Cassian thought back to when he'd first met Alexsandr Kallus.
He, along with the other members of rebel intelligence, had been introduced to him not long after the battle of Atollon.
"This Captain Alexsandr Kallus." Draven told them, his tone drawling over the 'captain'. It was clear that he didn't like the man but then again Cassian had yet to meet anyone who Draven actually liked.
He turned his attention back to the man at the General's side. He was tall with broad shoulders, blonde hair and distinct mutton chops. He kept trying to smooth stands of his hair back, possibly a nervous tick, but whatever product he'd been using had clearly run out as they just kept slipping forward. Thanks to the impressive bruise around his left eye, split lip and noticeable limp it was obvious that he'd been in a fight recently. One that he had probably lost.
His clothes weren't new. Everything in the rebellion was second or third or even forth hand. But it was like they were new to him somehow. It was almost as though he was wearing a fancy dress costume, like one of those clowns Cassian used to dream of watching when he was younger.
After the introduction Draven walked past Cassian as they all went back to work.
"Keep an eye on him." He whispered. Cassian gave a subtle nod.
Through the rebellion gossip it wasn't hard for Cassian to find out that Kallus used to be part of the Imperial Security Bureau. That certainly explained why Drevan trusted him even less than most people. Defectors weren't exactly uncommon amongst the rebellion but this was the first time Cassian had ever heard of one of them being from the ISB.
He watched him during mission briefings to always find him deeply focused, drinking up every detail to store away in the back of his mind. However sometimes Cassian would glimpse a haunted flash cross Kallus' eyes before he would shake the expression from his face and bury himself even deeper into his work.
Around the base Kallus wore a carefully crafted blank expression which, whilst effective at hiding his emotions, also made him look even more like the Imperial he used to be. He didn't go on missions much as he had a bounty on his head bigger than the rest of rebel intelligence combined and on account of his injured leg he would have been more of liability anyway.
Another thing that Cassian noticed was that the man was almost always alone. He didn't appear to have any friends. In briefings he would stand slightly to the side and on nights when the Ghost wasn't around he would sleep at his desk instead of in the group barracks.
It was most noticeable in the canteen however as he would sit by himself in the corner where no one else would sit as it was in front of the bins with work always in his hands. The sight reminded him of an outcast from one of those high school holodramas that some of the younger recruits would still watch.
It was a few weeks after Cassian had started keeping an eye on Kallus. He was sitting in the canteen when he heard a thunderous voice shout across the room.
"You!"
All eyes turned in the direction of the voice. A man who Cassian guessed was in his early forties stood in the entrance to the canteen. By the way his gate swayed and the waving of the bottle in his hand it was clear that he was intoxicated.
Along with everyone else in the canteen Cassian watched as he staggered over to Kallus, a murderous storm brewing on his face. He came to a swaying stop barely a metre away from where Kallus was sat.
"You..." He spat, spit spraying from his mouth like a rabid rancor. "Your Empire killed my wife! You killed my daughter!"
He clumsily grabbed some food from a nearby table and threw it all over Kallus. Cassian was stunned when the man didn't even try to defend himself. He just let it cover him and didn't even bother to wipe the gruel that was dripping from his golden hair into his eyes. He took the man's attacks and insults as though he agreed with every word he was saying. As though he didn't think he was worth defending.
Suddenly the drunk man sunk to the floor, tears leaping from his eyes. Kallus instinctively leaned forward to help but then thought better of it which Cassian thought was a smart idea. The man's friends came over to scoop him off the floor all whilst glaring daggers at Kallus. As soon as they'd carried their friend out of the room Kallus stood up and left without another word. Most people joined in with their glares as he walked away but Cassian suspected that he wasn't the only one giving him a look of pity.
He later learned that the death of the man's wife and child most likely had nothing to do with Kallus. It was clear he was just looking for a face to match his blame which Cassian was sympathetic towards but he didn't think it was fair to Kallus. He also learned the man had been reprimanded, not for assaulting another officer but for bringing alcohol onto the base.
He still kept an eye on Kallus after the incident, partly because of Draven's orders and his own paranoia but also because he was genuinely curious about the man.
A/N Hi! I've been working on this for a while now! I've always imagined that Cassian and Kallus would become friends party due to them both being fulcrum agents but I couldn't find any fics about that so I decided to write one myself. There will be more pairings and tags to be added. I hope you guys enjoy! Xxxxxxxxx