some shit i wrote when i should have been working on ch5 my bad yall. have some robot cuddles, im so sorry.
After Melshi dies and Cassian stops sleeping, Kay starts running calculations. He notes that sleeping next to Cpt. Melshi brought the frequency and severity of Cassian's nightmares down by a significant percentage. However, since Cpt. Melshi's death, sleeping alone brought the frequency and severity up-- nearly twice as many in a fortnight. Frustratingly, sleeping next to organic beings who are not Cpt Melshi only worsened Cassian's nightmares, even leading to night terrors in a few instances. He needs to sleep but can't. Kay has an idea.
Cut to Brasso coming to check on Cassian and try to get him to go to bed (or at least stop working) and seeing Cassian asleep on the ground, leaning against Kay with a blanket over his legs and his back cushioned by his jacket. The flimsywork is stacked neatly next to him, mostly finished, like he was working on it until he fell asleep. Two days worth of mugs are still on the desk, kaff pot empty. A few pens are scattered around, the caps nibbbled on slightly. And here's Cassian with his boots still on and his hair a mess, asleep against a battle droid like a traveler sleeps under a tree.
"He alright?" Brasso asks. Cassian looks exhausted even in sleep, like Bix in the early days of their exodus. Brasso doesnt know if he can forgive Melshi for dying.
"He said he was going to rest his eyes," Kay informs him, volume low. Cassian doesn't stir. His scuffy face is pressed against kay's upper arm and half hidden by the jacket, body twisted like he tried to roll over but couldn't quite manage it.
"When was that, then?"
"Two hours ago. He hasn't dreamt" Kay reaches without leaning to pull the blanket higher. "At least not violently."
Cassian doesn't so much as twitch, dead asleep and washed pale by the harsh light of the deskluma. Brasso's hands itch to trace the bags under his eyes, like they could be erased by loving touch alone. He tries not to touch Cassian at all these days--Cassian assures him it wasn't him he was afraid of that night but Brasso cannot stop hearing "get your hands off me" when he gets close to him. He squats down instead to gather the flimsy and put it on the desk, and then scoops up the mugs. He clasps the handles with one hand and they make a breakable sound that has him wincing.
"When he wakes up, try and get him on the bunk if you can," he tells Kay and then leaves before the droid can respond.
