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rxbxlcaptain · 7 years

Text

Mi Estrella

Happy May 4th to @emmaawatson!! She gave me the prompt “Cassian and Jyn become neighbors. Jyn has a kid and Cassian falls in love with Jyn and is great with her kid. Fluffy and long please :)” I really hope you meant long, because I just started writing and somehow this ended up to be over 14k words.

Special thanks to @therebelcaptainnetwork for organizing this amazing exchange, to my beta, @wearesuchstuff1, who is the main reason this fic is halfway decent, and also to my followers to jumped up to offer me help on the Spanish translations!

AO3 / Below the cut!

“Sam, watch out!”

Cassian heard the yell half a second before he saw the bike heading straight towards him. With a yelp of his own, Cassian jumped off the sidewalk, scarcely missing the ten-year-old and his speeding bike. The bike tires screeched as the kid hit the brakes, yelling, “Sorry, mister!” over his shoulder.

Cassian’s heart was still racing as a woman – likely the boy’s mother and the woman who’d yelled before – came racing towards him. She wore workout gear, her dark hair tied back in a tight bun, sweat dotting her forehead. No one, Cassian decided, should look that attractive after finishing a workout.

“Are you all right?” She demanded of Cassian, who nodded, still in shock. The woman turned to the boy next, who had approached them sheepishly. If he had a tail to tuck between his legs, Cassian was sure that’s where it would be. “Samuel Galen Erso, what have I told you about speeding down these sidewalks?”

“Sorry, Mom,” he muttered.

“Apologize to the poor man you almost ran over.”

“I’m sorry.” He mumbled, keeping his head down, and his mom rolled her eyes.

“No, an actual apology.”

Cassian wanted to assure the woman it was fine, no blood no foul, but the boy – Sam, had she called him? – listened to her, meeting Cassian’s eye and said in a much clearer tone, “I’m sorry for almost hitting you, sir.”

“I’ll forgive you if you promise not to call me sir again,” Cassian chuckled. “I’m not that old yet.”

Half a grin spread across Sam’s face, and Cassian winked at him. If riding his bike too fast was this kid’s worst crime, Cassian couldn’t find a problem with him.

“I’ll meet you back upstairs, Sam. Let me make sure this guy won’t sue us or something.” Cassian cocked an eyebrow at her. Surely she was joking. “And be careful with your bike!” She called after her son as he darted up the stairs, carrying his bike in front of him.

She turned back to Cassian, sticking out her hand. “Sorry about that again. I’m Jyn Erso, and that little dare devil is my son, Sam. I think we’re neighbors, but this is not how I intended to introduce myself.”

“Cassian Andor,” Cassian said, taking her hand. “Are you the neighbors that are always burning their dinner, or the ones that blast the Tarzan soundtrack at 6 am every morning?” Cassian only moved to Jedha, and this apartment, a week ago so he hadn’t had time to introduce himself to anyone yet. Hopefully Jyn understood he was joking and not bothered by any of it, whether she caused the burnt food smells or an extra alarm clock in the morning.

Jyn gave him a wryly smile. “Tarzan is us, though the only reason you haven’t smelled me burning food is because I haven’t attempted to cook since 2005. Microwaves are your friends. I won’t keep you though,” she gestured to the messenger bag hanging off Cassian’s shoulder. “Looks like you’re heading to work. On a Saturday, too. Poor you.”

“Yeah, well,” Cassian shrugged. “New job, new boss to impress. It was nice to meet you, Jyn. I’ll see you around.”

“Maybe next time won’t almost result in bodily harm.”

Jyn waved as she headed towards the stairs, and Cassian couldn’t help but note the lack of a ring on her finger. Not that he was looking.

Without intending to, Cassian began picking up his next-door neighbor’s routine. Their alarm blared every morning at six o’clock sharp – still playing Tarzan music, which Cassian soon could sing along to – and he could hear them shuffling through their morning routines until leaving for school and work about 7:15. As Cassian returned from work about six, Jyn and Sam were frequently returning from a local trail, Sam on his bike and Jyn running alongside him. The boy seemed built of positive energy himself: always grinning, always moving, always chattering away happily to his mom. Some days they exchanged waves, but Cassian couldn’t find a good excuse to speak to them again, especially after he noticed a man coming and going from Jyn’s apartment most evenings.

As it turned out, rather than Cassian, Sam found the next excuse. He’d been in the middle of browning beef for tacos, when he heard a knock on his door. Upon opening it, Cassian found Sam, staring up with him with wide eyes.

“What,” he emphasized the first word, “are you cooking? Because it smells amazing.”

Cassian couldn’t help but laugh at the awed look on the kid’s face. Jyn must not have been joking when she said the microwave was her main form of cooking if Sam was so fascinated by the smell of seasoned beef.

“It’s just beef right now, but it’ll turn into tacos eventually.”

“Mom would say this is really rude, but can I invite us over for dinner?” Sam asked, and Cassian imagined those puppy dog eyes got him an awful lot in his life, including, it seemed, him and his mom an invitation to dinner this evening. With a bit of quick thinking – and an extra serving of tomatoes and onions thrown in – Cassian could easily extend this dinner to feed three people instead of one.

“Well, I’d hate to get you in trouble again, so I’ve got an idea,” Cassian offered the boy. Flashing Sam a smile, Cassian lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret plan with the boy. “You keep running, act like you never stopped by here. I’ll knock and invite you and your mom to dinner. Act surprised when she tells you, and I’ll throw in some dessert for you, too. Comprendes?”

“Comprendo,” Sam affirmed with a grin, shaking Cassian’s outstretched hand. Cassian watched as Sam scampered down the hallway and thundered down the stairs, figuring it was probably best to wait a few minutes before heading to Jyn’s door. Glancing back at his lazily stashed laptop and disorganized stacks of papers cluttering his coffee table, Cassian used the few minutes to clean his apartment slightly, making sure the small kitchen table was empty enough to sit three people. He’d never invited guests over, but he at least remembered the basics of hosting from his mother.

Ten minutes later, Cassian removed the food from the stove – serving burnt food wouldn’t leave a good impression – and knocked on the door to 3F. Jyn answered, hair wet from a post run shower, and cocked her head at him.

“My son didn’t attempt to run you over again, did he? He ran off to play earlier, but I’m not sure where he’s gone…”

Cassian laughed at Jyn’s unconventional greeting. “No, nothing like that at all. I thought, it’s Friday and I’m new in town, so I wanted to invite you and Sam over for dinner.”

Jyn raised an eyebrow. “Because it’s Friday?”

“Well, no,” Cassian searched for an answer that didn’t include your son specifically requested to come over. “Mainly because you said most of your cooking included a microwave, so I thought you’d enjoy something prepared on a stove for once.” He offered a smile, and hoped the excuse would stand.

“Oh.” Jyn looked surprised, but not entirely reluctant. “That’s … nice of you, but, really, you don’t have to…”

“But, really,” Cassian smiled, hoping to charm Jyn the same way her son charmed him. “I insist.”

“Well,” Jyn sighed and shook her head, a small smile turning up her lips. “Sam would probably enjoy it.” Cassian had a strange feeling that he would. “But I could at least grab drinks?”

“Sounds like an excellent compromise. Dinner will be ready in about an hour, but you can come over whenever.”

“Thanks, Cassian.” Jyn flashed him a smile, and Cassian couldn’t help but return it.

In the two hours Jyn and Sam had been at his apartment, Cassian had learned much about them.

First, Sam was a horrible actor. Cassian didn’t see his reaction to Jyn telling him they were going to Cassian’s for dinner, and, truly, he was thankful.

“Did my son put you up to this?” Jyn asked as Cassian opened the door for her and a guilty looking Sam. She crossed her arms over her chest. “And, before you answer, you should know that he’s already confessed.”

“I’ll have to get used to unconventional greetings from you, aren’t I?” Cassian threw out rather than answering Jyn.

“Don’t avoid the question.”

“Whether or not Sam did, there’s food for three ready now, so you may as well come in.” Cassian opened the door wider, ushering them into the apartment. He gestured to the bags in Jyn’s hand.

“And it looks like you got drinks, so it would be a shame to waste all of this.”

Jyn sighed, looking resigned. “Alright, but only under protest.”

And there was the second fact Cassian learned: Jyn was stubborn. Or, perhaps, dedicated, was the better word, since the third fact he discovered was Jyn’s double life: during the day, she worked as a clerk in a local hospital, getting out in time to pick Sam up from school in the mid afternoon, and while at night, she attended nursing school four evenings a week. More impressively, she shrugged off the workload, claiming all of it was necessary for she and Sam to have a good life.

Fact number four explained Jyn and Sam’s frequent use of the local trail.

“All work and no play makes me extremely dull,” Jyn told him, “So I picked up running when Sam was still in a stroller. He started biking along with me a few years ago. I’ve run three half-marathons and I’m thinking of training for a full.”

“Jyn,” Cassian said, exasperated, “Running is not considered fun.”

“Oh, ye of little faith,” Jyn laughed. “Runner’s high is real, and it is addictive. Besides, it’s a stress reliever, and it prevents me from turning into a couch potato. And the exercise keeps this kid,” Jyn poked Sam in the shoulder and he smiled back at her, salsa dripping out of the corners of his mouth, “From playing video games all day.”

“I don’t do that,” Sam complained, turning to Cassian. “I’m starting soccer this year.” Sam beamed at this news, and though Jyn looked down at her plate to try and hide it, Jyn’s lips tilted up in pride, thus confirming Erso fact number five: no matter what kind of gruff exterior Jyn attempted to put up, Jyn loved her son more than anything, and Sam loved her right back. Anything that made Sam happy made Jyn happy.

“I used to play soccer when I was a kid, back in Mexico,” Cassian told Sam.

“Really?” Sam lit up at the news. “Could you teach me some tricks? Mom’s great at running, but she wasn’t very good at passing and shooting my soccer ball when we practiced last week.”

“Hey,” Jyn complained, sticking out her tongue at him. “I was in flip flops and the ball kept getting away from me.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Cassian winked at Jyn, causing her to scowl again. He turned back to Sam. “It’s been a lot of years since I’ve played, but I could try to teach you some things.”

“Score!” Sam shouted, throwing his arms up in the air. “Can we go right now?”

The adults chuckled. “Sam, you just ate three tacos – which were delicious, by the way,” Jyn thanked Cassian, who nodded. “I think you should wait until tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow morning then?” Sam asked Cassian.

“I need to go to work tomorrow morning, papi,” Cassian apologized. “But if you guys are around in the afternoon, I could play with you then.”

“Awesome!”

“If you’re working tomorrow, we should probably go,” Jyn said, pushing back from the table. “You know, Cassian, if you always cook this well, you may accidentally have created regular house guests out of the two of us.”

Cassian smiled. “That doesn’t sound like such a bad thing to me. I’ll work on the menu for next

Friday and let you know what time to come over.”

Jyn, who had been reaching to pick up her plate, hesitated. Cassian felt his smile falter. Had he overstepped his boundaries, pushed too much? He’d enjoyed his evening with Jyn and Sam – he thought they had been enjoying it as well – but perhaps it had been too much…

Sam didn’t seem to think so, since he was happily chattering on about what Cassian should make the next week (Cassian stored away Jyn’s favorite food being pasta as fact number six), but Jyn had seemed to draw back into herself. She’s been so open the whole evening, laughing with Cassian and sharing stories of crazy situations she and Sam had found themselves in, that the shuttered look in her eyes startled Cassian.

“We’ll see next week, okay, Sam?” Jyn told her son, avoiding making eye contact with Cassian.

She busied herself in picking up the dishes from the table, but Cassian stopped her with a gentle hand on her wrist. “Don’t worry about those, Jyn. I’ve got them.”

She nodded. “I guess we’ll head home, then. Thank you again, Cassian.” Her voice was formal, and she reached out to shake Cassian’s hand. He felt as if he were in a business meeting rather than finishing dinner with his neighbors. Sam, too, glanced at his mom with eyebrows raised.

“You’re welcome, Jyn. Consider yourselves welcome anytime.” Cassian smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way. “Night, Sam.”

“Good night, Cassian!” Sam repeated back as he and Jyn exited the apartment with a small wave.

Cassian couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed when Jyn didn’t meet his eyes.

As Cassian returned to the apartment complex after work the next day, he noticed Jyn and Sam out on the lawn in front of the building. Jyn was stretching, clearly just finished a run, while Sam dribbled a soccer ball around the grass. Cassian’s first reaction was to go say hi, but, thinking of Jyn’s hurried exit the night before, thought better of it and turned towards the stairs.

“Cassian!”

Jyn’s voice startled him, though he was quick – probably too quick – to react. He turned as Jyn jogged towards him, Sam still dribbling around the field.

“Hi,” Jyn said, stopping a few feet in front of him.

“Hi…” Cassian responded, shifting his bag on his shoulder, not sure how to continue. A few moments of awkward silence ticked by.

“Look, about last night—“ Jyn started at the same time Cassian said, “I’m sorry if—“

They both stopped.

“You can go first,” Cassian hurried to say before they got caught speaking over each other again.

“I shouldn’t have left so quickly last night,” Jyn sighed. “You were really nice to invite us over and I shouldn’t have run out of there.”

“Why did you?” Cassian wondered out loud. “Did I do something or...”

“I just don’t do—“ Jyn’s hands waved through the air as she paused. “I don’t do neighbor stuff, really.”

Cassian nodded, sure he knew where this conversation was going. She wanted to apologize for getting close and cut their ties. Waving at each other in neighborly greetings was copasetic; sharing dinner at their apartment, apparently, was not. He prepared himself to nod, to accept her words, no matter how his heart clenched at the thought of not getting to know Jyn and Sam more. He’d gotten so many details of their life the night before, but there was so much more to learn about them. Jyn had to look out for herself and her son, Cassian reminded himself, and he needed to be okay with that.

“The thing is, though,” Jyn continued, oblivious to Cassian’s internal ramblings. “Sam really likes spending time with you, and I had a good time last night, too. So, I was thinking we could do it again sometime.” She threw a smile his way. “We could even do it at my place, so you know I won’t abruptly end the evening.”

Cassian struggled to school his surprised expression. While he’d been waiting for her rejection, she chose to invite him closer. Jyn Erso, Cassian realized, was not nearly as predictable as he had assumed.

“Besides,” Jyn said when Cassian didn’t respond. “You did promise Sam soccer lessons, and that kid doesn’t forget a promise. Ever.”

A smile spread across Cassian’s face. “I’d hate to disappoint him,” he laughed, glancing over Jyn’s shoulder to see the boy in question, who had stopped dribbling to stare at the adults. “Let me go get changed and I’ll be back down to help him.”

“Thank you, Cassian,” Jyn reached out to squeeze his arm as she spoke, and Cassian felt his heart jump at her touch. “I really appreciate it.”

Ten minutes later, Cassian joined Sam out on the field, having exchanged his suit for athletic shorts and a t-shirt. Cassian was rusty at soccer; besides for the random pick-up game here and there in college, Cassian hadn’t played since he was a teenager, and that was more years ago than he wanted to admit. Still, he managed to awe Sam with a few trick plays, faking his move to the left before dribbling past Sam on the right or scissoring his legs to send the ball in the opposite direction than Sam expected.

Feeling confident at these moves, Cassian tried something a bit riskier: running to the ball, mounting one foot atop and spinning in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, this move was not as successful at the others; he fell backwards, landing flat on his back and knocking his head against the hard ground.

Both Sam and Jyn were at his side in an instant. Sam’s face looked panicked, but Jyn bit her lip, seeming half a second away from bursting out in laughter.

“I’m no expert,” Jyn commented, “But I feel like you did that move wrong, Andor.”

“Shut up, Jyn” Cassian muttered, and Jyn’s laughter burst forth.

“Here,” Jyn helped him sit up, “Let me check you out. It’s handy to have a nurse around occasionally.”

She examined his pupils and felt the back of his head, declaring he did not have a concussion.

“Maybe you should sit out for a minute anyway,” Jyn suggested.

“I’m fine,” Cassian insisted. “I’m not as young as I once was.”

Jyn shook her head with a snort. “Yeah, you’re taking a break, Mr. No-Longer-A-Spring-Chicken.”

Sam took the ball back after assuring Cassian he was glad he was okay and Cassian followed

Jyn. They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching Sam, before Jyn spoke.

“You know,” she began, “I feel like Sam and I dominated the conversation last night. I have no idea what you do. Sam was guessing spy, based on the suits you wear, but my money's on business man.”

“Not a spy, unfortunately,” Cassian snorted. “I’m a data analyst at Alliance Corporation.”

Jyn raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re officially in charge of helping Sam with his math homework, then.”

Across the parking lot, a car door slammed. Jyn and Cassian looked up to see a man walking towards them. Jyn waved, and Cassian recognized him as the same man who came and went from Jyn’s apartment on a frequent basis.

“Uncle Bodhi!” Sam called and ran across the field towards the parking lot. Uncle – not a boyfriend then. Though he didn’t quite look like Jyn’s brother, either. The man’s hair and skin were darker than Jyn’s, and he was several inches taller. He wrapped Sam in a bear hug before continuing over to where Jyn and Cassian sat. Jyn stood as he got closer, and Cassian followed suit, wondering if he should leave.

“I believe I found something of yours,” Bodhi joked as he reached them, placing Sam down on his feet.

“I thought he looked familiar,” she teased back before introducing the two men. “Bodhi, this is Cassian, one of my neighbors. Cassian, this is my best friend, Bodhi.”

“Nice to meet you,” Bodhi smiled as he shook Cassian’s hand.

“He watches Sam for me evenings while I’m at class,” Jyn explained.

“And I occasionally bring take out,” Bodhi said, gesturing to the plastic bag in his hand. “Are you joining us?”

“Yeah!” Sam shouted when Cassian hesitated. “Cassian should join us!”

“Can’t disappoint the little squirt,” Bodhi laughed. “And I’ve got enough fried rice in here to feed a small army, so there’s more than enough. Egg rolls, too.”

Cassian glanced at Jyn, who nodded. “Beats the pizza I was going to order,” Cassian shrugged. “Thanks for sharing.”

Because of the nice weather, and Sam’s reluctance to leave his makeshift soccer field, Jyn brought drinks and paper plates down to one of the picnic benches on the grounds so they could eat outside. Sam chattered away to Bodhi while they ate and bragged to Cassian that Bodhi was a lawyer. Bodhi blushed in response.

“Modest as always,” Jyn scoffed. “Our shy, stuttering Bodhi turns into a beast when he needs to. I almost didn’t recognize him the first time I saw him in court.”

Bodhi explained how he joined the legal team for Mon Mothma, a local politician running for a congressional seat, a few months previous.

“Your last job was hell,” Jyn commented. “I’m still glad you got out of there.”

“Yeah,” Sam affirmed, looking at Cassian to explain. “His last boss was an ass.” He threw his hand over his mouth as the swear word slipped out, casting a sheepish glance at his mom.

“He learns that from you, Jyn,” Bodhi deadpanned, not even looking up from his dinner. “I’m not sure you can even be mad.”

“Mad?” Jyn’s voice dripped innocence, though she smirked. “I wouldn’t be mad…”

She jumped up from the bench, reaching towards Sam who giggled and sprinted away. Entertained, Cassian and Bodhi watched the pair chase each other around the yard.

“She’s a knockout, that woman,” Bodhi said after a moment, taking a long sip of his beer, staring off to where Jyn and Sam had picked up his soccer ball. “Feisty, but you’ll never find anyone more dedicated.”

“So you two have known each other a long time?” Cassian asked.

Bodhi nodded. “We grew up together in foster care after her parents died. I’d always wanted a little sister, so I took her under my wing. Or, at least, tried to keep her out of trouble.” He shook his head lightly, a smile pulling at his lips, likely lost in the memories of a younger Jyn and the chaos she would have caused. If only Cassian had those same memories of a teenage Jyn. “I was out of college by the time she had Sam, so they moved in with me until she could get her feet under her.”

Cassian nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“Sam must like you,” Bodhi continued. “Jyn doesn’t normally do the whole ‘neighbors’ thing.”

“Yeah,” Cassian chuckled, “She’s told me that.”

Bodhi paused. “Don’t let her run on you,” “You seem like a good man, Cassian,” he said after a moment. “She and Sam deserve someone like that in their lives.”

Puzzled, Cassian gave Bodhi a sideways glance. “I appreciate the vote of confidence, but you only just met me. What if I was an assassin or something?”

“Then, trust me, you would be nowhere near Jyn’s son.” Bodhi pointed to where Jyn was still playing with Sam. “No one is more protective than Jyn caring for Sam.”

Sam ran back over to the table then, saving Cassian from replying. He didn’t want to consider how in their lives he was yet, didn’t want to think about these budding feelings for Jyn, and he definitely could postpone discussing them with Jyn’s pseudo-brother.

“Mom suggested going upstairs for ice cream,” Sam announced as he reached the table. “We still have your cookie dough, Uncle Bodhi.”

“Count me in,” Bodhi smiled. “You, too, Cassian?”

“I think I’m too full for ice cream. Sorry, chiquito,” Cassian said to a pouting Sam.

“Some other time, then,” Jyn said as she came up behind Sam.

“After my next soccer lesson?”

“Sure,” Cassian agreed. “After that.”

“I’ll see you around, Cassian,” Jyn said as he stood to head up to his apartment. “And I do mean it this time.”

A frantic knock at the door startled Cassian’s attention away from his TV. Jyn stood on the other side, shifting her weight from foot to foot anxiously, as he opened the door.

“Oh, thank god, you’re home,” Jyn rushed to say, and Cassian smirked at her traditional skip-the-small-talk-and-get-to-the-point greeting. “Do you have plans for the evening?”

Cassian froze for a second – she isn’t asking him out, right? He hadn’t prepared for that at all – before hesitantly answering, “Nothing beyond catching up on Game of Thrones.”

Jyn laughed, a single short sound that seemed more nervous than entertained. “Well, sorry to interrupt those important plans, but I need to go to class, and Bodhi has the flu, and I need someone to watch Sam. Would you mind? It’s just for a few hours and he’s really not a hassle at all and I would pay you –“

“Jyn,” Cassian cut off her rambling by placing his hands on her shoulders. “I can watch Sam for a few hours, no problem.”

Jyn let out a large exhale. “Thank you. I’ve got an exam in a week and I don’t understand the endocrine system at all, so I desperately need to go to class.”

“Watching Sam for an evening sounds much better than whatever that is.” Jyn laughed at his words – much more genuine this time – and Cassian was glad to see the marks of stress fade from her face. “Do you want to send Sam over here or me to come watch him there?”

“He’s halfway through a homework assignment, so if you wouldn’t mind coming to my place…”

Cassian assured Jyn he would be over in a few minutes. He grabbed his laptop and a book off the shelf before heading to Jyn’s apartment. Sam opened the door with eager eyes and waved him inside.

“Can we practice soccer now?” Sam demanded as soon as Cassian walked into the apartment. “I’ve been practicing my fake shot, but I’m still not very good at the spin moves you showed me.”

Cassian’s answer was cut off by the sound of Jyn clearing her throat across the room. “Soccer can wait until after you finish your homework, David Beckham.” She gave Cassian a significant glance. “I’m sure Cassian agrees.”

“I’d listen to your mother, mijito.”

“Glad to see we’re all in agreement,” Jyn chuckled before leaning down to kiss Sam on the cheek. “Be good for Cassian, baby. I’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Mom, gross!” Sam complained, moving to wipe the kiss off his cheek. Jyn shook her head slightly, running her hands over Sam’s head in such a way that Cassian feels like this is their practiced routine. She called one last goodbye over her shoulder as she left, and Sam turned back to Cassian. “You are gunna practice with me, right?”

“And here I thought you liked me coming over occasionally,” Cassian sighed. “That isn’t going to happen if your mom finds out we were playing soccer when you needed to be doing homework.”

Sam’s shoulders drooped as he shuffled back over to his homework. “I guess so…”

Cassian snorted at the thinly veiled attempt to get out of his homework. “None of that cute stuff works on me, mister.”

Sam slumped his way into his seat, sighing quietly as he picked up his pencil. Cassian set up his laptop next to him, hoping that if Sam saw him getting work done, he wouldn’t complain as much about his homework.

The room was quiet for a few minutes before Sam piped up. “Do you like my mom?”

Cassian glanced at Sam, who was still focusing on his homework. “Yeah, Sam, I like both you and your mom. You’re great neighbors.”

“No,” Sam shook his head and met Cassian’s gaze. His cheeks were slightly pink as he clarified, “Do you like my mom? You know, like, want to take her out on dates and everything.”

A protective look shone through the kid’s eyes, the same look Jyn got when she spoke of her son. Seeing that protectiveness and love reflected both ways in their relationship touched Cassian, but it worried him as well. If he was being honest, the answer to Sam’s question was yes, I’d love to take your mother out on a date, but it was so much more complicated than that. Jyn had made it clear that Sam was her priority in life – Cassian could never hold that against her – and Cassian enjoyed spending time with the family as well. Asking Jyn out and attempting a relationship risked losing the friendships he had built in his next-door neighbors. Dating Jyn could mean even more spontaneous cooking nights, or accompanying her to Sam’s soccer matches or cheering her on at her next marathon – but it could also mean losing all of that, if they didn’t work out. Cassian just didn’t know how to explain that to a ten-year old.

“I wouldn’t mind taking your mom on a date,” Cassian began, and Sam’s eyes lit up. “But she’s so busy, I’m not sure it’s such a good idea.”

Sam’s eyes hardened, and, again, Cassian saw so much of Jyn in him. “I don’t think that’s a good reason.”

“Oh yeah?” Cassian leaned back in his chair, hands behind his head, eager to hear Sam’s views on relationships. “What would be a good reason, then?”

“I don’t think there is one.” Sam’s pencil moved over his math homework absently, drawing abstract shapes as he talked. “I think if you want to take my mom on a date, you should take her on a date.”

“Ah, but you’re forgetting the most important part. Your mom would need to agree to that date.”

“She would,” Sam said with utmost assurance. “I heard Uncle Bodhi teasing her about it the other day in the kitchen, but she used the same excuse you did. She’s too busy to go on a date.”

Cassian’s heart leapt in his chest – Jyn did want to go out with him? Sam, unaffected by the bombshell of news he’d dropped on Cassian, chewed on the end of his pencil, considering.

“Which seems stupid, because dates only take a couple hours at most.”

Cassian chuckled at the boy’s wisdom about relationships. “I didn’t know you’d been on a lot of dates.”

Sam shrugged. “Uncle Bodhi told me. But you can’t distract me."

Of course Cassian couldn’t. Sam was Jyn’s son, after all. With a sigh, Cassian leaned towards Sam. “A date only take a few hours, sure, but relationships take a lot of time and work. There’s more to it than two people liking each other.”

Sam cocked an eyebrow at Cassian. “Adults are stupid.”

“Yeah, they are, mijo,” Cassian agreed. “Enjoy your childhood while it lasts.”

“Enjoy it, as in, I should go play soccer rather than finishing my math homework?”

Cassian wasn’t sure if he was impressed or annoyed by Sam’s one-track mind. He did mentally put Sam on track to become a lawyer someday.

After much more complaining, Sam finished his math homework and wasted no time on grabbing his soccer ball. Sam insisted he put on shin guards and proper cleats – Cassian barely stopped him from dressing in his full uniform – even though Cassian still wore khaki shorts and Converse, and ran down to the grassy field in front of the apartment building. It had been years since Cassian played any form of organized soccer, but he remembered the drills. Basic dribbling, passing, shooting between two trees working as a makeshift goal. Occasionally, Sam still tripped over the ball and passed five feet wide of Cassian, but he was determined to improve. He stared in awe as Cassian juggled the ball from his foot to his thigh and up to his head, and Cassian laughed as his first attempt sent the ball flying into a tree.

Jyn found them chasing each other around the field, Cassian with the ball and Sam hot in pursuit, an hour later, covered in the blue glow of the street lights. Cassian wasn’t sure how long she’d been standing there – leaning against the building, watching them with a quiet smile on her face – by the time he caught sight of her. She was dressed for comfort, not to impress – dark hair escaping from a messy bun and wearing yoga pants and a track jacket – but the sight of her distracted Cassian long enough for Sam to steal the ball away from him and shoot for the goal. Cassian still stood, stuck in Jyn’s smile and warm gaze, when Sam finally noticed his mom.

“Mom! Did you see my goal?” He shouted as he ran to Jyn. Cassian couldn’t hear her response, but his heart melted at the sight of Jyn’s loving gaze on her son as she ran her fingers through his sweaty hair and took the soccer ball from him. Cassian jogged over to the pair, glad to see Jyn smiling at him.

“I trust this means the math homework was completed?” She asked, her tone threatening, but in such a way that both Sam and Cassian knew she was teasing.

“Yes, ma’am,” Cassian grinned. “Though, if you want my opinion, soccer only belongs after homework in the dictionary.”

“Yeah!” Same declared, giving Cassian a high five. “I think that too!”

Jyn laughed at the boys. “Unfortunately for you two, it’s my vote that counts the most, and I say soccer comes after homework.”

“Rats,” Sam muttered, and the adults laughed. Jyn’s eyes shone when she laughed, Cassian noticed, and the artificial lights around them highlighted the golden flecks among the green background. Cassian thought he could get lost in those eyes – until Sam coughed loudly and he realized that he was.

“I’m going to head upstairs and take a shower,” Sam continued to speak in an unnecessarily loud voice. “You two can stay and talk.” As if this wasn’t pointed enough, Sam stopped to fake-whisper to Cassian, “You remember what we talked about.”

Jyn watched her son scamper up the stairs to the third floor before turning back to Cassian with her eyebrows raised. “Do I want to know what he meant?”

Cassian rubbed at the back of his neck and prayed Jyn would attribute the red in his cheeks to exertion rather than embarrassment. “I, uh, I really don’t know.”

“I’ve never seen you so flustered,” Jyn snorted. “Now I actually want to know what you two talked about.”

“He, uh, well…” Cassian stammered, cursing the sudden nerves coming over him. “He wanted to know if I wanted to take you out on a date.”

“Oh,” Jyn looked far too composed. Cassian wished she would at least blush, for his sake if not for hers. “Do you?”

Cassian stared at her. “Do I what?”

“Want to take me out on a date?”

Cassian was stammering again. “I… I wasn’t sure you’d want to.”

“You could have just asked, you know,” Jyn said with an eyeroll. How could she be so calm about one of the most mortifying conversations of Cassian’s life?

“If you insist.” Cassian summed all his courage and tried very hard not to choke on his next words.

“Jyn, do you want to go out to dinner on Friday? Maybe about seven?”

Jyn smiled up at him – did she know what she did to him with that smile? – and nodded. “Bodhi should be free to watch Sam, so it’s a date.”

With that, she walked away, passing the ball between her hands. She had made it to the third floor before Cassian realized, since his apartment was right next door, he should have been following her.

“I’m supposed to do that,” Cassian complained as Jyn opened her car door.

She snorted in response. “Cassian, if you haven’t learned how little I care about convention over the past three dates, I don’t think you’ve been paying attention.”

“Can’t have you thinking that,” Cassian chuckled, climbing out the car to meet her. “Because I’ve definitely been paying attention.”

“Hmm,” Jyn hummed, reaching her hands up to Cassian’s shoulders. “Tell me, what have you learned?”

“I’ve learned that the couple that owns the Chinese restaurant we’ve been to give us free desserts because we’re ‘cute,’” Cassian said and Jyn laughed at the memory of the burly waiter who had brought them their dessert, repeating his husband’s phrase in a monotone voice. They had wondered for a moment how the waiter's husband, who had never left the kitchen, knew enough to call them 'cute', but dessert quickly won out over curiosity. “Also, for such a small person, you can eat a lot of food.”

Jyn smacked his arm lightly in response to that. “Damn right I can, and don’t you forget it.”

“Also,” Cassian whispered into Jyn’s ear, “I’ve learned you’re very sensitive right… here.” He nipped at the skin just below her ear, enjoying the way Jyn sighed in response and tilted her head to give him more room. He kissed his way to her jawline and then teased her lips with his.

“Cassian?”

“Yes, mi corazón?”

“We’re in the middle of a parking lot. Our apartment’s parking lot. Our neighbors can see us.”

Cassian took a step back from Jyn but kept her hand locked in his. “We should probably head upstairs.”

“Let’s not,” Jyn said, and pulled on Cassian’s hand. Rather than heading towards the stairs, Jyn walked towards the grass, lying down where Cassian had asked her out for the first time. “If we go upstairs, I go back to being a mother again. I’d like to be your date a few minutes longer.”

“Sounds fine to me,” Cassian murmured against her hair. They laid in the grass for several minutes, content to watch the night sky and be in each other’s company.

“I hate not being able to see the stars,” Jyn whispered after a few minutes. “I always wanted to teach Sam the constellations.”

“I didn’t know you knew them.”

Jyn smile turned wistful. “My father taught them to me when I was young. He was an astronomer. My family would go on long weekend camping trips, and my father and I would stay up late, mapping out the stars.” She sighed. “He and my mother died in a car accident when I was eight, but I can still find Cassiopeia and Canis Major in my sleep.”

Jyn began pointing to the sky, mapping out where the constellations were hidden behind clouds and pollution and city light. Cassian had never lived anywhere but a city, couldn’t picture the night sky littered with the stars the way Jyn saw it with her father, but he loved the quiet reverence Jyn used to teach him. She grew quiet after a few minutes, and Cassian nuzzled his nose into her temple.

“Why didn’t you go into astronomy like your father?” He asked. “You know so much about it.”

“Saw – my foster father – he… Well, he was much more practical than my parents were,” Jyn explained. “My parents were dreamers, loved the stars and history and what ifs, but Saw cared about the here and now, what you were doing to help the world. He taught me how to help people. That’s what I want to do as a nurse.”

“You never talk about your foster family,” Cassian said, hoping he wasn’t prying into a subject that would make Jyn clam up. She’s been so open with him on their dates, he’d almost forgotten how skittish she’d gotten after their first dinner at his apartment.

“Saw didn’t approve of Sam,” Jyn rolled her eyes, though her tone was sharp enough to cut. Her shoulders were tense; a decade later and this betrayal still stung. Cassian threaded his fingers through hers and was grateful when she didn’t pull away. “Didn’t approve me of ‘throwing away my life’ when I could have gotten rid of him. We had a huge argument over it… I haven’t spoken to Saw since.”

Cassian stayed quiet in response to her story. Jyn was tough, but she was only seventeen when she was pregnant with Sam. No matter how independent and strong she was, she would have been scared by the prospect of having a child. Anger surged through Cassian at the thought of Saw – the man who had been entrusted with Jyn’s life and well-being – turning his back on her at such a vulnerable time in her life, followed by thankfulness for Bodhi Rook, who took Saw’s place in being there for her and protecting her and Sam.

“I wasn’t a bad teenage, you know,” Jyn insisted. “A little rebellious, maybe, staying out past my curfew and not taking Saw’s words as law, but I wasn’t a nightmare.” She gave a sort of derisive snort. “Even if I did end up pregnant.”

“Who is Sam’s father?” Until now, Cassian had been hesitant to ask such a sensitive question, but it had been nagging at the back of his mind for weeks. Was Sam’s dad still around? Would he bound into their lives one day, completely unexpected, stealing Sam away for a few hours, and then dumping him back on Jyn? Or did Sam not know him at all?

“No one important. Bodhi normally refers to him as my sperm donor, rather than Sam’s father.” Her laugh was truly amused this time, and Cassian felt some of his worries drift away with the sound. She leaned up on her elbows, eyes on the starry sky as she continued. “Luckily, Bodhi was smart, and already halfway to a law degree, so he knew what papers to get him to sign to give up all custody of Sam. He’s never met Sam.”

“That’s his loss,” Cassian said. “He’s missing out on a great kid.”

“Yeah, but Sam isn’t missing out on anything, and that’s what I’m more worried about,” Jyn replied. “Though sometimes I know I’m not enough. He loves me, but it’s hard being both halves of the equation, you know? Bodhi does a great job, filling in on a lot of ‘dad’ things, but sometimes I worry…”

As Jyn’s voice trailed off, ideas of filling that slot in Sam’s life floated through Cassian’s mind. Cheering for him at soccer games, teach him how to shave or how to drive in a few years, giving him advice on how to ask out a girl… Filling that role seemed like a dream to him, a life he’d long to be a part of, but he and Jyn had only just taken the next step in their relationship. Bringing that up now seemed far too risky.

“I’m sorry,” Jyn piped up. “It’s probably too early to be laying this on you.”

Cassian chuckled at how their thoughts had gone in the same direction. “I understand,” he assured her. “Dating with a kid – it’s different. He’s your top priority, Jyn, and I respect that.”

Jyn looked up at him, smiling, and reached for his hand. She brought their intertwined fingers to her lips, whispering, “Thank you for understanding, Cassian.”

Cassian moved to kiss her; if he didn’t, he feared all his thoughts, the ones too deep and too intimate to say this soon, would come rushing out of his mouth. Just as Jyn’s lips began to move under his and her hand reached up to stroke his hair, Cassian was reminded of another inevitability of dating a single mother – a shout of “Mom, are you home?” came from several floors above. They broke apart, Jyn grinning apologetically and Cassian biting his lip to keep from laughing.

“I should go check on him,” Jyn said, “and then speak to Bodhi about his abilities to keep Sam occupied.”

Cassian wound his way into Jyn and Sam’s routine. The Ersos made a habit of waiting on the lawn for Cassian to return from work; Jyn would greet him with a kiss and Sam with a hug and excited jabber about his school day. Rather than requiring Bodhi to come over and watch Sam while Jyn was in class, Cassian took over watching him. If Jyn needed quiet space to study, Cassian would pull Sam over to his apartment, or take him down the street to grab ice cream. Cooking dinner for three became his regular on weeknights. On Friday nights, Jyn’s night off from school, Cassian would treat the family to the movies or dinner or sometimes just an evening at the park.

Cassian was so content to slip into their lives he hadn’t stopped to consider any impending argument, any looming form of unhappiness in their relationship.

The warning signs had been there, even if his head was too far in a blissful cloud of happiness to notice. Jyn would hesitate when Cassian picked up the bill at the end of dinner and offer to cover it herself. Cassian assured her he never minded, and would brush away the sight of Jyn biting her lip and glancing away. Or, sometimes Sam would turn to Cassian rather than Jyn for help with a homework problem or for a ride to soccer practice, and Jyn would turn silent for a few minutes, seeming to shrink into herself.

Their argument started innocently enough. Jyn and Cassian were relaxing on the couch post dinner while Sam brushed his teeth when Jyn mentioned an upcoming exam she was stressing over.

“I could take Sam for the weekend,” Cassian offered. “He could stay at my place while you spend a few days focusing.”

Jyn’s shoulders stiffened in response. “You don’t need to watch Sam. I’m fine.” Her voice was lower than normal as she spoke, which Cassian would later berate himself for not noticing.

He continued on, insisting, “But if it made things easier for you, I wouldn’t mind having him stay over a few nights—“

“I don’t need you to do this for me, Cassian,” Jyn seethed, and now Cassian noticed the shift in her tone. She moved away from him on the couch, turning so he could see her fiery eyes. “I took care of Sam for plenty of years before you came along and I can still do it now.”

“I know that,” Cassian assured her. He reached a hand towards her arm, but she jerked it away. “I just want what’s best for you, Jyn.”

Her body stiffened and Cassian could hear the breath hitch in her throat. When she looked up at him, her eyes flashed defensively. “I think I know what’s best for me, thank you very much,” Jyn said through clenched teeth. Cassian reached out for her but she yanked away, standing from the couch. “I don’t need you or anyone else telling me that.”

Jyn’s arms tightened around her chest, cutting herself off from Cassian and their conversation. Her chin jutted upward, defiant, but her hands shook as well, though she tried to disguise it by balling them into fists.

“Maybe you should leave.”

Cassian shook his head, confused by this drastic change in her attitude? “Jyn, I was only trying to help.” He didn’t want to get angry with her, but none of this was rational; they were adults, they could sit down and talk about their problems like adults. “I’m not leaving if you’re still angry.”

“Trust me,” Jyn laughed, but instead of humor the sound was loaded with malice. “I don’t think you want to talk about it when I’m angry.”

Again, Cassian shook his head. “Jyn…”

“Before Sam comes back,” Jyn said, not quite pleading, but distinctly urgent. “I don’t want him to see us arguing.”

She had to know Sam would always be the trump card. “Okay, okay.” Cassian held up his hands in surrender. He’d never seen her angry before, not like this, but maybe she was right. Nothing productive would come out of them talking if it only turned into a screaming match. “But, when you want to talk … I’ll be right next door.”

Jyn didn’t come to talk that night. As Cassian settled in to sleep, he assured himself that was alright; allowing themselves time to cool off would prevent a bitter argument. That was fine. He could wait. As was tradition, he woke to the sound of Jyn’s alarm clock next door, though the other sounds that normally accompanied the Erso’s morning routine – Sam’s laughter or the Jyn muttering to herself as she gathered her things – seemed more subdued than normal. Cassian considered opening his door to say good morning was they walked past, but held himself back. Jyn was angry, so she needed to make the next move.

The next move didn’t come that evening – the Ersos weren’t out on the lawn after a run like normal when he returned to work – or the next morning. The next he heard from Jyn was two days after their fight.

Her knock on his door was much more quiet and timid than usual. When he opened the door, his first thought was relief, until he took note of her body language. Her arms were crossed, her eyes cold and looking several inches to the left of Cassian’s face, and she stood a foot back from the doorway, keeping distance between her and Cassian.

“You left this at my apartment,” she said, without emotion, holding out a sweatshirt for Cassian to take.

“Jyn,” Cassian pleaded, “Aren’t we going to talk about this?”

“I don’t have anything to say to you,” Jyn said, pulling her arms tight against her chest. “Please just take the sweatshirt.”

Cassian did. “I wish you wouldn’t do this,” he muttered before she turned away. “Jyn you can’t just walk away from this.”

She paused in her movements and her eyes flickered to his. For a moment, Cassian thought she was going to speak, but she pursed her lips together, heading back to her apartment without another word.

Cassian listened to her door click shut and banged his head back against his door frame. What was he going to do?

Over the next few days, he waited. He tried to focus on work, on the other friends he had made around the office to give Jyn the time she needed, but his heart ached listening to the pair next door or seeing Sam chase his soccer ball around in the field. Their coming and going from the apartment never seemed to overlap, so Cassian hadn’t seen Jyn since she dropped off his sweatshirt on Tuesday evening. By Friday, Cassian was ready to burst, not with anger, but with the sheer uncertainty of whatever was going on between him and Jyn. He’d made a mistake and they’d had an argument; that didn’t need to be the end of it all.

He knew Jyn and Sam would be enjoying their Friday night, maybe with a pizza and some movies, reveling in the idea of no school or work the next day. Taking a chance and risking Jyn’s ire, Cassian walked to her door and knocked.

Jyn answered, already dressed in plaid pajama bottoms and an old t-shirt. Cassian opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off by holding up a single finger. Turning back to the apartment,

“Sam, I’m stepping outside for a minute, but I’ll be back, okay?"

Cassian could hear Sam’s affirmative from inside before Jyn stepped into the hallway and closed the door.

“I thought I told you I don’t have anything to say,” Jyn said as she turned to Cassian.

“And I don’t understand,” Cassian said, fighting to keep his voice level. “Jyn, we had an argument. Just … let’s work this out.”

“Why?” She snapped.

“Because we have something, Jyn, and I don’t want to throw that away because of a stupid argument.”

Jyn didn’t respond, just glared, her lips pressed tightly together.

“Jyn, don’t do this, please,” Cassian pleaded, reaching out to grab her arm. She didn’t resist or pull away, which Cassian took as a good sign. “Please, just talk to me.”

“’I just want what’s best for you,’” Jyn said after a moment. “That’s what Saw said all those years ago, when I was pregnant with Sam.” She seemed to grow taller as she said the words, once the weight of them was removed from her shoulders.

Cassian exhaled slowly, closing his eyes as he did so. He’d quoted Saw. The man who’d taken her in for years, only to turn on her when she needed him most. No wonder she’d been running from him all week; he would have been too.

“Jyn, I’m sorry,” Cassian said. “But I didn’t know that. I had no way to know that.”

“It just—it just reminded me,” Jyn said, “of how many people leave. Even if they say they care.”

“I care, Jyn,” Cassian assured her, “and I’ll prove it, no matter how long it takes.”

Jyn’s fingers uncurled from their fists and her shoulders sagged. Turning away from Cassian, she exhaled deeply before bringing her hand to cover her face. Not until her shoulders shuddered and her breath hitched did Cassian understand – Jyn was crying.

“Jyn,” Cassian said, much softer this time. “Jyn, come here.”

He pulled her into his arms, one hand going to cup the back of her head and the other rubbing circles on her back. He stayed silent, pressing a kiss to her hairline as her body continue to shake.

“I don’t do this,” she insisted, her voice broken.

“You don’t have to be strong all the time, Jyn,” Cassian murmured. “You’re okay.”

After a few minutes, Jyn’s breathing evened out and she stepped back from Cassian’s embrace.

Her dark eyeliner was smudged but Cassian saw, not her usual fire, but a spark in her bright eyes. She eyed Cassian for a moment, one half of her lips curling upwards.

“I’m not used to people sticking around when things get bad,” she told him. “For me or Sam or anyone.”

Cassian took another step towards her, a smile playing at his lips as well. “You need to meet different people.”

Jyn leaned forward, then, to press her lips to his. She met his eyes as she pulled back, resting her hand on his cheek.

“I need to…” Jyn closed for her eyes for a moment, gathering her thoughts. “I need to tuck Sam in and make sure he’s brushed his teeth…”

“I can do that,” Cassian offered, rubbing his hands over her upper arms. Tearstains still marked her face and her eyes drooped with exhaustion. “Get some sleep, Jyn. I’ll make sure Sam’s okay.”

She nodded and turned for her door. Cassian followed, a few steps behind, pausing before the threshold.

“Cassian, I—Thank you,” Jyn said.

“You’re welcome, Jyn.”

The living room was empty as they entered, so Cassian nodded Jyn in the direction of her bedroom, assuring her he would check in on Sam before leaving. Cassian didn’t need to go searching for the boy, because as soon as Jyn’s door closed, Sam’s bedroom door squeaked open.

“Cassian?” Sam, already dressed in his pajamas, called as he poked his head out of his room.

“Yeah, compadre?”

“Is Mama alright?” he asked, shuffling into the room.

“Yeah,” Cassian sighed. “She’s alright, just a little stressed.”

“Did you two have a fight?”

“We did.” Cassian sat down on the couch and waved Sam over. Without hesitation, Sam snuggled into his side, and Cassian wrapped an arm around him. “But we talked about it, and everything is going to be okay.”

“I don’t like it when Mama is sad,” Sam said into Cassian’s chest, muffling his voice.

“Me neither.” Cassian stayed quiet for a moment, thinking over their argument. In a lot of ways Cassian wasn’t sure how best to keep Jyn happy. Scars from her past – from loss and betrayal and the expectation that everyone would leave her – would define their relationship. More than that, it defined her. Nothing was forcing Cassian to stay, if that overwhelmed him, but when he thought about how those struggles had made Jyn who she was – someone who fought for herself, someone who loved wholly and deeply, someone who never ceased to surprise him – Cassian knew he had made up his mind. He didn’t know everything about Jyn Erso, but he wanted to know everything about her – how she took her coffee in the mornings, her favorite childhood vacation and the places she still wanted to visit: the little things that made her her.

If loving those scars, especially when Jyn couldn’t love them herself, became part of their relationship, then Cassian would accept that.

“Sam,” Cassian started, waiting until Sam lifted his sleepy head up from his shoulder to continue. “I’m gonna do everything I can to help keep your mom happy, but I’ll need your help with that. You up for the job?”

“Does it mean you’ll keep coming over?”

“Definitely.” Sam beamed and Cassian ruffled his hair.

“Good. Now, let’s get you into bed.”

Sam brushed his teeth and settled in with few complaints. Before heading back to his apartment for the night, Cassian scrolled through Jyn’s kitchen drawers, rolling his eyes when he found most of them empty or littered with useless knick-knacks, until he found a notepad. Tearing a page off, he scribbled a note and left it outside Jyn’s bedroom door for her to find in the morning.

“Welcome Home, Jyn.”

“I’m clocking out a bit early tonight,” Cassian informed his manager. Davits Draven was known for being a hard ass to his employees, but Cassian had learned quickly that being assertive earned more favors with the man than being submissive. Hence why Cassian merely told him he was leaving early; asking for permission would be denied without a doubt.

Draven looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Do you have another date tonight?” When Cassian nodded, he prodded further. “Same woman?”

“Why is it so hard to believe that I’m going out with the same woman?” Cassian groaned. “Yes, it’s the same woman I’ve been going out with for three months.”

Draven threw his hands in the air. “Just double checking.” He paused, a speculative look on his face. “Has it really been three months?”

Three months, one week and two days, Cassian thought, but he only nodded as he finished shutting down his laptop.

“Trust me, Davits, you would remember Jyn Erso if you sat next to him all day,” Kay Tuesso, another data specialist, quipped. “She’s his favorite topic of conversation.”

Cassian forced himself to keep a neutral expression at Kay’s cold dismissal and Draven’s raised eyebrows. He spent most of his time outside of work with Jyn and Sam; naturally they were Cassian’s main topic of conversation.

“Sounds like it’s pretty serious,” Draven said, before snorting out a laugh. “Maybe we’ll have more than one company wedding this summer.”

Kay laughed along with the manager – the little kiss ass – but Cassian focused on finishing packing his laptop bag and throwing it over his shoulder. He hadn’t even gotten the nerve to ask Jyn to be his date to Leia and Han’s wedding in a few months; asking her to marry him seemed like a whole different ball game, one that Cassian couldn’t even fathom. Thankfully, Draven wandered back to his office, leaving Cassian and Kay alone.

“Even if you aren’t going to marry her,” Kay stated, “I would still like to meet her.”

Cassian raised an eyebrow at him. “Why?”

Kay huffed, sounding vaguely offended. “You may have only been working here six months, Cassian, but I do consider us good friends.” This much was true; of all the people in the office – of all the people in Jedha besides of Jyn and Sam – Cassian spent the most amount of time with Kay, and they had been become close since Cassian started work here. “And I do believe meeting and evaluating girlfriends is a traditional job of good friends.”

Cassian laughed at that. “I’d be afraid of you rating our compatibility on a scale of one to ten, or evaluating the percent likelihood of our relationship’s demise.”

“I can be civil occasionally,” Kay retorted, his chin in the air.

“Just overly analytical,” Cassian said. “You’ll meet her eventually, Kay, but I do have to go.”

Kay waved him off, returning to his computer. Cassian checked the time on his phone. Good; he still had an hour until he needed to meet Jyn and Sam. Tonight, Cassian admitted, wasn’t much of a traditional date – no candlelight dinners or flowers to give to Jyn – but it was Sam’s first soccer game of the season, and, in many ways, Cassian considered that more important. Making a good impression on his new team was a top priority for Sam, and, therefore, tonight going well was essential to Jyn and Cassian.

By the time Cassian pulled into his assigned parking spot at the apartment complex, Sam was already dressed in his bright orange uniform and sitting on the curb waiting for him. Afraid he had misread the time, Cassian check his phone again. No, his commute hadn’t taken longer than expected; Sam was just ready forty-five minutes early.

“Mijo, what are you doing?” Cassian called as he exited the car. “We’ve still got awhile until we need to leave.”

Sam shrugged, but didn’t move to meet Cassian like he normally would. “I just didn’t want to be late.”

Cassian gave the boy a quick once over, noting his slumped shoulders and jiggling feet. Pre-game nerves must have gotten to him. Cassian sat down beside him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Are you nervous?”

“Of course not,” Sam scoffed, and Cassian bit back a laugh.

“It’s okay if you are, you know,” Cassian reassured him. “Nerves help you focus.”

“They make me jittery,” Sam groaned, and held up a trembling hand. “See? I’m shaking!”

“Don’t focus on that,” Cassian said. “Focus on all the things we’ve practiced, and all those moves you’ve mastered.”

Sam started to speak, but hesitated for a moment. Cassian nudged his shoulder, and the boy relented. “You or Mom wouldn’t be nervous,” he grumbled, eyes focused on his shoes.

Cassian gave him an incredulous look. “You think I never get nervous before meeting an important client, or that your mom doesn’t get nervous before a big test? Everyone gets nervous, bud. That’s part of life.” Cassian leaned closer to whisper in Sam’s ear. “I even get nervous before I pick your mom for a date.”

“Mom does, too,” Sam whispered back.

“You two whispering makes me worried I’ll come home to find my apartment covered in silly string, or something,” Jyn called from behind them. Cassian grinned back at her, wondering how she magically appeared as the conversation turned to her. Sam, seeming much more confident now, ran up the stairs to give Jyn a hug. “And the ‘have I ever mentioned how much I love you, Mom?’ attitude you’re pulling here isn’t helping.”

“Now, Jyn, would we do something like that to you?” Cassian teased.

“Yeah, Mom, would we?” Sam echoed in the same tone.

Jyn just shook her head, eyes alight with amusement. “You’re lucky you two are so cute.”

Cassian stood and wrapped an arm around Jyn’s waist, kissing her forehead gently. Sam made a noise of disgust, causing Cassian to chuckle and Jyn to roll her eyes.

“Perhaps you should be warming up,” Jyn reminded Sam.

“Mom, I’ll do that with my team!”

Cassian excused himself to go change for the game – “You mean it isn’t normal to attend soccer games in suits?” Jyn teased as he left – and Jyn ran Sam through basic warm up drills. He returned a few minutes later, his suit traded in for jeans and an orange t-shirt to match Sam’s jersey, and slipped his arm around Jyn again.

“Hi,” Jyn smiled, leaning up to kiss him. “I think I sufficiently distracted my son so I could properly say hello.”

“I appreciate that,” Cassian said, capturing Jyn’s lips again.

She pulled away after a moment, raising one eyebrow. “But you only get to keep doing that if you tell me what you and Sam were whispering about.”

Cassian laughed and pulled Jyn in front of him, her back to his chest and his arms around her waist. “We were talking about getting nervous,” Cassian explained. He leaned down and whispered the next part in her ear. “Sam was telling me that sometimes you get nervous before our dates.”

“He must not know what he’s saying,” Jyn replied, defiant. “I’ve never felt nervous in my life.”

“Hmm, I might believe Sam on this one,” Cassian teased, nuzzling the hair behind Jyn’s ear. Jyn reached back to slap Cassian’s arm teasingly.

Jyn sighed and focused her attention back on Sam. “I’m nervous for him,” Jyn admitted, all teasing gone from her voice. “What if the other kids are mean to him, or he trips and falls and breaks his leg?” Her eyes go wide at the idea. “God, that sounds like something I would have done at that age. I broke so many bones as a kid—what if he inherited that?”

“Jyn,” Cassian cut her off, turning her so she faced him, his hands on her shoulders. “Sam will be fine. He’s going to play a game of soccer in a children’s rec league, not staging a revolution.”

“I know, but–“

“Even if he were to get hurt – which he’s won’t,” Cassian clarified at Jyn’s panicked look, “You’re a nurse.”

“Nurse in training,” Jyn corrected, which Cassian ignored.

“You’ll be able to take care of him.” Cassian examined her worried eyes, longing for Jyn to see herself in the same way that he – and Sam, and Bodhi, and most people in her life – saw her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and she relaxed against him. “I know you will.”

“Thank you, Cassian,” Jyn whispered in the most vulnerable voice Cassian had ever heard her use. He pulled back, loving the way her eyes had gone soft and he longed to whisper something – not I love you, not yet, but something to describe the warm glow of happiness in his chest when she looked like that – to her. He brought his hand up to brush her cheek, pushing her hair behind her ears, and opened his mouth –

“Mom! It’s 5:30! That’s what time you said we should leave!”

The adults startled backwards. Cassian’s hand moved from Jyn’s hair to his own, rubbing awkwardly at the nape of his neck. Jyn bit to her lip to suppress a smile as she turned to her son.

“Yeah, baby, grab your bag and let’s go. Cassian and I will be right there.”

The match went well; the league didn’t kept score (though Jyn certainly did) so neither team officially won (Jyn assured him that Sam’s team won 5-3), but with the way Sam was smiling on the drive home, he may have won the World Cup.

“And then their goalie dove for the ball, but it soared feet over his head, so I scored!” Sam recapped the game for them. Cassian, who was driving with one hand on the wheel and one hand holding Jyn’s, snickered, sharing a quick look with Jyn. He remembered the goal Sam was describing, though he remembered it slightly less dramatically.

“I think,” Jyn declared as they pulled into Cassian’s parking place, “That this victory deserves some ice cream. What do you think, Sam?”

“In a waffle cone?” Sam asked.

“Sure.” Jyn tossed him the keys to her apartment. “You run ahead and get through the shower while Cassian and I grab your bag. We’ll get the ice cream out when you’re done.”

Sam nodded and sprinted up the steps. Cassian grabbed Sam’s bag and Jyn his cleats before following. “I assume I’m invited to this ice cream extravaganza?” Cassian asked as they reached the third floor.

“With how hard you were cheering at that game? You definitely deserve it. Besides,” Jyn winked with her next words. “I need you to see that I can cook – even if it’s only dessert.”

Cassian had to admit, the Ersos knew how to create a beautiful dessert bar. Jyn and Sam worked as a great team, creating an assembly line of ice cream flavors and M&Ms and chocolate chips and sprinkles and whipped cream – any topping an ice cream lover could desire. Jyn’s bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream was piled high with crushed Oreos, rainbow sprinkles and whipped cream by the time she was done. Before Cassian had the chance to comment, she sent a defensive look his way.

“I run marathons for fun.” She jabbed a finger at his chest. “I can eat this.”

Cassian threw his hands up, laughing. “I was admiring, not judging.”

“Sure,” Jyn snorted, rolling her eyes.

They gathered on the couch, Jyn pulled tightly to Cassian’s side while Sam bounded around the room, sitting beside his mom one moment before hopping in front of them to demonstrate a play from today’s game the next. Once, he fell back dramatically over both Jyn and Cassian’s laps, giggling as the adults rushed to save their ice cream from falling on the floor.

“Alright, Mister Sam, I believe it’s time for bed,” Jyn said about 9:30.

“But, Mom…”

“No buts, Mister. I already let you stay up later than normal to celebrate and it’s a school night.”

Sam looked ready to continue protesting, so Cassian handed Jyn his empty ice cream bowl. “You wash the dishes, and I’ll wrangle the monkey into bed?”

“Deal,” Jyn said, sticking out her hand for Cassian to shake.

“Come on, mijo.” Cassian reached out to grab Sam around the waist, throwing him over his shoulder as he laughed and swung his legs in protest. “Let’s get you to bed.”

Sam protested the entire process – stubbornly refusing the Spiderman pajamas that Cassian pulled out for him, and claiming he didn’t know how to brush his teeth – but by the time Cassian pulled back Sam’s covers, his eyelids were drooping. The fight drained out him as soon as his head hit the pillows.

“Cassian?” Sam mumbled as Cassian pulled the blankets over him.

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for coming tonight.” Sam said with a drowsy smile. “I loved having you there.”

“Thanks for letting me come, Sam,” Cassian whispered, running his hands over the boy’s hair. “And thanks for letting me join you and your mom afterwards.”

“You make her happy,” Sam muttered in his pillow. “I don’t think she says it a lot, but you make her really happy.”

“I’m glad, because she makes me happy too.”

Sam didn’t reply to Cassian’s words, and Cassian took his evened breathing to mean he had finally succumbed to sleep. He ran his hand over Sam’s hair once more before turning to leave.

“Goodnight, Sam,” he whispered as he shut off the light and pulled the door closed.

“He didn’t give you too much trouble, did he?” Jyn asked in a hushed tone as Cassian walked back to the kitchen.

Cassian shook his head, leaning on the counter next to where Jyn was loading the dishwasher. “A little bit, but I don’t mind at all.”

Jyn shot a sideways grin at him. “Try doing this every day for ten years, and then we’ll discuss how much you mind doing it.”

“Please,” Cassian laughed. “We both know you would learn to do a handstand if Sam asked you to.”

“Fine, you got me,” Jyn shrugged as she closed the dishwasher. “But don’t tell him that. I have to keep some form of authority over him.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Cassian kept his voice quiet, both not to disturb the sleeping boy only a few rooms away as well as not to break the romantic atmosphere between him and Jyn as she stepped into his arms. She leaned up on her toes to kiss him, throwing her arms around his neck and reaching her fingers into his hair. Cassian’s hands wandered to her lower back, edging down to where her shirt rode up slightly, and pressed her closely to him. He sucked her lower lip into his mouth, feeling slightly triumphant as she moaned against him.

Cassian hitched Jyn up, pulling her onto the counter and stepping between her legs. They continued to kiss, almost lazily, for the next few minutes. Jyn pulled back eventually, her eyes hooded, and rubbed her thumb over Cassian’s ear. Cassian’s hand reach back into her hair, longing to pull her tight against him again, but he had to check with Jyn.

“Is this alright?”

She answered him with a kiss, easing her tongue between Cassian’s lips. Part of Cassian’s brain wanted to take that an answer and never pull away from her; just keep pushing and pulling and learning Jyn, but more of him wanted to hear her say the words.

With difficulty, he pulled away from her lips. “Jyn?”

“Yes, Cassian. This is definitely alright.”

“That’s all I wanted to hear,” Cassian smiled and leaned back into her kiss.

When Jyn’s alarm blared the next morning – Cassian really needed to ask what their obsession with a 90s Disney movie was – he didn’t hear it muffled through the walls separating their apartments. If Cassian ever thought the alarm was loud from his bed, it was nothing compared to its sound from Jyn’s bed.

“Why,” he groaned as Jyn rose to turn it off, “would you possibly have that so loud?”

Jyn shrugged. “It gets both me and Sam up with one alarm. It makes sense.”

Cassian quirked an eyebrow at her. “It wakes your neighbors up, too.”

“Good,” Jyn smirked. “Six A.M. is a perfectly reasonable time to get up, and I’m glad I can encourage my neighbors to get productive starts to their day.” Cassian leaned up on one elbow, smiling as Jyn wandered to her closet. After a moment, she noticed Cassian staring and demanded, “What?”

“Nothing. Just… You’re so beautiful,” Cassian explained.

Jyn’s lips curled, and she teased, “I believe what you’re experiencing is called ‘post-coitial bliss,’ Cassian.”

“Maybe,” Cassian shrugged, “But I’m right.” No matter how many times Cassian awoke to the sight of Jyn with rumpled hair and an easy smile on her face – which hopefully was would be plenty of times – he wanted to remember this, the first time he’d been blessed with such a sight.

Cassian rolled out of bed, intending on wrapping Jyn in his arms and perhaps pulling her back into bed, when a sleepy Sam opened Jyn’s door. Jyn and Cassian exchanged a hurried glance and Jyn jutted her chin towards where Cassian’s shirt lay discarded on the floor. Luckily, Sam was rubbing his eyes and focused on his mom, so Cassian could pull his shirt over his head before Sam even noticed him.

“Cassian?” Sam’s voice was still rough with sleep. “What are you doing here?”

“I…” Cassian floundered for an answer, while Jyn stood there with crossed arms and a playful expression on her face. He was on his own to find an excuse to tell Sam, apparently. “I wanted to make pancakes for you and your mom.”

Jyn mouthed good save to him.

Sam’s eyes went wide. “We never have pancakes on school mornings.”

“That’s why I brought in a specialist,” Jyn told Sam. “Why don’t you go help Cassian while I take a shower?”

Sam nodded and took Cassian’s hand, pulling him into the kitchen. Opening the cupboard, Sam pulled out a box of pancake mix, which Cassian scoffed at.

“Your mom and I have two different ways of making pancakes,” Cassian explained. Pulling out his phone, he found the recipe and showed it to Sam. “We’ll be making them from scratch.”

Cassian reached back into the pantry and pulled out the ingredients. Jyn’s pantry lacked many necessary supplies – Cassian shouldn’t be surprised by this, but he rolled his eyes anyway; who didn’t own baking powder, anyway? – so Cassian tasked Sam with measuring out flour and sugar while he ran to his apartment to gather the remaining ingredients and his electric griddle.

“This weekend,” Cassian told Sam and he poured the batter onto the griddle, “you and I are going to the store to stock your pantry.”

“Bad things tend to happen when Mama cooks,” Sam said. “So maybe we shouldn’t.”

“I heard that!” Jyn yelled from the next room over, and the boys laughed.

By the time Jyn emerged from the bathroom, her hair blown dry and pulled into its customary bun, Cassian and Sam had a plate full of pancakes – including a lopsided C, S, and J shaped pancake for each of them – waiting for her along with a glass of orange juice. Sam pulled out Jyn’s chair, as Cassian had instructed, and proclaimed, “Tu desayuno, madre.”

Jyn laughed as she sat down. “Who is this child and what have you done with my son?” She asked Cassian.

“This lovely gentleman? He’s my sous chef,” Cassian explained as he laid a plate in front of her, pressing a kiss her cheek. “Very essential to the cooking process.”

Jyn pointed her fork in his direction, a chunk of syrupy pancake dangling off the end. “You need to be here in the morning more often, mister, because he has no cooking skills with me.”

Cassian ignored Sam’s shout of protest to smile at Jyn. “Careful what you wish for, Jyn, or I may be here a lot of mornings.”

Rather than responding to Cassian, Jyn directed her next question to Sam. “Would you be okay with that?”

“Are you kidding?” Sam said around a mouthful of pancake. “I’d love that!”

Jyn turned back to Cassian with a smile. “Then I guess that’s an open invitation.”

When someone knocked on his door on a Friday afternoon, Cassian expected to see either Sam or Jyn at the door. Instead, Bodhi Rook stood there.

“Hi,” he waved, a slightly awkward smile on his face. “Do you mind if I come in?”

Cassian opened the door wider and ushered him in. “Do you want something to drink?”

“No, I’m good, thanks.”

Bodhi didn’t continue, and Cassian glanced at him, wondering why he stopped by. Cassian liked Bodhi well enough, but the pair never interacted without Jyn and Sam there with them. With a sudden thought of panic, Cassian wondered if Bodhi had come by to give a customary “big brother” talk – don’t mess with Jyn or they’ll be hell to pay or something to that extent.

Instead of a threat, Bodhi started with, “I have an offer for you.”

“Oh?” Cassian asked, still uncertain where this was going.

“Well, the thing is – well, Mother’s Day is coming up, and Sam and I – me, really, but Sam always tries to help – we like to plan a nice day for Jyn. She rolls her eyes and complains – you know how she is – but it’s always nice to do something good for her, you know?” Bodhi’s words stumbled out quickly, but he paused to take a breath here. “I was wondering if you wanted to take over that planning.”

Apparently Bodhi, like Jyn, knew exactly how to catch Cassian off guard.

“You don’t have to, of course,” Bodhi assured him, catching the surprised look on Cassian’s face. “I know you’ve only been dating a few months, but I know Sam would love it, so I wanted to give you the chance…”

A slow smile spread across Cassian’s face. Jyn’s brother and her son – her family – were offering him the chance to join an important family tradition. How could he pass that up?

“I’d love to do that,” Cassian said and Bodhi’s shoulders relaxed. An idea, spurred on by a conversation he and Jyn had months previous now staring at the starless sky above their apartment, sprung into Cassian’s head. “What do you think are the chances of us getting her away for a whole weekend?”

Bodhi grinned, and though both men agreed convincing Jyn of a weekend getaway would take extraneous planning – and their greatest secret weapon: Sam Erso’s puppy dog eyes.

After explaining the plan to Sam, the trio waited until dinner the next evening to spring the plan on Jyn.

“So, Mom,” Sam began with eyes a little too wide and a smile a little too broad to be inconspicuous. “I couldn’t help but notice that Mother’s Day is coming up in a few weeks.”

“And Bodhi explained you three normally make plans that weekend,” Cassian said next as Jyn stopped eating and began eyeing the three of them warily.

“Cassian, the brilliant man, came up with a great plan,” Bodhi continued, pausing before dropping the bombshell. “But it means being gone the entire weekend.”

Jyn sat back in her chair, crossing her arms. “What is this great plan?”

“Ah,” Cassian chided, “I’m afraid that’s a secret. You’ll have to trust us.”

Jyn examined each of their faces individually. “I don’t have a choice, do I?” She sighed.

“Nope!” Sam replied and beamed at her again.

And thus, the trip was decided.

Cassian and Bodhi agreed to keep details away from Sam – he was much too likely to spill if Jyn promised him extra desserts. Bodhi borrowed some camping supplies from a coworker – “Luke is all about connecting with the force of nature,” Bodhi had explained, “So his garage is practically an outdoors store.” – while Cassian turned to the internet to find the best camping sites with clear night skies. Jyn spent the two weeks attempting to needle information out of them, often using Sam as her main weapon, but by the time Cassian pushed Jyn and Sam’s weekend bags into the trunk of his car, she still had no idea where they were going.

They stopped at the Chinese restaurant Jyn and Cassian frequented for dates – the owner seemed particularly glad to meet Sam – for lunch before hopping on the road. The drive would take four hours and, if Cassian had calculated correctly, they’d arrive in time to set up their tent before the stars came out.

They pulled into the campsite beside Bodhi, who had driven separately with all their equipment. Cassian knew Jyn had figured out what they were doing – perhaps she’d figured it out hours ago in their drive – but she said nothing as she got out of the car and moved to wake Sam, who had dozed off some time earlier.

Bodhi and Cassian struggled to set up the tent, bickering over the instructions while Jyn watched, amused, from a distance, a drowsy Sam sitting beside her in the grass. She started a fire while they finished erecting the tent and pulled out s’mores supplies Cassian had packed in the trunk.

The group gathered in a semi-circle around the fire, toasting marshmallows and swapping stories.

The sky grew dark overhead, violet and pink streaks darkening into navy and indigo, and the bright lights of stars – more than Cassian had ever seen – blinked across the expanse.

“You planned this for me?” Jyn said, awed, as she stared at the sky.

“You said you haven’t been stargazing in years, but you’d always wanted to teach Sam,” Cassian explained to Jyn, rubbing his hand over her shoulder. “So, here’s your chance, mi estrella.”

“You’re an amazing man, Cassian Andor,” she whispered to him, punctuating her words with a quick kiss. “But you’re giving yourself a lot to live up to. How are you going to top this next Mother’s Day?”

“Are you planning for that already?” He teased with a quirk of his eyebrows.

“Naturally. Aren’t you with me?”

Cassian pulled her close and pressed his lips to her forehead, promising, “All the way.”

#kat writes #emmaawatson #rebelcaptainmay4 #therebelcaptainnetwork #modern au #au #single parent au #rebelcaptain #jyn erso #Cassian andor #bodhi rook #I hope you enjoy!

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