Open RP Post

[candor1]

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[wherehopegoes]

It should not have come as much of a surprise that Cassian found her first. But Jyn's heart still stopped as she heard her voice called out above the din of the crowd, and her head shot up as she frantically scanned the assembled faces to find him among the crowd.

Before she even thought about barreling her way through all the bodies separating them, he was there and pulling her into his arms, and holding her as though he might never let her go again, so tightly that she could barely breathe ... or maybe that was because in her desperation to keep from crying her relief that he was there, her throat burned just as the tears prickling her eyelids did, too.

"Cassian - "

[candor1]

His fingers slipped through her hair against her cheek. He drew back to look at her and… only just stopped himself from kissing her. No. No, if that were to happen, it wouldn't be a reflex or an ambush. It would be a choice.

"I'm sorry," he heard himself saying instead. "I wasn't with you. I'm so sorry."

[wherehopegoes]

Jyn almost felt disappointment when in the wake of how desperately Cassian was holding onto her, how intensely he was looking her over, no kiss came, but maybe now just ... wasn't the right time, if there was such a thing. Besides, her relief in seeing that he'd made it off-world eclipsed all else, and all she wanted was to forget about everything around them and give in to the urge to keep him in her arms even longer.

"Doesn't matter - ", she answered, her voice raw with emotion that she couldn't hold back. "You're here now."

[candor1]

He wrapped his arms around her again, holding her like he needed her to staunch a chest wound, and said muffled into her shoulder, "So are you."

He raised his head this time at the sight of the teenager looking on. "Friend of yours?"

[wherehopegoes]

Finally, it felt like her heart was able to begin beating once again. And while she wanted to promise that nothing was going to take her away, Jyn knew that she couldn't. She was here now, though, and that was what counted.

She didn't have to tear her attention away from Cassian to know who he was referring to. "Yes. I promised I'd help her find her brother. Did - did all the transports make it?"

[candor1]

He nodded, then moved to stand facing the girl—without relinquishing one arm snug around Jyn. "Yes. All the transports are accounted for." He hesitated. He could pull rank, get them to the head of the line, but it was no more ethical or fair just because he'd be doing it for someone other than himself. Instead, he held out his hand to invited the girl to stand closer to them. "The wait's never more than five minutes. The droids are very used to this procedure."

[wherehopegoes]

Jyn hardly found cause to argue, even though the gesture was so open and obvious. Of course, having just relocated to new base on a new planet, most of the people milling about hadn't really noticed, concerned with better things entirely.

The girl - Jyn still didn't know her name - looked from her to Cassian, and finally broke into a small smile, nodding her understanding. "Thank you, sir, thank you so much!"

Jyn tentatively rested her head against Cassian's shoulder, closing her eyes to offer a silent prayer to deities she wasn't sure even existed that they'd found each other in all the chaos.

[candor1]

Cassian's arm tightened ever so slightly around her. He pressed his face momentarily to the top of her head in what might have been a kiss.

As the line persisted, Cassian regretfully pulled away from Jyn to address them both. "I might be able to help speed this up from the control room. But I can't take either of you with me." He looked at the girl. "Tell me your names and I'll make sure you and your brother are assigned to the same quarters if you want." Then at Jyn. "I'll find you at your quarters once I can get away?"

[wherehopegoes]

Jyn was not unaware of the gesture - she just wasn't certain of what it meant.

And of course, now was not the right time to broach the subject, and she wasn't even sure of how she was going to go about it, and she was grateful for the distraction of the crowd still milling about around them, and the task at hand, which was nearing the head of the line to find out about the girl's brother.

If she was disappointed when Cassian pulled away, she didn't let it show, simply nodding her understanding of the plan as it was explained, only tearing her attention away when the girl spoke up, offering her name as Soraya Zel and her brother as Xoren, and thanking them both profusely for their help.

And then, her expression ... hopeful ... Jyn met Cassian's gaze again. "Yes. I'll be waiting."

[candor1]

Rebellions are built on hope. The way she'd looked at him then, with the Jedhan sunlight on her face... he wanted again to kiss her, but wanted again their first kiss to be something other than this chaos.

(Did that mean he was planning on a first kiss? Don't presume, Andor.)

But he caught and squeezed her hand, then nodded to Soraya and took off back toward Command, as he'd promised Draven.

He tore through every assignment he was given at top speed, including finding the Zel siblings and making sure they would find one another, but it was still two hours before he could extricate himself without feeling like he was doing a disservice to anyone.

(Anyone other than Jyn. Would she still be waiting?)

He found her quarters and knocked.

[wherehopegoes]

Cassian wasn't the only one who wanted a kiss. Jyn had thought that maybe, in that hangar on Yavin, when he'd said welcome home ... and then again in the lift or that beach. And even if it hadn't meant anything more than a wordless thank you for coming back for her, thank you for being here at the end ... it would have been enough.

But now, his arm around her, the way he looked at her, and she thought ... maybe there was a reason they had been dancing around something since then. And maybe ...

Well, she couldn't concentrate on that just yet when she had promised Soraya she would help the girl find her brother, and the intended upon living up to that promise. So she returned the squeeze, and took a moment to steel her nerves, and reassured Soraya that she would be reunited with her remaining family eventually.

And after some time, when that became a reality, and the siblings were hugging each other tight, tears flowing, Jyn stole away to her own quarters, to try to settle, or rest, but mostly ... to wait.

And when the knock came (he was here, he was really here!) she practically leaped at it in order to open it as quickly as possible.

[candor1]

He hadn't planned it. He wasn't even thinking about it. But as soon as the door opened, both of Cassian's hands went to Jyn's face, fingertips slipping under her hair to frame her cheeks, and he kissed her.

[wherehopegoes]

Jyn wasn't expecting it, if her startled little gasp was any indication. But she didn't wrench away from Cassian's gentle grasp, didn't push him away or even ask him what the hell he thought he was doing. If anything, she leaned into him as if she was seeking the comfort of his contact, curled her fingers into his jacket, and held on tight.

She returned the kiss.

[candor1]

Her gasp had nearly made him pull away, when her hands on his jacket pulled him back. He hadn't meant to, but he meant it now, as he continued to kiss her, one hand pulling free only to fumble for the doorway and gently move them through and inside it.

[wherehopegoes]

Cassian may not have intended it, but now that it was happening, Jyn didn't want it to have to end. And even as they stumbled through the doorway, into her quarters instead of out in the hall where anyone passing by would see.

And Jyn hoped that somewhere within her kisses - a little messy, a lot desperate, needy and relieved and so wanting - Cassian could somehow feel exactly what she felt for him.

The words were too hard. But this, at least, was easier

[candor1]

Falling inside the room, inside the kiss, Cassian wrapped both arms around her and held on tight, keeping himself from falling through the molecules of the planet into space. He just wanted this to go on, go deeper, more...

But words, especially hard ones, should be said, after a lifetime (for him) of not saying anything he wanted to, it shouldn't be that way with Jyn; so perhaps unnecessary in one way but not another, he pulled back only far enough to breathe, "I couldn't find you. I didn't look. I followed procedure. I'm so sorry."

[wherehopegoes]

Oh, she had dreamt about this moment - ! In her dreams, the circumstances leading up to the kiss hadn't been quite so dire, but Jyn would like to think that her dream self had felt just like this, had felt weightless and unbound, like dream Cassian was the only thing holding her to the earth.

(Although, in her dreams, a little voice in the back of her head wasn't screaming what a bad idea this was, that it didn't mean anything, that it was a result of adrenaline and relief and nothing more.

This means nothing. You mean nothing. Don't get emotionally involved, it will only lead to disaster.)

Cassian pulled away, but stayed close, and Jyn wanted to breach the tiny distance between them to continue the kiss, but didn't, dizzy from the suddenness of it. And as he spoke, she wanted nothing more than to reassure him that she wasn't holding anything against him - it had all happened in the blink of an eye, and for as hard as she fought to find him, she had found herself caught up and unable to, as well.

"We're here now", she finally managed, her fingers gently touching his, "That's what matters."

ooc note

[candor1]

[I'm so sorry I fell off the face of the planet, there! Any interest in continuing? Or starting something new? Or time-jumping from where we were? Sorry again!]

Re: ooc note

[wherehopegoes]

[Hiya! No worries, life happens, and I am always up for continuing, or doing something new, or whatever works best. I'm happy to play whatever, wherever, whenever.]

Re: ooc note

[candor1]

[Yay! Thank you! I'll refresh my memory a bit then tag :-) ]

Re: ooc note

[wherehopegoes]

[No problemo! I'll be here, so no hurry.]

[candor1]

His fingers threaded, almost hesitantly, with hers. His eyes searched her face, falling deep into the stardust in hers. He smiled in a way she'd never seen before—few people ever had: nervously, shyly. It made him look so much younger. Then tilted his face down to, more slowly, more careful and deliberate, kiss her again.

[wherehopegoes]

He took her breath away. How careful he was with her, so cautious, that he had managed to let his walls down far enough to allow her to see a wholly different side of him - nervous and shy and young, the young man that he should have had the chance to become. And she hoped, as she tilted her chin up in order to meet the kiss, hers.

[candor1]

Hers. All hers. He'd been hers since he met her.

His hand came up again—gently, carefully—behind her head, under her hair, as the kiss deepened.

And he took a step in the direction of the bunk.

[wherehopegoes]

His.

Ever since 'welcome home', probably before then. Now. Always. But Jyn couldn't fathom feeling like this for anyone else, couldn't imagine ever attempting it. This was where she wanted to be, who she wanted to be with.

And even as she gasped a muffled breath into the kiss and shivered from an unfamiliar but not unwanted touch of his hand, she easily followed his trail, eagerly followed along.

Yes. I want this. No more waiting.