#omg this is the first rebelcaptain thing i've posted in months

[callioope]

Rebelcaptain Fencing AU

So this is what I’m writing for NaNoWriMo this year.

Words written today: 5841 (thank you for a day off, allowed me to catch up after falling behind during last week)

Words written total: 21,082 (my NaNo count is 18,832 though, because I technically started writing a little before November.)

Currently working on Chapter 5 out of ??? (I am getting very near the end though)

Description: A rising star in youth fencing, Jyn Erso was once on track to become an Olympic-level athlete. But then, age 16, she quit unexpectedly. Her break from fencing unraveled her life. Three years later, she still refuses to discuss the subject, even with her father, a former Olympic medalist, and her best friend, Bodhi, who’s just returned from competing in the Olympics. It’s fine, it’s working -- until she meets Cassian Andor, the kindest, most interesting person she’s ever been around. Except for one problem: he’s also an Olympic-level fencer. 

Snippet below the cut! (Warning, it’s sort of a sad scene.)

“Hey Bodes — what’s up?”

“How’s the date going? You need to bail?”

She glances back towards the kitchen. She can kind of see Cassian through the door. “Nope. Couldn’t be better. Actually, it could be — you sorta interrupted — ”

“First of all, stop right there. Second of all, you asked.”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Bodhi.”

“I’m happy for you, though.” He pauses. “But for the record, if you were worried about this guy you could have at least given me his name.”

“You know that ruins the magic,” she says.

“Do you want a follow up call in an hour just in case?”

Still glancing through the kitchen towards Cassian, she says, “I think I’ll be okay, but thanks.”

“Wow. I look forward to meeting this guy soon.”

“You wish. Focus on your own love life.”

“Actually, I did meet someone.”

“What! Who? When?”

“I’ll tell you about mine if you tell me about yours.”

“That’s very sneaky for you.”

“Learned from the best. But seriously, enjoy your date, text if you need anything.”

“Thanks again. You’re the best.”

“I know.” 

With that, they hang up. Grinning, Jyn starts back towards the kitchen, but her foot snags on something and she trips. She catches herself before totally embarrassing herself, but then she goes to tuck the strap out of the way when she sees what it's connected to: a large, black, rectangular bag, with wheels on one end.

Most notable, however, are the bold letters printed in all caps on the side: HONDO FENCING GEAR. 

Eyes wide, she backs away as if she’s seen a ghost. 

“No,” she whispers. “No, no, no.”

She looks back into the kitchen. Cassian still has his back to her. She closes her eyes, squeezes them shut as tight as she can, then opens them like maybe the offending bag will be gone.

That’s when she notices the second one, right next to it. His roommate fences too. 

She’s untying the apron before she even realizes it, unknotting it and unwrapping the straps frantically. The person it belongs to is so tall — epee, her mind tells her. They fence epee.

For a moment she’s transported back in time. The Junior Olympics, five years ago. His hair is buzzed shorter and he has no scruff on his chin, but yeah, she remembers now. She remembers watching the men’s epee final, Steela at her side, praising how clever the fencer on the left was, the one with ANDOR printed on the back of his white jacket in bold blue letters. She remembers him taking off his mask, remembers him being awarded the gold medal. 

No no no...

One hand goes to her lips as the other grips the scrunched up apron. She looks back at Cassian, totally oblivious, cooking their meal without her as she takes this call. Their meal for two. 

Does he recognize her? She’d only been fourteen then. He was probably — what — eighteen? Yeah, because she hadn’t seen him the following year. She paces. What if he’s known who she was all along? What if this is some weird sort of recruitment tactic? 

No, no, that is paranoid nonsense. Even after all these years, she still sounds like Saw. She runs her hands through her hair. 

Assuming he’s innocent, that he has no idea who she is, it’d be awful to flee on him now. But she also doesn’t think she can handle a relationship with a fencer. It’s too much — she can barely even talk to Bodhi about fencing. And if he’s still at all as good as he was back then, he probably lives, breathes, and eats fencing. It’s astonishing it hasn’t come up at all yet, really. That’s how’d she’d been, anyways, when she’d been at her prime. It was all she ever talked about. 

“Everything okay?”

She looks up, like a deer in headlights, her hand still fisted in her hair and the apron crushed in her fist. 

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost…” Cassian says. He seems genuinely worried. 

She lets go of her hair. Takes a deep breath. “I…” Another deep breath. “I’m really sorry. There’s been an emergency. I… I have to go. I…”

“Oh.” His face falls. “Is there anything I can help you with? Can I take you anywhere? Do you want someone—”

“No!” It comes out too forceful. She lowers her voice. “No, that’s alright. But thank you. It’s too…”

“Personal?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry.” She sighs. She can’t believe she’s doing this to him. She’s about to walk out on possibly the kindest, most interesting, most attractive person she’s ever had the opportunity to date, just because what? Because he happens to be good at something she also, once upon a time, was good at? 

No, it’s not that simple. Her break from fencing unraveled her life. She needs to learn to move on, maybe, but that’s not fair to him. More unfair than leaving him like this, with a half-finished meal for two still cooking on his stove. 

Tears welling in her eyes, she takes a final look at him: that blue apron, his rolled up sleeves, the concern in his eyes. Maybe, a long time ago, there could have been something great between them. But now, she can’t do it.

“I’m sorry, Cassian,” she says, handing back the apron. “I have to go.”