genessia | I used to live alone before I knew you

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I used to live alone before I knew you

WHO: K-2SO and Cassian Andor
WHAT: 1st anniversary of being an official couple
WHEN: June 30th
WHERE: Attleton, outskirts of town

It had been the last day of Cassian's two consecutive terms as Guardian of Attleton. It was also the first anniversary of being very much a taken man. Cassian, being Cassian, had chosen to spend it working. Last day of his term, he would not let it be said that he would skirt even an hour of doing his duty.

Yet now duty had been done, thanks had been said and the last papers signed, and it was time to honor the other commitment that ruled his life.

"Now this is what I call combining duty and pleasure," he said quietly as he took K-2SO's hand.

He had asked Kay to meet him back at the clearing at the outskirts of Attleton where they had already celebrated Valentine's Day - another first which had been ruled by duty. On this evening there was no police pick-up truck which had its bed covered with blankets and duvets, there was just a blanket spread out on the ground, some lamps scattered around and heating units, too, in case it got cold later on.

He smiled a little sheepishly. "It's not much. But I just wanted us to go somewhere we wouldn't run the risk of being disturbed." It would, he reasoned, be a while yet until the citizens of Attleton stopped presuming that all of his time belonged to them.

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Some people might have been annoyed that their partner insisted on working until the very last minute. Those people weren't Kay. He knew how important duty was to Cassian and after two years of being thoroughly dedicated to the town, he had wanted to give Attleton a proper goodbye.

The only thing he regretted is that he couldn't bring with him the present he had ready for Cassian. It was too big and impossible to move without the man figuring out what it was and ruin the surprise. After months of saving, he got enough to buy a second-hand hover car from Nova city. Kay had to work on the finish and repair most of the engine but now it was faster than most and looking as good as new. He will have time to show it to Cassian later, once he was able to lead him to the garage where it was hidden.

"Why, Mr. Andor, if I didn't know better I would think you were trying to woo me. Do you harbor feelings towards me?" Now, he gave Cassian's hand a gentle squeeze and admired the display in front of him. "It's lovely, you didn't have to..."

He shook his head curtly. "It's nothing. I didn't even bring you flowers." There had been no time before the flower shop closed. "I knew I should have stuck to grenades."

Which were always popular with Kay, and thus he had decided against them this time. Wouldn't want to become predictable.

He looked around, pleased that the lights did at least create something of a romantic atmosphere, and the woods looked nice enough in summer. Maybe it would be enough. Or maybe he would just have to distract Kay from what he hadn't brought.

He placed a hand on his chest and got on his tiptoes, leaning against Kay. "And for the record, I do have every intention to woo you."

"The lamps are nice enough. And the views." He looks down at Cassian, making it clear he's not just talking about their surroundings. When he speaks again, his voice is chipper. "Grenades are a classic, you can never go wrong with grenades. Or rocket launchers. Can you believe the Doctor wanted me to discourage Rose from using one?"

Silly humans...or whatever the Doctor was. River told Kay he's a different species. But now Kay's only interested in Cassian. when the man leaned close, Kay wrapped his long arms around him. "You're not doing a bad job so far. I find your attempts acceptable."

"Well then..." He tugs him a little further down so they can touch foreheads before pulling away.

He walks to the blanket and sits down, patting the ground next to him invitingly. He did remember to bring some pillows and after some fumbling, he finds the small portable radio. Some crooning local music fills the clearing.

"Sit with me and you can tell me more about how you failed to discourage the use of rocket launchers." He's smiling, the corners of his eyes are crinkled in amusement. "Silly to expect you to talk anyone out of them. I know you love a good explosion... rightly so. It's very romantic."

Yeah, he should have really bought him grenades.

If Kay's chest engine start to make a soft rumble, he doesn't even try to stop it. He's happy and e wants Cassian to know it. Maybe he should have been in his android body for this but for their anniversary he wanted to be in his real body. It was still amazing to him that Cassian likes his droid body just as much, if not more than the android one.

"We were chatting and he mentioned how Rose would be the sort to like that kind of weapon and I wondered why not, rocket launchers are awesome." Sitting next to the man, after all the things they had gone through, in his word and this one, seems like a miracle. Wrapping a loose arm around Kay, he let his hand rest on his companions' waist.

"I have a present for you but I couldn't bring it with me. And no it's not anything that it can only be shown in the privacy of our bedroom, I promise this one you'll be able to flaunt it."

Over the last year, this mechanical purr has become one of the sweetest sounds to Cassian's ears. All the sweeter when he is pressed close and can feel the vibrations thrum through him, too, of course. He leans against him now, happy to place his hand over Kay's where he rests it on his waist.

"I like the bedroom-only presents..." he murmurs, lips curved into a coy grin. "But now you've got me curious. You can't just drop hints about some mysterious present hidden elsewhere, I feel like I'm morally obligated to sneak hints out of you all evening." His grin widens. "Sneak, charm, distract you into slipping up... All could be very fun. Maybe I'll even resort to bribery."

"Good things are worth waiting for, love." Kay gives an amused laugh after that. Oh, he has no doubts that Cassian's curiosity is going to get the best of him. It's in part what makes it so funny. "Bribery, even. I see you are ready to try ruthless tactics to figure out the truth."

He's really regretting not bringing the android body now, Cassian's lips look too kissable for the man's own good. But there had always been more to their relationship than that type of connection. "You know.." Kay voice soften, cheerful but quieter as if to not disturb the pace of the moment. "I'm glad we ended here. I know you hated it at first and so did I but...we would have never gotten this chance back home. A shot at a life together."

The mirth of before fades into quiet contentment. He leans his head against Kay's shoulder, eyes going half-lidded as he slips an arm around Kay's narrow waist section to get even closer.

"It's true," he murmurs. "Coming here... it's nothing I ever wanted. But the life we found here is more than I could have ever dreamed of." His fingers tighten around Kay's. "At home, if we had lived, it would have been war and duty, and once war ended, service to the New Republic. I can see it pretty clearly now." He falls silent.

Cassian's life would have been duty, an all-encompassing duty which left no room for love and tenderness and permitting himself to feel... if he had still been capable of feeling by the end of the war. And would Kay have been able to love Cassian, if he was still his handler? If he could have him scrapped or wiped if he ever chose to?

He swallows hard. "I don't know if we would have ever stood any chance at all."

"It would have been like that." He gives Cassian's hand a squeeze. "You never knew when to stop, and I say that fondly. Your dedication to the cause, the things you believe in it's as charming as it is worrisome."

Cassian wouldn't be Cassian if he didn't always try his harder to amend a situation he deemed unfair or corrupted. Even if sometimes he also likes to argue just because. Kay can only imagine how he will get now that he's no longer forced to be polite for Attleton's sake.

Worrisome? He ducks his head to hide the surge of shame he feels. He shouldn't be worrying Kay, and yet he knows he's been doing so since the day they met. Always putting the both of them into danger, always one step away from his little white lullaby pill...

"It wouldn't have been much of a life I could have given you, would it?" he murmurs. His fingers tighten around Kay's. "But I want to give you that now." He raises his head again, looking into Kay's optics. "I want you to be my cause."

Kay tilts his head at Cassian, already regretting causing that reaction. "Don't say that. I pointed out how it was also charming. Not many people have such an honorable drive in life. And I enjoy an exciting existence."

Missions, bombs, and plans went badly included. Kay wasn't made to stay still and he likes the life he had with Cassian. Could have gone without dying but that was beyond their choice. "Oh? What do you mean?"

"I..." He licks his lips nervously. "I don't know," he admits sheepishly, "I just want..." He twists around so he is facing Kay, kneeling between his legs. Maybe that will make it easier to find the right words. Maybe it will even make his heart stop beating so fast, it's awfully distracting.

"I want to show you and everyone that you are my priority. I will always be fighting for some cause. But you. You will remain my cause. No matter if we're on Yavin or on Genessia or on some other world."

Kay isn't sure what to say or where to put his hands, taking aback by the change in tone of their topic. It's Cassian eagerness and sincere expression what really tells him this is not some sort of joke between them.

After a moment, kay reaches out to hold one of Cassians' hand, voice fond and softer than his usual self. "I'm pretty sure everyone in this world knows we are dating by now, Cassian. You don't have to worry."

He ducks his head a little, still feeling this reflexive need to hide his smile. It's a long-ingrained habit. Head still ducked, he peers up at Kay from underneath his lashes. "They do, don't they?" His small smile widens, turning sly. "We did have one or two mishaps with our phones..."

And he'd like to say he's sorry - he's pretty sure he should be sorry, that would be professional - but... he's not. Not when it means that nobody doubts anymore.

"It's exactly a year now since I told you I want this... want us. I still can't believe I fought against it for months." He turns Kay's hand around, palm up, and rubs his thumb over the inside of his palm. Metal hands, designed for function not form, like everything about Kay. "I just..." He swallows hard. "I just want to spend every year to come with you."

His core warms up at the view of Cassians smiling like that. It's a shame that it embarrasses the man because it's the most beautiful thing Kay has ever seen.

"Heh, you could say that again."

Genessia as a whole has seen more of their home life and bedroom affair than they ever wanted to know. Al those times had been fun and Kay doesn't regret a single one of them. He resists the urge to correct Cassian and say that they had both wasting years, not only months...but then the man takes his hand in such a sweet gesture that he loses his train of thought. More so after he catches up on what Cassian is saying.

"Every year to come. Are you asking me to marry you?" it's a blunt question but that's how kay is. His voice wavers a little at the last two words, though.

There it is. Laid out in Kay's usual blunt manner. Cassian looks away again, too flustered. It would have been easier if he could have inched his way toward it... probably spent months inching his way toward it.

He swallows hard, jaw clenched. It hurts a little to swallow around that tight feeling in his throat. "Only..." He clings to Kay's fingers. He's brave. He's faced bigger obstacles. He can do this. He should be able to do this. "Only if you're going to say yes."

Cassian is a very good spy but he's terrible at being subtle with the things that matter most, so the options of spending months inching his way toward this might have been impossible.

"Only If I am going to say yes?" Ah, if only Kay had eyebrows to raise. He shakes his head instead and reaches out to pull Cassian into a hug. He can't believe this is happening either. He knows Cassian loves him, he knows he can't live without the man as well but this...not in a million years would Kay have come up with and scenario in his processor that covered this possibility.

"I can't believe I'm going to marry such an idiot."

He remains stiff and tense in Kay's arms, asking muffled, "Is that a yes?"

It is. He is pretty sure that is a yes. It is a yes, right?

He tentatively relaxes his muscles and wraps his arms around Kay, then holds on to him with growing strength and finally with a little bit of desperation even. He squeezes his eyes shut, inhaling deeply the familiar smells of metals and lubricants.

"Please say yes," he whispers. "I want you. For the rest of my life. If we're torn apart I'll wait for you however long it takes. I promised you that already. But I want to promise you a life together, too."

Kay has to resist the urge to hit the back of Cassian's head. Instead, his vocoder lets out a small sound that is halfway between a whine and a laugh.

"It is a yes, you absolutely dense man." The words are fond if still showing the tiniest hint of frustration. Kay's grip on Cassian relaxes to make sure he's not going to cut his airflow or anything like that. "How could I say no?"

"Easily." He stops himself. "But I'm glad you didn't."

Cassian exhales shakily and rests his forehead against Kay's. He licks his lips absent-mindedly. If Kay were in his android body right now, they could kiss. But he's glad he isn't. This is a moment they ought to share exactly as they are.

He runs his fingers gently over his smooth skull, thumb rubbing over the port at the back of his skull. "I'm really glad you didn't say no."

"You've known me for more than a decades and you still doubted I was gone say yes?" He has to fight the urge to hug Cassian again, opting to rest his hand on the back of the man's nape.

"Listen to me, Cassian. There's not a single line in my code that would ever make me say no to that question. Now in this world, or any other." Kya's head dips to the side so he can get more contact against Cassian's fingers. "So we are getting married...I don't want to wait any more."

Oh. His heart skips a beat, both at the sweet words and the even sweeter gesture. He does love it so when Kay leans into his touch, yearns for it, for every tenderness shared.

Maybe he's a little drunk on it, but it feels right. Feels right to tilt his head a little and press his lips to Kay's vocabulator in a chaste, close-mouthed kiss. His eyes are closed now, Kay's photoreceptor units are too bright to bear when they are smushed face to faceplates. He exhales. Smiles against Kay's vocoder. "Then let's not wait. We can marry whenever we want." He gives a soft, choked laugh. "We could do it tomorrow."

Kay has to replay the last minute of conversation to make sure he's heard that right. Is the second time that he's left speechless. Cassian sounds so sure, so happy, that Kay is sure his own heart would explode if he had one.

The droids head tilts back so he can give his future husband a better look. "That could be...doable. We need to find someone to marry us. Oh! And rings."

"Good points, both of them." But right now Kay's inquisitive head tilt holds his interest far more than thoughts of wedding technicalities. "There's nothing we can do until morning." He maps the individual parts of Kay's face with his fingertips and then he's leaning in again to nip at the little pin at his chin.

"What do you say we celebrate our engagement tonight?" He flashes Kay a teasing little smile. "I'm planning to get married only once in my life, you know..."

"Celebra---Ohhh. Yes, good idea." Admittedly, wedding technicalities are exactly what Kay can't stop thinking about but Cassian is doing a good job distracting him. Kay hands move to Cassian's waist giving the man a light squeeze.

"We should do that. And then tomorrow morning, we get married."

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