Chapter Text
During the next day, Jyn tried no to think too much about why she was helping Cassian out once again. She tried not to think about the upcoming party at all, which was made pretty difficult by the fact that she had to go shopping. Actual shopping. Not what she did when she bought new clothes, because she usually just went straight for the most practical attire and didn't waste another thought about it.
She took Cassian's advice and went into a shop to ask someone for help. The shop assistant seemed to be very happy to pick out all kinds of dresses, gowns and robes that she promised were very popular at the moment. Jyn had to discard most of them because they would draw too much attention. In the end she decided on a dress made of a dark blue satyn fabric that twinkled a little in the light. It was slim on her body but theoretically she could still fit a blaster to her leg. It reminded Jyn of the night sky. She bought a pair of matching shoes and, because the shop assistant insisted, a black purse.
After leaving the shop, Jyn was in a pretty bad mood for having spent so much money on something she would probably never wear again. Maybe she should insist on getting paid after all. Back at the hotel room, she got herself ready as best as she could. Jyn realized she had never had to dress up or make herself pretty for such an occasion before. She had to log into the HoloNet of the hotel to look up what she could possibly do with her hair, but in the end she decided to just wear it down instead of tying it up as usual.
After she was done, she tried to busy herself while she waited for Cassian. There was no way she could deny that she was incredibly nervous. It took all of her willpower to not start pacing the room and just sit on the bed. She used her time to look up some information about the party and the people that would attend. At least this way she felt better prepared for her role. Jyn couldn't help that her thoughts would occasionally drift to Cassian though. She remembered how after Nar Shaddaa she had been more aware of any Imperial KX Security Droids, wondering every time she saw one, if it was the one that belonged to Cassian and if the Captain was around somewhere as well. A knock on her door tore Jyn from her thoughts and she almost stumbled over her dress on her way to get up quickly.
Opening the door to see Cassian standing in the hallway almost took her breath away. He looked strikingly good in his black robes, his hair combed back and his beard neatly trimmed. Jyn didn't even notice that Cassian was staring at her with the same wide-eyed expression. For a moment they just looked at each other before Cassian seemed to recover first.
“You... You look very good.” he coughed as he stepped into her room so she could close the door.
“Th-thanks.” she murmured and turned to him to see that he was holding something out for her and she took it from him.
“Your papers.” he explained and she looked at the ID card with her own face on it. “K2 made it with a picture from your files. It should be convincing enough to get us inside.” The way he said it didn't sound very convincing to her, but she put it in her purse anyway.
“You know, I have my own fake ID that I could have used?” Jyn couldn't help but point out to him, wondering if Cassian didn't trust her forgery skills. He gave her a small smile and shrugged at her words.
“I know, but I changed your birthplace to the planet my own alias comes from, so it's more convincing that we know each other.” Jyn didn't have anything to say to that. She wondered how much time and effort Cassian had to put into each of his fake backgrounds when he was working like this.
When she looked back at Cassian, he gave her a small smile and took her hand. Jyn could feel her heart jump as she observed how he took out a small silver ring and put it on her finger.“Fits.” he said with a relived sigh and smiled at her while she just nodded at him, trying to get her breathing back under control. When he turned away, Jyn took a moment to look at the ring, touching it carefully as if it would fall apart. “Alright, are you ready?” he asked, looking around the room as if he was checking for any items that she was supposed to bring with her.
Jyn rolled her eyes behind his back and opened the door again so they could leave. “Come on, Theron, let's go.”
They took a hover cab to the party, sitting in the back in silence until they reached their destination. Daylight was quickly fading and it seemed like the party had already started when they arrived. As they got out of the cab, Jyn took a moment to admire the huge mansion that lay before them. It had the same back and white facade as the other buildings of Lehda City with extra large glass windows that reflected the sunset back at them. Cassian didn't seem too impressed by the view as he stepped up next to Jyn. He took her arm and urged her to follow him up the stairs.
Jyn could feel herself tense up when Cassian pulled her closer and she had to force herself to relax her muscles when they arrived at the entrance. A service droid asked them for their invitations and identification which Cassian presented to it before they were allowed to enter the building. “Where did you get the invitation?” Jyn whispered curiously at Cassian, as they walked inside.
“The reward of a different mission. They are forgeries as well.” he explained and hushed her as they walked through the main hall.
It was crowded with dozens of people. Maybe one or two hundred expensively dressed citizens from different species and planets, talking with each other over the music that was quietly playing in the background.
“Are you not afraid someone is going to recognize you from the wanted posters?” Jyn kept pressing him for information although she could tell that Cassian was getting disgruntled at the topic.
“These people are all very occupied with their businesses and money. They don't exactly care for criminals and the Alliance. Also, this moon is not under Imperial control, so it's not like the posters are present around here. Now would you stop asking questions that could compromise our cover?” he hissed under his breath, turning around to frown at her before he noticed how tense she was.
“And you need to relax. You look far too stressed.”
Jyn rolled her eyes at that. “That's because I'm nervous okay? I don't know how to behave myself around these people.” she whispered back at him. She was not prepared for him to step closer, putting his arms around her waist and smiling down at her.
“We are a couple in love, remember? We need to look the part. Now let's find someone to talk to.” Cassian took her hand and pulled her deeper into the crowd.
It didn't take them long to find someone who was willing to talk with them. It seemed that people were very eager to socialize. Jyn got a lot of compliments for her dress but for the main part she let Cassian do the talking. They had rehearsed their background stories superficially and Cassian made anything else up spontaneously while he was talking, if they got asked for something that they hadn't agreed upon earlier.
When they were started a conversation with a couple from Alderaan, the woman was quite interested in their romantic story. She kept asking Jyn a lot of questions, while Cassian was talking “business” with the husband, and Jyn had to improvise a lot of cute stories about how she had met Theron, about their first date and finally how he had proposed to her. The woman seemed to eat it all up eagerly, making noises of awe at the appropriate moments and telling Jyn a few stories of her own marriage. It was a stressful situation at first until Jyn decided to just get creative and not worry too much about what she said.
After what had to be half an hour, the two men finally joined them again and Cassian casually put his arm around Jyn's waist.
“What have you two been talking about?” the other husband wanted to know, kissing his wife on her cheek.
“Oh I asked lovely Lana all the questions about their love story, darling!” she explained and smiled at Jyn who smiled back just as kindly. It was difficult to keep up a relaxed face while she could feel Cassians's hand stroking her side as if he did that all the time.
“You two are so lovely together. Have you danced yet?” the woman asked and Jyn almost let her pleased expression slip from her face.
“Ah no, not yet.” Cassian said, taking Jyn's hand. “I was just about to ask.” If they hadn't been on an undercover mission, Jyn would have probably stepped on his foot for that. She shot him a questioning look, careful not to show how much she disliked this idea.
“Aw yes, you must dance! It's good for the soul, right darling?” her husband seemed to agree with his wife and Cassian excused them to pull Jyn to the dance floor.
The Captain stood infront of her, talking a dancing position as he waited for the next song to start. Jyn pressed closer so she could hiss in his ear.
“What are you doing?! I don't know how to dance!” she hated how her voice almost sounded a little panicked. But Cassian just chuckled at her, his chest brushing against Jyn with silent laughter.
“Don't worry, no one will watch us that closely. Just follow my lead.” When the music started, Cassian moved them across the dance floor in slow circles. Jyn had trouble to keep up at first, but after she realized the pattern of the steps, she was able to match Cassian just fine.
“I needed to get away from that couple. The husband told me quite a few interesting things, but his questions were a little too detailed for my comfort.” Cassian explained after they had danced for two rounds, swaying Jyn gently forth and back to the rhythm. He was so close that Jyn could feel his breath against her ear, tickling her skin as he spoke. He smelled incredibly good, she realized. It made her heart beat faster and she prayed that he couldn't feel it against his chest.
After the next song ended, Cassian pulled Jyn away from the dance floor which was fine with her since she felt that she needed a break from his presence for a few minutes. She excused herself to the bathroom and Cassian told her to meet him back at the buffet. When she was about to step away, Cassian puller her close and kissed the top of Jyn's hair before he let go and disappeared into the crowd.
Jyn quickly walked away, trying to pull herself back together. This was ridiculous. She had never acted so stupid around anyone before. But Cassian was getting under her skin with everything he did. It was maddening to be around him while he was acting like he was in love with her. All the little touches and the little gestures were driving her absolutely crazy. Jyn had no idea how much longer he was planning on staying at the party but she hoped they would leave soon. It was difficult to stay in character and act like they were behaving like this all the time.
Jyn turned around a corner to find herself in a quiet hallway. She took a minute to just breathe and calm herself. There was no way to deny it, she had a crush on Cassian. It was the weirdest feeling, unlike anything she had felt before. She wanted to be in his presence but at the same time she was afraid of loosing control around him. Jyn did have romantic relationships in the past. Although they had been hardly romantic and more a fulfillment of needs. She certainly never had any feelings for any of these guys. The only love she knew was the one for her parents. But what she was feeling around Cassian, it had to be something like love. She had no other way of describing it. Well fuck.
After a few minutes, Jyn realized she needed to get back to Cassian. So she made her way back to the main hall, pushing through the crowd until she reached the tables loaded with food from different cultures and planets. Cassian was nowhere around, so Jyn took her time, picking some samples from several dishes and trying them out. Working undercover seemed to have some advantages after all, she thought, enjoying the diversity and experience of the more foreign dishes.
Even though it took her a while until she was too full to keep eating, Cassian still didn't show up. Jyn frowned, starting to worry about him as she searched the crowd. Maybe he was just stuck in an important conversation. As she made her way around, a pretty humanoid female approached her.
“Are you looking for your partner?” she asked and Jyn managed a nod despite her confusion at the question. “He went this way.” the woman said and pointed to an exit of the main hall. “He is quite handsome. I'm almost a bit jealous.” she winked at Jyn and disappeared into the crowd again. Well, that was weird, Jyn thought, but made her way into the pointed direction anyway.
The door took her outside to a little balcony. It was dark and Jyn could see the stars and the lights of Lehda City in the distance. She noticed two dark figures standing at the railing. One of them was Cassian and he was talking to a young female human. They were standing very close and Cassian was whispering something in her ear, smiling with an expression that Jyn had never seen on him before. Flirty, she realized. He was flirting with her. She observed how he brushed a strand of the girl's hair back and she giggled at him, saying something that made him laugh as well.
Jyn could feel the anger boiling up inside of her, making her skin heat up as if she was on fire. Without a second thought, she took the remaining steps to close the distance between them and punched Cassian in the chest.
“You are such an asshole!” she shouted at him and she could hear the girl squeal in surprise. Jyn turned to her and gave her a murderous look that managed to chase her away instantly. Cassian, who had stumbled back at her punch, was wheezing a bit because of Jyn's blow. He winced and held up a hand in surrender as Jyn took another threatening step towards him.
“Jyn, wait!” he gasped, forgetting about her alias, as he rubbed a hand over the sore spot on his chest. Jyn clenched her hands, wanting to shout some more at him, but not knowing what it was that she wanted to yell.
“Let me explain.” he pulled himself back up and straightened his robes before he continued. “She is the daughter of a company owner who sells weapons to the Empire.” he explained quietly, looking around to see if they were still alone on the balcony. “I was just getting her to give up some information about the trades.”
“Oh yeah, sure!” Jyn laughed at him without any humor, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I hope that worked out well for your.” she spit the words out at him and turned around to storm off. But Cassian grabbed her arm and turned her back around, his grip almost painfully tight. Jyn didn't yield though, she struggled against his hold, trying to break free, but Cassian fought her just as much, holding onto her with all of his strength. He pulled her into an embrace, effectively pinning her against his chest until she gave up.
“Jyn” he whispered against her hair, speaking in a soft tone as if he was trying to calm an animal, which only served to make her more angry. “Jyn, I promise, it meant nothing to me.”
Jyn stood in his arms like a frozen statue, not moving or saying anything for a few minutes. Why did he say something like that? What did he thought was the reason for her reaction? Jyn could feel how her anger was slowly dissolving. Instead, she felt something like fear rising in her. Had she just accidentally revealed her feelings for him?
“Please let go of me.” she whispered but she could feel him shake his head.
“Not until I am sure that you understand. Not until you forgive me.”
A disbelieving laugh escaped her lips before she could stop herself. ”Forgive you? For what?”
Cassian pulled back far enough to look at her, his eyes were confused, searching hers for some kind of hint about her thoughts.
“For flirting with her, obviously.” he said and frowned at Jyn.
“That's none of my business.” Jyn argued, raising her chin at him in a show of defiance.
“You could have fooled me there. Why were you so angry then?” he asked and raised an eyebrow at her glare. Unfortunately, Jyn didn't have a good answer to that. She broke their eye contact and turned her head away, feeling shame heat up her face.
“I'm sorry about it, okay?” Cassian tried again although Jyn refused to look at him. He still had his arms around her tightly, as if he was afraid of letting her go while she was still angry with him. “I shouldn't have... I mean, I know why you reacted like that. I would have reacted just the same if it had been the other way around.” he quietly admitted and Jyn looked back at him with surprise.
“What do you mean?” she asked and felt her heartbeat quicken at the way he looked at her. Cassian didn't reply. Instead, he carefully put his hand on Jyn's cheek and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.
It was almost like back on Nar Shaddaa, the first time he had kissed her. Jyn was too surprised to react but this time, it was just a short press of his lips, almost tentative, before Cassian already pulled back. He gave her a questioning look and Jyn realized he wasn't all that sure about her feelings after all. On Nar Shaddaa, Jyn had kissed him back urgently, both of them a little desperate with the knowledge that they might never see each other again. Now Cassian was being very careful, testing the ground between them. Jyn couldn't help but smile at the revelation, this time taking the initiative herself to press her mouth to his.
Cassian met her eagerly, turning them around so he could press her against the wall next to the door. His urgency made Jyn grin as he pushed against her. One of his hands was on her hip, the other one on the back of her head, cushioning her against the cold wall. Jyn held onto his shoulder, enjoying the moment as much as possible. She had no idea how long they were standing there until she heard someone cough next to them. Cassian took a step back at the noise, tensing up involuntarily, but it was just an old couple that was sending them a judgmental glare. Jyn gave them an apologetic smile and pulled Cassian back inside into the main hall.
She instantly noticed that the party had quieted down a bit and it looked like half of the guests had already left. Cassian seemed to come to the same conclusion as he turned to Jyn.
“Let's call a cab and leave.” he said and gave her a smile that looked almost shy. Jyn was so fascinated with this new expression on his face that she didn't answer and just let Cassian pull her along. She realized that she didn't know him at all. In the beginning, he had been so tense and secretive, always frowning at her and not revealing anything. Now he seemed much more loose around her, showing all kinds of different emotions that Jyn collected like little treasures.
Outside, the air was a little chilly but not so much that Jyn felt cold. As they waited, Cassian took her hand, stroking it absently with his thumb, making shivers run up and down Jyn's back.
“Do you have what you came here for?” Jyn dared to ask, trying to keep her thoughts away from more dangerous territory. Cassian nodded at her and gave her a relaxed smile.
“Yes, more than I could have hoped for.” Jyn wasn't sure if there was an intentional double meaning to his words or if he didn't notice. Before she had the chance to dwell on it, the taxi speeder had arrived and they both got in.
Cassian gave the driver the address of Jyn's hotel. The drive didn't take long but he didn't let go of Jyn's hand the whole time.