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“Remind me why we couldn’t just stay in the ship?” you asked, pulling your coat tighter around your body. Dark clouds loomed above, threatening to dump a blanket of snow right on top of you at any second.
“We wouldn’t be able to find this place if we were in the air,” Cassian replied, a puff of fog coming out of his mouth as he spoke. “It won’t be much longer, I promise.”
“You said that twenty minutes ago, Cassian.”
“Then we’re twenty minutes closer.”
“I don’t know what either of you are complaining about,” K-2SO said to your left, coming into view. “I think it’s lovely out here.”
You rolled your eyes and shivered once. “Shut up, K.”
Why they had to send you somewhere where the air hurt your face was beyond you. Cassian was the only one who knew exactly why you were there, so to you, all of this traveling on foot seemed pointless. At least, you thought, there wasn’t any snow on the ground, and the clouds still hadn’t unleashed their fury, so there was that silver lining. Regardless, you were freezing, and wherever it was you were going, you hoped it was close. You were losing feeling in your toes.
Beyond the frigid atmosphere, the planet was mostly forestry that had gone dead in the winter. It seemed like there was no sign of life aside from yourselves, and you weren’t sure if that comforted you, or made you uneasy. You guessed you would find out soon.
When a tiny village came into view through the trees, you all let out a collective sigh.
“I told you we were close,” Cassian said, half smiling and nudging you gently.
“So far that’s all you’ve told me about this stupid mission,” you said, shooting him a glare. He gave you a look of disapproval and you shrugged your shoulders.
“If I could tell you, I would,” he replied, “Let’s just get out of the cold.”
The village was relatively small both in size and in population. A few people were out of their houses, carrying piles of wood or pushing handcarts. Small braziers were scattered around, giving the cold air a smokey scent. The sky began to darken as Cassian spoke to an innkeeper inside a nearby inn. You waited near a brazier, your gloves removed and your hands held up to the fire. The change from cold air to heat stung your eyes, making them water.
“Why are you always so impatient with Cassian?” K asked, coming to stand next to you. The fire cast an orange-ish glow over his metal plating.
“He seems to think I don’t need to know why the hell he drags me to these places,” you said bitterly, “This is the fourth time he’s done this. He says he needs my help on a mission, doesn’t tell me anything about it, then hauls me to some planet where I either end up with bruises or frostbite. I think I have a right to be impatient with him.”
“That seems fair,” K said with a nod. “You know he means well, though.”
“Does he?” you asked, looking up at him with a sour expression on your face. “Because if he does, I’m not seeing it.”
“I know he does,” he spoke in a matter-of-fact voice, “You’re never around when he talks about you. He trusts you, he just doesn’t want to place the burden of leading a mission on you. He means well.”
A blush crept onto your cheeks, making them redder than they already were from the cold. You looked away and shook your head, trying not to think further into what he’d just said. What was it even supposed to mean?
“Come on, you two,” Cassian called from doorway to the inn. You followed K inside and took a deep breath when the warm air hit your face. It felt like you’d been out there for days, even though it had only been a few hours. Cassian seemed barely phased by the cold at all, aside from the pinkish tint on the end of his nose.
The inside of the inn was modeled like that of a cabin, with wooden walls and a fireplace at the other end of the room. Shadows danced across the faces of everyone in the room, which consisted of you, K, Cassian, the innkeeper, and a man sitting in the corner.
The three of you ascended the staircase leading to the second floor and found your room with ease. There were only four rooms in total, so it wasn’t exactly hard. You were amazed by the fact that there were so many in such a tiny building, but when you saw the inside of your room, you understood why.
One full sized bed, a dresser, a bedside table, and a chair in the corner. The tiniest fireplace you’d ever seen sat opposite the bed, a few stones missing from the frame. Above the fireplace was a square window looking out over the town. That was all that adorned the room, unless you counted the weird artwork on the walls. None of the paintings were even and some were tilting, making you frown.
You watched K sit in the chair as Cassian removed his backpack, placing it on the floor and sitting on the end of the bed. He ran a hand through his hair and shut his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. As quietly as you could, you removed your coat and boots, folding the coat and placing it on the dresser. You shuddered against the cool air and made your way over to the fireplace where you found a package of matches sitting on top. Striking one you lit the fire, smiling to yourself as it warmed your knees.
“If you no longer need me-” K started.
“Yes, you can shut down for the night,” Cassian interrupted. Without missing a beat the droid powered off, his eyes dimming.
Chuckling, you flopped onto the other side of the bed, the mattress bouncing as you did. “Wish I could fall asleep that fast.”
“We all do,” Cassian replied, laying down beside you.
You sat in silence for a few minutes, the only sounds the wind rattling the window and the fire crackling.
“Oh, by the way,” he said after a while, “If the innkeeper asks, we’re on our honeymoon.”
“On our honeymoon? In the middle of nowhere, population 12? With an imperial droid?” you asked in disbelief, sitting up on your elbows and raising an eyebrow at him.
“He bought it, so yeah,” he said, shooting you a grin.
You groaned and fell back into the mattress, feeling your face heat up. “Unbelievable.”
“You only have to pretend if he mentions it,” he said.
As if like clockwork, a knock echoed throughout the room, making both of you jump into sitting positions. Cursing under his breath, Cassian stood and began removing his shirt as you watched with wide eyes.
“What the hell are you doing?” you asked in a hushed voice.
“Honeymoon, remember?” he replied, ruffling his hair. “Take off your shirt, just in case.”
“Are you kidding me?” you asked as there was another knock at the door, louder this time.
“Trust me,” Cassian said, locking eyes with you. Something about the way he looked at you gave you butterflies while also reassuring you. With a single nod and a roll of your eyes you lifted your shirt over your head and tossed it to the side while giving him a death glare. He mouthed a quiet apology and went to answer the knock, putting his shirt back on as the door opened.
You couldn’t see who it was, but you assumed it was the innkeeper, so you tried your best to stay out of view. Cassian spoke in a different language that you couldn’t understand, his voice sounding out of breath. You heard him laugh nervously and felt your heart jump. He was a good actor, you would give him that.
When the door closed again he reentered the room and covered his mouth with his hand, laughing into it. You had your arms crossed tightly over your chest and you were shaking your head at him, shooting daggers with your eyes.
The sound of K-2 powering back on made you both look in his direction.
“Did I miss something?” he asked, his eyes still having not turned on completely. When they had, he looked at the two of you, blinking a few times before saying, “Cassian, I was really hoping you wouldn’t do this now.”
“K!” Cassian hissed. You looked between them, the redness in Cassian’s cheeks spreading to his ears.
“What?” K asked, sounding offended. “Of all times to make a move, you do it now, while I’m here in the room. Have you no decency?”
“We weren’t-” Cassian started, stopping himself and taking a deep breath. “The innkeeper-”
“You don’t need to give me excuses,” K interrupted, “I won’t power back on for the rest of the night. Enjoy yourselves, you filthy heathens.”
Before either of you could defend yourselves, K powered off again, much more quickly this time. Cassian turned to look at you, and when your eyes met, you stifled a laugh. At that, both of you broke out in hysterics, holding your stomachs and wiping away tears by the time you calmed down.
Your annoyance with Cassian from earlier that day had completely faded away by now. He clearly had his reasons for not telling you about the mission details, but you figured that was an argument for another time. For now, you were letting yourself relax and enjoy the company.
“Neither of us are going to hear the end of that,” Cassian said, picking your shirt up off the floor and tossing it to you. You caught it midair and put it back on, suddenly remembering that you’d been exposed the entire time.
“Its kind of your fault, you know,” you said. He crawled back into bed and covered his face with his hands.
“I know it is, I’m sorry,” he sighed.
“What did he mean by ‘now’?” you asked, though you were pretty sure you already knew the answer. “He said he was hoping you ‘wouldn’t do this now.’”
“Don’t worry about it,” Cassian replied, swallowing hard and giving you an unconvincing smile.
You narrowed your eyes at him. “Cassian.”
“What?”
“What did K mean?”
“We should probably get some sleep.”
He leaned over and blew out the candle on the nightstand, the only light now coming from the dying hearth. The both of you huddled beneath the covers, facing one another and Cassian’s arm around your waist. By now, he’d seen you half naked, so you didn’t see much harm in it. Besides, it was comforting, and he was warm.
“I’ll just ask K what he meant in the morning,” you muttered.
Cassian chuckled and shifted closer, pressing a lingering kiss to your forehead before whispering in a tired yet playful voice, “I want a divorce.”