Chapter 2

While Jyn fumbled with her apartment keys, Cassian swept her hair out of the way and lightly ran his lips along her neck. Dipping her head to the side, she let out a breathy moan. The lock clicked open, and she stumbled inside, Cassian behind her like a shadow. Jyn turned on the lights, and threw an arm out in an encompassing gesture.

"Welcome to my humble abode. I'd apologize for the clutter and say that it doesn't always look like this, but…. That's not true."

Cassian laughed, grabbing her hand and tugging her to him.

"Luckily I'm not here to pass judgement on your housekeeping skills."

Jyn smirked, and wrapped her arms around his neck, carding her fingers through his thick hair. He loved the way her green eyes lit up when she became aroused. He bent forward and pressed his lips against hers.

"God, you're so fucking beautiful," he murmured against her mouth, savoring the taste of her skin mixed with tequila.

Jyn smiled, drawing him further into the apartment. He pressed her up against the wall, wanting another taste. He gently kissed her neck, nibbled at her earlobes, ran his hands up under her shirt. He rubbed his thumbs along her hips as he nipped at her clavicle. Jyn lifted her hands up, let him help her shimmy out of her scrub top.

Where Cassian's movements were smooth, controlled, paced, Jyn was all raw passion. Grabbing Cassian by the shirt, she spun them around, pinning Cassian to the wall. Biting at his neck and sucking his throat, he relished the harsh pants from Jyn's mouth against his skin. Yanking at his shirt, she pulled the buttons apart frantically, marking his chest as each one came undone. A choked moan slipped from his lips as Jyn ran her tongue in circles along his nipples, roughly taking one, then the other between her teeth. He clutched at her hair and pushed his hips forward, seeking the small bit of friction from his boxers. Jyn pulled back and grinned up at him mischievously. Reaching down, she rubbed him through his pants, enjoying the little jerks of his hips as she traced his outline.

Her finger running along his sensitive cock snapped him out of the hazy cloud of lust- this was moving too fast, he wanted to savor it. Cassian snatched her hand from its teasing ministrations, lifting it back to his mouth where he kissed her palm. Jyn let out a small cry of indignation, her brow furrowed with the slightest wrinkle of frustration. He quickly soothed her, slipping his free hand into the cup of her bra, toying with her nipple. Jyn quietly gasped, pressing herself up against Cassian's body as her eyelids drooped with pleasure. He withdrew his hand, lips tweaking smugly as she whined a quiet protest. Dropping a featherlight kiss to her forehead, he reached behind her and removed her bra. He grasped her ass, lifted her up, and pressed her into the wall, wrapping her legs around his waist.

He closed his eyes as he ground his center against hers. Jyn's face was pressed into his neck, alternating tender kisses with rough bites and sucks at the apex of his clavicle. He pulled one of Jyn's arms up, pressed it to the wall as he knotted his fingers with hers. He moaned filthy Spanish into her ear as he thrust up against her, feeling her soft breasts flush with his chest, the warmth of her body penetrating his. He inhaled the scent of her shampoo, admiring how she didn't smell too girly or perfumed…just clean and completely Jyn. He stroked his fingers along the waistband of her pants, and tilted his head a little to look her in the eyes.

"Is it alright if I touch you?"

"You're already touching me," Jyn pointed out wryly.

Cassian flushed. She was going to make this hard for him. Two could play that game.

"You're right."

He gently let her back down to the ground. He lifted his hand, and before making contact with her skin, he murmured, "Can I touch your face?"

Jyn snorted, but nodded her consent. He gently stroked along her jaw, lifting her face to his and letting his tongue slip in between her lips.

"May I kiss your neck?"

Jyn huffed a little in frustration, but tilted her head to the side as he kissed her neck tenderly, before punctuating it with a rough nip near her jaw. She sucked in a harsh breath of air.

"Do I have permission to put my mouth on your breasts?"

This time, Jyn shivered with anticipation. She quietly whispered an affirmation when Cassian's stance made it clear her verbal consent was needed.

He ran his stubbled cheek against the side of her breast, then tenderly kissed the curve of it. Pressing his lips to her sternum, he lightly blew on each of her nipples, watching as they stiffened with arousal. Jyn leaned against the wall and moaned.

"Tell me what you want, Jyn," Cassian murmured, as he ran his fingers along her calf, lifting one foot, then the other out of her sensible clogs.

"I… I want you to touch me, Cassian," she whimpered.

Cassian ran his tongue in a circle around one of her nipples, and was rewarded with a cry as he lightly scraped his fingernails over the surface of the other one. Worrying her nipple between his teeth, he chuckled.

"But I am touching you, Jyn," he parroted back at her.

"Bastard," she hissed in response.

Cassian just laughed again. He lightly traced one of his fingers down the curve of her spine. Her back arched towards him, thrusting her breasts forward. Pinching her nipple with the hand that wasn't supporting her, he inquired, "Am I allowed to take off your pants, Jyn?"

"Yes," she encouraged, as he gave her nipple a rough squeeze. She was so distracted, desire pulsed through her veins so intensely that she couldn't think of anything else but Cassian.

Hooking his thumbs into the waistband of her scrub pants, he untied the drawstring before slipping them down her slender thighs. Here, he could smell her arousal seeping through her panties. Cassian's mouth watered, but he restrained himself, not quite ready to give up his teasing yet.

Soothingly rubbing her calves, Cassian looked up at Jyn, waiting to hear her beg for what he knew she wanted. She looked down at him, pupils blown out, biting her lip sexily.

"Let's go to my bedroom," she directed.

Taking Cassian's hand, she led him through the living room, into her bedroom. While she went to turn on the lights, Cassian observed his surroundings in the moonlight. Jyn's bedroom was sparsely decorated. No pictures of friends or family, no canvas wall décor from Target, no signs to tell who she really was. The floor was cluttered with dirty clothes and books, the bedside table filled with empty wine glasses. The only decoration in the room was a green floral bedspread, rumpled on a bed with a very luxurious looking headboard.

He felt her behind him then, small hands undoing the buckle on his belt. She pressed her lips across his back, and he helped her to push off his pants. When she slipped a hand into his boxer briefs, lightly teasing his cock with her fingers, his stomach dropped, the warmth of her palm against his cock making him quake with lust.

Turning around, he walked Jyn back until she fell onto her bed, propped up on her elbows. She looked like a wild animal, equally predatory and skittish. Mussed hair, swollen lips, and that gaze in her eye- his breath caught at her beauty. A sliver of vulnerability fluttered across her face, and she looked up at Cassian from under her eyelids.

"Cassian, I…." She looked at him pleadingly, not wanting to swallow her pride and ask for what she wanted.

He raised an eyebrow expectantly. He needed to hear her say it.

"I… I want you to go down on me." The words came out in a rush, and a pink flush descended from her cheeks to her breasts.

That was all the permission he needed. He grasped her panties in his hands and slid them down her legs, letting them fall to the floor. Gasping at the sight of her, he took in the pink tint of her labia, her engorged clit, the way slick was already dripping from her cunt. Kissing her thighs, he leaned in to her vulva, lightly ran his tongue along her labia. His first taste of Jyn was incredible… His cock twitched excitedly at how thoroughly wet she was. He felt the moisture from her sex dampen the dark curls that brushed against his nose. She sighed lightly, hips bucking a little in reaction to his touch. He pressed his hands into the crease of her thighs, dipped his head forward to run his tongue across her clit. Jyn cried out when he made contact with the nub, and Cassian responded enthusiastically. He flicked his tongue back and forth, and Jyn wriggled and moaned in earnest.

"More," she cried out, thrusting her pelvis into his face, desperate and panting.

Pressing his tongue harder against her clit, he used his finger to tease her entrance.

"Oh, yes, please fuck me," she moaned.

He gently rocked one finger into her, crooking it slightly as he felt the spot he knew would make her come apart. He pulled back for a moment, watching his digit disappear between her folds, how she took him in so softly. He kissed her thighs, murmured lustful nothings to her, encouraged her to let go. She clenched her walls around his finger, responding so beautifully to his touch. Diving back in to stroke his tongue against her clit, Jyn's walls began to contract on him. He added a second finger, and Jyn cried out at the stretch, grinding her hips down onto his hand wantonly.

"Yes, right there, right there, right there, oh fuck…"

He felt her walls clench down on his fingers as her back arched and she came hard against him. He threw his free arm across her hips to hold her down as he continued to fuck her through her orgasm. She cried loudly, legs tensing, thighs squeezing around his face. Her hands desperately grabbed at his hair as she begged him not to stop. Cassian closed his eyes, savoring every detail of the moment, sucking at her clit like a man starved.

Slowly she came down, Cassian slowing his ministrations to gentle her through the aftershocks. He tenderly kissed her thighs, and felt her shudder as he withdrew his finger from inside her. Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, he grinned when he heard her contented sigh. The night could end right here and Cassian would still be on top of the world, satisfied with the pride swelling in his chest at bringing pleasure to his beautiful Jyn.

Jyn smiled at him lazily, then dragged his body up to hers.

"Sit up against the headboard."

Cassian nodded, scrambling to do as he was told. As he leaned against the upholstered fabric, Jyn crawled towards him. She reached out and slid off his boxer briefs, freeing his penis from its confines.

Jyn leaned forward and kissed him, reaching her hand down to slowly stroke his cock. The head of his cock had a bead of precum at the tip. He swallowed thickly as Jyn swiped it with her thumb, smoothing it over him. She looked Cassian in the eyes, and murmured, "Are you ready?"

"Do you have a condom?" he questioned.

Jyn shook her head. "I'm on Depo-Provera. We're covered."

Cassian bit his lip a little nervously, then tilted his head away shyly as he murmured, "Are you clean?"

He was genuinely terrified that asking such a question would ruin the moment, and he'd be thrown out on his ass. When he picked his head back up, Jyn was all business. Reaching over for her phone, she fiddled with the screen until she pulled up an e-mail in front of him.

"Yes, I am clean… here's my results from my last exam. You?"

Cassian nodded, relieved that the elephant in the room hadn't stomped out all the romance from the moment. "Yes, I have my results from my last doctor's appointment on my phone." He made to get up and grab his phone, but Jyn splayed her hand across his chest and pushed him flat on his back. She murmured, "I believe you."

Thoughts on STD testing were swiftly pushed from his mind when he felt her lips wrap around his cock. He moaned as Jyn ran her tongue around the head and gently licked the very tip, and jerked his hips as she released him with a loud pop.

Jyn straddled his lap, and he ran his hands up and down her sides, trying desperately to memorize every curve of her body. When she sank down onto him, his head fell back onto the pillow, and he whined out her name. Jyn let out a high pitched, breathy moan, and stilled for a moment- he tried his best to hold still, let her adjust to him. She was so tight around him- perfectly sheathing him. After a moment's pause, she tilted her pelvis slightly forward so that her clit would brush up against him. He placed a hand in the middle of her back, steadying her as she began to ride him, body pitched away from his. She balanced herself by planting her hands on his shins. Cassian let out a strangled gasp as he watched his cock move where he and Jyn were joined. Gripping the sheets, he felt Jyn's thighs tighten around his hips as her toes pressed into the mattress. He panted as he fought to control himself, focused on working his hand between her legs. Rubbing firm little circles onto her nub, Cassian bucked up when Jyn threw her body forward at the pleasure of the sensation. Grasping either side of the headboard, she began to ride him in earnest, thrusting down harder onto him. Cassian snapped his hips up to meet hers, and dipped his head forward to take one of her nipples in his mouth. Jyn cried out loudly at the sensation, causing a surge of pleasure to lance down Cassian's spine.

"Cassian…bedside drawer" she gasped.

Putting an arm out to reach into the drawer of her bedside table, while simultaneously trying to help her keep her balance, Cassian fumbled around until his fingers wrapped around a smooth, bullet-shaped object. He got impossibly harder when he realized it was a vibrator. Sleek and silver, images of Jyn pleasuring herself in this bed cascaded through his mind. Did she think of him when she masturbated?

Turning on the vibrator, Cassian set it to an intense pulsing wave. Pressing it up against her clit, he watched as Jyn's mouth fell open, and her hips jerked more erratically against his. Mouthing at her breasts again, he kept his eyes on her, and felt the telltale flutter of her walls around him. Groaning in anticipation of what was about to come, he pulled her closer to him, and pressed the vibrator a little more firmly to her clit.

That was what undid her. She threw her head back and let out a wail, and he grit his teeth in pleasure as she bucked violently against him. Reaching up, he hesitantly wrapped his shaking fingers around her creamy throat, wanting to feel the vibrations of her moans against his palm. He felt a slight wetness against his finger, and realized that tears were springing to Jyn's eyes at the intensity of the sensation. When she lightly bit down on his thumb and looked into his eyes, he came apart. He rolled her onto her back and snapped his hips against hers once, twice, three times, before spilling himself inside of her. Burying his face into her neck, he shivered violently as he tried to catch his breath.

Jyn was the first to break the silence.

"Holy fuck"

"Let's not bring God into this," Cassian murmured, pressing his lips to her shoulder. He rolled off her, placing a soothing hand on her abdomen when she whined as he pulled out. He tenderly wiped away the remaining tears that glistened on her cheeks, and kissed her on the lips. The last thing he remembered before passing out was Jyn rolling over to turn off the bedside lamp.

Jyn woke up with a groan the next morning. Her head was pounding, and her mouth felt dry and disgusting. Rolling over, she saw Cassian lying beside her, still fast asleep. He looked so soft and peaceful, different from the tightly-wound pathologist she saw at work every day. Jyn slowly dragged herself out of the warm bed to go and get a glass of water with lemon- her standard hangover cure.

As she stood naked in her kitchen, squeezing some lemon juice over ice and pouring water on top, Jyn thought back to the previous night. Her thighs were sore this morning, unused muscles protesting the vigorous workout from a few hours beforehand. Cassian had easily been the best sex she'd ever had- not that she had too many comparisons. Usually Jyn's one-night stands involved a man thrusting enthusiastically on top of her, taking no interest in her own pleasure. Over time, she found it easier to get herself off than to get involved with other people.

And speaking of involvement…she had to figure out a way to casually brush off the sex last night and avoid a longer-term commitment. As she gulped down two ibuprofen with her lemon water, she decided she'd go for a light run around the block this morning. Nothing too hard- her hungover body couldn't take that. Just long enough for Cassian to wake up so that she could avoid the awkward, overly-intimate waking-up-in-bed-together stuff. Plus, she hated morning breath.

Stepping into the laundry room that resided in the corner of her kitchen, she scrounged through the dryer until she found some running shorts and an old ratty t-shirt. They were in a college town, so there were a lot of girls who ran in sports bras and cute matching leggings. Jyn was not one of those girls. She didn't really see the point of buying expensive clothes to sweat in.

She grabbed a yellow post it, and scrabbled "Out for run, be back soon" on it. Tiptoeing into the bedroom, Jyn grabbed her Asics running shoes, slipped them on her feet, and stuck the post-it on her pillow. Cassian was a heavy sleeper.

When Cassian woke up, he was pleased to find that he was not hungover. Rolling over, he was excited to give Jyn a good morning greeting…but found that her side of the bed was cold and empty. In place of the sexy brunette from last night was a small yellow Post-it note informing him that she had abandoned him for the pavement.

Groaning, he laid back on the pillow and covered his face with his eyes. Fuck. He wasn't sure what to make of what happened last night. He had enjoyed it, and thought that she had too, but now he was doubting himself.

The front door of the apartment slammed, and Jyn announced her presence with heavy pants in the hallway. Cassian got up out of bed, slipped on his boxers, and walked out to greet her.

"Good morning."

Jyn was facing away from him, toeing off her shoes, and started when she heard his voice. When she turned around, he watched as her eyes took in his near-naked form. She blushed, but he held her gaze. He wasn't ashamed of his body, and besides…she had already seen it last night.

Cassian stepped towards her, getting ready to kiss her, but she deftly slipped out of his path. He watched as she pulled off the t-shirt she was wearing, cringing as she carelessly tossed it in the general direction of the washing machine. Padding behind her, he picked up the shirt and neatly folded it. He couldn't resist. When he realized that she wasn't going to break the silence, he gave it a second try.

"So, um… I was thinking we could go somewhere for dinner tonight?"

"Sorry, I have plans" she called from the bathroom.

"Okay. Tomorrow night then? I have one or two nights free this week as well."

She stepped back out of the bathroom, wrapped up in a thin cotton bathrobe, her hair still up in a messy ponytail.

"Look, Cassian. Last night was great, the sex was fantastic. But long-term relationships…or relationships in general. They aren't really my thing. If you ever want to do something like this again, I'm up for it. But anything beyond that… I'm just not available."

Cassian's face, previously open and caring, shuttered. His posture stiffened. Cassian felt like he had been punched in the gut. After last night, he knew that he couldn't settle with only having a piece of Jyn. He didn't want a quick fuck- for him, it had to be all or nothing. He thinned his lips, and with hurt in his eyes, nodded shortly. He quickly made his way back to her bedroom, jerked on his clothes. He just wanted to go back home and lick his wounds. He left so quickly that he didn't see the regret plain on Jyn's face.

Jyn sighed as she heard the front door slam. The look on Cassian's face when she rejected him left her with a bad taste in her mouth. He had looked so hurt…

She knew that she was saving him from a world of trouble. She was emotionally damaged, and a far cry from "relationship material". She couldn't even handle her own shit most days, how would she deal with someone else's?

Her phone buzzed. A new message from her group chat with Bodhi and Leia popped up on the screen. She swiped right on the screen while padding towards her fridge. Pulling out a bottle of Pedialyte, she took a swig while reading Leia's message to the group.

"Ugh, so hungover this AM. Hair of the dog, anyone? Our usual spot, one hour?"

Jyn tapped out a short affirmation, and five minutes later, Bodhi responded that he was in.

"Two peach bellinis and one Bloody Mary, please!"

Jyn almost laughed at how well Leia knew their hangover cures. They had been coming here since Jyn started working at the hospital- it had become close to a weekly ritual for them. Their waitress returned with their drinks, and Jyn closed her eyes as she started sipping her Bloody Mary. The brininess and acidity of the drink was like a balm for her roiling stomach.

Leia started chattering away about what happened with Han last night. She and Han had been dating for close to two years, but that didn't stop Leia from admiring how great their sex life was every chance she got. Jyn only half-listened as Leia recounted some new, kinky activity that they had tried. All she could think about was how sexy Cassian's face had looked as he came inside her last night, and how good it felt when he licked her clit.

"Well, clearly someone got laid last night. It's written all over your face." Leia drawled.

Jyn's cheeks heated with a blush.

"Oooh, it must have been good" smirked Leia.

"It was… really good. Fucking fantastic, honestly." admitted Jyn.

"So, when are you going to see each other again?" pressed Bodhi.

"Well, Cassian asked me if I wanted to go out for dinner tonight. I turned him down."

"What?" asked Leia incredulously. Bodhi's eyes were bugging out of his head.

"Jyn, did you not see how he was looking at you last night? And don't think that I haven't noticed your little visits down to pathology practically every day. You cannot tell me that you don't have any feelings for him."

"Bodhi, as a rule I don't do relationships."

"Fuck that. You can't go your whole life living by yourself, throwing yourself into your work and then drinking away your sorrows on the weekends. You need to find something else, or someone else, to live for."

"Easy for you to say. You don't know what it's like to lose everything."

An awkward silence spread across their little table after Jyn's outburst. Bodhi's hurt was plain on his countenance, and Leia was shifting her eyes uncomfortably between them. After a moment, Leia broke the silence.

"Jyn… you know we mean well. We just worry about you."

"There's no need to. I'm fine, I'm happy. There's nothing to worry about."

Leia looked like she wanted to say more, but she dropped the subject. In a tone clearly meant to lighten the mood, Leia looked slyly at Bodhi, and said, "How were things with Luke last night?"

Bodhi, surprisingly, did not blush or stutter with his response. "They were good. We just made out on my couch some, then we went to sleep. I think he wants to take things slow. It's different, but I'm okay with it."

Jyn, feeling guilty for snapping at him earlier, reached out to grasp his hand. She gave him what she hoped was a gentle smile, and murmured, "I'm happy for you." He squeezed back, and his eyes said that he had forgiven her.

She didn't deserve Bodhi.

Cassian spent the rest of his morning laying out on the couch, reruns of Star Trek playing on the television. He paid very little attention to the program- his mind was focused on when he had first fallen for Jyn.

8 months ago

Cassian was coming back from a morning coffee break when he heard yelling in one of the hospital meeting rooms. One of Cassian's most finely-honed skills was eavesdropping, and he couldn't help but overhear what was happening in the conference room.

"Are you kidding me?! You're going to turn away this child with perfectly treatable cancer because her health insurance won't cover it and her family makes too much money to be eligible for charity care?"

Cassian's eyes widened. That was definitely Jyn Erso's voice, and from the litany of voices piping up to protest, it sounded like she was meeting with the board of hospital administrators.

Finally, a deep voice piped up, "We understand how this may look, Dr. Erso. But there are two other children's hospitals in the area, they would be better equipped to meet this family's needs."

Cassian ground his teeth. One reason why he had become a pathologist was because he hated feeling like his choices as a physician were controlled by insurance company executives with no medical experience. It sounded as though this child's family had found themselves at the mercy of an insurance company that wouldn't cooperate.

Jyn's indignant voice started again. "You're right, there are other hospitals, but none of the others have as strong of a pediatric oncology program as ours, and we are the only one offering the monoclonal antibody therapy that this child needs."

A prim voice joined the fray. "Dr. Erso, while we sympathize with the family, our hands are tied here. We need to look out for the best interests of the hospital as well."

"The best interests of the hospital are bullshit if a child dies in the process. I am a physician, we are a hospital of physicians. When we face this kind of injustice, what choice do we have but to stand up and do the right thing?"

Silence reverberated, and Cassian closed his eyes. He could feel the verdict- Jyn's battle had been lost.

In a low and dangerous tone, Jyn hissed, "You will all regret this." With that, she came storming out of the conference room. Cassian scrambled to follow behind her.

"Dr. Erso! Dr. Erso! Jyn." He called out frantically.

Jyn finally spun on her heel, and snapped, "What do you need, Dr. Andor?"

"I want to help you."

Jyn laughed bitterly. "Oh, so you heard my altercation with the admins? Well, I probably won't even have a job by the end of the day, so it doesn't really matter, does it?"

Cassian sighed. "Look, I know someone who might be able to help. A lawyer. His name is Lando Calrissian. He does a lot of litigation work, but I think he would take this on pro-bono and fight back against the insurer if I asked him to."

Jyn's eyes widened. "You would do that?"

Cassian nodded. "I hate how insurance companies have so much sway over our choices as physicians. I'll get in contact with Lando if you can talk to the family. And if nothing else, I'll help pay the child's medical bills myself."

Jyn stared at him, long and hard. "Why are you doing this?"

Meeting her gaze measuredly, Cassian responded, "Because you give me hope."

Lando had taken up the case, and ultimately his firm's PI had found a systemic pattern of discrimination against children with pediatric cancers within the insurance company. The child's hospital bills had been covered by the insurer, and the insurance company was also forced to settle with its other victims. The day that Jyn heard the news, she had come flying down to the lab joyfully, excitedly rushing through words until she slowed enough that he could understand her. As he watched her eyes blaze with the thrill of victory and justice, he felt his heart expand, and knew that he was a goner.

Present

Closing his eyes in frustration, Cassian turned on his side on the couch. He had mistakenly thought that their tryst had been evidence of Jyn's feelings for him. He had thought his feelings for Jyn were strong before, but now they were practically unbearable. All he could think of was how perfect her body felt against his, how much he loved the sound of her laugh, how incredible she tasted.

He felt himself growing hard again at the thought of the previous night's activities, and impulsively, he took himself in hand. Tightly fisting his cock, he let himself think of Jyn's body writing beneath his, of his face buried between her legs, of the coy look in her eye when she took his cock in her mouth. All too soon, he spilled out onto his closed fist, breaths coming raggedly and Jyn's name cried out in desperation. Grabbing some tissues off the side table, he cleaned himself up, then drifted off for a nap, trying not to think of the ache in his chest.

Later that afternoon, Kay came by Cassian's apartment. He wanted to review papers for their journal club, but Cassian knew that wouldn't happen with the mindset he was currently in.

Cassian pulled two beers out of his fridge, passing one to Kay. As he popped the top off the beer, Kay muttered, "You have terrible taste in alcohol."

"Well, you don't have to drink it."

After a few moments of silence, Cassian caught Kay watching him. His forehead was forming little wrinkles, which Cassian always thought of as Kay's "computing…" face. He could sense that something was off with Cassian's mood. Continuing to frown, Kay, reluctantly sipping the "subpar" beer, asked, "What did you do last night?"

Cassian paused. Images of Jyn as she came, head thrown back, mouth open, surged into his mind. He felt a stab of pain in his chest at the thought. He knew he couldn't tell Kay that the main thing he did last night was Jyn Erso. Kay hated Jyn, and would never let him live it down if he found out about their tryst. So, he decided to lie.

"I went to the hospital mixer. Had a few drinks with Dr. Solo and Dr. Skywalker, went home early."

Kay gave a non-committal grunt. "I find that answer vague and unconvincing."

When Cassian didn't respond, Kay continued, "You've been unusually tense as of late, Cassian. Perhaps you should consider having sexual intercourse with someone to help relieve some of that. I've heard that there are phone apps for this sort of thing now."

Cassian gripped his beer tightly, focusing on removing the label with a surgical precision. "Kay, it's weird when you talk about this stuff with me."

"It's a perfectly natural human function, Cassian. I identify as asexual, but that doesn't mean that I cannot acknowledge that other humans need that kind of intimacy."

"We're not talking about this anymore, Kay."

Clucking, Kay rolled his eyes. "Well, there's no need to be so snippy."

Cassian glared darkly at the removed beer bottle label.

Kay pressed forward unperturbed. "Want to start looking through these papers? Don't want the residents to catch us unprepared."

Cassian nodded. Kay pulled out his highlighter and pencil, ready to start tearing into journal articles, and while Cassian tried his best to feel excited about the work ahead of them, he was distracted at every turn, Jyn's face still clear in his mind.