Your shoulder hurting like hell wakes you up just when it gets light outside. Armitage is sleeping behind you. He must have turned away from you in his sleep because he is now hugging himself, still passed out.
Quietly, you get up, rolling your shoulder in hopes to release some of the pain. Then you stretch your back and legs. If you have to sleep on stone another night, you will give yourself up to the Rebellion voluntarily.
You step outside the cave and breathe in the morning air. It's not as crisp as it was in the forest. It's drier out here in this weird wasteland. You cannot wait to get back to the river. It is at least one sign of life. Also, your hand: carefully, you take off the bandage. It doesn't hurt as bad, but it stings, and you need to clean it soon.
Squatting down next to Armitage, you tap his arm and say: "Hey, rise and shine."
He lets out a groan: "Tell the bridge I'll be there in twenty minutes."
"Twenty minutes? That seems awfully fast to get up and into uniform. Do you not eat breakfast?"
Irritated by your reply, he turns around, squinting at the sunlight.
"Ah shit." He breathes out.
"Good morning to you too."
Blinking a few times, he sits up.
"I didn't mean it like that..." He starts to explain himself, rubbing his face. "I just really wished a Trooper had woken me on the base. Not that I don't want to get woken up by you! I just-"
"Me too." You interrupt him and offer him your hand to help him stand up.
Making your way back up to the river, you don't talk. Neither of you appears to be sure what it meant that you almost had sex yesterday. Armitage helps you climb a few times so that you don't have to put too much weight on your injured hand.
You let out a relieved sigh when you get to kneel down next to the river and wash your face and hand and quench your thirst.
"Listen." You break the silence. He looks alert, like he's expecting for you to rebuff him.
"I really want to take a bath in the water. I cannot stand the feeling of dried sweat on my skin any longer."
"Oh." Armitage immediately eases up. He looks around. There is still no cover in sight, only the forest in the distance where you came from. "I'll stand guard." He declares.
"Thank you." You start to take off your clothes. As soon as you open the zipper of your pants, he turns away to observe the horizon. It makes you grin. It's very modest of him.
It feels weird to be naked for the first time in days. But my oh my is it amazing. With a loud sigh, you step into the water, careful not to slip on a stone. Since the river gained some momentum out here, you don't dare to go all the way to the middle where the current rushes by fast. Holding your arms out to keep balance, you wade in as deep as you dare to before you dip your head under the surface. You move around under the water, spinning around to feel weightless for just a moment. It takes the pressure off your body.
When you come up again, you catch Armitage no longer observing what's in the distance, but you. You throw your heads back to get the hair out of your face. You don't break the eye contact and it's too late now for Armitage to pretend he didn't look at you.
You swim to the shore and say: "Hand me the knife."
It takes him a moment to get moving, taking his eyes off your exposed shoulder and upper chest. He grabs the knife by the handle and holds it out for you.
"Always grab the blade when you hand it to someone." You tell him. He nods quietly and turns the knife in his hand so that you can grab it by the handle. As soon as you have it in your hand, you turn back around and dive down.
The next thing Armitage sees, is two dead fish being thrown at him. He lets out a shriek that makes you grin. Washing the blade clean, you comment: "I never appreciated this knife more than I did since we crashed here."
He lets out a nervous chuckle: "I never was so fond of someone not using a blaster."
You wink at him and nod towards the river: "Your turn, I'll prepare the fish."
There is a short negotiation in Armitage, probably about if he dares to takes off his clothes here. Obviously, the side that argued for getting clean wins.
He turns his back to you again until you put on your underwear and shirt. Even though you really want to look at him getting undressed, you show him the same courtesy he showed you and sit down with your back to him.
While you gut the fish, you hear the splash of the water as Armitage gets in. It's difficult for you to not look over your shoulder. You never saw his chest. You felt it, yes, but you want to see the muscles you felt. Maybe, if you get out of here, you'll get the chance. It seems like a nice guerdon.
You wait until Armitage stepped out of the water and starts talking to you, until you look at him. His hair clings to his forehead, the clothes dampened by his wet skin to his body. You press your lips together in an effort not to stare at him with your mouth open. His legs look like timber. It makes sense since he is probably walking around base about twelve hours a day. And his chest, and cro- stop it. It takes everything in you to take your eyes off him.
Apparently, even though you tried your best – which wasn't much but you tried – Armitage noticed. He shifts his weight from one leg to his other. He seemingly doesn't realize that you stared because you think he's handsome. Maker, will this awkwardness ever stop?
Focusing on the fish like they're the most interesting thing in the world, you ask him: "Do you still have the rib I carved?"
"Yes." He answers before you even finished the sentence, already scrambling for his boots. He put it inside one of them like you do with your knife.
When he hands it to you, you use it to spear the fish onto it. That way, you don't have to carry them with your bare hands.
Just when the both of you have your uniforms back on properly, determined to walk further down the river to find firewood, you hear a roaring in the distance. Armitage's and your head snap around.
"No fucking way." You breathe out.
"That's not possible."
You stare at the ship flying towards you in utter disbelieve, frozen in place. Your heart starts pounding hard. You have nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide. Except...
"Jump, now!" You yell, sprinting towards the river.
Armitage hesitates, still staring at the sky.
You grab his hand and basically drag him into the water.
This time, the current is what you're aiming for.
"Deep breath." You tell him, your arms around his chest. He nods and hugs you back, desperate not to lose you in the stream. The river starts to carry you away. You hope to Starkiller Base and back that they didn't see you.
Another deep inhale, and you dive down, letting your bodies sink down to the riverbed. You open your eyes and find Armitage's. Everything is blurry; however, you can still make out his facial expression. Down here, the rushing of the river doesn't feel as violent as it does at the surface.
You lock your legs around his waist to be able to use your hands. You hold out your hand and make an O.K. sign. Armitage nods. Eyes burning, you close them for a moment. When you start to run out of air, you open them again. Using your hand again, you count down from five. At zero, you take your legs off him and push yourself up. Your arm under his shoulder, you swim to the surface.
Coughing and spitting, you shake your head. As soon as your sight cleared up, you look up to search the sky for the ship. You're relieved when you make it out in the distance. Armitage makes sure that your head stays above the water, putting his arm under your chin. You smile, clinging on to his body. The swirling of the water turns you around several times. It feels like you're dancing with him.
"Look!" You point at the ship.
"It's landing."
"Something has to be out there. Maybe a town."
"That would be the best-case scenario."
You gulp: "Worst case: A Rebellion outpost."
By now, your feet found the pebbles of the shore, allowing you to slowly stand up. Hesitantly, you let go off Armitage. Your body feels immediately cold when he steps away. Face flushed by the strain of diving, you wipe your face.
"I can't believe it's here." Armitage chuckles. "Out of all places..."
You shake your head: "It's ridiculous."
"How is it even still working?"
You huff: "Too mean to die."
It takes you a few minutes to collect yourself. You look at the sky, in the direction where you know the planet is you have to get to.
"Well, we now know that there's a ship that can get us off this planet."
Armitage looks at you stunned: "Are you suggesting...?"
You nod determinedly: "We're going to hijack the Millennium Falcon."