The ride back had been quiet, except for the soft hum of the ship's engine. The ship rocked a bit from traveling through hyperspace. Flashes of blue and white passed by in front of them. Kay-Tuesso watched the ship's readout, making sure everything was stable. He then switched his attention to hyperspace, taking in the colors of the lights. Cassian sat in his pilot's chair, head back and eyes closed. He drifted off into a light, and much needed, slumber.
Talia tiptoed over to Kaytoo as much as she could and tapped on his shoulder. She motioned towards Cassian and attempted to draw an outline of a box in the air. They never made a code or a signal for what they were going to do. Kaytoo still managed to understand her motions. Talia glanced at Cassian, who still hadn't opened his eyes.
The ship jerked out of hyperspace and started to drift. It was dark all around them, leaving nothing to view except the numerous stars that twinkled. They slowly seemed to dance around together, even though it was just the ship moving.
Cassian opened his eyes and leaned forward. He looked over at Kaytoo, and without wasting another second, he questioned, "Why have we stopped?" He took a moment to sniff the air, and his eyebrows knit in confusion. "And why does it smell like food?"
"We have a surprise for you," Kaytoo spoke first.
Talia peered over at Kay with wide eyes. She exclaimed, "Kay, it's not a surprise if you tell him that!"
Kaytoo motioned his hands upwards. He would shrug if he could. "I do not understand your excitement about this."
With a sigh, Talia continued her grand plan, "Well, now that Kaytoo has made that oh, so amazing, starter, we can really begin." She pushed a few buttons on the holographic display on the communications panel. It lit up, revealing a decorated tree. Talia danced a little bit out of excitement as she reached for a hot bottle she had hidden. She handed it to Cassian before going back for a small container and handing that to him as well. "Happy Life Day!"
Life Day? That was a blast from the past. Cassian has never celebrated it himself for the longest time. With the ewoks, they've adopted something similar and always celebrated on Fest. His family would partake, but that was so long ago.
A smile broke out on his face. He took a long drink, realizing it's hoth chocolate. His hands then shook lightly out of excitement while he opened the container. Wookie-ookies? The best cookies in the galaxy! Maybe it was the nostalgia, or the fact that it was one of the happiest days of the year across the galaxy for some species, but no matter what, the cookies always tasted the best. They were even decorated to look like wookies and presents. Cassian lost his breath. All of this to celebrate with him? "Life Day? How do you know about that?"
"There were a few wookies enslaved by the Empire that worked on the ships at the orbital Kuat Drive Yards. I would see them celebrate, and I'd ask a droid about it. Every year, without fail, they would do what they could to spread at least some cheer amongst themselves, even though they missed their home dearly. I sometimes snuck them food or tiny gifts."
Cassian noticed Talia's soft smile as she spoke and he melted on the inside. His dark eyes met hers as he spoke quietly, "That was kind of you."
"I couldn't free them, but I had to do something," Talia admitted. She rested her hand on his shoulder and squeezed a bit. She wanted to celebrate Life Day with him, and hopefully many more. It was just a question of if he'd like to as well.
"I'm sure they appreciated it." Cassian set the lid of the container on the ground. He reached for a cookie and looked at it for the longest time. "I haven't celebrated it for years. No one really knows what it is on the base, except for maybe a handful of rebels."
"Well, that's why Kaytoo and I prepared for this in advance. Just in case we were busy, it would all be here for you."
Cassian raised his head and glanced between the both of them. "What? The food?"
Talia winked. "Close your eyes."
"I really have to?" What was he? Twelve? There was no need for a surprise to be handed like that, especially on Life Day! Then again, maybe he was too excited by the concept of spending it with Talia and Kaytoo. It had made him impatient.
Talia pouted, her lips squished upwards together and her eyebrows raised. She attempted her best puppy dog eyes, but she wasn't sure if it was going to work on him. "Come on. Please?"
How could he say no to that face? Gah, he was too soft for her. He sighed. "Fine." Cassian closed his eyes. After a few moments of hearing objects be moved, he opened his eyes only slightly in an attempt to see what was going on.
"Talia said you'd do that. No peeking!" Kaytoo scolded him. Kay turned the chair around, causing Cassian to face the front window.
"Okay! Okay." Cassian closed his eyes fully. Since when was it a crime to see what was going to happen? Being observant was in his nature!
Talia had already dropped down into the cargo hold and scrounged around in the dark. She grabbed a few wrapped presents and set them down on the steel floor above her. When she was done, she managed to climb out and set the false floor back in place. She set three presents by Kaytoo, and held one in front of her. "Open."
Cassian opened his eyes and spun the chair around. If he was any quicker, he would have given himself whiplash. His eyes landed on the present, and a spark lit up in them, much like a child's. He exhaled sharply; the small smile on his face grew. "You didn't."
"You can't celebrate Life Day without at least one present!" Talia bounced on her feet back and forth, the excitement radiating off of her. She saw Cassian hesitate, almost in disbelief that this was happening. "Open it."
That was all the approval he needed to hear. Without a second thought, Cassian tore into the present. The once perfect red wrapping now lay in shreds on the steel ground. He messed with the tape on the small box as he tried to avoid cutting himself. The injuries he endured were rough. A box cut on top of that? Cassian nearly grimaced at the mere thought of it. Instead, he opened the box to reveal his present.
A...necklace?
He picked up the necklace, the thin black chain lay fragile between his fingers. Dangling at the end of it was a small holochip. He didn't want to seem ungrateful or show any type of disrespect, but he was confused. "What's on it?"
"It's the first holochip I gave you back on Kuat. Draven still had it for backup purposes, but I managed to convince him to give it to me." It was at that moment that Cassian looked up at her, eyebrows raised in skepticism. Talia groaned. "Fine. I swiped it. But I've been thinking about how we met on Kuat. Something brought us back together. And look at all the good we have done since then! I wanted to give you that holochip to remind you that despite all the crazy circumstances and possibilities, we found each other again."
Cassian put the necklace on and tried his best not to wince from the pain of his injuries. The holochip rested against his chest, far enough down that he would be able to wear it on missions and have no one spot it. He touched it again, remembering how far they have come. "I love it. Thank you."
Talia grabbed one of the presents by Kaytoo's feet and handed it to the droid. She leaned against Cassian's chair for support and waited. "This is for you."
Kay-Tuesso locked eyes with the box, curious of its contents. He cocked his head to the side, almost as if he were contemplating why he would have received a present himself. "You bought me a present?"
"Yes! You're a part of this crew, Kaytoo. We're happy to have you with us."
"That is unexpected." He opened the wrapping paper by its taped side, careful not to rip any of it. Cassian was an animal opening his gift. Kaytoo did not want to do the same. He gently took out the box and revealed its contents. A small gray blaster lay in it. Kaytoo looked up at her and asked in disbelief, "You don't think I can take care of myself?"
Talia was quick to shake her head and motioned towards the box. "No, Kay, I do. That's just for extra protection."
"So I can join you in lightfights?" Kaytoo watched Talia nod. A few moments passed as he processed what she said. What the present meant. His white eyes flickered as they inspected the blaster. "I really am one of you, aren't I?"
Cassian set a hand on Kay's arm. "Of course you are, Kay. Thank you for sticking with us."
Kaytoo set the blaster in the box and set it aside. "Thank you for having me." He got up and moved towards Talia. He awkwardly bent down and wrapped his long arms around her. It seemed he didn't know what to do with his hands, so he patted her back."Thank you, Talia."
A wave of surprise washed over Talia's face. A hug? From Kaytoo? That was a gift in itself! He always spoke his mind, but he never did anything with contact unless it was necessary. At least not to her knowledge. She hugged him back with one arm as much as she could. "You're welcome, Kaytoo."
Kay sat back down in the copilot's chair and handed both of them the remaining two presents. "These are from me."
"You bought presents?" Cassian asked. He eyed the green present in his hand. It was bigger than the necklace box, probably about the size of his hand.
"Talia made me. She gave me credits and pushed me into the market!"
"I'm sure we'll love them, Kaytoo." Talia held her own present, the blue wrapping shining against the light show going on outside the window.
Kaytoo responded without missing a beat, a hint of sarcasm dripping from his voicebox, "You better. Those were Cassian's credits."
"Kay!" Talia exclaimed sheepishly. She hit the back of his chair lightly. The Rebellion didn't give her credits. She was always with Cassian, so they simply gave the credits to him. She almost thought about asking Mon Mothma herself for some credits. Almost. The better part of her dignity thought against it.
Kay raised his hands in defense. "I'll stop talking now. Open your presents."
After that whole embarrassment, Talia charged headfirst into her gift. She tore the wrapping off and tossed it onto the ground. By the time she got to what was in the box, the slight blush in her cheeks faded and a tinge of a smile graced her lips. Inside the box was a wooden heart with an inscription on it, one she read out loud, "Love is hard to show, so here is my heart. Not literally." A slight chuckle made it passed her lips. "Aw, Kaytoo, I adore it." She leaned over close to him and kissed his cold metal head. "Thank you."
What the droid didn't want to admit out loud is that she was too reckless. Too self sacrificial. Too kind. The droid worried she would get herself killed. Then what would he be left with? A broken Cassian and a handful of overcomplicated missions that don't need to be so complicated? No thank you. "You are welcome, Talia."
"My turn." Cassian excitedly opened his present. He stopped dead short when he saw a razor sitting in the box. He bit his tongue to keep from smiling and laughing. He managed to keep a straight face as much as possible. "Are you trying to tell me something? You don't like my beard?"
"It is scruffy looking. You could use a haircut, too."
Talia laughed freely. Kay-Tuesso's speech never failed to be abrupt and unexpected. She admired Cassian, drinking him all in. Talia admitted, "I like him scruffy looking. He's cute."
That caused Cassian to laugh. His heart soared at hearing Talia's laugh. Music to his ears. Happiness for his mind. Food for his soul. All that mambo jumbo mynock muffins that silly people would say. He stared at the present longer, and the longer he looked, the more his expression fell.
Talia noticed the shift in his mood. She leaned up against his chair and questioned calmly, "What's wrong?"
One tiny detail. One flaw in their surprise plan. A jab hit Cassian in the gut as the guilt took over. His eyes drifted up to meet hers. "I'm sorry I didn't get you anything."
Kay spoke up, "You did."
Both Talia and Cassian asked in unison as they turned to the droid, "What?"
Kaytoo took out a little thin box from underneath the console. He fiddled with it for a second, weighing it in his hand. He really shouldn't have taken it out of Cassian's room without asking, but when planning this surprise, how could he not? "I saw you try to hide this in your room a while ago. You never gave it to her."
Cassian blinked for a few moments. "How do you know it's for her?"
Kaytoo would snort if he could. He simply laughed, or, well, he attempted to. It sounded more like a crazy laugh, but at least he tried. "I looked at it. It doesn't take much power to realize it's for Talia."
Cassian glanced over at Talia. He grabbed the box from Kay and held it out in front of him towards Talia, his shoulders scrunching up in a slight shrug. "Happy Life Day? I wanted to give you this on our next date night."
Their next date night could be forever from now with all these new missions popping up! Gratefulness washed over Talia. A thought had crossed her mind long ago to not bring Kay in on this surprise. That would have been silly! She realized that now, at least. Talia lifted the lid of the small box to reveal a bracelet. When she looked at it closer, on the top of some little pieces were initials. TR + CA + K2SO. Talia's heart swelled with so much happiness. So much warmth. They really were a family. She said breathlessly, "Oh, Cass. I love it."
"Really?" Good. Very good. Cassian had agonized over it for so long. He hoped it didn't give her the wrong message, make her leave him, or have her return the gift. He overanalyzed every possibility. Perhaps that's what stopped him for so long. He needed to learn to just jump in.
Tears formed in Talia's brown eyes. She couldn't put her hand over her mouth, which twitched from wanting to sob. This past year, while crazy, still held a special place in her heart. This was only a reminder of that. "Of course."
Cassian stood up from his chair and kissed her. Her lips were soft, and somewhat salty as tears fell from her closed eyes. He rubbed his hand on her cheek gently and nuzzled his nose against hers. It took all his strength not to just kiss her again and again. But with an audience, he decided not to. A whisper rose from his lips, "Thank you."
"You're welcome, Cass. Thank you." Talia backed away and had him help her put it on. His touch traced against her skin gently, and once he finished, lingered a bit longer as he dragged his fingers down to her own. Along with the touch came electricity, a white hot energy that flowed between the two of them. She blinked back her tears and grabbed her own bottle of hoth chocolate. She snatched a cookie from the top of the container and bit into it. "Let's enjoy the view and eat."
Kaytoo moved out of his seat to let Talia sit. With her injuries, he'd rather give it up. Talia put a hand on his shoulder and smiled as she sat down. Kaytoo sat in between them on his knees, eyes wandering back to the view in front of them. "We never take the time to appreciate our surroundings."
Keen observation. It was the truth. They were always focused on a mission, or simply staying alive. They never had much downtime to simply...be. Talia took a sip of her drink, the hot liquid warming her system all the way down. She added, "I always love staring at the stars."
"It's calming." Cassian took a bite of his cookie. The flavors melted on his tongue and danced around his mouth. He relished the fact that they were made just for this occasion. This one, perfect, occasion.
The two rebels reminisced about their last year together. Kaytoo inquired how they met, and boy, oh boy, did that spark a lot of conversation. A lot of laughing. A little bit of throwing cookie crumbs at each other. They laughed at how stubborn they both were and still are, though they work a lot better together now. It got to the point where they nearly read each other's thoughts and knew what the next move was. Then the conversation moved to their own Life Day experiences. It didn't take long for the cookies and drinks to run out, and the toll of the past twenty four hours weighed down on them. The surprise and excitement drained out of them and brought the exhaustion back.
Talia looked at Kaytoo and pleaded, "Can you just let us drift for a few hours, and then take us to base? Please? It'd be nice to get some rest."
"Quiet time sounds good to me."
Talia held out her hand to Cassian. He eyed it curiously, wondering where they could possibly go on a small ship like this. She motioned to grab her hand. "Come on."
Cassian did as he was told and took her hand. He entwined his fingers with hers as she tugged him towards the cargo hold. She lowered herself in, and he went after her. They had to sit if they wanted to comfortably fit, but at least they were given that much space. Talia fumbled around in the dark until she flipped a switch. Colorful string lights lit up the dark area, revealing her last surprise. A small, cozy area complete with a mattress, blankets, and pillows.
"We needed a spot where we could rest after missions. I tried to make it cozy, but it is still cold down here."
Cassian found her hand again and squeezed it. "It's perfect."
Both of them crawled over the bed and lay down underneath the warm blankets. They were careful not to disrupt any of their injuries, and slowly relaxed. It was the most comfy thing they've slept on in...well, at least a few days. Talia lay on her back, even though pain surged through her. There was really no other way to lay without hurting her right arm, which still lay in a makeshift sling. It was sprained, nothing more, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Pain sparked through Cassian's body. He grimaced, yet chose to ignore it as he lay on his right side. He softly set his head on Talia's shoulder. Once she didn't object, he rested his head against her as gently as he could without hurting her. He wrapped his arm around her waist, making sure not to tap her injured arm. Even in the comfortable silence, he couldn't help himself but to joke around, "If you wanted to get me into bed, all you had to do was ask."
That was a surprise. When was the last time he cracked a joke? It seemed like forever ago. Usually it was her making jokes and him obnoxiously rolling his eyes. Talia's eyes widened in disbelief as she asked, "Cassian Jeron Andor, did you just crack a joke?"
Cassian chuckled lightly, "You make me so happy, Talia."
A grin graced Talia's lips. Her heart skipped a beat, and all felt right in that moment. "You make me happy too, Cass."
"I'm quite fond of you calling me that now."
What, was this sharing our emotions time? Cassian? Opening up? In the same sentence? The rebels back at the base would never believe her! He opened up to her when he felt like it, but maybe it was just the brand new memory of Life Day that put him in such a good and open mood. She teased, "I remember you despising it."
"Things change." Cassian snuggled up against her and closed his eyes. Even as he spoke the words, he began to drift off into a nice, and for once, peaceful, slumber. "People can change."
Talia brought her free arm around and began to play with his dark hair. She winced from the sharp pain hitting her shoulder burns; she managed it. She whispered softly, not wanting to disturb him, "Happy Life Day, Cassian."