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doptimous · 6 years

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Vloeistofmechanica en chocolade (Fluids mechanic and chocolate) – A RebelCaptain Food Travel Show Collaboration

A huge thanks to @moonprincess92nz for the organization and the beta. It was supposed to be one chapter for two destinations, it’ll be two chapters for three cities because I couldn’t escape Brussel and it became a bit of a monster. Sorry not sorry? Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter one – Netherlands

Amsterdam was cold and so incredibly humid Cassian was pretty sure he may lose a toe or two if they stayed outside any longer. After Scotland, he honestly thought no weather could really get him but he was wrong. Very wrong. At least Scotland had some mystery, a charming side that warmed you up the moment you walked in a building. Amsterdam was just cold everywhere, people were incredibly rude and there were bikes everywhere. Of course, tourists were the worst: a bunch of stoners who only came here to enjoy coffeeshops and girls in underwear behind their window. Pathetic.

“Hey, loosen up, hombre! It shouldn't be long.”

Kes’ arm wrapped on his shoulders and Cassian fought the urge to shrug it off. He was having a bad day but the team wasn't responsible so he wouldn't blow on them. Plus, Kes was having a hard time too because of all those damn bikers, so really, Cassian knew he had to behave. Bloemenmarkt, the flower market, was a must see in the city and if he wasn't so cold, maybe he would have appreciated all the stalls full of bulbs and seeds of every known decorative plants. At least, some of the stalls were a bit warmer but Cassian couldn't linger. They had a show to film and even if it would be nice to have some shots of the popular sites of the city, it wasn't the main purpose of their presence here. Or at least, it wasn’t why he was there.

Glancing around him, Cassian caught Jyn's eye as she was waiting for Draven's signal and he wondered how she could stand being there, in the middle of the street with nothing more than a sleeveless jacket and a scarf over her shirt. He had a huge parka line with fur and he was freezing! Finally, they managed to get a clear shot of the place and Cassian could ask for the famous herring sandwich he was supposed to taste. The Frens Haringhandel was a very small wooden box just on the south side of the Singel, the first canal around the heart of Amsterdam and it was a good place to get fresh fish but it was a cold meal and truly, Cassian wished he had something hot to at least warm his hands.

But the smoked fish was pretty good, the pickles crunchy and the sauce, soft and creamy wasn't too heavy. The taste of dill was a bit too much for him but it went pretty well with the rest of the ingredients. After doing his part and talking with the people in the restaurant, he watched with envy as Wedge picked something akin a fish 'n chips that looked awfully greasy but hot and when he saw Jyn stealing a nugget out his cup, he truly regretted going for the local especially when he could have had a hot meal and something to share with his camerawoman. But at least Draven was happy with the shooting and since he wasn't needed outside any longer, he crossed the street to the Starbucks he'd found a block away.

“Already feeling homesick?” Shara joked beside him in the line and he shrugged because unlike her, Starbucks wasn’t something he really enjoyed at home. “You know, I saw a nice Argentinian place near the station earlier and since we don't have anything scheduled for tonight, I thought we could go. Do you wanna join us?”

“Who is us?” Cassian asked because he saw the looks exchanged between Kes and her and even if it was nice of her to propose, if he had to be the third wheel between a newly formed couple, he'd rather stay alone in his room. Or he could go to a pub with Wedge and Kay, or maybe try some of the city museum.

Shara grinned at him and pushed his shoulder to signal him to place his order, which he did without really thinking. He wanted something hot and since he had no idea what the drinks were called, he just chose a plain coffee with double cream while Shara took some spice latte with lots of extra. As they waited by the register, she told him Jyn would be here too, because like him, she didn't have anything to do for the evening and Cassian may have stopped listening to whatever she said after that because suddenly his hands where blissfully full of warm cardboard cups for the whole team.

Apparently, Shara wasn't ordering a very fancy drink but many drinks for everyone, so she used Cassian to help her carry everything. As she went on her free time for the afternoon and the evening, Cassian wondered why they even had to stay so long in this frigid town if they didn't film anything else and he must have been too loud about his recrimination because suddenly both Draven and Mothma were pulling him to the side.

“Look,” Draven began in a stern voice, “we all know that Netherlands aren't the good place for food, right? But we're doing a family food show so we can't just have you drinking beers and eating a round of space cakes, even if Skywalker seems pretty eager to make photos of all the kind of weeds available here. And after all you ate in France, it couldn't be that bad for your blood system to take it easy for a few meals.”

He eyed him carefully and Cassian could only nod, because honestly, he was quite pleased with the slowdown in the calories intake. He just found this town tiring.

“We've only got two days here and we've already did one, at least for your part. We'll meet with Luke and Kay who went to get some pictures for the social media and for editing later but we don't need you. Tomorrow we have a typical breakfast and a fancy Indonesian place and then, we’ll move to Belgium,” Mothma said in her most appeasing voice. “Try to enjoy your free time here, maybe go out with your friends. I can ask Jyn to come with me for the outdoor filming instead of Kay, that way, you two could catch up.”

“No, it's okay.” He spoke a bit too fiercely and both Draven and Mothma raised their eyebrows at him. Cassian cleared his throat and added, “I don't want to mess with your schedule. It's okay. I'm tired anyway so I'll just go back to my room and catch some sleep. Thanks.”

Shara smirked behind her cup and mouthed at him with a wink, “See you tonight.” She seemed awfully pleased but Cassian refused to think about it.

--–

tellmewhatyoueatofficial Welcome to Netherlands! Ready to enjoy the ride?! #tellmewhatyoueat #Amsterdam #Netherlands #Bikes #biking #streetfood

@K2SOff Please, don't smoke and drive, even if it's just a bike. You're dangerous and some of us are working just there on sidewalk

@Jynserso erh, @K2SOff, you may want to rephrase your contribution, it can be misleading...

@walkstheskies BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!!!

The Argentino Luna was a small place on the ground floor of a nice red brick house and all the windows were covert with fairy lights and old ivy. In summer the place must be gorgeous. It still was in late November but with the grey sky and the grey street all around, it lost a bit of its southern charm. At least, since it was on one of the few roads of the center, there weren't too many bikes. And the moment Cassian passed the door, he felt better.

The smell, the music, the decoration, everything spoke of Latin America. There were soccer player's jersey on the wall and lots of black and white photos along the bar that showed tango dancers and singers. And the waiters all spoke in Spanish and even if their accent wasn't quite right, it was better than anything he heard in days. Dutch was truly an awful language and even if all the people he had to interview spoke English easily, they all had that heavy accent that made things difficult for him to understand.

Here he could speak easily. It was warm and dry and the light was soft, and when he went to the bar and found Kes and Shara already sharing a bottle of red wine. He would have felt bad to intrude on them if he didn't see Jyn in a corner sipping a beer by herself. He took a glass to pour himself some wine before making a tour of the small room to read the menu on one of the slate hooked on the wall.

He must have been still for too long because he felt Jyn move beside him and when he turned to face her, she asked, “Aren't you a bit too hot?”

Cassian frowned a bit but the question died on his lips when he saw Jyn flush.

“I mean, your parka isn't necessary here, right?”

Realization helped him relax and with a chuckle, he admitted, “I may be a bit of a nesh.”

Jyn smiled at him and his heart fluttered dangerously.

“Yeah, I've seen that. But I agree with you, it was cold this afternoon.”

“Say the girl who stays outside for three hours with only a scarf. That's nice of you to spare my feelings but it's okay. I'm totally conscious of my dislike of cold weather.”

She smiled again and turned her head to the side, looking for something, someone maybe, and he didn't know what to say anymore. If she was as uncomfortable as he felt maybe he should spare her the boredom of his company. Then she surprised him by taking his arm and leading him to the window.

“Come on, we've booked a table, you can at least get rid of that coat. If not, you’ll really feel cold when we leave.”

He saw she had her vest and scarf down on a chair and he chose to put his parka on the one right beside it before sitting down.

“How many are supposed to be coming?”

Jyn sat across from him, leaving all her mess next to him and she shrugged. “I'm not sure. Luke said he'll join us later but he may be a bit-” she made a gesture with her hands in the air and smirked slightly, “and maybe Kay would want to come since you're here.”

It was more of a question but Cassian hadn't any answer so he looked back at Kes and Shara, still talking in hushed tones by the bar and he asked, “Do we wait for them to remember they're not on a date or do we order without them?”,

Jyn looked at to the couple but before she could answer her stomach grumble and she flushed some more.

“Okay, they obviously have forgotten about us, I'm hungry and if I have another of this devil drink without eating anything, I'll make a fool of myself. So...”

He peaked at her bottle and saw a white snake wrapped around something red but it couldn’t read more than Mamba on the label so he didn’t know what to expect. When a waiter arrived, Cassian exchanged a few words in Spanish with him but he didn't get any real advice on the food. It was a steakhouse with good Argentinian beef but nothing out of the ordinary. So he picked a mix of grilled meat with potatoes and Jyn followed him, ordering the same.

“I have no idea what you said but I suppose you know your stuff, right?”

Cassian smiled at the compliment and explained to her briefly what he chose then he asked her about her strange bottle. He was pleased to listen to her when she began a tirade on the different beer brews the restaurant had to offer.

“I’m not an alcoholic, you know,” she said suddenly without looking at him in the eye and with her lips nicely pursed.

“That’s totally the kind of thing an alcoholic would say but I believe you.”

“How nice of you! No seriously. I usually don’t drink much even if since we started working together I may have had more than my share and…”

Cassian put his hand on her wrist to calm her and he was surprised by how warm her skin was under his fingers.

“Don’t worry about it. This job is crazy and from what I got, beer is the only thing Dutch can do.”

She pouted and stopped picking at the label of her bottle.

“And that’s why we’re here, amigos!” Kes said loudly behind him.

“Oh nice of you to remember us!”

“Yeah, well, I wanted to let you enjoy the very good company of miss Erso all for yourself for once!” Kes winked heavily at both Cassian and Shara who shook her head fondly.

“Well, they have nice cheeses too. But for now, meat!” Jyn’s smile brightened when she saw the waiter with his arms full of huge plates of grilled steaks and Cassian shared eagerly her enthusiasm.

---

When Luke and Wedge arrived, they were already waiting for their dessert but he didn't seem to notice. Kay, on the other hand, looked peeved no one waited for him but didn't say a word about it. Jyn saw Cassian tensed a bit, probably prepared for an earful at the first occasion but for now, the Social Media Manager was high, both on weed and excitement so it was difficult for anyone to do more than listen to his rambling.

“I love this city!” He was bouncing on his chair and Kay had to intervene two times to prevent him from falling while Luke related their trip in the Red Light district. He showed them the photos he took and Kay and Wedge commented here and there about the shots he made to get a bit of the atmosphere but Luke kept on interrupting. Kes seemed fascinated but tried to play it cool because Shara was watching closely but the poor guy lost it when Luke told them about the weird condom shop he found.

“Why would anyone wear something like that?”

“Hey! I love condoms!” Shara must have had a glass or two too much because she was speaking way too loudly, especially for such a topic but Jyn refused to acknowledge anything around her and she kept looking for the waiter. She missed some exchanges but was suddenly brought back into the conversation when Shara grabbed her arm and asked, “Don't you too prefer when men have condoms? I mean, it makes things so much easier... No mess around, no stain on the sheet...”

Jyn blinked at her and she regretted her choice to face Cassian because he was looking directly at her and she didn't know what to say. Luckily Kes saved her by saying proudly, “I'm sorry, Bonita, but if your partner does his part right, it's not him who would make a mess and stain the sheet!”

Shara gaped at him and as if it wasn't embarrassing enough, he had, “Don't you agree with me, Cassian? It's your role as a man to make sure your partner is a mess before you even need a condom!”

Cassian looked as horrified as she felt but at the same time, Jyn really wished he voiced his opinion on the subject. Not that she even contemplated the eventually of needing a condom in her very professional relationship with Cassian Andor, but it was always good to know. On a very professional and informational way.

“That's the most nonsensical statement you could ever utter, Dameron. If you engage in a sexual encounter with a partner you need to protect yourself from, you can't really do anything that would involve fluids without being protected. The notion that a condom is sufficient to prevent infection is fairly biased. Most STI can be caught without intra-vaginal sex and-”

“Thank you, Kay,” Cassian cut brusquely, “we already know. Do you want something to eat?”

Kay sniffed, clearly offended at having been interrupted but he was also clearly hungry so he focused on the menu and let the topic drop. Kes was more difficult to deter but Shara did a pretty good job to grab his attention. So they could finish their night without glitch and it was only when they stepped outside that Jyn noticed how late it was. Maybe the idea of ordering another White Mamba hadn’t been such a good one because the world around her was swaying and she was fairly sure she was still on the ground and not on the canal.

“Are you going to be okay tomorrow morning,” she asked Kay and Cassian on the way back to the hotel.

“Of course,” Kay scoffed, “I'm used to getting up early and I'm perfectly able to function properly with minimal sleep.”

Jyn blinked, a bit stunned by his prissy answer but she saw Cassian shake his head and smiled when he told her in a conspiracy tone, “He's always more uptight when he's tired, don't worry about it. And thanks for your concern, but we'll manage. What about you?”

She shrugged and put her scarf a little higher on her nose. The night was colder than she thought and as they went along the canal, she caught in a freezing wind that made her shiver.

“I napped nearly half the afternoon today so even if we start early tomorrow, it’ll be okay.” She shivered again at a crossroad and suddenly, felt something heavy on her shoulders.

“You look cold,” Luke whispered in her hair as he wrapped his arms around her. “You should have put a coat or at least, something with sleeves.”

“Maybe it's just her way to get someone to heat her up,” Kes suggested before getting punch in the arm by Shara.

“Well, sorry to disappoint, then,” Luke answered with a laugh but before he could move, Jyn grabbed his wrist and said, “Actually, I think I prefer it that way.”

“Oh, come on, girl! You wouldn't say that if Andor were the one trying to warm you up and...”

“Cassian is always cold,” Kay cut, “so he won't be of any help.”

“That wasn't what he meant,” mumbled Shara but Jyn glared at her so she closed her mouth and made sure Kes get the message too. Suddenly Jyn didn't feel cold anymore but she still walked briskly, without Luke, just to avoid looking at Cassian. Her heart in her throat, she didn't say a word till she bid the whole team goodnight, praying for the low lights in the lobby to mask her burning neck.

---

tellmewhatyoueatofficial Careful, Amsterdam is very humid! Don't forget to take cover if you're going outside! wink wink!#tellmewhatyoueat #Amsterdam #Netherlands #Safe love #humour #Red Lantern District

@sharathebae I love those condoms, they're all so colourful and fun! Stay safe people and have fun!

@bodhitherook oh please, please @walkstheskies, @jynsereso bring me some green stuff!

@jynserso YOU WANT WHAT?! I'm shooked, mate!! Did you meat someone when I'm not here?! We totally need to talk!!

---

If Cassian thought English breakfasts were greasy, heavy things, he had to admit it was nothing compared to the traditional Dutch breakfast. He was sitting in front of sausages, cold meats and a soft-boiled egg but mostly different slides of dark bread, some buttered some not and he had a variety of toppings, from various cheeses to chocolate chips called vlokken, and even colourful aniseed sprinkles. And yes, he was supposed to put the candy on the buttered bread and maybe he was a bit of a prude but he found it weird. Really weird. And honestly, it tasted even weirder.

Although he was used to cocoa in his meal, here it wasn't just cocoa, it was real chocolate, sugary and heavy with butter and cream and to put on very buttered bread, it was... something. But he had to try and to make it look good on camera. After three bites, Jyn put down her camera to Draven's chagrin, and she smiled sympathetically at him.

“Maybe you should just have some cheese. The orange one, the mimolette, is quite good. Not too strong, it tasted a bit like cheddar. Or the other one with cumin seed in it. It's quite good.”

As if to prove her point, she took a slide and rolled with some kind of ham, or maybe smoked fish, he didn't know, and put it all in her mouth.

“It's good, I promise,” she said while chewing and Cassian felt his smile grow. Trusting her was easy and he didn't see Luke with his phone out to take pictures of them nor did he see Draven mentioning for Kay to resume filming while he tried bit after bit, following Jyn's advices.

When finally, the filming was over, he moved to thank Jyn but she waved him off with a smirk.

“Honestly, I don't get why we're here. It supposed to be a food show and...” Her face was priceless when she looked at the horrendous amount of food on the table. Kes was having a good time with the vlokken and kept on teasing Shara to taste it but he was clearly the only one.

“I can't tell you. Draven himself told me yesterday that it wasn't a good place for local food so I don't know. Maybe that's why we have an Indonesian restaurant-”

“Actually, it's because Indonesian used to be part of the Dutch kingdom,” Kay cut in crisply and Cassian couldn't help but roll his eyes. For once, he was able to have a conversation with Jyn and of course, his friend had to interfere. But then he saw Jyn's teasing smile and they shared an amused look while pretending to listen to Kay's impromptu history lesson. It wasn't so bad until she announced, “Well, since you know the subject so well, I'll let you do the shooting. I want to enjoy a bit more of the city before we move. Because even if the food is pretty lame, the buildings are really great and I want to see more of it.”

She packed up her camera and went to tell Draven about the change of plan. He didn't seem pleased but when Luke suggested they take more outside photos, he relented and Cassian couldn't do anything but watched them go, a heavy feeling on his stomach that had nothing to do with his horrible breakfast.

---

Part of her knew she was acting like a brat but some other part was quite pleased with herself. Luke wasn't difficult and he went on his merry way without asking any question, as if he perfectly understood her mood without a word from her. So she was free and alone at last and even if she regretted leaving Cassian like that, he would be glad to work with his best friend again and she needed time for herself. The days in France had been hard, reviving too many memories she thought she had buried and the worst was she didn't have time to speak to Bodhi. The only free time she had had been in the middle of the day when he was working so she couldn't have a real conversation to maybe sort out some of her feelings.

Crossing another bridge, she stopped to look down at the water moving lazily under her feet. Amsterdam was peaceful and truly beautiful. Every house was different, some of red brick, some yellow stone, other forest green with huge windows and white timbering... It looked right out of a fairy tale book. And since so many people traveled on foot or bike, it wasn't noisy like other town its size.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to lean on the railing and looked up at the sky. Maybe it was the only drawback of this place. The sky was always grey, even if the sun tried to peak every now and then. On the other hand, it was the last days of November so maybe summers were better. With nowhere to go and nothing to do for half of the day, Jyn wandered the city by herself and she was quite happy to sit down in the back of the bus later that evening when they had to move to their next destination.

Cassian went to sit beside her and she couldn't repress her smile even if she saw how he mostly did it to avoid being with Draven and Kay any longer.

“Long day?” She asked in a hush tone and she enjoyed the slight flush of his neck when she came closer.

“You have no idea. And you? Had fun with Luke?”

She chuckled and whispered in his ear, “I ditched him at the first canal. All he wanted was to go back to the Red District and I couldn't care less about girls in windows. Plus I'm pretty sure they don't work before noon, at best.”

He chuckled too and she felt warm all over at listening to the sound. He stayed pressed against her and kept his voice low when he said, “Maybe he found love, you know.”

“In a bong of pot, yeah. I'm pretty sure his luggage is full of glass.” She smiled brightly then looked very pointedly at Kes and added in the same hushed tone, “But he's not the only one, and at least, Luke didn't try to get into anyone pants.”

“Did Kes hit on you?”

The question caught her of guard and she blinked stupidly before laughing out loudly. “No, I'm not talking about me. Nobody in their right mind would want to...” She shook her head and missed the confusion on his face. Then Shara's voice interrupted whatever she could have added by saying, “Hey, lovebirds, do you want some beer? I picked a few bottles earlier and I think we should try them to train our liver.”

“Why is that?”

“Because we're going to Belgium and from what I get in the planning, we'll be drinking a lot. Or at least, you will.”

She beamed at Cassian and made her way to the back of the bus and showed them an impressive collection of beers and a few snacks all shove haphazardly in her bag. Jyn chose one for her and one for Cassian and she rummaged through her own bag to get a small packet of dry waffles line with chocolate.

“Aren't you the thoughtful one”, Shara teased with a wink and Jyn felt her neck burn but before she could say anything Cassian answered with a smile, “Don't be jealous, you already have someone who looks out for you so go back to him and let us enjoy some calm for once.”

He waited for her to be out of earshot to apologize without looking at her and Jyn mumbled, “It's okay,” before taking a long gulp of her beer. It wasn't long before she started regretting it. Even if her T'IJ IPA was a light blond beer, she saw too late it was at seven percent so that explained why it quickly made her head spin. And after a day walking outside, she was tired and now in the back of a slowly moving bus, her eyelids felt more and more heavy. She tried to stay awake. She tried to make small talk with Cassian because he seemed to really enjoy being here with her and he asked questions about the placed she'd seen, what she'd liked and she couldn't focus.

She felt herself fall but she also felt Cassian catch her and when her head rested on his shoulder, her body curled against his, she didn't feel embarrassed at all.

Cuddling Cassian felt dangerously like home.

#rebelcaptain #rebelcaptain food travel #rebelcaptain food travel au #food travel au #jyn erso #cassian andor #amsterdam #netherlands #my fics

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