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Cassian was back on Yavin IV after one of his most stressful journeys as of late. He dreamed of a good caf right now and needed to find K2. Unfortunately, considering the time sensitivity of the intel he gathered, his report couldn’t wait.
He quickly made his way towards the briefing room, where he knew General Draven would already be waiting. He had only managed to send an overview of the mission’s results, anything more detailed had been too risky. His superior had simply told him that a meeting would take place as soon as he landed.
Upon entering the briefing room, Cassian saw the General focused on his datapad. The man glanced at the captain and silently signaled for Cassian to join him behind the console. They didn’t have a lot of time before the start of the meeting and Draven preferred to have a minimum of details to be able to share the essentials with the team. Although in this case, Cassian would be the one explaining the specifics on site and how to neutralize the facility. The global objective was to blow up absolutely everything, which is why Draven contacted his Spec Ops counterpart and the Pathfinder squad that would make everything explode, one of their specialties. A very cathartic option in the spy’s opinion.
Once everyone got there, the Pathfinders gathered behind and next to their superior. Draven launched himself in a precise yet concise briefing. Cassian took the opportunity to turn his attention towards the newly arrived team. He was finally able to put a face on the renowned specialized forces, and his curiosity would finally be met. All of them wore serious faces, listening intently to the intel.
Knowing the mortality rate of their unit inside the Rebel’s army, Cassian wasn’t expecting to recognize any of them. He was almost right.
He let his gaze fly across the unknown figures. His heart missed a beat when he saw the leader of the group. That was Melshi. There was no doubt about it. This was the man he’d met several years ago and hadn’t seen since their escape from the prison on Narkina 5. Since their separation on this cursed beach on Niamos. Despite not hearing about him since then, he hadn’t forgotten Melshi’s face and the deep friendship they shared, no matter the short time they’d spent together.
Despite the brutal shock of unexpected familiarity, the spy had enough training and experience to keep a perfectly blank expression, betraying none of the emotions suddenly storming inside. Not that he voluntarily wanted to hide himself from his old friend, but the mission was currently the main priority. Plus, while Cassian had seen and recognized him, Melshi had not noticed him as he had kept to the back.
He had to admit, keeping a straight face proved to be more difficult than usual. He had hoped to see his friend again but had buried the thought deep in his mind. His sudden reappearance in the Captain’s life rattled him more than expected. Now that he thought about it, he should have known that one day or another, Melshi would cross paths with the Rebellion. They had both planned to spread the word about Narkina and the Empire’s actions.
Cassian regretted not looking for his friend. After the uprising on Ferrix, the impact of Maarva’s death and being actively wanted by the ISB, only to end up being recruited in the Rebellion, Cassian had had a lot on his plate. Luthen had given him mission upon mission as soon as he had officially joined, without really giving him a moment of pause.
The spy was lost in his thoughts when Draven mentioned him, pulling him out of his inner turmoil.
“I’ll let Captain Andor explain in more detail the topography and the location of the weak points to target.”
Cassian stepped forward under the spot illuminating the conference table and projected the stolen holomap of the facility. The squad turned their attention to him. They tried to hide it, but Cassian recognized the surprise on their faces. They were not used to completely missing someone that was standing in the same room from the start. The Pathfinders didn’t hesitate to ask for specifics during Cassian’s explanations. He replied to the best of his abilities, while keeping a small part of his attention on Melshi.
When the Captain finally met his eyes, he saw Melshi on the verge of asking a question totally unrelated to the current assignment. The spy knew what he was about to ask. Melshi clearly recognized him and most likely wanted to know if he remembered him. Cassian imperceptibly nodded, hoping his friend would understand the hidden message to stay silent. Not here, not now. Not in front of everyone, not to mention his boss. Melshi’s eyes widened almost comically at Cassian’s acknowledgment before he managed to put back on a mask of professionalism. More or less.
Andor could see the tension in his demeanor. He hoped the briefing would come to an end very soon, because it was clear that Melshi didn’t have the same patience as him. The sergeant had his confirmation; it would be enough for now.
As soon as the meeting was over, the squad was dismissed. They needed to prepare for takeoff right away. Melshi glanced at Cassian one last time and followed his comrades. The Captain was about to ask for permission to Draven to follow Melshi, but the General anticipated it.
“You can go. I’ll expect some explanation after they leave.”
Cassian nodded. “Of course, General. I won’t be long anyway.”
He was thankful to have a moment in private with his friend, especially before his departure on a dangerous mission. They met again after years of not even knowing if the other was alive, and already they were parting. Cassian caught up with the group of soldiers. Fortunately, the Sergeant had stayed a little bit behind, so the spy had no trouble getting his attention.
“Sergeant Meshi, a moment please.” The man stopped in his tracks and half-turned.
Aware of the gaze of all the other Pathfinders on them, Cassian kept a straight face, betraying no intent or recognition.
“No problem, Captain.” He turned to his squad, “Go ahead guys, I’ll meet you in the hangar. Get everything ready for the mission, in the meantime.”
Despite their obvious curiosity (why would a spy from Intel want to talk privately to one of them?), they left the two men alone for the first time in years in the base’s hallway. Cassian gently pulled on Melshi’s sleeve. He wanted to find somewhere more private to talk. They found a currently unused storage room not far and Cassian closed the door behind them. He barely had time to turn back that Melshi blurted, “Keef?”
The mental blow was immediate. He hadn’t heard his fake name for a long time. Hearing it from the last man who used it made it even more destabilizing. He didn’t know how to respond and paused to compose himself.
“Technically, it’s Cassian Andor, not Keef Girgo.” He finally replied with a half-smile.
This was the only confirmation his friend needed before literally throwing himself at Cassian. Despite years of experience perfecting his reflexes, the spy was so surprised he failed to dodge. Someone was hugging him. Melshi was hugging him. Cassian was definitely not used to this kind of physical contact, and he involuntarily tensed. With a lot of effort, he managed to relax a bit and reciprocated the embrace. This was Melshi after all. He was probably the last person he had been intimate with since he joined the Rebellion.
“I can’t believe it, this is really you.” Said Melshi, taking a step back to better see his friend. “How have you been? I wasn’t expecting to meet you here. Wait, no. Actually, it should have been obvious. I imagine you must have been a rebel from the beginning?”
Cassian shook his head negatively. “No. If you’re talking about Narkina 5, it was… well, complicated, but I wasn’t part yet of the Rebellion. I joined shortly after, though.”
While the spy was more than happy to meet his friend again, he really didn’t want to go into detail about the events following their separation on Niamos.
“What about you, Sergeant Melshi,” emphasizing his title, “leader of a squad of Pathfinders? I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting to see you.”
“A lot happened since we parted. I slowly made my way up the ranks and built quite a team I can be proud of.”
“Talking about your team.” Replied Cassian, reminded about the circumstances of their meeting. “I think they might be waiting for you. I don’t want to make you late for your mission. We wouldn’t want my mission to go to waste because we talked too long.”
Melshi obviously noticed the change of subject. The disappointed look was obvious on his face, although he said nothing about it, to Cassian’s relief. Moreover, the Captain’s comment wasn’t wrong, Melshi needed to join his team soon.
“Ugh, yeah you’re right.” Sighed Melshi. “I need to go. But you must promise to tell me everything when I come back!” He pointed an accusing finger.
Andor simply replied with an amused smile and reopened the door. This was so strange. Melshi was still the same man he had met a few years ago and befriended, but at the same time he was so glaringly different. He was a lot happier for starters.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be there. I have no plans to leave the Alliance anytime soon.”
Both men were now back in the hallway. Melshi squeezed Cassian’s arm one last time and quickly left towards the main hangar. Cassian watched him go with a pinched heart before returning to the briefing room.
There, Draven gave him the information necessary for his next mission. He was heading for Coruscant. Cassian was posing this time as an assistant to a senator to determine which politicians should be monitored more closely due to the entanglements with the Empire, and which could be swayed in the Alliance’s favor. Despite the meager two pages of intel and the obvious danger of the assignment, he was glad to receive another mission so soon. He craved the focus on an objective, pushing away the distraction of Melshi’s return in his life. Maybe ignoring the resurgence of his past by throwing himself into danger was not the best way to deal with it, but this would do for now. Cassian was a master at burying his past after all.
In the end, the mission that was supposed to last two standard weeks took him six. And the unplanned presence of a senator that knew in passing one of his aliases complicated everything.
Without much surprise, he came back to Yavin IV very frustrated and grumpy. At least his mission was successful enough to make it worth it. But barely. He landed with only one purpose in mind: give his report to Draven and definitively put this mission behind him. Maybe the Chief of Intelligence would have another assignment to give him right after and he could lose himself in another setting, another persona.
Playing as a senator’s assistant might be the worst cover after posing as an Imperial, but not by much. At least the Empire was clear in its position. If he needed to leave precipitately, he could blow up everything without giving a shit. With senators, he needed to think about the potential consequences of an assassination, and they thought of themselves as benevolent and good people. They just took advantage of the system without caring about the Empire’s actions and most of them were unwilling to oppose its decisions. As long as it didn’t involve them directly and impacted on their precious and privileged way of life, the galaxy could be on fire, and they would act as if everything was fine.
This thought process only aggravated his already sour mood. He probably frightened a few people while marching towards the Intelligence room. He didn’t care.
When he was finally free after a grueling but necessary report, the evening was already well underway. With luck the mess would still be open. If not, the lock on the kitchen door would not prevent him from entering.
A sliver of luck was with him tonight. The mess was miraculously still illuminated and only two other people were there. He could eat in peace without talking to anyone. A dream come true.
His meal was suddenly interrupted by a presence in front of him. Cassian only raised his head when the person sat down. A dry dismissal was on the tip of his tongue when he realized it was Melshi. The man looked better than six weeks prior. He looked less tired and more alive. Cassian couldn’t turn his gaze from his friend’s face. He had missed him.
He thought the fact would surprise him. It didn’t.
“Do you want some food? I have almost finished my portion, but I’m sure I can plead with the cook to give me some more if he’s still here.”
Small talk was in Cassian’s opinion a total waste of time, except during missions. But if the amused look on Melshi’s face was any indication, maybe this was a bit too abrupt, as a conversation starter.
“Well, since you ask so nicely. How could I refuse? You look starved, though; I don’t want to steal the food you clearly need.” Melshi faked being deep in thoughts. “Although… I’m sure the cook would take pity on you if he saw you and would offer you triple rations if you gave him a sad look.”
Cassian tried to hide the laugh bubbling in his chest by looking affronted, but it was a lost cause from the start. It was almost frightening how Melshi was able to open him up just with his presence.
“How dare you. I come back from six weeks of a shitty mission and that’s what I get? What are friends for.”
“Oh, you have friends plural?” Melshi was on a roll. “From what I heard when you were away, you don’t talk to anyone outside of missions if you don’t have to.”
Melshi raised a finger. “I heard about your imperial droid, K2-SO doesn’t count.”
The spy was stopped short in his reply. Shit. He was going to mention K2. The little bastard. The murderous look he gave the pathfinder only managed to broaden the man’s grin.
“I missed you. We came back from the mission after a week. It went well, everything got blown up as planned. A true work of art.”
“Yeah, sorry I would have come back sooner if I could.”
Melshi dismissed the statement with his hand.
“No matter. You’re here now. And we have a lot to catch up on.”
“Yeah, I guess we do.” He paused for a moment. “But… can we do it tomorrow? I haven’t slept in ages, and this won’t be a happy and short conversation.”
His own disappointment was clear in Cassian’s voice. He wanted to talk for hours with his friend, but he couldn’t ignore his body’s needs any longer. Three days without sleeping took its toll and his now full stomach didn’t help. Fortunately, Melshi agreed (probably seeing the huge dark rings under his eyes) and helped him clear the table. If their shoulders brushed once or twice while taking the plates back to the kitchen, neither of them mentioned it.
Months had passed since their first reunion. Since then, they had settled into a routine. It was still a bit erratic due to the unpredictability of their missions, especially on his side, but they found the time. Cassian was deeply aware that both of them were the main subject of gossip of Melshi’s Pathfinder squad due to their unusual friendship. He didn’t have a care in the world.
Almost every time their schedule aligned, they would eat together to catch up or enjoy the down time on the top of one of the temples. They had been interrupted too many times by K2, who thought they were going to do something inappropriate, according to his standards. Whether or not he intentionally misinterpreted the situations (talking on the bed with caf), Cassian didn’t know. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.
They were presently in Cassian’s quarters, enjoying the extra space in the room to discuss comfortably without prying eyes. Up until recently, the room had been bare. Cassian didn’t spend enough time in it to accumulate personal stuff and he certainly never brought back souvenirs from his missions. Looking around, he realized it wasn’t the case anymore. Little by little Melshi had brought back small gifts that had found a home in Cassian’s room.
“You know, if you continue to put all your stuff at my place, I’ll run out of space and your own room will be so empty your squad will wonder if you still exist.”
“Well, at least I’m not a real ghost.” He retorted
“What do you mean?” The spy was intrigued.
“There is this superstition going around about the kitchen being haunted. According to the rumors, a ghost is stuck in the kitchen and starts the ovens during the night when everyone is gone. In the morning, the place is clean and empty, and it is as if nothing happened.”
Cassian huffed. In his opinion, superstitions like this were stupid. One would have simply needed to look inside to realize it wasn’t a ghost. Plus, it was only polite to leave the kitchen in the state you found it. Melshi’s winning smile contrasted with Cassian’s own false vexed expression. Melshi loved to make fun of his reputation. If it was anyone else doing it, it would have annoyed him to no end, but he was close enough to the Pathfinder to know it was just friendly banter. He secretly enjoyed it too. Some of the rumors were sometimes so over the top.
“In any case, I have stuff in my own room as well. If I want to give you little things, you’ll have to deal with it. I’m not planning to stop bringing life to this former bare and soulless place.”
Melshi’s comm suddenly activated, cutting short the quip on Cassian’s lips.
“Ah shit, I have to go. Urgent briefing, obviously at the other end of the Temple.”
“Don’t worry. I still have a report to write and I’m sure Draven will want to give me a mission right after anyway.”
Melshi stood up, pulled his small bag on his shoulder and opened the door.
“Thank you.” Added Cassian before the man left.
Melshi turned his head back, his right hand on the doorframe, and smiled, the neon light illuminating his face. Cassian could see the fondness in the Pathfinder’s eyes. The man had always been open about his emotions since they had reunited. It was only in the man’s presence that the spy felt himself be genuine as well. He probably mirrored Melshi’s expression right now and it didn’t bother him at all to, in turn, be read so easily.
He was in love with him after all.