"Oh, you're probably looking for a manifest?" Bodhi asked.

"That would be helpful," the Imperial officer said, slightly impatient.

"It's just down here."

Jyn and Cassian listened to the sounds of a struggle and soon found themselves in a small closet with the dead officer and deck technician. Cassian knelt and began unbuttoning the officer's suit.

"Why do you get to be the officer?" Jyn asked, pulling the helmet off of the technician and beginning to work at taking off his armoured chest piece.

"I have more experience," Cassian said. "And the suit will fit me better." Then he looked over at her and realized she had been joking. He sighed and shook his head.

Soon the two corpses on the floor were half-naked, clothes piled beside them. Jyn took off her vest and gloves, and began to pull her shirt over her head. Cassian made a small surprised sound and quickly turned around, nearly stumbling over the leg of the dead officer.

"Don't be ridiculous," Jyn said, rolling her eyes. "We don't have time for modesty."

Cassian sighed but didn't turn all the way back around, just enough so he had the space to start to undress.

As Jyn took off her boots, she lost her balance and fell into Cassian's bare back. He grabbed her arm to help her regain her footing.

"Sorry," she mumbled, trying not to elbow him in the small space. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"Where'd you get the scar?" Jyn asked, undoing her belt.

"Which one?" he asked.

"The one on your back," she said, turning and running her finger down the jagged line right below his ribs. "That one."

He flinched away slightly from her touch. "Got stabbed."

"In the back?" Jyn said. "That explains a lot."

Cassian shook his head and smiled to himself. "What about you?"

"Well, I’ve never been stabbed in the back," she said. "Never been stabbed at all actually."

He leaned against the wall to take off his boots. "Chest, right side," he said.

She looked down. The scar peeked out from under her bra. "Got shot," she said. "Friendly fire, actually. When I was training with Saw."

"He shot you?"

"One of the other trainees shot me," she said, then made a face. "Angan Bani." She shook her head. "He was a bit of an arrogant prick. With terrible aim."

Cassian chuckled.

Jyn sighed. "He's probably dead now."

He looked over at her. "The life expectancy of a rebel isn't very long," he said. "Everyone who gets involved knows that."

One of Cassian's socks got stuck in his boot as he took it off and Jyn turned just in time to see the pink lightning-shaped scars that arced from his sole up his calf.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Where'd you get those?"

"Prison," he said, pulling his sock back on.

"When we're done with all this," she said, pulling on the jumpsuit. "You're gonna have to tell me more than just got stabbed and prison."

"When we're done with all this," he said. "I'll tell you whatever you want to hear."

When she zipped up the suit, the collar got folded inside. Cassian reached out and adjusted it, fingers gentle against her neck. They were standing so close together, just looking at each other, and for a moment, he wanted to kiss her. But he didn't. He would save that, he thought, for when they had succeeded. Besides, the last thing they needed was to be distracted. So he just smiled at her and turned to put on the officer's uniform.

Jyn looked at him for a moment. She felt like she should say something here but couldn't come up with the right words. It could wait, she supposed, until later. They could show each other all their scars and she could figure out what she wanted to say.

Cassian helped her clip the armoured chest piece over the jumpsuit. Jyn straightened his crooked hat with a grin. She sobered quickly as Cassian reached for the door handle. He looked at her one last time, in this space of relative peace and refuge, slightly removed from what was to come. Then he opened the door and they stepped out into the main part of the ship.

♥ epicalliope ♥