"I didn't want to be alone, not in this place," he says, giving her the simplest and most obvious truths because he's certain they share them, as well as the reasons he can't give a voice to. There have been missions where Cassian is the sole survivor–Kafrene comes to mind–and he knows firsthand the way it can were a person down. And those are the more ordinary missions. To be the only one left in a mission like theirs? Survival would be a curse instead of a gift.

But not being alone, having Jyn here who's seen him through to the end? That helps.

"I don't want to think of what you'd do to this place if you were the only one here." He's seen Jyn desperate, that burning need in her eyes. It's as compelling as it is terrifying and he has little pity for the poor doctors.

Flexing a hand eases a cramp out of his fingers and Cassian shifts his arm. This time it curls around her, hand at the base of her neck and fingers lightly in her hair. It hasn't been washed since Yavin and they could both use a chance to freshen up but he doesn't care. It just makes Jyn more real and believable.