside in a swirl of fabric. His duplex's porch light went off a moment later.

That was much more dignified than someone wearing a pumpkinhead has any right to be. She stayed where she was, handing out candy to everyone who came calling until her bowl was empty and she was down to pencils and erasers. Then she went inside and flopped down on the couch. She had to admit that after a day like this it would be nice to have a cat to pet and sulk with. But sulking won't make my bathroom clean tomorrow morning. She got up with a weary sigh, grabbed her dustpan and a trashbag and a roll of paper towels, and headed upstairs.

Thanks for reading! A followup can be found here.

#therebelcaptainnetwork #rebelcaptain fanfic #rebelcaptain #my posts #i wanted to write a rebelcaptain fic for halloween and here it is #halloween

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imgoingtocrash · 6 years

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1, 4, 5, 11, 20 for fandom asks 😊

1. Character in my fandoms I think I’m most like.

She’s my icon for a reason - Amy Santiago. High anxiety with a penchant for nerdiness is pretty much my brand. (Though I want to cosplay Jyn Erso from Rogue One and Ellie from The Last of Us because I WISH I was like them.)

4. How much has your life changed ever since you started fangirling/fanboying?

Honestly, fandom really SHAPED my life as it is now. It got me into TV/media, which is what I went to school for and am now doing as a career (which!!! WHAT??) Before Tumblr, even, I was into fanfiction, and so being super nerdy about stuff and connecting with people over it has been a big influencer for me.

5. Top 3 favorite TV Shows?

I’m always bad at this one, so here’s just what I’ve been watching recently: Stargate SG-1, 12 Monkeys, and Legion.

11. Ever cosplayed as a character/dream cosplay?

I actually did a Zoey cosplay from Left 4 Dead years ago for Halloween, but that’s about it. Like I said, Jyn and Ellie are 2 of my dreams for sure! If I ever get to go to a con, I’m gonna make it happen.

20. Your Ultimate OTP?

UGH this is also way too hard. Probably Castle and Beckett, just because they were one of the first.

Thanks for asking, you’re def getting some questions in return ;)

#asks #rosaline-c

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motherofangst · 7 years

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Sniperpilot Halloween: DAY 7 : Costumes Still super late with the prompt but -- used the costumes word prompt to have an excuse for theatre kid Bodhi, and to throw some Rocky Horror into it. Because, it's not Halloween without Rocky Horror. CROSS POSTED ON AO3.

SCIENCE FICTION/DOUBLE FEATURE

SUMMARY: “By the time he finds the door that leads him back stage, and side stepping a half dressed and soaking wet Frank ‘n Furter, he finds Bodhi in the hallway of the backstage ; still in his ridiculous costume from the last scene.”

Cassian was going to kill Jyn. No, really. At this point in their friendship, he had contemplated one too many ways on how to arrange her untimely demise and how to make it look like a simple accident. Now was no different. Now, Cassian was burning in musical theatre hell -- this had to be what hell felt like. The room was hot and stuffy, it reeked of alcohol and sweat and everything else that was unholy in this world.

Jyn was talking again -- or, he thinks it was Jyn talking. He wasn’t really listening anymore at this point. He was, instead, sunk down in his seat with his thumb cradling his chin and his fingers tapping against his temple -- wondering just how in the hell Jyn Erso had managed to drag him to a performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show. ( “Bodhi would be really upset if I didn’t come and see at least one of his performances -- I come every year. He’s gotten much better, you know! They cast him as Riff Raff this year, and it’s his first time having more than one line. He was so excited when they told him --“ )

Oh, that’s right. Jyn lured him out here by telling him that her stupidly attractive step-brother was in it. ( “People aren’t going to throw things are they?” Cassian had asked. Jyn laughed, but she didn’t answer. When Cassian was younger, he had gotten dragged to one of the shadow cast floor shows -- and promptly made him realize he never wanted to come to one again, but he wasn’t sure how live shows worked -- ) “I didn’t even know he could sing,” was his comment instead, trying to ignore the banshee-like laughs of the teenagers behind them.

Jyn laughs, waving a hand at him, “He used to suck, and I can say that because I’ve known him since he was five. He used to sound like a dying animal. It was terrible. If he asks, my teasing was merely criticism to make him get better.” Cassian doubted that, and he was sure his doubt was clear on his features, because Jyn added, “It worked, didn’t it?”

Cassian went to reply, but she was shushing him with a sharp shove on his shoulder -- the lights beginning to dim as a woman walked out on the stage ; too sharp and florescent lights on her. Bouncing off of her loud makeup and making her wig look shimmery against the different colors. Painted lips smiled as the Magenta puffed her hair and the beginning chords of Science Fiction/Double Feature started.

It was only three lines into the song that he realized that ( “On our feet!” )-- yes, it was going to be one of those shows, despite the aspect that it was live and lacked the projection of the movie behind him. Cassian sunk lower in his seat, a scowl on his lips that betrayed that perhaps a small crush really wasn’t worth this. ( Or -- in hindsight, not so small. )

Cassian was delighted to learn that Jyn also liked to take part in the call backs, as he learned at her all too eager call back ( “See androids fighting -- “ ) of “ -- and fucking! And sucking on --!” And he nearly grabbed her and jerked her back into her seat at the wail of “ Fuck the back row!”

It was going to be a very long night.

For the first half of the first act, Cassian’s eyes were instead glued to the back of the monstrosity of whatever hairstyle the woman in front of him was wearing, still several feet shorter than usual as his knees poked out awkwardly to either side of him -- practically hiding in his seat from the hellish chaos that was ensuing around him. Perhaps he was hopeful that the seat beneath him would swallow him whole so that he didn’t have to witness the rest of the horror in front of him.

“In the velvet darkness of the blackest night -- “ Jyn was nudging at him with her sharp elbow, causing a huff of an irritated breath to leave Cassian, looking to her where -- for once -- she was towering over him. “What?” he hissed out in a stage whisper.

She rolled her eyes at his reaction, forcefully shoving her hand beneath his underarms and jerking him to sit upright. “If you aren’t going to watch the rest of the best cult classic musical to ever grace the earth, at least watch Bodhi’s parts -- that’s why you came, isn’t it?” The first part was bit out with a grunt, from the effort of pulling Cassian’s weight up, but the last part was said with a smirk. The one she wore so easily, the one that Cassian wished she could just slap off her face at times.

He narrowed his gaze at her, to which that shit-eating smirk merely grew and egged the frustration inside of him further -- but, he realized to his own dismay -- that his own silence and reaction gave himself away. So, instead, he pressed his back into his seat and folded his arms over his chest so he could watched -- giving her a pointed look as if to say See? I’m watching.

The focal point of the stage shifts with the spotlight on a man standing atop what Cassian assumed to be the castle the couple was trying to walk to ( he was at least half paying attention to the plot ) -- when actuality it was a large cut out in front of a latter. His eyes follow the prop up to where Riff Raff -- Bodhi -- was stationed. Cassian had known Bodhi for a few months now -- and he was used to the smile crinkle of his eyes, the brightness of his smile, the stupid infectious bubbly energy that the man bounced around with -- seeing him in fully costume with dark circles under his eyes and an expression to match was … different. And at least caught his attention long enough for his stiff posture to loosen.

“The darkness must go down the river of night’s dreaming -- Flow morphia slow, let the sun and light come streaming into my life --- into my life.” By the time that he hit the note on the last word, Jyn was chuckling. Low enough for the rest of those around them to not hear, but loud enough for Cassian to ignore it. He was sure that it was the expression against his features that amused her, shouldering him once more. He ignored that as well.

During the remainder of the play, Cassian didn’t slump back in his chair any longer. He didn’t participate in the call backs and yelling that Jyn was much too eager to scream against his ear. And, for most of it, he still seemed more bemused than anything. Albeit, Jyn would steal a glance to him while Riff Raff was on stage -- ( specifically the Time Warp scene, and Jyn took note of this to tease Cassian with later ) -- and he would seem much more interested for a limited amount of time.

Despite this, at curtain call, he was still very quick to stand -- Jyn cocking a stubborn brow at him as he tried to push her knees to the side so he could get by her. After a death glare from Cassian, she was relenting and pulling them in so he could get back -- but, not without a harsh roll of her eyes. “Dressing room is in the back, if you want to tell Bodhi what you thought of it yourself,” she tells him, that same knowing smirk against her lips that he hated so much.

Perhaps he shouldn’t. If he left now, he wouldn’t even have to tell Bodhi he was here and have to try and explain his way around why he was here. ( He remembered, with a pang of guilt, how he had commented negatively about musicals once or twice -- and he remembered the look of hurt Bodhi had given him. ) But, he also knew Jyn would continue to give him shit if he didn’t.

Again, he doesn’t speak -- shoving past her.

By the time he finds the door that leads him back stage, and side stepping a half dressed and soaking wet Frank ‘n Futher, he finds Bodhi in the hallway of the backstage ; still in his ridiculous costume from the last scene. “Cassian?” Bodhi is asking, and it looks almost comical to see his bright grin flash against his features in the costume -- his hair was still covered by the stupid wig. Cassian swallowed, to ignore the warmth that Bodhi’s lighting up caused him -- to ignore the impulse to jerk the wig off his head so he could unravel his dark hair between his fingers. Shit --

Bodhi lowers his phone, which looks awfully out of place in his Riff Raff costume -- the silver of it catching the dull lights of the back hallway. “I didn’t think you’d actually come when Jyn said she invited you. It doesn’t seem like your kind of scene. I mean -- “ Brows furrow on the male’s face, an expression that Cassian recognizes from when Bodhi would grow too anxious and nervous. Nervous? Because of Cassian?

So Cassian steps closer, making a point to obviously eyeball the bun at the top of the wig before looking back down to the other -- “It’s not,” he admitted, trying to avoid the elephant in the room at his admission.

It was quiet for a beat, and Cassian was forced to step closer to Bodhi as some of the other actors shuffled around him -- Cassian ducking his head down as his shoulder brushed the shoulder blade of Bodhi’s costume.

“Oh,” Bodhi says, a stark contrast for the man’s usual endless stream of words.

“Oh --” Cassian echoes with an audible swallow, thinning his lips before finally daring to look up at Bodhi; realizing how close they were. Not missing the way that Bodhi’s eyes flickered down towards his lips and -- even in the dim lighting of backstage -- he could see the way the male’s deep skin colored with a pink tinge. Oh, Cassian’s brain echoes back at him.

He cages Bodhi near the wall they leaned against with one arm, forearm supporting his weight against cheap drywall. “How about you take that ridiculous wig off so I can kiss you?” he asks. Cassian was anything if not bold, raising his brows to swallow down the anxiety he also echoed internally.

Bodhi sputtered before shaking his head, “Why do I need to take my wig off for -- “ Full stop. Realization. And Cassian swore he saw Bodhi go even deeper red. “Oh -- you want to kiss me?”

Cassian smiles, the first he remembers since walking into the theatre -- tugging at the bun on the wig. “It’s distracting, and you were about to take it off anyway, weren’t you?”

“Yes, but -- it’s a lot more than just yanking it off. There’s pins, and glue, and --” Bodhi started. And there’s the rambling mouth that Cassian knew so well. Fuck it, his brain supplies ; hands catching Bodhi’s cheeks in mid-sentence, and the male stops abruptly -- wide, dark eyes finding Cassian’s before Cassian is ducking inwards. Closing the space between them until all he can taste is the mint of Bodhi’s breath and the lingering smear of whatever make up the other was still wearing.

Bodhi’s hand twitch awkwardly in the air between them before finally settling in the back of Cassian’s shirt -- twisting into the fabric of it, and Cassian let out a quiet, happy sigh -- nearly melting into him. Nearly -- until a half naked Rocky was bumping into Cassian's back and giving a cat call down the hallway. "Get some, Rook!"

Bodhi flustered, but at the least gathered enough confidence to yell back, "As if you have room to talk, Solo!"

Cassian can feel a heat at the back of his neck, but it doesn't travel back his collar -- his eyes settled warmly on the other. “Now, go get changed and out of that stupid thing -- and I’ll take us somewhere to eat.”

#sniperpilot halloween #sniperpilot halloween 2017 #sniperpilot #bassian #is it truly a surprise that i'm still late ?#bc it shouldn't be #lucyfills

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andorerso · 3 years

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I have a rebelcaptain prompt for you if you wish to take it: Pirates (You can use it any way you want, feks the gang dresses up as a pirate crew, or that they are pirates)

Thanks so much for the prompt! I wasn’t gonna write anything for Halloween but it really inspired me. I'm really not a pirate person though, so I don't have a lot of knowledge about... pirate stuff, I guess. Basically, I just based the setting on my memories of playing Assassin's Creed: Black Flag. Italics are flashbacks, the rest is present day. Hope you enjoy and happy Halloween, guys! :)

She’s close, after all this time, she’s finally close to finding the goblet. She can taste it in the air, in the saltiness of the water; something is coming, something is changing.

Bodhi says, as he’s been saying for years, that she should forget about it. Move on and pillage other ships like normal pirates do. But how could she? She’s spent the last nine years looking for Captain Skywalker’s chest and she can’t give up before the finish line. No matter how dangerous it gets.

Bodhi, bless his heart, is just a little superstitious. Most pirates are, to be honest.

“It’s haunted,” he often warns her.

“I’ve heard,” Jyn responds every time.

It doesn’t scare her. She’s haunted too, has been her whole life, and she’s managed just fine so far. A few more ghosts won’t bother her. It’s the absence of them that might.

Jyn stands barefoot in the sand at sunrise, watching the waves crash against the bank. The early morning sun paints everything in a lovely shade of pink and gold, its warm rays like gentle fingertips across her skin, the soft breeze caressing her body. Nothing exists but her and the water – and memories long-gone of a life she never truly got to live.

She’s buried them all at sea, and times like these are when she feels most connected to her dead, each of them waiting below the surface. She feels almost as if they’re calling out to her from the deep, asking her to join them.

She couldn’t, not yet, but when the time was right, she would walk into the sea and disappear for good. Let the waves claim her body, let her become a part of them forever. It’s a peaceful thought. She’s always belonged to the sea, and she belongs with the rest of them, the ones that the water has already claimed for itself. It’s home to her, and home is calling her back.

For now, she settles for the sunrise. Just take a moment and watch the sunrise, a voice whispers in her ear, in her memories. Just come watch the sunrise with me, Jyn. Come on and be with me. You’ll have time for sparring later.

Jyn lets out a quiet breath and kneels next to the bank, her fingers grazing the water as if touching skin she’s once worshipped, as if reaching for a lover she’s once had. It’s a connection between them, this water. A link to him, a link to the past, a link between her and wherever he is now. Somewhere peaceful, she hopes.

A soft but sad smile tugs at her lips. “This one’s for you, my love.”

Jyn sits in a seedy tavern in Havana, eyeing Captain Andor with suspicion and a glare that screams, ‘try me and see what I can do.’ She has a hand on her knife in her pocket, the other lazily resting on the pistol in her holster. It’s an open warning, almost a challenge, but Captain Andor doesn’t rise to the bait.

If anything, he seems unbothered. Almost frustratingly calm.

Jyn would think that’s foolish or cocky, or perhaps he’s underestimating her simply because she’s a woman; but somehow, she doesn’t believe this is the case. There’s something about him that’s genuine. It’s not cockiness, she thinks, it’s confidence – and his confidence is earned.

He’s a dangerous man if the stories are true, but she’s a dangerous woman herself. If they could learn to trust each other, there would be no one better to find the hidden treasure of Captain Skywalker than the two of them.

The trust part, she’s not good with. But although she’s not sure yet what to make of the man in front of her, she’s willing to see if it works out in her favor.

“The goblet is haunted,” he comments lazily, though he doesn’t sound like he believes it. Jyn raises an eyebrow.

“I’ve heard.” Her tone is dismissive.

“According to legend, it brings back the dead you’ve lost,” he continues. “You find it and it gives them back to you.” A wry smile twists on his lips. “But then they will drag you down to hell with them.”

Jyn holds back a bitter laugh. How many times has she heard that story? How many times has her father conveniently forgot about the last part? How many times has she been left at strange ports with strange people while he went on his wild adventures to find the goblet that would bring back her dead mother? Her father had been a man of science once, but the loss of his wife weighed heavily on him, and sinister voices whispering in his ear convinced him that finding the goblet was a way to make their family whole again.

In truth, Orson Krennic was probably just a money-hungry, cruel, and bored aristocrat who had nothing better to do than manipulate vulnerable men into doing the dirty work for him. Jyn resents both him and her father for that.

No, she doesn’t want the goblet to bring back dead people from the grave. She doesn’t believe in those childish stories anymore. She wants the goblet to sell it.

And she wants it to prove that she could do it. Do what her father couldn’t. Finish what he started.

But she isn’t about to share that with Captain Andor.

“It’s a golden goblet with ruby stones. It’s just money.” She pauses, shrugging her shoulders. “And the legends make it easier to sell. What naïve and wealthy widow wouldn’t want a relic that brings back their beloved spouse?”

Captain Andor’s lips quirk up, barely noticeable. “If you leave out the part about being dragged to hell.”

Jyn finally lets go of her pistol and reaches for the jug of beer on the table. “I find that part,” she begins, her tone conversational, “is very easy to forget.”

This is the one.

Jyn knows in her heart that she’s found it. The island is unmarked on any maps, and the entrance to the cave is underwater, hidden by seaweed and algae. Her lungs burn when she breaks surface, gasping for breath as she pulls herself up to the cave floor.

This is the one.

It sings in her veins, pulses through her body. She’s going to find it, finally, the goblet, the treasure – everything she’s been looking for in the past nine years.

“It’s haunted,” Bodhi’s voice echoes in her mind.

Jyn stands, undeterred, and marches forward to the heart of the cave.

She hopes it is.

Jyn glares menacingly at the cruel-faced guard as he opens her cage and walks towards her. Her hands might be shackled but she has a mean kick, and if he tries anything –

To her surprise, the man reaches for the chains behind her and unlocks her hands. They clatter to the floor with a loud noise, but Jyn continues glaring at the guard in suspicion.

“You’re free to go,” he grunts.

“What?” She doesn’t trust this one bit.

Where’s the catch? Henry ‘Scar Face’ Whitlock is not known for his mercy. She stole his goods, blew up one of his (smaller) ships, and stabbed three of his crew members. One of them bled out. Another lost an arm.

She expected to be hanged or quartered for it – made an example, for certain.

He can’t just be letting her go now. It has to be a trap.

But what would he gain from such a lie?

“Move,” the guard says and gives her an unnecessarily forceful shove that sends her flying against the walls of the cage. If it wasn’t for the small chance that she was about to walk out of here scot-free, she would have kicked his legs out for that.

But if she’s really free… could it be true?

As she gets up and uncertainly walks up to the main deck, she half expects to be stabbed in the back. It’s just too easy – but she can’t figure out why they would trick her like this when they could just tie stones to her feet and throw her overboard. It’s only when she sees Cassian waiting for her next to Captain Whitlock that the situation begins to dawn on her.

He’s saved her somehow. Of course he has.

For a wild second, she thinks he traded himself for her – he would be entirely capable of it, but where’s the profit in that for Whitlock? He has no grudge against Cassian, only against her, and she can’t see why he would accept such a deal unless he realized that Cassian’s death would be a greater punishment than her own.

But she’s not that transparent yet. She thinks.

She hopes.

Then Whitlock gives her a foul grimace that says he would still very much kill her if he could, and gestures, with some reluctance, towards the ramp leading to the harbor.

“Get out of my sight, Erso. And don’t fuck with me or my crew again, or even your captain won’t be able to save you next time.”

Jyn doesn’t say anything until they reach the shore safely, burning with a thousand questions. A part of her still expects them to be ambushed at the last minute, but Whitlock and his crew watch in silence as they walk off the ramp and disappear into the night. How Cassian managed to pull it off is beyond her, but if anyone could, it would be him.

When they’re an appropriate distance away, Jyn can’t hold herself back anymore. She stops and rounds on Cassian, eyes wide and demanding.

“What did you give him?” she asks because if she’s sure of one thing, it’s that Whitlock didn’t just let her go for free.

Cassian lets out a quiet sigh and shrugs. His eyes, glowing in the soft light of the moon, won’t quite meet hers. There’s something strange about him. Like he’s trying desperately to underplay it.

Which doesn’t bode well for them. Jyn’s heart lurches – what the hell did he do?

“I gave him my ship,” Cassian admits quietly. For a moment, Jyn hears nothing but the song of the cicadas as she tries to process this information.

“You gave him your ship?” she echoes, breathless and eyes wide.

“Yes,” he confirms, very even, very steady.

“Cassian,” she begins, her words slow as if she was talking to a child, “captains need a ship. We need a ship. Where are we going to get a new one? We don’t have that kind of money! What about the crew? Kay is going to kill you –”

“Jyn, he had you,” he cuts her off, his tone leaving no room for argument. As if that trumped everything else. Jyn blinks at him in shock, half delirious with – with –

“You’re crazy,” she breathes in awe. She can’t take her eyes off him. Nobody has ever…

Nobody has felt – nobody has done –

Nobody has made her feel like this before. Like she matters. Like she’s loved.

“You treated your ship for me?” she asks, half laughing, hardly daring to believe it.

Cassian shrugs again, but there’s a smile on his lips, a smile just for her. It’s small and kind and full of devotion.

“It’s just a ship. What kind of captain would I be if I let my first mate die?”

“You’re crazy,” she laughs again, and that same second, impulsively, springs forward to kiss him. It’s been a long time coming, she thinks as Cassian kisses her back without hesitation, his hands tangling in her hair. Two years of working together, two years of building a relationship that couldn’t be betrayed, couldn’t be replaced. Jyn doesn’t remember a time that his presence didn’t leave her breathless, that a soft comforting touch on her shoulder didn’t make her long for more. Maybe in those first few days, in the beginning – but quickly, very quickly, he became everything to her, and she could never go on without him.

It’s been a long time coming, yes. And now she’s going to enjoy it.

It doesn’t bring her peace.

She didn’t think it would. But she thought it would give her satisfaction, at least. Look, Krennic, I got your little treasure. Look, Papa, I finished what you started. Look, Cassian, I did this for you. For us.

But it’s just… underwhelming. She can’t even bring herself to sell it. It would be worth more than the rest of the treasure combined, but she stares at it in her cabin during the night and she can’t sell it.

What use is it? Nothing would bring them back, bring him back. The money she’d get from the goblet, it’d just feel tainted, wrong. Blood money.

Maybe she’s irrationally attached but who can blame her? Her father spent half his life looking for the damned thing until a storm swallowed his ship whole and he was never heard from again. His obsession with the goblet had killed him and Jyn had hated it then, hated it more than ever, but still, she’d become similarly obsessed. Just to prove something.

And then it brought her Cassian. It gave her something after it took so much. The years they spent looking for it together, that was her treasure.

And now that he’s gone, she can’t relinquish it. If she does, what else is left of them? Only her memories – and memories rot.

Jyn sighs under her breath, sitting at a corner table of an inn with Bodhi, drumming her fingers on the wood as she stares out of her head. What is she meant to do now?

Bodhi watches her in silence for several minutes and Jyn is distantly aware that he seems contemplative, but she’s too lost in her own head to question it. Eventually, he lifts a hand to still her fingers.

“Liana,” he begins, and Jyn’s eyes snap to his. Bodhi is a good man and she trusts him more than she trusts anyone else, but even he doesn’t know her real name. It’s just easier this way – Jyn Erso dropped off the face of the earth five years ago, and she had to stay gone. But she thinks Bodhi has always known it’s not her true name, and he doesn’t mind. “Have you noticed anything weird since?”

She rolls her eyes and begins drumming her fingers again. “Don’t start, Bodhi. I’m not haunted.”

“I’m just asking. You should really sell it.”

She knows why he’s saying that. The legends, of course. Whoever is in possession of the goblet will be dragged to hell by their dead loved ones. Well, she’s been the proud owner for a few days now and she’s seen no signs of ghosts and no signs of hellfire. But if any is yet to come, Jyn is sure it’ll be entertaining.

“I can’t.”

“Isn’t that why you wanted it?”

“Yes,” she says, then stops. “No.”

“I don’t understand you sometimes.”

Jyn snorts, looking away. “I don’t understand me sometimes.”

And that should be the end of it. Jyn with her goblet and her money and the lack of purpose in her life now.

But fate has a different plan for her. And maybe she is fucking haunted.

Because when her gaze sweeps over the tavern, she swears she sees a familiar face push through the crowd and disappear out into the night.

Jyn stares at the door for long a time, frozen in place, her heartbeat running wild in her chest. The white noise in her head blocks out everything else. She thinks Bodhi might be calling her name, asking if she’s okay, but she can’t answer, can’t even turn her head to look at him. She stands on trembling legs, her body carrying her towards the doors – and then she’s running, taking off in the direction that she saw him heading.

The streets are dark and deserted. Only the sound of waves and the singing of cicadas break the silence. She looks around wildly, looking for a retreating shadow in the night or perhaps the sound of footsteps nearby, but there’s nothing. Nothing but the wind and her loudly beating heart.

She couldn’t have… did she imagine it? Perhaps she had too much to drink, Bodhi stuffing her head with his nonsense, but she could have sworn…

Jyn shakes her head, trying to let the fresh air clear her hazy mind of these childish thoughts. Bodhi is panting behind her, calling her name, her fake name, and Jyn finally turns to look at him, seeing his wide eyes filled with worry.

“Are you okay?”

Jyn gives a sharp nod, trying to ignore the wild beating of her heart. Better not to plague Bodhi with her hallucinations, he’s worried enough about her as it is. No need to fuel the fire.

“Just thought I saw someone who owes me some money,” she lies, ignoring the skeptical look he gives her. “It’s not a big deal.”

It can’t be.

She would be very cross with Cassian if he was really here to drag her to hell.

Cassian’s fingers are soft on her cheek, stroking her skin, carding through her hair. Her own hand rests on his chest, feeling his heartbeat steady under her palm. They’ve been silent for minutes but she hasn’t stopped looking at him, couldn’t stop touching him. She’s never felt intimacy like this before. Like someone could look at you, see your soul, see all the darkness and pain that you hide inside, and still choose to stay. Still decide that you’re worth the trouble.

She’s naked in front of him in more ways than one and she’s never thought it would feel so wonderful. So freeing.

Cassian has taught her a lot more than just love.

“Did you think we’d end up here when we first met?” she wonders, her tone quiet, matching the tranquility between them. Cassian chuckles.

“I thought you’d kill me in my sleep one day.”

She scoffs at that. “You didn’t seem afraid.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Hmpf. So ready to throw yourself at death’s door. You know, I actually thought you might have traded yourself for me.”

“I would have,” he admits, honest as always. “If that’s what it took. But not unless there’s no other choice.” His eyes bore into hers, dark and deep and almost frightening in its intensity. Her heart beats a little faster at the sight. “I don’t want to leave you behind.”

She swallows. “Please don’t.”

Cassian strokes her cheek, a gentle smile on his lips.

“I love you.”

It’s not a promise but it’s enough. Jyn beams back at him.

“I love you too.”

Who cares about the stupid goblet as long as she has him?

Jyn wakes to the sound of music in the middle of the night. For a second, her mind is pleasantly blank, merely enjoying the soft melody filtering through the window of her room.

Then she thinks:

Cassian. Cassian used to play like that.

And then:

Cassian is gone.

Blinking herself awake, Jyn sits up in bed. Her eyes dart around the room she’s rented for the night but nothing seems amiss. Her hand hovers above the lantern on the nightstand but a strange irrational part of her doesn’t want to draw attention to herself. She blames Bodhi for that.

His words, and Cassian’s, ring in her mind.

It’s haunted.

You find it and it gives them back to you. But then they will drag you down to hell with them.

Thinking about the sighting of Cassian from earlier, she gets out of bed and ambles to the window. The curtains are drawn and her fingers hover above the fabric, hesitant, somehow, to withdraw them. She’s trembling.

Jyn takes a deep breath and pulls back the curtains.

Cassian sits on a bench on the street, his eyes trained on his banjo. Jyn gasps in shock and reels back from the window like she’s been burned. He seems… so real. Sitting there, his fingers flying over the instrument, playing some slow, sorrowful melody that tugs at her heartstrings. A song of lost love.

He’s come for her after all.

Frozen on the spot, her breathing harsh and gasping, all she can do is watch as he plays his banjo. He never takes off his eyes the instrument and he doesn’t seem to notice her. Her room is on the second floor so she has a perfect view of him sitting outside, illuminated by the moonlight, while she remains shrouded in the darkness of her room.

But if he’s come for her… surely, he knows she’s here.

Jyn’s legs give out, and she sits under her window, pressing herself tightly against the wall to just… listen. She listens to his song. Listens to the melody, haunting and beautiful, like he is himself. Every sound, every note pulls at her heartstrings. A song for the lost and the dead.

And Jyn sobs. For him and for herself, for her parents, for everyone she’s ever lost. She sobs, quiet and gasping, until she has no more tears left, lulled back to sleep on the floor by the melancholy tune that Cassian’s ghost is playing.

Cassian comes to her in a dream. It’s a familiar one; one she’s seen many times before, and one she will see many times more. He’s not dead and not alive – he’s a revenant and he’s hers, just for tonight, until dawn breaks and morning takes him away.

But he’s different this time. Sturdier, steadier. Buzzing with a kind of unquiet energy that she’s not used to. Like he’s waiting for something. Jyn doesn’t want to mention it, their stolen moments together too precious to tarnish, but it weighs her mind with questions.

When their time comes and he gets up and heads to the door, she reaches after him. She does this on every occasion, tries to convince him to stay, tries to forcibly, physically make him stay – but her words are different this time, her desperation becoming an inferno, and his response is a mystery.

“Cassian,” she calls out to him, struggling to sit up and catch his arm. He’s already at the doorway, between life and death, between her and the sea, looking back at her and hesitating. “Don’t go. How could I live in a world where you don’t?”

He takes a step through the door, where nothing but the empty awaits him and gives her the strangest of smiles. “It’s almost time, my love. Almost time.”

“I think I’m haunted,” Jyn admits to Bodhi the next day, and he gives her a hard look. She thinks it’s the tone of her voice, sad and defeated, that stops him from telling her “I told you so.”

“What happened?” he asks instead, and Jyn shrugs, eyes downcast, looking at the mug on the table, the tea untouched and growing cold.

“I saw… someone,” Jyn admits slowly, pausing before she adds, “Him.”

Bodhi never had the chance to know Cassian. She met him after Cassian was already… gone. He knows a little about him; she’s admitted to having a dead lover in her weaker drunken moments, but she’s never talked about him much. Jyn always has preferred to live in denial, and Bodhi knows better than to ask.

Still, she knows with the way she says it, the way she gives him a meaningful look, that he knows who she’s talking about.

“I think he’s come for me.” She pauses, a bitter laugh escaping her mouth. “It makes sense. The goblet always was our adventure. It’s how we met, you know.”

The look Bodhi gives her is a mix of pity and worry. Jyn is uncomfortable with both, even though she knows he means well. Luckily, he doesn’t try to say anything stupidly comforting like “I’m sorry” or “it’s all going to be okay” because he knows her better than that, and he knows she might punch him in the mouth for it.

Instead, he looks her in the eye and tells her, “You should really get rid of it, Li. Before it’s too late.”

Jyn nods. She knows he’s right.

But some part of her is not ready to let go yet.

It takes less than an hour for everything to change.

Jyn wakes up that day like usual in the captain’s cabin she now she shares with Cassian and goes to sleep that night in a holding cage of a navy ship, alone in the world once again.

Krennic has a personal grudge. And so does she. So naturally, she can’t resist the opportunity to raid his ship, steal his cargo, and leave him wounded and nursing a broken ego.

In hindsight, she should have killed him then. But she thought the humiliation would be a more suitable punishment.

Six months later, he comes back with a vengeance and a small navy fleet, blowing a hole through their ship with his cannonballs. They fight valiantly when his crew boards their slowly sinking ship, but it’s a lost cause – Jyn knows it’s a lost cause, Cassian knows it’s a lost cause, and Krennic, especially, knows it’s a lost cause. He seems very pleased with himself too, and Jyn would punch the smirk right off his stupid smug face if her hands weren’t bound behind her back by one of his henchmen.

“Well, well, well. Didn’t think I’d catch up to you, did you?” Orson Krennic asks, strutting in front of her like a peacock, hands clasped behind his back. Jyn spits in his face.

Krennic blinks once, twice, before he slowly wipes at his eyes with a headkerchief he produces from his breast pocket. The backhanded slap he gives her stings, sending her sprawling to the floor.

“You touch her again,” Cassian growls, straining against the guards holding him back, “and I’ll break every bone in your hand one by one.”

The glance Krennic gives him is dismissive, like Cassian isn’t even worth the time to look at. He gestures to the guards next to Jyn who haul her back to her feet. She stands proud, chin high, glaring at him even as her hands are tied behind her back. His ring has left a mark but she’ll be damned if she’ll let him humble her.

“Very feisty, aren’t you? I wonder if you’ll keep the same attitude once I have you locked away in Wobani for life.”

Jyn doesn’t react outwardly but her heart beats faster. Wobani is infamous for its cruelty and inhumane methods. Nobody leaves, not unless they’re dead. Only the worst of the worst, the most dangerous criminals end up there.

She supposes she belongs among them.

Another gesture from Krennic and the guards haul her towards the railing to transport her to Krennic’s ship. Stardust is slowly sinking and she knows it’s the least of her worries, as most of her crewmates lay dead at her feet, as Kay lays dead at her feet, but her heart aches at the sight. They’ve bought this ship together, Cassian and she, after he gave away his old one to Whitlock. It’s theirs. And it hurts to see it go down.

“What about him?” asks one of the guards holding Cassian.

“Leave him,” Krennic answers easily, a sick sort of smugness in his voice. “Let him go down with his ship, as all good captains do.”

“No!” Jyn shouts, struggling against her captors harder. She shouldn’t give away her weakness – she knows, she knows she shouldn’t give him ammunition – but Krennic has made up his mind anyway, so what difference does it make?

Too upset to think rationally, she begs him. “Don’t do this. He’s worth a lot more to you alive. He has a bounty on his head higher than mine.”

“I don’t need the money, you silly little girl,” he tells her, dismissive. “I just want you put away for good.”

“No!”

Jyn continues struggling as she’s dragged away, followed by Krennic and his guards. She watches the men holding Cassian tie him to the mainmast, making sure he can’t escape, before joining the rest of them. Krennic’s ship pulls farther away and Stardust sinks lower and lower into the ocean, but her gaze never leaves Cassian as long as she still sees him.

His eyes are regretful, apologetic. He looks resigned to his fate, a man who’s more concerned about leaving his lover behind than dying. Jyn knows he remembers their conversation in bed just as much as she does.

I don’t want to leave you behind.

Please don’t.

She watches until she can’t see him anymore, until he’s just a dot on a faraway slowly sinking ship. And Krennic, perhaps to drive the nail home, fires once again.

Stardust goes up in flames, pieces of wood scattering into the ocean, the mainmast falling with a loud splash. It takes a second and it’s all gone.

Jyn wails until she no longer has a voice. That night, a part of her too is gone.

She can’t bring herself to sell it so she settles for a compromise. She’s going to return it to the cave where it belongs, let some other poor clown find it if they can. It was never meant to be hers, never meant to be anyone’s, perhaps, but everyone has to learn from their own mistakes.

It should be fine, except the cave is gone. Which is ridiculous because she found it not even five days ago and it was here, she could have sworn the entrance was here, but somehow, she got lost or confused and disoriented, and the damn cave is gone. She dives underwater looking for the entrance several times, resurfacing periodically to catch her breath. All the while, the goblet weighs heavily in her hand, almost like –

It’s a stupid thought, but it’s almost like it’s trying to drag her down. Down into the deep where Cassian awaits her. And the more time that passes, the more she feels like this was a bad idea. She should have told Bodhi where she went, she should have brought him with her – she should just go back and sell the damn thing, but when she looks around, all she can see is water and water and more water. When did those dark clouds roll in? How could she have not noticed a storm approaching?

As soon as she realizes what’s happening, it’s like the sea comes alive around her. Jyn knows she’s in trouble. The waves toss her around like a ragdoll as she fights to stay above water. It keeps pulling her under, spraying saltwater in her eyes and mouth as she gasps for air and moves her limbs desperately to try and find land. She’s an excellent swimmer, but nobody can win against a storm.

She’s not sure how long she fights against the waves, but she’s getting exhausted. Her legs feel heavy, and it’s harder every time to push back to the surface when she goes under. The goblet weighs her down – distantly, she realizes she’s still holding it but she can’t make her fingers let go. Her strength is fading and still, her fingers remain locked tightly around its hilt like they have been welded together.

Then she hears it. Jyn! A voice calling her name, loud and desperate, a voice that sounds like…

Cassian. He finally called out to her.

She sees him in the distance before she goes under, blurry like a mirage. She knows why he’s here. It’d be so easy to join him, she realizes as the water engulfs her again. So easy to let go. Maybe it’s time, she thinks, and her fingers finally loosen around the goblet.

I’m coming, my love.

And just as she’s about to sink down into the deep, a hand seizes hers and drags her up, above the surface where she gasps and takes in large gulping breaths, coughing up water from her throat. Her lungs burn and her head feels dizzy, her vision blurry and darkening. But she can still make out Cassian’s face above her, staring at her with what seems like worry and relief at the same time.

“Are you here to take me with you?” she breathes, half resigned to her fate. She doesn’t hear his answer, if there is one, and she falls under with the comfort that at least her last moments were spent in the embrace of Cassian.

Jyn spends four months at Wobani before she and a couple of inmates manage to escape during a riot. The news spread quickly, causing unrest across every island from there to Havana. Nobody escapes Wobani, but they do and that doesn’t sit right with anyone. The people are scared, the authorities under pressure; there’s a massive search on every port across the Caribbean Sea. It means Jyn Erso must disappear. For good.

She takes on the name of Kestrel Dawn and returns to the place where she’s last seen Cassian alive. It’s the only thing she can think to do – he’s gone, Stardust is gone, Kay is gone, and the only person left alive who knows that a man named Cassian Andor once existed is her. It’s not enough, but as she stands on the beach at sunrise and places a bouquet of wildflowers on the water, she feels it counts for something.

It’s there, somewhere in the sea, that he lies at the bottom, waiting for her. As she looks out at the never-ending body of water, she feels a calm wash over her. He’s one with the sea now, everywhere, all around her, always with her.

The waves lap at her bare feet, the tide rising higher and more insistent. She feels like it’s trying to tell her something, trying to call her home.

She smiles, taking a deep breath. “Not yet, my love. Not yet.”

Jyn wakes up in her cabin and for a moment, all is normal. It takes a second to remember the storm, her losing battle against the waves, and… Cassian.

She sits up slowly, and Bodhi is suddenly by her side, pulling the blanket higher up her body like a worried mother hen.

“Thank god you’re awake! How are you feeling? You gave us quite the scare, Li,” he says all in one breath, and barely stops before adding. “Why didn’t you tell me where you were going?”

“I…” She squints, still a bit disoriented, staring off into space as memories slowly trickle in. She turns her head towards Bodhi, a realization sitting on her tongue. “I think he saved me.” Tears fill her eyes, too emotional to hide them. “He wasn’t here to take me with him, he was here to save me.”

She believed the legends, she’d given into thinking that he was here to drag her down. Appropriate revenge for a man who had been sacrificed like that for no good reason at all.

But that wasn’t Cassian, it couldn’t be. He’d never harm her, and he didn’t – not even in death. He wasn’t her grim reaper, he was her guardian angel.

“Liana,” Bodhi begins slowly, then awkwardly trails off. She can tell he’s not quite sure how to say what he wants to say.

“What?”

“I did save you,” says a voice from the doorway, and she knows who it belongs to even before she turns her head. Heartbeat in her throat, she lifts her head towards him, slowly, half-afraid that she’s not going to find anyone standing there.

But there he is. Leaning against the doorframe in all his glory, brown leather pants, and a loosely tied white shirt hanging from his frame, dark strands of hair curling against his neck. It’s longer than in her memories, and he’s thinner, too – too thin.

But he doesn’t seem so ghostly in the daylight, with the sun behind his back, and Bodhi looking at him too. He seems quite real, in fact. A gasp is stuck in her throat, her mouth dry at the sight of him. How is it possible…

When her gaze finally meets his, he seems just as shaken, awed, disbelieving. Jyn sits up fully, unable to look away as she methodically moves her legs off the bed. His eyes are misty and his hands are trembling a bit – but god, the way he looks at her… it’s the look of a man finding shelter in the middle of a storm.

He used to look at her like that in their private moments – when he was inside her, when they were in bed basking in the afterglow, when she cut down enemies with a single swipe of her sword before he even lifted his pistol.

It’s that look, more than anything, that convinces her this is real.

“You’re supposed to be dead,” she says at last, the only thing she can think to say. How are you not dead? Where were you?

“I’ll leave you two be,” Bodhi says. Shamefully, she’s forgotten he’s even in the room. He squeezes her shoulder in comfort before he goes, and she watches him give Cassian a small but encouraging smile as he passes him.

Once he’s gone, Cassian clears his throat. His gaze finally drops, the loss of its intensity making her chest tighten.

“I did save you,” he repeats, his voice rough with emotion. “I saw someone in the water. I didn’t realize it was you until… I was looking for the goblet.”

“I don’t understand,” Jyn gasps, shocked at how high her own voice sounds. She can’t swallow around the ball lodged in her throat.

“I’m not a ghost. I’m not dead, I never was.”

He still hasn’t moved from the doorway, almost like he’s too afraid to come closer. Jyn’s hand tightens around the bed frame.

“I saw the ship sink.”

“It did. And I almost drowned,” Cassian admits, his voice strained. The small laugh he lets out is humorless. “I don’t know how I survived, I really don’t. I guess I was just lucky that those idiots didn’t tie my hands well enough and I was able to break free before the last cannon hit the ship. I don’t remember much after that. I grabbed a plank floating in the water, just trying to hold on. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever make it to land, I must have been out there for days. I was trying so hard not to give up… for you. I had to make it back to you. But I was getting so tired. Eventually, I just…”

He shrugs, a small defeated gesture. His eyes drop to the floor, his shoulders hunched. He looks guilty, ashamed, and Jyn wants to get up, gather him in her arms and never let go, but she has to hear the rest of his story.

“I was washed ashore the next day, barely alive. It was a small remote island, no cities, no villages, no ships. No one lived there. I had no way back home. I was stranded there... for five years.”

He lifts his head up, and the despair she finds in his eyes almost has her doubling over.

“I wasn’t sure if I’d ever see you again,” he admits, small and heart-wrenching. Jyn closes her eyes, letting her tears run down her face and onto her lap.

“And then?” she croaks, her voice trembling.

“A merchant ship came by about three months ago. They took me back, brought me to Havana. I tried to look for you. I heard you escaped Wobani, but I couldn’t… well, there were no more mentions of Jyn Erso after that. No word of you for five years. I figured you had gone into hiding but I didn’t know how to find you. All I could think to do was… find the goblet.”

A sad smile plays on his lips, his eyes glassy.

“But you found it first. And I found you.”

Jyn takes in a shuddering breath, her whole body trembling.

“It’s gone. I think I let go of it in the water.”

“Good,” he breathes. His eyes find hers again, looking for a sign, an answer. When Jyn gives it to him, inclining her head just so, he cuts across the room in long strides and kneels in front of her. His tear-stained cheeks now match hers.

Tentatively, he takes hold of her hands, and a small desperate sound escapes her mouth at the touch. Her eyes flutter shut when his other hand reaches up to cup her cheek, trembling as she presses her face against his palm.

“Jyn,” he begins, voice hoarse. She can hear the fear in his tone. “Do you still…”

“I do,” she breathes without opening her eyes, without waiting to hear his question. “I do still. I do.”

She tugs on his hand to pull him up, and he goes willingly, his mouth finding hers like it was five years ago and they hadn’t been broken by the world and its cruelty yet. She clings to him desperately, clutching at the collar of his shirt, fingers slipping into his hair, trying to pull him closer as much as she can. The only thing that matters is that every part of her is touching every part of him.

She breaks away, the sound on her lips a strange mix between a laugh and a sob. His lips find her forehead instead and she buries her face in his chest, tears still in her eyes, but listening to his heartbeat steady under her hand.

There’s so much to talk about. So much to catch up on. It feels like a fever dream – she’s afraid to wake up and realize it hadn’t been real. But Cassian holds her tighter, and she knows that in his arms, nothing can hurt her.

They’re finally home.

#rebelcaptain #therebelcaptainnetwork #dailyrebelcaptain #my fics #pirate au #anonymous #replies

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scruffyhappaboreherder · 4 years

Text

A followup to Pumpkins and Problems. Jyn is mad at Cassian, and will be for the foreseeable future. ~2400 words. Modern AU. Brief mention of characters from Rebel Rising.

Morning came obscenely early. Jyn ran through her get-ready routine as quickly as she could; she had to make it to the bus stop in time to be on time. Her students had all had candy for breakfast, and most of them were planning to eat it for lunch, as far as she could tell. One of them tried to pressure Lan to eat something with peanuts, which would have triggered her allergies. Lan had an epi pen, but Jyn was hoping she never had to use it.

She confiscated Taylor's candy, told him he could have it back at the end of the day, and sighed with relief when her lunch hour came. She loved her job, and she appreciated her students, but some days were more difficult than others.

At least the garage had called to say she could have her car back that afternoon. The battery was dead, and she was lucky that it was nothing worse or more expensive.

Someone tapped on the doorframe, interrupting her reverie. She glanced up. It was one of the office aides.

"Hi ... the principal wants to see you."

"I'll be there soon."

The aide nodded and left. Jyn gulped down her lunch, brushed herself off, and headed for the office.

The receptionist looked up when she arrived. "He's waiting for you. You can go on in."

Jyn inclined her head and followed the corridor to the end, and paused before the open door. "Principal Merrick?"

"Come in, Ms. Erso. Sit down."

Jyn sat in one of the chairs, and looked at him quizzically.

"One of your students was taken ill during lunch. Lan Imwe."

Jyn's heart sank. "Was it her allergies?"

"I'm afraid so. She was taken to the hospital." Merrick fiddled with some papers on his desk. "I wanted you to know before your students came back from lunch and gave you a garbled version. It seems one of her classmates gave her candy with peanuts in it."

"Oh, no. Was it Taylor who gave her the candy?"

"I believe it was someone named Matthew." He glanced down at his desk. "Yes, Matthew Ryan."

Jyn grimaced. "I took all of Taylor's candy away before lunch, for trying the same thing in class."

"Thank you for the pointer; I'll have to speak to him too. Were there any other related incidents that you know of?"

Jyn shook her head. "No. Not that I know of."

"All right. Well, hopefully Lan will be back in your class soon. There will be a get well card for her in the teachers' lounge soon, if you want to sign it."

"Thank you for letting me know. I should get back to my classroom, but I'll sign the card."

"Very good." Merrick offered her a watered down smile; she supposed it was meant to be encouraging.

She walked away feeling sick to her stomach. Should she have warned the lunch monitors? Been more emphatic when she'd confiscated Taylor's candy? Would Lan's parents blame her?

She could hardly fault them if they did. God. A colleague had trusted her with his child, and she had failed pretty drastically.

So much for my fresh start, she thought grimly, remembering Mon Mothma's words when she'd contacted Jyn and encouraged her to apply for this job after the accident that killed Hadder and Akshaya. Would she always be failing and fucking things up?

She sat at her desk with her head in her hands, allowing herself a few moments of despair. Then she straightened and shook her head and wiped her eyes with a tissue. She still had the rest of the day to get through, including dealing with whatever her other students were feeling about Lan going to the hospital, and trying to keep them focused for the rest of the day.

---

Once she was back in possession of her car, it was tempting to go straight home. But she should stop somewhere and pick out a get well card for Lan, for the class to sign tomorrow.

She turned into a strip mall and parked outside the Hallmark. Bells on the door chimed as she went in; she automatically returned the greetings of the employee at the register, then made her way past the shelves of tchotchkes to the greeting card section.

There was someone else there. Someone much easier to identify now that he wasn't enveloped in a cloak and wearing a pumpkinhead.

Her hand clenched on the strap of her purse. She really, really didn't want to see him right now. She didn't want to see anyone right now, but he was at the top of the list of people she especially didn't want to see.

She could quickly pick out a card and pay for it and leave. He might not even notice her. You saw a person out of the corner of your eye in a store, browsing in the same section as you were, and as long as they didn't come too close you didn't necessarily look at them.

But he did look. His eyes widened; then he looked away and muttered "Excuse me." He walked away from her, to the end of the aisle and up the next; she could hear his footsteps. The bells on the door chimed; she looked sideways and saw him leaving.

"Well," Jyn muttered. "I have more right to be here anyway." That was at least a little bit irrational, but right now, she simply did not care. She scrutinized the Get Well section, found a card that was cute without being overly twee, and headed for the register.

---

The card was signed. Jyn had spent a certain amount of time gently reminding her class that they shouldn't do things that hurt other people. Now, she had to go to the office for a conference with Lan's father and Principal Merrick during her lunch break.

She was the last to arrive. Uncomfortably, she sat next to Mr. Malbus, clutching the card, waiting for someone else to break the silence. This was Merrick's show; let him kick things off.

To her surprise, Mr. Malbus spoke first. "Lan will be all right," he informed them. "I expect her to be able to come to school on Monday."

"I'll certainly be glad to have her back. This is for her," she added, handing the card to Mr. Malbus.

Mr. Malbus nodded. "Thank you. I have no complaints about your work as her teacher. But I have to question whether she can safely attend school. It's not my first choice, but my husband and I are might home-school her, at least until she understands her dietary restrictions, and until her classmates have had the time to outgrow certain behaviors and attitudes."

Jyn's heart sank. He did blame her, at least in part. It was better to have the suspense relieved, in a way.

"She is going to come back, at least on a trial basis," Mr. Malbus continued. "It would be better if she could finish out the year."

"We look forward to Lan's return," said Merrick, "and we're open to whatever accommodations or adjustments in her routine you might like to have made."

"We don't want Lan to be isolated from her peers. For now, we'd like to keep things as they are."

Merrick frowned. "Are you sure that's wise? We do our best, but as you know, we can't be everywhere."

"My husband and I think it's the best choice for Lan," Mr. Malbus said implacably. "If things aren't working out we can, of course, revisit this."

Merrick tapped his desk twice. "Have you considered having Lan take advantage of the district's counseling services?"

Now Mr. Malbus frowned. "Are you thinking of making it compulsory?"

"No. Just that—" Merrick hesitated "—some additional support might be useful for Lan. And it could be good guidance for all of us as we deal with this difficult situation."

"All right. But if Lan is uncomfortable, it stops."

"Of course." Merrick looked at her. "Ms. Erso, do you have any questions or concerns?"

She bit the inside of her lower lip. Yes. I feel outclassed and insufficient to this task. Her hands clenched in her lap. "I hope I'm not speaking out of turn, but I'm not really getting the sense that we have a solid plan here. Principal Merrick is right that we can't be everywhere. Mr. Malbus is correct that Lan shouldn't be isolated from her peers if it can be avoided. But I think we need to communicate to the parents, the other parents, that we need their support on this."

Merrick looked thoughtful. "We could use the email contact list, or send the students home with physical notices to sign and return. Thank you for that very constructive suggestion."

"I'm glad I could help." Relief flooded her, and she fought the urge to slump in her chair; she deliberately relaxed her hands instead. "But unless you have any questions for me, Mr. Malbus, I should return to my classroom; my free period will be over soon."

"I do have some questions, actually. But there's no reason to take up more of Principal Merrick's valuable time." Mr. Malbus stood. "Would you mind if we adjourned to your classroom?"

Jyn stood too. "Not at all," she lied. Her insides were a churning mess of apprehension and adrenaline. They walked out of the office and to Jyn's classroom. Malbus was silent as they walked; he didn't stand too close, and nodded casually to the fellow teachers and other staffers that they passed in the hall.

"So," she said, when they reached her room and she'd perched on the edge of her desk. "How can I help you, Mr. Malbus?"

"You don't have to call me Mr. Malbus. We are colleagues, after all." He fell silent, and Jyn waited for him to speak again.

"I don't blame you for what happened," he said finally. "I couldn't say it in front of Merrick, but a lot of things went wrong. It wasn't all your fault."

Jyn squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. "I couldn't say this in front of Merrick either, but I do blame myself."

"There will be a lot of that going around." Mr. Malbus shook his head. "But I wanted to ask you about something else."

Jyn looked at him and raised her eyebrows.

"I can't help wondering about that argument you were having on Halloween night. If something was—maybe is—on your mind."

"And keeping me from doing my job?" Jyn scowled. "Cassian Andor isn't a threat to me. He made a big mistake, and I don't think I'll ever trust him again, but my focus is on my students. You weren't witnessing some grand romantic ruction. We're neighbors, and we have some martial arts interests in common. That's all."

Mr. Malbus held up his hands. "I'm sorry. I don't want to pry. But I had to ask. It won't go any further."

"I suppose you did." Jyn grimaced. "But my mind is where it's supposed to be."

Mr. Malbus nodded. "All right. I'm grateful for your time. If there are any concerns you have about Lan once she's back at school, please let me know."

"Of course. Please give Lan my best wishes. And if there's anything I can do to make her return easier, I trust that you'll let me know."

Mr. Malbus shook his head. "She isn't thrilled about coming back. I'm hoping that she'll come around by Monday."

"I'll be prepared either way," Jyn said mildly. She glanced at the clock on the wall. "I don't want to rush you out, but my class will be back in about five minutes."

"I'll be going, then. I appreciate your time." He nodded to her and slipped out of the room, closing the door gently behind him.

---

When she was home, sitting on her couch and scrolling through the unwatched content on her DVR, she wondered what she should do about her other group of students. She taught self-defense classes one night a week and on Saturdays, and Cassian had sometimes been her demonstration partner. In exchange, she had gone to his historical combat practice sessions from time to time and taught people how to fall and how to do warm-up stretches. There was no way she could have him in the dojo. Even if she wanted to, Enfys would be thoroughly unamused.

She pulled up the group chat for the instructors and staff, typed "Need new demo partner. Old one no longer suitable. Bar his ass. Open to recommendations."

She set her phone down on the table, and remembered then that it was trash night. She put her shoes back on and went out to the garage, opening the door and lugging the can to the curb. Behind her, she heard a door open behind her, and tensed.

She turned to look. Cassian was standing on his porch, backlit by the porch light. Jyn clenched her teeth, then forced herself to relax her jaw and her shoulders. She planned on heading back inside and ignoring him.

"Jyn?" he said tentatively as she came within earshot. "I know you're mad, but I just want to say ... if there's anything I can do to make it up to you, I will."

"You can pay for the management company to change all my locks," she said coolly. "And once that's handled, you leave me alone. Don't talk to me, don't wave to me, nothing. Lose my number. Are we clear?"

"Clear. And I'm sorry."

Jyn shook her head, and went into the garage. She slapped the button to close the door, and stood with her back to the door to the house, watching with her eyes narrowed as the garage door closed. Then she went inside, sank back into the couch, and sighed heavily. I still have to live next door to that guy for almost a year, she thought grimly. Fantastic.

#my posts #not using the rc tags on this or posting it for the network because it ended up going in a different direction that i expected #so like warning for not a happy ending #am taking the long way with this one apparently

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