"I know," Jyn repeated once more, quiet now, not much more than a whisper. This time, it was her own fault that the moment felt too close, too intimate, the words hanging in the air between them. It would have been too easy to close the distance, kiss him to take his mind off it, or at least help keep him grounded in the here and now. For all of half a second, she considered it; instead, she just bent her head toward his, still clasping his hands in her own.

She'd never, in all her life, had much of a choice in anything, only the desperate instinct to survive. All those years ago, she'd told him that, too. Now, she nearly did so again, the words poised on the tip of her tongue, then swallowed back. He probably already knew, or at least could guess as much.

"It's not kriffing fair. I'm sorry."