#Cass asserts herself as the oldest sister

[ghost-bxrd]

I love love love Owl Song, will Cass and the rest of the Batkids appear? And if so, when and how? Bc I want to see Cass and Dick nonverbally bonding ✨

Well, as of now Owl Song is still on track to end with Ethiopia so, probably not >.<

Although I think Dick would be very unnerved by Cass at first. He’s not used to humans being so quiet and communicating with body language alone, so he (rightfully) clocks her as a potential threat at first. Cass obviously recognizes this and would deliberately put herself into situations where she’s vulnerable and Dick would have a very easy time to injure her (similarly to how puppies expose their bellies to other dogs in a “I’m not a threat please accept me as pack” kind of way).

Eventually Dick would relax a little and watch closely if she’s just as docile around his other (squishy) family members. Once he’d ascertain that she’s no threat to any of them he’d tentatively allow her closer to the nest, and after a few days invite her inside for obligatory cuddle sessions by giving her a first coo (opposed to the wary hoots and chitters of before).

Cass fits herself so carefully inside the nest Dick gets impatient and just pulls her into the pile of limbs with a huff.

Dick feels a bit bad about not inviting her earlier because she’s radiating such unbridled joy-soft-love-content-gratefulness he doesn’t know how he could ever assume she’d hurt them. She’s as much a protector as he is.

[squiddybeifong]

Bonding

Day 5 of RobRae Week 2019:

--

Raven squeaked and fumbled around for his hand, some of the tension in her shoulders falling away as Dick’s palm slid against hers. Her amethyst eyes were wide and while she'd never actually admit to being overwhelmed, she was not too proud to concede that she may have been in a bit over her head.

And why wouldn't she be? She was surrounded by Bats: Cass and Steph had a cheek on each shoulder, Duke was aiming her a sympathetic smile an arm’s length away, Damian was in her face and all but interrogating her (if not for Dick’s and Duke’s hands pushed over his mouth, muffling the little bird’s words the best he could), Jason had silently nodded at her from his spot perched against the BatJet, Tim was praising her choice of tea (“That kind has a lot of caffeine in it for tea. It’s not coffee but good enough!”), Babs had given her an encouraging thumbs up but elected to watch the circus show alongside Jason, and Alfred had a plate of her favorite snickerdoodles in his arms, looking amused at all that was going on.

Bruce was just kinda there, but she knew he was watching her carefully. He still must not have been over his “no-metas” argument from when his oldest had brought home Kory that one time. But, for good or not, Dick had rubbed off on the mystic and she was hopeful that the dark knight would at least be open to getting to know her.

Especially since she fit into the family aesthetic so well.

Dick wrapped an arm around her shoulders, laughing as he shooed his siblings away, “Give us some space!”

He was positively cheeky at how excited everyone was to meet the love of his life, Don’t worry, we’ll all get used to each other soon. Become best friends and all that; especially you, Lil D.”

The swordsman’s nose scrunched up at his assertion, “You’re sure about that?”

“You’re the current Robin,” He stressed. Raven rolled her eyes as he declared, “Birds of a feather no matter what. Y’all just need some quality bonding time and bam!” Dick kissed her cheek, “Best buds in no time.”

“She’s a civilian.” He seemed unimpressed, but Dick told her enough about the kid to know how to get through to him, “I can still train.”

“Hmm,” Damian narrowed his eyes at her. His arms crossed, pleased with the idea. “After lunch sparring then?”

“Maybe tomorrow morning?” Raven fought back a smile at the frown that curled immediately the boy’s lips. He was definitely Batman’s son, that was for sure. The mystic shrugged a shoulder, her fingers brushing Dick’s again as she explained, “The trip here was a bit long.”

The boy let out a “Tch” but nodded, squawking as Steph shoved him out of the way. The blonde was excited, “But you still have time for doing stuff today, right?” She whipped her head from Raven to Cass and back again, “We really wanted to get to know you more. And not just like, as Dick’s girlfriend.”

“Oh?” Raven obviously didn’t quite get it so Cass spoke up, “You’re very… powerful. Well-known and…” The girl paused, trying to think of the word. Giving up, she jerked a thumb towards Steph, her smile obvious in her voice, “She has your posters.”

“Hey!” The blonde flushed, snapping her head back to the demoness, “Poster. I just have the one, actually.”

Raven sheepishly smiled, her eyes flicking to her boyfriend in astonishment, “I have my own poster?”

“Pssh,” Dick kissed her temple, “Of course. Why wouldn’t you have a fan-base?”

“And you know her best,” Steph mused aloud, a hand going to her chin. “That means you can help me impress her!”

“She’s literally standing right here.”

Luckily Raven looked amused and a tinge abashed at the attention, so Steph added, “But if we’re gonna spend time together, that means we should probably make it count. Do stuff we both-- all three of us like, right?”

Steph looked so excited at the prospect and kept glancing Cass’ way; while the Black Bat wasn’t as visibly antsy Raven could tell she was hopeful. Amethyst eyes glanced around the room, lingering on Duke as she aimed a soft smile his way, “I’ll have to find time to spend with all of you, but that sounds fun.”

She glanced over Steph’s head and smirked at the redhead, “We can invite Babs. Make it a girls’ night.” A not quite squeak slipped out and Dick let out a yelp as she grabbed his arm, leading him towards the controls. “We need to plan everything!”

Dick conceded with her tugging on his arm, wagging his fingers and blowing a kiss to the empath as he was pulled along. And with the acrobat no longer by her side there was another clamor for her attention. She appeased them the best she could; however, Tim was the quietest of the group (unsurprising, given that even Cass’ occasional signing was almost as loud as her siblings words) and Raven chose to follow his lead out of the BatCave.

She gave Duke and Cass a sympathetic wave as she heard the tail end of Damian’s instructions to them, deciding not to question why the youngest Bat felt it necessary to bring out the training flamethrowers for their sparring.

“Don’t mind Dami,” Raven glanced to the side and felt her smile widen at the sight of Barbara. She and Jason were the only Bats Raven had a chance to meet the first time she’d been invited to Gotham, way before romance was even an option between her and Dick. And now the redhead looked thoroughly entertained at all that had happened (and was bound to happen, given this family’s track sheet) as she wheeled alongside Raven, her olive eyes glancing at Tim. “You know about coffee?”

Raven shrugged, “Dick tries to get me to try it sometimes.”

“You’re about to get an… education.”

“On the necessity of caffeine?”

“On how insane Tim can get.” Babs’ grin was entirely cheeky as she admitted, “Jason used up the rest of the beans and didn’t refill them, so he was waiting until after you showed up to get as caffeinated as possible.”

“Should I say ‘oh no,’ or is this somehow gonna turn out okay?”

The lens of Babs’ glasses shone as they entered the kitchen, seeing that Tim had already made his way to the coffee pot in the two second lead that he had on them. “You should say ‘oh no.’”

“So, Raven…” Tim spread his arms and spun in a circle, a sleepy grin brightening his face, “You like your coffee with one sugar to two?”

Ignoring the look that Oracle sent her way, the demoness decided to be honest, “I’ve never had a full cup before.”

Babs palmed her face and wheeled back a few feet.

Raven blinked as, seemingly a second later, she was the sole audience to real life TED talk. Her head tilted to the side as she was introduced to a whirlwind of teas and coffees with Tim, trying her hardest not to smile as he walked her through how to roast the beans just enough to get all the caffeine out of them possible, taste be damned. The boy was oddly engaged and, admittedly, the topic was interesting (if a bit unexpected). Alfred’s kitchen also apparently had twenty hidden drawers just for coffee enhancements, but they would absolutely remodel to get Raven her own tea drawers ‘if she ever decided to move in.’

Her pale cheeks flushed at that, the heat burning down to her neck as Babs piped up, “Might as well start the renovations now, if Dick’s letting her fend for herself with us.”

Tim snickered at that, pointing out to his brother’s girlfriend a second later, “But you know what’s best for keeping sane in this house?”

“A cup of tea?”

He stuck his tongue out at Raven’s cheekiness and strode to the fridge. Tim pulled out a can and shook it, energy shining beyond his lethargic eyes, “A shot of coffee. Whipped cream on top.”

“A shot? Seems like coffee’s something I need to take down as fast as possible.”

“He’s actually done that before,” Babs casually added into the air.

There was a pause as Raven leaned it, squinting at the sleep-deprived teen. She wondered when the last time he had a proper night’s sleep was, but immediately tossed the thought out, lest she actually find out. Still, the mage had to know, “How long until you take in too much caffeine?”

“I know you’re just coming into the fam, but Raven,” Tim held up his coffee and sprayed a burst of whipped cream into his mouth, “Too much caffeine isn’t even an issue when it comes to me.”

Her head tilted to the side, her eyes narrowed in suspicion, “This seems dangerous.”

Babs let out a snort, “Yep.”

“And unwise.”

“That’s the idea.”

Amethyst eyes flicked to Tim and she decided that if she was in their house she might as well act like a Bat. Her arms crossed over her chest, her words resolute, “You can’t knock down a day’s worth of coffee in less than ten minutes.”

Babs let out a sigh but Tim looked excited. He winked at his undoubtedly future sister, speaking one word before tossing back the near scalding coffee, “Bet.”

Raven blinked, not sure whether to be alarmed or impressed at how he merely took another burst of whipped cream and went onto the next steaming cup. Briefly, she thought that Dick probably wouldn’t be too enthused that she wasn’t necessarily stopping him from doing this. But, if she was being completely honest, she was truly enjoying whatever this mess of her afternoon had become.

Although she did jump when Barbara nudged her side.

The redhead noted the tiniest crackle of magic on the girl’s fingertips and her face softened, remembering what Raven had told her of her powers when they’d first met. “You know,” She muttered, her brows inching up as Tim decided to simply down the whipped cream and coffee simultaneously.

Green eyes flicked to the mystic, “I’m surprised you haven’t needed to meditate yet.”

Raven shrugged one shoulder, “I rested on the way here.”

“Yeah, but we’re kinda a handful, empathy or not.” Another glance at Tim, who had somehow brought Alfred into his experiment. Babs tried to hold back a chuckle before she added, “We also brood a lot. I’m sure no one would hold it against you if you needed to chill out for a bit.” She gave Raven a knowing smile at the younger woman’s shifting, both of them knowing that she was right.

“Now that I think about,” Babs’ voice was teasing but a calm in the chaos that was Alfred silently tut-tutting as he watched Tim down coffee at a speed that shouldn’t have been possible, “There’s a little nook near the cave’s entrance. You know that carved mouse hole, like in the cartoons? It’s where Dick almost broke his arm trapezing over the statues?”

At the demoness’ nod Babs added, “It’s probably quiet enough for you to sneak in and out of if you want. I’d take you but we really don’t need Tim being too hyped up this early.” Her head tilted in thought and she pushed up her glasses, “Jay’s usually there whenever he visits the manor, though.”

She grinned at the empath, “But you two get along pretty well. And you can tell you’re there if you see ash piles around.”

Raven’s lips twitched in a smirk, “You’re really telling me to follow the breadcrumbs?”

“More like the cigarette butts. Besides, it’s peaceful and we left him in charge of keeping Damian from interrogating you. You’ll be fine and probably--maybe alone.” Babs touched her arm and Raven smiled back, feeling closer to the redhead since the last time they’d met. And, if her smile was any indication, Babs felt the same.

A lazy laugh escaped her as she turned her wheels, ready to stop Tim from his ongoing lecture that Alfred was almost certainly tuning out, “I’ll save you a spot at the table.”

“See you at lunch, then.” Raven wondered if this was what having siblings was like and nodded once, turning towards the door before Babs could even begin to guess what she was thinking about.

She knew that Batman wasn’t a fan of superpowers in his city, let alone his manor, but she still let herself fall into the shadows, quietly making her way to to place Barbara had guided her to. Her heart light, Raven wondered if Dick was right to be so hopeful on the way up here; so far things were going well. She was actually bonding with others, as insane as it was to imagine. Her thoughts and movements faltered as she passed by some of the artwork and busts that lined the halls, wondering if her lover knew their origins.

Oh, well. She had a whole weekend to find out, maybe longer if Batman somehow took a liking to her as much as his children had.

Raven shook her head and stopped, reorienting herself before she got lost. Slipping through a crack under the door the mage blinked at the tiny pile of ashes just inside. She felt his presence before he noticed hers and let her body manifest again.

Jason didn’t pause his smoking as she walked up to him, simply putting down his phone and nodding at her. His lips split in a grin as she let out a sigh and she collapsed into the seat next to him. He nudged her with his shoulder, snickering at the scent of coffee that wafted off her, “You let Tim explain his coffees to you?”

“We made a bet and he actually started drinking all of them.”

Jason let out a noisy breath, not quite a laugh and not quite a sigh, “You’re more patient than me.”

“That’s a given.”

“And you’re finally letting some of that snark out! Look like you’re getting along pretty fine here.”

A curl of magic wordlessly put out his cigarette. Jason leaned his head back, a resound laugh rumbling out of him at her antics, “Basically a Bat already.”

His turned to look down at her when all she did was snort at his words, his smile secretive. Jason nudged her again, “Although we gotta wait til Dickolas gets the balls to ask you to make it official.”

Raven gave him a flat look, although the stare was weakened by the curl in her lips. She turned away from him and decided to pivot the conversation to a more expected route, “I thought you would’ve been trying to tell me embarrassing stories of him, maybe even bring out a video or three.”

“That’s not until he brings you over for Chrismukkah.”

She snickered, resting her arm on the couch’s back. Her violet gaze looked him over once, “And what about you willingly babysitting Damian like Babs said you were supposed to be doing?”

He smirked at her choice of words, “That’s not happening until Hell freezes over.”

Another pointed look, this time interrupted by the mage’s snickers. “Although,” Jason looked her over once, surprised and appraising that she was keeping a calm head in this midst of meeting this clusterfuck of a family, “I kinda thought B'd've run you off by now.”

“B'd've?” She snorted at the contraction, one brow rising in question a second later, “Is B for Bruce or Batman or…?” She let her words trail off at the new press of emotions around her. The empath didn’t acknowledge the shift as Jason’s gaze landed on something just beyond her shoulder, but she had a good enough idea when a cocky smirk lit up his face.

“B is for Bitch.”

He looked up as he spoke, grinning at his adoptive father as the man approached them.

Bruce aimed a pointed look Jason's way, his attention settling on the demoness right after. Raven sat up straighter but didn't speak, electing to simply observe him and the subdued emotions that he carried. Jason watched their stare off for a moment, a fist pressed into his cheek in mock-curiosity.

“Quite a party,” He drawled, snickering at the two sideways glares he received. The anti-hero shrugged and bounced up to his feet, not wanting to endure the thrilling conversation they were bound to have. He aimed an emerald wink Raven’s way and nudged his dad in the arm as he passed.

A calloused hand waved over his shoulder, “Later, you two. Have fun with whatever the fuck this is!”

Raven gaze flicked from his retreating back to Bruce’s face, not knowing what to say. But the Batman seemed busy with observing her, trying to determine exactly how much he could possibly trust her. So she decided to do the same, wondering how they could get along. They certainly seemed similar enough, if Dick’s opinion was anything to go by (and she trusted his opinion with everything in her).

After a minute Bruce broke the silence, his hands going to his pockets, “Glad to see you're getting along with everyone.”

Pale fingers drummed against her thigh, “No ‘else’ at the end?”

His chin twitched and a sigh escaped, Alfred’s earlier words echoing in his mind. The billionaire shrugged a shoulder and he got on with it, “Dick loves you so I might as well get to know you.”

“That’s almost sweet.”

“I still don't trust you whatsoever.”

Her lips moved from a straight line to a half-smile, “That’s not as sweet, but very obvious.”

“But,” Batman paused, deciding to be completely honest with this girl, “I didn't trust a lot of my allies at first either. And if you may be,” He all but grunted out the word, “Family… then I'll try.”

Raven bit back a hum at his words (and Barbara’s, and Tim’s, and Jason’s), wondering if Dick was introducing her like this for a reason. But this was an opportunity she refused to waste and she nodded at him, “So will I.”

The demoness paused and stood, tucking some loose hair behind her ear. Her face raised to meet him and she spoke, “I don't expect us to start over. I know that this distrust will be there for a while but I was hoping--” Raven cut herself off, shaking her head as her voice faltered.

Visibly making up her mind, the ex-Titan squared her shoulders and held out her hand. She looked into the dark knight’s eyes as steadily as she could, “I'm Rachel, although I prefer to go by Raven.”

He stared at her for a long second, then grabbed her hand. They shook and he introduced himself, “I'm Bruce, I prefer being called Batman.” Raven was stoic despite the wave of disappointment that filled her and he rolled his jaw, “But you can call me B. Most of my kids do anyway.”

She let out a tiny breath at the intent behind his words and a genuine smile formed. “It’s very nice to meet you B,” Raven’s hands clasped in front of her stomach, her thumbs rubbing against each other, “I'm in love with your son.”

“I can tell.” The closest thing to a smile curled his lips, “He's desperately in love with you too.”

“Yeah?”

Bruce shrugged again, but this time there was some humor in his stance. “He all but threatened us to do our best to make you feel included this weekend.”

A quiet laugh escaped her, “Did he really?”

“His exact words were ‘Please try and make her happy.’ We may have taken some liberties.”

The empath’s shoulders shook again and she decided to be bold, “Well, I'd think a tour of the manor would make me quite happy. Some of those paintings in the eastern wing are new and possibly Baroque.”

“Hmmm,” His sapphire eyes glanced down at her, “You haven’t been here since Tim was Robin, right?” She nodded, knowing that his words weren’t a question. Bruce aimed his chin towards where the kitchen lay and continued, “Alfred would probably prefer taking you around, but I have an hour or so to spare.”

“And here Dick had me thinking you were a workaholic.”

A brow raised and (honest to Azar) the Batman looked amused, “Just Dick?”

Raven bit the inside of her cheek, keeping her smile from getting too wide, “Maybe a few others too.”

“Well, then,” He motioned for her to follow him and they strolled out into the hallways, “Let’s get going.”

They fell into an easy silence (well not easy, but easy enough for someone being accompanied by Batman) as they walked the halls, their steps slowing every corner or so for Raven to admire some of the art and for Bruce to offer some details. After a few minutes the mage blinked as she recognized the doorway to the kitchen and they passed through, spotting a certain acrobat.

Bruce merely tilted his head and Raven gave him a small wave, the stoics not stopping their tour as they went. As the vigilante paused to explain one of the mustachioed busts she had hesitated at earlier, Raven quietly murmured into the air, “Did you see his face?”

“He looked very happy. Usually I only see that when he’s talking about you.”

Raven smiled at that. “I’d imagine us getting along certainly helps too,” she added.

Bruce glanced at her, neither acknowledging the positive press of his emotions. The dark knight motioned around them as they entered the foyer, “So would you like to see the library or courtyard first?”

“Courtyard, please.”

--

Dick had brought her here on a few occasions, although Bruce only knew about the first time. Most of the times they’d snuck in for her to get a sight of the sheer amount of literature that the Wayne family had collected over the years. The library was still that wonderful mix of clean rain and old books and the shelves were as pristine as ever, but Raven was still as awestruck as the first time.

Bruce laid a hand on her shoulder, “Alfred was talking about preparing your favorites for lunch. I’ll go check up on him and send Dick your way if I see him.”

“Thank you, Bru- I mean, B.” She let out a quiet chuckle at her mess-up, “I’ll get used to it eventually.”

He raised a brow, his face a bit more open than before. Raven tried to keep the hope out of her face but she knew that he noticed. The vigilante nodded to her once, “I hope so.”

She tucked her head and, after a beat, he turned on his heel and snuck out of the library, moving in the shadows. The mystic’s attention immediately went back to the bookshelves, so she didn’t notice as he hesitated to glance one more time at her, missing the approving (albeit reluctant) nod to himself.

Finally alone, Raven let herself get lost in the novels and indexes around her. She let out a soft “Aha!” as she spotted a huge collection of first editions, carefully tucked away on a raised platform of their own.

After what felt like seconds (though, knowing her, could’ve been hours), Raven felt a wonderfully familiar aura burst into her senses. She felt the uptick of happiness through their bond before Dick softly called out to her, “There you are.”

The mystic turned to face him, her nose still in her book. “Seems like you’re having fun,” He laughed, winking at her when she glanced at him from the top of the page.

“I am.” Raven completely tore her eyes from the pages, leaning up as he pressed a kiss to her temple. Whether it was the smell of him all around her or just the calm that he brought after all the emotions of meeting his family, the empath let out a happy sigh. She sunk into his arms and the words slid out of her, “I love it here.”

Dick rested their foreheads together, his smile bright in his voice, “You do love your libraries.”

Raven’s eyes slid halfway shut, a soft smile forming, “Not what I meant.”

“Yeah?”

She sighed as he bumped their noses together. The mystic flew up an inch to quietly murmur against his lips, her words a breath between them, “Yeah.”

[pingou7]

A car, two cops and a stardust — a RebelCaptain road trip fic

by @pingou7 pingou  for @thestarbirdfromtheashes Starbird

(aka the Road trip fic Diego Luna’s filmography made me write)

Read and enjoy, and please consider leaving me a few words.

Summary:

As the dusty roads criss under Kes Dameron’s old car, Cassian Andor lets the wind mess with his hair through the open window. Dust, sunshine, laughter, its easy to recapture the taste of days long gone.

(…)

At a gas station near Corpus Chirsti, when they climb back after taking a piss, both jump out of their skins as a random brunette, eyes thunderous, hisses dangerously from the backseat:

“Just pretend I’m not here.”

Update: Part 4 is up!

Read more on AO3 (or under the cut)

Part 4 — From Gina’s House, San Diego, CA to Tijuana, Baja, Mexico Day 3

After seven hours of unaltered sleep, Cassian Andor feels refreshed and ready to greet the day. Once passed the surprise of feeling a hand other than his own on his cheek, that is. If Jyn is guarded awake, she has no such reservation asleep. She was all curled against his side but doesn't stir when he stands up.

He rubs the sleep out of his eyes and tiptoes out of the bedroom, like when he was a teen who didn’t want to be caught. Unfortunately, like then, it’s no use against his brother’s keen hearing and Kes opens his door as soon as Cassian passes in front of it.

“So, one night out of the car and you’ve already made your move Andor?”

“You could have fetched me if you missed me so much, cabrón.”

“Didn't need to, Poe gave me a stuffy, so I wouldn't miss him.”

“You tell me that, but you're afraid of the dark and your four years old man knows it.”

Both smile as they think of the little boy that is the legacy of the Charolastras, until suddenly Kes looks at him, and says conversationally as they reach the end of the staircase:

“You know, the collar of your shirt looks like it was drooled on and you smell kinda fruity.”

“Duly noted, Sergeant. Your point is?”

“I’m happy there’s something nice about this halt, that’s all.”

Cassian doesn’t say that nothing happened outside actually sleeping together, because to him, it meant something. He had not slept with a girl in the truest sense of the word in almost a decade, as pathetic as it is, so it’s perhaps more meaningful because they didn’t have sex. Still, he’s grateful he could offer something, some companionship, even if they were asleep half the time.

He can’t begin to explain that to Kes, or he would call him a sap, and he’d be right. They pad into the kitchen, greet Gina who's taking her pills — more than the last time they were here — with a trembling hand.

“Did you sleep well my boys? You left a room to Jyn I hope.”

“Don't worry Tía, Cassian was the perfect gentleman,” Kes assures with a teasing glint while said gentleman rolls his eyes.

They help themselves with coffee and toast and as soon as she leaves to go to the bathroom, Kes addresses the pressing issue:

“Did you get any chance talk to Jyn, cabrón? Besides the whole foreplay business?”

“No, nothing worth mentioning, why?”

“Assuming she goes along for the ride, how does she plan to cross the border?”

“She has her ID with her, several of them in fact, it’s all she brought with her apparently.”

Along with a Swiss pocket knife and a little box — a sort of sleeve he didn’t want to open — but it would best to keep this to himself for now. Let’s just say a woman should have secrets, Cassian silently mocks, knowing Kes already is too intrigued by this:

“Thief or murderer, she said. Maybe there was more truth to it than we wanted to see.”

“She doesn’t strike me like someone who would commit bloody crimes. But thievery, why not, she’s uncannily good at sneaking around.”

“Tell me about it,” Kes sighs, “if someone in the precinct knows how she played us from the very beginning, with her Houdini tricks, our credibility is over.”

“Kay knows, but I don’t think he’d rattle us out.”

“Not if you explicitly told him to shut his mouth, no. You two are an item and I believe even he puts your friendship above duty.”

“Do I detect jealousy here, Dameron? I gave you to Shara years ago, you should learn to share.”

“Oh, I know how to share just fine, these last days are proof enough, I’m just saying I find your relationship a bit too exclusive sometimes.”

“I love you too,” Cassian smirks as Gina comes back, rubbing a bandaid on her arm.

She goes to sit on the sofa, picks up her knitting and so they don't pay much attention at first when they hear Jyn coming down.

White blouse, a bit frilly, with sensible warm colored pants, her hair down, and a piece of colorful cloth in her hair… she looks beautiful, a completely different woman than the one who made irruption in their car some thirty hours ago.

“Jyn, you look… I thought you didn't like girlie stuff?”

“I don't, and I'm slightly uncomfortable, truth be told, but your aunt took my clothes away to launder, and she had this sorted out instead so… thankfully she left my vest alone.”

“What that moron tried to say, Jyn,” Kes interrupts, clearly amused, “is that you clean up nice. Now why don't you show Gina her handiwork? It'd make her happy.”

“Okay,” she agrees awkwardly, “tell me when you're ready to leave.”

“Really, Cassian,” he whispers conspiratorially in Spanish, “I know she's pretty but you could make an effort! I feel like I'm dealing with Kay here. Get a grip man.”

But Cassian is still tongue-tied seeing Jyn looking so feminine. Between her practical clothes and the conservative nightgown, he didn’t quite analyze her figure before. Lean legs for all she’s short, nice curves, shiny hair: really nice indeed.

As foreseen, their host is delighted by the change, though she is pale and slightly panting. It is like receiving a bucket of ice water, seeing Gina like this and Cassian wants to hug the illness away from her, like she used to keep his grief at bay for months, enclosing he and Kes in long and frequent hugs.

“I should have brought Poe and Shara,” his brother whispers dejectedly and Cassian can’t do anything more than putting a hand on his shoulder.

The woman who has been their savior at a time when they were left adrift is really dying. It matters little that it’s from old age, they were right to hurry. When Nadia called to say it would be judicious to make an halt to San Diego before their anniversary trip to Bernal, they knew her mother wouldn’t be the picture of health. It was to be expected expected, but it still hurts. 

Cassian would like to stay longer — should they do some grocery shopping for her? Does she has appointments? — but clearly it would be of little use, particularly without Shara or Poe. Jyn is restless already, coming up to them and whispering, face unfathomable:

“Look, does your offer still stands?”

“Which one?”

“Were you joking when you said I could cross the border with you if I wanted to?”

“You want to go along for the whole ride then? Is Cassian to thank for that?”

“Shut up, cursí,” he grows out loud while Gina has the gall to glare at them disapprovingly, making Jyn smile a bit.

“Not for the reason you imagine, Kes-adillas, but I talked to my... friends yesterday, and they thought I’d be better off with you than running on my own. And since Cass offered...”

Cassian outward groans this time, making Kes guffaw and Jyn smirks, but he nods, taking each of them by the shoulder.

“Okay then, Stardust!”

Even a blind man could have seen the flinch — the spasm, more like — that coursed through Jyn at hearing the nickname she mentioned during their first car game. Kes frowns back at her but hastily says:

“Stardust is a no go then? You said you were called that, or child and little sister, but were roughly the same age, and no family, sorry if —”

“No, no it’s fine, no harm done, you can call me stardust if you want. It would be nice to have better memories attached to that nickname anyway.”

She puts on a brave face, but her smile is a little strained still. Cassian remembers it came from her parents (she had also mentioned a guardian) so it’s likely there’s something traumatic behind such sharp reaction. Kes must have come to a similar conclusion because he says reassuringly:

“Creating good memories are our specialty, so don’t worry, it’ll be a fun ride, plus Cass will surely want invest himself body and soul to the task.”

“Enough already cabrón.”

“Kes, be a good boy, fetch Jyn’s bag and put it in your car. It’s in the laundry room,” Gina chimes in, seeing Jyn and Cassian bothered.

“You must be mistaken. I have no bag.”

“Well, you do now, even if it’s just a few spare clothes and toiletries,” Gina retorts in a stern voice the Charolastras are quite familiar with, even if it’s a pale echo of her former assertive tone.

Jyn is left speechless for the first time while Kes executes himself like their aunt was the drill sergeant and not him. Cassian looks around, feeling amused when Jyn follows Kes with a dumbstruck expression.

“Gracias tía,” he says slowly, bending over to leave a shadow of a kiss against her parched cheek.

“Hush, I just ensured that she had some fresh clothes, that’s all! I saw she wore your jacket yesterday, but you’re not in high school anymore, and besides it’s no letterman jacket.”

“You should stop watching stupid teenage tv shows. Plus I was a geek, not a jock, and she’s not my girl.”

“Isn’t she really? And don’t presume to tell me what I should do or not, young Andor! Watching stupid shows is one of the few privileges of retirement.”

He keeps his mouth shut and doesn’t say he’s not likely to reach the canonical age that would enable him such harmless pleasure. Even worse, he surmises the old woman herself wouldn’t be able to indulge much longer. Her skin as taken a yellowing tinge, her hands keep trembling... Cassian knows the sound and sight of farewell and it breaks his heart to witness his oldest surrogate relative discreetly fading like this.

“Your brother is a kill-joy,” she says unperturbedly as the two other people return, brushing away Jyn’s thanks.

“Yep... and yet, his best mate Kay’s even worse.”

“Make sure you’ll keep him relatively happy then,” Gina says like Cassian was not standing right here.

Maybe it was mean to be harmless but the air is sucked out off his lungs and even Jyn purses her plush lips when Dameron replies too solemnly:

“I will.”

It’s clear after that their aunt expects them to go — they weren’t meant to stay very long. Upon departure, the brothers stall as much as they can. She gingerly extracts herself from their entwined arms, and her eyes — the same as her late sister — are brimming with tears. Cassian is used to control his emotions, all part of the job, but the sore lump in his throat is the same that makes Kes swallow harshly.

“We’ll return on our way back, Tía, so wait for us,” he says a bit too heartily, and Cassian wants to grimace at the obviousness of it.

Gina graces Dameron with a tender smile but turns stern when Jyn and him say goodbye.

“I’ll expect to see the two of you... next time.”

“I can’t promise anything,” the fugitive says awkwardly, “but, thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”

They take the road again, with Kes behind the wheel. Nobody feels like speaking, the radio is off and the two cops and the woman called Stardust are each lost in their own thoughts. Cassian should be happy Jyn hasn’t vanished yet, that he has more time to solve her mysteries, but at the moment his mind is still trapped in the fourteen year old self that is immortalized in an old lady’s photograph. Shara should be with them, for Gina, and perhaps for Jyn too. Perhaps she would trust a woman more, even if marrying Kes ought to reflect not so favorably on her character, he reflects wryly.

At the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to get to Tijuana, Cassian is almost surprised to see Jyn handing out her relevant ID — green card included — considering he saw at least two ID under different names than the one they know her under, and even Kes remarks on her compliance. They were half-expecting her to crawl under the seats again and they’d joked the car wasn’t powerful enough to force the check point:

“Is this your real passport?”

"Oh, I have others, if you wish,” she says cheekily, “but that one is authentic. You already know my real name, and you're both cops, I'm not stupid."

Jyn Lyra Erso, born in Birmingham, England, United Kingdom on October 17th 1988.

Still, it’s surprisingly considerate of her, maybe foolish, even, if she wants to hide... Of all the possibilities Cassian has thought of, the less problematic one didn’t even register. Despite her usual sass, she’s clearly nervous, even after they reach the Mexican side. She’s just not making any sense to him, he silently muses as she pockets the papers back, a little short of breath, while Dameron too gives her a puzzled glance.

“Trust goes both ways,” she declares, “I’ve trusted you, you can trust me.”

Kes sends her a sunny smile, satisfied, but she catches his eyes, and he reads the message in her green eyes: there, I took a chance, so see me safe like you swore. He nods and so does she. 

Outside, the Mexican desert awaits.