realists | open ✧ the time to fight is now

"Yeah?" She bites back a small smile, unconsciously ducking her head against his chest as they continue toward the house. Soon they will be able to spray the mud off and change into dry clothes and eat. So soon.

"I'd like that." All of that. Walking, swimming, probably Mustafar eventually, if only for the sake of saying she's been.

Oh. He likes that. It makes him smile to feel her tucked against him, and he wonders if this could become something common.

"I'd like it all too," he says, not sure if he's glad the house finally comes into view or if he's disappointed they'll have to break apart once they're inside. "Do I get to know what you're going to cook, or is it a surprise?"

"It's a surprise," she decides, if only because she doesn't know what she could begin to cook them for a snack now that she's thrown the gauntlet down and fussed enough to defend the honor of her cooking.

It's gonna be toasted cheese.

She pulls them to a stop when they reach the grass in front of the house. "Alright. Take your pants off." Jyn. She chokes a bit when she's realized what she's said. "Because they're muddy. Take your muddy clothes off and I'll hose you off and then you can do the same to me and I'll run in to get us dry clothes."

A surprise is not reassuring in the slightest, but he's distracted by her quick and easy command to take off his pants. He'd stumble if he were on his own, but instead his arm just tightens around her shoulder, the only sign he was maybe caught off guard.

It's not that Cassian is particularly modest; being in the rebellion doesn't allow that kind of thing most of the time. But it's Jyn, and they've just talked about becoming - together. So he still hesitates for a second.

"I'll need to -" he trails off, because it's hard to admit he'll still need her to support him for this. At least in his room there's furniture and walls to lean on. He grits his teeth and lets go of her shoulder to fumble with the drawstring, shucking them downward to let gravity do some of the work.

But he grabs her arm and doesn't look at her as he tries to finagle them off the rest of the way, his bad leg making it slower than usual and feeling frustrated by it, because it should honestly be far simpler, and yet!! It's not. For two seconds he seriously considers whether or not it's even worth putting new ones back on.

She doesn't mind supporting him and she shows no sign of pity or frustration with his slow going, really the only fluctuation in her expression is a brief crease between her eyebrows when he looks like he's in pain. It's not like this could be helped, he'd have to take his dirty clothes off anyway.

Still, he's wet and his underwear are sticking to him in a way that makes her heart race in her chest and she pointedly looks up and away, watching the movement of his shoulder before he stills enough for her to assume he's done.

She glances at his face. "If this was reversed, what would you say to me? About getting better."

He's more focused on getting his pants off with minimal pain that it takes him a moment to notice the way she practically jerks her head away from him. He frowns, then abruptly remembers he's in his soaking underwear and ah, that's why. For some reason, it makes him feel sheepish.

Cassian blinks at her and her question, then wrinkles his nose, like he's unhappy to be called out like this. "That it takes time. That you'd need to be patient." He huffs quietly. "It doesn't mean it's not hard to feel infantile."

"If that were the case I would be undressing you." Oh my... Jyn makes a face like why does she keep saying things the wrong way, nothing is coming out the way she wants it to, that isn't what she meant! She just meant babies can't really dress themselves, what with not being able to hold up their heads.

"I just--" She huffs. "You're going to have to help me out of my shirt, anyway, because I actually can't undress myself right now." The idea of raising her arm over her head makes her want to cry a little so she was already going to ask for help. Now, she's just going to be slightly more vocal about it.

That's two rounds of sentences that come out wrong, but the second is the one that gives him pause and turns his ears a little red. But then she huffs and it's easier to be amused, because he is.

And it helps having her admit they're in a similar boat. Cassian is too used to be solitary. He also focuses on that part rather than the actual idea of helping her out of her shirt. "We should probably just stick to button down shirts for a while." His back is still a hindrance too, though mostly only in the mornings and at night.

"Maybe that's why Jedi always had those robes." Easy on and off. For what reason? Who knows, maybe a grand entrance to meet Anastacia's Grandmother, maybe for tending to wounds. Maybe just because they were hella extra, over-dramatic fucks.

But right now they're looking pretty smart. Living in bathrobes sounds like a great idea. "Wanna help me with my shirt now or do you need a minute to cope with my asking for help?"

Play it off as her inability to accept help instead of giving Cassian a few more moments to steal himself for standing on his own.

"It does sound like they were quite prone to injury." Should the style make a comeback?? At least while they're on Lah'mu maybe.

He sees what she's doing and appreciates it. There's even the hint of a smile on his face, even if he doesn't bring it up. He loosens his grip on her and slowly lets go, standing up alone. Most of his weight is on his good leg, but for now he's pretty fine. "Moment of shock over," he says, teasing. He sets one hand at the bottom of her shirt. "Can you lift your arm a little bit? How much do you want me to do?"

"I can get it over one arm, but I'm going to need help getting it over the other." She usually just yanks it over her head too fast and yells into a pillow because Jyn makes great decisions. "Actually, if you could pull it up, I think I can get out of it that way."

It's gonna be so pathetic.

Pathetic doesn't even cross his mind. If anything it helps remind him that this is sort of normal for war injuries and makes him feel better about his own limitations. At least neither of them need to be cut out of their clothes (this time).

Instead of saying anything he just nods at her, and his body is definitely tilting in favor of his good leg, but he tugs up her shirt gently and carefully, mindful of her arm even though it's not even relevant yet. "Like this?"

"Yeah, that's it." Her good arm lifts a little, resting on his shoulder as she looks up at him with a sheepish expression, half smile slanted down. They're a fine pair.

"Just pull it over my head and we can slide it down my arm." And then rip it off and get her a new one.

He meets her expression with a very similar one of his own, as if sheepish is ever often applied to either of them - but it exists now. Another shared experience.

Cassian nods again, biting back that same smile for the ridiculousness of the moment as he pulls up her shirt, still gentle as he maneuvers it around her good arm and over her head. He doesn't let go, but he doesn't pull it the rest of the way off her bad arm, leaving that part to her just because he knows she'd secretly appreciate it.

She does appreciate it, dragging it over her shoulder and down her arm and she's free. While she was... something, about taking his pants off, she doesn't seem at all uneasy standing around without a shirt on. She isn't even that bothered by Cassian not having pants on, it was just how it came out was all wrong.

Anyway, free of her shirt, she flings it toward the stairs and easily wriggles out of her shorts, scooping them and Cassian's pants up before she throws them to the stairs as well. Then she grabs the hose and passes it to Cassian.

"Oh it's gonna be freezing, but. Do it quick." She scoots back a few paces and scrunches up her face, waiting for the cold blast of clean water to hit her before the warm water finds it's way out.

Once it's all over and done clothes-wise, Cassian doesn't seem much concerned about standing around with her either. He likes his privacy, but it isn't like the Rebellion affords constant closed quarters.

He takes the hose with amusement and very briefly considers aiming it at her face in a childish thought, but he shoves it down and turns the water on. He lets it shoot out for a few seconds into the grass before aiming it at her legs first. "It was laying in the sun all day. It can't be too cold."

He hoses up her legs and steadfastly avoids tracing his eyes over the curve of her waist when he washes off the mud from her torso next, then her arms, soaking her through but washing down all the mud from her skin. He gestures for her to spin around so he can get her back too. He'd just walk but. You know. Leaning mostly on one leg.

It's not as cold as she expected but she still jerks when the spray hits her. She turns when he directs her to, dancing back and forth as he hoses her off like a child that needs to use the bathroom.

At least Cassian's pants got the majority of the mud so that was sorted.

Her head turns over her shoulder to look back at him. "Thanks."

"I think I got most of it." He is trying not to look too closely just because he's hyperaware of how much skin is there. Especially when she looks over her shoulder. He nods his you're welcome.

Cassian offers over the hose to Jyn. "You took the brunt of the mud, but." He is not nearly as filthy, but just in case.

Luckily it's mostly Cassian's arms and legs so those are quick to deal with before Jyn takes his hand and puts it on her waist like she needs the support. And maybe she does, on her tiptoes as she cups her hand and gathers some water to gently get the mud off his cheek. The mud she swiped across his cheek.

"There." She smiles up at him, letting the hose water the grass at their feet. "All clear."

He is a little surprised when she pulls his hand towards her, but there's only a hint of it. Cassian finds the tiniest of smiles growing on his face when she cleans off his cheek, and he uses his other hand to curl up and keep hers trapped there, focusing on that instead of her damp waist.

"Does that mean we can finally eat?"

How dare he be so affectionate toward her, it's not fair at all. She has zero resistance. She would follow this man to the ends of the galaxy.

"Yeah. We can finally eat. Come on." Abandoning the hose -- she'll shut it off in a bit -- she draws her hand back with some reluctance, but loops her arm around his waist to drag him inside so they can dry off and change and finally eat.

open ✧ the time to fight is now

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