#grexigone

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.