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kyberblade · 2 years ago

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Back To You (Din x Reader) - Part 14

A/N: There is one brain cell shared among all three of them, and the child has full custody of it. 🤦🏼‍♀️ I have been waiting for this part. When I first came up with the story, I was like, “Ugh! I’m going to have to come up with an OC Jedi to teach the reader and blah blah blah,” and I was dreading it. Then, lightbulb, “You, dummy! There’s an episode called The Jedi.” Don’t look at me. I laughed at myself but also wanted to hide. So without further ado, here is the next part! (Okay, more ado. Sorry.) There is more show dialogue in this one. 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 middle of episode 2x5/13, The Jedi.)

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. Some inappropriate jokes but all in good fun and nothing overtly spicy, more innuendos. Mando’a.

Word count: 14,010 (I regret nothing.)

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.

Thank you to @what-the-heckin-heck, @dontletyourchildrenwatchthis, @lloweryourstandardss, and @fordo-kixed-rex for reading this over for me and letting me know I’m not crazy despite it being a behemoth. And @deceiverofgodss for helping with the Mando’a.

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Xxx

Your right vambrace rested in your lap, the glove worn underneath clutched tightly between your teeth as you fiddled with the beskar. “Dahnk fahrik,” you mumbled around the leather as the tool slipped. Luckily not much could damage beskar, or the vambrace would be covered in scratches right now simply from this repair attempt.

Din turned in his pilot’s seat to watch when you let out a growl in frustration. “Need some help?”

“Yesh,” you said around the leather before spitting it out beside the vambrace. “Yes,” you repeated with a sigh, letting your head plop back against your chair.

He chuckled lightly, taking the vambrace to inspect more closely. “What seems to be the problem?”

“The fastening mechanism isn’t working right.” You picked up your head to look at him properly, handing him the tool. “It clicks in, but it still sits kinda loose on my arm. I was trying to tighten the screw, but-”

Din slid the mechanism closed after three small twists with the little tool, a sound click filling the cockpit. “It’s fixed.”

You stared at the armor in his hands for a moment, tilting your head after a minute of silence and blinking. “How-”

“It’s a spring mechanism. Fails on mine sometimes, too. The trick is to bypass it here,” he pointed with the tool to a spot an inch away from where you were working, “so it can continue without catching.” Leaning forward he set the vambrace back in your lap, keeping the tool, tossing it in the air and catching it.

Holding the beskar close to your face to inspect it for yourself, you narrowed your brows as you turned it over to see all the little crevices, poking at the spot he pointed at almost like you were testing it. “Thanks,” you mumbled.

He nodded once before turning back to the control panel and dropping out of hyperspace.

As you slipped your glove and vambrace back on, you looked up through the viewfinder to see a dreary looking planet looming ahead, half in shadow half in sun, the side in darkness barely lit up with any cities or lights.

“Corvus, this is the place. I’ve detected a beacon.” As Din spoke, he looked across his shoulder at the kid where he sat to his right on the console, looking up at him with bright eyes, making you smile. “I’m gonna start the landing cycle. You better get back in your seat.”

Din continued to press buttons and flip switches while the child stayed where he was, looking around the cabin as if nothing had happened. His focus settled on the silver ball on top of the lever about a foot in front of him, and you rolled your eyes. This was going to be interesting.

Jerking his head back towards the kid’s seat, Din’s voice got a little gruffer, more stern. “Hey, what did I tell you?” If Din noticed, he didn’t say anything, but you had to stifle a laugh at the way the kid’s face scrunched up into a scowl as he eyed the ball again, eyes narrowed slightly. As quickly as it came, it went, and the most innocent expression fell over his features as he tilted his head to the side and looked up at his caretaker. Oh, he’s good.

“Back in your seat.” Din turned back to face forward as the kid clamored down with little coos and grunts, hiking himself up into his chair on your right. You raised a brow as you watched him worrying his hands in front of himself as he looked between the ball and Din, and back again a few times.

Reaching out a hand, his eyes falling partway shut, you didn’t have to feel the surge in the air to know what was happening as the kid started to slyly unscrew the ball with the Force.

Under the guise of adjusting your vambrace further, you tucked your smile towards your chest, trying to swallow the snicker that wanted so badly to come out.

As you flew over the surface of the planet, it reminded you of the lower levels of Coruscant, grimy and hazy, the air almost yellow and thick. Everything looked gloomy and sad, the trees that once would have been a magnificent forest now stood baren and stripped, lonely spires left as a reminder of a better time.

Landing in the middle of what was once a forest on the outskirts of the village, you heard deep moaning and chittering coming from beyond the little clearing the ship was in. Stepping down the ramp cautiously, you peered around, eyes going wide when you saw the source of the sounds. Large creatures on four legs, taller than the Crest ambled about, snapping what was left of the dead trees in their jaws as they ate.

At the bottom of the ramp, Din turned to look at you. “If anywhere was a place you needed to conceal your identity, it’s here. This is the type of place where someone would turn you in for a handful of credits, let alone whatever the bounty actually is now.”

“I’ll just stay here on the ship, then-”

“No,” he cut you off. “I can’t protect you if you’re here and I’m there. We stick together.”

You nodded. “Fine. I’m not going to disagree with that. But what’s the solution? I mean, I have my capes but they don’t really conceal me much.”

Din tilted his head to the side as he stared at you, his visor moving from your head down to your toes and back up in a silent appraisal.

You swallowed roughly. “Uh-oh. No. No, Din. Whatever you’re thinking, I don’t like it.”

“You don’t even know what it is yet!” He protested, arms going out to his sides as he laughed lightly.

“But I already know I don’t like it,” you countered, taking a step backwards up the ramp.

“Will you just trust me, please?” He was still laughing over his words, taking a step towards you. “Mesh’la, come on. Have I steered you wrong before?”

“Let’s see,” you stopped, holding out a finger for each situation. “We’ve crash landed on an ice planet because you were avoiding being arrested after helping with a prison break gone wrong.” You held out a second finger, “The Crest was held together with twine and hope as we limped to Arvala-7.” A third finger, “You said you shot the trooper at the base when it was obviously me-”

You let out a squeal as he rushed toward you, turning and darting up the ramp yelling, “No, no, no!” as you laughed. Scooping the kid up, you turned to face Din as you held the kid up in front of your face. “Think of the child,” you panted, trying to catch your breath as the little green bundle in your grasp let out a soft questioning coo. Din kept stalking closer, so you set the child down. “Run, kid! Save yourself!”

Din was on you the next second, your back against the wall of the Crest as you stared at his chest plate with a grin. “We’ve got to quit meeting like this,” you teased. Laughter filled the ship as you batted his hands away. They poked into your sides mercilessly, crawling up to your neck and back down until finally you relented. “Fine! Fine! Whatever it is, I’ll do it. Just stop! Please!” Once he stopped and you could get a deep breath, you glared up at his visor. “It’s really not fair that all of this,” you tapped a knuckle against his beskar, “keeps me from ever being able to get you back.”

“Then you’re going to love my plan.” His tone sounded like he had a broad grin plastered on under his helmet, and it made one climb up your features as well.

Xxx

“This will never work!” You yell through the refresher door.

“It has to,” Din called back, his footsteps pacing back and forth in the main part of the ship.

Looking down at yourself, you grimaced. He’d told you to put the armor you'd gotten from Vanth on Tatooine on. It was obviously made for someone much larger than you. If you were trying to remain inconspicuous, this was going to do the exact opposite.

You weren’t even thinking about messing with the helmet right now, it was much too big and you’d probably trip and break something if you wore it before it was necessary. You still wore your own vambraces. Din didn’t want you to bump a button on the others and blow something up.

“Just let me see,” Din said quietly, his footsteps pausing. “Please.”

Pushing the button to open the door, you looked up at him through your lashes, afraid to move your head up to look at him properly, lest the armor all just fall off.

“It…. Um.”

“My thoughts exactly,” you grumbled, shuffling forward with your arms held stiffly out at an angle to make sure it stayed on you.

Sighing, you stopped about a foot away from him, looking up expectantly. When he said nothing, you huffed, rolling your eyes. "This was made for a man, Din."

“....And?" He held a hand out in front of him in question.

“....Men don't have breasts." You adjusted the chest plate slightly, glaring at it as you did.

He choked. "I see."

Rolling your eyes again, you stomped over to your bag that sat on a crate to your right, careful to hold the armor in place, and went back in the refresher.

“Mesh’la, what’s wrong?” Din called from the other side of the door, knocking softly.

“I’m fixing this. Hold on.” You pulled off the chest plate and put on your capes, both of them, along with your scarf, hoping the padding would help fill in the blank spaces the armor left behind. It fit a little more snuggly once you slipped the armor back on, so you opened the refresher door again, walking out a bit more confidently this time.

Your face fell at Din’s instant reaction.

"No. No, no, no. No."

You held your arms out to the side, looking down to survey the armor again. "What? I thought it looked…. Okay-ish?"

"You look like a- and don't take this the wrong way... You look like a Hutt that sprouted legs."

Your arms froze out to your sides, and you looked up at him with only your eyes, the rest of you completely still. "Gee, thanks."

He was quick to add, "Or a Wookie that shrunk."

You lifted your head up to level a glare on him, your voice a deadpan. "I get it, Din."

"Or a-"

Your arms crossed over your chest, somewhat awkwardly at the bulk of the capes and armor. "Say one more thing. I dare you."

He just looked you up and down once, his visor trailing the path slowly before he couldn’t help himself. "....it doesn't look right."

Letting out a battle cry, you launched, tackling him to the floor of the Crest. Your momentum caused you both to roll down the ramp, falling off halfway, and landing on the ground with a thump.

"Why. Are. You. So. Annoying?!" You shook his shoulders, lifting him as far up off the ground as you could- only an inch or so- and dropping him back down between each word for emphasis. But you were barely moving because of the padding, each movement stilted, and Din just snickered beneath you at the whole situation.

"Kid, help!" He cried over a snort of laughter, turning his head toward the ramp.

"Your gremlin can't save you now, Mando," you practically growled out.

Suddenly the world spun for a brief second before coming to a grinding halt as you let out a breath on an oomph. When you looked up, you saw the T of his visor looking down at you as he now had the high ground.

"No need," he said simply, lowering to get close to your face as his next words came out on practically a hum. "You can wear my old armor, it'll fit you better. And if not....” His head tilted to the side just slightly. “Nothing is always an option."

You raised a brow at him, eyes narrowing on his visor as you slowly repeated his words. “You want me to walk into the village.... In nothing?"

His head tilted the other way. "Who said anything about the village?"

Xxx

“I look ridiculous.” The sound of your voice through a modulator made you wrinkle your nose inside the beskar dome.

“You look like a Mandalorian.”

You sighed. “I sure hope so. Otherwise all of this,” you gestured down to the armor, “was for nothing.”

“I wouldn’t say nothing….”

You reached out and shoved his shoulder lightly as you both chuckled. Taking off the helmet, you took a deep breath.

“It’s not an awful way of life. Maybe you should consider it,” he teased. “You look good in beskar.”

“And hide all of this?” You made a swooping gesture to your face before you laughed.

“True,” Din said lightly, bumping your shoulder with his own. “Maybe it’s just that it’s my old armor.”

“That could be it….” You winked at him before you put the helmet back on, grumbling as you did. “I don’t know how you do this all day every day. I feel like I can’t breathe.”

“Everything still works the same,” Din mused, making you turn a visored glare on him, the helmet shifting slightly to the side with your movement.

“Ugh!” You groaned. “Don’t make me glare at you. Or laugh. Any sudden movement and this thing is gonna go.” You righted it on your head, sighing when it finally sat right again.

A soft coo came from the top of the ramp, and you looked up to see the child ambling down slowly, almost sleepily. Your helmet began to shift with the movement, but Din held one finger up to the temple and held it in place.

The child plopped down in the middle of the ramp looking thoroughly exhausted, eyes blinking slowly as he fought sleep, and when you spied the silver ball in his hands, you finally understood. He had spent his energy trying to get his toy.

“What did I say about that?” Din walked up to the child, lowering to his haunches and taking the ball gently from his ward. Holding it up, he spoke sternly. “This needs to stay in the ship.”

The child reached after the toy, whining softly as Din tucked it into his belt while he rose to his feet. Turning to survey the area, he didn’t seem impressed. “Not much to see out here.”

“Good, because I can’t move to look,” you grumbled, holding the top of the helmet with one hand as you slowly turned to glance around as well.

“Never had dealings with a Jedi before,” Din mused absently, and for some reason that stung unexpectedly.

It frustrated you that you couldn’t be enough to help the kid. You hadn’t had the training, it just wasn’t possible to be everything he needed. But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt sometimes.

Din scooped the child up into his arms with a grunt. “Let’s head into town.” The child cooed as Din tucked him into the satchel. “See if we can pick up a lead.”

You followed behind as quickly as your awkward armor clad frame would allow, one hand on top of your helmet as you tried to keep up with your Mandalorian.

Xxx

As you approached the city wall, you lowered your hand to rest on your belt, your saber tucked safely away behind Din’s cape. Careful not to linger near your weapons, you tried to look as casual as Din did beside you on your right.

A guard said something you didn’t understand, then a man came walking across the top of the wall, standing tall and imposing in the center over the city gates. “State your business.”

“Been tracking for a few days. Looking for a layover.” You kept your face forward as Din spoke, every bone in your body itching to rest your hand on your blaster.

The man looked skeptical, but it quickly faded into appreciation, if somewhat aloof. “Nice armor.” When Din said nothing, he continued. “You a hunter, then?”

Din nodded once. “That’s right.” His tone was a little more amicable now, trying to get on the man’s good side.

“And them?” The man bounced his head your way, eyeing your patchwork armor.

You nodded, as little as possible, but you still felt the helmet start to slip before it suddenly held fast. Glancing down at the satchel, you saw the kid reaching out to help, and you nodded more firmly.

“Guild?”

“Last I checked,” Din said after a moment, making you smile under the helmet while you nodded slowly once again.

The man tilted his head at you. “Do you not talk?”

Without missing a beat, you shook your head no. The armor was for a man, and your voice wouldn’t pass as masculine even if you tried. Which you had back on the ship. Din and the child found it very amusing, both of them laughing hysterically. It was ridiculous, you had to admit. You’d chuckled yourself.

“Vocal chords were frozen before they came to the Creed. Toxin from an uninhabited planet chasing a bounty. Not much to say in our line of work, though, anyway.”

You tilted your head to look up at the man again, and felt the kid’s grip on the helmet slip. Reaching out yourself, you held it still with an unseen force, looking the man in the eye.

He arched his brow at Din’s words, looking at you with a new appreciation in his gaze before he turned his head to one of the guards. “Open the gate.”

Releasing your hold on the helmet after you looked forward again, you walked a step behind Din, as smoothly as you could. Sending the kid a wave of thanks, you heard his soft coo in response.

Walking down the main thoroughfare, you came upon a vendor Din started to question before they turned and walked off, leaving him trailing off mid sentence with a sigh.

Behind the booth was an alley with a man crouched down in front of two children. They looked so sad, you decided to do something about it. A gentle nudge with your mind, and two pieces of fruit rolled off the vendor’s table, landing softly against the children’s feet. You made sure to make their path look haphazard and natural.

The children beamed as they picked them up, but the man sadly informed them they couldn’t afford them. Taking a step forward, you held up your hand to stop him, Din withdrawing the amount of credits needed from his belt and setting them on the table.

“We can’t-” the man began, but you just waved your hand at him, gently shaking your head back and forth the little the helmet would allow before it slipped. “Thank you,” he finally said instead, to which you only nodded once.

“I need some information,” Din began softly, taking a step forward. “I’m looking for someone.”

The man’s face fell, and he turned to the children. “Okay, bye.” As they scampered off, he rose to his feet. “Please, do not speak to them, or to any of us.” It looked like he had more to say, but couldn’t.

Din took a deep breath in, but was cut short by some armed guards surrounding both you and him. “The Magistrate wants to see you.” Sighing, Din turned to you, signing in Tusken. “Go back to the ship. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Nodding as gently as possible, you didn’t know how else a Mandalorian would respond, so you did the first thing that came to mind. Bringing your hand up in a salute as you stood at attention, you held it for a second before turning on your heel at Din’s slight head shake in reaction.

Well.

You tried.

Xxx

You stood near the front gates as you waited for him, keeping a watchful eye on the village around you.

It was dismal, dark, everything a bit hazy, and an overall sense of gloom hung in the air. Nobody smiled, you heard no laughter, no sounds of children playing around the corner. Just the chatter over the guard’s comms and silence.

Every once in a while, the tense air was broken with a distant yell, someone crying out in anguish as the faint sound of crackling electricity buzzed in the background. It echoed off every wall, so you couldn’t pinpoint where it came from, but it made your spine crawl every time.

You thought you heard a “please” on the wind, carried on the latest cry, right before you saw Din approaching quickly down the street, walking a bit faster when he saw you.

“I told you to wait on the ship,” he signed, ignoring the questioning eyes of the man who let you into the city close on his heels.

“I decided this was best,” you signed back, earning a soft growl of frustration from him.

“Problem?” The man looked between the two of you as he came to stand across from you where you leaned against the front wall, one leg bent, foot propped up against the stone beneath you easily.

You started to shake your head when your breath caught in your chest as you were abruptly hauled off the wall by the material at the back of your neck. Turning to find your assailant, you were met with none other than Din’s visor, tilted at you pointedly, making the scoff you were about to let loose die on your lips as you remembered your cover.

“No, no problem,” he grunted as he began to haul you toward the front gates, and out of the city. “Just a little domestic dispute is all.”

Swallowing the huff you wanted to let out, you shrugged out of his hold, signing in a flurry when your hands were free. “Domestic dispute my ass.”

The man let out a snort of laughter, looking down to his feet to try and conceal his amusement. When he looked back up to find two T visors on him, he sighed. “Did I mention I speak Tusken?” After a moment he held up his hands placatingly. “But, hey, it’s none of my business.” He leaned in on the last few words with a wink, before leaning back again, hands falling to rest on his belt easily.

After a long moment, you signed something not so nice to him, making him laugh. “Sorry. I know when I’m not wanted.”

The child let out a coo from his satchel, looking up at the man with bored eyes.

“What is that thing anyway?”

Narrowing his eyes up at the man, his ears falling to the side of his head in an unimpressed scowl, the kid let out a soft grunt.

“I keep it around for luck.” Din’s dry tone made you want to laugh.

“You’re gonna need it where you’re headed.” The man’s ominous warning didn’t sit well with you, and you turned your back on him, heading toward the tree line.

With the helmet’s enhanced hearing, you were just able to make out his low voice as he leaned into Din. “What about them? You keep them around for luck, too?”

You couldn’t hold back the soft snort when Din mumbled softly, “Something like that.”

Xxx

You stayed several paces ahead of him the entire way back to the ship, letting the helmet slip to the side a bit further with every impact of your feet as you tread a little more forcefully than necessary.

Not knowing what else to do, you had reached up and offered your best salute, hoping it didn’t look as awkward as it felt. Din had walked off with a shake of his head, not offering you much hope that you looked very convincing. But then…. Then he came and hauled you off the wall by the back of your neck like a mothering animal to a misbehaving baby…. At least you had tried to be a little Mandalorian, you grumbled to yourself, thoughts bouncing off every wall of your mind.

Meanwhile he had just been plain Din, what with his domestic dispute, and luck, and something like that. Letting out an exaggerated breath, you rolled your eyes, which was a bad idea, because when you tried to focus forward again, the helmet had slipped further in those precious seconds and your field of view was now almost completely sideways somehow.

Going back to the ship, as soon as you were on board, you ripped the helmet off, taking a deep breath.

“How does he do it?” You mumbled, setting the lump of beskar on a crate.

After some time passed, you were startled when a body pressed up against your back. It wasn’t until you felt the cool touch of beskar against your ear that you relaxed again, letting your eyes fall closed as you let out a sigh. You were still baffled by how he could move so silently.

“We need to work on your Mandalorian etiquette." His voice was low and somewhat amused, his hands finding purchase on your upper arms before they began to trace down towards your hands.

"Why? Was I a little... Rusty?" You looked over your shoulder at him, fighting a smirk.

Stopping all movement, Din went rigid, even his modulator falling silent. Turning abruptly, he let go of you, and made his way out and back down the ramp to the outside of the ship.

“Din?” You chuckled, watching him with your eyes. Following him to the top of the ramp, you popped your head through the opening and followed his steps as he made his way around the Crest in a circle with knit brows. “Din.”

You tried everything, but he didn’t speak to you for a good hour after that.

You tried really hard to get him to talk to you and he just looked at you for a moment, pausing his incessant movement, shook his head in disbelief, and began working on part of the Crest again.

Finally you’d had enough, following on his heels like a bad smell, lamenting, "It's the armor! It's rubbing off on me!"

He mumbled so quietly you almost missed it. "I'll help rub something off on you-"

"What?" You cut him off.

"What?" He fired back dryly just as fast.

You stared at him for a long moment, your eyes flitting over his helmet as your jaw dropped in shock before you squeaked, "What?!?”

Another long moment passed before he simply turned and walked away in silence.

"Din?"

He held up a hand, waving it dismissively as if to say "Shhhh!"

“Ugh!” You groaned, throwing your head back and staring at the ceiling of the ship as you followed him around. “Will you please tell me what the Magistrate wanted?”

“Wants me to kill a Jedi.”

You stopped moving, your head snapping up to look at him properly.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to,” he clarified. “Offered me a spear of pure beskar in exchange. If I turned that down, it’d look suspicious. Plus, she gave me coordinates of her last known location. Get your stuff packed up, we’ll leave as soon as you’re ready.”

“I’m ready now,” you said without hesitation. “I’m not going to take the armor off, it was too hard to get it to look right in the first place, plus if we run into anyone from town, we need to sell our story again.” You turned, taking a few steps toward the ramp before rounding on him with a finger held close to his visor. “But I’m not wearing the helmet.”

“I thought it stayed pretty well-”

“That’s because he,” you pointed to his little green ward sound asleep in the satchel, “wore himself out holding it on for me, then I held it the rest of the time.”

Din looked down at the child. “I didn’t know,” he murmured.

“Not everything is black and white like your visor would lead you to believe, Din.”

Xxx

Walking through the woods, the soft moans of the wood chomping creatures the only sound in the air, you kept a few paces ahead of him.

“So you have to kill a Jedi?”

He only grunted in response.

After a long moment of silence, your voice lowered before you continued, something hesitant in your chest. “Do you do this sort of thing a lot?” You looked over your shoulder at him, eyes lowering to the ground before you turned forward again, voice going lower still. “I mean, before I came along.”

Din sighed. “A bounty was a bounty, mesh’la. I…. I didn’t really think twice. Didn’t look much further than the information on the puck. Until this one.”

Chancing a glance back at him one more time, you saw he was looking down at the kid in his satchel with a fond tilt of his head, the kid now wide awake and blinking large eyes up at him as he babbled nonsense around an adoring smile.

“What made you think twice?”

Din lifted his visor to look at you straight on. “I don’t know. It just didn’t feel right. He was just a kid….” His focus turned toward the ground in thought, his voice going along with it. “….kinda like I was.”

“If….” You turned forward, unable to look at him as you said the next part. “If you got my puck, what would you do?”

“Go straight to the bar and get you the hell out of there.” He didn’t even hesitate.

You smiled softly. “No, I mean if you didn’t know me.”

“Oh.” Suddenly his hand was around your elbow, tugging you gently to a stop. “Mesh’la, you don’t want to go down this road.”

“Maybe you’re right. I just…. I don’t know. I’m curious-”

“No. Mesh’la,” he tugged you softly in the opposite direction you had been going. “You really don’t want to go down this road. The coordinates are that way.”

“….Oh.” Taking a few steps in the proper direction to get ahead of him again, you scrunched up your face in disbelief at yourself once you were past him as you mumbled, “I knew that.”

His hand still around your elbow stopped you short. “Mesh’la.”

Sighing, you looked at the ground. “Forget it, Din.”

He tried again, ignoring you, his tone just as soft. “Mesh’la.”

Refusing to face him, you lifted your gaze to study the forest of dead trees around you, the faint figures of the giant creatures lowing in the distance drawing your focus as you spoke. “No, Din. I don’t know what I wanted to know. Just…. Just forget it. Okay? Please?”

He sighed. “Mesh’la,” you echoed his heavy exhale, rolling your eyes, making him let out a soft snort of laughter. “Before…. My job as a bounty hunter wasn't…. Nice. It was an existence more than anything. Yes, it came to be something I enjoyed to an extent, but…. The taking of lives, ruining someone’s life, breaking up a family…. That was never the part I wanted. I hated that part.” The fingers around your elbow slowly began to trace absent patterns. “I….” He let out a huff. “I came back to the bar, back to you, to try and forget about those parts. You made me feel a little bit more human when I’d been stripped down to just a monster in beskar.”

Turning, you looked up into his visor. “You were never a monster, Din.” He shook his head at you with a disbelieving huff, his gaze falling toward the ground. “You weren’t,” you said more firmly, trying to catch his gaze again, smiling ever so slightly when you did. “You may scare Mythrol, but you’re not a monster.” You leaned in slightly, like you were sharing a secret. “I scare Mythrol, remember. And I am most definitely not a monster.”

“I don’t know….” He mused, his voice dripping in amusement. He began to move down the correct path again, pulling you gently until his hand fell from your arm as he pulled in front of you. “Have you seen you just after you wake up?”

Stopping in your tracks after only a few steps, your jaw dropped as an indignant scoff tumbled out, making him chuckle. Stomping past him, you brushed his shoulder with your own, the beskar on each set of armor bouncing off the other with a clang. “I take it all back. You’re awful.”

It only took a few more minutes before Din slowed to a stop behind you, making you turn to face him, tugging at the scarf around your neck where it was still tucked into the armor. “This is starting to itch….”

“I tried to warn you,” he muttered, pressing a few buttons on his vambrace as he looked around, pressing something on the side of his helmet once he was satisfied. “Well, these are the coordinates.”

Looking around, you tugged the scarf a bit harder, sighing in relief when it loosened just a bit. “This?” You used your other hand to gesture to the vacant space, save for barren trees.

He only nodded, turning slowly to survey the area for himself. “Keep your eyes open.”

“For what?” You grumbled. “This place is a ghost planet.”

He huffed, making another half turn before turning back towards you, his shoulders tense. “We must be close.”

Something rustled not far from you, making all three of you snap your attention to the side at the sound, searching for the source.

“You hear that?”

“No. I’m just reacting exactly like you for absolutely no reason,” you grumbled, eyes darting back and forth in search of the sound. It was hard to swallow the smile that wanted to come up when you felt his visor level on the side of your face, utterly unimpressed with your jokes.

Keeping his visor fixed on you, he walked over to a large nearby stone, setting the kid down on top of it. Finally, he turned to look at the kid as he spoke softly. “Don’t worry. Sit right here. Let me see what’s out there.”

Pulling the scope off his rifle, he looked around the area, coming back to a spot with a sigh. “False alarm.”

Following his line of sight, you saw one of the giant creatures in the distance, meandering slowly through the leafless trees. You were about to make a joke, something about the huge beasts and how they obviously hid so well, when you felt a sudden surge in the Force. You barely had time to say, “Mando!” before he spun just in time to block two white sabers with his vambraces.

The metal sang under the pressure of the blades before they were drawn back and you saw the face of your attacker, a Togruta, very strong with the Force.

She glanced between the two of you quickly before she went in again for another swipe at his beskar, the clang and ting of impact ringing around the clearing. A spin sent the blades careening for your own armor clad arms, and you felt the impact vibrate throughout the metal as you swiftly blocked, then put distance between you once again.

Using the Force, you summoned your saber from where Din still had it tucked away safely under his cape, and it flew into your waiting hand, igniting on impact.

Without wasting a second, you ran in between them, blocking her sabers with your own. White met purple in blinding flashes, the zing of kyber on beskar rang in between the hum of clashing blades as Din tried to come from the other side.

You saw her eyes widen in shock for only a moment when she saw the glow of your saber meet hers, but she quickly schooled her features back into something more battle ready, more menacing as she came back in for another attempt.

Both of you blasted your vambraces at her, walls of fire coming from each side and meeting in the middle in a collision of flames. She leapt up and out of the way at the last second, soaring high over your heads and landing safely away, firmly on her feet with her blades at the ready.

Din’s whipcord shot out and wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her side, her sabers pointed to the ground. She quickly looked up and you saw her plan form in an instant. Before you could say a word, she had leapt up again, obviously using the Force to gain distance from the two of you, and spun her body over a low hanging branch, yanking Din up by the cord with the movement.

He grunted, reaching out with a blade in his other vambrace to slice the cord tethering them together, dropping to the ground with a thud. He spun to face her as she turned, swinging her sabers with a flick of her wrists to cut the cord still around her at her back with a flash of sparks and hum of her blades on impact. Her blades once again at the ready once the whipcord was gone, she stood ready to charge.

“Ahsoka Tano!” Din held up his hand placatingly, backing up a step when she began to move toward him, his blaster drawn in his other hand. She stopped when she heard what he said. “Bo-Katan sent me!”

She hesitated, eyes darting between the two of you, dancing along the glow of your blade held in front of you at the ready before returning to your eyes.

“We need to talk,” he continued, voice softer as he caught his breath, and her gaze drifted over to the child.

She lowered her sabers as she casually slipped into conversation, and disengaged them, making you hesitate as you lowered your own blade, keeping it ignited as you held it loosely at your side.

“I hope it’s about him.”

After studying her face for a long moment and finding nothing bad, you followed her gaze to look at the child as he cooed softly, tilting his head back and forth as he looked between the three of you.

“And her.”

Looking over your shoulder, you found her eyes now on you, seeming to see beneath the layers of beskar with just a look. Shifting your weight nervously, your gaze darted to Din before you disengaged the saber, clipping it to your belt.

“Him,” you said decidedly as she and Din walked closer to the child.

Narrowing her eyes as they looked you up and down one more time, she pursed her lips as she stared at your face for a long moment. “And you,” she finally added again, something mischievous in her tone.

“No, just hi-”

“You may have just come for him,” she began, turning to walk away further into the woods, stooping down to pick her cloak up off the ground that had fallen off at some point in the battle, then motioning you both forward after a few steps. “But it is both of you that need my help.”

You and Din shared a look before following after her, Din scooping up the child on the way.

“I don’t-”

She held up her hand to stop you, a small smile working its way up her face. “There is no need to lie to me, little one. I could sense you long before I saw you. You’re quite powerful, but obviously never actually trained, much like your little green friend over there.” She gestured to the child with a small jerk of her head, eyes on the path in front of her. “Come.” Pulling the cloak over her shoulders, she finally fully looked at you and smiled. “We have much to discuss.”

“We don’t have anything to discuss,” you grumbled, keeping your stride alongside her. “You and the child do….”

She smiled knowingly. “We’ll see.”

Xxx

Ahsoka sat with the child by a lantern in complete silence. You could feel some sort of exchange happening between them, but you couldn’t tell what it was about, only that it felt friendly and good natured. The large moon behind them made the scene all very picturesque, but from your little viewpoint down here, everything about it made you want to run up and curl yourself around the child and never let go. It felt like a changing of the guard.

Din paced back and forth on the edge of the clearing as you leaned up against one of the old trees, your ankles crossed leisurely and your arms across your chest.

“Could you be any more of a worried father right now?” You chuckled over the words, holding your hands up in surrender when he stopped to stare at you, his head tilted in annoyance.

The armor was long gone from your frame and in a neat bundle with all but one of your capes and your scarf- which you were wearing- near your feet, ready to be carried back to the Crest. Your clothes you’d worn as a base layer had never felt better as you stretched your sore muscles, tired after lugging beskar around all day. You looked down, adjusting your vambraces needlessly, fiddling with the weapons on your belt while you waited.

He began pacing again, face toward the ground as he moved, and you sighed.

“They’ll be fine,” you tried after a minute, your arms crossing back over your chest as you slumped further back against the tree.

He stopped again, his shoulders tense, chest broad as he visibly kept from looking their way. “Can you hear what they’re saying?”

Narrowing your eyes, you tilted your head just slightly in question. “What they are silently saying in their heads?”

“Yes.” He spoke so matter of factly, you couldn’t help but answer in the same tone.

“Oh yeah. He’s complaining about the lack of frogs in his diet- No I can’t hear them!”

With a heavy sigh, his shoulders visibly deflating and rolling forward, he began to pace again, eyes on the ground.

Pushing off the tree, you stepped into his path, stopping him with your hands on his shoulders. The way he was moving you expected it to take more effort but he gave very little resistance, a small breath leaving his modulator as he looked up at you.

“Din. Breathe.” Taking a step closer, you tilted your head back to keep eye contact with him. “This is what he needs. What’s best for him. We won’t let him go if it isn’t right.” Your hands fell down into his cowl and you pulled him closer still. “And after that little fight she put up, I have no doubt he would be completely safe in her hands. She’s a Jedi, Din. She knows what she’s doing, knows what he needs. You know that.”

He let out a ragged breath, his gloved hands coming to rest solidly on your back, fingers tracing absently ever so slightly as he spoke. “I know. Doesn’t make it any easier.”

“Never said it would,” you whispered, turning your head to the side and resting your cheek against the fabric still fisted in your hands.

“And what about you, mesh’la,” Din prodded quietly after a moment, his hands stilling on your spine to hold you to him in a preemptive move. “Is this what you want?” You pulled back to look at him, and his grip only let you pull back enough to tilt your head back further. “Is it what you need?”

“He’s your ward, Din. Your foundling. It’s not my decision-”

He tisked, his head tilting to the right. “That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it.”

Closing your eyes, you buried your face in his cowl with a soft groan. Rolling your head back and forth against the fabric, you spoke into the material, unable to look at him. “No. It’s not.”

“You haven’t even talked to her yet-”

“And I don’t need to.” Pulling back, you looked at him through narrowed eyes, your brows pulled together in a scowl. “I’m fine with what I am, Din. Would I have one day, long ago, maybe have become a Jedi? Yeah.” Your eyes fell to his cowl, darting briefly to his signet that glinted in the moonlight, making you smile, before you looked back up at him. “But that’s not where I am now. It’s not where I’m supposed to be. I’m supposed to be here. With you.” You poked his chest, smiling. “….Kicking ass.”

He chuckled softly.

“I didn’t join a clan just to up and leave when something else came along. You know me better than that.” You arched a brow as you looked up at him, eyes flitting back and forth between where you assumed his eyes were.

“I do,” he said softly, leaning his forehead against your own. “I know you.”

“Then why even bring it up?” He laughed again at your soft grumble.

“Because, mesh’la, I want to do what’s best for both of you. Even if you did leave, you’d still be a member of my clan. You’ll always be a member of my clan.”

“Damn right I will be,” you mumbled, unable to contain your smile.

The squeaking of the lantern as it swung by Ahsoka’s side made you both pull away, turning to face the Jedi and your small ward. She set the lantern on the ground, then shared a long look with Din, then you, a soft smile on her face, before finally turning and setting the small child on a nearby stone.

He grunted softly as he looked between all of you, his ears wiggling as he did.

She sat on a rock across from him, tucking her arms under her cloak as she settled in, staring at the lamp for a long moment, before she looked back at the child with a fond smile, tilting her head as he continued to babble and coo.

“Is he speaking?” Din finally broke the silence. “Do you…. Understand him?”

“In a way.” Looking at the child fondly, she then looked up to Din. “Grogu and I can feel each other’s thoughts.”

Everything stopped. Your breath caught in your chest. Your eyes went wide from where they studied her, darting over to the little green child you’d instantly connected with, come to love more and more over the months, and would protect with your life. The kid.

“Grogu?” Din spoke hesitantly, as if tasting the word as it passed through his lips.

Lifting his ears, the chi- Grogu turned up toward Din, a questioning coo you’d never heard him make before softly tumbling forward into the silent space.

“Yes. That’s his name.” Ahsoka looked at the chi- Grogu with something that seemed like sadness.

Reaching out, you felt nothing but a kindred connection between the two of them, almost making you smile as the ki- Grogu turned to look at the Jedi again, but you successfully tucked it away. Turning to look up at Din, you watched as he shifted his weight a bit, processing this new information.

“Grogu.” He said it more confidently, looking directly at the kid, an affectionate tilt of his head after when Grogu immediately perked up, turning his way, ears up, eyes wide, and that silly little questioning coo tumbling out again, followed by a sweet, short little squeal of returned affection.

“He was raised at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.” Ahsoka stared at the lamp as she spoke. “Many Masters trained him over the years. At the end of the Clone Wars when the Empire rose to power, he was hidden.” Din lowered to a stone across from her, listening with rapt attention. “Someone took him from the Temple.”

His visor turned to you, and without even looking, you felt its weighted stare along the lines of your face. “I saw it.” Glancing up toward the Jedi, she tilted her head to the side in question, studying you closely. “I was there.”

“That’s not possible,” she gently shook her head. “You would have been too young-”

“I was only a baby when the Temple burned.” You held her gaze, hard as it was, but you managed. “I remember the smoke, billowing into the sky. My parents shaking their heads, watching with such sadness…. The dread, not my own, but an overwhelming, horrible feeling I’ll never forget just coming over me in waves as the flames grew.”

Removing the saber from your belt, you gently moved it back and forth between your hands idly as you continued. “I found this on Trask, in a black market box stamped with the Empire’s symbol in the corner. It called to me. Endlessly, until I touched it. Then the voices quieted, and….”

“The visions started,” Din offered softly in support.

“Tell me about them.”

Looking over at Din, you smiled sardonically. “Um, okay.” You looked at the ground for a moment before looking back up at her, expecting some sort of judgment, but only found curiosity and a touch of concern. “It started with the vision of the k- Grogu,” you corrected yourself pointedly, making her smile, “at the Temple on that day.”

His big eyes blinked up at you as he babbled softly, his head tilting to the side as a hand reached out toward you. Sticking your index finger out to place in his small hand with a smile, you continued quietly. “I saw it all as a bystander. Then I saw him. I leaned over him to protect him on instinct, then it all faded. When I told him about it, he did this,” you wiggled your finger in reference, making him giggle. “And I saw from his perspective.”

Removing your finger, you reached it up to scratch the top of his head, a contented purr making you smile. Turning back to the Jedi, you lowered your hand to your lap. “When I leaned over him in my dream…. Vision…. Thing,” you huffed, “in his memory, I was still there. I was a shadow covering him, and made him feel safe…. At peace.” Reaching out, you pulled your finger on the tip of his ear, making it shake away from you as he let out a squeal, his face scrunching up in amusement. “When he looked up, I saw my own face looking down into his cradle. I had just gotten my vambraces, and the saber, his signet on my knife, and all of it was there and accurate down to the last detail.”

Ahsoka leaned forward, resting her head on her fist, elbow braced on her knee. “And the second?”

You sighed, leaning back on your palms. “I saw him,” you jerked your head to the left toward Din. “A ten year old him, living a story he’d only vaguely told me about weeks before. Details he never mentioned, things he forgot…. Then, at the end, a Mandalorian flew off with him on a jet pack, and I swore it was like he was looking right at me.”

“When she told me that, I remembered seeing a girl down below as we took off,” Din said almost disbelievingly. “It sounds crazy, but I remembered it clear as day. And just like the other one, the vambraces, the saber, the mudhorn, all of it.”

Ahsoka smiled, bracing her other arm and cradling it under her chin beside the first as her eyes flicked between you all amusedly. “Sounds to me like the three of you were always meant to be a clan of three.” She nodded toward the saber in your hands. “And that was always meant to come to you.” She held your gaze firmly with her own. “Kyber crystals choose the wielder, not the other way around. If it brought you to it, then immediately quieted when in your hands….” She sat back, her hands falling to her lap. “Then you were chosen.”

You stared at her, hesitating before finally stating the obvious. “But I’m not a Jedi.”

“Doesn’t matter. The Force worked with the crystal, and that is what it chose to show you. Purple kyber can be extremely….”

“An asshole?” She smiled at your muttered response.

“Rambunctious,” she concluded. “But then again, the crystals are supposed to be a reflection of the wielder, so I suppose you knew that already.” Sending you a wink, she turned back to Din and Grogu, her voice floating into your head. We’ll finish talking later. I feel you haven’t told me about one other vision that is troubling you. Perhaps I can help.

Looking over at Din, you remember how he had reacted to the possibility of someone saying he had removed his helmet. It was like you had broken him. Darting your eyes back to Ahsoka, you were grateful she had kept this one between you.

“Then his memory becomes…. dark,” she continued, looking at Grogu sadly. “He seemed lost.” Looking over, you saw the little one hanging his head almost dejectedly. “Alone.” She looked at you pointedly, before turning her gaze back toward Din. “I’ve only known one other being like this. A wise Jedi Master named Yoda.”

At the name, a warm sensation crawled over your skin, a familiar feeling settling in your gut, almost as if a presence was right behind you, as words from when you found the saber echoed in your head.

A gravelly, quirky voice invaded your mind, echoing in the vast nothingness you found yourself in. You didn’t recognize it, but it brought you a sense of peace. “Trust in the Force, you must. Your path, you have found. Easy, it will not be, but walk it still, you must.”

Ahsoka chuckled softly, Grogu letting out an amused grunt as they shared a look, some unspoken exchange passing between them.

“Can he still wield the Force?”

Din hesitated, shifting his weight slightly. “You mean his powers?”

Ahsoka’s eyes darted to you quickly before they landed back on Din, her smile growing, her eyes softening. “The Force is what gives him his powers. It is an energy field created by all living things. To wield it takes a great deal of training and discipline.”

Her eyes once again fell on you in an unspoken question, and you shrugged, your eyes fluttering shut for a moment before meeting her gaze again in amusement. “I’ve tried to explain it before. I don’t….” You shrugged again, smiling. “It just doesn’t take.”

Nodding in understanding, her eyes danced with mirth as they fell back on the Mandalorian.

“I’ve seen him do things I can’t explain.” Din spoke haltingly, looking at Grogu before looking at you. “The same things, if not sometimes more than I’ve seen her do.” Looking back at Ahsoka, he sighed. “My task was to bring him to a Jedi.”

Something dark crossed over her face, her eyes falling back down to study the lamp again, her voice dropping with it. “The Jedi Order fell a long time ago.”

“So did the Empire, yet it still hunts him.” Lifting her gaze to his visor, she seemed to ponder his words. “He needs your help.”

A faint smile climbed her face as her gaze fell back down on the lamp. When she looked over at Grogu, you followed, and saw the child was almost asleep, fatigued from the long mental exchange, no doubt. She sighed as he let out gentle coos, right on the edge of rest. “Let him sleep.” She took a deep but silent breath. “I’ll test him in the morning.”

You got to your feet, walking over to Din’s side as he scooped up the child, pausing when her voice sounded at your back.

“You. Stay.”

Turning, you saw her looking you right in the eye as she got to her feet. “There’s something I want to try.”

Looking across your shoulder at Din, you saw him hesitate a few feet away. Nodding once, you jutted your chin in the direction of the Crest. “I’m fine. Go.” When he lingered, you sighed, closing the distance between you, your hand coming to rest on his upper arm. “If you’re gonna be all Mando about it, at least go sit and lean against the tree I was leaning against earlier. And try to sleep? Please?” Giving his arm a squeeze, you plastered on your best smile. “For me?”

“That’s not fair,” he sighed, turning to head over to the tree several yards away.

“Thank you!” You called after him, laughing when he waved a hand in the air dismissively. Turning back to face Ahsoka, you waited for her to explain.

“How did you come to know how to use the Force?”

Shifting your weight from foot to foot uncomfortably, you stared at her for a long moment before you found the courage to respond. So far in your life, you’d talked to a total of one other person about this. Din. Adding another finger to the count was hard.

“On my own. I just…. Did it. It’s not technically proper use of the Force, but by the time I was old enough to understand that, there was no proper training available. So I used it for mundane things until they came into my life.” You gestured behind you with a slight backwards lean of your head. “Now I only use it to help keep them safe. Well, and when Mando is being annoying. But I consider that saving my life, and sometimes his, depending on this situation.” You laughed softly.

“You don’t want training.” It wasn’t a question. An observation.

You shook your head. “The kid, he needs this. Deserves this. He’s going to do great things someday. He’ll always be my ad’ika, but the things he’s destined for are far from little.” (“Little one.”)

Ahsoka smiled fondly, nodding in agreement with a soft hum as she began to circle you slowly. “I can feel it in you. The chaos. The mischief you spoke of from the kyber, it simmers just below the surface.” She came to stop directly in front of you, her thumb and index finger clutching her chin in thought. “It’s part of what fuels you, gives you the strength you have, the abilities you’ve expressed like the visions and connections before their time, but….” Her eyes studied your face, darting all over until she found what she was looking for, finally returning to your eyes. “It’s also a source of anger for you. A loss of control. I sense a rage that sits just on the edge, ready to tip over with little provocation.”

Your eyes fell to the ground in shame. “The last few times I’ve gotten emotional, highly stressed or scared specifically, it…. It feels like I’m not in control.” Lifting your gaze to hers once again, you found only grace there, no scorn or judgment. “I’m able to stop it, rein it in, but each time it’s a little harder. It’s so easy. This last time I thought I was fine, that it had stopped at some crates shaking on a platform, but then Mando went to hug me, and I tried to gently push him off, but…. Instead I pushed him back several feet.” Looking down at your palms, you stared as if they held the answer. “It was like something exploded out of me, it wasn’t…. I didn’t….” Swallowing roughly, you lowered your hands as you lifted your head to look at her fully. “Please help me.”

As her hands went to clasp behind her back, she began to circle you again. “Tell me about this other vision.”

“It was something in the future, Mando’s future, to be exact.” She nodded for you to continue. “It happened right after the others, came on like a headache. Other Mandalorians asked if he’d removed his helmet. He said yes. They excommunicated him from their ranks. He was devastated in the vision and when I told him about it.”

“There’s something you’re leaving out. A detail…. Something small you couldn’t quite see.” Her head is tilted to the side as she rounds into your field of view again, passing around the other side a few seconds later.

“How did you….” You huffed. “I guess that’s the difference between proper training and not….” She chuckled at your muttered words. “A weapon. I think. I don’t know. A small black…. Something laid at his feet, but no matter how hard I looked, it was just like I was asleep, my eyes too bleary to make it out.”

Coming around in front of you for the umpteenth time, she stopped, looking at you with an arched brow. “I’m going to teach you something basic we learn in the Temple as younglings. I think it’ll help you learn to focus. Maybe, if you can apply the practice to this dream-”

“So it was a dream, not a vision?”

“It was the future, a possible outcome, however you want to call it.”

You sighed as she smiled before continuing. “If you can apply this practice to this vision, maybe it’ll help clear up any lingering confusion.”

Nodding your head vigorously, you stood a bit straighter. “Please. Yes. What do I need to do?”

She stood directly in front of you, walking a few paces away before turning to face you once again, her expression nothing but kind and amused. “I want you to jump.”

“How high?” You joked, your weight shifting easily onto one leg, thinking she was teasing.

“That is entirely up to you.”

Centering your weight again, your eyes widened before a look of incredulity crossed your features. “Oh, you’re serious?”

Hands still behind her back, she leaned just slightly toward you, her eyes practically dancing with held back laughter it seemed. “Jump.”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. “How does this help-”

“If you’d just do it, you’d understand.”

You whirled around when her voice sounded at your back, finding her now suddenly behind you several feet, stood in the same posture, hands behind her back patiently. “How did you….” Closing your eyes, your brows knit together, you shook your head in disbelief, eyes flying open when you felt a sudden surge in the air around you, a slight breeze making the finer hairs around your face move just slightly, only to find the spot she had been in empty.

“I promise this will work,” she said from off to your left, making you spin to try and find her yet again.

“Okay, now you're just showing off.” Hands on your hips, you grumbled at her with an arched brow, making her laugh.

Suddenly she shot up overhead like she had during the fight, landing back where she had started as if nothing had happened, and all you could do is watch with your jaw dropped.

“Maybe,” she conceded, “but I thought a little demonstration was necessary, don’t you think?”

Lifting your chin and straightening your spine, you closed your eyes, tapping into everything around you. The Force flowed up from the ground, still vibrant and plush despite the barren surface surrounding you. A whole mess of creatures just below the surface working hard to repair the damaged soil sending vibrations across your skin. Ahsoka shined bright in front of you, little tendrils of energy rolling off of her like condensation on a nice cool drink. Somewhere behind you you heard Din and Grogu snoring softly, both of them emitting something so good and content that washed over you like waves.

It all built up in you like a spring, coiled and ready to burst, and when you bent your knees just slightly then rocked to the balls of your feet, suddenly the ground fell away, and with your eyes still closed, the wind rushing in your face made you grin.

Once something solid was under you once again, you peeked your eyes open to find yourself on the other side of Ahsoka now, standing on top of the rock you had been sitting on earlier. It was several feet away, much more than you should have been able to jump on your own. Your cape fluttered down around you from the force of the movement, swooshing just slightly until it came to a stop.

You looked at Ahsoka, finding a lopsided grin climbing up her face as she watched you closely. “Now,” she said quietly, “use that focus, draw on it, and think about that vision. The object. The space. The people. Pull from everything, and let it build you a clearer picture.”

Nodding, you closed your eyes, recalling every aspect you could. The other Mandalorians. Din. Narrowing your brows you realized Grogu wasn’t there. You didn’t see yourself, either, but you could tell you were somewhere in the background, watching.

The object at his feet shimmered like a mirage from the heat of Tatooine. That was different from before, now it was coming in and out of focus, still just enough hidden that you couldn’t tell what it was, though.

“Then you are a Mandalorian no more.”

Your focus pulled to Din as the words of the other Mandalorian echoed in your head, and you saw his world shatter. He began to ask for forgiveness, how he could atone, and the other Mandalorian next to him made some jab, and you wanted to punch him for it.

Sizing up the brute, you heard Ahsoka whisper near your left ear, “Focus….”

Shaking your head, you tried to do what she said, looking down at their feet to see the object clearly for the first time.

“It’s…. It’s a saber?” You tilted your head as you stared at the item, wanting to be certain. Din picked it up and left before the vision dissipated. You stared at Ahsoka with wide eyes. “A saber. But how can that be?”

“Describe it to me.”

“Black hilt, um…. The other Mandalorians didn’t seem surprised by it, either. It almost seemed like they had maybe been fighting over it with the position Mando and the asshole were in.”

A light went off behind her eyes, understanding covering her features.

“Do you know it?”

Her head tilted to the side, a mischievous look taking over her face. “I think it’ll all be okay.”

“Mesh’la?”

Leaning to the side to look around Ahsoka, you saw Din standing near one of the rocks a few feet away, Grogu still snoring in his arms.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you?”

“No, the little womp rat did. Had some dream, started flailing, smacked my helmet pretty hard, actually. The sound woke me up….” He looked down as the kid started sleeping fitfully again.

Ahsoka reached out, placing a hand on his head, and instantly the lines on his face soothed, his limbs coming to still as he snuggled further into Din’s arms. “He’s dreaming about frogs,” she laughed softly.

“What have you two been doing?”

You smiled at Din as he looked at you expectantly. “Watch this.”

Xxx

The next day Ahsoka brought your little clan to a clearing, leading your little band as you brought up the rear. Grogu cooed from his spot in Din’s arms, looking all around with wide eyes.

You watched the mossy ground pass underfoot as you walked, marveling at the greenness of it as it squished beneath your feet. Growing up on a planet basically made of durasteel and concrete, you felt like you were walking on air. Leaning closer to Din in front of you, you pushed up onto your tip toes and whispered, “Somewhere green.”

He snorted. “This doesn't count.”

“I see green, it counts,” you grumbled.

“It’s barely even green, mesh’la. It’s moss. The rest of the planet is a wasteland.”

“It counts.”

“Fine, it can count,” he mumbled. “But as soon as I take you somewhere like Endor, or Naboo, even Sorgan….” Grogu’s ears perked up on the last one, his face turning up to look at Din with a smile. “You’re not even going to remember this place.”

Before you could respond, the group was coming to a stop, and before you realized, you were bumping into Din’s back with a soft oomph. “Ow,” you muttered pitifully, rubbing your nose as you took a step back.

Peering over your hand, you saw Ahsoka smiling at Grogu still perched in Din’s arms. “Let’s see what knowledge is lurking inside that little mind.” She booped his nose with her finger. Motioning over towards a nearby stone, she turned to look for something while Din set Grogu down on the large rock.

He sidled up beside you, muttering in a low voice, “What do you think she is going to do?”

“I’m not sure,” you studied her as she picked up a stone before rising to her feet again. “But I trust her.” Tilting your head back to look up into his visor, arms across your chest, you tried to ease his worry with a reassuring smile. “So far she hasn’t given me a reason not to.”

“No voices?”

The smile took a crooked tilt up in amusement as you turned your attention to Grogu. “No voices. No bad feelings. No premonitions. Nothing about the past, present, or future. And no taunting kyber crystals.” Turning back to his visor, you narrowed your eyes playfully. “Did I cover everything?”

“Just making sure,” he clarified somewhat teasingly, turning his own attention over to the child.

“Well, there was one voice.” You saw his head turn toward you in your peripheral and you smirked. “Hers. She spoke to me in my head.”

“You…. She…. Can do that?” He sounded amazed but also slightly disturbed.

“Easily,” you mused, trying to contain the broad grin trying to come out.

“Ne shab’rud’jetiise,” he mumbled under his breath, turning back to face Ahsoka with a slight incline of his head. (“Don’t fuck with Jedi.”)

Facing her palm upwards with a small stone resting in the center, she turned it toward Grogu, keeping the stone held firmly to her palm with the Force. Then, with a slight push, the stone began to float through the air slowly, gently tumbling end over end like a planet on its rotation.

Din took in a sharp breath when the rock started levitating, holding it until the stone landed in Gorgu’s hands. Letting it out on a stutter, his chest deflated a bit with the motion, his shoulders curling forward just slightly in relief.

Letting out soft coos, Grogu looked at the stone, then over to you before he turned to Ahsoka.

Holding her palm face up once again, she smiled at him encouragingly. “Now, return the stone to me, Grogu.”

The child looked down at the stone one more time before lifting his gaze and darting it between the three of you, eyes wide and innocent. You’d seen this look before. He knew exactly what was going on, what was expected of him, but something stood in the way. He got almost a little bit…. Shy.

“He doesn’t understand,” Din finally offered after a long moment of silence, and you had to bite your lip to keep from grinning at how concerned he was.

“He does,” Ahsoka assured, turning from the Mandalorian to the child. “It’s okay,” she soothed after he whined quietly, staring down at the stone. Slightly bouncing her extended palm for emphasis, her tone once again grew more firm. “The stone, Grogu.”

With the slightest jerk of his head toward the Jedi, Din motioned for the child to do what she said. You almost rolled your eyes at him. Gone were the days of a cold Mandalorian, jumping from job to job and only worrying about credits and his ship. He’d never admit it out loud, but he wanted so badly everything for this child. He was the nervous father on the sidelines, trying to help their child succeed in any way they could. It made your chest feel too small for the feeling swelling inside it at the thought.

You brought a hand to cover your mouth in an attempt to hide the smile trying to betray you at the scene unfolding in front of you. When Grogu looked up at you after Din, it was all you could do to raise your eyebrows in encouragement and tilt your head toward Ahsoka like he had, keeping the smile sealed beneath your fingers.

The whole exchange felt light and easy, so it was surprising when the kid looked to the stone for a final time before dropping it in front of him with a frustrated grunt. It made your brows knit together as you studied your little ward, trying to reach out to him with encouraging thoughts, happy things, maybe even something about frogs, but he was completely closed off to you.

Din let out a sigh behind you, his weight shifting slightly as you knew he, too, was feeling Grogu’s discouragement without any need of using the Force.

Ahsoka let out a sigh of her own, before walking over and crouching in front of Grogu, staring at him intently. When she reached out and took his small hand with hers, you reached out to try and feel what they were ‘saying’. Closing her eyes she ducked her head and took a deep breath before she spoke calmly. “I sense much fear in you.”

Grogu looked at her as he babbled softly, ears wiggling as he did. You didn’t sense anything from him to her, he didn’t even try, but there was a small tendril being extended to you, faint and tentative, like a child hiding in their mother’s skirts when a long lost relative comes to visit. You let every calming thing you could think of flow back on the line being precariously hung between you. Be brave, ad’ika.

Walking back over to her spot across the clearing from the child, Ahsoka explained softly. “He’s hidden his abilities to survive over the years.”

Din shifted his weight to one side, his head tilting ever so slightly to the right. “So has she, but she doesn’t have this problem.”

Keeping your eyes on Grogu, you explained in a quiet voice, “I didn’t watch everyone I love die.” Your gaze fell down to study the ground, your voice so low you pictured it skimming just along the surface. “I kept it hidden. He’s kept it buried.” You turned your face up to look at his visor. “Imagine the Crest sat for a year, untouched. At the end of that time, it’s still a ship. But everything about it is going to be rusty, gunky, need a good tune up.” Grogu cooed, bringing your attention back to him with a smile. “He just needs a little elbow grease, is all.”

Humming in agreement, Ahsoka nodded once. “Let’s try something else. Come over here.”

Din jerked his head to the side, beckoning the kid over once again, sighing when Grogu stayed where he was. “He’s stubborn.”

“Not him. You.”

Din turned his attention back to her quickly, your palm coming to slap over your forehead as your eyes scrunched up tight.

“I want to see if he’ll listen to you.” She smiled softly in amusement.

He scoffed, walking over to stand beside her. “That would be a first.”

“I like firsts. Good or bad, they’re always memorable.” She placed the pebble in his hand. “Now, hold the stone out in the palm of your hand. Tell him to lift it up.” She began to walk around behind him, headed toward where you stood to the side.

He sighed again, doing what she asked. “Alright, kid. Lift the stone.”

Ahsoka paused before she made it very far, leaning in by his ear to whisper pointedly, “Grogu.”

Din’s weight shifted side to side as he turned his visor on her, a heavy breath, not quite a sigh, filling in the silence. Facing the child once again, his posture stiffened just a bit. “Grogu….” The child perked up with that adorable new sound he made whenever he heard his name. “Come on, take the stone.” Grogu deflated, his gaze turning toward the ground with a dejected coo. “You see? I told you, he’s stubborn.” This time you actually did roll your eyes when Din enacted every bit the stubborn one and threw the rock to the side in annoyance.

“I wonder where he gets that from,” you mumbled, simply smiling at him when he tilted his head at you in response.

“Try to connect with him.”

After a long moment, Din reached into his belt, pulling the little silver ball out, the child instantly peering up curiously.

“Grogu…. Do you want this?” Din spoke tantalizingly, lowering to his haunches and holding the ball out in front of him. “Well, go ahead. That’s right, take it. Come on. You can have it.” He nodded his head once, gesturing toward the ball. “Come on.”

The ball flew through the air like you had seen a million times on the ship, straight into the kid’s hand. A small burst of joy surged in the air from Grogu, but it quickly faded into something a little more nervous as he stared at the little silver orb.

Din quickly stepped over to him, praise tumbling out of his mouth excitedly. “Good job! Good job, kid. You see that?” He lowered to his haunches, taking the ball back from the child gently. “That’s right. I knew you could do it. Very good.”

You could feel something anxious roll over Ahsoka beside you, and you chanced a glance her way, finding her looking at the pair of them in concern. You knew where this was headed, you’d seen it from the start. You had just hoped that maybe since the Jedi Order wasn’t around anymore that someone would be willing to bend the rules, especially for someone like Grogu. Turning back to watch Din still fawning over the child, you had to physically bite your tongue to not say anything. This needed to come from her.

“He’s formed a strong attachment to you.” Din turned his head to look at her briefly before looking at Grogu again. “I cannot train him.”

Her last words brought him back to his feet. “What? Why not? You’ve seen what he can do.”

You hung back, leaning on the rock you had been observing from, looking between the three of them. Your heart admittedly broke a little to hear the words you already knew would be said. You had found a way. Sure, you weren’t actually a Jedi, but like Ahsoka had said, that didn’t stop some kyber from choosing you. That didn’t stop the Force from making you a clan of three. Attachment hadn’t been something wrong for you, but you saw it was something almost terrifying for her. Something beyond just the teachings of the Jedi. Something about this felt personal.

“His attachment to you makes him vulnerable to his fears. His anger.” She looked at you pointedly on the last word, almost begging you to understand.

And you did. To a degree. There was also a part of you that still believed this was best for him. The part that had been in that vision with him, had felt his peace and comfort from the halls of the Temple. There was a part of him that longed for this, no matter how deep it was buried.

“All the more reason to train him.” Din was having none of it.

“No.” She stepped closer, her voice lowering. “I’ve seen what such feelings can do to a fully trained Jedi Knight. To the best of us.” The last part was almost like an afterthought, and you watched her closely, unable to get another read on her. Her walls had gone up. “I will not start this child down that path. Better to let his abilities fade.” Looking at Grogu one more time, she turned and began to walk away, passing right by you without a second glance. “I’ve delayed too long. I must get back to the village.”

The child began to whine softly, so you started over toward him, stopping when Din began to speak again, turning to watch the Jedi’s reaction.

“The Magistrate sent me to kill you.” Ahsoka froze at Din’s words. Slowly she turned to look at him over her shoulder, something between disbelief and ‘I should have known better’ on her face. “I didn’t agree to anything,” he continued in a softer tone. “And I’ll help you with your problem, if you see to it that Grogu is properly trained.”

She turned around fully to look at the child once again, but you were standing in the way. She met your eyes as you stepped aside, allowing her gaze to flicker down to the child and you watched the decision roll behind her eyes as she let out a heavy sigh.

Xxx

Walking through the woods back toward the village, Din carrying the child in the satchel and you carrying the bundle of armor until you could get back to the Crest, you listened as they discussed the technicalities of an attack.

Din listed off blasters and droids and a whole mess of things Ahsoka just nodded to, while you made a face at the kid, making him smile from his little perch.

You finally began to listen when Din spoke of the man who had let you into the village. “He reads ex-military to me.”

You scoffed before you mumbled, “He reads asshole to me.”

Din shook his head at you as a soft snort passed through his modulator, Ahsoka smiling fondly. “Combined, not even your laser swords would be able to protect you from all that firepower.”

“You do this on purpose, don’t you?” You turned up toward Din, adjusting the bundle on your back as you stared into his visor.

Ahsoka still smiled, Din just tilting his head at you as she finally spoke. “True. But don’t underestimate the Magistrate either.”

Finally coming to a stop, you dropped the bundle of armor with a thud as they discussed the lady that had hired Din. Stretching your back as you listened, you grimaced at the stiffness in your limbs, shooting the kid a wink when he cooed at you.

“She plundered worlds, destroying them in the process.”

That was enough for you. Anywhere that had life outside of trillions of people crawling around like bugs on duracrete and steel deserved to be saved, not looted. You hated this woman even more now.

“When you were in the city did you see any prisoners?”

“I saw three villagers strung up just outside the inner gate.”

So that’s what you’d heard. You stared at the ground as they continued to talk back and forth, worrying your thumbnail between your teeth. There were no voices, nothing sinister in the back of your mind, just a genuine bad feeling about the whole thing simmering just under your skin.

“We must find a way to free them.”

Din’s voice was amused as he continued. “A Mandalorian and a Jedi? They’ll never see it coming.”

“And whatever I am.” You didn’t even realize you said it out loud, your head snapping up when you feel three sets of eyes on you. It had been meant to be out loud, then you’d thought better of it, but still it had come tumbling out into the open before you realized it.

Ahsoka placed a hand on your upper arm and a sense of calm began to wash over you. It wasn’t mind control like you had done with Mythrol, but instead just a surge of something good, something rooted deep from within her being shared with you. “You are yourself. And that is all you could ever hope to be.”

Xxx

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