AS LONG AS THE STARS ARE ABOVE YOU [A CASSIAN ANDOR x READER STORY]

CHAPTER FIVE: YOU GOT A NAME?

3.1k words; edit by sondercoyfish

Your eyes shot open and you were submerged. In the murkiness of the water, you saw the open viewport, facing upward into a strange looking pattern above you. It took a second to comprehend what it was: waves along the top of the water, dancing across the surface. Your lungs ached for the air that swirled above them.

And the Captain---

The Captain! You turned your head to look at the side, but he was gone. You looked around, panicked, only to realize with a start that you were in too much danger to worry about anyone but yourself. Your lungs hurt.

Your fingers went to work on your restraint. You tried to feel for the release, but your fingers were numb. Everything was too murky. Your vision was fading as your lungs grew tighter. Furiously you yanked on the strap, desperate to get to the surface. But the transport was sinking more and you couldn't bend your fingers anymore, and your lungs felt like they were folding in.

You didn't want to die.

That was your last thought as you gave your restraint one last yank. Nothing happened and you looked back to the surface, hoping to get one last glance at the surface. One last glance of your last hope.

Instead you saw Captain Cassian, cutting through the water with ease. He swam through the viewport and stopped in front of you. The two of you looked at one another as he undid your restraint, grabbed your arm, and tugged you out of the transport.

One last hope.

Your eyes rolled in the back of your head as your body was pulled forward.

Cassian swam back to the surface. When he popped out of the water, he pulled you up and gripped you tightly, holding your face over the water.

"Breathe!" he gasped. "Come on, breathe!"

You heard him but he was very faint, as if you were still under and he was above the water. Your head rolled around and leaned against his temple. He let out a grunt of frustration as he started to swim with one arm. His legs furiously kicked out behind him.

You weren't aware of when your skin touched the rocky sand. Cassian flipped you over on your back. The waves rushed over the two of you, nearly submerging your face in water again. Cassian lifted your head out of it.

"Come on! Do you hear me? Hey!"

You did, but you couldn't respond. You felt three solid beats of pressure against your chest, as if your heartbeat had moved to the outside of you. One, two, three. A rush of fresh air down your throat, racing across the scratchiness of saltwater. One, two, three. Warmth rising out of you, your eyes popping open, water sputtering out of your mouth.

And you could see him, leaning over you, hair dripping wet, face bruised. He disappeared from your line of view and you could see the cloudy grey sky above you. You coughed and turned on your side, pebbles sharp against your elbow. Glancing down at them, you saw that the ground you were on were gritty little chunks of rock that were black in color. You gripped handfuls of them in your fists as you shakily moved to sit up.