#Din's blaster deserves more love

[peterparkersnose]

You Over Anyone

pairing: Din Djarin x reader

word count: 2.6k

warnings: jealousy, angst, relationship awkwardness, assault (physical), reader gets cut by a knife, description of assault and defense, blood, din takes care of you, allusions to sex

a/n 97 days until the mandalorian returns !!!! somewhat angsty. there isnt quite enough angst on tumblr that doesnt end up with sex. dont get me wrong, i love a good smut, but sometimes i just need some yelling and frustration. longer fic woohoo!!! wrote it in one night too. i missed din djarin. 

bonus at the end for you guys :)

summary Y/N gets upset when another girl comes around and questions where her relationship stands with Din

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read time: 9 mins 29 seconds

3 days, 12 hours, and 30 ish minutes. That was the last time Din kissed you, but you totally weren’t counting. How long has it been since he’s touched you? Hugged you? Acknowledged you for anything other than the bare minimum? Your anxious thoughts flew through your mind as you tied up your boots. He had become more and more distant each day since you had found Natalie.

About a week ago you were in the forest looking for a frog to sneak to Grogu. He had listened to you all day and deserved a treat for being a good boy. That is when you came upon a girl, no older than 20. She was almost nude, shivering, and covered in dirt. And drop dead gorgeous.

Against your better judgement you took her back to the crest. Din had basically done the same for you when he found you, why not return the favor?

Natalie showed up in the middle of an awkward time in you and Din’s relationship. Sure, flirty banter has been there ever since you’ve known him. But the last few months you two have been together- sort of. It was confirmed by mutual feelings but never said out loud. You two were everything but girlfriend and boyfriend. I mean, you could have sworn Grogu said ‘mama’ last week. You were raising a child as well as taking the risk of making a new one. He had shown you his face. You had to be something. There was no way you weren’t- right?

Shaking your head and grabbing your weapon, you followed the sound of giggling from outside.

“He does tricks?” Natalie asked, head cocked perfectly in Din’s direction. Her ponytail flew perfectly in the breeze.

“Well, sometimes. Grogu- where’s your ball? Did you leave it on the crest?” Din playfully asked his son, tickling his stomach. All he got and expected as a response was a ‘coo’ from the child.

Taking in the sight of your… Din and Grogu and her made you sick. I mean, she was even wearing your clothes. How much more sick could this get?

“Ready?” you asked, approaching the two hanging your blaster from your belt.

“Actually, I think Natalie and I are going to stay back. I promised her I would teach her how to shoot and…” Din said, the tone in his voice weary.

He saw the way your face dropped, but it flew completely over his head. Your mouth was slightly agape. You stared at him. Then her. Then him.

“Y/N?” Din coughed, breaking you from your haze. “Yeah sure. I’ll take Grogu into town with me.” you said flatly. Without hesitating, you reached for Grogu sitting in his pouch on Din’s waist (god that tiny waste drove you nuts) and secured him in your scarves.

Walking to the speeder, you watched as Din brought Natalie over to the hill the crest was parked on, letting her aim his blaster. His blaster, the one you were forbidden to touch. The pit in your stomach kept growing larger and larger and falling deeper and deeper.

Grogu cooed, noticing his mother was upset. “I’m alright, kid.” you said, smiling putting on a strong face for him. Of course, he could sense everything that was wrong and your phony smile couldn’t fool him. A sad sigh exhaled from the child as he placed his forehead and a tiny green hand on your chest where he sat tightly.

At least someone still wanted you.

Jiggling through the lanyard that was attached to your waist looking for the speeder key, you heard a shout from behind you.

“Y/N!” Din yelled, waving his hand with a slight run towards you.

Your face perked up. A slight smile came on your lips. He was coming back to give you a goodbye kiss, you just knew it.

“Hey,” he said, slightly out of breathe as he reached the speeder. You were ready. Leaning over the speeder towards him, your eyes met through his viser.

“Don’t forget those to buy those special nuts I like. The ones with dragon berry? Remember?”

Your perfect moment was crushed.

“Yup,” is all you could manage out. Your hand had grasped the right key and you sped off, leaving a trail of dust behind you.

***

It was now midday. The hot sun beat down on the two of you. Your scarves were draped over your head, shielding the sun from your eyes.

You felt a tiny scratch on your chest. “Yes, yes. Calm down, we’re going to the Cantina for some food.”

One more sale and it was lunch. The bag of credits in your sleeve pocket was still heavy. You were skimming the blaster modifications when you heard a squeal.

“Is that her, Din?” you heard Natalie say from feet away. “Shh!” he hushed her.

He told her his name. Not Mando anymore. Din.

“Y/N!” Natalie yelled from across the market. You grinded your teeth and took a deep breathe, abandoning any interest in the parts.

“Hi!” you said with the fakest smile you had ever had on your face. “How did you two get here without a speeder?” you asked, a pissed tone silently rode off your lips as your eyes stabbed into his beskar helmet.

“We walked! It was such a nice time in the forest. An hour goes by really fast when your having fun.” Natalie smiled aimlessly at you.

As you couldn’t see, Din was behind his mask with the most tired eyes and annoyed face known to man.

You swallowed.

“I’m starving. Could you get me some food Din?” she said again using his name. “Mando.” he corrected her. “Oh right. We’re using our made up names.” she whispered, giggling heading towards the Cantina.

He stood there for a second, looking you up and down. You knew him well enough behind the mask to notice what he was doing. “Don’t fucking even,” you scoffed, following the bubbly girl into the Cantina. “Don’t what?” he asked, following you confused into the loud bar.

You felt the tears begin to well up in your eyes. Making your way to the bathroom, you shook Din’s hand off of yours trying to gain your attention. “Please,” you yelled a little too loudly, yanking your hand away and making a bee line towards the restroom.

You slammed the stall door shut and waited for the heavy beskar boots to follow you in. He wasn’t the type to leave you. Ever. You waited.

And waited.

And waited. And they never came.

Sitting on the toilet sobbing, you barely remembered Grogu was there. Another scratch on your chest reminded you that he was hungry.

“I know, I know. I’m sorry.” you sniffled, wiping your eyes and attempting to clean up your red face.

Staring at yourself in the bathroom mirror felt stupid. You had so much pity for yourself. Your braid has become more loose than it was this morning. Strands of loose hair rested next to your face. Your boots had mud on them. Now was not the time to be critiquing yourself but you couldn’t help it. How could you not? Natalie was beautiful, more pretty than you’d ever be. Right?

This time Grogu let out a small growl and you gave in. Turning the corner, you were grabbed near the exit and thrown back into the bathroom.

Laying on the floor confused, you looked up at your attacker. A giant creature with blue horns stared down at you with a smirk on his face.

“I saw that pretty bag of coins on your wrist, ma’am.” he scowled, pointing his long knife down at you. “I would appreciate if we did this the easy way.” he said cracking his neck in both directions.

The blade rested on the middle of your chest. Grogu, being the curious creature he is poked his head out of your swaddle you had made him.

“Well well well, what is this?” he asked, moving the knife to bump the scarf you had around your chest. “I think I will be taking both.” he smiled, revealing his yellow crooked teeth.

Panic flashed your mind as you rolled over, shielding Grogu from his grasp. He let out a loud yell in anger and didn’t hesitate to swipe his dagger at your shoulder, leaving a pretty nasty cut.

“Fuck!” you yelled out in pain, holding the open wound.

Grogu being the good boy he is (he deserves another frog) rolled out of your grasp and waved his tiny hand in the air. The dagger flew from the attackers hand and right into your grasp.

“Good boy,” you whispered as you didn’t hesitate to stab the man near his groin. He cried out in pain as you twisted the knife, then pulled it out. It was covered in purple blood.

You scooped up Grogu and made your way back into the crowded Cantina. You spotted Din with his elbow resting comfortably on the counter talking to Natalie.

“… and then Greef started to complain about-”

“We need to go.” you said in a low voice, grabbing his hand and pulling in the opposite direction. “What?” he asked. “What’s that?” Natalie asked loudly, pointing at the dripping dagger in your hand.

“Shut it for once, won’t you?” you yelled at her. A wave of concern flew over Natalie’s face. “Hey!” Din yelled, sticking his finger in your face. You had to ignore the intrusive thought to bite it.

A large roar came from the Cantina bathroom exit. Everyone’s eyes turned to the creature. “You little bitch!” the man yelled, meeting your eyes in the crowd.

“We need to go.” you ordered, slipping out of the entrance. Looking behind you and gripping Grogu close, you ran to the speeder. Din quickly followed without Natalie on his tail.

You straddled the speeder as you heard your attacker’s yells from behind you. He was a few feet behind Din. At that point, Natalie began to stumble out of the Cantina.

Din held up his hand, signaling for you to start the speeder. The wound on your arm throbbed. With one hand cradling a sleeping Grogu and the other on the speeder handle, you prepared for the worst.

Din made it just in time. “Go go!” he yelled, grabbing your waist tightly as you sped off. That man and Natalie were left in the dust.

The speeder tumbled as you reached the crest. You meant to get fuel on your way back, but that obviously didn’t get to happen.

As the two of you finally stopped, you sat for a moment in silence.

Finally, you flipped around. You handed Din a sleeping Grogu and turned to go back in the crest. Your face was stone cold.

“Are you okay?” Din asked wearily. He was most definitely not getting a response. You walked through the hatch and made it to the medical cabinet. It was funny, you had forgot you had put on a white shirt today and not a crimson one.

“Is that blood?” he asked, removing his helmet and setting Grogu inside of it. He liked to nap there sometimes, it was warm and smelt of his father.

“Why do you care? I’m surprised your not back on your speeder going to find Natalie.” you hissed, cutting your sleeve off to reveal the wound.

“Fuck!” you yelled as the bloody sleeve rolled down your arm. “What? Cy’are what happened?” Din asked, rushing to your aid. “Get away from me.” you hissed back at him, struggling to see straight. “Let me help.” he demanded. “Go ffffucking find her.” you slurred.

Blood was definitely lost.

“Sit for gods sake.” he yelled, pulling up a chair behind you. He pulled out the bacta cream and bandages. “You b-better not fucking touch me Din Djarin,” you yawned.

Ignoring you, he wiped the blood away from the wound. It wouldn’t need stitches, but it would leave a nasty scar. He applied the cream and wrapped your arm up. “Too tight?” he asked, his eyes peering into yours.

“I don’t know why your so worried about me when we left Natalie out there.” you bitched. “Seriously Y/N, too tight or not.” he said ignoring your comment.

“You told her your name?” you slurred, the blood loss just beginning to regenerate.

“What? No. She heard you call me it last night.”

“Oh.”

“Why were you all over her? You could barely even speak to me. It’s obvious that you were just going to leave me somewhere and take her instead.” you mumbled, staring at your muddy and now bloodied boots.

“What?” Din asked, astonished. “What are you talking about, Cy’are?”

He bent down in front of you, his hands on both of your thighs. “Don’t lie,” you said, turning your head away from his. Tears began forming in your eyes.

“Your in love with her Din.”

Din wrapped his arms around your waist and rested his head on your thighs. “You are dreaming, my love.”

“Then why did you-”

“I stayed with her because I thought you couldn’t stand her. I thought I was doing you a favor.” he explained.

I mean he wasn’t wrong.

“But what about-”

“Shh,” he shushed you. “I’m horrible but I’m glad we left her at the Cantina. I didn’t know how much longer I could have gone with her constantly at my hip. I couldn’t be with you, I was starting to loose my mind.”

You carefully grabbed a handful of his brown curly hair. You always forgot how soft it was, never being able to touch it under all that beskar.

“Really?” you sniffled, using your other hand to wipe the tear away.

“We have about another 45 minutes to get off this planet.” he hummed into your jeans, kissing your thigh before returning upright.

“I can’t believe you thought I liked her better,” Din scoffed, now towering over you.

“You let her use your blaster?” you questioned. “She grabbed it.” he sighed, laughing at your question. “So am I allowed to touch it now?” “Absolutely not.”

“But why did you ignore me then? Not even anything. No good morning kiss or sleeping in the same bed or…” “Oh.” he sighed. “I thought you wanted to keep it quiet? Not let her know. I’m sorry,”

“I’d let the whole galaxy see you touch me,” you mumbled. A smile rose to Din’s lips.

His hand turned to your cheek, cupping it ever so lightly. His thumb brushed over your lips. He bent down, giving you a soft kiss on your tear stained lips.

“You over anyone, cy’arika. How I’ve missed you.”

•

yes don’t worry grogu was fed he is well taken care of don’t call cps trust me he got all the frogs and eggs he wanted after that day

tag list: @dani5216 @uwiuwi @alohastyles-x @samanthacookieone @maddieinnit0 @alexxavicry @salliebley @peeta-is-useless @bubsonnobx @kirsteng42

bonus:

You lay in his warm grasp for the first time in over a week. His warm skin rested on yours. The hum of the open galaxy surrounding the ship filled your ears. Din’s messy hair sat on him well. His arms ran across your bare chest, holding you with ever such ease. His breaths became more shallow with each second.

“Hey,” he whispered groggily in your ear, pulling you closer. “Mhm,” you replied, pushing yourself into his embrace. You were expecting an ‘I love you’ or ‘I missed your body’ or something romantic.

“Did you remember my nuts? The dragon berry ones?”

“God dammit Din,” you sighed, closing your eyes.

“Did you remember?” he asked, sitting up in bed and peering down at you with a raised eyebrow.

“No Din. I forgot your fucking nuts.”

[thefrogdalorian]

Battered & Bruised

Din Djarin x GN!Reader

Summary: As you sit side by side on the porch outside your cabin, gazing at the stars, the stunning sight leaves you and Din reflecting on your pasts. The danger and punishing existence he once led is a lifestyle that you are so grateful he left behind to live happily with you and Grogu.

Word Count: 2.3k ✯ Rating: General ✯ Content Warnings: Din sustaining injuries in the past briefly mentioned but not described in any detail, hinted that reader had a traumatic past but nothing explicit... other than that it's pure fluff! ✯ Author's Note: Started off as a musing on Din being injured but enduring it for the one he loves after watching The Fall Guy (of all things) and finally ended up as pure fluff. I'm pretty exhausted after arriving home from my recent trip but managed to finish this WIP today. Hope you enjoyed, Din deserves peace and quiet and HAPPINESS... if we don't get it in canon we'll always have the fics :')

✯ My Masterlist ✯ Read on AO3 ✯

One of the rare occasions Din feels comfortable enough to leave the cabin you share without his helmet is when the stars twinkle high in the sky above Nevarro. At night, when it is too dark to see more than the length of a womp rat’s tail, he feels relaxed enough to join you outside without the protection of his impressive suit of armour.

You find yourself giddy each time with delight at the thought of him joining you outside, with his face briefly bared to the galaxy 

Usually, the two of you sit quietly on the porch while Grogu sleeps soundly inside, perched on the wooden bench you chose from the weekly market that passes through the town at the heart of this volcanic planet. After you moved in, Din realised that the seating arrangements on his porch could only accommodate one.

Buying it was another reminder that Din is far from alone.

So you lounge there on the bench night after night, hand in hand. Only unlacing your fingers to pour a glass of the latest exotic beverage donated by the ever-generous High Magistrate of Nevarro. 

Tonight is no exception.

Grogu was surprisingly quick to settle. Satisfied that his son was fast asleep, Din did not even have to ask whether you cared to join him for a drink on the porch. A simple look and nod were enough to convey the question. 

You know Din enjoys the peace and quiet the porch affords. Especially after long days spent raising a Mandalorian child so strong with the Force. Even though he no longer retains employment in the traditional sense – save from occasionally helping Greef Karga whenever he calls for help – raising Grogu is as demanding as any full-time job. Din rarely has a chance to relax. 

Stopping and staying still for a moment has never been particularly in his nature. Even though he is technically retired now, he would still shun such a term.

Instead, Din always seems to have a job on the go. There is always a now seldom-used blaster to clean, or a piece of armour now worn only occasionally to be polished, or maintenance for the ageing N-1 to carry out. The cabin has had more renovations and furniture rearrangements than you can count. But you never stop him. It gives him a sense of purpose, away from raising Grogu.

Despite your lives being far less busy than when you first met, evenings, where you pause on the porch, are a rare moment of relaxation for both Din and you. Alone with your thoughts, with only the faint sounds of creatures chirping across the lava flats and your even breaths for a soundtrack.

The stillness of the night appears to have left your favourite Mandalorian in a pensive mood.

Din gazes upwards towards the dark sky with a curious look in his eyes. As he surveys the stars, his brown eyes twinkle with an emotion you cannot quite place.

You watch him for a few moments; scanning his face for the slightest tell. A task which has increased in difficulty with the more time that passes.

When Din first began to remove the helmet, it had been easy to read his emotions. A life of obscuring his features beneath beskar meant that he was unaware of how expressive his face was.

Still, the cycles spent together mean that his handsome features and brown eyes are still relatively easy to read for someone who knows Din as well as you. Yet, much to your disappointment, Din has become more adept at hiding his emotions.

You wait a few minutes, gauging whether he will break the silence. Until you can take it no longer:

“What’s on your mind, riduur?” you finally ask, desperate to understand what thoughts linger behind those brown eyes.

Din turns to look at you, his eyes meeting your gaze as his plush lips curve into a half smile, “Thinking about the odds of us meeting, how there were as many chances our paths never crossed as there are stars above us.”

“Din…” you whisper, touched by the sentimental side of the man you love.

“You must think about it too…” Din asserts.

“I do,” you confess, “I wonder how a chump like me was ever lucky enough to capture your heart. How is it even possible that the tall, mysterious Mandalorian, who so intrigued me when our paths first crossed back on Coruscant, was equally infatuated with me?”

“I was,” Din whispers, “From the moment I saw you.”

You nod, squeezing Din’s hand tightly. 

“I know,” you add, your chest swelling with pride at his admission. 

You sit there for a few more moments, enjoying the silence and the security you feel from his love as the realisation that you have captured his heart hits you all over again. 

It is Din, this time, who breaks the silence: 

“Do you ever miss that planet? Your life there?” Din asks.

Clearly, your mention of your first meeting on the planet at the centre of the galaxy has caused him to cast his mind back over your life together. 

“I haven't thought about it for a long time,” you shrug, pausing for a few seconds to consider your reply, before continuing, “I suppose, if anything, I miss the eternal busyness of Coruscant. There was less silence to sit in, to be alone with my thoughts. The hustle and bustle kept me occupied, and there was always something exciting going on.”

Din raises an eyebrow quizzically at your admission, and you realise how those words could have inadvertently made it appear that your life here on Nevarro is boring somehow. That could not be further from the truth. 

You quickly move to reassure him, “Now, of course, I realise I was so keen to stay busy because I was not comfortable in my own skin. I could not bear the thought of feeling, certainly not of loving anyone. You changed that, Din. I have found joy even in the quietness here on Nevarro with you and Grogu.”

Din nods, apparently satisfied with your answer. You breathe a sigh of relief. Then, you feel your tenseness give way to softness as you melt at how his eyes suddenly appear glassy, shimmering even in the darkness. Your words have clearly affected him. 

Din squeezes your hand before he brings it to his lips, pressing an affectionate kiss to the back of your hand. You chuckle lightly at the way his moustache bristles against your soft skin. 

The moment is sweet, but you do not intend to let it pass entirely. You are curious whether Din misses his past life, or whether he is as content as you are. Happy to peacefully sit here on your porch together.

“What about you, Din? Do you ever miss your old life?” you question.

“Parts of it,” Din nods, “I suppose I miss the thrill of the chase. The constantly changing scenery. But not so much the violence and injuries that lifestyle entailed.”

“I bet,” you smirk, “You must have sustained some grisly injuries over the years…”

Din tilts his head back slightly, shuts his eyes and sighs deeply; as though he is placing himself back somewhere he has not thought of for a long time. 

“I did,” he finally murmurs, slightly wincing at the thought, if you are not mistaken, “Nothing hurts quite like a cracked rib,” Din confesses. 

“Awwww, my poor Mandalorian,” you tease, reaching out to cup his cheek, his stubble rough against the palm of your hand. 

“Don’t baby me!” Din huffs affectionately, sticking his bottom lip out in an adorable pout.

“Never,” you smirk, leaning in to gently press a kiss against the tip of his prominent nose; strong and proud just like the man you love so much. 

You stay there for a few moments, your thumb stroking his cheek softly as you gaze at his handsome features; at the scars and lines that characterise his face. There is a certain ruggedness to him now. He is slightly greyer, with more wrinkles than when you first met him. Yet, you are still as attracted to him as you were that day when you first laid eyes upon him in a New Republic office building on Coruscant. 

When you finally break the moment and lean back in your seat, Din announces that he needs to use the 'fresher. He grunts slightly as he stands, the movement placing strain upon his battered and bruised body, still scarred from his many years following such a brutal way of life as a nomadic warrior. 

That small sound reminds you of just how much lingers below the surface. Usually, Din can hide it with an effortlessness that never even makes you consider the many lingering injuries he must be carrying. But your earlier conversation has brought it to the forefront of your mind. So many legacies of Din’s former way of life are imperceptible to the naked eye. So much pain you will never know about, because he keeps it to himself. 

You wonder how much longer he would have lived had he continued leading that life. You wince as you consider what quality of life he would have had if he had continued even slightly longer. If he had waited until a particularly bruising skirmish, you are sure that he would have been plagued by his injuries, chronic pain and fatigue.

Choosing to live a different Way, while still respecting his duties as a Mandalorian, means that life looks rather different for Din now.

You are certain that leaving his demanding line of work was a decision which will allow him to live many more years happily, with both you and Grogu. A quieter life with his riduur and the boy who saved him from a life of such violence.

You are so absorbed in your thoughts that you do not hear Din's footsteps until they echo across the porch. The sound startles you slightly. You hastily wipe the few tears which had sprung at your waterline before you turn to look up at him curiously as he makes no move to return to his seat. When you fully appraise the scene before you, you realise he is clutching the blanket you throw on your bunk during the cooler months. You shoot him a quizzical look. 

“Come on, I want to try something,” Din says as he jerks his head towards the lava flats that lie just beyond the porch. 

“But... Grogu?” you question hesitantly.

“Don’t worry, cyar’ika. We aren’t going far,” Din reassures you as he holds his hand out to you.

You take it and follow him as he pulls you by the hand towards your intended destination which is, as promised, only a few paces away. Din has selected flat ground to spread the blanket on. He drops your hand momentarily to smooth out the coarse material, before Din laces his fingers through yours once more.

“Looking up at the stars before didn't just make me nostalgic. It also made me consider how nice it would be to lie out here with you. It’s so dark here, far away from the town, that I bet we can see every single star in the galaxy,” Din explains, “Maybe some comet storms if we’re lucky.”

As your eyes fill with tears, you slowly shake your head, “Din,” you whisper, touched by his sentimental side, “It sounds like a perfect idea.”

Din does not hesitate a second longer, clearly eager to gaze at the skies and appreciate all the sights the night sky has to offer. He lies back on the blanket, leaving enough space for you to join him.

You lean your cheek on the expanse of his firm chest, feeling the warmth through the thin cotton shirt he wears despite the slight chill in the air. Din’s arms wrap around your waist.

A feeling of security envelops you. 

You never feel more protected from all the monstrousness in the galaxy, all the evil that you and Din are only too aware of from your past lives than when you are lying in his arms. As you nuzzle into his chest, you feel his heart thumping rhythmically against your ear. You are grateful that it still beats; that you have captured his heart. 

Who knows if he would even still be here if it wasn’t for that encounter with Grogu on Arvala-7? That the brutal pace of his life and the numerous enemies he had made would not have eventually caught up with him?

You are about to remind him of how grateful you are that the most punishing combat he has become embroiled in recently is with Grogu when he seems more intent on eating frogs than his vegetables when Din’s husky voice breaks the silence.

“You know, I would take all of those injuries again in a heartbeat if I knew it was you and Grogu that my life was leading me to,” Din whispers.

He has shared many touching words with you this evening, but this one may have finally rendered you entirely speechless. You push yourself up on his chest, able to make out the faint silhouette of his face even in the darkness. 

In the time since your first meeting, you have discovered that the Mandalorian warrior who once struck fear into your heart has a surprisingly soft side. Still, Din’s sentimentality does not stun you any less each time you are privileged to glimpse it. 

You lean down to capture his lips with yours, hoping to convey with the gesture what you cannot with words.  You are just glad that he does not have to choose. 

Din is no longer battered and bruised. Instead, he shares a peaceful, happy life with Grogu and you. 

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[dumbbitchenergy17]

Clan of Three - Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two: Clan of Three

Plot: A Mandalorian, an infant with a history of the jedi, and a teenager with similar powers and a heavy role to bear. Now reunited their journeys across the galaxy are just beginning to complete their final mission.

Word Count: 7.3K

Pairing: Father Figure!Din Djarin x Platonic!Teen!Reader

Warnings: fighting/violence, massive injuries, some wholesome moments, sad as fuck father-daughter moments, massive angst, PTSD

------

“We shall be rid of the Mandalorians once and for all,” Gideon turns around looking at his fellow warlords, “Long Live the Empire!”

“It is time to retake our home world….I need volunteers from both tribes.”

“I will go.” “I will go.” “I will go.” “I will go.”

“Is that the voice of Lady Bo-Katan Kryze?”

“We knew you would not forsake us, Lady Bo-Katan. We have failed you, but our blasters remain in your service.” They lower their heads slightly bringing a hand to rest over their hearts.

“I will only wear a dress on Naboo. I was told that it’s the most beautiful planet in the galaxy. And there are lakes and waterfalls and fields of flowers and planets as far as the eyes can see. So if you want me to wear a dress it has to be on Naboo.”

“With the uncomfortable shoes?” He asks and you smirk, “We’ll see.” The two of you stare at each other a silence falling over you two its two magnetics coming together. His hand covers your eyes the other pulling off his helmet then his lips meet yours.

“Look, I have no idea what that boy’s intentions are, but…I do know that he would be lucky to have you.” Din says and you lift your head up looking at the older man, “Really?” You ask and he nods and it grows silent once more before you speak up.

“Do you feel like everything is going right that it’s meant to go wrong?” You voice your fear for only him to know, “Every time we get close to winning something horrible goes wrong,” Your tone gets slightly frantic all the possibilities making you more nervous.

Din grabs your shoulders making you look at him, “I promised you I was never leaving you and I’m not. Ever.” He reassures and you nod before he pulls you into his arms just holding you there. His chin rests on the top of your head nothing is said between the two of you but you could tell he meant every single one of his words.

“I love you, dad…” You say and he freezes slightly before his arms squeeze you tighter to him, “Love you too, kid.”

“Those aren’t Mandalorians.” You call out as they immediately take fire, ambushing you all, “They’re Imperials! Take cover.” All the Mandalorians take cover firing at them.

“It’s an ambush!”

“Thank you for gathering the Mandalorians into one place,” He says, and you are unmoving. Moff Gideon was back. He finds delight in seeing the horror and pure terror in your expression as the Mandalorians behind the blast door has no choice but to watch. “Thanks to your planet’s rich resources, I have created the next-generation Dark Trooper suit forged from beskar alloy,”

“Why don’t we take your fleet off the board while we still have the element of surprise? Activate the interceptors and bombers.” He orders and Bo-Katan slams her fist against the glass.

“No!” the Klaxon alarm blares as the Interceptors and Bombers are activating, “In but a few moments, the Purge of Mandalore will be complete.”

“Kaz, get up. Kaz, kriffing get up and fight. Please stop! Please don’t do this…I’ll do anything please don’t I beg you!” You shout as he takes in your features one last time though tear-filled and bloody you still look beautiful in his eyes, “Kaz, please get up!”

“I love y-” The blade cleaves through his body as a scream of anguish rips through your throat.

“None of this would have occurred if you had accepted. He’s dead because of your actions, princess.” Gideon mocks you as you’re sent into a spiral sobs racking your body and hyperventilating from the shock that has taken over.

You didn’t deserve happiness…you would never love again. You had nothing left in you to love. Your happiness, your love, and yourself had died right alongside him held in his arms with dead promises to visit the far-off planets you dreamed of.

You were in a daze as the commandos practically dragged you through the halls, and you didn’t hear Din’s shouts, didn’t hear anything it was a blur until you were brought into a room and you’re dropped to your knees and chained to the floor. It repeated in your head like a broken melody, his face…his beautiful face draining of life.

“I love y-” Drain of tears as you felt no emotion, you didn’t feel sadness, loss, anger, sorrow, anything. It was empty. The doors before you open up but you barely acknowledge it glance up and seeing Gideon enter removing the beskar helmet and holding it to his side a malicious grin on his face.

“Where’s the fight, dear princess? That fire….that rage… not going to get your revenge?” He taunts standing before you and you gaze up at him, your eyes red and puffy your throat strained and dry from your sobs and screams.

“Just kill me already…I have no use for you.” Your voice is dead and flat and he chuckles his hand grabbing your chin your lifeless eyes are forced to look up at his wicked gaze, “Oh but that would make things so much easier for you wouldn’t it? Be reunited with your Mandalorian..” He rises dropping your chin and your head drops down.

“Get comfortable you’ll have front-row seats to witness the purge of your people and end the Mandalorians once and for all.” He says and your empty heart feels a twinge of worry for your family scattered across this base.

Din’s mind was running wild since the ambush seeing Moff Gideon had escaped the New Republic, seeing Kaz die and you getting taken away. Your screams and cries burned into his mind. You were fallen down a rabbit hole he barely got you out of the first time this worst. The two commandos force him down a hall and he shoves against one of them and then kicks his foot against the wall having them all stumble away from him. Breaking free from one of them flipping the other as he grabs the vibroblade cutting his bonds at his feet and quickly stabs the commando closest to him. Dodging the blaster fire that hits his beskar armor sudden heat against him from the flamethrower as he grabs their wrist slamming it to the ground. Pulling him into a chokehold and snapping his neck as a cable wraps around Din’s neck pulling him back he struggles as he sees the blaster in the commando's hand. It’s suddenly grabbed and destroyed,

“No. No. No. No. No.” Grogu presses the vocal button and Din stabs the commando with the blade the two hitting the ground. Gasping for air as Grogu sprays a bacta spray in his face as he tries waving him off coughing with his tied hands, “I'm okay. I'm okay…help me up,” Grogu pulls Din to his feet before holding his wrist out, “Will you cut me loose?’

Pressing the button gives a ‘yes’ and frees him from his restraints and he rubs his wrist, “Thank you for your help. Grogu, I'm going to need you to be brave for me, okay?” The small child babbles, “We can't keep running. If we don't take out Moff Gideon, this will never end. We have to find your sister as well. You with me?” A yes comes from IG-12 and the two make their way through the base to find and finish off Moff Gideon and save you.

In the cave system escaping from the following commandos, a transmission comes through Bo-Katan’s comms, “Bo-Katan, come in.” “Received. Where are you?” She sighs in relief glad to hear him alright.

“We're safe. I escaped. I've got the kid,” He says and her worry picks up slightly only hearing one kid with him, “And Y/n where is she?”

“I don’t know, I’m looking for her…I'm going after Moff Gideon. Do you have a location?” Din explains and Bo-Katan sighs leading her people through the caves, “No. We are under attack. I have to get the troops to safety.”

“Understood,” Din says moving through the halls followed by Grogu,

“Stay safe.” Bo-Katan responds their contact broken as the Captain calls out to them, “If we escape to the surface, I know where we can hole up.” He explains and they all take off to the surface. Bo-Katan worries for the people around her, her small family in Gideon’s base, and prays Woves gets to the ship before the Imperials do.

You hear the doors open behind you as Gideon stands before a large hologram map, “Sir, the fighters and bombers have launched,” A commando says, “Their capital ship will soon be destroyed.”

Gideon is silent before speaking up, “But the Mandalorian has escaped.” Your heavy head perks up slightly upon hearing the news. Din had escaped. He was moving through this base. The whirring of Gideon’s armor as the Commando looks at him waiting for orders,

“Shall we engage?” The helmet is put on Gideon and you hear his modulated “No, I'll take care of him myself.” A hoarse chuckle comes fills the room and the commando stiffens Gideon is silent as it starts soft until it’s the only thing he can hear seeing your head shake. You look up at him the blood mouth and chin dried the hollow look in your eyes having a spark of malice.

“You’re dead…he’s gonna kill you.” You rasp a huff of laughter in your tone and you hear the whirring of his armor as it curls into a fist, “You won’t even last a minut-” A beskar-infused punch across your face sends you on your side. Stars fill your vision as you try to calm the queasiness that fills you. Glancing back up at him seeing double him. Gideon looks seeing the indifference despite the split brow and the quickly forming bruise on your eye.

“Gar oyay cuyir jaon Gideon..” (Your life is over) You whisper venom in your voice and he uncurls his fist before stepping back, “Prepare her for the Mandalorian’s arrival.” Gideon orders and you see the doors before you slide open and out step three guards dressed in red armor each holding intimidating weapons. Gideon backs away as one of the guards pulls over a  chair. Creating slack in the chain on the ground before shoving you to the seat. You don’t get time to adjust a fist knocking the wind out of you with a punch to the gut. You curl inward but your hair is grabbed pulling you back up as a fist bashes into your face blood spills to the floor.

“You’re….you’re all..going…to die..” You wheeze out your head hanging a river of red coming from your nose and mouth, your body crying out in pain but you weren’t going to let them see. You feel one of the guards behind you seize one of your arms and you feel the strain as it’s forced to bend unnaturally, “No…no…no no!” A snap fills the air producing a scream from you as your elbow snaps and you lean forward heaving in pain. Tears and blood blur your vision, fire runs through your body as the broken limb is let go of. Gideon turns away leaving the room the sounds of your screams and begging as the torture begins rings through his head. You were going to be a great present for your Mandalorian.

Din moves through the halls skillfully followed by IG-12 controlled by Grogu, “R5. Come in, R5,” Din calls through his comms and a beeping response comes through from the surface, “I need you, buddy. You're gonna have to scomp into the base and get me the location of Moff Gideon's command center.” Hesitant beeping makes Din sigh as he peeks around a corner, “I'm sorry, I don't speak Binary. I'm counting on you.” Moving throughout the base avoiding commandos he calls back out to the droid, “R5, how are those schematics coming?” A schematic of the base appears, “Got it. Good job, buddy. That's the command center. The communications log says that's where he operates from. That's where we're goin'.” Din points at the blinking dot representing the command center on the hologram map.

“Ready?” He looks over at Grogu who coos, “Stay close. Let's go.” With only his skills Din moves through the halls before reaching the hall leading to the command center with barrier shields stopping any from entering, “The command center is down there. I don't have any weapons so this might get messy. R5. There are some barrier shields. I'm gonna need you to deactivate them one at a time.” The droid beeps understanding his assignment, “On my command. Got it?”

Din peeks around the corner seeing the multiple rows of guards he would have to take one, “Deactivate the first shield.” The red shield comes and Din rushes forward throwing a swing at the guard closest to him sending him to the ground and kicking his leg out hitting the other one. Grabbing the guard getting up barely dodging a blaster fire that kills the one in front of him. Spinning him to deflect the attack with the dead guard’s shield he pulls the knife from his belt while throwing it. It lodges into the other's neck and Din rushes forward to grab the blaster but the guard falls back into a drop disappearing.

“R5, next shield.” Din calls out as the second barrier opens controlled by the droid his two enemies armed with electro-riot batons and shields. Rushing forward kneeing on in the face sending him crashing into the barrier and quickly deflecting the attack from the guard behind him bringing him to the ground. Grabbing the baton jamming into the space between armor from the guard in front of him then spin kicks the other off the ledge. Picking up the shield now with a weapon and defense steps forward to the two awaiting guards behind the shield.

“R5, next shield.”

Slamming the shield against one guard against their blaster fire, jamming the electric baton into the knee of one guard brings him down shielding himself. Attacking his chest as the guard grunts hitting the ground and Din stabs the baton in his helmet electrocuting the guard to death. Grabbing the blaster firing at the guard and getting to his feet, the two fire and shield against one another, “R5, next shield,” Din calls out firing but no response comes through, “R5, next shield! R5!” Din yells into his comm blocking another blow as the smoke from the blasters fills the area.

“R5, next shield.” The last barrier opens and slides through the smoke tripping one of the guards grabbing the blaster. Spinning around to stand firing at the guard that fires but it hits Din’s beskar armor. Killing the guard before moving towards the unarmed one trying to rise up but he quickly pulls the trigger. The air is fresh with gun residue the adrenaline in the bounty hunter’s blood fading with the trail of bodies. Grogu peeks around the corner seeing the aftermath and Din motions him to come over. “R5, good job, buddy.” Din compliments the droid as he hears beeps coming from the droid.

Opening the door reveals a long hallway covered in tanks that line the walls. Din and Grogu slowly creep through the halls before Din holds his hand out stopping the child, “Wait here.” He moves to a control table trying to figure out the information. He hears a whimper from the child as he looks frightened by the clones, “That's not Gideon. Those are his clones.” The small child looks at the tank holding a sleeping clone of his former captor. Its eyes snap open producing a cry as Grogu stumbles back while handling the droid. Din presses certain buttons tampering with the controls as the console begins beeping and powering down,

“Let's go.” The two rush escaping the room as an alarm goes off the tanks exploding water spilling out as the doors close behind them. Din turns away from the doors and Grogu and the air leaves Din’s body as his legs become stone. The room lay bare no Gideon in sight but a chair and a familiar figure hunched over blood surrounding the person. His body rushes forward whipping around the chair and his heart drops but also rage fills his body as he stares at the young girl. You were covered in blood, your injuries he couldn’t tell where they started or where they ended. One of your arms hung limply at your side still restrained but he saw the odd angle and cringed. His hands shake slightly as he cups your face and you seem to react to the touch as you murmur your eyes blinking up trying to see, one of your eyes was quickly turning black and blue.

“Kaz…” Your voice is hoarse and weak and his chest burns at the thought in your state of pain and exhaustion you thought he was someone who was long gone.

“Kid…it’s me,” He tries to keep his voice calm pushing back the blood-soaked hair away from you, “I’m gonna get you out of here.” A sudden blaster fire barely misses you both and Din is forced to pull away both him and Grogu hide behind some walls. The mechanical footsteps clank against the ground as Din holds the blaster between his hands.

“My clones were finally going to be perfect,” Gideon’s rage-filled voice surrounds the room, “The best parts of me but improved by adding the one thing I never had. The Force. I was isolating the potential to wield the Force, and incorporating it into an unstoppable army. And you smothered them before they could draw their first breath” He hisses and Din could feel the fury coming from him. A hitch of breath as a mechanical whirring fills the air and a choked gasp fills the air.

“So I’ll take the breath from who you care for,” Gideon growls tightening his strong grip around your throat. Din whips around firing at Gideon but the blaster bolts bounce off his beskar armor does make Gideon release you your head dropping as Gideon fires a missile at Din. Dodging the attack he charges at him with his jetpack the two being pushed into the hangar entering combat. Gideon hurls Din aside as he collides with a large crate quickly receiving beskar-fueled punches in the gut and the face rattling the bounty hunter. Grabbing the Mandalorian by the chestplate hurling off to the floor before launching another attack on him. Din rolls out of the way right as Gideon slams a fist into the ground denting the metal floors.

The sounds of battle from the hangar rage on and in the air as Mandalorians fight against the imperials for their homeworld. Everything was painful just breathing hurt, you wanted it to all fade away praying it would all just stop. A metal hand gently pulls up your face and you felt a cooling sensation across your face as you slowly force your eyes to open seeing the arm of a droid and the small green child. Grogu coos as the healing medicine sprays across your face and he pulls away and you wince feeling something jab into your leg a small burning sensation.

“Grogu…” You whisper and you hear the ‘yes’ come from the child as it moves away from you and you hear the whirring sound and sparks coming off you. Whatever healing spray had made your face grow numb but whatever was put into your leg, you felt your heart rate beating faster and the surge of energy in your limbs. You hear a crack of metal and something falling off as you slump forward falling off the chair unable to hold or catch yourself. You hit the ground with a groan and you hear the loud cry from Din as you see through blurry vision him on the ground the same red armorer guards around him. You hear footsteps pass by you as your heartbeat becomes the only thing you can hear as you force yourself onto your back.

Din groans in pain as the blade is brought deeper into his armor when a voice comes through, “No, no, no.” Din sees Grogu’s angry expression as he slams his fist on the voice button. The three Praetorian Guards pull away now a new target as they force the child back into the command center.

“No!” Din cries out the fear of seeing another one of his children hurt as he scrambles to his feet. A missile hits him directly at his back sending him to the ground but he back on his feet with the urgency to save them when a fibercord whip wraps around his neck dragging him right back to Gideon as the doors close putting the Imperial Guards with both his defenseless children.

You hear the fighting that had entered the room and the cries coming from Grogu as you see flashes of fighting but too weak to stand up. Get up. They are going to kill him if you don’t fight. He’s going to die because of you. You roll over to your side a loud groan coming from you drawing the attention of one of the guards as they come over to you. Your limbs shake with pain as you push yourself with one arm up to be on your hands and knees. A sharp kick to your ribs knocks you back down with a cry as you gasp for air. Don’t stop…stand up. Pushing yourself a strained grunt comes as you return to your knees another kick knocks you back down landing on your back as you try to get air. You can’t do it…you’re too weak.

“I’m sorry…” You whisper tears falling into your hair as the guard stands above you the spear in his grasp.

“Get up…” A voice calls out a whisper the feeling of home flooding your veins, “Come on mesh’la you have to fight.” His voice is like a medicine that heals all wounds. You feel the gentle touch on your skin a caress down your face as he leans down a kiss placed on your forehead. You see the guard raise up his spear to deliver the killing blow it all happening in slow motion.

“Get up.”

The weapon swings down stopping just before your chest a mere hair away when a force stops him. The guard tries pushing down more but is unable to move his body frozen in place. A choking fills the air as he grabs his neck releasing the staff before a large crack fills the air. Din enters the command center having left Bo-Katan to fight against Gideon to see one of the guards collapse to the ground and you laying on the ground beside the body. The others are about to attack Grogu with Din fires his blaster at one of them. The two quickly dispose of the guards together with Din’s combat and Grogu’s force abilities. Din checks over the child when he hears a groan coming from the other side of the room. His head snaps over seeing you on your feet though shakily and Din rushes over his arm wrapping around your waist and holding you up.

“Kid! I’m sorry…maker this is all my fault..” He whispers as you barely register his words looking towards the hangar and seeing Bo-Katan and Gideon fighting. “You stay here. I’ll be back.” You groan in protest before he forces you back to the ground against a wall to sit.

“Gideon…he has to-” “I know…I know you can’t be moving alright.” He says before your left in that room once again but the second he’s gone your hand is clawing at the wall to bring yourself to your feet. This was your fight just as much as theirs and you were going to make sure Gideon was dead.

Bo-Katan spins the Darksaber disarming the electrostaff from Gideon’s grasp but he sends a mighty punch sending her sliding across the ground. Bo-Katan pushes herself to her feet as Gideon pulls off a weapon from his belt and a howl fills the air as a brilliant orange glow reflects on the black beskar. “Hand over the Darksaber and I will give you a warrior's death.” The warlord demands. Rushing towards him with a yell sabers crash against one another as Bo-Katan launches a renewed attack striking him in spots but it has no effect on the beskar armor. However, Gideon is an indomitable force grabbing Bo-Katan’s hand midswing the two holding the Darksaber. With a crush from his gauntlet, he destroys the ancient weapon bringing the female to her knees. The broken hilt lies on the ground as he rips her helmet off kicking Bo-Katan to the ground as she slides toward the edge.

“The Darksaber is gone. You've lost everything,” Stalking towards her taunting the failed Mandalorian, “Mandalorians are weak once they lose their trinkets.”

Bo-Katan rises to her knees a smirk on her face, “Mandalorians are stronger together.” A sudden blaster bolt strikes Gideon from behind and he quickly turns seeing the Mandalorian firing at him. Exchanging fire as Gideon is drawn towards the edge blocking the attacks with the saber. Firing from his wrist Gideon strikes down Din multiple times though shielded by the beskar still stuns him. Bo-Katan slides protecting him using her shield. The hangar shakes sparks flying in the air as the hurtling imperial cruiser descends on the base. Bo-Katan rushes forward with a warrior cry as Gideon raises the saber when he’s thrown back and smacks into the ground. The deactivated saber is released from his hand and Gideon tries to grab it when it’s pulled past him into a person’s grasp. Gideon looks towards where the weapon went the true fear that runs through him. Blood soaks her dirty clothes the broken arm limp at her side, how she was standing after the beating she received he wouldn’t know, in her working hand, the deadly weapon ignites producing a brilliant orange glow.

Gideon raises his blaster firing it at you but with quick reflexes, they deflect hitting him back as he stumbles back towards the edge. You keep trudging forward blocking his attacks as he grows closer and closer to the ledge. He rushes forward to attack you when a blade goes straight through the gap in his chest plate and stomach. A hitch in his breath as the blade digs deep staring into your gaze the haunting look in your eyes.

“This is the non-diplomatic option.” You grunt ripping the saber out as debris rains down the ship crashing into the hangar. Arms wrap around you pulling you to the ground as you are shielded from the inferno hearing Gideon’s screams. You expected the heat from the flames to incinerate you opening your eyes and seeing the barrier all around you the flames and destruction not touching you. Din and Bo-Katan lower their arms from shielding themselves as the three of you look at the small child before you protecting you all. Lowering the Force bubble the flames go from around you as Grogu plops down exhausted from the use as the three of you stand up viewing the destruction. The base is in shambles the flames and smoke from the attack, your gaze moves to where Gideon stands nothing there burnt to ashes. It was a lightweight feeling knowing he was truly dead the battle finally over. With so many lost and many that never saw the end of the journey there were necessary but heartbreaking so you could win.

A cave once left abandoned the light from natural fluorescents the torches empty now lit. The banging of drums fills the tunnels only growing louder reaching the mouth of the cave. Banners of clan signets as clan heads line the path a pathway of torches leading to the steps of water. “I swear on my name and the names of the ancestors..” The Armorer speaks to the small boy a shallow bowl in her grasp, “I swear on my name and the names of the ancestors..”

“That I shall walk the Way of the Mand'alor…” "That I shall walk the Way of the Mand'alor…”

“And the words of the Creed shall be forever forged in my heart.” The crowd watches as the boy recites the creed. It had been months since his first try at joining the Creed and now he stands in the water speaking those words heavy in his heart with the loss of his father, “And the words of the Creed shall be forever forged in my heart.”

The Armorer kneels down scooping up some of the living waters pouring on the beskar helmet as he rises to stand, “This is the Way.”

Ragnar nods repeating the words, “This is the Way.” The crowd of Mandalorians from the Children of the Watch repeat the words. Ragnar steps away rejoining his clan as a Mandalorian in silver beskar armor holding a small infant reaches the steps. Placing the child on the step before the water and the man entering the water slightly.

“Grogu is my apprentice.” The once-bounty hunter gestures to the small child, “He is no longer a foundling. Add him to the Song.”

“He is too young to speak so he is too young to take the Creed.” The Armorer shakes her head as the child babbles proving her point, “He must remain a foundling.”

Din is silent looking at the child that looks sad at the news, “If his parent gave permission, couldn't he then become a Mandalorian apprentice?” The Armorer is silent before nodding, “Yes, but his parents are far from here…if they are even alive.” Her words hinted at some underlying solution. The man looks at the child before speaking,

“Then I will adopt him as my own.” The small child looks up in surprise at the news and the Armorer accepts this decision, “This is the Way.” She says and the man repeats the words.

The female Mandalorian turns to face the crowd of Mandalorians, “Let it be written in Song that Din Djarin is accepting this foundling as his son,” She turns looking at the child now adopted by the man, “You are now Din Grogu, Mandalorian apprentice.”

“This is the Way.” The Mandalorians chant and she holds her hand up silencing them, “You must leave Mandalore and take your apprentice on his journeys, just as your teacher did for you.” The Armorer explains and Din nods, “This is the Way.”

The child now legally under the watch of Din babbles cheerfully and in the depths of the waters before them, a creature stirs almost sensing the change. Din grabs Grogu bidding farewell to the Armorer and other members of the tribe. From the corner of his eye, Din sees the flutter of a cloak as they disappear from the living waters. A lone girl viewing the spectacle many troubling thoughts running through her.

Hidden in the shadows watching as the Armorer and Bo-Katan stand before the Great Forge with the Mandalorians from both fractions watching their leader. The Armorer produces a torch passing it to the woman who moves holding it over the forge. The flame ignites the gas the Forge of their people relit after years of remaining dormant. The clanking of the vambraces creates a synchronized rhythm as Woves starts a chant, “For Mandalore!” “For Mandalore!” “For Mandalore!” The fractions brought together their planet back with the rightful owners as they chanted for their victory but also for those they had lost and their sacrifice would not be in vain. Bo-Katan looks over the crowd a wide smile on her face seeing her people together once again but she catches the gaze of a lone figure not in Mandalorian armor. The cloak and mask hid the still healing injuries but she could see the tired eyes that watch the excitement of the people around her but she lacks any. Bo-Katan could see the defeat in them none of this was a victory in their eyes too much loss and the pain was too great to think of the positive. Their eyes meet and she could tell the look in their eyes and what it meant. No words needed to be spoken as the figure disappears in the crowd that she couldn’t keep up. Bo-Katan tries to keep a smile for her people but it cracks just slightly with the information she knew.

Returned to Nevarro where this whole journey began Greef claps his hand on Din's shoulder, “The people of Nevarro appreciate all you've done, Mando.” Pulling a small chip and holding it out for him, “I want to give you this deed to a cabin just outside of town where you can lay low with your new family if you choose so. Between adventures.”

Din accepts this gracious gift nodding in thanks, “Thank you.” Greef chuckles kneeling down to the small child on the steps, “And that goes for you too, Din Grogu.” Greef stands up noticing the third person apart of their group missing, “And where is the other one? I was certain she would stay with you all unless she’s with that Mandalorian of hers. I certainly like him as a partner.”

Din sighs shaking his head, “She’s here just…going through a lot. I’m giving her some space.” Din looks around the city. This was their new home to reside in while Din works as a personal contractor for the New Republic. “The boy…Kaz, he didn’t make it.”

Greef’s expression drops, “My condolences…well be sure to send her my apologizes for her loss.” The air was tense and it seemed to remain that when they had left Mandalore, even going to the Adelphi base, to even here. He was giving you the time you needed, you were still healing from your injuries refusing any medicine that would require you to be unconscious. With no choice but to respect your decision giving you the best he could get but just time would heal all wounds. While the physical wounds may leave scars that would soon fade the ones on your mind and heart would never.

“And I have a gift for you as well.” Din breaks the tension and appears from the crowd the newly reconstructed IG-11, “Greetings, citizens. I am IG-11, your new Marshal. Your new Marshal of Nevarro.” The crowd cheers as their new Marshal greets them all.

“I am here to serve and protect the citizenry. I am at your disposal and serve at your pleasure.” Greef laughs seeing the familiar droid, “There we go.”

Days on Nevarro settled into your new home a place for Din to relax for now before the New Republic called for him. During these times spent making the cabin home, Grogu enters school and gets to grow up. It all seemed well in this home the other missing piece was yourself. Din felt like you were a ghost, your injuries had healed up but you were hesitant with this place he had reassured multiple times was yours. A room that was strictly yours, getting you new clothing, having home-cooked meals, and even trying to get you to go out into the city and have fun and be young again. It was the opposite though he felt like he was pulling teeth and you would only do these to soothe his worries but he still saw the hollowness in your expression, the mask you put up, and weak smiles. He saw your body thin from the lack of food, rushing into your room hearing your screams at night from the memories that plagued you, the dark circles under your eyes from forcing yourself to stay awake to avoid being trapped inside your mind. Give her time he kept telling himself but time wasn’t helping and it all seemed to build up until the thinning string finally snapped.

The sun was beginning to set and Grogu was playing with the small ball of his in the living room as Din finished up dinner placing it off to the side to cool off. “Come on kid,” Coming over scooping his son up, “Let’s get your sister.” Grogu babbles still playing with the ball as they move to the front of the house where a small pond lies. Din had set up a small chair beside the door that he normally kicks back and watches Grogu play. By the pond resting against a tree right by the water there you sit knees tucked under your chin, your focus on the rippling water as frogs and small fishes swim around.

“Kid!” He calls out and you slowly look away meeting his gaze as he stands by the threshold of the house, “Dinner come.” He says and he sees the hesitation on your face as you turn looking back at the water. Din sighs coming towards the tree to get you to come his pace slows to a stop when he notices a bag beside you that looks fully packed.

“Kid…” He calls out hesitant about where this conversation could possibly be going. You were dressed in the clothes that you hadn’t worn since the battle on Mandalore, the cloak wraps around you as you continue staring at the waters. Din waits for the words he fears seeing the expression on your face the pieces coming together.

“I can’t stay here.”

And the air goes thin as his fear becomes a reality. His grip tightens on Grogu slightly as he looks down on you as you start up again, “I can’t just live here happy while he is seen as nothing but a sacrifice for that planet.” Din knew who you were talking about as your voice tighten up and you look up blinking away those tears.

“I know you’re hurting you just need time…I know it hurts now-” Din tries reassuring you but when you looked at him he felt his chest twist as he stops speaking. You had already made your decision and it was just more painful than you saying the words.

“I don’t sleep. I don’t eat. I’m…I’m not like you or the kid…I don’t know what to do anymore…I tried and I tried so damn hard. But I can’t close my eyes without seeing him…” You hold back a cry as you swipe at your sniffling nose, “I’m not telling you to give up this place you deserve a home to settle and be happy but I…I have lost everything all my life…everyone I have loved has either died or left me. Everyone except for you…” You say looking at Din and you feel the anguish coming from him and the glassy look in Gorgu’s eyes.

“I’m so scared of being alone and I don’t want to lose you but sitting here I’m reminded about how I’ve failed all of them.” You say with a shaky breath before looking away from him whispering your fear. “How I might fail you.” It’s a painful silence that is filled with distress and sorrow as Din is told the troubles you’ve been dealing with all this time, even before Mandalore, since your childhood.

“Please don’t try to stop me.” You beg him and it’s so quiet you thought he left but when you look up at him he’s still there. This would have to be the hardest thing to go through and experience. You were so used to people leaving you or the small chance at happiness…love being ripped away from you. It was worst being the one to leave when you knew how much they cared for you…loved you.

“Can…” His voice cracks slightly, “Can you at least stay for dinner?” He speaks in a mere whisper and you hear the sadness in his voice. If he wasn’t wearing that helmet you would see the tears streaming down his face. The tears you tried keeping in start sliding down your face as you hold a fist to your mouth holding back choked sobs. Taking a shaky inhale as your throat is thick with tears,

“If I stay I’ll never leave…” This breaks both of you as you swipe at your tears standing up, “i’m sorry..” Grabbing the pack and slinging it over your shoulder not before grabbing an item from it and holding it out to him in his freehand that isn’t holding Grogu grabs the small object seeing the cloaked binary beacon.

“If you ever need me…no matter where in the galaxy,” You clear your throat pulling up your sleeve and showing the matching one of your wrist, “I’ll find you.” It’s a promise that while you may be lightyears and planets apart you would always find your way home. Back to him… Din curls his hand around the object as he looks at you...his daughter. It’s silent as you step forward rubbing your fingers between Grogu’s ear as he gives a coo and you lean forward pressing a kiss on his forehead. Looking up at the beskar helmet that does nothing to hide his emotion and he raises a hand swiping away the stray tears before pulling you into his chest. You feel the shake of his chest as he cries and you bit your lip to stop yourself from breaking. Held in his arms until you had no choice but to pull away for your sake if not you would never leave.

“Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum…ad” (I love you…daughter)

He memorizes everything about you, from your hair to your nose, your mouth, the crease between your eyebrows, the weariness in your tear-filled eyes, every detail. For a moment he was back on Arvala-7 looking down at the bright-eyed girl as she held his knife demanding answers. How times had changed? You weren’t a quarry or some cargo, you were his daughter from the beginning even if he didn’t realize it. Though blood is not shared you were his daughter and he was your father and nothing would change it.

“Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum…buir” (I love you…dad)

The words repeated back before you turn away and walk towards the ship. Tears flow like rivers down your face as you grow further and further from Din and Grogu. You hear the small cry from Grogu that makes you bite your lip to hold back your sobs as you reach your X-Wing. You throw the bag into the cargo compartment as R4 beeps sadly from his droid port. Pulling yourself onto the wing entering the cockpit as the canopy closes and you start up the ship. Your eyes betray you glancing at Din who still stands by the pond holding his son as he watches you. Your gaze holds for a second before you are the one that breaks contact as the ship powers up and dust kicks up as the ship begins to take off. 

Din stands there watching the ship depart staring until you are a dot in the sky and even after you’re long gone probably in hyperspace he stands there. It wasn’t until Grogu made a noise of sadness but also needed to be fed that he looks away. His limbs are shaky but filled with carbonite as he forces himself to enter the home not before looking at the beacon in his hand that beeps showing the connection between the two were still active. Din turns back looking up at the sky and the large galaxy that lies before himself. He wasn’t sure how long it would be until he sees you again but you three would be reunited again.

As a Clan of Three.

A/N: It's over. OH MY GOD! I started writing this series in January of 2021 and it is now August of 2023. I'm extremely grateful to everyone who has read this series and enjoyed it. I'm so proud of all the time and work put into it and the plenty of tears shed writing this. Literally, this series wouldn't exist without the support of you guys and the amazing story that is The Mandalorian. You all are incredible and thank you so much for reading and sticking for the ride.

[djarincore]

Your Hobbies

summary: Din wants to give you the life you deserve, starting with the garden you've always wanted.

word count: 518

a/n: din djarin my beloved

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

After a life of bounty hunting and being on the run from the Empire, Din never envisioned it would all lead to simple domesticity on a quiet plot of land he spent most of his life hiding under. On rare days, the peace made him restless; he craved the chase, the adrenaline, the aches and bruises from a successful job. 

But, the nearly perilous mission to reclaim Mandalore opened his eyes; his life was more than the adrenaline of dangerous missions now—he had Grogu, the bounty he grew to love as a son, and he had you, his ever-loyal riduur who stood by him through every hard day and failed mission. The two of you deserved more than an old gunship, more than cold ration packs, and more than a life of unknown dangers that stalked in the shadows. 

You always talked about growing a lush garden, filled with fresh fruits and vegetables, long before owning a home on Nevarro. For so long, it remained a dream and you would tell him it was alright; as long as the two of you were together there was nothing you’d want more. A single potted plant, which you took out on the occasions he tracked his bounty to a sunny planet, was enough for you. 

Din knew you deserved better than that, and on darker nights he knew you deserved better than him, but he was too selfish to let you go. All those nights, you were always there to dispel those dark thoughts. So, he’d spend the rest of his life giving you everything, starting with the garden you’d always wanted.

“It’s actually growing!” Your vibrant voice carried through the gentle breeze of dawn. With Grogu, knelt in the soil of your new garden, you pointed at a budding piece of green poking out of the ground. The bright smile on your face beamed brighter than the climbing sun.

He could hardly see the sprout from his spot on the bench if he was being honest, but he was proud nonetheless. 

He pushed himself off the bench and approached the plot of dirt near the pond. You grabbed his hand and pulled him down to kneel beside you. Now that he was closer, he could see the sprout you were so excited over. Funny how such a small plant could be the cause of such joy. It wasn’t blasters and bruises, and maybe a small part of him would never get it, but watching as you and Grogu gathered around the sprout with beaming smiles was enough. 

“Good job, mesh’la. I knew you could do it.” His praise was gentle and full of warmth. He knew there was so much more he wanted to say, to prove, to show you how much he truly loved you. “You too, buddy,” he added when a tiny hand rested on his knee. Both of you deserved this.  

“Would you like to water it?” You thrust a brand-new watering can into his hands. 

“Of course.”  He would gladly give up the life he knew to give you both the one you deserved.

[roguecassians]

a new star and sun; din djarin x reader

pairing: din djarin x reader (can be read as romantic or platonic)

word count: 417

summary: din has never had a family. you and grogu change that.

warnings: incredibly brief mentions of war, a little angst

a/n: this is my first star wars writing omg. i'm so nervous to post this, but i hope someone enjoys it. <3

Din Djarin had never had a family. He did once but he was too young to remember much about them. He could recall the deep brown eyes of his father and the velvety voice of his mother. He knew they loved him, and he loved them. Everything else, though, had faded from memory. Blaster shots and explosions had taken their places. Din had a family once, but they had been gone for many years.

He had his creed, but they were not a family. He thought they would become his family when he became a Mandalorian. Instead, they became those who looked down on him the most. Their love for him was conditional, and his love for them was doubtful. He knew they weren’t a family, but it was the closest he had.

He traveled alone for so long that he felt it was his fate to be alone forever. It was a punishment from the galaxy for something Din couldn’t name, but he accepted it because he thought it was what he deserved. He was meant to be alone. Then, he met Grogu. Grogu brought a new light into his life, a new star in his dark sky. Finding a Jedi to train him gave Din a better reason to travel and move around the galaxy than hunting cheap bounties for lazy clients. Grogu gave Din a reason to exist.

Then he met you, and you brought the sun into his life. You were alone, like him, and surviving by the skin of your teeth. The galaxy had beaten and kicked you down, as it often did to the little people. Din recognized the pain in you, but there was something more that drew him to you. You had a softness to you that astounded him. Most people in the galaxy were pessimistic, hardened, and generally unpleasant to be around, but you were different. You were kind and bright, and you made Din happy. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this happy. It was a good thing he wore a helmet every day. If you saw how often he smiled around you, you would accuse him of going soft. He wouldn’t be able to deny it, either. He had gone soft, and it was all because of you. You gave him a reason to live.

Din Djarin had never had a family- not a proper one- but watching you and Grogu play and laugh, he felt more loved than anyone in the galaxy.

[dragonrider9905]

Can you pleaaaaaaase do a Howzer x Female Medic!reader with the prompt 36 😭

I need some good angst in my life. I feel like maybe they’ve both known each other for ever but don’t actually confess until it’s a life or death situation and Howzer has to get the gal to leave against her will to protect her 🥹🥲

it can end in death if you want ☠️

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh @carolinetano7567 dear, be very very careful what you ask for ;D You may end up hating me after this XD

Please don't ;D I love you Caroline! XD Can even end in death? ohhhh girl don't tempt me because you know what you'll get? And with sweet Howzer too? ohhh noooo!

I hope you like it!!!! After reading your request I had to think hard but then the idea struck and boom, the angsty angst train arrived. One serving of angst coming right up! Hope you enjoy this :D Thank you SO much for dropping in the request <3 Love you girl!!!!!

36. "I can't leave you here!" "You can and you will!"

Night Reveals All Regrets

Prompt List

Celebrating You Masterlist

Summery: The battle of Teth was bloody. Then Lieutenant Howzer and his favorite medic are caught up in the middle of it. It's time to face how you feel about each other before it's too late. Warning: Angst, no comfort; major character death

You were surrounded. You could feel the heat of the blaster bolts as they flew by, searing everything in it's path. Lieutenant Howzer stood back to back with you as the great battle of Teth reigned chaotically around you. Serving under the great Captain Rex, Howzer was rising quickly through the ranks for his heroics. This was one of the bloodiest battles yet, and Rex already lost a lot of good men.

Your company was sent up ahead to scout and report back about Separatist movement, but ended up getting caught in a surprise attack. The firefight was fierce and the men you served with were dropping all around you.

"You need to get out of here!" Howzer shouted above the din, shooting from double blasters as droids made their way toward you.

"No, I'm not leaving you!" you responded, defiantly, voice scratchy with emotion and dust.

"GO!"

"I can't leave you here!"

"You can and you will!"

"If you don't make it out of here, I don't want to either!"

At your words, Howzer spun around and grabbed you by the shoulders.

"I'd rather it be me than you. You deserve a chance at a life. That's what I was made for..." he paused, "and that's what my heart was destined for."

Your jaw dropped.

"Howzer..."

"Hey, in case we don't make it out of this, I need you to know."

Spinning you around, wrapping one arm around your waist, pulling you close to him, he shot at more advancing droids. He kicked your legs from under you into a controlled roll.

His strong arms encircled you and forced you along until you came to a fallen tree. He knelt and helped you to his level. He didn't remove his hands from your shoulders, steadying you from the dizzy action or perhaps grounding himself for what he was to say--you weren't sure which.

"Firstly, I'm so sorry for our argument. It was dumb. I don't like not talking. Please, forgive me."

You placed your hand on Howzer's helmet where his cheek would be.

"Of course I do."

He sighed in relief.

"Secondly but more importantly...I love you. If we make it out of this, would you marry me?"

Shock passed through your eyes, then disbelief. You squinted, leaning in closer to see if he was serious.

"You're ... not joking?"

"No." He squeezed your arms. "I'm not."

"Then yes, my answer is yes!" You smiled and hugged him, tears streaming from your eyes.

"Just promise me you'll make it out of this?" Howzer said, "No matter what. I need you alive and happy."

You swallowed hard, looking down as the world stood still. When you looked up, you looked directly into his eyes with a hauntingly knowing expression.

"I can't promise you that. You know why."

Your words echoed in his ears in the loud silence, rippling in resounding waves through his mind.

Before Howzer could respond, a blaster bolt ripped through his shoulder. The wound seared with firey pain and a scream burst from his lips.

"Howzer!"

You caught him as he fell forward but another one made impact on his back.

"No!"

Tears ran from your eyes as you helped him to the ground. You rummaged through your bag, tearing through things to get to what you needed, dumping supplies all around the ground in scattered fragments.

"No no no no!" A sob burst from your mouth. You brought your hand up to your mouth as if that'd be some comfort to you, blocking out what was happening in front of you.

"Hey, hey, it's ok." With a cough, Howzer spit up some blood. His hand searched for yours. You grabbed it firmly, stroking his face with the other. You cradled him closely to your chest, trying and failing not to cry.

He was surprisingly calm. He was happy. The pain was a little uncomfortable, but you were here and that's all that mattered to him.

A light shown around your head as he looked up at you, tears falling from your face to his. You started to sing a lullaby, the tune was one he was familiar with, slow and ethereal, but he couldn't make out the words you sang. Your voice seemed distant and echoey.

His focus shifted, and he felt light and willowing, like was floating in the air and drifting in a fast river.

At some point, he started coughing as his lungs closed in on themselves and the singing stopped. Instead, you clutched hard to him, begging him to stay with you just a while longer. You lifted him slightly, hoping he could breathe a little easier.

The floating sensation left, and was replaced with the imminent feeling of your sadness. Your eyes were glassy, and pain was written all over your face.

The yellow light still shone around your head, but the wind shifted and the feeling of warmth faded. When you opened your mouth, his peace left, dread and foreboding took it's place.

"It's not your time yet. I'll wait, I promise. But take your time, love. I miss you, and I love you too."

A shadow passed over you, and the concern and worry which were present in all your movements melted into a relaxed unconcern. All jagged movements melted away. Your ministrations turned sprite eerie, easy motions. The fear in your eyes turned devoid, replaced with an empty nothing. Your lips once pressed, now split into a wide smile.

Placing your hand on his cheek, your touch was soft, but cold; your voice gentle and sweet, like how it always was on a summer afternoon hidden away in secret.

"Howzer, wake up."

Howzer jolted awake, for the hundred-thousandth time, body soaked in sweat and panting from an exhaustion from an exertion he experienced every night in his dreams. But no matter how many times he dreamed it, no matter how many different forms it took, it always ended the same.

How he wished it would have happened.

Teth happened a year ago.

And nothing was as it should be.

There was no confession of love between you.

You never had time to make up for the argument you had. He couldn't to this day even remember what it was about, only that you were mad at each other and weren't on speaking terms.

Worse of all, he hadn't even been there when it happened--he'd read the report so many times, he could insert himself into the scenario and his dreams at night haunted his 'what-if's the day presented and re-ran through his mind.

There was no escape during the waking or the sleeping hours. All he could think about was you.

And how he failed.

You died never truly knowing how he felt about you. You died alone. You died with a misunderstanding forever hanging in the air between you and now no chance of ever clearing it or understanding each other.

You died without him ever asking the one question he would die a thousand deaths to ask.

Why did he ever let you out of his sight?

"We've secured the area for the moment, Lieutenant." One of the troopers under his command approached him. He gave Howzer a sour, sad look. "The surprise attack was bad. The company is all gone."

"What do you mean gone?" Howzer nearly shouted back. He tried to control himself but his heart started to pound against his chest.

Everyone knew that you and Howzer were close. No one knew the correct name to label your relationship, but it was undeniable that you two were inseparable and shared a special bond. Being the medic of his unit, you became the little sister of the group. Everyone loved and respected you, especially him.

"Fireball, what happened, tell me."

"I found her. She's gone."

Time froze and everything around him blurred. The floor felt like it was being ripped from under him. His stomach churned and threatened to give up what little it contained in a biting, rancid taste of acid. Urgency overtook him and the adrenaline rush caused the world to spin.

He had planned on talking to you and apologizing after the day's battle was done. When the advancing company asked for volunteers, you hadn't hesitated. It only took moments before his own company was caught in a firefight--a surprise attack of its own to handle. He fought long and hard in his zone and seeing how many brothers fell, made him realize he needed to talk to you. There was so much to say and in your line of duty, anything was possible. He vowed if he made it out, he'd tell you everything and make up for the foul up. If it hadn't been for the surprise attack, perhaps he'd have caught up with the second company in time. Those few seconds were a wasted, precious few seconds.

Lightyears and pain both traveled at the same speed, Howzer decided, and life was too short to let things go unsaid. In war, even shorter.

Howzer didn't remember when he started running but he was. He had to find you. See you for himself. He didn't even wait for Fireball to direct him to your place of rest. The pounding of his heart made him deaf and dumb.

Frantically turning his head and dodging in every direction with no thought of safety he searched the bodies littered on the ground. His brothers were everywhere. By each clone were ten droids. They'd fought valiantly and fallen with honor.

When he found your body, you were laying in a crumpled heap in the center of the men, covered in blaster bolts. Of course it took more than one to take you down. You were too stubborn to die from just one. They must have circled around you to protect you as long as they could, and yet, that wasn't enough. There were still more droids littered around the ground by you. He would have been proud, if he wasn't so overtaken by grief.

Trembling with shock, Howzer gently, he took your body in his arms and cradled you, rocking back and forth. He removed your helmet and his, resting them side by side. At least your face was free of pain, but it's pale beauty was empty of life. The flame in your eyes would never dance again.

"Cyare? Cyare, wake up. Wake up, please, don't go...don't go." With the back of his hand, he stroked your cheek which was somehow blurring and getting wet with little drops. He ran his fingers through your tangled hair and begged some sign of lift to show from the still form.

"Please, there's something I need you to know. There's something I have to tell you."

He didn't notice his brothers come up behind him, removing their helmets in silent respect. Nor did he see their own quiet grief at witnessing such a loss.

"Please, I love you, come back. Come back..."

"Stay with me, marry me, be my wife..."

"Forgive me...for everything."

Would you be alive if he'd been by your side? He would have taken your place in an instant. Could you both have had a future if perhaps you'd decided not to push forward with the company? What if you'd never argued? What if he told you how he really felt? What if he had gotten there sooner? Would he have been in time to save you? Even prevent you from being shot?

Would things be different?

Or would they have always ended this way, the same?

Hanging his head, he allowed the tears to flow. The night knew his secret regrets of the heart all too well. They surrounded him and offered the little comfort of their light best they could. Their light, which was a reflection of yours. Their warmth, only a fraction of the flame of your own.

The sun would never know his sadness. The stars were his only witnesses to grief, and the pale reminder of who you were. Perhaps they were telling him you weren't gone, but waiting for him like the dream said, but he couldn't understand their language.

Hanging his head, he cried.

What could have been if only one factor was different?

He'd never know.

Dividers by @djarrex

[kyberblade]

Back To You (Din x Reader) - Part 19

A/N: Well, it’s here. You all voted, and it’s one monolithic chapter. I can’t believe we’re here. 😭 We still have so much coming up for these guys, but this first part is done and it’s been a year and I have EMOTIONS!!!! 😮‍💨🥺 Thank you all for everything. It’s been an honor to go on this journey with all of you, and I can’t wait for all the rest of the stories this little clan has coming up! We just have nostalgia in this one, throwbacks, badassery, lots of feelings and fun…. It’s a good time for all. I’ve had this final scene written since almost day one. I’m so excited it’s finally here. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did writing it! There will still be an epilogue for this story, too, so we’re not totally done, yet. (Also, once again, there is some lore in this that @writerlyhabits wrote in a fantastic short, and I loved it so much, I asked if I could use it.)

(This takes place right where the other one left off and goes to the end of episode 2x8/16, The Rescue.)

I do not own Star Wars or it’s characters. Sadly. But I carry them in my heart. Does that count for something? My soul says yes.

Warnings: Tooth rotting fluff, Grogu being the cutest thing you ever did see, and Din is once again a warning in and of himself in this one. Typical show violence. Swearing. Space swearing. Grogu is a menace. Arguing? Mando’a. Show dialogue, so spoilers? (But if you’re here, you know how this works.) Lots of angst. Tears. Brief mention of injury. Reader is having a Tough Time™️ mentally, but it’s discussed and processed. The F-word but it’s in Mando’a so does it really count?

Word count: 21,386 (I said what I said.)

As always, thanks to @grippingbeskar for encouraging me, looking over this for me, and being the one to introduce me to Din fanfiction in the first place, getting me hooked. You are fantastic and I always love our chats.

And for @fordo-kixed-rex, you deserve so much more than a shoutout for reading all 75 million iterations of this massive chapter from start to finish, and helping me in between. You’re a real one, friend. This series would not have gotten this far without you.

And @deceiver-of-gods for helping me with the Mando’a!

Previous | Series Masterlist | Next

Xxx

You woke to the ship swinging wildly side to side, the sound of blaster fire filling every space of the vacant cargo hold. Din was no longer behind you, just the cold lonely steel of Boba’s ship, but there was something wadded up underneath your head as a makeshift pillow. It was soft, and smelled of your Mandalorian. Lifting your head, blinking blearily against the soft lights of the deck, you looked around, catching the fabric of Din’s cowl as it fell from behind your head and down into your lap.

“What’s going on?”

Fennec helped you to your feet, both of you stumbling slightly to the left as the ship tilted at a precarious angle, her hand holding on to you even after you were up to help both of you maintain your balance. Din’s cowl was still clutched tightly in your other hand.

“Found Doctor Pershing. He’s on an Imperial transport, we’re attempting to enter negotiations for his release.” She smiled wryly. “They aren’t going so well.”

The ship turned sharply to the right, causing you and Fennec to release one another. She gripped the bottom of a nearby seat to avoid flying across the deck, but your hands were full with the cowl, and you went sliding across the deck on your side from the steep angle. 

Cara attempted to grab you as you slid by where she too was gripping a nearby seat, grabbing on to the fabric of the cowl for a brief second before it slipped through her fingers. “It’s just as elusive as the man who wears it,” she grumbled, making you grin despite the situation.

The ship finally started to even out slightly, enough that you weren’t sliding, but your feet still propelled you forward from the dangerous angle. “The old man flies like a-”

Din caught your hand before you could go any further, pulling you into him where he was against the wall, hanging on to a cargo net.

You looked up at him, breathing heavily after stumbling for your life across the deck. “Well, he flies like you.”

Din grunted at the slight, making you grin. “Thanks, shiny.”

He only nodded once, his grip on your upper arm adjusting slightly.

“Oh!” Reaching up, you attached his cowl back around his shoulders. “And thanks for that, too.”

He nodded again. “You always complain about needing your Mandalorian pillow, so I figured it was the next best thing.”

Fennec snorted in amusement at the same time Cara moaned an, “Ew, guys!”

The ship entered a roll, all of you clinging to something and muttering curses. Once it leveled back out, you glared at the hatch that led to the cockpit. “I’ll be right back.”

“What are you doing? Mesh’la?” Din tried to reach after you, but you ignored him, climbing the ladder and stepping into the cockpit once the doors slid open.

“Hey. Flyboy.”

“I’m busy, ad’ika,” Boba said through gritted teeth, his modulator making the words sound even thinner as he pulled the trigger yet again, the shots whizzing past the transport in front of him. 

“You missed.”

If he was a clone, and they were the troopers…. Who were always dismal shots…. You grinned. 

“So is that just something in the clone/trooper genetics? Missing things by a mile?”

“It was a warning shot,” he grumbled, turning his visor your way ever so slightly before turning back to the viewport. “And troopers aren’t clones anymore. If they were, we’d all be in trouble.”

The grin pulled higher up the side of your face. “I see.” Arms crossing over your chest, you took a step closer to him. “Well warn them faster, grandpa, you’re nearly murdering your crew with these maneuvers. You didn’t give us any warning.”

“Have to strap you all down like ade,” he mumbled, chuckling softly as he shook his head, probably picturing it. (“Children.”)

Reaching forward, you flipped a switch on the console, sending a blast from his ion cannons right into the rear of the transport, making it go dead on impact.

Leaning down so your head was beside the bounty hunter’s, you smirked. “That was my warning shot.”

Grumbling something unintelligible under his breath, Boba leaned in and pressed the button for comms. “Lower your shields, disengage all transponders, prepare for boarding.”

The ship rose slowly in front of the transport, the pilot, copilot, and Doctor Pershing all watching it rise through the viewport with a gradual tilt of their heads further and further back until they were out of sight. 

Boba hovered over the hatch, pressing a few buttons on the console as he mumbled, “Easy as….” A loud thud accompanied by a violent jerk caused you to stumble through the cockpit, grabbing the back of his chair for stability.

With a huff, you turned your head to glare at the side of his visor. “You were saying?”

“I never finished the sentence. Maybe I was going to say it was something complicated.”

“Osi'kyr,” you grumbled, pushing off of his chair. “Would be easier to pet a nexu.” (Strong exclamation of dismay.)

“I’ve actually pet a nexu once,” Boba mused, flicking a switch before leaning back in his chair.

“Of course you have.” You didn’t bother turning back to face him as you left the cockpit to rejoin the others. A small smile turned up your features at the sound of his laugh behind you. 

Xxx

Sitting on the deck of Boba’s ship, your mind began to wander. Staying upbeat and engaged was easy…. For a time. Until you really let your thoughts go down the roads they wanted to, with memories of the kid playing on a loop, especially the one of him being taken from practically right out of your hands.

Within just a few steps, from the bottom of the ladder to the cockpit to the seat you were perched on in the middle of the deck, a dark cloud had taken over your mind, and you didn’t feel like fighting it right now.

You hung back while Din and Cara boarded the Imperial transport to get Doctor Pershing. The whole thing took less than two minutes, but from your seat, you could hear the entire exchange. Fennec watched you closely from her seat across the aisle from you. 

“What?” You asked her after a moment of loaded staring.

“Nothing,” she shook her head with a shrug. “You’ve just been quiet the last few days is all.”

“Compared to what? I only met you a few days ago.”

A blaster shot fired, and a body thudded to the floor, causing both you and Fennec to lean slightly to peer through the opening to see what was going on. She leaned forward while you leaned back. But a quick glance at the opening showed both of your friends still standing firmly with their weapons drawn, so you assumed it was one of the Imps turning on the other. 

Cowards.

Both of you sitting back how you had been, you turned your attention back on one another as if nothing had happened. 

Fennec went on as if simply talking about the weather. “True. But before everything with the kid went down, you seemed….”

Brows knit, one arching in question, you bobbed your head at her to continue. “Go on….”

“Better.”

You huffed, shaking your head as you looked at the ground. “I’m fine.”

“Alright.”

Shrugging your shoulders, you looked up at her again, peering up through your lashes. It felt safer than looking straight at her. “I’m on a strange ship with strangers and everything is-”

“Strange?”

Lifting your head to look at her straight on, your face fell flat. “Different.” You glared. “A member of my clan was taken. It’s not the same as missing someone, it’s more like a piece of yourself is gone.”

“I understand,” she offered softly. “I just don’t want you to slip away in the process.”

“Slip away?”

She sighed, looking down at the floor. “Sometimes….” Her gaze pulled back up to meet yours confidently, something softening once your eyes met again. “Sometimes when we let something consume us - grief, loss, a goal - it’s easy to get buried in all the things you let slide along the way.”

You felt the clouds begin to break, a ray of sunshine beginning to shine through. “What…. What have I let slide?”

She looked off to the side, as if the words she needed were hidden somewhere in the cargo hold. “Honestly?” She met your eyes. “Yourself.”

“It was my fault-”

“It happened.” Leaning forward, she left no room for question as she put a hand on your upper arm. “All that matters now is how you fix it.”

Suddenly a blaster shot fired, another body thudded to the ground, and a man started yelping in pain. Turning toward the opening where the ship was docked to the transport, you stood up and took a few steps closer, nearly running into Cara as she stomped past you.

“That was my warning shot,” she mumbled, stuffing her blaster into its holster on her hip.

Looking back at the opening, you saw Din staring after her in concern, his shoulders rising and falling in a heavy sigh as he watched his friends fall a little further apart. 

Rushing into the transport, you put your hands on the shoulders of the man, startling him.

He tried to back away from you, looking up with wide eyes, but you held him in place firmly.

“Shhhh, it’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you. You’re Doctor Pershing, right?”

He nodded, wincing at the motion and cradling his right ear.

“Mind if I take a look?”

Slowly lowering his hand, he gently shook his head, turning slightly to offer you a better angle. “Your angry friend shot my captor- something I’m grateful for, don’t get me wrong- just…. It was a bit close to my ear.”

“It ruptured your eardrum, didn’t it?”

He nodded hesitantly. “Some bacta should help. If we get to it soon.”

You smiled. “I have something better than bacta.”

“Wha-”

Reaching out, you placed your hand over his ear, making him wince and try to pull away from you. Holding him in place with your other hand on his shoulder, you took a deep breath, doing what you had done for Din back on Morak, and mending his injury. “Sorry about my friend. She can get a little hot headed. I’m sure she’ll apologize in a little bit, but for now….” You pulled your hand away, lowering your voice since he could now hear again out of that side, “I’ll just have to do. There. All better.”

His mouth opened and closed a few times, an attempt at words but only a croak coming out in disbelief. Finally he was able to mutter, “How?”

You’d almost expected him to ask why, but as he asked how instead, you understood. He may have studied the workings of the Force, and understood it on a molecular level, but that didn’t mean he truly knew its capabilities. Plus, he’d only ever been exposed to a truly dark and twisted side of things, one that was selfish and manipulative. That side would never reach out and heal just for the sake of it. They’d reach out a hand just to strike you further down. Or make sure you stayed there.

“Friends take care of each other. I’d call us friends, wouldn’t you?” He nodded hesitantly, eyes darting to the Mandalorian hovering behind you before coming back to you. “And you’re going to help us find the kid, aren’t you?” He nodded again, making you smile a bit broader. “That’s it then. We help you, you help us.” 

You got to your feet, standing beside Din, and helping Pershing to his feet. Once he was standing, though, you didn’t let go of his hand, making sure he met your gaze as you held his hand a bit too tight. “But if anything goes wrong…. I can’t make any promises about my friend out there. As you’ve already seen, she’s a bit of a loose canon. Can’t really tell what she’ll do if she gets upset.”

Eyes wide, Pershing nodded in understanding, eyes flitting between you and Din rapidly, then darted where Cara had disappeared before landing back on you. “Understood.”

Xxx

Fennec’s talk had caused the clouds to break, but your mind was still overcast and dreary; thoughts dark and dismal pulling you into another spiral you were fighting hard to stay on the edge of, and not get sucked down under. So far you’d kept your head above water, but with every kick to tread and stay up, you were getting more and more tired.

Staring out one of the side viewports of Boba’s ship, you watched the stars crawl lazily by, as your arms crossed over your chest held you tight. The soft clink of beskar clad steps came up behind you, the looming hover of the cool metal just out of reach as he stood a mere breath away brought a soothing wash over your skin.

“You’re not going to say anything?” You mumbled after a long moment of silence.

“Mmm-mmm,” he hummed, the gentle shake of his head causing the fabric of his cowl to brush the back of your head. 

“Thank you.” A deep breath. “Why not?”

“Do you want me to?”

You shrugged. “Not particularly.” You smirked at his huff of laughter. “Everyone else has, though. Including you. Just figured we’d come full circle and it was your turn again.”

He shrugged this time, the motion jostling him a bit closer, just enough that he was barely touching you. “You’re going to feel what you feel. I can’t change that by telling you over and over that I think it's wrong.”

“But you do?”

He sighed. “Mesh’la….” He closed the last breath of distance between you, pressing his chest along your spine. “I’ve said my piece. You know how I feel, what I think. Me beating you over the head with it like Peli adjusting something on the Crest isn’t gonna change anything.” His modulator lowered down beside your ear. “All I can do is stay here and keep fighting alongside you, hopefully beating whatever is winning in that head of yours…. Because it’s wrong. And I hate what it’s doing to you.”

You smiled to yourself. “It’s just me up here.”

“That’s not the full you. That’s the broken you. I know because….” He sighed. “Because I’m a little bit broken, too.”

The silence sat comfortably between you for a long moment. When you finally spoke again, your voice was soft, but felt harsh in the new quiet you’d found.

“How are you not falling apart?”

“Who says I’m not?” He didn’t miss a beat.

You let out a snort, a sardonic chuckle chasing after it as you shook your head gently. “That’s not fair, you have armor to hold you together.”

“It’s not the armor.” His voice was quiet, but he spoke with a conviction that made your breath catch in your chest.

Your conversation from back on Coruscant came back to you.

“I’m sorry I scared you, years ago.”

“What do you-”

“You’re right. You do wear armor. And I can only imagine how it felt to have something break past those defenses.” 

It was nearly silent as you studied his visor, your reflection staring back at you in the low light. The only sounds were Grogu’s snoring, the muted drone of traffic several levels up, the quiet lull of street noises from below, and both of your quiet breaths.

“I hope you know you don’t have to keep wearing it for me.” Your eyes flitted between his, despite the visor. Somehow you knew. “If you want to, that’s okay. I understand. That’s part of who you are. But….” You took a surprisingly shaky breath, and his hand came to rest on your hip, his thumb tracing soothing patterns while he waited for you to finish. You had to screw your eyes shut to focus on the last few words. “But I just wanted you to know. I’d be your armor if you needed- wanted me to.”

You couldn’t bring yourself to open your eyes, the darkness so much easier to hide in. How ironic, since you had just offered him a way out of something similar.

The next thing you knew, the cool touch of beskar against your forehead for the third time tonight made you take in a shuddering breath.

“I’d like that,” you heard him rumble lowly, making you smile. 

A long moment passed with just the two of you and shared space before you finally opened your eyes. “What’s going on in there, Tin Can?”

Din huffed out a soft laugh as he gave your hip a gentle squeeze. “I can’t decide which is prettier armor. You or beskar.”

Your arched brows of curiosity fell flat along with your tone. “Really?”

“You asked.” You could hear the smile in his voice.

“Okay. Moment’s over.” You pushed away from him, your hands already resting on his chest pressing him onto his back in the process.

“Mesh’la, come on. I was only teasing,” Din protested over a laugh, reaching a hand after you as you got under the covers.

You looked up at him, unimpressed. “If you say, ‘we both know it’s the beskar’, joke or not, so help me, a bad bed roll will be the least of your back pain worries.”

His hand recoiled slightly as if you had burned him. “Okay, that’s fair.”

You smirked. “I thought so.”

Turning, arms still cradling your upper half, you tilted your head back to look at him straight on. Staring into his visor, your reflection the only thing looking back at you, it took everything you had to fight the sinking feeling in your gut. “Din, I don’t know if I can do this anymore.”

He crowded further into your space, making your head tilt back even more. “Do what?”

“Keep going. I know I have to, and I will for the kid, for you, but…. I feel like I’m about to break.”

“Then break.” His arms slowly came around your waist.

“What?” Brows knit in confusion, you blinked up at his visor.

“Go ahead and fall. I’ll catch you.”

“Din-”

“Remember on Tatooine when you decided to use the Force to shoot the packets?” You nodded. “It zapped you so fast you couldn’t hardly stand up, but I stood right there behind you, and kept you up, until it was too much. Then-”

“You let me fall.” Smiling softly, you leaned your face into his cowl taking a much needed deep breath, what felt like the first in a while. He smelled like plasma, and smoke, faintly of Morak, something simply him, and….. home. 

Suddenly the air didn’t feel so oppressive, gravity wasn’t pushing you down so hard. Unwinding your arms from around yourself, they found their way around Din, holding him tight. They found their way home, knowing exactly where to go.

“Mmm-hmm,” he hummed into your hair, his grip around you cinching tighter. “I let you fall back into me, then I made sure you were safe until you were ready to try again.”

“How did I end up with someone like you in my life?” You mumbled the words lazily into his cowl, the corners of your mouth curving further up.

The smile on his face was evident in his tone. “You’re a really great bartender.”

Xxx

Din was able to track Bo-Katan and Koska down on some backwater planet you didn’t even know the name of. At this point it didn’t really matter, they were all bleeding together. You just wanted to get a team together and get the kid. And if that included killing or maiming a Moff in the process…. Well that was just fine with you. Anyone who would steal and torture a child deserved the absolute worst punishment. Especially if that child was Grogu. Was yours.

Walking into the local cantina, you hovered behind Din and Boba, all three of you standing tall as the patrons started to notice you one by one. Conversations went silent, laughter dying out as they realized who exactly had darkened their doorway. They began to flee the building, some of them being sly about it, others just blatantly running past, but no one wanted to linger when two more bodies in beskar walked through the door.

One or two pointed to the saber on your hip, and a sense of pride swelled in your chest. Let them see. You may not have a suit of beskar, but a saber carried just as much infamy. Hopefully it kept more of the Gideon’s of the galaxy away from you and yours.

The cantina slowly emptied until it was just Bo-Katan and Koska eating at a table on the far end and your little party of three. A handful of patrons had waited until the bounty hunters had walked all the way through the establishment before they bolted, jostling you where you stood, still by the door. 

Leaning against the frame, arms across your chest, you sighed as a Rodian inched past you cautiously, and you swore a wary smile was tugging up one side of his face but you knew that was impossible.

“I need your help.” Din’s voice was gruff.

Bo-Katan sighed. “Not all Mandalorians are bounty hunters.” She wasn’t wearing her helmet, and neither was Koska, so nothing was there to hide the annoyance on her face as she turned toward your little party of three. Her eyes flicked up and down Boba before landing back on Din’s visor. “Some of us serve a higher purpose.”

“They took the child,” Din explained in a heavy tone, the hesitance in his words slowing them down to something almost broken. Reluctant.

That got her attention. “Who?” To her credit, her features melted into genuine concern, the wheels in her head already turning to plot a rescue.

Din answered without a moment's hesitation, his voice once again the low, confident growl you were used to. “Moff Gideon.”

You made your way further into the cantina, leaning on your right shoulder against the pillar beside Din, nodding once to Bo-Katan when she met your eyes.

She returned the gesture before her gaze fell down to the knife on your belt and a fond smile briefly turned up her features before it melted away just as fast. “You’ll never find him.” She turned back toward her plate of food, Koska doing the same beside her. 

Boba turned to look at you, his head tilting to the side in explanation instead of speaking, then lifted his visor toward Din. “We don’t need these two. Let’s get outta here.”

Bo-Katan’s attention immediately snapped toward the green set of beskar, her body angling toward him as she spoke. “You are not a Mandalorian.”

“Never said I was.” Boba only turned his head to peer at her across his shoulder. The movement was almost lazy, and it made you want to snicker. His voice was somewhat bored, and you leaned your head back into the pillar, settling in for the show.

“I didn’t know sidekicks were allowed to talk,” Koska finally piped up, directing her sarcastic comment toward Boba.

This made you push off the pillar, your arms coming to rest on your hips near your belt laden with weapons. Keeping your eyes on the other Mandalorian, you stayed back when Boba subtly held his arm out to stop you. This was his fight. 

Sidling up to their table, he chuckled dryly. “Well if that isn’t the Quacta calling the Stifling slimy.” He pulled up short when Koska got to her feet and stood right in his face. “Easy there, little one.”

Stepping closer the minuscule amount left between them, her nose practically brushing against his visor, she issued further threats as her head bobbed side to side for emphasis. “You’ll be talking through the window of a bacta tank.”

Your hand slowly lowered to your blaster hanging in the holster on your belt.

Bo-Katan held out her hand toward the two Mandalorians, her tone exasperated. “All right, easy. Save it for the Imps.”

Lowering your hand off of your blaster, you straightened your spine as Koska sat back down in her seat, and let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding.

Din thankfully moved the subject along. “We have his coordinates.”

The look of surprise on Bo-Katan’s face was priceless. “You can bring me to Moff Gideon?”

“The Moff has a light cruiser. It could be helpful in your effort to regain Mandalore.”

“You gotta be kidding me. Mandalore?” Boba turned to Din. Taking the few steps back toward the shiny Mandalorian, his voice had taken on disbelief. “The Empire turned that planet to glass.”

Bo-Katan was seething. “You are a disgrace to your armor.”

At that point you tuned out. Anything else was just going to upset you. Boba was your friend, and Bo-Katan was needed to get to Gideon. You’d pick a fight if you kept listening to her hurling insults about him being a clone, but you took a page out of Boba’s book, and let it roll off your back. 

All sound faded out for a moment, the silence so loud it was distracting. You stared blankly at the wall behind everyone.

Din settled into the pillar beside you, leaning against his left shoulder, and drawing you out of your trance. Smiling softly at the tilt of his head and heavy sigh that followed, you arched a brow at him in question. 

His shoulders rose and fell with another sigh, the words coming out on the exasperated breath. “Might as well get comfy.”

Your brow tilted further up into your hairline, the corner of your mouth trying to match it. “Why? What’s happening?”

Koska was thrown into a nearby table by Boba, the stone shattering under the impact, sending dust and rubble skittering across the floor.

“Mandalorian argument,” Din grunted.

“Doesn’t an argument usually involve words?” You asked, settling your spine against the pillar, watching as Koska and Boba exchanged blows.

Leaning his head to his left toward you, you tilted yours to the right to meet him in the middle. “This is a special dialect of Mando’a,” Din teased.

Both of you split apart almost lazily as Koska’s feet flew into the pillar, ran across its surface while her jet pack ignited and sent her head over heels in a flip, Boba’s head locked in her grip the whole way.

You came back together as if nothing had happened, resuming your previous positions as the green beskar landed on the ground with a thud, popping up just as fast and two opposing flamethrowers ignited, meeting in the middle in a shower of flames.  

“Enough! Both of you!” Bo-Katan barked in annoyance.

When the fires didn’t go out, you rolled your eyes, pushing off the pillar and flipping over the wall of heat, igniting your saber and making it zing off your vambrace.

Their flames sputtered to a halt as sparks flew from your armor. Bo-Katan bowed her head to you once in thanks, her eyes wide. You returned it, a tight smile on your face as you disengaged the blade. 

Bo-Katan continued pointedly, eyes flicking between the two Mandalorians. “If we had shown half that spine to the Empire we would’ve never lost our planet.” She turned to Din. “We will help you. In exchange, we will keep that ship to retake Mandalore. If you should manage to finish your quest, I would have you reconsider joining our efforts. Mandalorians have been in exile from our home world for far too long.”

“Fair enough.” You could tell Din was just saying what she wanted to hear. He had no intentions of joining her cause. It made you smile softly. Ever the diplomat…. Give or take some aggressive negotiations.

“One more thing. Gideon has a weapon that once belonged to me. It is an ancient weapon that can cut through anything.” Her eyes fell to the hilt of your saber now hung back on your belt as you made your way back to Din’s side. 

“Almost anything.” Koska looked at you pointedly before turning her gaze to Bo-Katan.

“It cannot cut through pure beskar.” Bo-Katan held Koska’s stare, then her eyes fell to your vambraces before they returned to Din. “But then your riduur already gave us an example of that.” Before you could say anything she continued. “I will kill the Moff and retake what is rightfully mine. With the Darksaber restored to me, Mandalore will finally be within reach.” (“Partner.”)

Your head began to swim again. So much rested on one man. Kriffing Moff Gideon. The restoration of Mandalore, the reunion of a clan, the mending of your heart…. It was all becoming a bit overwhelming. All it took was one little thing going wrong, and…. Just one thing….

Din peered down at her, his voice stable and calm. “Help me rescue the child and you can have whatever you want. He is my only priority.”

That shouldn’t hurt like it did. You knew he meant it only in the sense of her eagerness to fight Moff Gideon, but you couldn’t help but take it personally. It burrowed down under your skin and stung more than a prick from your training remote.

What did you expect?

It was always the kid.

You knew that.

You were always second.

Suck it up and move on. 

The voices in your head made you angry, and what’s worse, sounded a lot like you. There was no kyber to blame, no unseen force pulling at strings…. It was just your messed up brain.

You had to get out of there. Din would understand. He probably saw you as a liability already anyway. 

A shuddering breath filled your lungs as you took a step backwards towards the door. That last thought made you sad.

If there was one thing you never wanted, it was to be a burden for him. But looking back, that’s all you’d ever been. He’d had to teach you, feed you, house you…. There’s not a moment where he wasn’t devoting his time to keeping an eye on you. He gave the kid more freedom than you.

Turning, you strode out of the cantina, ignoring Din’s calls at your back.

“Mesh’la!”

Finally a gloved hand wrapped around your elbow, pulling you to a stop, but not before you ripped your arm out of his hold.

Rounding on him, you turned to stare at his visor with a flat expression and took a step backward. “What?”

He slowed to a stop about a foot away from you. “I should be asking you the same thing!”

“So much is riding on this one man. Everything…. If just one thing goes wrong…. And I don’t…. I don’t know what I would do if….” Arms crossed over your chest, you held his gaze. “I just finally put it together, Din. He’s your only priority, you said it yourself. I’m nothing but a burden here. I can’t teach the kid, you have to teach me everything, from flying the ship to fixing it to defending myself…. You never let me out of your sight! It’s like…. I finally got it. I’m a liability, so I’ll just go.”

Turning, you didn’t even make it a step before you froze again at the sound of his voice.

“Mesh’la….” When you wouldn’t turn around, he continued. “I don’t let you out of my sight because I can’t.” You scoffed. “I don’t want to. You’re the first thing I want to see each morning and the last thing before I fall asleep.” His voice got closer. “In fact, that’s one of the reasons I don’t want to sleep, because I don’t want to miss a second.” He drew closer still. “Yeah, I’d call you a liability, but for the first time, I’m willing to have a target on my back if that means I get you in my life. You’re a liability because if you left, I don’t know what I would do.”

You huffed. “What, you can’t find someone else to watch the kid?”

“I can’t find someone else to make me laugh.” Din didn’t miss a beat. He continued down his list as if it was ready made on the tip of his tongue. “To put all the blasters in the weapons locker backwards because they know it annoys me. I can’t find someone else who’s had me in a chokehold from the moment I saw them. I don’t like people, you know that. But I really, really-”

“Tolerate me?”

You didn’t have to turn around to know his weight had shifted to one leg, his head tilted to the side in disbelief. “Yeah. That’s it. I tolerate you. I tolerate you bad.” 

You couldn’t help the chuckle as you rolled your eyes.

His voice was closer when he spoke again, the gravel of the planet crunching underfoot as he drifted slowly nearer to you. “I tolerate you a lot. All the time. You walk in the cockpit and it’s just like the first time I saw you all over again. You make me act like an idiot.”

You huffed out a laugh. “Well, at least we can agree on that.”

“My brain stops. I forget what I’m doing.” His chest was pressed along your spine now, his hands on your upper arms, modulator by your ear as he went on. “It’s dangerous. So yeah, you’re a liability.” His grip on your arms tightened. “Good thing I’m in indestructible armor.”

The snort of laughter fell out before you could stop it, more coming out to meet it as soft chuckles buzzed out of his chest and along your skin as he closed his arms around your upper body, pulling you tightly to him. 

“Gar cuyi ner aliit. Ni kar'tayli darasuum gar. Gar cuyi ner mir'sheb bal gar utreekov kar'tayli darasuum gar, cyar’ika.” His voice was low and quiet, but happy. (“You are my family. I love you. You are my smartass, and your idiot loves you, darling.”)

Lifting your hands up to rest on his still around you, you couldn’t fight the grin crawling up your face. “Bal gar mir'sheb kar'tayli darasuum gar.” (“And your smartass loves you.”)

His helmet pressed into the crook of your neck, the buzz of his modulator tickling your skin. “I’m sorry I made you feel that way. I should have phrased what I said to Bo differently.” He groaned softly. “Ni cuyi gar utreekov, partayli?” (“I am your idiot, remember?”)

You turned in his hold, pressing your forehead to his. “Ni kar'tayli. Ni kar'tayli gar. Gar cuyi ner kar'ta, partayli?” You sighed, closing your eyes. “I’m sorry I overreacted. I’m just so on edge since everything with the kid, and I…. Thank you for understanding. And thank you for fighting for me, Tin Can. Even though it’s not much of a risk with that indestructible armor.” Your eyes flew open, looking at the T of his visor through your lashes and cocking one eyebrow skeptically. (“I know. I know you. You are my heart, remember?”)

“Shi par gar,” he whispered, his voice tight with an obvious smile. (“Only for you.”)

Xxx

Once everyone boarded Boba’s ship, a plan started to form. Before the group huddled around the holotable, you noticed Koska quietly complimenting some of the weapons stowed in a cluttered corner of the deck. You smiled softly as she and Boba fell into a brief amicable conversation about how he acquired the items, their scuffle back in the cantina long forgotten.

With a roll of your eyes you continued toward the rest of the party. Mandalorians.

Din stood at the back of the group as usual, hands tightly gripping his belt as he watched the others set up the display. The leather of his gloves creaked in protest with every flex of his hands against the thick strip of material around his waist.

Leaning into his side, you pretended to adjust his bandolier, speaking softly so only he could hear. “You okay?”

His visor turned down toward you in question, so you silently slid your hand down toward the hand closest to you, prying it from his hip and slipping your fingers through his with a gentle squeeze.

He let out a sigh, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “Yeah. Sorry. Just…. We’re almost there.”

You turned your head so you were facing the wall behind you, keeping the conversation completely private. “Din Djarin nervous?” Your eyes flicked up to meet the T of his visor, along with a smirk. “Well that’s a first.”

“And that’s a lie,” Din grumbled. “You do all kinds of things that make me nervous.”

“Aw,” blinking your eyes an absurd number of times, you rested your free hand on his chest. “That’s sweet.”

“It wasn’t a compliment,” he groused. “I meant things like cooking and fighting. Just normal, everyday things.”

Patting his chest plate a few times, a tight smile pulled up your features. “I know.” With one last squeeze of his hand, you leaned in and whispered, “We’ll talk about it later.”

Din swallowed roughly. “See? Things like that.”

A holo of a massive ship spun in front of Bo-Katan’s face, painting her features in a soft blue glow. “This is Moff Gideon’s Imperial light cruiser. In the old days it would carry a crew of several hundred. Now it operates with a tiny fraction of that.” She smiled smugly as she watched the hologram spin.

“Your assessment is misleading.” All eyes turned to the soft voice of Doctor Pershing where he sat perched in a seat right in front of you. He may be soft spoken, but he wasn’t afraid to speak up, and you admired that.

Placing your free hand on his shoulder, you smiled down at him reassuringly when he glanced up your way, nodding once to encourage him to go on. 

“Oh, great. An objective opinion.”

Cutting your eyes Cara’s way, you made sure to shoot her a look through narrowed eyes and furrowed brows. She only shrugged in return, sending your eyes rolling.

“This isn’t subterfuge. I assure you.”

“Let him speak.” Bo-Katan’s interest surprised you, but the more you thought about it, it really didn’t. If the information he had was true, it affected every aspect of her plan.

Pershing let out a sigh. Relief washed over his face, his shoulders rounding forward as he let out the breath. “There’s a garrison of dark troopers on board. They’re the ones who abducted the child.”

That seemed to get Din’s attention. “How many troopers do they have armed in those suits?”

Now that he was back under the scrutiny of a beskar gaze, Pershing sat up a little straighter, hesitating slightly, his eyes fixed on the floor. You didn’t blame him. Those visors were intimidating. “These are third-generation design. They are no longer suits. The human inside was the final weakness to be solved. They’re droids.”

“Where are they bivouacked?” Fennec’s voice was uncharacteristically soft, making you tilt your head at her curiously. 

Pershing got to his feet, shooting you a glance, his face pulled into a tight expression before he focused solely on the holo, pressing a short series of buttons. “They’re held in cold storage in this cargo bay. They draw too much power to be kept at ready.”

“How long to power up?”

“A few minutes, perhaps.” Pershing’s tone never flustered. You half expected him to crack after a few minutes, but he truly was just a soft, kind, well intentioned man stuck in the middle of a horrible situation. 

He didn’t even crack when Din asked him another question. 

“Where is the child being held?”

He just pushed another button, the holo filtering through layouts until it settled on the one he wanted, and he began to explain. “This is the brig. He’s being held here under armed guard.”

Pershing turned back to look at you once again, and you nodded, offering him a smile which he was quick to return before settling back into his seat.

Bo-Katan wasted no time. “Very well. We split into two parties.”

“We go alone,” Din was quick to interject, his hand gently squeezing yours.

“Fine,” she said after a moment, shifting her weight, then launching into the rest of the plan. 

You didn’t pay any attention. You probably should have but you couldn’t.

Turning your head toward the wall once again, you stood on your tiptoes to get closer to Din’s ear. He tilted his head slightly to meet you halfway. You opened your mouth to say something snarky, a joke of some sort, but your breath caught in your throat, making you swallow instead. 

Din turned his head to look at you, and it was all you could do to hold the gaze of his visor.

Letting out a quiet huff of air, you whispered a “Thank you,” before your voice stopped working altogether, the emotions lodged in your throat a formidable foe.

The cold touch of his beskar came to rest on your forehead for only a moment before he was turning back to continue listening to the plan. I guess it’s good one of us was, you thought with a snort.

His voice pulled you back into the conversation. “And us?”

Bo-Katan turned to face him, in full planning mode. “We’ll be misdirection. Once we draw a crowd, you slip through the shadows, get the kid.”

“Those dark troopers? They’re gonna be a real skank in the scud pie.”

“Oh, Cara. Ever the optimist,” you sighed, walking over to a seat next to Pershing and plopping down beside him.

“It’s not my fault the Imps are using super droids now!”

“Didn’t say it was….” You massaged the bridge of your nose, eyes screwed shut.

“So what do you suggest? We just wave you at them and they go flyin’?”

Your hand fell to your lap with a slap. “That’s not how the Force works, and you know it.” A smirk started up your face. “But I could throw you at them, knock a few over….”

Cara tilted her head at you, features pulled tight in annoyance.

“Can you two do this later?” Fennec sighed.

“Oh, so it’s okay for two Mandalorians to destroy the inside of a building on a whim, but I can’t insult my friend with a verbal jab when I want?”

“Basically…. Yeah.”

Both you and Cara gave Fennec the look.

“Their bay is on the way to the brig.” Bo-Katan changed the subject pointedly, her gaze flicking between the three of you before finally landing on Pershing. “Can they make it there before they deploy?”

He seemed to mull it over for a moment. “It’s possible.”

“Here.” Fennec pulled something off of the side of Pershing’s uniform and offered it to Din. “Take his code cylinder and seal off their holding bay. Anyone else, we can handle.”

You tilted your head back to look up at Din where he stood behind you, a mischievous smirk crawling up your features. “They ask for a face to scan this time, let me handle it…. Brown eyes.”

He shook his head at you before turning back to the group. “We’ll meet at the bridge.”

Xxx

The ship bumped gently through hyperspace, blue and silver streaks casting everyone in dancing shadows. It was unusually silent in the cockpit of the stolen Imperial shuttle, everyone’s mind on their tasks ahead. 

When Bo-Katan finally spoke, though her tone was quiet, the sound of a voice made you jump. Din snorted in amusement where he stood beside you, the laughter only growing when you reached out to shove his shoulder in annoyance.

“I can’t believe you,” you mumbled. “Don’t laugh at me.”

“Don’t be funny, then,” he countered dryly, turning his visor down toward you.

Glaring up at him, you couldn’t help the quick twitch upward of your lips, opting instead to try and hide it with a roll of your eyes as you focused back on what Bo-Katan was saying.

“Moff Gideon is mine. Got it?”

“Not if he’s mine first,” you mumbled.

Cara stopped cleaning her rifle, and that was how you knew she meant business. “He’s ex-ISB. He’s got a lot of information.” She set the rifle in her lap. Your eyes went wide. She was serious. “I need him alive.”

Bo-Katan sighed, shifting her weight in her seat as she pressed a few buttons on the controls. “I don’t care what happens to him as long as he surrenders to me.”

“Prepare to exit jump space.” Boba’s voice over the comms made you smile. He was on his ship with doctor Pershing. 

“We could freeze him,” Boba offered when the question of what to do with Pershing came up.

You leaned in close to him, ignoring his skeptical expression from his seat opposite your own. “Your carbonite chamber is broken, remember?” Tilting your head, you narrowed your eyes. “Or are you just getting that old, old man?”

Boba turned to you with wide eyes. “He doesn’t know that,” he hissed, jerking his head subtly toward Pershing. 

The man was sitting just a few feet away, trying to give the impression of not listening in to a conversation about his fate.

“For what it’s worth,” he finally chimed in, holding up one finger and swallowing roughly before going on. “I-I d-d-don’t think c-carbonite is n-necessary.”

Boba sighed as Pershing turned to look at the two of you. After a long pause, Boba gestured with one hand for the man to go on. “And why is that?”

“Um.”

“Very compelling.” Boba looked at you pointedly.

The snort of laughter that escaped you in a huff caught you off guard, but the snickering that followed it didn’t. Leaning forward in your chair, you put your hand on Boba’s shoulder, ignoring the way he arched a brow and looked at it like it was a broken hyperdrive. “Come on, friend. It won’t be a problem. Because like you and I, he is also a friend. And friends help each other, don’t they?” Boba slowly lifted his head to hold your gaze once again, simply staring at you, his brows flat and unamused. You gave his shoulder a little shake, and your voice a slight edge. “Don’t they.”

He sighed. 

You smiled, releasing your vice-like grip on his pauldron back to something more forgiving. “They at least don’t freeze each other in carbonite.”

Boba hummed in thought, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. “You’ve never met some of my friends.”

As your hand fell into your lap, you stared at him, smile stuck on your face in disbelief. You blinked once, twice. “What?”

“Copy that.” Bo-Katan smiled softly. “Get the hell out of there as soon as they clear us to dock. And your shots have to look convincing.”

Boba huffed out a laugh. “Power up those shields, princess. I’ll put on a good show.”

“Watch out for those deck cannons.” 

Looking at Bo-Katan with wide eyes, your eyebrows narrowed in confusion before you looked up into Din’s visor, one brow rising into your hairline. “Well. That bridge was mended fast,” you muttered under your breath. 

Din simply shrugged one shoulder in response, his head shaking slightly as if to say, “Don’t look at me, I’m just as confused as you are.” 

Probably more, you thought with a grin as you turned back toward the viewport.

Boba muttered something under his breath. Then his voice softened, an undercurrent of something almost concerned painting his tone. “Don’t worry about me. Just be careful in there.”

“You be careful out here, old man.” Your words whispered for only yourself to hear, a tight smile pulled up your face when Fennec snorted out a soft laugh to your left. Her eyes met yours, a gentle shake of her head her only response before she focused back out the viewport. 

Silence settled once again throughout the cabin, this one a bit more tense than the first. It was time. On the other side of this jump lay uncertainty and conflict…. But it also held your heart. You were one stop away from healing. And for some reason that made you grip the handle by your head tighter. 

Koska’s soft countdown pulled you back into the moment at hand. “Exiting hyperspace in three, two, one…”

The ship lurched, sending you stumbling forward slightly as the streams of hyperspace slid into streaks of silver stars. Gideon’s light cruiser loomed through the viewport, filling the space from end to end and growing as the ship approached it rapidly.

Boba shot at the shuttle in bursts, both ships weaving back and forth as the bolts narrowly missed the hull.

You could almost hear Boba’s voice in your head. “That was my warning shot.”

Bo-Katan called out a fake mayday, asking for help from the cruiser, but everyone exchanged a nervous look when a response came back to clear the way for TIE support.

As she tried to call the bluff, heading straight for the landing bay as planned while yelling something else into the comms, you shifted your weight to avoid falling as she took a particularly aggressive turn to the right. The quick upward motion of the ship that followed knocked the wind out of you with a huff.

“I hope she fights better than she flys,” you leaned toward Din, grumbling about Bo-Katan and groaning as she swerved again, sending you stumbling into his chest.

His arms wrapped around your waist, one of them reaching up to grab onto the handle for stabilization as he peered down at you with a slight tilt of his head. “This feels familiar.”

A snort of laughter had you tucking your face into his cowl with another groan. “Yeah, it’s almost like we need to make better friends, or at least some who fly with some sense of survival.”

“We haven’t died yet.”

“Yet is the key word there.”

Streaks of green from TIE fighter blasts shot past the viewport, illuminating the cabin on their way past.

Closing your eyes, you focused on the nearest enemy ship, reaching out through the Force in an attempt to send it spiraling through space when a hand on your shoulder stopped you short. Blinking your eyes open, you turned down toward the grip to find a gloved hand holding you tight.

“Uh-uh,” Din’s voice was low, similar to the way he admonished the child. “Don’t even think about it.”

“I was just….”

“You were just nothing. Nope. I don’t wanna hear it, mesh’la.”

Arms crossed over your chest as you faced forward, you cut your eyes to the side to glare at him. “You’re no fun.”

He nodded once in agreement, not even bothering to look your way. “I’m the absolute worst.”

Before you could respond, the ship lurched again, the mechanical whirr of the wings folding in for landing vibrating the floor under your feet. 

“Hang on!” Fennec yelled, holding on to the bottom of her seat as if bracing for impact.

A quick glance through the viewport showed sparks beginning to fly as the transport touched down inside the cruiser with a massive jolt.

Din held you close with one arm, the handle overhead with the other. You gripped his cowl with both hands as if your life depended on it.

Reaching out with the Force one more time, you searched for the other half of this elaborate plot to get onboard the cruiser, feeling him just on the edge of your awareness before he blipped out altogether. “Boba’s clear,” you breathed on a sigh.

The ship came to a shuddering halt, the screech of metal on metal filling the air along with a thick smoke that obscured most everything.

“Leave some for us,” you mumbled to Bo-Katan as she passed by you toward the lowering ramp, blasters drawn and ready.

You couldn’t see her face because of her helmet, but you could tell from her tone that she was smirking. “I’m not making any promises.”

The first wave waited for as many of the enemy to surround the downed transport before they stormed the hangar, the bay a storm of blaster bolts raining down and jet packs sounding off. 

The sounds of troopers screaming and issuing hollow threats grew further and further away, until they reached the other end of the hangar, finally coming to an abrupt end with a single shot. It was over almost faster than it had begun, silence filling the hangar after a matter of moments.

Both you and Din hung back in the cockpit, watching the whole thing on a display until the party disappeared through a door on the other side of the hangar.

“We’re clear,” Bo-Katan’s voice filled the transport from the comm on your hip. “Give us two minutes then go.”

Din pushed a button on the side of his helmet to reply. “Copy that.” He began to follow you toward the ramp. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

Bo-Katan snorted. “This is the Way.”

Xxx

Din POV

Din chuckled as he came to a stop a few feet behind you, simply watching in silence. The thick smoke almost concealed you even just the short distance in front of him, but it was just thin enough that it swirled around you in some sort of eerie embrace that kept you still in his sights. 

If he was being honest, that’s how things had felt lately since the kid had gone - hazy and unclear. But there was always you somewhere in the middle of all the muddle to grab his hand and pull him through.

If he was being brutally honest…. That was how things had always been with you. Not just lately. Not just sometimes. From the time he met you, everything else seemed to slip into a fog and if it wasn’t for your guiding hand, he’d truly be lost.

It wasn’t that he quit finding joy in other things in life.

But those things meant nothing now if he couldn’t share them with you. Somehow. If he couldn’t find a way to bring them, or himself, back to you.

Din smiled and sighed quietly to himself, walking the last few steps silently.

There was time for all of this later, right now…. He had to get the kid.

You both had to get the kid.

This clan of three had been a clan of two for too long.

Xxx

Normal POV

Standing at the top of the ramp, arms crossed, a smirk crawled up your face.

“What are you doing?” Din’s voice behind you didn’t startle you for once, making the turn of your lips grow.

Trilling the fingers of your right hand, you watched the smoke tendrils near the bottom of the ramp curl and unfurl as you manipulated them slowly; the smile on your face going nowhere anytime soon.

“Having fun.” Tilting your head back to look at him with a broad grin, your fingers still moving in slow swirls, you chuckled softly at his amused sigh and gentle shake of his head. “What? Is there something else I’m meant to be doing?”

“Scoping out the hang-”

“It’s clear.” The smirk returned as you straightened your head to scan the docking bay. “Not a single life form left after our first wave went through. Well, aside from one.”

“Where?” Din drew his blaster, head instantly on a swivel as he surveyed the hangar.

“Right…. Here.” You sent the smoke swirling around him, making him swat at it, batting it away with an annoyed groan as you laughed. “Then again, could be a false reading. Been told bounty hunters are heartless.”

Din grunted, holstering his blaster as he closed the distance between you. “Oh, I’ve gotta heart. Want me to prove it?”

You laughed as your back hit the frame of the opening at the top of the ramp, Din crowding into your space. “I know you do, I know you do. I was only teasing. Kriff, you’re so easy to mess with sometimes.” 

Hands on his chest, you tried to push him off. Grunting in frustration when he didn’t move, you arched a brow and peered up into his visor, a soft laugh tumbling out despite yourself. “Hey. Shiny. Let me go. We have work to do. Little green kid. This big?” You held up your hands between you for reference. “Eats everything in sight? Cute as can be and stubborn as a tooka under threat of a bath?” 

Din just kept staring down at you, his head tilted slightly to the right. You pushed on his chest again with another grin. “Remember him? Hey!”

“There she is.”

You huffed out a breath in confusion as you stared up into his visor. “What?” 

“You’re laughing again. Smiling. You should do that more often.”

Staring over his shoulder absently, you realized you felt content for the first time in a while. “Yeah, I guess I am.” Meeting the T of his visor, you felt a smile climb your face like it was the most natural thing. “I guess it’s because the kid is so much closer for the first time since he was taken. I can feel him, Din. It’s like a part of me that was missing is whole again.”

“You can sense him?” He sounded breathless.

You nodded.

“Is he alright?” He was almost hesitant, but hopeful nonetheless.

Reaching out to wrap yourself around the familiar aura, you felt your soul begin to mend its broken parts. A soft laugh tumbled out as you felt a streak of mischief you knew all too well, followed by hunger, then love.

“He’s going to be okay.”

Xxx

Moving around the cruiser was easy, the team that went ahead of you drawing most of the attention of the crew that remained.

You and Din slinked through the hallways like shadows, evading the few troopers you came across without issue. 

An abandoned blaster in one lone hallway caught your attention; without thinking, you went to step out into the corridor to get it, stopping short when the neckline of your shirt cinched tight around your neck. Sputtering, you were jerked back into a beskar wall by a lone, gloved finger in the back of your collar.

“What the hell, Din?!” You hissed as you reached up to tear your top out of his tight grip.

His other hand came up to cover your mouth as two troopers walked by at the end of the hall. The hand in your shirt slipped down around your waist to pull you both further back into the shadows.

“You could have just said something,” you mumbled against his palm, rolling your eyes at his world weary sigh. With a flick of your wrist, you summoned the blaster to you from its spot on a lone crate across the corridor. Turning it over in your hands as you examined it, you hummed softly in thought. “Can you let me go now please?” His hand was still over your mouth so the words were completely jumbled.

“Will you stop trying to cross the street like a drunken baby wookie?”

You sighed into his hand, eyes staring up at the ceiling. “It’s a hallway, not a street, Din.”

“You’re not helping your case, mesh’la.”

You flipped the blaster to stun. “Does that help my case?”

Din heaved another sigh, lowering his hand and nudging you forward out of the alcove. “Let’s go. We’re almost there.”

As a smirk crawled up your face, you followed after him.

“Why have you become so violent?” He mumbled.

“I’ve learned from the best,” smirk melting into a grin, you jammed the blaster into the back of your pants.

Din turned down a hall on the left, then the right, before going straight down another long corridor. Every surface was shiny and reflective. Sterile. You wanted out of here as fast as possible.

Din groaned quietly. “Why do I feel you’re not talking about me?”

Both of you answered his question in unison. “Cara.” You nodded while his head tilted to the side before straightening.

Another left turn.

“Now see,” he mused, stopping to check the layout on the nav in his helmet. “I was going to say Fennec.”

Straight.

Your face twisted in thought. “I could see that…. She-”

He pulled you into a little alcove just as another two troopers walked by, causing you to collide with his chest with a soft thud. The troopers stopped at the sound, peering down the hall you were tucked just out of sight in, making the two of you press further into the wall and by extension, one another. Holding a finger up to your lips, you waited for Din to nod in acknowledgment before staring blankly at the wall next to his shoulder, deep in focus. 

After a moment, both troopers jumped slightly, looking behind them, then ambled off in search of the phantom sound you’d caused down the hall.

“I can’t believe you jumped,” one said.

“You did, too!” The other protested.

“Did not. I was just trying to turn around before you did.”

“Sure,” his friend said sarcastically.

“You know what,” the first one started. “If you don’t stop coming after me, I’m going to tell the Moff about the time you….”

Their voices faded around the corner, soft sounds of bickering trailing to nothing after a few moments.

Din chuckled, looking down at you, but made no effort to move. “You’re very handy to have around.”

You smirked. “Thank you.”

Xxx

A short while later, after just a few twists and turns, you came around a corner that had Din pressing a button on the side of his helmet to pull up his nav, his blaster drawn in the other hand. 

“This is it,” he mumbled, reaching down and pulling out the code cylinder from his belt. Glancing at a panel on the wall a short ways down the hall by a set of doors, his steps picked up as he hurried toward the controls, breaking into a sprint with a sudden, “No. No!” when the doors began to hiss open.

He clicked it in just in time, sending the doors the opposite way, but not quite fast enough for his liking. In a split second he had shifted his weight and began to fire his blaster through the small crack still left open between the two doors. 

You thought it all was over until two hands, two mechanical hands, the same hands you'd seen wrapped around the child on Tython, slipped through the remaining sliver left between the doors and pried them open.

Despite Din’s relentless open fire, the droid continued forward, pulling one arm back and punching Din square in the front of his helmet which sent him flying back into the wall. The droid then opened the doors enough to slip through before they slammed shut behind it.

Menacing red eyes stared lifelessly as it stalked closer to Din.

“Hey, bolt brain!”

The droid turned its head to look at you with a mechanical whirr, and you wasted no time. Charging toward your opponent, you did the attack that was second nature now. It was instinct. 

“Not today, grease breath,” you mumbled as you leapt into the air, wrapping your legs around the neck of the droid in an attempt to take it down.

But instead of both of you going down in a pile of limbs, the droid reached up, grabbed your thigh in its inhumanly tight grip, pulled you from its shoulders, and flung you to the floor as if you weighed nothing. 

The hallway sped by in streaks of dull shine, your skin screeching across the floor until you finally came to a stop several yards away. Nothing was really processing in your mind at that point past, “Well, that didn’t work.”

Suddenly it was like fire was shooting up your leg. Looking down at your thigh near where the droid had grabbed you, there was a tear in your pants, and underneath that a deep, angry gash that looked almost like a burn.

Din had kept firing at the droid while you made your attack, and it seemed a blaster bolt had ricocheted off of the monster and nicked your leg. The more you thought about it, the more it began to hurt. Pain radiated into your lower back and down into your foot, a hiss of discomfort passing through your tightly drawn lips. Biting back a moan, your jaw ticked to the side as you ground your teeth through another wave of agony.

But you didn’t have time to dwell on any of this, even though it had all occurred in just a matter of seconds.

The droid had already set its sights back on Din and had lifted him up against the wall by his throat, holding him in place as it released punch after punch into his visor.

Your only comfort was that his beskar was sure to hold up.

“Din!” You cried out, pushing up onto your palms, the movement causing a new wave of pain to shoot through your leg. Grimacing as you looked down at the wound, your attention was pulled over your shoulder as the platoon of dark troopers left in the bay began to pound on the doors to try and get through.

Turning back toward Din, you reached out as much focus you could offer right now, the wound tugging at the edges of your consciousness and making the lights in the corridor go blurry. The wall behind his head collapsed and a gas line began to fill the hallway with a cloud of the noxious fumes. He was suddenly sending energy down toward his flamethrower, so you withdrew from your mind and engaged your vambrace as well. 

The two pillars of flame met in the middle, dousing the droid in fire and sparks, but it didn’t even seem to slow it down at all. It just looked down at its body as the mechanics moaned and groaned under the heat, then lifted its head back up to look at Din before throwing him down the hall as the droid’s body somehow put out the flames. 

“Din!” You cried out again, anger boiling in your stomach as you watched him slide across the floor and could do nothing to help him. “Dank farrik!”

He was right under the panel and reached up to pull the handle to eject the rest of the dark troopers, but just as his fingers touched the metal, the droid grabbed his leg and tugged him back to the other side of the hall. It took a few steps toward him, then leaned back on one leg and kicked Din in the chest, sending him sliding further down the corridor.

As the droid opened fire at the beskar clad warrior, and Din returned the favor with his whistling birds, you took the opportunity to crawl and get your back up against the wall next to the panel. Relaxing into the durasteel for just a breath, you focused and reached out with the Force, flipping the lever with an unseen hand.

It struggled at first, flickering against the wall as if it didn’t want to move despite your clear intentions for it to just go. The transparisteel at the top of the door between you and the dark troopers cracked from top to bottom. One more hit and they were coming through. As one of the droids reared back to deliver a final punch, the handle flipped, sounding an alarm and opening the bay doors at the back of the area, sucking them all out into space. 

Smirk on your face, you looked up and watched as the dark troopers were pulled away from the small window at the top of the door. “Bye, you sons of-”

You were cut off by the sound of beskar through metal. Turning your head, you looked to find the droid crumbling into a pile of sparks and broken parts at Din’s feet, the beskar spear firmly in his hands. Reattaching the spear to his back, he let out a breath, his shoulders rising and falling with the effort before he turned his head and saw you perched on the floor.

He was quick to rush over to you, crumbling himself to land on his knees at your side, his hands a contradiction as they trembled, moving slowly toward the wound on your thigh. “Did I?”

“Ricochet,” you corrected him quickly. “When I jumped the droid. Got me good. Just…. Just help me up.”

His shoulder went under your arm immediately as he got you to your feet. “You should head to the bridge. I’ll find the brig, get the kid, and-”

“No.” He met your eyes with his visor, and you held his gaze, eyebrows raised in challenge as you tilted your head to the side. “Din, no. He’s part of my clan, too. I’m coming with you.”

He sighed. “Mesh’la….”

Standing up straighter, trying to take more weight on your bad leg, you stumbled a few steps away from him, or at least attempted to. He didn't let you get but a few inches away before his arm was back around your torso again in support. “At least I didn’t shoot you!”

“I didn’t shoot you,” he grumbled, adjusting your weight against his side. 

Staring at the side of his helmet in a deadpan, you couldn’t help but notice there wasn’t even a scuff mark from where the droid had unleashed its fury. That settled you a bit. But not enough to calm your annoyance. “You shot me.”

He rolled his head in exasperation. “It bounced off the death droid.” Turning as a unit, you both began down the hall toward the brig, Din carrying the brunt of your weight on his shoulder.

You snorted a laugh. “According to you, all droids are death droids.”

“Not the point- Don’t change the subject!”

Now you were snickering. “I didn’t.” Clutching his cowl in your hand thrown around his neck, you gave him a gentle, playful shake. “You shot me, he’s my family, too, so I’m coming. End of story. Now let's go.” You tried to walk a little faster, but with a Mandalorian literally strapped to your hip, it didn’t work very well.

After a few steps down the hall, Din spoke softly. “Bolt brain?”

Turning your head, you found his visor studying your face. “Well I couldn’t exactly call it Tin Can, that’s already taken, isn’t it?”

He nodded before you both continued down the corridor, walking in silence.

“I’m sorry I used your name.” The sigh was second nature now. Just part of being friends with the Mandalorian.

He looked at you. “I’m glad you did.”

“Really?” Your eyes flicked over his visor, every curve and angle spectacularly unaffected from the fight.

Din’s head tilted to the side affectionately, his voice soft. “Yeah.” Coming to a stop, he held your gaze for a quiet moment. “You…. I want…. Use it from now on.”

All you could do was nod.

The two of you turned your focus back forward to once again hobble towards the brig.

It was another minute or so before he spoke again. “I liked grease breath.”

“Really?”

He was obviously smiling. “Yeah.”

Xxx

It took a bit longer because of your injury, but you eventually made it to the brig, only one cell indicating a life form.

You could sense him, and it brought a smile to your face, but you could also sense a…. The smile began to melt just as Din waved his hand over the panel to open the door. “Wait,” you tried, but it was too late.

Pushing off of his side, you stood on your own despite the pain. Din looked to you in question before turning toward the cell once the door was open, his shoulders tensed in understanding.

On the bench in the cell sat Grogu waiting patiently in tiny little binders. Standing beside the kid was a man you could only assume was Gideon, a saber drawn and held precariously close over Grogu’s head. You’d seen enough Imperial officials on Coruscant to be able to read the rank on his uniform.

Din had his blaster drawn in an instant, taking aim the only words needed as he held the gaze of the Moff.

“Ah ah ah,” Gideon chided with a smug smirk, waving the saber over the kid’s head. Any closer and the little hairs on his head would begin to singe. It made your blood boil. If he hurt a hair on his head…. “Drop the blaster. Slowly.” Once Din had done what he’d asked, he gestured to you. “And the one you stole back in the hallway.”

You froze, hands inches from gripping the new blaster tucked into the back of your pants. How did he know? Tossing it aggressively onto the floor next to Din’s with a sneer, you cocked your hip to the side and crossed your arms over your chest, fingernails digging into your biceps to distract you from the pain in your leg.

“Now kick them over to me.” Din held his arm out to keep you in place, knowing you’d probably try to lob them at the Moff with a well placed kick. He nudged them gently across the floor toward the man. “Very nice.”

“Give me the kid.” Din’s voice was gruff and down to business, no room for messing around.

“The kid is just fine where he is.” Angling the saber back and forth, admiring it as he waved it slightly over the kid’s head again, a small smile climbed Gideon’s face. He met your eyes. “Mesmerizing, isn’t it? Used to belong to Bo-Katan.” His gaze flicked to Din, noticing how he shifted his weight just slightly. “Yes. I know you’ve been traveling with Bo-Katan. A friendly piece of advice, assume that I know everything. Like the fact that your wrist launcher has fired its one and only salvo.”

With a flick of your left wrist, your vambrace whirred to life. “I haven’t used mine.”

Din held out his arm again to hold you back. “Where is this going?”

You reluctantly disengaged the vambrace, studying the saber as the Moff spoke. It was like nothing you’d ever seen. The blade was black with brilliant white energy crackling along the edges, almost giving it the appearance of lightning on a dark night. It hummed at a different frequency than other sabers, you noticed, and the blade had a different shape than you’d ever seen, almost coming to a point at the end. It was truly beautiful, and you could see why it would be something to war over. 

But it didn’t hold your interest nearly as much as the tiny little green face that sat just beside it. The giant eyes blinking slowly up at you in love and trust despite the situation. Not a hint of fear coming off of him. How did you deserve a love like that? How had that come into your life?

“Almost done, ad’ika,” you sent to him through your mind.

His ears perked up at the sound of your voice in his head, but then his features twisted up in concern, eyes falling down to your wound before coming back up to meet your gaze.

“I’ll be okay. Let’s just get out of here first, okay?”

Grogu grunted softly, unamused, but turned his attention back to the Moff, and you did, too.

“You keep it. I just want the kid,” Din was saying, indicating the saber. You think.

You really needed to pay more attention, you groaned to yourself.

Gideon nodded. “Very well. I’ve already got what I want from him. His blood.” His what? “All I wanted was to study his blood.” A bad feeling ran down your spine. “This child is extremely gifted…. and has been blessed with rare properties that have the potential to bring order back to the galaxy.” He really thought this was an okay thing to be doing…. “I see your bond with him.” That was abrupt. “Take him, but you will leave my ship immediately and we will go our separate ways.” This didn’t feel right, but nothing on this ship did.

Arms crossed over your chest, you scoffed. “Gladly.”

Din turned to you, his voice low. “Go to the bridge.”

Your head snapped to the side to look at him. “What?” Did you just hear him right? Surely he didn’t…. There’s no way…. 

He took the smallest step toward you, his hand coming out to rest lightly on your elbow. “You’re injured, we’re almost done here….” His grip tightened, your wide eyes falling down to study his steady touch before quickly pulling back up to his visor. “Go to the bridge and tell them to get the ship ready. We have a deal to honor.” His thumb traced your upper arm once before his touch fell away, the ghost of his fingers trailing down to take your hand in his. “Once I have the kid, I’ll meet you all back on the transport and we’ll go home.”

Words weren’t working in your head. Nothing was working right now. Say something. “But-” 

“Mesh’la.” For some reason, you felt if you could see his eyes, they would be pleading. “Go. Now. Please.” Din’s hand released yours, the heat from his fingers wrapped around your own evaporating almost instantly in the cold, lifeless interior of the cruiser, haunting you with its memory.

Taking a few steps backwards, ignoring the pain shooting through your leg, you stepped into the hallway, pausing for a moment to stare at Grogu, then Din before turning and starting toward the bridge. You were tempted to glare at the Moff, but he wasn’t worth your time.

You were just about to round the corner when you heard the zing of kyber on beskar.

Without hesitation you turned and ran back toward the room, your wound forgotten as you charged for the door. “Din!”

The Mandalorian backed out of the doorway blocking blow after blow from the Darksaber, the Moff unrelenting in his attacks.

Din finally gained some ground and got his feet under him, gaining some distance between himself and Gideon, enough to right himself and pull his beskar spear as he slowly circled the Moff.

Stop.

A voice you didn’t recognize echoed through your head, ringing as if it were a hammer striking steel.

Stop. No. 

It echoed like it was in a cavern and not on a cruiser.

This is the Way.

As you skidded to a stop in the middle of the hall, you called out his name again. “Din!” You were behind him, but he didn’t turn to look at you, the only indication he heard you his shoulders tensing at the sound of your voice.

Ad. (“Daughter.”)

What was that voice?! And now it was speaking Mando’a?

“Go,” Din ordered gruffly. 

Slanar. (“Go.”)

You wanted to roll your eyes as the voice agreed with your Mandalorian. Of course it did.

“No.”

Ib’tuur jatne tuur ash’ad kyr’amur. (“Today is a good day for someone else to die.”)

If you didn’t know any better, you’d say the Darksaber was talking to you…. Before you could really focus on the blade in the Moff’s hand, Din was moving again. 

“Go,” he yelled again, raising the spear to strike at Gideon, sparks flying on impact. “Now!” He blocked a few more blows from the saber before they leaned into each other, the heat from the kyber causing the spear to turn red hot.

Ret’urcye mhi. (“Maybe we’ll meet again.”)

Okay, mysterious voice. You win this round. You and the Tin Can.

Grunting in frustration, you turned on your heel and ran as fast as you could to the bridge. As you charged through the doors, you held up your hands as at least four blasters were aimed at you. “It’s me, it’s me. Only me.”

“Where’s-”

“Back there,” you grimaced, gesturing over your shoulder with your thumb before you collapsed to the floor clutching your leg.

Cara and Fennec were quick to help you over to a chair, propping your injured leg up on a seat across from you, while Koska sealed the doors and Bo-Katan checked surveillance in the halls.

“I don’t see them,” she said, filtering through several feeds.

“What happened?” Cara asked.

“Blaster ricocheted and got me. We found Gideon and the kid, they made a deal.”

“A deal?”

You nodded to Fennec, grimacing as you clutched the wound on your leg tight.

“He wants us off the ship in exchange for the kid. Mando- Din told me to leave and come here, let you all know we’ll meet back on the transport. Then next thing I know I hear Gideon going at him with the Darksaber-”

“And you didn’t help him?”

You glared at Cara. “Of course I kriffing tried to. Dank farrik, Cara, What else do you think I would do, just sit and watch? Run back here faster? Some other third option?” She rolled her eyes at you, leaning against the console at her back. You sighed, relaxing in your seat, head lolling back and hand coming up to cover your eyes. “He told me to go. Again.” Letting your hand fall down to your lap with a plop, you looked between your two friends. “So I did.” You shrugged. “What else was I supposed to do?”

“He knows what he’s doing,” Fennec offered softly. “He’s only trying to keep you and the kid safe.”

“Yeah, well I am pretty good at that myself,” you grumbled. Before anyone could say anything, you screwed up your face like you’d eaten something sour. “I know, I know.” Arms coming to cross over your chest, you pouted like a petulant child. “It’s not the same.” 

“At the end of the day, what matters is that you’re both able to come home. Does it matter how that happens? Who does the saving?”

All three of you turned your heads over to look at Bo-Katan in unison.

She wouldn’t hold your gazes for long, her eyes falling back to the screen with the surveillance feed. “He’s here at the door…. With the Moff.” She looked at you pointedly, her voice softer and a smile tugging up her face. “And the kid.”

You sat up straight, turning toward the entrance as you waited for the doors to hiss open. Koska punched the button, stepping to the side to give you an unobstructed view, and you could have sworn a soft huff of laughter passed through her modulator.

As soon as Din came through the doors, the kid in one arm, the Darksaber ignited and extended down to the side in the other, the atmosphere in the room shifted. It was like all the air was sucked out. You almost had to glance around and make sure a stray blaster bolt hadn't pierced the viewport and caused a slow leak.

Power radiated off of him as his grip tightened around the hilt of the weapon, his gloves creaking in protest against the pressure while he followed behind Gideon who’s wrists were bound with binders at his front.

The Moff’s eyes were downcast, but they landed on you briefly, sending a shiver crawling down your spine. Sitting up a bit straighter, not wanting to let him win any satisfaction, you grunted in pain slightly when the stretch pulled on the wound on your thigh. Letting a short breath out through your nose to cover the pain, you suddenly forgot all about it when the corner of Gideon’s mouth quirked up in amusement at your suffering.

“The droids miss far less than the troopers,” he mumbled as he passed by you, letting out an annoyed huff as Din nudged him forward toward the rest of the party with a push that was a little more forceful than necessary. 

Din turned his attention toward you, his helmet doing a quick once over from your head down to the floor and back up again. When he saw your leg propped up on the seat in front of where you sat, he disengaged the saber and hurried over to you, kneeling at your side and ignoring your protests.

“I’m fine. Din, I’m fine.” You sighed as he set the saber down on the floor, gently placing Grogu in your lap and inspecting the wound up close. “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not,” he grumbled, reaching for a medkit tucked under one of the stations next to you.

“No, stop it,” you tried to push his hands away as he went to set the kit on your uninjured thigh beside the kid. “Ma- Din, no.”

“Mesh’la,” he sighed, flipping the top of the kit open, groaning in annoyance when you flipped it back shut with an unseen force.

He kept opening it, a total of two more times, only for you to slam it shut again, this time applying a little extra pressure to keep him from being able to open it again. 

“I’m fine.”

His forehead came to rest on your knee where he knelt in front of you, a heavy sigh rounding his shoulders. 

“Mesh’la….”

“Will you just look at it, you overgrown Tin Can?” You couldn’t help the amusement coloring your tone.

Din lifted his head to look up at you. “I did. It’s-” Turning his gaze down to the small tear in your pants from the blaster bolt, he realized the wound was no longer red and angry, no longer open, but neatly mended skin, fresh and healed. “….gone. It’s gone.” Pulling his visor back up toward your face, tilted slightly in question, you shook your head in answer before looking down at Grogu, smile widening slightly.

Looking between the two of you, Grogu let out an unimpressed grunt before he climbed up onto the control panel at your side, scrambling over your lap and arm of your chair in the process.

Whispers began to circle you, faint and indecisive. You looked down to the hilt of your saber accusingly, but it sat quiet, contentedly on your hip almost as if the kyber was sleeping. The voices surged, making you inhale sharply through your nose to try and not draw attention to yourself, when you realized they were coming from the saber in Din’s hand.

Standing near the front of the bridge, Din gave one of his signature sighs as he turned his attention from the Moff, extending the saber with one hand. He was offering it to Bo-Katan. “And now it belongs to her.”

We belong to no one, the voices surged again, clear as the smirk on Moff Gideon’s face as he watched the exchange between beskar warriors.

Unlike back in the hallway, it wasn’t just a singular voice, it was many. It was different. But there wasn’t time to sit and dwell on the variances between the voices in your head. Shaking your head gently, you focused back on the whispers currently curling into your mind.

They weren’t modulated, but you felt as if the voices belonged to those of Mandalorians past, as if the blade spoke for Mandalore. And in a way, you guess it did. If it had chosen the Mandalorian people, that kyber spoke for a nation. Suddenly it made the taunting voice of your own blade seem small. Insignificant.

Your kyber didn’t like that, didn’t like being pushed to the side, being made to feel small, and started to hum, the vibrations filling your mind with an annoying frequency you couldn’t shake.

It spoke for Mandalorians.

So why was it speaking to you?

Before you fully registered what you were doing, you found your feet had carried you closer to the Moff, something in his demeanor not sitting quite right in the back of your mind. This was too easy. 

The pull of the Darksaber drew you further in, its gentle ebb and flow of energy washing softly over you like cresting waves. It was every bit like Mandalorians, at least the ones you knew. Rough around the edges, intimidating and brilliant. But its aura was also soft, and somewhat inviting if you knew where to look. Underneath the rough exterior and harsh lines it offered a warmth unlike any other…. Like a certain beskar clad bounty hunter you knew.

No voices came anymore, but the hum morphed into a steady pulse, almost like a heartbeat, the higher pitch of your purple kyber beating in tandem with the low thrum of the dark blade.

The hum faded slightly to the background as an alarm started blaring at one of the stations, pulling all eyes over toward the sound.

“The ray shields have been breached. We’re being boarded,” Fennec said, going over to the console and disengaging the alarm, her eyes wide on the screen.

“How many life forms?” Bo-Katan asked, walking toward the station.

No matter how far you reached out, you didn’t feel any life forms beyond this ship. And that thought made your gut sink. “None,” you mumbled to yourself.

Fennec turned to the group, swallowing roughly. “None.”

Everyone sprung into action, the slap of footsteps on the deck echoing in your head. The hollow thud thud thud of each boot fall ricocheting in your ears made it seem like the space was spinning slowly. 

Din picked up Grogu and set him on the floor by the nearest console, leaning up against its side. “Don’t worry, kid. We’re gonna get you out of here.”

The air was tense as everyone stood in silence once they’d reached their positions. It sounded strange when Fennec called out an order. “Seal the blast doors.” Her voice a stark contrast to the low drone of the ship.

All eyes were on the door once you pressed the button and the extra layer slipped between you and the dark troopers. It was only a matter of time before- 

Then Koska said what you’d all been dreading. “They’re here.” Glancing at the small screen, she turned back toward the door, lifting her blaster higher.

It was odd to know an enemy awaited you so closely and yet you could sense nothing. Not a flicker, or a spark, or a-

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

The metal door moaned under the pressure, and began to crumple in the center from the repeated strikes of the dark troopers’ fists. 

Blow after blow, the durasteel bent further, nearly separating in the center to reveal your enemy on the other side. 

Every pair of feet shifted nervously, trigger fingers twitched with each thud. 

You saw Cara toss her head to the side slightly, her eyes fluttering shut for just a moment before they flew back open as she rolled her shoulders back.

Bo-Katan held two blasters up at the ready, and for all accounts seemed steady. But you saw the shallow breaths she was taking. You knew how to read the body beneath the beskar.

No one in here thought they were walking out. 

At least, not all of you.

There has to be a way, you thought, turning toward Gideon. 

He was grinning.

“Make them stop,” you ordered gruffly, never lowering your blaster from its aim at the door.

As Gideon began to laugh, you made a split second decision and turned your blaster on him, switching it to stun mode. But he didn’t know that, you just wanted him to hear the whir of the mechanics as it came to life, a very clear threat to make him sweat.

The Moff surveyed the team surrounding himself and the Mandalorian, all weapons besides your own drawn and pointed at the doors as the constant thud thud thud of the dark troopers banged against the durasteel. But he only smiled wider as he looked at the crumpling steel, then at Din pointedly, completely ignoring you. “You have an impressive fire team protecting you. But I think we all know, after a valiant stand, everyone in this room will be dead…. but me…. and the child.” His eyes landed on you again, and it seemed like something went unsaid, but you didn’t get the chance to press him on it.

Rolling your eyes, you glared at him. “Can someone please shut him up?” 

An alarm began to beep from one of the consoles, a ship through the viewport catching your eye. 

Koska went over to turn off the alert. “An X-wing.”

Letting out a huff, Cara adjusted the rifle braced on her shoulder. “One X-wing? Great. We’re saved.”

After closing the distance between herself and another console, Bo-Katan pressed a button and spoke into the built in comm. “Incoming craft, identify yourself.”

Grogu had perked up the moment the ship had flown by, and it had made your spine straighten, too. When his tiny eyes met yours across the room, you smiled softly, lowering your blaster before switching it to safety and holstering it once again. 

Nodding to the child, you both tilted your head almost as if you heard something and smiled a bit more broadly. “I feel it, too, kid.”

Fennec spoke quietly, her voice a mixture of hope, but also wariness. “Why did they stop?”

That’s when you realized the steady thump thump thump of the dark troopers had gone silent. A glance at the screen on one of the consoles showed they all stood facing away from the door. They were ready. Waiting. 

Din looked at you, hands on your hips easily as you held the kids' gaze, then at Grogu, his large eyes blinking slowly but wide and alert as he looked up at you, and Din realized you both were completely at ease. Then he turned to Gideon, holstering his own blaster. 

Seeing the Mandalorian put down his weapons after a cue from a bartender and a baby, you couldn’t help the grin on your face as you looked down at the Moff, your voice quiet. “It’s over.”

Gideon scoffed. “It’s one X-wing.”

Taking a step closer, you shook your head, your voice a tad firmer. “It’s done.”

Bo-Katan lowered her blasters as she went to the console with the screen. She watched in silence as a lone figure emerged from the X-wing, ignited a saber and began to clear out the dark troopers. “A Jedi?”

The smugness melted off of Gideon’s face, and it made something in your chest pull tight in satisfaction. “What’s the plan now, Moff? Didn’t plan for a laser sword?”

Gideon hummed in thought. “Didn't account for two….”

Turning your attention back on the now silent door, everything seemed to stretch out. Time elongated, a second was like a minute, the space in front of you once only feet suddenly looked like miles. Nothing looked right, everything felt off, and you realized you heard absolutely nothing at all. No chatter, no alarms, no calming breaths as one of your friends stabilized their blasters.

Something was about to happen. 

The voices and the hum surged once again, tumbling back into your consciousness along with every other sound from the deck. They began to spread out, time almost seeming to slow further with them, and a low thrum filled the space in between. 

The hairs on the back of your neck stood on end, and everything in your body told you to turn back around and face Gideon.

Turning as fast as you could, but what seemed so slowly, like you were moving through water, you saw the Moff pull a blaster and fire off a few shots at Bo-Katan, bolts of light ricocheting off her beskar left and right before she fell to the ground.

Reaching out, you sensed she wasn’t injured, so you kept eyes on the Moff, everything slowing down further as he turned to take aim at Grogu. 

But this time it was different. While everything else slowed, it was like you were moving incredibly fast.

You could sense the intent of the others before they acted, so you knew Din was going to dive in front of the kid to block the bolts with his armor, Cara was going to disarm him, and Fennec would make sure he didn’t move with the end of her blaster aimed strategically at him.

The scene resumed normal speed to your mind, everyone playing their part to a T. Din slid in front of the kid, shots bouncing off his armor, and every set of eyes on the deck was aimed at the Moff as he froze, blaster still pointed toward Din.

“Drop it!” Fennec barked, her rifle whirring to life as she took aim, Koska and Cara following suit.

After a quick glance around, Gideon pushed the barrel of the blaster up under his chin.

“Oh no you don’t,” you muttered, starting forward.

But before he could pull the trigger, Cara had knocked it out of his hands with the butt of her rifle, then whacked him in the face for good measure.

Moving faster than the air around you, you were at his side, towering over him with your saber drawn. Tip of the blade at his throat in seconds, you let out a long breath as all the voices and hums silenced themselves at once.

“Did you account for three?”

As soon as you ignited the blade, all the chitter and humming stopped. The quiet drone of the ship flying through space and the beep of consoles sounded so much louder than before as you focused on the tight expression of the Moff.

Gideon glanced at you down the length of the blade, fear in his eyes, but also something cocky. “Just as I thought,” he mumbled.

Before you could ask what in the hell he meant, the kid cooed near the screen displaying the rogue Jedi clearing out the ship, pulling your attention away for just a moment. It was such a relief to have him back in your line of sight again, you almost forgot about the villain at your feet. Almost.

Gideon continued to stare at you, the smirk on his face crawling ever higher, while the amusement in his eyes unnerved you.

“What?” You muttered lowly, trying not to draw the attention of everyone in the party to what felt like a private conversation.

The smirk melted into a broad grin, which in turn pulled your brows further together in question.

“Nothing. I’ve just had a realization, is all,” the Moff mused. “When all of this is over, and the dark troopers have left me the only one standing…. Perhaps I can be convinced to include you in the deal, as well.”

Your eyes narrowed to slits, the end of your saber getting just enough closer to his skin that any facial hairs would shrivel away from the heat. It followed him up as Gideon got back to his feet with a groan, Din stepping in to make sure the binders around his wrists were fastened extra tight. 

“You still think this is going to go your way?” Grip adjusting on the hilt of your saber, fingers stretching then tightening into a sturdier hold, you grinned as the Moff glanced down at the purple blade and swallowed tightly.  Letting out a huff of air, you held his gaze once it pulled back up to yours. “Fine. I’ll play. And why would I want that?”

Despite his nerves, his grin took a wicked turn. “You seem the type to be on the winning side.”

In a matter of moments you’d disengaged your saber, and closed the few steps left between you. A quick jab of your elbow to his chest knocked the wind out of him, then you flipped it in your hand to jam the butt of the hilt against Gideon’s temple, knocking him to the ground; the toe of your boot landed a swift kick near his spine, squarely to his left kidney to keep him down as he tried to scramble back up.

“You’re right,” you said plainly, looking down at him as the rest of the deck looked on in silence. “I am on the winning side.” Leaning down closer toward his face, you enjoyed how he shrunk away slightly. “It’s just not yours.”

“Don’t be so sure about that,” he grumbled, trying to get back upright. Struggling with his bound hands, his cape twisted over his shoulder obstructed his view, which only got worse as he tried to bat it away with his joined palms. The press of Fennec’s rifle into his spine made him still, his eyes fluttering shut as he let out a defeated huff through his nose.

You stayed close to his face, a smug smile turning up your features. “Jokes on you, Moff. I’m not sure of anything.”

Din sighed heavily off to your left, and you could just make out his head shaking in your peripherals, hand cradling his forehead as it continued to rock back and forth.

“Well I am,” Cara said calmly. “And we’re all gonna die if we don’t come up with a plan to fight these walking gear boxes.”

“We don’t need a plan, Cara. It’s being taken care of.” You pointed to the screen.

“One X-wing?” She scoffed. “You’ll forgive me if I have trouble believing that.” Her weight shifted to one side. “We need any ideas to beat these-”

“You can’t,” Gideon laughed. He turned to the side and spit out a mouthful of blood from when Cara had bashed him with her rifle. When he smiled, his teeth were covered in streaks of red, making his threat all the more menacing. He turned to look at Din pointedly. “You had your hands full with one…. Let’s see how you do against a platoon.”

You’d never seen Mandalorians look uneasy, but as you glanced around the deck, every set of beskar was shifting their weight side to side uncomfortably, sharing looks you didn’t like the sound of.

Turning back toward the screen, a sneer started up your face. “Sorry to burst your bubble, Moff, but it looks like you’re a few droids short of a platoon.”

Gideon was suddenly at your ear, but still on the floor at your feet. His words mumbled into his shoulder somehow reached you as if he was right next to you. “I’m trying not to take this personally, girl, but you need to make a choice. All of your friends are about to die. You can either join them, or join me. The kid and yourself would be safe…. Well looked after. I’d just…. Need a small donation of blood from time to time.”

Your eyes widened as you looked down at him. Meeting his gaze, he smirked.

“In the scheme of things, it’s a small price to pay.”

You jerked him up with an unseen force, holding him nearly nose to nose as you gripped your hands in the front of his cape to pull him down to your eye level. Every blaster in the room whirled to aim at the two of you, the whirr of charging mechanics filling the bridge. “The only price I’m willing to pay, Moff, is you at the end of a rope.” 

The man only blinked at you. You saw red.

Your hands clenched his cape so tightly you were surprised you didn’t hear the sound of stitches ripping under the pressure. Tugging him further down, you made him meet you eye to eye. “Now leave my friends and my family alone, you ass.” With a good shove, you pushed him backwards into Cara’s waiting grasp. “Usen'ye, shabuir.” (“Go away, fucker.”)

“The Mando’a language always fascinated me,” he mused, holding your gaze as he taunted. “So many words for such a stoic people. Too bad it’s dying out just like its speakers….”

You were closing the distance between you in an instant. “Ib'tuur jatne tuur gar kyr'amur.” (“Today is a good day for you to die.”)

Din stepped forward, catching your arm with his hand and stopped you short.

Gideon was grinning like a fool. “That’s not a good way to treat someone offering you an out….”

“You’re not offering me an out. You’re offering me a prison.”

“I’m offering you a way to walk off of this ship.”

Wrestling your arm free from Din’s hold - it wasn’t hard, he didn’t put up much resistance - you closed the final step between Gideon and yourself, toe to toe with him in an instant. Without hesitation you dropped to your haunches, extending one leg and spun. Swiping your leg under his, you dropped him back down to the floor with a thump.

Back on your feet faster than anyone could blink, you stared down at the floundering Imperial. “Sorry. Can’t offer you the same courtesy.” You shrugged. “Ni'duraa.” (“I look down on you.”)

Gideon huffed through his nose in annoyance, glaring up at you, but his voice remained calm, and somehow that was worse. “There was a time there was honor among Jedi.” He rolled from his side onto his back, propped up on his elbows.

“I am no Jedi.”

He nodded once, eyes staring across the bridge in thought. “And what of the Mandalorian Creed, where is your honor from that?” Gideons eyes landed back on yours, something in them sparking like he thought he’d won. Like a tooka with a scurrier.

“I am not Mandalorian.”

The Moff’s face crumpled in frustration, and he let out a huff. “Then what-”

You’d had enough. Taking a step closer so the tips of your boots touched the soles of his, you straightened your spine as you glowered down at him. You felt all the other bodies in the room shifting closer to you, whether for support or back up, you didn’t know, but it was appreciated all the same. Closest on your left was Din, the glint of beskar coming into your peripheral and causing the side of your mouth to twitch up. He was just close enough that his upper arm brushed yours. And you knew it was his way of saying “I’m here” without having to say a word.

“No matter what I am, you do not deserve my honor, Gideon. You deserve less than my absolute worst. You tried to destroy my home. You tried to tear apart my family and took my son. You’ve had a bounty on my head for months, and tried to get me killed time and time again. Not to mention whatever sick and twisted things happened in that base back on Nevarro…. I could go on, but you’re not worth the air it’d take to say it all. You deserve less. Less than the least I can give.”

Gideon smirked. “Passionate words for someone proclaiming to care so little.”

This time you smirked, and it made his falter. “That’s the problem. I care too much. But you don’t deserve any of it. I won’t let you. You’ve stolen enough from me. That ends now.”

“And she’s a bartender,” Fennec leaned in to say. “That above all is what matters most in my book.”

Turning your gaze up to look at your friend, brows arched as you shook your head good naturedly, you let your weight shift to one side. “You just want that drink I owe you.”

She shrugged, a smirk working its way up her face now. It seemed to be contagious. “Wouldn’t say no….”

Grogu cooed, resting his hand on the screen as the Jedi waded through the dark troopers as if they were nothing. Quietly moving to stand behind him, you placed your hand on his back gently, rubbing it in soothing circles as you lowered to your haunches to be on his level. “Yeah. I know. I feel it too, kid.”

Din was perched on one knee in front of the console, just to your left. When he spoke, his voice was low, almost sad. “Is it….”

You nodded, eyes never leaving the child. “One of the good ones, Din.”

He hesitated, his head tilting to the side as he looked at his ward. “So Grogu would be safe?”

The quiet warble in his voice pulled your gaze to his visor briefly, but just like always, the hard steel gave nothing away he didn’t want it to.

You looked back at the kid, hand coming up to rub the back of his tiny head. “He’d be with his own kind.” Bringing your hand back down to rest on his small back, you resumed the soothing circles before you stilled, staring at the screen. 

You were looking at the one who would take the kid away from you. After everything you’d just done to get him back. He was here. In your hands, your clan was complete and now it was about to be…. He was going to….

After your thumb traced absent patterns against his tiny, scratchy robes, you let your hand fall back to your lap, clutched tightly in your other.

Din’s visor turned back to you. “That’s not what I asked.” He sounded like he understood, but he also sounded confused, which made you smile softly. That was normal for this subject matter. 

Keeping your eyes on Grogu, you nodded once again, your voice every bit as soft as Din’s had been. “He’d finally get the training he needs. That he deserves.”

Din sighed heavily, his weight shifting slightly. “Mesh’la….” The one leg came up, and he rocked back on his heels so he was crouched beside you.

You continued. “Green sabers are consulars. They are wise. Think things through. This one should make a fine teacher if they adhere to any of the old ways-”

Din’s hand came to rest on yours still clutched tightly in your lap, his voice low in understanding. “Mesh’la, that’s not what I asked.”

Lifting your eyes from where they fell to study his hand on yours, you looked at Din as a sad smile twisted up the side of your face. “I know.” Swallowing roughly, you blinked back tears as you turned back to Grogu. The child was easier to face, yet your heart broke a little bit more each time you saw him. When you spoke again, your voice was barely more than a whisper. “But that’s the only answer I have to give.”

The Jedi was at the door now, taking out the last of the droids, while you and Din shared a long, loaded look over the top of Grogu’s head.

Once everything fell silent, Din turned his gaze down onto the child for a moment, his shoulders rising and falling with heavy breaths.

Din got to his feet, scooping up the kid, and turned toward the front of the bridge. “Open the doors.”

When no one moved, he strode calmly toward the entrance, setting Grogu down on the console you’d been sitting in front of when he’d come in. “I said, open the doors.”

Fennec slightly rolled her head in disbelief. “Are you crazy?”

Din pushed the proper button on the console, and the doors hissed open, revealing a shadowy figure in a cloud of smoke that had a green tint and the soft hum of a saber.

My dream…. You blinked rapidly as flashes of your dream on Boba’s ship replaced the scene in front of you, and they were so close it was hard to distinguish one from the other. It hadn’t been a dream. It was a vision. But then if…. The fight outside the cantina. That meant…. What else had you seen? As the saber disengaged you remembered in a flash reaching for the shadow of the child and he had turned to smoke through your fingers. Gone.

Turning to look at Grogu, you knew where this was going, and your gut sank down to the lower decks below your feet. You knew from the moment you saw the X-wing, if you were being honest, had felt it like the kid had, but…. You could hope, couldn’t you?

The figure emerged from the smoke, tossing their hood back, and suddenly having a form instead of a shadow made this all too real.

You’d just gotten him back.

And now he was about to leave again.

This wasn’t fair.

The hood now pulled back, you saw a young man about your age, blonde somewhat unkempt hair, and kind eyes that seemed to see right through you. It was hard to tell, but the longer you stared, it seemed like he had scars on his face, and curiosity from your days behind the bar nearly got the better of you to ask where they came from. His entire aura was kind and peaceful, a good match for Grogu, but something underneath hinted at something…. haunted. He was plagued by something bigger than him, something he could never shake…. But it seemed to have made him stronger.

Din stepped forward. “Are you a Jedi?” You couldn’t blame him. He’d defaulted into protective father mode. He was just making sure the child would be safe. 

“I am.” The Jedi extended a hand toward Grogu as he peeked around the chair in front of the console Din had set him on. “Come, little one.”

Din hesitated. “He doesn’t want to go with you.” He almost sounded hopeful, and that was nearly as heartbreaking as what you knew was coming.

“He wants your permission,” the Jedi corrected softly. “He is strong with the Force, but talent without training is nothing. I will give my life to protect the child…. but he will not be safe until he masters his abilities.”

Din turned to look at you over his shoulder, and it was all you could do to nod in confirmation. He turned back toward Grogu and went to get him out of the chair.

While Din stooped to pick up the child, suddenly a voice filled your mind. “And what about you, young one? Are you not coming, too?” Lifting your eyes to meet the Jedi’s you saw him focusing on the man in beskar and his tiny ward, only shooting you a fleeting glance before looking away yet again. “I sensed another. I know it’s you. You’re strong with the ways of the Force, like your little friend here. But I also sense much fear, much turmoil in you…. Without training, that will only fester and grow into something I fear you will not be able to contain.”

Shaking your head almost imperceptibly, you reached out into his mind, smiling softly in satisfaction when his eyes met yours briefly in surprise. “Thank you for your concern, Master, but I’ve made it this far on my own. The Force hasn’t abandoned me yet.”

Making your way over to stand at Din’s side, one hand resting on his pauldron to stabilize yourself, you smiled down at Grogu softly. Glancing at the Jedi out of the corner of your eye, you saw him looking at you.

The Jedi returned the smile. “Call me Luke. And it isn’t fear of abandonment that concerns me. It’s the opposite, actually. I fear it will overwhelm you, twist you into something you hardly recognize.”

Din held Grogu in front of him so that they were able to look at one another. His voice was soft and heavily affected, but you could tell he was trying to be strong. “Hey, go on. That’s who you belong with. He’s one of your kind.”

Glancing up at Din, you smiled softly before it quickly melted back towards a frown, your eyes falling back onto the child.

“I’ll see you again.” His voice was broken. “I promise.”

The kid reached up, placing his hand on the right side of Din’s helmet as he blinked his big eyes slowly. You had to look down at the ground to collect yourself. It was easy to forget Grogu was actually older than everyone on this ship until he did something like this, and let a little bit of that wisdom of his years shine through in his eyes. He may not be able to speak yet, but his eyes spoke volumes.

As he looked at Din, words surrounded you.

I see you. I know you. I love you. Thank you. I’m going to be okay. You’re going to be okay. Take care of each other. And something along the lines of Don’t forget to tell Peli I’ll miss her.

You opened your mouth to tell Din everything the kid was saying, but Grogu must have done you one better and passed it on to you both, because after a moment of stuttered breathing, Din reached up and removed his helmet.

Mouth snapping shut, your eyes immediately fell to his chest plate, wide before you blinked back tears. Then they returned to Grogu, a sense of calm washing over you once again.

You kept your eyes on the kid, not daring to look up at Din’s face, his cape clutched tightly in your right hand as your left cradled Grogu’s back. “As long as I have this, I’m not too worried about that.”

“That’s what worries me.” Your eyes pulled to Luke’s in question. “Things change.”

Eyes back on the child, you smiled as he peered up at you with a soft coo. “Some don’t.”

Grogu reached out toward the Mandalorian once again, his small hand touching the side of his cheek that no longer bore a helmet.

While you wouldn’t pull your eyes up to see the look on Din’s face, you felt everything you needed to. The room surged with love and calm, peace…. But also a great deal of sadness and longing. The mix was coming from both of them.

This was exactly what the kid needed, but that didn’t mean it hurt any less. Din called him his son around you once or twice, as did you, but you knew deep down he struggled with the technicalities of that relationship. Their bond was something deeper, more than just father and son, and he knew that. But Din was nowhere close to admitting that yet, and you couldn’t tell if it was that that hurt him more, or the impending absence of the child.

Either way, it swelled low in his gut, simmering in the background as he put on a brave face for his tiny ward.

“All right, pal. It’s time to go.” Grogu whined softly, his ears drooping down toward his shoulders as he peered up at Din. “Don’t be afraid.”

You felt Din’s eyes land on you, the child’s following shortly after. As you peered down into his big wide eyes, tears began to brim in your own. Reaching out and tracing the line of his ear with your finger, pinching the end lightly when you got there, you brought your finger to his small clawed hand, smiling and letting out a breath when he grasped it tightly. With a shaky inhale, you repeated the words you’d said when you thought he was staying with Ahsoka, your voice barely more than a whisper. “I would run for my life a thousand times over if it meant I got to know you again.”

Din lowered to his haunches, setting Grogu on the floor before rising back to his full height. You half expected to see him jerk his head toward the Jedi to motion the kid across, but he just looked at Luke, then down at Grogu, his head tilting slightly as the child clung to his boot and gazed up at him. 

It was a wonder you saw anything as he moved in your peripherals, tears blurring your vision as you stared down at the kid. 

Grogu’s soft babbles filled the cabin, making your heart hurt just as much as the Mandalorian’s responding silence.

The beeps of an astromech droid came from behind the Jedi, pulling Grogu’s attention away from his caretaker, and you let out a soft breath in relief. Din’s hand found its way into your left hand, clutching it tightly while your right still grasped at his cape to keep you upright.

“Last chance, young one,” Luke’s voice drifted into your mind once again. Looking at him, he didn’t even look at you, he watched Grogu and the droid, nodding to the Mandalorian after a moment. Once Grogu ambled over toward the Droid who bleeped and blooped at him, Luke stooped down to pick up the child, lifting back to his full height. Finally, he met your gaze.

“My answer is the same.” You squeezed Din’s hand.

Standing beside him, just slightly behind, you clutched his cape tightly in your hand to ground yourself. His hair in your peripherals was dark, curly, a mess atop his head you wanted to reach up and shuffle into submission.

You kept your eyes straight ahead on the kid in the arms of the Jedi, not allowing yourself to be the reason he broke his Creed. Technically he’d already broken it, removing his helmet for Grogu, but that didn’t mean anyone else could just walk up and stare. No matter how badly you wanted to.

He turned his head just slightly and you saw the dusting of facial hair out of the corner of your eye, grays mixed in with the dark. It suited him.

“Be careful, then.” Your eyes flicked back up to meet Luke’s as he continued. “Be mindful. I fear for the turmoil I see twisting away in you….”

With a small nod of his head, Luke held Din’s gaze once again. “May the Force be with you.” The Jedi’s eyes fell to yours briefly before landing back on the child. “Beware your attachments, young one. They can be your downfall. Even the best Jedi have fallen because of them.”

“You sound like a friend of mine….”

He turned to walk away with Grogu, but not before you caught the smirk starting up his face. “They sound wise.”

“She is. A Jedi herself, actually. Or used to be. Ahsoka Tano, taught me how to jump-” You shook your head. “It’s not important.” You huffed, shaking your head again when you saw Din turn to look at you out of the corner of your eye. “I meant she talks in riddles.” 

“Every great Jedi does.”

“So I’m learning.” You grinned. Looking into Grogu’s eyes one more time as you waited for the door to close, you winked at him, a soft grin pulling up your face. “Goodbye, kid. Don’t eat all the frogs.” He blinked at you with a gentle huff. “Be good.”

You could swear he smiled gently as he tilted his head to the side. He knew what you meant. Be good, yes, don’t cause trouble, but also be good, do your best. Show them what you’ve got.

Images of that first dream the two of you shared flashed through your mind. In the Temple where you covered him, your shadow giving him hope in a dark time, the vision giving you hope on your own difficult days.

“Kar'taylir darasuum. I’ll always love you. I have since before we met, ad’ika.” (“To know in the heart forever.”)

Din lifted his chin in acknowledgment toward the child, the motion blurring in your peripherals through unshed tears right before the elevator slid closed.

You hesitated, taking in a sharp breath before whispering one last word through the Force. “Goodbye.”

As the elevator at the end of the hallway closed, shutting off the last chapter of his story, Din let out a sigh.

Repeating your words from earlier when you first sensed Grogu on the cruiser, they now felt hollow somewhere deep in your chest as you sensed him drifting further away. “He’s going to be okay.” Silence hung heavy in the air, filling the void in your heart with cold, vacant fingers that gripped it tight. “We’re going to be okay.”

Din nodded once, the motion stilted in your peripherals, his voice quiet. “I know.”

Darting your eyes down to his helmet on the floor, you bent down and picked it up, gripping the cool beskar tightly as you stared down at it, careful to not look at his reflection on its shiny surface as he turned toward you.

The rest of the party shuffled out of the bridge, Cara dragging a mumbling Gideon with her. You tried to look at him, but Din’s hand on your chin pulled you back toward him before you could. Swallowing roughly, you stared at his chest piece, blinking once, twice before Bo-Katan’s voice made you let go of a breath you didn’t realize you were holding.

“I’ve programmed the ship to land on- Well, that’s not important. Our temporary base of operations until we take back Mandalore. Things are about to change now that you have the Darksaber. We….” She sighed. “We should talk.” After a moment of silence, she started walking out of the room. “We’ll be back on the transport. Meet us there when you’re ready to head…. Wherever it is you’re headed.”

The door slid closed after her, leaving the two of you alone in the bridge, surrounded by silence, aside from a few beeping panels as the ship slipped through space.

You could feel Din’s eyes on you, his hand still gently under your chin as he tried to tip your head back to look up at him.

Shutting your eyes quickly as he angled your head back, you kept them closed tightly, extending his helmet toward him. “Here.”

The weight of the helmet was removed from your hands wordlessly, before you heard the thud of it resting on the floor again, your eyebrow cocking in question. 

Your breath caught in your chest when his own warm breaths fanned across your face, dangerously close to where you’d thought about him being too many times. Out of instinct your hands wound up into his cowl to pull him the last few inches closer until you were basically one being, every bit of him a part of every bit of you.

Continuing up around his neck, your hands tentatively curled up into his hair, threading through the mess and earning a heavy sigh against your face, his forehead falling against yours softly.

Unable to help yourself, your hands continued exploring, pulling forward onto his face, mapping his features under your fingertips. Holding his cheeks in your hands, you smiled, a soft laugh of relief breaking through before suddenly the distance disappeared and his lips were on yours.

It was tentative and chaste, every bit what a first kiss usually is, but conveyed so much more than you expected, making your breath stop altogether. 

Pulling apart tentatively, lips still ghosting over one another’s, something passed in the silence, an unspoken understanding, before you both surged forward into a deeper kiss, letting it say everything that needed to be said. Everything that was being felt, every burden and elation. The sadness and relief. The complete and utter peace. It was consuming and yet not enough all at once.

Separating just enough to keep your foreheads joined, you took a deep, shaking breath, swallowing roughly as you kept your eyes closed tight, a smile beginning to twist its way back up your face. Still cradling his cheeks, his hands on your hips kept you held close, his thumbs tracing lazily back and forth.

He speaks, and your world stops. Your breathing turns rapid, your heart is about to climb out of your chest, and your stomach twists in some weightless way.

“Open your eyes, mesh’la.”

You’d heard his voice unmodulated many times, but for some reason, this time it caught you off guard, and you couldn’t find the words to respond. 

You pulled away just a bit, mouth opening and closing but nothing came out. Your eyebrows narrowed in confusion, eyes still tightly closed.

Din reached up and put his gloved hands over yours on his face gently, pressing them down, threading his fingers through yours and clutching them tightly, the leather of his gloves creaking as he did. He spoke quietly, his voice nearly a whisper as he said it again, almost pleadingly.

“Open your eyes.”

Xxx

Tags to come!

[cobbssecondbelt]

Something that made season 3 feel odd for me was the lack of tension. Which is ironic, as this season had a much bigger scope than the previous two, and I don't know if it was the writing, but... I didn't feel any ''big'' moment. Every time it was building to something intense, it was cut off by something. The whole darksaber arc that was pointless, simply resolved by a -pretty simplistic- loophole. Bo and Din suddenly having no conflict at all. My best example for this is in the finale. The personal stakes were at the highest, with Din being captured, and we had all spent two weeks stressing over what was gonna happen to him, what Gideon wanted out of him, how he could use him. And then- Din simply escapes. Within the first 5 minutes. Problem aborted. Then they stumble upon the clones' room- and just sabotage it by pressing a button and running away. Meanwhile Woves is about to sacrifice himself to save the- ah wait no he'll just jump through the window, he's fiiiiiiine. THEN the amazing fight between Din and Gideon, where I was so invested, more than in any other episode so far. The tension was through the roof, the emotions exquisite, not knowing what was going to happen. I remember seeing Gideon yanking Din by his helmet and thinking This is it. This is the moment. Bracing myself for the best heart-wrenching scene aaaaaaand there goes Bo-Katan interrupting the whole thing. Dead in water. Which was so frustrating, because she deserved her duel against Gideon, it was legitimate for her arc, but SO badly timed.

A story doesn't need to make you bawl to be good. Obviously. But for a show that is usually so good at painting and playing with emotions, I was surprised by how little there was in season 3. It's like they prioritized spectacle over what made us love the show to begin with: heart.

But the fact is, what is the scene everybody remembers most and forever? It's not a grand battle. It's not explosions and blaster bolts. It's the quiet removal of a helmet for a little green child.

[omgahgase]

always you - dinluke

cross posted on ao3 already, can be found here. i'm still really tired and still really emotional about finishing a fic after everythings that happened, so go easy on me and give me head pats bc, honestly? i kinda deserve it.

fic is under the cut!

Din has a scar. He has a lot, actually, littered across the length of his body in blaster bullet shapes and knife-sharp lines. Some of them even have razor-teeth patterns that Luke immediately latches onto with the same hungry intensity, salivating for a story only Din can tell.

This scar, however, is small. It’s right on the bridge of his nose, laid jagged across haphazardly repaired skin in a tone just a shade too light. It’s a few scants below his eyes, lined up perfectly to his crows' feet, crooked in that intimate way Luke knows resulted in a broken nose. Luke knows this—he knows this better than he knows his own scars because Din’s scar is barely noticeable and it’s sorta adorable and because it’s Din’s.

Luke can retain light years' worth of knowledge on Din. Because, when allowed to learn everything there is to know about a person in all their entirety, on someone he loves and who loves him back just as hard, it’s a pretty easy decision to make.

Luke knows Din has a nose scar because he kisses it every morning when they wake up tangled in each other’s arms and tied to the hips by sheets. Luke brushes a feather-light thumb over the slightly raised skin any time he cups Din’s face and is reminded what it means to hold his world in the palm of his hands, a sweet caress followed by an even sweeter, longer kiss. And Luke stares at it. He looks and stares and admires how such a small, almost invisible piece of someone’s past could capture his attention for unimaginable amounts of time. How Luke—prompted with the almost unfairly handsome face that is his husband, his Earth-rich brown eyes and bed-tousled hair, his smile that makes Luke feel like a star erupted somewhere out there in the universe—could whisk past all the features that make him jelly-legged and punch-happy giddy in favor of staring doe-eyed at a tiny, barely there, blemish of skin.

Over the years, Luke has come up with a few conclusions.

The first one is this: because even if Din doesn’t wear his helmet at home anymore, now well past the few years of dating and blindfolds and eyes screwed shut so tight Luke used to give himself vision blobs of varying degrees, each time Luke looks up and sees Din’s nose scar first, then the rest of his face second, he feels as if he’s taken back to Gideon’s cruiser, laying eyes on the Mandalorian for the first time all over again and zeroing in on that rough, sinewy, line of skin. Even from well over ten feet away, Luke could see it, he stared at it for a moment too long for he’s always one to notice the small things of a person first before realizing the tiny green sentient in the man’s arms was the spitting image of one of his late masters. Thinking back on it, Luke probably should’ve opened his horizons on that one instead of gawking at the gorgeous, crying man saying goodbye to his son.

Luke’s second conclusion is less winded and lacking waxed poetry, providing a more sensible idea as to why he’s constantly transfixed to Din’s scar: it’s a part of Din and Grogu. It’s a remembrance of a time when they both decided that they’d do anything for the other, risking their lives for a chance to save one they love more so than their own.

And because of that, Luke loves them, so he loves Din’s nose scar just as much.

“You know,” Din begins, pulling Luke out of his mindless ramblings and back to Yavin where he started before Din unlocked a whirlwind of words, “you could also just say, ‘It’s cool.’ Saves you more energy.”

Luke nuzzles into Din’s hair, buries his nose into the familiar scent of beskar and berry shampoo, and scratches at his scalp with blunt nails. “Yeah, but where’s the fun in that? I can’t string lines of devoted poetry into a lame reason like that.”

“You could try.”

“It would suck.”

“I would still read it.”

Luke gives a disbelieving snort, only to have Din raise his head from Luke’s chest and look him dead in the eye. Luke has the urge to squirm away because it’s been nearly eleven years of marriage and fifteen of being together and he still can’t look at Din without blushing like a schoolboy with a playground crush. So he does the most reasonable thing that pops into his head.

He looks at Din’s scar like a marvel and cherishes it like a treasure. Which, to Luke, it is.

“I would,” Din repeats.

“Would what?” Luke asks, too busy tracing the outline of pale skin across a regal nose for the umpteenth time.

“Read your sucky poetry.”

Luke smiles, hugs Din a little harder, and tightens his thighs on either side of Din’s strong middle. His lips are on Din’s hairline when he says, “So you think my poetry is sucky.”

“Only because you said you’d write some.”

Luke hums and skims his lips over Din’s forehead. “Thank you.”

Din shifts, stretches his neck until he captures Luke's mouth with his own, and kisses him until Luke’s upper lip is rubbed raw by his mustache, stinging with that pleasant after-burn he only ever wants to feel from his husband.

“I also think it’s cool,” Luke adds when Din parts from his lips with one last fleeting kiss and returns to resting his head on Luke’s chest, ear pressed firmly above his heart. “I think all of your scars are cool.”

“But you’re obsessed with this one.”

“For obvious reasons.”

Din chuckles, the deep rumble reverberating so far behind Luke’s ribs he can feel the sound pulsate in every active artery and blood cell in his veins.

“I can list them for you again if you’d like.”

Din doesn’t move, which makes Luke assume he’s contemplating his response, then he pulls the blanket that’s fallen loose around his bare waist up to his shoulders and wraps his arms back around Luke like they never left. His answer, despite being devoid of a verbal reply, is clear enough for Luke. Luke kisses the top of Din’s head again because he can, reverts to his earlier musings of running his fingers through Din’s hair, and melts into the couch once again, content to have this moment alone with his husband.

Training the next generation of Jedi can be exhausting, especially considering how Ben and Grogu still argue over petty squabbles at their grown ages of 70 and 21. And also because Rey and Finn are in their “rebellious years,” which just means they’d rather listen to Grogu and totally ignore Luke.

Which is fine, really. Luke is more than happy for his oldest to take his sister and her best friend to the other side of the planet for a cycle or two, and get some good training that doesn’t involve frog hunting or Force throwing Ben clear across a field. That local boy, Poe, the one that’s deathly attached himself to Rey and Finn, a problem Luke will most likely have to observe under a better lens’, will probably follow them, so that leaves Luke child-free until they and the rest of the padawans return from their monthly visitation with their families.

Luke is grateful for this break. He’s not as young as he used to be anymore, so any moment he can spare away from the kids is spent either sleeping or here, with Din. Wrapped up in each other’s arms on the couch, watching a stupidly cheesy Holomark movie about true love and a small town’s spirit to save the last remnants of what once was. Happy. Pleased to be able to have this. All of it, with Din.

As Luke rakes his fingers through Din’s hair, scratches at the salt and pepper curls resting just above his nape, and genuinely tries to enjoy the hilariously cringy film Din chose, mind you, he feels fingers slide down his side and dip under the hem of his shirt. Din’s hand doesn’t go below his hip, if anything, Din doesn’t seem aware of his actions until Luke starts giggling under his breath due to nimble fingers mapping out the branches of scars he knows are there. Luke makes it to the overly dramatic betrayal of the male lead and his plans to buy the last known family bakery in town before he has to squirm a little, trying to put distance between himself and Din’s curious fingers.

Din doesn’t like that, it seems, because Luke feels the downward pull of his frown. “Stop moving so much.”

“Stop tickling me.”

“Stop trying to get away.”

Luke barks out a laugh with a throw of his head, neck going long and feet kicking up in that way he thinks is weird but Din thinks is adorable.

“I like feeling them,” Din muses.

“Oh, yeah?” Luke retorts, wiggling when Din gets to a particularly sensitive spot near his ribs, below his pectoral, and down again to his navel. “What’s there to like about them?”

“A lot.”

“Care to share a few examples?”

“They’re pretty, for one.” Din punctuates his spoken fact with a quick kiss to Luke’s collarbone, right atop the most visible lines of lightning striking across the skin above his nightshirt.

Luke smiles, all goofy and giddy, feeling butterflies erupt in the center of his stomach. “You think all of me is pretty.”

Din looks up at him with dark, soulful eyes, lips still pressed to Luke’s chest when he says, “Of course I do.” He said it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, with a sureness that makes Luke believe him. “And because they’re yours. Because they prove that you’re still here.”

Luke arches just the slightest bit when Din’s fingers stake over to the small of his back, up up up until they reach his middle, and wide palms splay over thousands of branches that Din’s spent years memorizing, storing even the smallest offshoot into the deepest files of his brain.

“With you,” Luke says, breathy, almost in a whisper.

“With me,” Din confirms, moving until their noses slot together and their foreheads touch. “Always with me.”

Luke feels fingers dance across his back, feels the breadth of Din stretch himself across Luke so he can reach every scar he can and backtrack until he’s had his fill. Over shoulders and arms, the soft spots of elbows and the dip of Luke’s neck, the lean cut of his abdomen and the soft squish of his chest. Din goes until his hands have outlined and traced and mapped, until he’s touched every flaw of skin on Luke’s upper body like it’s his first time feeling them all over again.

Luke smiles to himself at this wonder, nuzzles closer so he can feel the phantom touch of Din’s scar brush over Luke’s nose.

“One more example?”

Din chuckles, and no matter how many times Luke’s heard it, it still sends his heart into a tizzy.

“Fishing for compliments, cyar’ika?”

Luke takes a fistful of Din’s hair and tugs, guiding him above his mouth. “Always, my love.”

Din shudders, which doesn’t go unnoticed, and drops a quick kiss on his lips before saying, “I love you.”

Luke kisses him back easily, naturally, like it’s the easiest task in the galaxy. Which, for them, it is.

“I love you too, Din.”

“No, cyar’ika,” he says, “I love your scars—all of them. Because they’re a part of you. So I love them. And you.” He kisses Luke again, says ‘always you’ between every pass of lips and tug of his hair.

When they separate, Luke feels dazed and kiss-drunk, but that’s normal for them, as normal as breathing. It’s simple science. The grass on Yavin is green. The sky above is blue. When Din kisses him, Luke feels as his entire world stops on its axis.

“You’re taking a page out of my award-winning poetry book, buddy. That’s plagiarism, a crime punishable by folding laundry for three days.” Luke nips Din’s lips, then flicks his tongue over the bite, soothes the skin before it gets redder than it already is.

Din growls and the sound zips through Luke like a livewire. “Just three days?”

“Keep stealing my flow and I’ll make it a week. It’s very rude to steal another man’s hard work—”

Din kisses him again as a sort of apology, or to make him shut up, but Luke accepts it nonetheless. He accepts all of it.

They stay like that until their lips forget how to move and the heat trapped between the two of them, the warm couch, and a fuzzy blanket is too much to bear. In one swift motion, Din tosses the blanket somewhere over his shoulder and drags Luke until they’re sitting upright with Luke in his husband’s lap and Din with a handful of Luke’s ass. Din claims it’s easier to talk to him like this. Luke thinks Din just can’t keep his hands to himself. Which he can’t. Fact-tested and proven.

Luke makes the best of it, however, by smoothing his palms up Din’s chest, over his shoulders to cup his face and place one last soft peck to the marred skin of his nose. Din leans into the touch like he does every time they find themselves like this, rumbling something deep in his chest that Luke always thinks is a purr. Or some sort of happy sound Din makes when he’s content and placid.

“I really do love your scar,” Luke says eventually. “It’s cool.”

Din scrunches in a way that reminds Luke of Grogu, big brown eyes and all. “Out of all the ones you could’ve chosen, why choose that one?”

Luke thinks for a moment, then, “That’s like asking why you chose me. Out of all the beings in the galaxy, why’d you choose me?”

“I didn’t choose you,” Din reasons easily, moving his hands so he can circle Luke’s hips, holding him there as if he thinks continuing the conversation might make him miraculously disappear. Like some sort of broken No Backsies promise. “I didn’t have a choice in who my heart chose to love. But if I did…”

Luke looks down at him, eyes swimming with something that makes Din’s own sparkle and shine brighter than a kyber crystal. “Always me?” Luke asks.

Din nods, holds him steady, holds him fast. “Always you.”

And Luke knows this. He knows a lot about Din. He knows about the small, faint scar across the bridge of his nose. He knows what Din’s lips feel like against his, soft and perfect and made for Luke to kiss as if he’s dying and Din’s his last lifeforce.

And Luke knows it’s Din. Always Din.

[flightlessangelwings]

Trust and Intuition Chapter 4- The Battle

Din Djarin x fem!reader (no use of y/n)

Word count- 3.8k

Warnings- action, canon typical violence, injury, near death, pining, feelings, light angst, protectiveness, happy ending

Notes- We’re at the final chapter of this little story! Thank you all so much to those who read, some for the first time some for the second! Sequels are planned for this story, but it might be a little while before I have time to write them. But thank you for the love on this series!! Enjoy!

To stay up to date on when I post, also follow my update blog and turn on post notifications @flightlessangelwings-updates​

~

The main doors of the grand palace swung open and you led the way down the winding hallways with the Mandalorian and Sion on either side of you. Over your shoulders, you wore a long and elegant cape that closed in the front with ornate buttons and you made yourself look more regal to look the part of a queen. You kept your face stoic, but underneath your facade, you were terrified. 

Sion counted the guards as the three of you walked by. “There’s more than we thought,” he said in a hushed tone. 

The worry was apparent in his voice, Mando heard it clear as day. He knew that feeling though; it was the same fear he held if anything were to happen to his little green child. It was the worry of a parent. But, Mando also was scared for you as well, something he and Sion had in common.

You swallowed hard, “We just have to hope the others can make it here in time.”

When the three of you reached the doors to the main throne room, the guards looked momentarily shocked; no one at the palace had heard any word from you for several days and some presumed you were dead. They quickly gathered themselves and opened the way for you before they followed close behind. You glanced quickly between your two allies before you stepped through the doorway.

“At least our distraction is working,” Din muttered to you, “All we have to do is hold out long enough for backup to come.”

“I have a bad feeling about this,” you whispered to yourself before you glanced over your shoulder at Din. Taking a deep breath, you led the two men into the throne room.

Vero sat on this elevated throne with two elite guards on either side of him. The rest of the large room was lined with about 20 stormtroopers and droids plus the two guards at the door. A wicked smile grew on his face as you approached him. “My queen has returned,” he rose to his feet as he announced your entrance to the room. 

You hid a scowl; you could almost taste the venom in his voice.

He continued, “But isn’t that the Mandalorian that broke into my prison and attacked my guards? And… A wanted rebellion leader?” Blasters pointed towards the three of you at his words. Sion and Mando immediately reached for their own blasters in response, but did not move to fire yet.

“Wait,” you mustered as much authority in your voice as you could, “These two are the ones responsible for bringing me back safe,” you raised your hands, “That isn’t the welcome they deserve for bringing your beloved queen back safely,” you sounded bitter as you looked around the room with a fierce look in your eyes, “I would say that earns a pardon from a grateful King.” Your gaze fell on the king as you waited for him to make his move.

Vero stared you down for a moment and he saw the same anger in your eyes as the last time he saw you in this room. “Of course, of course,” he finally said and motioned for everyone to lower their weapons. You could hear both Mando and Sion breathe a sigh of relief behind you, but this game wasn’t over yet. This was just the first round. All three of you remained tense.

“So tell me,” the king started as he took a step away from his throne towards you, “How did you find your way back home?”

He was baiting you, and you knew it, but all you had to do right now was kill some time until backup arrived. Before you could answer, you heard the Mandalorian’s voice behind you.

“I needed the fugitive to lead me to the queen,” he answered for you when he saw Vero start to get angry with your lack of response.

“It’s true my king,” you supported his lie, and the tension in the room was palpable. 

Vero squinted and thought for a moment before he spoke, “I’m happy to have you back my dear. It would be a tragedy to lose my beloved queen.”

“What about the other tragedies you allow to happen on this planet, my king?” you snarled the title at him as if it was an insult.

Vero scoffed, “There are no tragedies here… my queen,” his tone darkend.

“The disappearing children!” you lost your cool, “The troopers that you have on the planet now! This is not what Dria is about, Vero! And I should have done something about it a long time ago.”

Behind you, Sion whispered your name, worried that the situation would escalate. 

“Are you threatening me, my queen?” Vero sneered, “You know that I don’t tolerate threats… vigilante. Perhaps I need to teach you a lesson… Do something with you and your friends here like I did with the rest of the pitiful rebels.”

Shock completely took you over and your mouth dropped open at his confession. Angry tears formed in your eyes as Vero laughed at your pain. Before your brain could catch up to your muscles, you flung your cape back, pulled out your blaster and shot the king in the leg in one swift movement. With your cape now open, everyone in the room could now see that you hid the Mandalorian’s child strapped to your chest underneath. Mando took a step forward and grabbed your arm protectively as Sion raised his weapon and pointed it at the nearest group of enemies.

The guards and stormtroopers instantly raised their weapons and pointed at the three of you but did not fire yet. Vero hunched over in pain, but raised one of his hands, “Hold your fire,” he looked up at you and noticed the child, no longer hidden by your cape. His eyes widened, “The child,” he whispered to himself. “I know someone who is looking for you,” he addressed the baby before he gave orders to his subordinates, “Leave the queen and the baby to me. Kill the other two.”

Blasters started to fire on the three of you and Sion immediately started to fire back. Mando kept one hand on your arm still as he pulled his blaster out with the other and covered you and the child. “Get cover,” he ordered as he gave you a push. You wrapped your arms around the child as you ran over to one of the large columns and ducked behind it for cover. Once you had the child safe, you raised your own blaster and helped Mando and Sion take down the crowd of guards.

Sion made his way towards the entrance to take down the droids that guarded the room while Mando combatted the king’s guards. You focused your fire on the middle of the room to cover both of your friends. Mando wasted no time and went after Vero himself after he easily took down the royal guard. The king did not put up much of a fight since he was already injured from your shot at him, and the Mandalorian quickly took him down. He then turned his attention to the rest of the enemies in the room.

Back on the other side, more stormtroops started to pour into the room. Once you noticed, you focused your fire there to cover for Sion. However, you soon had to refocus on yourself as a handful of enemies closed in on you. You holstered your blaster in favor of your batons and fought them off in close combat. The child held on to the straps that held him to your body and watched without fear as you all battled. 

“We’re going to be too outnumbered soon!” Sion yelled over the fire as another wave of enemies ran into the room. You took a moment to think, and quickly came up with an idea. You just hoped it would work.

“Hey little guy,” you asked the child as you pulled your blaster back out, “You think you could get the door for us so we don’t get any more uninvited guests?” The child looked up at you with his big eyes before he focused on the large double doors. He raised his little arms and squinted his eyes as he called on his mysterious power to move the doors shut. You could feel the strain his body went through as he was able to push the heavy doors shut. “Thanks, buddy,” you said as you pat him on the head tenderly before you fired a few shots right in the chest of approaching stormtroopers.

The feeling of hope came over you as the tides seemed to have turned. Between Mando, Sion and you, the rest of the enemies started to fall. In your communicator, you could hear the sounds of another battle at the palace doors, and you knew that meant the rest of the resistance fighters found their way in and backup was on its way. You lifted your gaze and met Mando’s from across the room. He gave you a small nod and you smiled in response; you were so close, this was almost over. A shot in your direction made you duck behind a pillar for cover and the Mandalorian quickly took down the shooter.

As the last few enemies fell, you heard Din call your name. You stepped out from behind your nook, “We’re ok,” you were out of breath and your face and arms were bloody and sore, but otherwise you were unhurt. You glanced between him and Sion and you shared a smile with him as all three of you exhaled in relief. Your eyes shifted from him to the Mandalorian across the room and your gaze lingered on him for a few moments.

The sound of rustling at the door drew your attention and the three of you raised your weapons. Since he was the closest, Sion inched towards the door, but relaxed when he heard the sound of the other rebels voices on the other side. You and Din lowered your weapons as he opened the door to let your allies into the room. Smiles adorned everyone’s faces as they scanned the room of fallen Imperials. You turned to face Din again and gazed at him longingly, and you could guess by his body language that his expressions matched yours.

“We did it,” you breathed as you pat the child’s head. 

The sense of relief didn’t last long, though.

Movement from the throne caught your eye and you saw a severely injured Vero struggle to get up from the floor. He managed to push himself up enough to raise a blaster right at you. “I’ll take you both out here and now, bitch,” he cursed as he fired a precise shot right at your chest in an attempt to take out both you and the child. Mando’s shoulders and Sion’s face dropped as they both screamed your name and rushed over to you as fast as they could.

You had only milliseconds to react and you quickly wrapped your arms around the child and turned your back to Vero. The shot hit you right in your side and you felt searing pain as you fell to the floor. The only thing that registered in your head was the sound of Din screaming your name. 

In a panic, the Mandalorian rushed over to where you and the child fell. As he ran over, he shot Vero right between the eyes, which killed him instantly. “No, no, no, no,” panic laced his voice as he dropped to his knees right next to you.

Your chest barely moved as your breath became more and more shallow. The Mandalorian gently cradled your head and turned you so that you faced up. He then looked down at your midsection where you were hit. Blood oozed out of your side and he could tell the hit was painful… and fatal if nothing was done.

With a cough, you stirred slightly, which drew his attention back to your face. He gazed down at you as your eyes met his vizor. You smiled slightly before you opened your arms to let the child down onto the ground. The way you wrapped yourself around his tiny body saved him as he didn’t have a scratch on him.

“Told you I’d protect him,” your voice was weak but you tried to make yourself laugh through the pain. The child whimpered as he grabbed onto the fabric of Mando’s pants and looked up at him with worry. 

“I didn’t mean to sacrifice yourself either,” he choked as he traced his thumb across your cheek.

Breathing became harder for you, but you gathered your strength, “It’s ok Din,” you spoke slowly as you closed your eyes, “It’s ok.” You didn’t regret going up against Vero or using your body to shield the child. It meant that Dira and its people were now free. Your only regret was that you didn’t get more time with the Mandalorian. 

The rest of the resistance fighters stood silently near the doorway and watched helplessly. They had won this battle, but there was nothing any of them could do to help you. Sion stood in the front of the pack as they all watched solemnly as one of their own faded away before them. He saved off his own tears as best he could, but a few stubborn ones fell from his eyes as he watched the closest thing to his child fade away before him. And he was helpless to do anything to help you 

The child looked at you with sadness in his eyes before he let go of Mando and waddled over to you. He raised his little hand up to your wound and focused all his energy towards your body. The Mandalorian watched as the child pushed his body to the limits to heal your wound.

“Here,” he said to the child as he gave him his hand, “Take my strength.” 

He looked up at his caretaker for a moment before he wrapped his small hand around his finger. The child then turned his focus back to your wound and concentrated even harder than before. Mando could feel his strength drain as the child called upon it to revive you. But his pain didn’t matter, and he would give everything he had to save you. He couldn’t lose you. 

Mando could see the wound on your side close and the blood started to dry up. Once the child successfully healed you, he slumped down to his knees in exhaustion. The bounty hunter easily caught him and pulled him towards his body to keep him secure. Moments seemed to pass eternally slowly, and he held his breath in anticipation.

You lay still for a few moments before you took in a deep, gasping breath and opened your eyes. Mando could feel silent tears well up in his eyes as he watched you finally wake up. He let out a sigh of relief as he cradled your cheek. Your eyes wandered from the child next to you up to the helmeted figure over your body and you smiled softly.

“Hey kid,” you reached out to the child and gently touched his cheek affectionately before you turned your attention to the Mandalorian. “Din,” you whispered so softly that no one else could hear you speak his real name. As you gazed up at him, you could see his shoulders shake subtly. 

“You’re ok,” his voice sounded hoarse, but you could hear the relief in his words. He held onto you with one arm as his other held the child, and everything he could ever need in the entire galaxy lay safe in his embrace.

“They’re ok!” Sion cried out in relief. You could hear cheers behind the Mandalorian as the rest of your allies got the good news. Mando let out a soft laugh as he scooped the child into one of his arms and helped you up to your feet where Sion grabbed you in a tight embrace of relief. 

*

The sun shined bright on the palace and the air felt more fresh than it had in a long time. With the king dead, the rest of the empire loyalists scattered and were less of a threat now. The streets of Dria felt like it breathed a collective sigh of relief. The sun felt brighter, and the atmosphere felt as if a weight had been lifted off the people.  

But both you and he knew his time here was limited as he had his own mission, just as you had yours. You were grateful for his help beyond words, and it made your heart sink to think that his time here was at its end. He hid it well under his armor, but Mando felt the exact same way.

You led him towards the landing pad where his ship sat. With the child in his arms, he followed at your side and admired how you looked today. You were dressed more elegantly than Din had ever seen before, complete with a flowing cape and sparkling jewels. You truly looked the part of a queen, and Mando couldn’t help but stare when you weren’t looking. When you reached his ship, you stopped and turned to face him. You both knew this was goodbye, but you each seemed to want to drag it out as long as possible and you stood in a comfortable silence for a moment.

Sion came up behind him and cleared his throat, “I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for us, Mando,” he extended his hand, “You’re welcome here any time.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Sion,” Mando took his hand and shook it firmly.

“Now,” Sion’s face turned more serious, “You better come back… And I better not hear you break her heart,” he motioned to you. When Mando tilted his head, Sion clarified, “You’re a good man, Mando. But a father can always tell that look in his child’s eyes… Even if they’re not a child anymore.”

Mando nodded, “I understand.”

With a warm smile, Sion turned to leave, giving you and the Mandalorian some privacy for you goodbyes. 

You cleared your throat before you spoke, “I sent some old maps I could find from the royal archives to your ship so I hope they help,” you paused, “There was a recent rumor of a Mandalorian sheriff on Tattooine. That’s probably your best place to start.”

“Thank you,” he replied with a slight bow of his head. The child cooed as if he wanted to be a part of the conversation as well.

“Thank you Mando, for everything,” your voice broke a little as you were overcome with emotion, “And thank you for saving my life, little guy. I’ll miss you,” you stroked the child’s ear lovingly. He giggled at you as he wrapped his hand around your finger. “Here, take this,” you handed a necklace with a large coin embellished with your symbol to the child, who took it eagerly, “It could come in handy when you’re in a tight spot,” your eyes drifted back to the bounty hunter. “You’ll always have an ally here in Dria.”

Mando watched as the child playfully fiddled with the necklace before he met your gaze, “Thank you,” he paused, “Again,” his tone was light.

You beamed at him before your face dropped, “I wish I could ask you to stay,” you spoke softly as your hand lingered on his arm, “But I know that’s not fair of me to ask.” How cruel the Maker could be sometimes…

“And I know I can’t ask you to come with me,” he responded in a warm tone.

Your eyes lit up as you realized what his words meant. “Could I ask you to come back then?”

That made him laugh, “You can.” He then reached into his pocket and brandished a necklace of his own. It had an elongated skull on it, and you guessed it was something that was very meaningful to him. With one hand, he spread the necklace across his fingers and draped it over your head. “I’ll let you hang on to this until I come back,” he said as it dropped onto your chest.

You looked down and inspected the symbol on the necklace. You felt warmth on your skin as you examined the symbol. A smile graced your face as you fiddled with the necklace. But it only lasted a few moments before your face dropped as a thought weighed down on you. 

“Din, I…”

He cut off your thoughts with your name, “Wait,” he cupped your face with his hand and tilted your face to look at him, “Tell me when I come back.”

You only nodded in response. Mando gently pulled your head close to his and leaned into you. His helmeted forehead touched yours and you closed your eyes and rested your hands on his chest as you leaned into his embrace. You let out a heavy sigh as you lost yourself in the moment. In his embrace, you could feel his warmth and affection, and you had no doubt in your mind that you’ll see each other again.

When it was time to pull away, Din did so very reluctantly. He took a minute to study every inch of your face as he kept his hand on you; he did not want to break the connection quite yet. He could see the emotions in your eyes as you looked back at him, and you reached your hand out and softly touched his helmet. He trusted your touch and did not flinch. The child cooed in his arms, and you giggled in response.

With a deep breath, Mando finally pulled back, and with a small bow, he turned and boarded his ship. The child gurgled and tilted his head as if to question why you didn’t follow. “We’ll see her again,” he promised the child as he patted the top of his head. 

As he made his way towards the cockpit, Din noticed something. On the weapon rack, there were more weapons than he had before. He stared for a moment as he counted his weapons in his head, and then he realized that right in the middle lay your batons. He let out a short laugh as he felt his skin warm. He looked down at the child again, “We will definitely see her again,” this time he sounded more cheerful. The child cooed happily as Din moved them into the cockpit and took off.

The rush of air lifted your cape and made it flutter as you watched the man who held your heart fly off into the stars. 

[wannab-urs]

Pedro Pascal Character Fanfiction Recs | Vol 35

AO3 | Kofi | Main Masterlist | The Spreadsheet Masterlist

Howdy folks!

Welcome to the Spreadsheet Digest, my weekly(ish) fic rec post. This is everything I read in the last two weeks. Good mix of the boys this week, though I'm still on my trend of not reading that much.

All info provided by the author unless it was blank, in which case I filled it in.

Fic Recs Below!

A Shade That's New

Din series by FallenFern (AO3)

After Mando and Grogu part he goes back to bounty hunting. But its not enough. Desperate to feel again Mando accepts a more dangerous line of work. He joins your small crew on a new job, putting you in close proximity whether you like it or not. Wary of anyone, especially Mandalorians, you try to keep him at arm's length. After all, anyone and everyone could be an enemy and you were going to treat him like one.Yeah, thats lasts long…

OFC!Shade, described as smaller than Mando, curly or wavy hair, able bodied, can blush/flush, Alternating 2nd Person POV. Smut, making shit up, not canon, after grogu and AU, emotional pain, plot with porn, enemies to lovers, slow burn, trauma, sexual tension, action and romance, blood and injury, blood kink, the helmet stays on, but it also comes off, blindfold, light bondage, sexual assualt, threats of rape (not by Mando), praise kink, begging, semi public sex, blaster kink, cock warming, daddy mando, oral sex (f and m receiving), smut marathon, I’ll kill anyone that touches you trope, demanding mando, comfort sex, minor character death, betrayal, mando to the rescue, revenge, reunion sex, say my name trope, edge play, rough sex, throat grabbing but not exactly choking

Repent Your Sins

Din one shot by @beskarandblasters

Ever since the Mandalorians reclaimed Mandalore, you’ve been apathetic about moving there. To top it all off, your mom got remarried. Your new stepdad, Din, suggests visiting the Living Waters to feel more connected to the creed. When you’re finally alone, pent up feelings come to the surface, leaving you to ask yourself— Are you really about to fuck your stepdad?

canon divergent, post season 3 finale, reader is able-bodied, stepcest, fingering, semi public sex, vaginal sex, unprotected sex, creampie, pet names (cyar’ika, mesh’la), light angst, Din’s a little creepy in this lmao, no use of y/n

His Living Fleshlight

Din one shot by @beskarandblasters

You catch Din masturbating in the cockpit of the Razor Crest and end up becoming his personal fuck toy.

reader is able-bodied, long live the Razor Crest, no Grogu, established relationship, masturbation, vaginal sex, creampie, Din can pick reader up, crying during sex, pet names (cyar’ika, good girl), no use of y/n

Ezra's Journal Entries

Ezra series by @littlemisspascal

This journal’s as good a place as any to admit the honest truth. So here it is: I wish with the entirety of my bloody, beating heart I could be the man you deserve, little love of mine. — Ezra recovers after the events of the film with the aid of a journal and the love of his life.

angsty fluff, Ezra’s dealing with the aftermath of the Green, language, 1st person POV (Ezra), dialogue in italics, angsty fluff, night terrors, PTSD, Ezra dealing with the aftermath of the Green, language, overuse of space metaphors, grief/dealing with loss of a sibling, mild reference of past injury, Part 11 could be read as suicidal ideation so please skip/be warned of that segment due to possible triggers

Tick

Frankie one shot by @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin

Your husband hasn't come home after a night of drinking yet again. You wait up for him and contemplate the years and events leading up to this moment.

reader is able-bodied and has a child, though no mention of giving birth to it. I am choosing not to tag everything so as to avoid spoilers. There are heavy themes here: drug and alcohol abuse, implied smuts, implied PTSD and some of the things that go along with that.

midnight strikes, where is my prince

Frankie one shot by @undercoverpena

he had been your neighbour. a man you'd stare at through blinds when he’d been on the front lawn. a man you’re now staring at through splintered shards of your mirror—because he saved you.

ANGST 😂. there’s mentions of a break-in. frankie is there and he has a gun, so you know we’re okay. angst. inspired by a scene from scandal-if you know, you know

Relájate, hermosa

Javi P one shot by @beskarandblasters

On the night of your birthday, Javi has a special surprise for you.

reader is able-bodied, established relationship, oral sex (f receiving), fingering, restraints, pet names (hermosa), Spanish dirty talk (translations included at the end), no use of y/n

amateur

Joel one shot by @ezrasbirdie

After a breakup, Joel invites you over to watch a football game and you arrive a little earlier than he expects. Or: Joel gets caught watching porn.

smut, fluff, age gap (reader is 24, Joel is 40), dad's best friend, a sprinkle of daddy kink, dry humping, male masturbation, Joel indulges in Internet pornography, reader wears a skirt, reader calls him Mr. Miller, use of baby girl, Joel is confused about the Internet, a smidgen of insecurity, soft Joel, bossy Joel, some very light teasing degradation, Joel likes bush

Run Rabbit

Joel/Reader/Tommy series by @justagalwhowrites

It was just over a year after the world ended that you were captured by Joel and Tommy Miller. They're harsh, they're cold and they're killers. But, as a nurse, you're a valuable person to have around and he's not the worst thing wandering the wasteland that was the United States. And there might be more to these men than meets the eye.

Dom Joel, Threesome - MFM, Mildly Dubious Consent, Attempted Sexual Assault, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Stockholm Syndrome, Brat Tamer Joel, Canon-Typical Violence, Dom/sub Undertones, Anal Sex

some good friend

Tim Rockford one shot by @covetyou

Nerves were coiling in his belly in a way they typically only did at the end of a big case. There was no judge or jury here, no sentence, no surprise acquittal. There was just your door, and the promise of everything that lay beyond it. And it made him nervous.

pegging, anal fingering, praise kink, mild glove kink, very mild feminization, masturbation, Tim has body image issues and a bit of an identity crisis, kind of coming untouched, sex work, comfort

gonna make you sweat

Javi P one shot by @mypoisonedvine

he's your dad's best friend, he's a narc, he's the guy you've been calling 'tio' most of your life... so he's not the guy you want to run into when you're out partying a little too hard.

dubcon smut (18+ only; oral f receiving, unprotected sex, reader is under the influence and under duress), age gap (not specified but it's big lol but they are of course both adults), dad's best friend trope, pseudo incest (reader calls javi tio/uncle but they are not related), drug use, jealousy, unprotected sex, orgasm control, rough/aggressive sex, we're talking complete total and permanent gut rearrangement, crying during sex (from overstimulation not like, being sad), hair pulling, 'sir' kink (briefly), creampie, basically just a kinky filthy mess idk what else to say

you're mine, little dove

Joel one shot @mountainsandmayhem

You’ve always loved walking at night, but an unexpected visitor goes from the most terrifying to most erotic night of your life.

predator/prey dynamics, ropes, blindfolding, gagging, non consent, consensual non consent, oral, fingering, unprotected P in V, dirty talk, pet names (little dove, baby girl etc.)

Happy Reading!

[jedi-bird]

Silly Game Time: Who are some of your favorite fighter characters? And what do you like about them?

They can weild any weapon (swords, spears, axes, clubs, knives, bare hands, etc.); they can be of any class or variety of combatant (ones who rely on strength like brawlers or berserkers, ones who use finesse like martial artists or technique masters, ones who balance defensive and offensive equipment like knghts or samurai, etc.); they can be of any race or species (from fantasy or sci-fi); they can even have access to special powers to improve their combat skills (magical, psychic, technological, superpowers, etc.).

What matters is that one of their primary skills, roles in the story, and traits as a character is physical fighting.

Oh man, this is a hard and loaded question and I love it.

I'm very partial to Star Wars characters, if it's not obvious from my posts. I absolutely loved Cal Kestis from Jedi Fallen Order and Survivor. Because he's a video game character and it's more fun to give people lots of options, he can use pretty much all the really cool Star Wars weapons. He's got mystical powers of the force, he can use all the lightsaber types and styles, and he can use a blaster. Dudes a great all around character. But he's also got flaws and insecurities and a warped sense of humor. He drifts towards the dark side but at least for me it always feels like he'll find his way back to the good. He wants to do the right thing and sometimes struggles but he keeps trying. He helps those around him and protect his friends.

Another favorite from Star Wars is Din Djarin. As a mandalorian, he's a fighter through and through. Jetpacks, blasters, spears, disintegrating pulse rifles, hand to hand, he can do it all. He's a bounty hunter with a moral code. I love him. He's fiercely loyal to those who help him and he's always respectful to those who deserve and earn it. He never gives up in a fight and while he has no mystical powers he clearly doesn't need them. He's a good person through and through.

Which makes me realize that for a long time my favorite manga character was Himura Kenshin for many of the same reasons. Samurai of undisputed skill and strength who just wanted a peaceful life with his friends. I clearly have a type lol.

[dindjarinandlysakane]

The Sweetest Taste | Chapter 48 - Upwards

When Din Djarin meets a beautiful cake seller from Nevarro, do you think he’s just going to stand back and let her suffer at the hands of her abusive boyfriend? After a lifetime of heartache and pain, Lysa Kane realises she’s not on her own any more and finds an unlikely friend in the Mandalorian. And Din Djarin does not like men who treat women like that, not one tiny bit. Friendship/comfort and maybe something more…

Masterlist

Chapter 48 - Upwards

----

All of the breath left Lysa’s body as she plummeted over the edge of the bridge….

…falling down…

…down…

…into the abyss.

Everything around her seemed to move in slow motion.

Her own heartbeat echoing through her ears.

She could feel death creeping closer and closer as she fell…

…with no way to stop it.

A sorry end for a sorry life filled with nothing but pain and hurt.

That was until she had met Din and Grogu of course

And it was their faces she wanted to picture now, before death took her away under its dark wing.

The two people who had filled her life with hope and warmth in the short time she had known them.

The two people she loved more than anything else.

Lysa’s eyes were squeezed shut.

Crix had taken her over the edge with him, but he had fallen first. And Lysa did not want to see where he had gone…where he ended up ahead of her.

She prayed now, that if she found an afterlife beyond this one, that Crix would not be there with her. 

That she could finally be free of him.

Lysa felt herself hurtling down at an astonishing speed, her stomach in her throat…

…waiting for the impact…

…bracing herself…

…ready…

But all of a sudden, Lysa felt a strong arm grasp her around her middle…

…slowing her descent almost instantly.

And that arm pull her flush into a firm body, with a hard crash of her limbs against theirs.

Lysa snapped her eyes open, hearing the sudden whoosh of a jetpack.

And gasping out a ragged breath, Lysa stared up into the beskar-covered face of Din Djarin.

This unbelievable man.

The man who she had thought had saved her already in so many ways. Doing so again, when she had lost all hope of rescue.

She scrabbled to grip onto him, her sweaty palms sliding against his beskar. As her hands finally wrapped themselves around his neck, suddenly taking in a breath for the first time since she had fallen.

Lysa wanted to cry, closing her green, tearful eyes again, as Din accelerated, fighting against gravity, and pulling the pair of them suddenly upwards…

…upwards…upwards…

Until they landed on the metal bridge they had come from with a thud…Lysa’s legs immediately giving way beneath her.

But lucky for her, Din’s grip on her was strong, and he held her in place, slowly lowering her down, until her bottom hit the floor beneath her.

And unable to control herself any longer, Lysa let out a hard sob, her entire body shaking with relief.

She looked up through shimmering eyes filled with tears, to see Din knelt on one knee before her, his gloved hands still holding onto both her forearms gently.

She could tell that behind his beskar visor, his eyes were searching hers, but Lysa couldn't control herself at this very second.

The sheer relief was overwhelming.

After all that had happened, she had been certain that this was the end. That there was no one who could save her. And perhaps that she didn't deserve to be saved.

The last words Crix had muttered into her ear as he had thrown her over the edge with him, still ringing in her ears over and over-

“Even more blood on your hands now, ‘ey, Lysa…”

She knew of course that Crix had had no rescue. And with the blaster shot she had put through him, that he was dead somewhere far below.

And yet despite all that, he still managed to haunt her, even now. The ghost of him still here.

His poisonous words, seeping into her mind. Never to leave again.

“Are you ok?” came Din’s voice, as one of his hands slipped down, grasping at her bound wrists, and cutting her free with a knife from his belt. While the other one of his gloved hands, he lifted to her cheek, swiping away at the tears as quickly as they fell.

But Lysa couldn't say a word, not even able to mumble out a thank you to the man who she owed her life to. 

She gave another loud and painful sob, bowing her head and hitching in a sharp breath. Her tears, no longer tears of sorrow. But tears of gratitude and relief.

For she was safe.

She was really safe.

……………………..

Din stared at Lysa, a deep frown settled between his eyebrows, watching as she sobbed, her entire body trembling beneath his grasp.

He could see the pain coursing through her, almost visible now, as the seconds ticked by up on the windy platform.

For a moment there he was certain he had lost her. Watching as Crix had dragged her over the edge of the bridge with him.

And even now, despite her being safe here with him once more, Din’s heart seemed to be taking its time in resuming its normal pace within his ribs.

Lysa had been mere seconds from hitting the ground below by the time he had reached her. And the relief he had felt once he had her body firmly held against his, had been like nothing he had even experienced.

And so he understood now, Lysa’s tears and her upset. For the times that Din had been close to death, it had taken him a long time to recover. 

And even now, there were moments from his childhood, that fateful day on Aq Vetina just one of them, that Din still found himself suffering nightmares about, from time to time.

For the pain and the fear he had experienced in those moments, had cut a fault line deep inside him, and buried itself there.

He watched as Lysa, almost doubled over before him now, sobbed, her tears falling fast. Knowing there was nothing he could do to stop them at this very moment. And nothing he wanted to do either.

These were Lysa’s tears to cry. And he would not deny her them.

But Din suddenly remembered that despite Crix falling over the edge and Xi’an far below, there was still Ran.

But lifting his head over to where the bearded man had fallen, he could see now that there was no body there. Ranzar Malk obviously having survived his injuries and dragged himself somewhere whilst Din had been distracted.

Din knew that this wasn't over.

He still wanted to taste revenge for what his old comrades had done today…

…but right now, that could wait. For his focus was now on one person and one person alone…

He waited until Lysa’s sobs became shallower, running his hand gently down the side of her head comfortingly, until she lifted her face to his.

Her green desperate eyes meeting with Din’s.

She looked exhausted beyond belief, and Din knew there was nothing in this world now that would keep him apart from her again. No force that strong.

She didn't say anything, but she allowed Din’s hand, that was lingering at the back of her head, to pull her into him. Settling herself against him as she cried endless tears into the tunic at his neck. Din wrapping his strong arms around her. Letting her know wordlessly that she was safe here now, at last.

And like this they remained. Just the two of them. For how long Din wasn't sure.

Until a sudden voice broke through their well-needed silence.

“MANDO!”

And for a moment, Din was almost sure that it was Ran, back for more…

But as Din turned his head instantly to look. He was met with three figures stalking quickly across the far end of the bridge, furthest from the hangar, towards them.

Din’s frown deepened. But more from shock than anger…

…at the sight of Greef Karga pacing quickly towards him. Followed by Grogu in his hover pram and the Marshall of Nevarro- the IG-11 droid.

Karga was coming at them at a slight jog, looking mightily out of breath, his face a picture of concern.

“We saw what happened, we couldn't find a landing spot, and-” said the High-Magistrate, very much out of place in the cess-pit that was the moon known as Nar Shadda.

“How did you find us?” asked Din gazing first at Karga and then at IG-11 and, of course, Grogu who brought up the rear, coming to a harsh halt beside Din. At once cooing at his father and looking him up and down as if checking that all was well.

“What? You didn't think I wouldn't have a tracker put on that new ship of yours the moment it landed in Nevarro?” uttered Karga. His eyes at once falling to the visibly upset and trembling Lysa, still sobbing quietly in Din’s arms. “She- uh…she ok?”

Karga’s tone was serious and as far as Din could tell, full of genuine concern.

Din placed his hand to one of her shoulders, carefully peeling her from him, her weary gaze barely able to meet his own.

Din could feel a heat emanating from her now, he feared had nothing to do with the tears that were falling.

For he could see that Lysa’s pale forehead was now beaded with perspiration. And from here he could see that the blaster wound on her shoulder had started losing blood again.

“Did you bring a med-pack?” said Din quickly to Karga, ignoring his friend’s question. 

But Karga pursed his lips together.

“Oh I can do you one better than that,” he replied, stepping aside as IG-11 stopped forward.

“Upon reprogramming, several of my previous protocols were put back as they were,” came the monotone voice of IG-11. “These protocols include medical care. Stand aside please.”

And with that, Din shuffled back as IG-11 crouched down beside them both on long metal legs, scanning Lysa immediately. A bright green light skimming quickly over her face and body.

“You have suffered blood loss and are at risk of infection to your shoulder wound,” came the voice of the droid again after a long couple of seconds. “We need to get you on board and start treatment with immediate effect.”

At the Marshal’s words, Din gave a frown, before he looked at Lysa, wanting nothing more than to fling off his helmet right now and provide her with the comfort of his expression. Of his eyes conveying so many things that words right now could not. But he refrained, moving a hand to Lysa’s waist and helping her to standing once more.

She leaned her weight onto him, feeling, to him, unsteady on her feet.

Grogu beside them gave a chirp, looking at Lysa hopefully. But right now, she seemed to be keeping her tearful gaze fixed firmly to the floor, focusing on walking straight.

“How did you all even get here? asked Din, staring around, before looking back to Karga who smiled knowingly.

“The Stinger. I told you…it’s a great ship,” he said simply, pointing to the ship that Din had agreed to borrow from Karga just a day prior, stood at the far end of the bridge, far beyond his N-1.

In all the commotion, he had not even noticed it land.

Karga gestured with his head. “Come on, let's leave this hole before we run into any more trouble.”

And with that, the High-Magistrate turned and headed back toward the ship they had arrived on.

Din, giving one last look towards the hangar behind them, scanning the area for any survivors one final time. Before he turned, pulling Lysa with him carefully as they walked down the bridge towards the awaiting ship.

Their pace was slow and after a moment or two Grogu, IG-11 and Karga were several feet ahead, leaving Lysa and Din walking quietly side by side bringing up the rear.

“I’m so sorry, Din,” came Lysa’s hoarse voice, in what was barely a whisper. She sounded tearful and distraught.

Din glanced her way, tears visibly slipping from her eyes as they walked.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” said Din with a deep frown, shaking his head.

Lysa turned her face, staring his way. Her sad, lost-looking eyes meeting with his, behind his beskar.

“Din…” she said, her green eyes desperately trying to search his, hidden behind his visor, a warmth filling her gaze now as she looked up at him. “I-”

But her expression suddenly changed to one of confusion in front of his very eyes.

“...I don't feel so good…” she managed to mumble out, blinking several times in quick succession and giving a hard swallow.

And before Din could do anything, he watched as Lysa’s eyes rolled back in her head and her feet gave way beneath her.

Din tightened his grip on her waist, but was barely able to keep her upright, as his eyes darted back and forth over her ghostly pale and clammy face.

Din’s heart began to pound faster and faster within his ribcage.

“Lysa?” he said quickly, rousing the attention of Karga and IG-11 up ahead.

“Get her on board…hurry,” said Karga to Din instantly, his expression full of worry.

And so manoeuvring her within his grasp, Din bent his knees a little, before hauling Lysa gingerly up into his arms.

He could feel that she was hot to the touch, burning up, looking far paler now than she had a moment ago. All colour drained from her face.

Din hitched in a sharp breath as he strode ahead, making hurriedly for the ship.

Knowing one thing for certain…

….he couldn't lose her. Not now.

…………………………………….

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[water-writings]

ways to say i love you + as a goodbye + dealers choice!

I would've posted this sooner, but our internet cut off all day 🙄 But I immediately thought of this scene I had written for Casali and Din for Petals of Beskar a year or two ago! Enjoy!

Casali sniffled, smiling weakly before pressing her forehead further into Din’s and grabbing his face in her hands and pressing her lips to his. “I love you too, Din.” A laugh hiccuped out of her as she stayed there, head pressed against his.  A smile adorned Din’s face as he stared back at the woman. Everything about her at this moment seemed perfect. The lighting from the window beside her caused her markings to shine and shimmer. In this lighting he could see the pinks and whites mixed in with the blues. All swirling together to create what he could only describe as one of the most beautiful mixture of colors he’d ever seen.  His smile fell and he shifted his gaze to meet the woman’s once more. The Mandalorian could see the love shining in her eyes despite the last remnants of tears. This woman looked at him with love that he never thought he’d experience. Love he didn’t feel he deserved. But he carried so much love for her as well. So much that throughout their journey together it pained him to see her get hurt. And this recent incident broke his heart. The pain caused to her only started thanks to the job he took all those months ago.  All because of him.  “I have to go.” Casali’s eyes widened and she felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. The tears began to well up again as she stared dumbfounded at the Mandalorian. “Y-you what?”

“Sarad, I’m sorry, but I’m leaving you here. Back at your home.” He let out a deep sigh as he glanced around the room. It was very fitting for the woman, with its warmth and all its plants scattered about. Not like the cold metal that was The Crest. He turned back to her. “You’ve been injured and put in danger too many times all because I put you there. If you didn’t stay with me none of this would have happened.” Din cupped her face again, pressing a kiss to Casali’s lips. “I will love you, Casali...even if I never see you again.” The woman shook her head furiously, her short turquoise hair flopping around. “No! This isn’t your fault!” She grabbed his hand, pleading up at him. “If you hadn’t taken me to Ruco that day, Uncle Baryu would’ve hired someone else and they would’ve left me. But you came back. You rescued me. You protected me. You took me in and created this new family for me. You and Grogu have made me so happy. Happiness that I haven’t felt since my parents. Like you said, Grogu and you are my family. I love you both.” The tears were streaming down her face again, a little harder than before. “Please, Din...don’t leave me.” “I don’t want to put you in harm’s way, mesh’la. Not again.”  Casali continued to hold Din’s hand, holding it close to her chest as she stared up at him with pleading eyes. “I’ve been through every possible dangerous situation with you. I’ve helped you with jobs and I helped rescue Grogu. What difference does it make? I love you, Din.”  “I love you too, Casali,” Din breathed out in a soft voice. “But this,” he gestured to the house, “this is where you belong. With your flowers and fruit. Selling at the marketplace. Gardening. You don’t belong in a life that’s filled with metal, blaster fire, and death.”  “I don’t care!” Casali’s voice was rising now and her brow furrowed as she glared at Din. “I want to be with you. I’ve gotten to experience so much because I traveled with you. I got to meet you and Grogu. I want to be with you, Din. Please!” “…I’m sorry, Sarad. It’s for the best,” Din responded quietly. “I love you and I don’t want you to get hurt anymore.”

[galactic-star-bruiser]

Fear pt. 7

TEETH ROTTING AMOUNT OF SWEETNESS.

I literally fell more in love as I wrote this uhflahfuhuhu

part 6, masterlist

sweetness and fluff, sort of confessions, light cursing, just pure sweetness

-rose xx

Pt 7.

Her hands were on me, carelessly driving me crazy with desire. 

I laid her back on the soft ground, sweet grass mingled with her familiar scent.

I think she’s been using my soap.

“Y/N...I” I started, in something that could only be described as a whisper so soft that it hardly existed. 

“Yes, Din”

Her doe eyes bore holes into me and the way my name looked on her mouth as she formed it was quite truly one of the most beautiful things that I have ever been lucky enough to witness. 

“Im glad you stayed”

 And I’m in love with you , I want you in my bed and I want to tangle my fingers in your hair

“Me too.” She stated with a soft smile.

Heat rose through my body; I’d swear to you that it warmed my armor to the touch. I was too nervous to say anything more and I just sat there, staring at her.  her.

She reached up and traced the lines of my helmet. My breath hitched, and she apologized. 

“No...  no, it’s okay” I replied, taking her withdrawn hand in mine and letting her trace more. 

We sat like that for a long while. In silence. Blissful silence, someplace that we didn’t have to listen to blaster fire or avoid anyone. It was just us. Completely.

Thats when fear and insecurity set in. If I fell anymore for her, I’d reach the point of no return, fuck, lord knows I already have. I’d get her killed. I was reckless and dangerous. She was purity, even if she only saw herself as a bounty hunter. I could see through the rough exterior and saw the gentleness in her. 

I had been watching her the night we met, before I ever came up to her. 

I was in that bar for a reason. 

When I watched her walk the streets of Tatooine and pick up a small Childs toy, help an elderly shop keep, and nod at other people... I couldn’t help but test my morals and wonder if I really wanted to bring this person in. Of course, then, I thought I was stalking a ruthless man of a killer. All the stories and comments I had to go on to find her... they all described her as a man. It was only a mask, and to me, that had more meanings than one.

Her bounty was high and it wasn’t until I realized that she was wanted by an imperial sergeant that I had made my mind up. She wasn’t deserving of the criminality that surrounded her. If the empire hated her... I had no choice but to at least respect her. Let alone fall in love with her 

With the fear of our reality setting in, I shifted away from her and stood up, making my way back to the ship.

“Where are you going?” She called out, kind but concerned. 

The suns were beginning to set and the way it hit her skin... it was nothing but pure grace personified. 

“Im sorry...but I dont think we should do this.”

“Do what” she asked in the most genuine tone, now jogging to reach my side. Her side of me.

I realized I may have just fucked up... did I read everything wrong? Could she not feel the same-

“Din”, her small hand on my shoulder made me wince as if it hurt physically when it really just hurt to have someone as good as her touch me so kindly. So warmly.

“Din, we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Do you not want to stay here any longer?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her innocence and genuine concern for what I wanted to do. 

“No...thats not what I meant” I trailed off, but she didn’t push me. She was too kind. 

I couldn’t even touch myself to the thought of her anymore, it felt disrespectful. If I were to use her like that... it’d be with my hands on her instead of me. 

///////////////

I couldn’t tell if I was terrified or it made me fall deeper to think that he was feeling the same things I was... but I was too terrified to bring it up any further. I just walked next to him, testing the waters by letting my hand graze his.

He seemed to instinctively flex his hand every time mine met his.

We were aimless wanderers in this unexplored wilderness, both our hearts and surroundings.

I put up the act that I was an expert... I could flirt my way out of anything.... But no ones ever made my heart race like he does. 

I’ve never even been with another person, really. I had a few flings, touches, kisses, but I never let them come back with me. 

Everyone felt wrong before him.

I’d never been in love before but I think this was close. It had to be. 

“Din” I said, breaking the silence. I couldn’t stop saying his name since I heard it “Im glad you came into the bar earlier, to stop that man.... I know why you did now. Why you really did.”

He stopped, “You do?”

“I do.”

He didn’t push it like how I didn’t push him.

He just grabbed my hand.

[painted-kaleidoscopes]

Silver Lining

First thing I’ve written in literal years. Um, good to be back in the saddle.

Enjoy son Din Dijarin fluff!

Mentions of sex, briefly. No other warnings. Liberty on timeline here but before the crest is destroyed. Kind of an au with the timeline so don’t come for me!

————————————————————————

It had been 4 months, give or take, since you had joined The Mandolorian and his foundling. Yet somehow you both slipped into an easy, domestic routine. It had started off with you as simply cargo, desperate to escape your unfortunate living situation on tattooine, and Mando having killed your enslaver; he agreed to take you to Navarro. Somehow along the way Grogu grew attached to you, so you stayed on with the boys and although he often said otherwise, Mando had decided you were staying long before you had reached Nevarro.

It began subtly, glances that lingered too long, jokes that you definitely read in between, moving to touches and sweet words that you would come to know as Mando’a; eventually after a long night of celebratory drinking, him sneaking shots under the helmet, you got him into bed. Once that wall fell, everything settled into a steady life. You had grown used to waking up in the cot, your unarmored Mandalorian, save for the shiny helmet. Once he had let his walls down around you, you realised how much sleep the poor man must need without getting because you always awoke first. You had no complaints though, enjoying the moments where you’d steal looks at his dozing form, usually sliding from the warmth of bed to rouse the child and make breakfast. By this time you would usually lazily crawl back into the cot with the child in your lap for a nap, humming random songs from your childhood while you used the last bit of your morning to repair his battle torn gear. Restitching gloves or shirts.

The first time you did it you had wanted to do something nice for him. He always treated his armour delicately, gently setting it in place when he would undress around you, when he polished it he took his time, like it was a ritual. You admired it. After all those pieces of steel were the reason your Mandalorian returned to you everytime, and you understood the respect it deserved. So you had woken up one morning, eyeing the blaster smudged metal and snuck out of bed to get the oil and cloth. Returning with Grogu you started to softly serenade the space while you worked. When he finally awoke, you were beaming, excited for him to see your work. He looked at you and tilted his helmet slightly.

“What is is cyar’ika?” His eyes darted from your face to your hands and then to the bed beside you. You watched him take in your effort and even though his face was unknown, you could feel the smile radiating from him.

“You- you cleaned my armour for me?” You could hear bashfulness in his voice. As if he couldn’t believe you would do something like that for him.

“Well, I consider myself the housekeeper around here, figure if I can wash your flight suits and clean around here, I can help with keeping you reflective too.

You knew it was deeper than that, both of you did, but you lightened the act, trying not to embarrass him even more. You couldn’t tell, but under his visor he was gazing at you with pure adoration, it was the moment he knew he loved you. You didn’t know that, but you do know that small act of domestic intimacy changed things. He had already dropped walls, but suddenly he was doting. Bringing you gifts, and flowers when he could. Radioing you more while he was out on missions. You also noticed that he was leaving his amour unpolished more and more, and it made you happy knowing that he trusted you enough to be the one to do it.

The one garment he wouldn’t let you touch drove you crazy, his cape always smelled burned and had more holes then a grated door. But he would always deny your attempts to stitch it up.

“Mesh’la. You do enough. It’s just going to get ruined. And it’s not as important as the things you already fix.” He would say. You always protested but let it go. Knowing it was a loosing battle and deciding peace was better.

Until one morning. Mando had left for a bounty and you and the kid were stuck in the middle of the jungles of Endor. Before he left he always tried to give you timeframes, both of you knowing they were prone to changes constantly, but he was usually right with his estimates.

“I’ll be back in 4 days.” He stood on the boarding platform, looking back at you and Grogu with a final nod. He turned and stepped off into the grass.

“Please be safe.” You saw a nod of his helmet, but he didn’t stop. Biting your lip, contemplating your next words carefully, but wanting them spoken before he was gone.

“We love you!” You quickly spit out. Instantly regretting the immediate stillness your words had caused the Mandalorian. He turned around, thoughts and expressions concealed from the questioning gaze and your breath hitched in your throat. He sauntered back up the plank slowly. The whole walk you could feel his eyes boring into you. He reached out his gloved hand, placing it gently on your cheek. From your hip Grogu gurgled at the softness from his father and observed the two of you. The Mandolorian was a man of few words, you had learned to interpret his actions and body languages to decipher him. With your free hand you grasped his hand from your cheek and starred back into the black t of his helmet, waiting for his response.

One never came. He instead moved his hand to the back of your head, and gently brought your temple to his metal cladded one. Your heart fluttered and you almost dropped your child at the action. After a few moments of basking in the moment he pulled away. He never actually responded, but you understood the message. He felt the same. You gave him a massive grin and nod, sending him off as he retreated back down the platform.

“Four days, Cyar’ika.”

You could hear the smile even through his modulator and nodded eagerly back as the plank raised. You looked down at Grogu and gave him a doting look. “Let’s get this place spotless for your dad’s return, huh?” He gurgled in response and squirmed to be released. You put him down, starting to tidy up your home.

Once you were satisfied with your chores and you and the kid were fed you took him to the cot for a nap. You had been waiting eagerly for Mando to be gone on his next bounty so you could give him his first gift from you. You gently reached under the mattress, hoping he hadn’t noticed the wrapped package you stashed and found the paper sack. While exploring the shops on Nevarro while he collected his next puck you had found a cape. It was similar to his, black woven and plain, but the shop keeper had also sold you some thread. It was a beautiful hematite colour that the people of Nevarro wove out of a mineral found in the lava rocks. It was strong and delicate, offered a slight glint of metallic against the black cape.

Before your ensalvement on Tattoine, you had lived the daughter of a knight. Your mother had taught you to embroider, to care for his equipment, thinking you would find a Soldier of your own to care for one day. Although she had thought it would be from your own people, you had ended up like she thought. You remembered right before The Purge, she had taken your fathers cloak, helping him get fitted for the coming battle, she had stitched words of love and strength into the garment, hoping it would save him in the fight. Your memories ended there, getting taken in the purge and loosing your life. You never forgot that act of devotion though.

Tears from the memories bristled your lashes as you stitched. Your time with the Mandolorian had taught you enough Mando’a that you included his native tongue, knowing it would mean even more. Finally, you hemmed the bottom, adding a single strip of the silvery thread all the way through. A sign of always finding the positive should the words fail. You sat back, admiring the work, looking for flaws to fix. From next to you Grogu began to stir and you looked over to his big eyes gazing up at you. You motioned to the cape, “Think he’ll like it?” He babbled and you chucked, taking it as a yes, but mostly for your benefit. A loud beep you recognised as your com was coming from somewhere in the sheets. You desperately tore apart the bed until your hands closed on the device.

“Y/N?” You heard Mando rasp from the other side.

“I’m here, Mando.” You could hear him sigh in relief at your voice and it made you blush.

“Cyar’ika, I’m returning early with the target. I’ll see you before nightfall.”

You grinned at the thought of him having shaved 3 whole days off the hunt.

“Hm, that was quick. Desperate to get back to me or what?” You quipped. He huffed softly at the joke. “Yeah, something like that.”

“I lo-“ you began, but the line went dead. He would be here soon anyway, ‘Ill tell him then’ you thought. You picked the kid up, going to grab him a snack, and prepared the ship. You knew he was more than capable of preparing the carbonate chamber, but it made you feel useful to help. Right as you finished powering up the craft the plank lowered and Mando stomped on, dragging a limp man in tow. You moved out of his way as the Mandolorian shoved the bounty into the chamber, only relaxing his battle ready stance when the target was frozen.

“Hi.” You whispered.

“Hi.” He breathed back, grabbing your arm to pull you into his chest. You both stood there, taking the other in, elated to be back within arms reach. The peace didn’t last long as a crash came from the upper deck and you both let go at the same time as said:

“Grogu.”

Knowing the child was causing havoc upstairs. Hand on his blaster just in case, Mando was up the ladder first. You weren’t far behind and when you cleared the top you began to laugh at the scene in front of you. Somehow the child had grabbed the cloak you made for Mando, obviously desperate to be the one to show his father. He and gotten wrapped up and was looking to his dad for help from the mess he got himself into. Mando grabbed the kid first, paying the garment no mind until you reached over him and grabbed it. Looking to the child you gently chastised him.

“Naughty. That was my gift to him.” You chuckled and tapped his ear gently turning back to the Mandolorian who had his head cocked at you in confusion. “Well, it was a surprise for later. But, I made you something. Mando” You began to blush, suddenly shy and questioning if he would like it. You sheepishly held out your work, feeling his surprisingly gentle gloved hands grasping it from your grip. He let the clock unfurl, taking it in.

His hand found the subtle embroidery, fingers tracing the words and you heard a slight inhale from the voice modulator.

“This is Mando’a.” He stated it like a question, glad you couldn’t see the redness on his face at the fact that you had been learning his language. His eyes took in the words admiring the protective prayers you picked for him.

“Yeah. I’ve been learning so I can teach Grogu.” You admitted, at ease watching him take in. His helmet looked back up at you and you smiled at him. He was a man of few words you reminded yourself, hoping he did like it. “Well Mando?” You gently questioned, prodding him for a response.

“It’s Din.” Your brow furled in confusion. Was that his- you didn’t finish asking yourself before he was standing right in front of you still clasping his new cape. “My name, it’s Din.” You felt your knees get weak at his declaration, heart swelling that your simple act had inspired such openness from him. “Can’t have the woman I love calling me some nick name now can I?” You could hear his emotion through the helmet, and collapsed into his arms. Placing a kiss on his metal cheek. He had said it back, your heart fluttered as he embraced you.

“I love it, Mesh’la. I love you.” He signed in contentment, forehead falling to yours in the most intimate touch his people had.

‘He loves me too’ you quietly hummed, knowing you had finally found your silver lining after all this time.