the pilot and the captain- bassian/sniperpilot

10

it was four days since bodhi got shot.

four days since cassian slept, four days since cassian smiled, four days since cassian left the medbay. he sat next to bodhi's bed, chair moved as close as possible to his side. cassian held the unconscious man's hand as he sat, hour after hour, day after day, waiting for him to wake up.

cassian would talk to bodhi, tell him about his day and how people around the base were doing.

he would confess to him, telling the pilot things he'd never told anyone, things he would never let escape his mouth would fall off his tongue and into the stale air. cassian would tell bodhi things in both spanish and english, calling him "mi amor" and then repeating it in english a few seconds later.

this particular time, cassian was telling bodhi all about how much he missed him. how much he missed his happy smile and his laugh and the way he missed sitting against each other in his now cold, empty cot.

cassian was just about to tell bodhi's unconscious body that he le ama bodhi when senator mothma walked into the room, her face struck with pity. cassian stood up out of respect.

"captain. i apologize for the accident."

he nodded. "you're not here to deliver pity, senator, i can tell."

she sighed. "me and my team believe that it's unhealthy for you to be here so long." she paused. "when was the last time you ate?"

he didn't answer.

she nodded. "we are requiring you to go back to your assigned boarding room numbered 3009 for the night, at least."

cassian's heart skipped a beat. he couldn't argue, but what if bodhi woke up some time during the night, lethargic and confused? cassian wouldn't be next to him.

cassian nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. "understood."

-------------------

"captain," k2 said, interrupting cassian's thoughts. "do you want to know the percentage of your pilot's survival?" he suggested, attempting to lift the captain's spirits.

"if it's not 100, it's too low."

k2 turned around, looking cassian in the eyes. "that's impractical, cassian." he said, turning back around to the carbonator he was fixing.

cassian sighed. "what's the chance, k." he muttered, lifting a hand to his forehead.

"87.6" he said. "a 87.6 percent chance of survival."

cassian rolled over onto his side and looked at the empty bed across the room from him. the captain refused to sleep in it unless bodhi was there too. it was odd to look over to the empty bed, instead of seeing bodhi's peaceful face.

cassian would toss and turn in his bed until 0425 hours, when he would eventually slip into sleep, riddled with tears and nightmares.