#din you little fittie
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sil-te-plait-tue-moi Ā· 2 years ago
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Let's settle down for the night.
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Quick summary: Youā€™ve been each otherā€™s for a long time. You trust him with your life, your body, you time, and he trusts you with his. Sometimes, though, you find yourself craving a quieter kind of intimacy. Without the helmet.
Word count: 6.3K
Warnings: A lot of fluff šŸ˜©šŸ˜©; may be inaccurate ā€˜cause, I gotta say, Iā€™m a Star Wars fan but I did not proper hyperfixate on it like with some of the other stuff Iā€™ve written about (buffs, please help me out here); kind of angsty??? like, readerā€™s an orphan etc; allusions to smut (under the shirt stuff amiright amiright); explicit mentions of smut.
A/N: What a fittie, guys. Bound to happen. This one goes out to @manicdream for giving me a lilā€™ prompt where you and Din are in looove aaaandā€”I guess youā€™ll have to keep reading for the fluuuff and feels! I really had fun with this one! Love this stoic, brooding, dramatic lad, and I enjoyed exploring love languages, their communication, etc, etc. i have no idea when this would take place, so just try to follow along, I guess??? I hope you enjoy this short, little story! I think this is gonna be just one part by the way. For all you Pedro Pascal sluts out there šŸ˜ŒšŸ˜ŒšŸ˜Œ, I do think Iā€™m gonna write a smut thing for Joel Miller TLOU. NO PROMISES, THOUGH. Just finished the latest episode and what the fuck šŸ˜€šŸ˜€šŸ˜€ it just gets more and more traumatising huh. Anyway, please enjoy this happy fic!
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Weā€™ve been walking for a while, now. Muscles aching, legs straining. The low, sloping sands of the Tatooine desert are pink in the setting suns, stretching on for years and years.Ā 
The light flames up brilliant red and orange and bright white in his beskar, and I have to squint my eyes when I look over at him. From this angle, he looks like heā€™s all armour. When the suns finally go down, heā€™ll be a silhouette. That time of day always suits him best. You know how people you meet just seem like things sometimes. Dinā€™s like rich soil, the kind that you can sink your fingers deep into with one singleĀ push. Or like a rock ā€“ with how little he talks, I used to think he was a rock. Heā€™s also dusk. Dusk happens to be my favourite time of day.Ā 
My feet are dragging again. If I were with anyone else, Iā€™d never let my guard downā€”but itā€™s just us, and weā€™re in the middle of nowhere, and weā€™ve got a whole bunch of credits in my pack thatā€™s almost enough to finally buy us our own ship. Wonā€™t have to put up with sceptical glances on commercial flights anymore, or getting bashed about by produce on cargo ships weā€™ve had to sneak onto. Maker, I miss the comfort of the Razor Crest. But, yā€™know, itā€™sā€”itā€™s what it is. Lucky for us, transportation is the worst of our problems ā€“ itā€™s been a relatively quiet trip over the planet; no troubleā€”yet. Quietly trading with sketchy contractors in isolated taverns. We never ask questions about the high-paying ones, whether weā€™re implicitly tipping the scales of some political bantha shit, but Iā€™m always curious.
A dry gust of wind cools my stifling skin, a break from the still weather.
ā€œYou alright back there?ā€
Din has his head angled slightly back towards me. His grainy, modulated voice curves my mouth up into a smile, and I stare fondly over at him as he slows his pace a little to fall into step with me. I urge him not to slack with the jerk of my head.
ā€œYeah, ā€˜fā€™course,ā€ I assure him, tongue buzzing with foul saliva. Canā€™t drink just yet, though, ā€˜cause I already chugged about half of my waterskin way back at sun-up. Heā€™s offered me the rest of his, but I refused to take it. Though, right now, grimacing at the bile in my mouth, I am thinking hard about changing my mind. ā€œWeā€™re safe,ā€ I say confidently. Weā€™ve been careful.
ā€œI know.ā€ Yeah, I know he knows. ā€œI was just wonderinā€™ cause, yā€™know, youā€™ve been a little quiet.ā€
Playfully, I nudge into him (damn that beskar) and laugh as he shoves me back. ā€œWhat, so youā€™re saying you want my ā€˜mindless chit-chattingā€™ back now, huh?ā€
Iā€™m talking out of my ass, of course. Weā€™ve had a thing going for a while, now ā€“ itā€™s been just us for a while. I know he doesnā€™t mean any harm when he teases me like that. It takes a lot for him to hurt my feelings, and he never does. Maybe at first, when neither of us would admit that we were happier being together than apart. I donā€™t know why I didnā€™t just tag along with him sooner. If I had known that those gruff, little grunts heā€™d make during conversation when weā€™d cross paths during jobs meant that he was enjoying himself?ā€”well, I wouldnā€™t have wasted so much time in asking him to be my partner. In all senses.
But still, he feels the need to explain: ā€œAh, you know I was justā€”ā€
ā€œYeah, yeah.ā€
I suppose that, after so long needing to be strong and tough and brave and coarse to get on with life and work, he likes being soft. This is soft for him: letting me walk ahead just slightly, his shoulder behind mine, so that heā€™s always got my six; teasing me about things heā€™s told me are his favourite qualities of mine; secretly watching me from behind the security of his visor. I donā€™t tell him I love it, and I donā€™t tell him I notice, but he knows, I think.
He turns away to complete a quick scan of the horizon on his blind side, and I do the same for mine, before we turn back to each other. Heā€™s tired ā€“ I can tell by the way heā€™s leaning in towards me, like he wants to be held. The privacy of this big, wide desert must be a comfort to him. I know it is to me.
ā€œHowā€™s your day been?ā€ he asks me lowly.
I laugh. ā€œYou mean the day weā€™re currently spending together?ā€
He nods. ā€œTell me about it.ā€
Stars, Iā€™m glad itā€™s getting dark, because my cheeks start to glow with warmth. Not necessarily just his voice or even the words. Consistently, he always asks about my day. Yesterday, it was in a dingy tavern, after avoiding a bar fight (some prick tried to trick me out of a drink the contractor bought me fair ā€˜nā€™ square). The day before, it was in the dead of night, looking up at the stars, with the bounty, unconscious, lying between us.
ā€œI liked it.ā€ He scoffs. ā€œI did. Thereā€™s been no trouble, and, yā€™know, I grew up on a desert planet like this.ā€
ā€œBantha farmers, right?ā€
ā€œUh-huh.ā€
He grunts.
I laugh again. ā€œYou bastard! Youā€™re so judgemental. Honestly worse than those Coruscanti pricks we worked for ages back. Remember how they looked at us when we traded? Tried to underpay us? Bet theyā€™ve never risked even chipping a nail.ā€ Bounty hunting is a little more difficult these days without the assurance of carbonite freezing, without the security of the Guild ā€“ weā€™ve had to complete ten times as many jobs for five times lesser rates just to get where we are now. Reminds me of when I first started out: bounties fighting back, trying to make a run for it. But what else are we supposed to do?ā€”take up a job where?
The suns slip below the horizon, and everything is washed a low, gentle violetā€”and Din is that silhouette, now, and everything seems peaceful, like it all fits together just right. Even though, of course, it might not fit together just right when I try to haggle the price of that gunship down a few credits or so and the vendor absolutely obliterates me with the most personal, cutting insults in the entire galaxy. Dinā€™s no help in the communication sector there ā€“ the stoic type ā€“ but, if anything, heā€™ll be able to stand behind me with that armour and steel glare and weapons of his to try and intimidate that damn stubborn seller all the way to fuckinā€™ Bargain Town. Because, damn, weā€™re relying on it. Peli, bless her soul, doesnā€™t have anything large or powerful enough to support the three of us on our run from the Empire.
Speaking of the three of us, the kidā€™s absence, I hate to say it, is kind of nice. Of course, I worry about him, but I trust that heā€™s being well-looked-after at the garage. Safer than he would be with us. But I havenā€™t had Din to myself in what seems like years. Last time he touched me wasā€”wasā€”a long time ago. Too much stress. Not enough time to savour it. And heā€™s all about savouring those kind of things, those moments, dragging them out as long as possible.
I can feel his stare on the side of my face. My sweaty, greasy, clogged face ā€“ stars, I canā€™t wait until we reach a water supply.
ā€œAre you looking at me right now?ā€ I ask, amused.
He does another strategically-timed scan of the area, turning away from me even though I canā€™t see his face. I wonder if he blushes under that helmet, if itā€™s really obvious. ā€œYouā€™re looking at me.ā€
I roll my eyes and smile softly, lowering the scarf around my nose and mouth and tucking the fabric beneath my chin. ā€œHow was your day?ā€
ā€œGood.ā€
ā€œGood why?ā€
ā€œā€˜Cause Iā€™ve got your mindless chit-chattinā€™ to keep me company.ā€
Forcing a laugh, I glare at him again. ā€œHa-ha, youā€™re so funny, Din. Real knee-slapper right there.ā€
It goes quiet again ā€“ he becomes like that, sometimes, after I use his name. The first time I spoke it was in the dark hull of the Razor Crest, in hyperspace. He sat and stared straight ahead at the streaking silver, motionless, wordless. Here, the desert air is still and calm. His shoulder is still brushing up against mine.
ā€œAre you tired?ā€
Yes. My legs feel like theyā€™re about to fuckinā€™ fall off. Here, walking along the plain, is good, but earlier, climbing over dunes and rocks and boulders, was hell. But we need to be getting back to the kid as soon as possible. As much as I trust Peli, I need to see him and make sure heā€™s okay. So, I shake my head and say, ā€œItā€™s only a little ways up till the next settlement.ā€
ā€œItā€™s a lot further.ā€
My heart drops. ā€œOh.ā€ Wishful thinkingā€™s just got me forging fake memories at this point. My knees threaten to buckle beneath me.
ā€œDā€™you think we should stop?ā€
ā€œNo, we canā€”ā€
ā€œIā€™m tiredā€”ā€ he abruptly comes to a halt, apparently deciding that this little patch of sand will be a nice bed, ā€œā€”letā€™s stop for the night.ā€ He beckons me to him, coming in close and retrieving the lamp from inside the sling-bag, setting it down.
Well, if he insists.
You know, itā€™s moments like these where I just let myself be fond of him. I let myself stare freely at him, admire the shape of his body, the sleek, smart make of his helmet, let myself wonder if his face is any bit as handsome as he sounds. Everything about him is rough. The way he fights, the way he bargains, the way he pilots. His hands. I think about the texture of his hands as I sit down. I remove my gloves and stuff them away, gliding my skin across my skin to just try and simulate that touch.
ā€œYouā€™re not cold?ā€
I untwine the bag from my shoulders, setting it down and retrieving our remaining food for this day. ā€œIā€™m not cold. I have, like, five layers on.ā€
He eyes me doubtfully. ā€œOkay.ā€ And he sits down on the opposite side of the lamp, facing me, one leg propped up as a rest for his arm. The pulse rifle lays by his side, ready.
I offer him a hardening clump of bread and a few stout, odd-looking, white-and-purple vegetables (generously given to us by a farmer we passed a while back)ā€”but Din shakes his head and urges me to eat as much as I can. I bite back a remark about that helmet of his ā€“ he must be starving.
ā€œWeā€™ll get something better to eat when we get to the city.ā€
I snort. ā€œItā€™s hardly a city.ā€
ā€œYou know what I mean.ā€
Stupid Din always making stupid decisions and rationalising them because he thinks itā€™s for me. He knows I can take care of myself, that Iā€™m good at it, but that doesnā€™t stop him from dropping everything to try. Itā€™s nice for someone to have my back, for that someone to be as wonderful as him, but, holy kriff, heā€™s so stupid sometimes.
I tell him flat-out, ā€œWe donā€™t have enough credits,ā€ because we donā€™t. We have barely enough to cover a scrappy, little ship. We definitely donā€™t have enough to purchase any food. Weā€™ve relied on favours and luck for long enough, and we can go for longer until weā€™re off-planet. Peliā€™s gotā€”edible foodā€”probably. I donā€™t trust it wonā€™t make me shit my brains out as soon as weā€™re in hyperspace, though.
He shrugs like itā€™s no big deal, though. ā€œWeā€™ll get a worse ship.ā€
ā€œDin.ā€ Stupid. I toss him a chunk of bread, swivelling around to give him privacy.
He protests, ā€œIā€™m not hungry,ā€ and reaches over and taps it against my shoulder ā€“ I shrug him away.
ā€œIā€™m already stuffed, so whatā€™re you gonna do about it?ā€
He sighs in exasperation. ā€œThought you might say that.ā€
ā€œā€˜Cause Iā€™m just so predictable?ā€
ā€œYouā€™re stubborn.ā€
Snapping my head over my shoulder, I scoff and give him an incredulous look. ā€œIā€™m stubborn?ā€
He tilts his head to the side as if to goad me further. ā€œYes.ā€ The warm light of the lamp glows along the strong planes and clean lines of his armour. His hand leisurely dangling from his knee, he rubs his gloved fingers together, and Iā€™m suddenly jealous of a clothing item. I know he must notice the slight catch in my breath.
I turn back around to face him, the sand moulding easily beneath my smooth movements. ā€œAnd thereā€™s not a brooding Mandalorian sitting across from me now, refusing to eat.ā€
The first few years of working with Din, I never once saw him eat or drink a thing. It was like he was a droid (donā€™t tell him I said that): always working, working hard, but fuelled by seeminglyā€”nothing? Obviously, I figured he had to eat some time. When I became his partner, sharing the Razor Crest, heā€™d retreat to his bunk to eat. And when I asked him his favourite food, he said he didnā€™t really hate or love anything ā€“ as long as he could consume it and it wouldnā€™t kill him, heā€™d tolerate it. Over the years, though, Iā€™ve learned he tries to steer clear from any kind of berries. Doesnā€™t trust ā€˜em. And heā€™s not a fan of fish, but the kid is, and I am, so we have it more often, now.
Din jerks his head and allows me to toss him one of those weird vegetables. Having already finished my chunk of bread (on the brink of mouldā€”so yummy!), I take a large, eager bite right out of the vegetable. My mouth is flooded with its bitter juice, and I squint my face up a little at the greenish tang.
ā€œHowā€™s that taste?ā€ he asks.
ā€œLike dirt.ā€ I chew the mouthful slowly, careful not to judge too quickly, and eventually hum in contentment. ā€œButā€”ā€ I retract, ā€œā€”sorta sweet underneath. You ever tasted a beet?ā€
ā€œNo.ā€
ā€œWell, itā€™s sorta like that.ā€
He watches me for a few heartbeats, calm in the steady, amber light. I smile at him.
ā€œTurn around,ā€ he tells me brusquely.
I wink at him and do as Iā€™m told, shuffling around again and turning to back the blue and purple horizon, the lamp and his gaze warm on my back.
Iā€™m silent as he unseals his helmet with a quiet click and hiss. I try to imagine him again. Every single time, I feel guilty over it, because I know how dedicated he is to his religionā€”but, oh, I canā€™t help myself. I run my tongue over my teeth, enjoying the remains of that bite, before taking another, crunching down into the flesh. As I do, I hear Din do the same. My heart stops a little in my chest, and I let out a slow breath.
ā€œItā€™s nice.ā€
Stars. Stars, that voice. His voice, unfiltered by the modulator. Slightly hoarse from lack of water, scraping a little in his throat, but smooth in its low, rich tone. Like dirt you can sink your fingers right down into.
I set my hand flat on the sand my by side before pushing them vertically down, down, down, past the cooling surface and to where the glowing spirit of the day lingers.
Calm yourself down. Itā€™s just a voice.
ā€œYou should have the rest of it,ā€ he continues, and thereā€™s the tap of the vegetable against my shoulder again.
Oh, stars. He hasnā€™t got his helmet on. He hasnā€™t got his helmet on. If I turned, he could be right there. Just him. I think about clamping my eyes shut to avoid the temptation of looking at him, but I canā€™t really co-ordinate myself at the moment. He taps again, encouraging me to take it back. My fingers hook up inside the sand, and it slips around me to my satisfaction.
ā€œIf you like it,ā€ I say dryly, ā€œyou should eat it.ā€
The vegetable disappears from my peripheral. Another crunch, and another, and another. We sit in silence as he finishes it. The horizon is finally flat and unwavering in the cool of the night.
He gives my shoulder a squeeze when heā€™s done, hiking up the scarf around my head so it doesnā€™t slip too far over my hair. When I turn around, the helmetā€™s back on.
I wonder if he saw the colours of the sunset earlier. I had my head turned up for hours, watching every single shift in pink and orange and blue with wonderstruck eyesā€”but Din was striding on ahead, uninterested. Iā€™m no engineer, alright? I donā€™t exactly know what heā€™s seeing in that helmet of his, or why. Infrared sensors for tracking, like in a rifle I once had that ā€“ that was one of the best damn weapons I ever owned, guaranteed to locate and hit your target, and I loved it to bitsā€”until it got fuckinā€™ stolen by a bunch of fuckinā€™ Jawas. Point is, isnā€™t it just black and white in there? Sort of a purple-y black and white, and you can see changes in tone and depth and all, but black and white nonetheless. Red for footprints, though. Is that what he saw when I told him to look at the sky at sundown? Black and white? What is he seeing as heā€™s looking at me now? Me, Iā€™m admiring the regal gleam of his beskar again. But he wonā€™t be able to interpret the warmth of the lampā€™s light on my face the same way as I did for him. Iā€™m not the prettiest in the galaxy by a long shot, I know, but isnā€™t he missing out? On the beauty of the natural world? I think Iā€™m prettiest at sundown ā€“ something in my undertone, I dunno ā€“ but heā€™s only seen me in that greyscale. Imagine if he just thinks Iā€™mā€”okay-looking.
Overthinking it again. Din doesnā€™t waste time with things he doesnā€™t think add to his life. He doesnā€™t think Iā€™m just okay-looking.
ā€œYouā€™ve got a good voice,ā€ I tell him, grinning widely.
ā€œYouā€™ve heard my voice before.ā€ The raw clarity of his words are lost once again behind the modulator. I shift my position, wriggling away from my disappointment.
ā€œI know.ā€
A chill passes brightly through the air, and I tug my cloak tighter around myself, bringing my knees in close. Din doesnā€™t move a muscle, though, and he sits there and observes me a little longer.
Weā€™ve been each otherā€™s for a long, long time. Weā€™ve been through a lot of shit together. And Iā€™m not exactly thinking critically, and Iā€™m not sure where Iā€™m going with it, but I find myself asking, ā€œWhen Mandalorians get married, they can take their helmets off around their partner, right?ā€
The mortification immediately sets in.
Holy kriff.
Din looks at me carefully. Then, he nods the slightest of nods.
Holy kriff.
ā€œIā€™m notā€”ā€ I stutter out, eyes darting away, over there, over here, anywhere but his constant, steady, shameless attention, ā€œā€”ā€˜m not asking you to marry me, Din. I wasā€”I was just wondering ā€˜cause, yā€™know, I think you mentioned it to me once, ages back, andā€”and I was just thinkinā€™ that maybeā€”ā€ you pause, glancing up at him; he doesnā€™t move a muscle, and thereā€™s nothing that gives away any kind of anything he might be feeling, ā€œā€”maybe Iā€™d like to seeā€”whatā€”youā€”lookā€”like.ā€
Wow. Wow, Iā€™m almost amazed at how slick I am with these things. God, Imperial spies could learn a thing or two from the master.
I clear my throat, deciding to embrace the grave Iā€™ve dug for myself. ā€œBut Iā€™m not asking you to marry me, so you can stop looking at me like that, now, alright?.ā€
He says nothing, does nothing.
I situate myself with untying my waterskin from beneath my cloak, hiding my face in my shoulder and cursing, ā€œDamn voice. Gets me too damn stupid-excited,ā€ under my breath, like itā€™s a secret, like he canā€™t hear every fuckinā€™ word Iā€™m saying on a planet seemingly stripped from all other noise.
Seething at myself, I crunch back into my vegetable, then tearing off a piece of bread to stuff in alongside it, taking a careless swig from my waterskin to wash it all down. Honestly, at this point, Iā€™d rather die from dehydration than address the awful, awful statement I just made. Stars. Probably scared him right off. Weā€™re as close to married as the real thing anyway. Dinā€™s more of an actions-over-words kind of guy ā€“ I donā€™t need to call him my husband. Itā€™s not likeā€”well, marriage is companionship, and we have that already. Marriage is trust, and we have that already. I donā€™t need to call him my husband. Heā€™s justā€”my guy. My person. Would be nice to have it on paper, I guess. Proof that heā€™s my person, that he wants to be my person. Bless him, but for every single thing he does for me, every action, I still crave him saying those words. Not shit to do with marriage, exactly. Just: ā€œYouā€™re my person. Iā€™m yours.ā€ Words arenā€™t his forte.
ā€œIā€™d marry you.ā€
I swallow the hard lump of bread with difficulty, scrunching my face up into a grimace. ā€œHmm?ā€ I ask, drifting back to the present.
ā€œIā€™d marry you,ā€ he repeats, and my eyes go wide. Oh. ā€œRight here. If you want me.ā€
Huh. Huh. I dunno what the appropriate reaction is here, so I just continue staring unblinkingly at him. My stomach is erupting in flutters, and I just stare at Din.
Then, I look around us, at the barren desert. And look, yeah, I grew up on a planet very similar to Tatooine, and, yeah, sure, I have fond memories of my childhood. And then they get not-so fond. I scrunch my nose up in disapproval. ā€œNot here.ā€
ā€œWhere?ā€
I shrug, brows knitted together in deep consideration. ā€œI dunno.ā€ And I really donā€™t, becauseā€”because I didnā€™t think we were the marrying type. Just the together type. Growing old and pissy together, living together, fighting together, figuring it out togetherā€”type. Mandalorians value community and strength and The Way over everything else ā€“ not necessarily love. Didnā€™t take him for the marrying type.
I screw my mouth together and exhale deeply. ā€œJust somewhere prettier, I guess,ā€ I decide on. ā€œNot this quiet, but still pretty quiet. Yā€™know, somewhere with trees. Proper, green trees. But not the kind where thereā€™s stuff in there waiting to kill you.ā€ I want there to be as many colours as possible, in the sky, in the flowers, so he can see me and see all that beauty all together at once.
He tilts his head. ā€œLike, with mountains?ā€ he asks.
I smile. ā€œYeah, I wouldnā€™t mind mountains.ā€
He glances down at the sand, tracing some kind of pattern into it with his forefinger. ā€œWe could go to Takodana?ā€
Stars. My smile widens. Stars, is this a proposal? Did I just propose to him? Did he just propose right back? Thatā€™s actually quite funny, that is. In the middle of nowhere, running out of water, running low on food. Romantic.
ā€œHave you ever kissed anyone, Din?ā€ I ask, more confident.
He grunts and shakes his head. ā€œNot really.ā€
ā€œā€˜Not reallyā€™,ā€ I mock him, deepening my voice and attempting to widen the shoulders. I laugh at my own impression, leaning back on my hands and huffing a strand of hair out of my face. ā€œWhatā€™s that supposed to mean?ā€
He shifts, clearing his throat and adjusting to a more comfortable position. ā€œI mean, Iā€™ve kissed youā€”between your legs,ā€ he tells me, nervous, like Iā€™ve managed to forget how well he treats me, how eager he is to kneel down in the pitch-black and take care of me like that.
Heat blooms in my stomach. ā€œGreat work down there, by the way,ā€ I tell him through a sly grin.
ā€œThank you, meshā€™la.ā€ Is he blushing? Does he blush? I find myself wondering over that again.
I smile and stare at him.
ā€œCould I kiss you?ā€ The suggestion just slips out without a second thought. I just think that, after some food and water and rest, I donā€™t really have to filter anything out anymore. I donā€™t have any complaints ā€“ just some recommendations for fun we could be having.
Din doesnā€™t reply.
Ah, shit. Shit, what the fuck is wrong with me? Mandalorian, remember? Stupid, stupid. If thereā€™s anything anyone knows about Din, itā€™s that heā€™s a Mandalorian first. Heā€™s a Mandalorian before heā€™s mine ā€“ heā€™d never say it out loud, but we both know itā€™s true. Iā€™d never ask him to choose because thatā€™s cruel. Am I being cruel?
Either way, I canā€™t seem to stop, and I donā€™t seem to care: ā€œIā€™d keep my eyes shut,ā€ I blurt out, trying to keep my breathing from becoming heavy with lust, and failing a little more than a little bit. Stars, Iā€™m turning myself on at this point; he just has to sit there and look pretty. ā€œYou know Iā€™d keep ā€˜em shut. I wouldnā€™t look. I justā€”wannaā€”ā€ you sigh, ā€œā€”I just wanna kiss you. Itā€™s nice, I swear. Nice feeling. Iā€™d keep my eyes closed. Orā€”or you could tie something around ā€˜em?ā€
He doesnā€™t reply.
ā€œStars,ā€ I curse. ā€œIā€™m sorry.ā€ I wipe my eyes from dust and dirt and blink hard. ā€œI think Iā€™m just tired.ā€
ā€œYouā€™re tired?ā€
ā€œYeah.ā€
ā€œIs ā€˜tiredā€™ why youā€™re pressing onto yourself down there?ā€
He flicks his fingers over to where Iā€™ve got my hand stuffed between my legs, rocking softly against the heel of my palm. I swallow hard. Fuck, I didnā€™t even notice I was doing that. I convinced myself I wasā€”ha!ā€”I was just warming up my hands.
I shift my eyes sheepishly back up to meet Dinā€™s, guilty as charged.
He sighs deep from within the chest. ā€œYou keep ā€˜em closed and we tie something around ā€˜em.ā€
Silent, I nod in agreement. My thighs squeeze together.
He jerks his head to beckon me over, and I go shuffling on over to him on my knees, probably looking like a right idiot, but, then again, I donā€™t really give a fuck because Iā€™m about to kiss Din Djarin. Iā€™m about to kiss my Mandalorian. Iā€™m about to kiss my companion of almost a decade, more if you count all those shady bounties we used to end up competing for. My Mandalorian, my Din Djarin, mine, mine, mine. Iā€™m not possessive, I donā€™t think, but, gods, Iļæ½ļæ½Iā€”I canā€™t believe it sometimes. That I get to know him like this. That I get to know such an incredible person. That he wonā€™t say more than two words at a time to anyone, not even those weā€™re close with, like Peliā€”but, with me, heā€™ll talk for hours. He jokes that heā€™s just humouring me, but I know he loves it. He tells me so.
Din makes a motion with his hand to turn around, so I do, and I let him tie an old, folded food cloth around my head ā€“ unsanitary, sure, but, again, I donā€™t care, and my headā€™s reeling, and my heartā€™s racing so hard, thrumming in my ears, and heā€™s so close, and his fingers are tangling through my hair as he lowers my scarf, and theyā€™re brushing against the nape of my neck now, andā€”
ā€œCan you take your gloves off, Din?ā€ I ask, and, unfortunately, the neediness seeps right through my voice. ā€œPlease?ā€ Stars, Iā€™m pathetic.
Behind me, thereā€™s the shuffle and quiet groan of leather as he tugs them off, and then a quiet pat! as he tosses them to the side.
And then his hands are back. Rough, calloused fingertips ghosting over my ears, my hair, as he knots the cloth, then knots it again for good measure. Darkness is closed over my eyes, tinged the rich green of the fabric. My breath seems nearer this way, short, shallow, hot. I gnaw on the inside of my cheek, still, as he cups the back of my neck, his touch cool.
I reach over my shoulder, taking a deep inhale as I run my fingers over the dips and hills of his knuckles. I fold my hands over his and squeeze, bringing them forward and kissing his fingertips gently. I feel the texture and thickness of his fingers, trace the lines of his palm. Din comes in close behind me, the solidity of his chestplate (cuirass? I dunno, once, he got all pissy ā€˜cause I didnā€™t call by itā€™s actual name) pressing up against my shoulder blades.
I smooth my thumbs along the deepest crease in his palm. ā€œYā€™know, once, before I met you, I met someone who told me he could foretell my whole life, and my childā€™s life, and their childā€™s life, just from the lines on my hands.ā€
ā€œOh, yeah?ā€ His voice is right in my ear, low and intimate. Maker. ā€œWhat do mine say?ā€
ā€œAll good things,ā€ you reply shakily.
ā€œAnything about Takodana?ā€
He twists his hand over, enveloping my right and rubbing circles into the back of it.
Then, heā€™s letting me go, leaning awayā€”and thereā€™s that hiss and click of him removing his helmet. I blink against the green cloth, my eyelashes dragging up slowly. If I hold my breath, I can hear him breathing.
ā€œTurn around,ā€ he tells me, and I do.
Itā€™s too dark for silhouettes anymore. If we were in daylight again, maybe I couldā€™ve seen the vaguest outline of him. But weā€™re not in daylight. I blink again against the cloth, hard.
His hands reach out and grasp my hips, and theyā€™re warm and large and I never get used to it. The breath is still knocked out of my chest. He angles and adjusts me to face him, and I place my hands on his shoulders, fumbling around his armour before settling them instead on his neck.
His neck. Bare skin. I smooth my hand up the column of his pretty, perfect neck, feeling every inch of him. I already know the texture of his hair. When heā€™s between my legs and kissing me there, I like to thread my fingers through it. Itā€™s thick and wavy and slightly too long. But otherwise, I keep my hands to myself. Even though Iā€™m not technically seeing him in the dark when he takes his helmet off to taste me, I donā€™t reach out and touch his faceā€”because itā€™s his. Itā€™s his, and heā€™s taken an oath to keep it that way. Heā€™s never initiated a kiss, so Iā€™ve never asked. Iā€™ve been content. Iā€™ve been patient.
But I guess my patience has reached a limit. Slowly, tentatively, I drift my touch up, up, and feel along his jawline, coarse with longer scruff. His breath hitches, and I smile and continue. I smooth my fingers right along his cheekbone ā€“ Din gently circles his hand around my wrist, pressing his nose into my palm, then kissing it, soft, careful, dragging the tip of his nose along the line of the vein that trails over my arm.
Stars.
I blink hard again behind the green cloth, clenching my jaw down till my teeth grit together.
I feel along the jagged bridge of his nose, take note of how itā€™s slightly crooked to the right, like heā€™s broken it before (wouldnā€™t surprise me). I learn the shape of his brow, the broadness of his forehead. I feel the feather-light brush of his eyelashes against my wrist. Iā€™m silentā€”and Iā€™m grinning like an idiot, because what else can I do? Itā€™s like Iā€™m seeing his face. Iā€™m not, but itā€™s sure as hell the closest thing. The weight of his head in my hands, the cautious squeeze of his hands on my arms. I whisper some kind of babbling, incoherent request, and he relaxes his eyes ā€“ I can feel the muscles in his face release tension ā€“ for me to trace my middle finger over the shape of his eye. Iā€™m not crying, but, fuck, itā€™s getting a little moist up in this blindfold.
His eyes droop down slightly at the ends. I like eyes like that ā€“ kind eyes. My mother used to say these types of eyes only belonged to the kindest of people. Stars. Donā€™t cry.
ā€œYou look insane, meshā€™la,ā€ he whispers, close to me, lifting his hands to tenderly hold my face, like I might break.
ā€œAh, bantha shit, baby,ā€ I retort. ā€œYouā€™re loving this.ā€
And I can feel him smile. I can feel it crinkle up the sides of his eyes, and I can feel the squint of them, and the way his cheeks lift. He smiles a little lop-sidedly, actually, the left corner of his mouth just a touch higher than the right. I try to memorise every single bit of information I discover, as urgent and as desperate as if my life depended upon it.
Quivering with want, I press my lips to the inner corner of his eye, firm and sure and needy, my hands grasping around his face. Din grabs fistfuls of my cloak, bringing me nearer to him.
He smells like dust and tastes like sweat and salt, but, Maker, this is good. Satisfies some deep, hellacious ache that would have otherwise consumed me.
I kiss the ridge of his cheekbone with the same fervour, and then I kiss the corner of his mouth, the left side, the side that quirks up when he smiles.
Only, heā€™s not really smiling right now. Heā€™s breathing heavily, almost panting, and stroking my hair away from my face and neck before mumbling out, ā€œSo pretty.ā€ I press my nose against his, breathless with anticipation, heady at the warmth of his body. ā€œSā€™good. You look so goodā€”like this. Yā€™look good all the timeā€”ā€
But Iā€™m kissing him already, frantic, fingers pressing into the back of his neck, into his shoulders, bringing him as near to me as humanly possible. I sob dryly as he reciprocates, nudging his nose flat against my cheek. He opens his mouth to suck in a breath, and I lick into him, taste him deeply, practically having climbed into his lap during my whirlwind pursuit. His cold hands slip under my cloak, arms wrapping around me in a second.
The kiss is dry and rough, and I wouldnā€™t have it any other way. It seems befitting of him somehow.
And when he makes a pathetic sound, a whimper or something, at the back of his throat, I almost melt right into the ground.
Closer, closer, closer ā€“ thatā€™s all I can really comprehend at the moment. Even with our bodies slotted together, even though I can feel each shaky breath he takes as his stomach flexes over my own, I feel hungry for more. Itā€™s Din. My Din, kissing me, his hands on me, his eyes on me. My Din, grunting into me as I shift in his lap and squeeze my legs around him. Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine, mineā€”
He grabs my face gently by the chin, urging me away from him for a few moments. I sit there, blind, his open mouth still hovering over mine. Oh, stars, I think of the softness of his tongue, and I kiss the corner of his mouth, wanting, asking.
Din angles my face to the side, coming in slow, warm, and languidly slides his tongue into my hot mouth, breath fanning out across my glowing face. Maker. I canā€™t control myself ā€“ a helpless noise passes through me as I take it good and kiss him back, eager, wide open.
I guide his hand down the the base of my throat, just to feel his touch somewhere else. He squeezes there lightly.
His other hand manages to snake under my shirt, pressing flat across the small of my back, sliding up my spine and sending shivers all the way right through me.
Itā€™sā€”good. Really good. Canā€™t-open-my-eyes-for-a-good-few-heartbeats type of good.
ā€œMaker,ā€ he curses hoarsely under his breath as I pull away, still leaning forward for me, chasing my touch.
ā€œGood?ā€ I ask him.
He presses a kiss to my cheek, smiling. ā€œWe can do thisā€”more oftenā€”ā€˜f you want.ā€
ā€œIf I want, huh?ā€
He kisses me deeply again, his thumb slotted beneath the cloth over my eyes. He pulls it taut to the side over so slightly, and I can make out that beautiful, warm glow over the sand and his armour again. I shut my eyes as he tilts my head up, though, as kisses down to the hollow of my throat and back up again.
I slide my fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck, holding him close. ā€œYouā€™re beautiful, arenā€™t you?ā€ I just know it. Everything about him is just beautiful. Itā€™s just lovely, and I love it.
ā€œMarry me and you can find out for sure,ā€ he mumbles into my neck.
I can hardly hear him, of course ā€“ blood is pounding so hard in my ears that all I can understand from his words are that they rumble deep right through his chest, warm under the cool beskar.
I lift his head and press my nose into his cheek. ā€œI can tell,ā€ I continue, words brushing his lips. Again, I smooth my fingers over his face. ā€œYouā€™re so pretty, Din.ā€
ā€œMarry me,ā€ he urges, whispering against the fabric over my eye, warm.
I grin. ā€œLater.ā€
He curses, something in Mandoā€™a. ā€œWeā€™re going to Takodana as soon as we get that damn ship, you hear me?ā€
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