Jyn works well in front of an audience. Most of the time she'd rather be alone, sure, but the weighted gazes never throw her off her game. It's easy to pretend they don't matter – because they don't – and focus on the task at hand. That being said, the decent sized crowd that has formed around her sparring lesson is really starting to piss her off. From an aerial view, they probably look like a target, with Jyn in the center, her students circling her, and half of the kriffing rebellion circling them.

"It's because you're such a good teacher!" bright-eyed Private Mivera would say, but Mivera kisses ass like it's his life's purpose, so she ignores him. More likely is that their audience enjoys watching recruits get the wind knocked out of them.

Inclining her head, Jyn barks, "Salen. Mivera. In the center."

The Devaronian tenses from the tips of her horns to her toes, whereas Mivera swaggers into the ring with a grin. Jyn turns away before he can make a flippant remark and comes up beside Salen.

"What are you looking for?" Jyn whispers.

Salen frowns. "Ma'am?"

"What will you be looking for during this fight?"

Jyn's spent enough time with this unit. She knows them. Salen is more reserved than the rest of the recruits, but she's always watching, analyzing every match. She knows what to look for, by now.

Worrying her bottom lip, Salen says, "Mivera likes to go on the offensive. He's good, but he can get cocky." Jyn raises an eyebrow, prompting her to continue, "He's impatient. I'll hold back until he gets sloppy, until he gets reckless. Then I'll go for it."

The corner of Jyn's mouth quirks upward ever so slightly. She nods and moves to stand amongst the inner circle of students. Mivera looks uneasily between her and Salen, no doubt wondering what they were discussing. Those nerves steel into controlled anger as he crouches into his stance. He makes the first move, as Salen had predicted, and the match it on.

Jyn observes them carefully, making mental notes on their form and tactics. Movement at the far end of the gym catches her eye. He's just a shadow in the door way, and there's at least twenty people between them, but she would know him anywhere.

Cassian offers her a small nod and an even smaller smile. According to him, this crowd has something to do with her.

"You're incredible in a fight." He'd said one night, seemingly by accident. When he realized he'd spoken aloud, he quickly clarified, "I mean you're a good fighter, obviously, but just… just watching you is amazing."

He'd gotten so red, Jyn was afraid what would happen if she didn't change the subject. Still, she thinks about that often – more often than she'd care to admit. Salen hits the ground hard, snapping Jyn's attention back to the fight. The Devaronian rolls to avoid a kick and is back on her feet, skittering to get out of Mivera's reach. He swings wildly.

"Don't leave yourself open, Mivera." Jyn says coolly.

If it had been her fight, Mivera would be on his ass by now, but getting Salen to go on the offensive is like pulling teeth.

"May I interrupt, Ms Erso?" a smooth voice says from behind, but Jyn keeps her eyes on the fight.

"Isn't that what you're doing, Calrissian?"

He chuckles, "Charming as ever."

Jyn eyes him suspiciously and scans the crowd until she spies the smuggler and his Wookiee companion. Han is looking at her expectantly, but averts his gaze as soon as she spots him. Chewbacca gives an apologetic shrug.

"What do you want?" she sighs.

"To study at the hands of a master." He nudges one of the privates out of the way and comes to stand beside her. "You've made quite a name for yourself in the Rebellion."

"Believe me, that wasn't intentional."

Mivera throws another sloppy punch and this time Salen goes in for a strike. Some crowd members cheer.

"You've taught them well." Lando says, inching closer to her. "Mind teaching me?"

Normally Jyn sends anyone dumb enough to flirt with her away with a bruised ego or a broken nose, but there's no part of her that suspects Lando is being genuine. Instead, she eyes Han, who keeps glancing between them and Cassian. Realization sinks into the pit of her stomach. The look on her face must be terrifying, because Lando shrinks back from her.

"Okay, I'm sorry." He insists. "Han put me up to it."

"No shit." She says, storming into the center of the floor and refusing to look at him for the rest of the session.

Lando should have left right then, but he doesn't. He waits until Jyn dismisses the recruits and people start to disperse. He's halfway across the training floor when she barks, "Not so fast, Calrissian."

He shoots Han a pleading look, who puts up his hands helplessly and turns to go until Jyn says, "You too, Solo."

Chewie laughs as the Captain's eyes go wide and his amused expression vanishes. The four of them connect in the center of the room and despite Jyn's size, her presence is definitely the most demanding.

"What the hell were you getting at, Han? Sending Lando to be your… your…"

"Hey, hey, hey, settle down there, Sergeant. My intentions are pure."

He calls trying to manipulate Cassian's feelings by having Lando flirt with her pure.

"You have thirty seconds to convince me not to break your jaw."

"Andor's got the hots for you." He says, so simply that it completely throws her off. "You've got the hots for him. You both know it. We all know it. It was time for somebody to take action. You guys need to stop with the heart-eyes and unnecessary touching and get it together already."

"Unnecessary touching?" Jyn is fuming.

"What Han means," Lando interjects, "is we all want to see you happy, so we think it's time you both stop denying your feelings for each other and clear the air."

"Never mind that you're all insane." she says, to which Chewie asks not to be involved, "You're plan is bantha shit. You thought some poor attempts at flirting and a smolder would make Cassian jealous?" Lando and Han just kind of look at each other. Jyn rolls her eyes. "Kirffing idiots." She starts toward the door. "Don't ever pull a stunt like that again!"

"What was that about?" Cassian asks later that evening when she shows up in his room.

"What was what?"

He raises an eyebrow. "You looked like you were ready to strangle Lando after training today."

"Oh," she says dumbly. "yeah."

She shifts awkwardly on her feet. Damn Solo, damn Calrissian, damn their stupid plan and putting these ridiculous thoughts in her head about Cassian and what he wants and…

"He was trying to get a reaction out of you." The words burst out before she can stop them. Immediately she wants to be anywhere else in the galaxy.

Cassian blinks at her and she can see his expression struggle between confusion and caution.

"What do you mean?"

Kriff. There's no undoing it now, is there? Kriff, kriff, kriff.

"He was flirting with me," she has to punch the words out, "because he wanted you to react. He… thinks we should be together."

Cassian is silent for far too long of a moment and she thinks she might just explode. Eventually he says, "What do you think?"

Jyn gapes at him and gives a little disbelieving laugh. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Make me say it."

"Say what?"

Jyn balls her hands into fists, squaring off like she about to battle a foe instead of her emotions. "I've never had a partner before. Someone to watch my back. Someone I trust completely." She forces herself to me his eyes. "Someone to welcome me home."

She feels like she's a part of the floor, so she's glad when he makes the decision to move closer. There's something about being in the space, alone with him, that makes her feel safe enough to keep talking. "I… you don't understand what you mean to me… and not just as my partner or my friend but… karking hells, Cassian, I love you."

His expression is blank and she want to do nothing more than turn and run, so that's exactly what she does. She gets as far as the door when his hand closes around her wrist.

"Jyn, wait!"

She doesn't want to, but she's gotten very, very bad at denying him. She turns to face him and is surprised when he reaches out to cup her face. His eyes are so deep, so sincere, it takes the air from her lungs.

"I didn't realize how empty I was until I met you." His breath tantalizes her skin. "You've changed my life more than you'll ever know, Jyn. I –"

He closes his eyes like the words are hard, and she understands. Her hands find his face and he looks at her as if she's a star.

"I love you, too."