#the mandalorian x ofc

[the-mandawhor1an]

Choices and regrets

Chapter 11 – Guided by the stars, connected by the force

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Chapter summary: Having just reunited and Din having to deal with the heartache that came with giving Grogu away, the duo goes on their first bounty hunting trip. As expected, not everything will go smoothly, but no one could have prepared them for all the things that would go wrong on this fateful day.

Warnings: 18+ MDNI! Injury; character death (multiple); depictions of violence; Maia and Din being idiots; angst galore; a little religious trauma I guess; alcohol consumption; a lot of emotions in this one in general;

Words: 12.4k (Still haven’t learned how to shut up) 

A/N: Y’all get ready to cry right in the beginning of the fic. POV change in the middle of the fic, where we follow Din around for a while! Also, sorry this took a little longer, my life kind of fell apart in the middle of january. 

Maia found herself a little blinded by the sudden change of lighting. With her hand above her head and shielding her eyes, she waited for her vision to adapt and found herself in a familiar environment. A hangar? she asked herself, looking around to see a crashed shuttle and various TIE-Fighters still on their mounts. This was Gideon’s cruiser, but Luke’s ship was nowhere to be found. As were the Darktroopers, she expected to find parts of the droids lying around, but there was nothing. 

A deep feeling of dread overcame her when she realized what this probably meant. As quickly as her feet could carry her, she made her way up to the bridge, concerned why there were no Imps coming her way, as if the ship had been abandoned. When she entered the elevator to the bridge, she already smelled smoke and had to cover her face with part of her cloak. This didn’t make sense, none of this made sense. She was so sure she had been here before, and things had turned out a lot more pleasant than this. 

Up in the corridor leading through the blast doors, the smoke was so thick she could barely keep her eyes open. With the hand extended, she force-pushed the smoke away so she could see and breathe a little better. The sight that greeted her made her regret her action instantly. Corpses of the women that had accompanied Din were all across the floor, yet there was no sign of Gideon. Too stunned to move, she just stood in the doorway.

»… Maia?« a soft voice came from the corner to her left, and she very hesitantly turned her head. She barely recognized his voice, it was so weak. There he sat, propped up to the wall, a dead droid over his legs. His helmet was off and there was an alarming amount of blood on him, assuming it was his. His skin was a little pale, his breaths were shallow. »Din?« she walked over to him and knelt beside him. Tears welled in her eyes when she saw just how bad he looked. His skin looked a little waxy, his eyes glossy and his hair was stuck to his forehead. He must’ve fought for his life for so long. »What happened?« she asked him, one hand on his shoulder. 

»I thought you’d come to help us,« he stated and it felt like he put a blade right through her heart. How could he say that? »I don’t understand, I was here. I saw you all alive and well, and Grogu was taken in.« Where was the small one? »It doesn’t matter now,« Din coughed. »I’m so sorry.« What else would she say? He had needed her help and she wasn’t there for him. She had broken her promise and now he would die. She pulled her gloves off and felt for any source of blood on his flight suit, assuming she could still heal him. »It’s okay, mesh’la,« he said and extended a hand himself, cupping her cheek so she could nuzzle her face into it. Her tears obscured her vision and left dark stains on his leather gloves. 

»I had a fulfilled life and will die like any Mandalorian would hope to die. Protecting my foundling.« And while Din might’ve been right about it, it hurt to hear it. He knew his time had come, and that meant there was no time left for her. »Where is Grogu?« »With Gideon.« She cursed under her breath, another sting puncturing her heart when she felt Din’s hand fall from her cheek. »I promise I’ll rescue him,« she assured him. Maia had promised him on Tatooine and her loyalty towards this child hadn’t changed, neither her feelings for the man before her. 

»It’s not looking good for me, cyar’ika,« he stated and coughed another time, blood on his lips and a rustle coming from his lungs. »Please don’t say that,« she begged him in a whisper and closed her eyes. And while she initially tried to heal him by placing both hands on his chest, his hand pulling her from his armor made her stop. He took both of her hands into his and tried his hardest to focus on her green eyes. »It’s okay. Just make sure Grogu is saved.« His eyes also welled with tears. The rustle in his breathing became more apparent. Maia sobbed and nodded, unsure of how to deal with the situation any more. »I’ll find him. And I’ll make sure he has a master.« 

»I wish … we had… more time.« His breath became more labored and he had to take multiple breaks to form a sentence. She leaned forward and leaned her head against his, softly whispering »I’ll find you in our next life.« And as much as Maia wished to beg for him to not leave her, she knew this was inevitable. She sobbed quietly. »Grogu and I will be okay.« She kissed his temple when she felt his muscles relax as if she had just set him free. 

One day there will be nothing you can do. 

He will get hurt. 

This voice she suddenly heard while she was cuddled up against Din’s still warm skin sounded suspiciously like her own, so she turned her head to see where this was coming from. Only that she didn’t look back into the bridge on Gideon’s Imperial cruiser, she stared right into a metal wall. A – yet again – familiar wall. It looked to be the wall inside of the Razor Crest’s little makeshift bed, a bed she had not stayed in in a while. Din's corpse was gone, yet the warm and soothing scent of him lingered. Wiping off the remainder of tears and feeling generally a little disoriented, she climbed out of the small chamber and up the ladder. The sight of Din was welcome and relaxing, almost as if relief washed over her when she saw the Beskar helmet move towards her. »That was fast. Feel well-rested?« The tone of his voice sounded so distant, and he was short. While this was not necessarily unusual for him, something about all of this felt off. »I feel like I was ran over by a Batha, to be honest. Something feels weird right now.« »What does?« 

Why did he use as little words as possible? Why was he not coming over to her? She looked around, motioning into the air around her. »Everything does. My hands, my body, I have a headache, and even you behave oddly.« »Mh…« he grunted in response. »Jedi Intuition…« 

»Whats wrong with you,« Maia tilted her head, confused by his sudden distant nature. »What do you mean?« He should have known, and she should have realized what exactly made all of this feel odd. »You know what I mean, Din. Why are you –« She quieted down when he rose to his feet and came dangerously close to her. »What did you just call me?« he asked her, taking another step when she stepped back, until she was pinned against a wall. While this should have been an exciting situation, to be pinned against a wall by your partner, his behavior caused more concern than anything else. »Your name. Din.« And that’s when she realized. 

They were on the Crest. The Crest had been destroyed. What was going on here? 

»Who told you my name?« he leaned his hand against the wall just above her shoulder, leaning in further. »You did. I don’t understand what��s going on here.« She didn’t even feel his presence in the force any more. Panic was starting to settle in. »Makes two of us. Tell me who told you my name and don’t play any games. What else do you know?« His armor was against her chest, slowly limiting her ability to take a proper breath. »I’m not lying. You told me on Tatooine.« His helmet leaned to one side. »We’re on our way there. Try again. Last chance.« 

What was she supposed to say? What was wrong with her, she couldn’t even push him with the Force. »What am I supposed to tell you if you’re not going to believe me, You told–« her eyes widened when she suddenly felt something sharp in between her ribs. She looked down to see his hand at her torso, vibroblade in his fist, the blade stuck to the hilt inside of her. As she felt her life practically drain from her as her blood ran down her leg, all she could do was to stare into that black visor. »Why?« she asked as she sank to her knees. And she was gone. 

He will hurt you

She took the deepest breath when she felt the draft of air on her skin, her body coming alive once more. There were no memories of what had transpired before, only a dull flicker of images. She sat up and found herself back on Nevarro, the sulfur in the air was unmistakable. It seemed like Gideon had just made the blaster turret explode. And there he laid, still in his armor. Din. His body was contorted, as if the blast had impacted him a lot more severely than she had anticipated. 

They were alone. Karga, Dune, Grogu and even the Imps had left, it seemed. His body abandoned and her as well. She rose to her feet and walked over there, seeing his body twitch on occasion, hearing him wheeze under that helmet. She knelt beside him once more, one hand on his shoulder. Again she had to accept that she couldn’t do anything for him any more. Other than to release him of his pain. 

Tears welled in her eyes again. »I’m sorry they abandoned you, Mando.« Her voice was soft and she took his hand to place it on her thighs. »I’m sorry you’re in so much pain.« She saw the knife sparkle in the sunlight and she took it, suddenly the memory of being stabbed came back. He squeezed her thigh gently, but nothing more than a wheeze came out. It almost sounded like a plea. Him telling her to end his suffering. She took his hand into her free hand, squeezed it and had the knife in her other hand. 

She leaned in closer, his hand still on her legs. »It’s over soon. Please forgive me.« His helmet rolled to the side, offering his throat for her to ram his knife into. »I know you don’t know me; but believe me when I say it pains me to see you like this.« She bit her lower lip, closing her eyes and letting some tears run down her cheeks. »I’m a Jedi. I was looking for you and the child. I will take him in and make sure he’s safe.« She promised him and when she drove the knife into him, she heard one small wince and he was gone. Forever. At least he died thinking he had completed his task. 

You will hurt him. 

Suddenly she felt a tug on her shoulder and a voice, distorted and distant, but the next noise she heard was a loud thud. Maia opened her eyes and she was greeted with the neon light outside, at the same time the softness of the mattress underneath her. She was on Glavis, in the suite, where she had gone with Din. Din, who was currently on the ground, groaning and rubbing his lower back. In an instant she was at the edge of the bed. »I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to throw you. Are you okay? Did I hurt you?« The words practically stumbled out of her, worry in her face as she reached a hand over to help him up. »I’m okay,« he assured her and came back into bed. 

Maia scooted back to give him space. Din explained what had transgressed, why he had touched her quite roughly. »You had a nightmare, so I tried to wake you up.« »I’m sorry I didn’t mean to hurt you,« Maia apologized again and slowly the images came back. Seeing him die, twice. Once again her eyes watered and she was close to crying. »Hey,« Din softly mumbled and cupped her cheek. »I’m fine. Do you want to talk?« All she could get out was »I saw you die,« until she sobbed and refused to go into more detail. Din pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her, nestling his face against hers. 

»Did I throw you out of bed?« »You did. I should have known this could happen. I’m fine.« One of her hands found its way into his hair and she turned her head just enough so that she would have been able to kiss him, but Din tilted his head simultaneously to kiss her temple. »I’m not used to sharing a bed,« she explained, a little embarrassed by it, but she didn’t have to be. She would get used to it; she wanted to get used to sleeping next to him. 

»Do you often get nightmares?« Din inquired, face still nestled in her hair. Maia sighed and kept her eyes closed, listening to his steady breath to calm herself. »Sometimes. I think everyone gets them occasionally. Usually I just wake up sooner, it must be the exhaustion.« Slowly the memories came back, especially the mysterious voice. Was it a warning? »Let’s just lie down. You need some sleep.« »So do you.« Another sigh escaped her lungs. »I know. I’ll try but I don’t want to have a nightmare again.« 

Din and her made themselves comfortable again, Maia nestled into his chest and her face buried in his shirt, registering the faintest scent of him in the fabric. Maybe she would just lie next to him for the night and rest without sleeping. But soon after Din had fallen asleep, so did she, this time around without nightmares plaguing her mind. 

The next morning came way too soon; accompanied by a blindingly bright artificial light. Maia found herself halfway on Din, her head and one hand on his chest, practically welded into his side. While she didn’t know if he had awoken by now, she let her fingers glide over the dark fabric of his shirt, feeling his warmth and the steady rise and fall of his chest. »Hey,« he greeted her, his voice rumbling deep within his chest, vibrating against her finger tips and face. With a smile she turned her head towards him. His hair was a little disheveled, but he was so handsome, even more than he had been yesterday. He didn’t look as sad as he did then. It might take a while for them to get used to the new situation, but moments like this were so precious, so special. 

»We should get up,« he added with dread in his voice. None of them wanted to leave their little nest, their hideaway from the horrors of the universe. After a sigh Maia sat up, allowing him to rise himself. »I’ll miss this bed.« Maia crawled over and towards her clothes, putting on her pants first. Din did the same, but stretched before doing anything. Not wasting the opportunity, Maia snuck a peek and just so happened to see a little of his abdomen when his shirt rose up. The sight alone made her blush and turn away. Unbeknownst to her, Din did the same when she took her undershirt off to put her bra on underneath. He had seen her back before, but maybe the sight was a little more enticing now. »Believe me, I’ll miss this too,« he said, turning back to put his flight suit on. 

Maia was so occupied by the thought what his skin would feel like on hers, that his question didn’t even register at first. »Are you sure you want to go hunting with me?« When it had processed in her mind, she walked over to him and placed a hand on his cheek, stroking over the short stubble of his beard. His eyes fluttered shut when he leaned into her touch. She reminded him »I want to stay by your side, no matter what, no matter where. Nothing will happen to me.« His eyes reopened and met hears in an instant. With the bright light outside, she could make out the warm undertone in his eye color, almost like there was a fire hidden in the darkness, waiting to be found and appreciated by her. 

»I have to put the helmet back on,« he mumbled, but leaned in and gave her a kiss, as if it was a parting gift. Maia accepted this gladly, carefully parting her lips and gently biting into his lower lip. While Din could keep any noise from coming out of him, the blush on his cheeks was undeniable when Maia opened her eyes again, even if he quickly put the helmet on to hide himself. Did he realize how adorable she found it when he was overwhelmed with her little gestures? 

Maia’s plan was fairly straightforward regarding their first bounty hunt. »You walk, I follow. I’ll be your shadow for the time being and … try to not get myself in any trouble.« Din cleared his throat and nodded afterwards. »Let’s go.« A grin formed on her lips, pleased with his reaction to her little tease. They left the suite before the room service would come around, assuming this was probably handled by droids over here and she would have no chance at manipulating droids with the force. It hurt a little if Maia had to be honest, she would likely miss the comfort of this bed for eternity. 

The artificial sun was even brighter out on the street and Maia was a little jealous about his helmet right now. Din surely didn’t have to fight the pain the light was causing. »Have you ever seen anything like this?« he asked her and nodded upwards, where one could see the ring-like structure bend all the way around the light source. »No, never. I’ve been to spaceports; rarely. Seen way too many dark and dirty cargo holds, the shiny floors of the facility… but never a station as big as this.« »It’s my first time here, it’s exciting,« he told her while she watched the helmet move around. Wasn’t it a little weird to not be able to use your peripheral vision? Maia had to agree to an extent. »Impressive, but haunting at the same time. Gigantic, captivating, and anything but natural.« Maybe she sounded a little negative, she just didn’t like artificial environments like this. It was too reminiscent of the facility. 

»I agree.« She turned her head to him and saw the visor facing her as well. »How did you sleep?« she asked. It might take some time for them to find a guild on here. »Very comfortable. Had any more nightmares?« »Fortunately not. I’m not sure I dreamt at all,« she replied. Her sleep had mostly felt like meditation rather than sleep. She had listened to his breathing and felt his warmth, focusing on his presence to keep any dark thoughts away. It seemed to have helped. 

»Where are your weapons?« Din asked, and for a moment she wondered why he didn’t call the sabers by their name. But then again, he probably had a reason. »They’re behind my back underneath the cloak.« »Good, keep them there. I don’t want anyone to recognize them.« He didn’t want her to be recognized as a Jedi. Her specific sabers, no one would know them and therefore know her. Or at least, it was extremely unlikely. »Does the guild allow outsiders to just tag along?« she wondered. For the hunt they probably didn’t care, but most of the times the guilds operated under some guise, right? »It’s unlikely for hunters to team up and therefore split the reward but I doubt anyone will ask. People mind their business and none other.« Maia shrugged. It made sense that no one asked more questions than necessary. The guild leaders mostly cared about the jobs being done, the rest was in the hands of the hunters, right? 

»Aye, Mando,« a voice called out for them. A Trandoshian waved them over and they approached carefully. It was a little suspicious that the Alien spoke Basic, but then again, Maia was one to judge, apparently force-sensitive and Mandalorian which was a recipe for all kinds of conflict. »Lookin’ for’a job?« he slurred a little, was he perhaps drunk? Din nodded, suddenly back in bounty hunter mode and very quiet next to her. She would leave speaking up to him, he had been addressed by the alien anyway. The brunette watched as her partner leaned in a little more. »I’m looking for the guild.« Straight to the point, as usual. 

Now the alien leaned in a little closer. Maia saw Din’s hand slowly wander backwards. At first she thought he would maybe reach for a weapon, but he motioned her to get behind him a little more. »I know the guild,« he began, hiccuped and a sly grin appeared on his face, showing his short, pointy teeth. »My mem’ry’s a lil’ rusty sum’times.« Despite the sting it left in her chest, Maia silently watched as Din handed over what seemed to be the last of his credits. As much as she wanted to protest, or perhaps steal the money right back from the stranger, she didn’t want to cause a commotion out in the open in such a place. Besides, her partner most likely wouldn’t appreciate it. He was, for what she could say, an honest man. 

At least the alien hadn’t lied to them for their last money and a short walk later, they were in an elevator up to a club that housed the local guild. »Nervous?« Din asked when the elevator doors had closed and he knew they were alone for a little. »I’d say curious.« She was nervous, of course the was, last time they were in a sticky situation things had turned out all kinds of wrong. She risked her life, he got swallowed by a dragon, and in the end… well. The encounter with the bandits she would rather repress from her memory altogether. 

As soon as the elevator doors had opened, the strong scent of tobacco and food greeted them together with a slight fog. It made Maia’s eyes water a little and once again, she was a little jealous of the helmet. Did Din even register anything she could smell in the air here? They were transferred to another room right as they had entered, assuming her companion had been rightfully recognized as a bounty hunter. An Ishi Tib greeted them, in Basic nonetheless. For just a moment the brunette wondered if she was the only person in this galaxy that only knew one language. Maybe she should learn some, at least some phrases and words. There was one word she knew in Tusken Sign Language and that was it. 

The duo was offered a bounty and right away the outlook for more work if they returned successfully. They didn’t even have to leave the ring structure either, which definitely came to their aid. Otherwise Maia would have had to manipulate a few more people, they were officially out of funds unless she found a secret stash of credits in her ship. One district over, there was a Klatoonian that owed someone credits. If they managed to bring him in alive, they would get even more. It sounded easy enough in theory. Go there, locate him, bag him and take him back. Now, in practice it would most likely play out differently, but Maia hoped for their first contract to be somewhat easy. 

Once back in the elevator, she could finally catch a somewhat fresh breath and she sighed. »You have no idea how jealous I am of your helmet.« There was a chuckle underneath said helmet and and he shook his head, causing her to smirk. Hearing him laugh did something to her. It made her heart jump almost as much as kissing him did. Maybe she would some day have a helmet herself. Din might like it, who knew? 

They were out on the streets soon after, Din taking this moment to voice a concern of his. »I don’t want you to think I see you as incapable, but let me handle most of it. You’re new to this and I don't want you to be in danger.« »I can take–« »I know you can. I want you to be safe, regardless.« In a way, it was cute; reassuring. Din was aware she could handle a lot herself, she knew he knew. And still it was heartwarming that he wanted to protect her. It made her feel appreciated and in a way, even loved. She would do the same for him, too.

»Do you think we might stay here for longer?« Maia asked after some walking in silence. Perhaps it was because of the bed she wanted to share with him for a few more nights before they went to wherever their way would take them next. »Maybe,« Din replied, his helmet moving from one side to another, constantly checking the area. »There might be more bounties in the area, we could.« Apart from that, there was another quest they were on. Maia asked »and the Mandalorian hideout might be here, right? You mentioned it back on the cruiser.« »Yes, but I don’t know where they might be.« So there was a possibility they would stay and perhaps share a bed again. Din didn’t seem to have an issue with the sudden closeness. 

For a second she wondered if she should ask him, but then again, they were out in the open and he most likely wanted to keep most of their relationship private. And despite being over the moon about him accepting her in his life, she agreed that this was best kept between them. At least for now. 

They made it to the district and found a cold storage warehouse that seemed to be the last known location of their target. Maia watched a few people enter and exit the building through semi-transparent curtains. It sure looked like a cold warehouse, the walls were plastered with A/C units. »Is this it?« she asked and turned her head to Din, who was pushing some buttons on his vambrace. »It is. Stay behind me. I will try to get him alive but we might have to live with the smaller bounty if he doesn’t cooperate. Or if the others decide to attack us.« »The others? How many are in there?« He typed once more and turned his helmet more towards the entrance. »At least six in the front.« 

They entered the building, Maia behind Din as they had agreed upon, her hands under her cloak, one arm behind her to reach for her sabers just in case. The other workers, Klatoonians as well, kept to themselves for the time being, eyeing the guests for a moment before returning to their tasks. Through the room and into a back room, they found Kaba Baiz, the man they had been looking for. Naturally, Din tried to make him come with them willingly, which turned out to be a bad idea.  

Not only Baiz himself, but the workers inside the warehouse attacked them and Maia had to fend for herself, not able to watch Din at all times. Somewhere in this fight Din had used the Darksaber and as it had to happen, he injured himself quite severely with the dark blade. The rumble ended with Baiz missing one hand, the lavender blade of Maia’s lightsaber close to his throat. Din was agitated due to his injury and so was Maia, on top of being a little nauseous because she could smell burnt flesh. Her partner had a large burn on his thigh, which was bad, but all things considered a light wound for a lightsaber injury. 

»We can bring you in warm, or we can bring you in cold,« Din told Baiz, and Maia couldn’t deny that his threatening voice sounded quite attractive when it wasn’t aimed towards her. »Hold on, we – we can talk about this,« Baiz tried to reason. »I’ll pay you double.« 

Maia didn’t care too much about the money, besides, she knew Din wasn’t one to tarnish his reputation for a few credits. Also, how would he pay them double if this bounty was on him for not paying someone? »We don’t haggle with criminals,« Din said and put an end to that before it could start. »Fine, your loss,« Baiz responded and the tone in his voice sounded suspicious to say the least. As soon as Din had maneuvered the cuffed quarry out of the back room, Baiz pushed the Mandalorian to the ground and took off running. Before Maia could even get the idea to tend to her partner first, Din barked at her to follow the fugitive. Kill him if you have to.

Naturally, she blamed herself for all of this. She could have manipulated Baiz and he would've gladly accompanied them back to the bar. She could have healed Din’s wound, meaning he wouldn't have to limp around. She followed the alien outside and ran after him, making sure to not expose herself as force-sensitive with so many people around. He was surprisingly fast for someone in cuffs and missing a hand, but he just ran into everyone in his way and hoped for the best. She followed him around every corner, deeper into secluded alleys when a realization hit her. Her and Din were separated and she had no means to contact him. Desperately hoping this wouldn't turn out to be a trap, she continued her pursuit until Baiz found himself in a dead end.

»Please, girl, we can talk about this,« Baiz pleaded again, but why would he call her girl? How would that make her do anything he wanted her to do? She activated her saber and came closer, the low hum of the blade threatening him into desperation. »I’ll give you three times as much, be smart.« Din had told him already, she wouldn’t budge. Her thoughts raced around Din’s injury anyway, how painful his leg must’ve been in this moment and how he would manage to make it here. The fall had probably worsened his pain, too, and all of it was this Klatoonian’s fault. She wasn’t sure she would find her way back without any help, either. 

She swung her blade, but before it could make any contact and cause damage, she deactivated it and rammed her fist with the metal hilt inside of it into the quarry’s face as hard as she could, knocking the alien out cold. A sharp pain shot up her arm and she was sure she had either severely sprained or even broken her hand upon impact. Her gloves weren’t made for this kind of contact. The quarry fell face first into the dirt, and all she could do was sit on the unconscious’s back, waiting for Din to find her by miracle. 

While she held her hand with the other, she wondered if she could reach out for Din through the Force. Back when she first discovered him, he had likely felt some presence, how else would he have threatened her back then. Maybe, if she addressed him directly, he would feel something or maybe even hear her? 

Din? I have him 

Not long after that, she heard a familiar sound of steps coming her way. Din was still slow and probably in agony, but she let out a sigh of relief as soon as she had seen that helmet appear behind a corner. He was still limping and from her position she could get a proper look at his injured thigh. It looked grim, especially because it was just exposed to all of what surrounded them. The air back in the bar would probably burn his poor skin even more. »Good job,« he nodded approvingly and she felt a little pride in catching her first bounty. »We have to get him back to the guild, though. I think I have to drag him.« Instead of reacting to what he said, Maia stated »your leg looks awful. It would help if you weren’t limping.« She was trying to ease him into allowing her to heal him. But for some reason, he didn’t take the bait. »I’m sorry you had to pursue him alone. It wasn’t my original plan.« She sighed. »Nothing happened,« she said while getting up from the body, »besides you almost dismembering yourself. Lightsabers are dangerous weapons, especially in the wrong hands.« The irritation came partially from her throbbing hand, partially from her partner’s unwillingness to get help for his leg. Her words marinated for a second until her features softened. »I can teach you how to wield a saber. But until you know how to… please don’t use it. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.« Her first response had been a little harsh. She didn’t want to paint him as incapable, he just lacked training and a lightsaber was insanely dangerous in untrained hands. 

Din probably stared at her underneath his helmet. She might have hurts his pride a little, but deep down, his well-being was her concern. Why didn’t he just let her heal him? There was no reaction to what she said, just a rather closed off »let’s go.« Had she insulted him? Din wrapped a rope around Baiz and started dragging, while she walked next to him in silence, her thumb hooked into her belt so her hand wasn’t completely hanging loosely. It still hurt, but the pain was a welcome distraction from his behavior. He’s hurt, let him sulk. He might be an idiot but he is your idiot.

It was getting dark again and she wondered how long they had been on this hunt. It couldn’t have been more than a few hours, 3 tops. Was the artificial sun just not built to have 50/50 day and night cycles up here? How long was a day here anyway? It probably made sense to have relatively long nights on a station like this, as there were so many hotels, bars, casinos, brothels, clubs. After what felt like hours of dragging a limp body, they reached the elevator again and she helped pushing the body in. Baiz groaned.  »You knocked him out cold,« Din finally said, a hint of appreciation in his voice. Had he cooled off a little? What if she wasn’t ready yet? I hit him so hard I broke my hand in the process, no wonder he’s asleep. Thank you.

During the elevator’s ascent, the Klatoonian slowly woke up. Din very harshly pulled him to his feet. If he was awake, he could walk himself. The doors opened once again and they were engulfed in the smoke of the bar. When they returned, none of the guests nor the guild master herself had moved from their spots. Another reason to think they hadn’t been gone for too long. »Ah, there you are,« the master greeted them, »And successful, it seems. I’m a little impressed you managed to get him alive, how magnificent.« She nodded her head towards yet another Ishi Tib, that subsequently handed Din a plump satchel of credits. It might not be enough for the suite, but they would be able to have some food, fuel for her ship, and a less luxurious bed. »I have another bounty if you’re interested,« she announced, but Din shook his head. 

»Not this time,« he apologized. Maia’s eyes darted down to his leg. Seeing the shine of his burnt skin made her dizzy. How was he doing anything right now? The pain must be unbearable, probably a million times worse than her hand. »You Mandalorians are hard to convince, it seems, a shame.« They were about to leave, but Din’s helmet turned back. »That makes it sound like I’m not the first Mandalorian you encounter.« »Perhaps,« she responded. So the other Mandalorians were here? The image of her parents flashed before her eyes and Maia essentially blew a fuse. Despite promising Din to hold back, as soon as he had limped past her, she addressed the guild master. 

»How can we get to the lower levels?« It just made sense they would hide under ground, just as they had done in Nevarro. Every other option up here was probably way too open for a hideout. Or would cost rent. She felt the Mandalorian halfway behind her stop and tense. »You must be new. Information has a price, child.« Maia crossed her arms in front of her chest. She never was a good negotiator, especially not when she was insulted. Girl, child, would they ever stop? »So does express delivery. It can’t have been more than a few hours.« The Ishi Tib let Maia marinate in the awkward silence, but seeing the human not budge, she started laughing. »What a smart girl you are,« she said, the sarcastic undertone was not missed. »Follow the Kolzoc alley until you reach the exhaust towers. You will find a hatch to access the substrata.« 

Maia thanked her and followed Din into the elevator, expecting him to blow up and chew her out. How much she would have welcomed any kind of emotion from him. She was seething, her breathing exaggerated and her shoulders as tense as his. »You really shouldn’t talk to guild masters like this. Their egos are insulted quickly.« And even in her current state, she heard the softness in his voice. He didn’t want it to sound like he was scolding her. It was concern and nothing else.

The tension in her shoulders melted with the realization and she sighed deeply. All of this boiled down to her frustration with Din getting injured and subsequently refusing her help. »Guess I can consider myself lucky that I’m so pathetic that no one would feel insulted,« she mumbled and held her hand. She saw Din’s helmet move in her peripheral. Maybe he hadn’t realized she had been injured as well until now. »You’re not pathetic, just new to the business. It happens. Still, you should be more careful next time. Not every master would laugh something like this off.« Her fingers were in a sensory limbo, somewhere between numb and feeling tingly as if she had laid on her arm wrong. She would need different gloves if she wanted to knock people out like this, there was just no padding softening the blow on her hands. That or she shouldn’t punch people with a metal handle in her hand next time. If only she could have an armor like Din had. She was a Mandalorian, so in theory she could wear one, or not? 

They left the elevator and she walked right alongside him, slowly as he was still limping. She bit her lower lip. Should she offer to heal him one last time? But then again Din knew she could and she would do it for him without any hesitation. Had she hurt his pride so much with the comment about the lightsaber? She didn’t know. If only she had a helmet on herself so she could let the frustration out a bit better. Her eyes traced along the spear on his back, made of Beskar, and a question popped up in her head. »What happened to the armor Vanth gave you?« Had he given the armor to another Mandalorian? It couldn’t have been destroyed when the Crest got blown up. Had it been melted and made into the weapon he now carried? All of her thoughts stopped when her partner just so matter-of-factly said »it’s back with its owner.« It stopped the brunette in her tracks, just standing in the alley for a few of his steps. 

»Boba Fett is alive?« Gideon had mentioned a Fett on his cruiser, but it could have been a coincidence. Now she had the confirmation that the bounty hunter was still alive? Din sighed and stopped himself, turned back to face her. »He is. He doesn’t know about you. I haven’t told him anything.« So they had talked? It stung, it felt like betrayal. Din had left her behind on Tatooine and just so happened to run into the man that had essentially doomed her for years? Maia didn’t even know what to be mad or hurt about any more. His injury, her injury, her own behavior back at the guild or the fact that Din just told her that Fett wasn’t dead like she had thought all this time. Not only that, Fett knew Din now, which meant he was once again dangerously close to her. Had he forgotten how she reacted to the armor alone? 

Something in her just snapped. »Oh how chivalrous of you to not tell him about me. He’d be so pleased to hear that it’s even more fun to hunt me now, my bounty is probably so much higher.«

Din took a half step back, probably a little shocked by her sudden outburst. Did he even understand why she was mad? »Would you have preferred if I had told him? He came to Tython right when Grogu was captured and my ship got destroyed. He helped me on Morak to get into that base to find where Gideon is. Without him I would have never been able to save Grogu… and reunite with you. You have your past with him, I understand, but there’s nothing negative I can say about him. He helped me.« Tears welled in her eyes. Din was right but she didn’t want to see it. »He made fun of me. Of my fear. Treated me like a toy, chased me until I had no energy left. Do you know what I had to go through because of him? What the Empire did to me after they had me back?« She sobbed, crying both from the pain and the anger she felt. »You might not have told him about me, but you should have told me he was still alive.«

Din’s stance on this was simple: »People change. If I can, so can he.« She closed her eyes and let the tears run along her cheeks. »But maybe I can’t. If you want to have secrets, so be it. It’s not like you’ve told me much about you anyway. To think I was fine with you keeping that helmet on, too.« Mentioning his helmet clearly was a mistake, as suddenly Din snapped back at her. »When was I supposed to tell you?!« And she realized she had taken this way too far when he said »maybe I should keep the helmet on from now on if you don’t care.« Suddenly she realized what she had said made it sound completely different from what she had wanted to convey, and rightfully so, Din was insulted. They couldn’t talk about this now, especially not in the open like this. And Maia did what she always did when she was feeling too many emotions. She would leave. 

She turned around. »Have your injury taken care of,« she said. It was what mattered to her the most. »Your people won’t allow me in their secret hideout anyway. They won’t care about my heritage. I’m a Jedi to them, an enemy.« She took a deep breath, her hands balled into fists despite the red-hot pain that radiated in her right hand. She turned her head to be just above her shoulder. »I’ll be at the ship. If you don’t return within the next day, I’ve understood the message. I won’t chase after my feelings any more and go back to Luke.« And she left him, she had to. She needed time for herself, for her hand and also to cry, to let all of the bottled up emotions out. 

She walked back to the landing platforms and looked for something to do to clear her mind of all of the disappointment and regret she felt – she cleaned her ship. Her cloak, belt and her sabers safely stored in her ship, she went to work. Her hand still hurt, but maybe the pain was a welcome distraction. 

Meanwhile, equally agitated from the brunette’s outburst, Din followed the little marks left by other Mandalorians to find the covert. Go back to Luke – did Maia want to be with the Jedi? Did she deliberately mention him to hurt Din? All of these thoughts drained his energy faster than he had realized, causing him to just drop at the end of the stairs leading him towards the armorer. 

Suspiciously, the woman had not yet turned around to face Djarin, but she ordered Paz Vizsla to tend to his wounds. The Mandalorian in navy blue armor had surprisingly soft words for him. »I didn’t know if I would ever see you again.« Din sat with his leg slightly bent, getting a first proper look at the injury. It looked cruel, his flesh red, shiny, charred bits of either his pants or of himself stuck to the wound. »Thank you for saving me on Nevarro, I’m sorry about your sacrifice,« he replied, just before he felt the uncomfortable cold of the Bacta spray on his skin, which soon worked its magic to heal his burn. »There are three of us now. We’ll put you to work soon enough,« Vizsla explained. 

The armorer hadn’t turned to him yet, and yet her question seemed suspiciously fitting. »What kind of weapon causes such a wound?« How did she know? As soon as Din had the saber in his hand, it was as if Vizsla’s whole demeanor changed. Carefully, the man carried the weapon over to the armorer, who received the saber and looked at the hilt. »All this talk of the empire, and they lasted less than thirty years. Mandalorians have existed for ten thousands. What do you know of this blade?« 

»I am told it’s the Darksaber.« Din told her, repeating what he had heard on Gideon’s cruiser. »Indeed. Do you understand its significance?« He nodded. »Whoever wields it can lead all of Mandalore.« As much Gideon had told him. The reason why Bo-Katan wanted to have the saber for herself, to support her claim for the throne. Din quite honestly didn’t care much for a throne. What he cared about, however, was returning to Maia as soon as he could to somehow save their relationship. If she was even still on Glavis. »If it is won in battle,« the armorer added. Djarin slowly rose to his feet, delighted to feel strength slowly return to his leg. »The hilt is of a quality of Beskar I have never seen before.« 

There was more that Kryze had told him. »I’ve been told it was forged by a man who was both Mandalorian and a Jedi.« His chest felt tight. Was Maia already on her way back to Skywalker, or was she waiting for him? The thought of her on her own out here wasn’t too calming either. She could take care of herself, she would have told him just now, but was it so bad that he worried for her regardless? »I have met Jedi. The child is in the hands of one of them now, I have been successful. And … I am with a woman who is both Jedi and Mandalorian.« He knew the question about his foundling would have come up either way, so he answered the question before the armorer had to ask it. »You may join our covert as we rebuild.« 

This is the way. »I have not heard of such a woman. Mandalorians rarely find Jedi children and keep them. They’re better raised in the hands of their own, as was the case with your foundling. Tell me about your companion while you set up the forge.« And while the two men carried the forge across the floor and started setting it up, Din told the armorer about Maia, deep down hoping she would still wait for him when he was done here. »Her parents are Mandalorians, but she was taken away at a young age due to her talents. She never got the Mandalorian training. When I gave Grogu away to be with his master, we found out her name. It’s Arana,« Din’s helmet turned to face Paz, thinking his brother might be a little curious about her too. »Arana Vizsla.« Were they related? 

This new information seemed to pique the armorer’s interest. »She was no foundling?« she asked, but Vizsla scoffed next to Djarin. Din glared at the other man underneath his helmet. »What does it matter, blood alone means nothing if she doesn’t follow the way.« Not too long ago, he would’ve agreed, but now so much had happened. So many emotions he had yet to understand, but he accepted her heritage, despite his own Creed telling him she wasn’t one of them. »Do you know what her parents’ names were?« the armorer inquired, but he couldn’t deliver much. »Her mother was called Rayssa.« That was all he knew. »I don’t remember any Vizslas that lost a child.« Expecting this would be it, Din’s heart sank a little. But then again, if Bo-Katan had known Maia’s mother and knew what her face had looked like – her parents were very likely not part of the Watch. 

»What’s your stance on Arana?« the armorer asked him while Paz attached all kinds of hoses for the gas that would fuel the forge. Din swallowed. He was sure the armorer didn’t care too much about their relationship or his feelings for his partner, but rather wanted to hear about her qualities. If she would be beneficial to the covert. »I’ve seen her fight like a Jedi, it was impressive,« he explained. And as much as he had been impressed with how easily she had made offing the Darktroopers look like, images of her smile flickered in his mind. When he had shown her the sunset on Tatooine, and the sparkle in her eyes when they sat by the campfire. How red her cheeks had gotten after they had kissed. He couldn’t help but smile a little. »She’s loyal and brave. Intelligent, but a little stubborn. Right now all she wants to know is if her family is still alive. My way might not be the best way for her.« It would be downright cruel to hide such a pretty face under a helmet. 

The armorer nodded and offered what she could. »She’s too old to be adopted like a foundling. That leaves you with two options. We treat her like an apostate and she has to cleanse in the living waters, or she becomes part of your clan by marriage. To be part of the community, she will have to swear by the Creed and wear a helmet, follow the same rules you have to.« The thought of Maia marrying him just to be accepted into his group felt wrong. She should be allowed to marry out of love, not because of some need for validation or acceptance. Besides, after their fight it was unclear if she even wanted to stay with him, let alone think about marriage. »I understand.«

The armorer left the men to tend to her forge, and as soon as she had her back turned, Paz approached Djarin. »Where did you come upon the Darksaber?« he asked, trying to make it sound casual, but failing. Din knew why he was so interested in this saber. Just like Gideon said: It was power. »I defeated Moff Gideon in combat.« »Did you kill him?« He should have, but then again, Grogu had been his main concern. »No. He was taken in by the New Republic for interrogation and a trial. He will face justice.« Vizsla scoffed. »Death would have been justice for his atrocities.« And the armorer agreed. »This is true. The blood of millions of our kind is on his hands.« »Then he will be executed for his crimes,« Din responded. 

»Where did you come upon the Beskar spear?« the armorer changed topic, nodding towards the weapon on Djarin’s back. »It was the gift of a Jedi. It can block lightsaber blades and it helped me defeat Moff Gideon.« Tano had practically saved him by gifting him this weapon. And he would be forever grateful, it was a demonstration of her gratitude and her trust after he had helped her free the village on Corvus. »I know it can pierce armor and puts us at risk.« 

Without any hesitation, he handed over the spear, offering it to the armorer to forge something for the community. »This is the way. The Darksaber is a far more noble weapon for you to wield.« »Can you forge armor out of the spear? For my foundling.« »Grogu is with his kind now and not allowed this kind of attachment. It goes against their Creed.« »I want to see him,« Din explained. It had been about 24 hours if even that, and he already missed the little troublemaker and he worried about his well-being. »Make sure he’s safe.« 

»In order to master the ways of the Force, Jedi must forgo all attachment.« Was this why Maia had told him she would leave, because they couldn’t be together? But why had she seemed so happy to be around him, and why had she kissed him and snuggled up to him while they slept? 

»That is the opposite of our Creed,« he said. Were they talking about Grogu any more, or was he now projecting this discussion onto this stupid fight he had with the brunette? »Loyalty and solidarity are the way. Mandalorians are stronger together.« Had she chosen to pursue her Mandalorian roots for him, perhaps? He would have to return to her as soon as possible, hoping she was still waiting for him. Their fight seemed so juvenile now that he had a clearer mind to think about it. The armorer forged the spear into armor for Grogu and also one more item. Maia might not be allowed to wear armor if he asked his people, but he wanted her to be able to have some Beskar with her. Even if it was just to remind her of her family and maybe of him. 

After his suit had been patched up, Din took the time to train his saber combat with the armorer. She had practically ordered him to, and with the memory of his injury still very fresh, he agreed he needed training. There he was, up on a walkway, the armorer counting his blows one by one. Sometimes she attacked, sometimes she blocked his attacks. But one thing became clear very quickly. The blade got increasingly heavy and made it practically unable for Din to swing it. He struggled and when he could barely raise the blade, the armorer commented, »you’re fighting against the blade.« »It gets heavier with each move,« Djarin explained. How did that even make sense? It was a weapon, how could he fight against it? »You should be fighting against your opponent, not the blade.« 

She used her tools to attack Din again and again, not allowing him to gain control over his weapon. She pressed the blade into his bracer. »Feel it. You are too weak to fight it. You can not control it with your strength. You are distracted.« »I am focused,« he insisted, but his mind was occupied with so much. He didn’t like feeling weak, it hurt his pride. And there was still this fight he had with Maia, and all he wanted to do was go back to her. But was she still here, waiting for him? Or had she left to be with Luke? The Jedi would surely not struggle as much with a blade like this, and he for sure wouldn’t have hurt himself like Djarin did. 

»Maybe the Darksaber belongs in someone else’s hands,« a voice came from the shadows, and to no one’s surprise, Vizsla stepped onto the walkway. Of course Paz had waited until Din was exhausted to challenge him. »Maybe,« he responded. Paz seemed to have a rather personal reason to want this saber. »It was forged by my ancestor, founder of house Vizsla.« Huh… so his blood mattered, but not Maia’s when it came to being a Mandalorian? »Blood doesn’t matter, those were your words.« Din would have handed the blade over to Bo-Katan, but the arrogance of his brother made him absolutely despise the idea of losing the blade to have it fall into these hands. »You may have won the blade in combat, but now I will take it from you.« 

»Din Djarin,« the armorer turned to him, still in between the men on the metal bridge. »Do you agree to this duel?« To which Din nodded without hesitation. »I do.« And they fought. Din struggled with the weight of the blade and also the sheer size difference to his opponent. Paz was easily a foot taller than him and the mass he could channel into a punch would knock Djarin over with ease. It looked bad when Vizsla lifted Djarin above him and threw him, knocking the blade out of his hands. And while he kicked Din against a pillar, he picked up the blade, activating it and seemingly struggling with the weight of the saber himself. »Fate has brought this blade back to my clan, and now fate will end yours.« And just when it seemed that Djarin’s luck had run out, he stabbed Paz’s leg to avoid decapitation. He used the short distraction and practically climbed on his brother’s back, his vibro blade just below Paz's helmet. »That’s enough,« the armorer finally called out. Din had won, but he feared one thing. One question. 

»Paz Vizsla, have you ever removed your helmet?« »No.« »Has it ever been removed by others?« »Never.« The armorer nodded. »This is the way.« Her helmet shifted so the visor faced him. Din’s heart sank. On one hand he could have lied to the armorer, but then again, she probably knew, or at least suspected, that he had taken the helmet off. Did she know, just like she had known his injury before she had turned around? »Din Djarin, have you ever removed your helmet?« I have, again and again, for my foundling and my cyar’ika. »Have you removed your helmet? By Creed, you must vow,« the armorer repeated when he didn’t respond. »I have.« Din’s voice almost cracked. His heart was pounding. 

»Then you are a Mandalorian no more.« 

This was it? »I beg you for forgiveness. How can I atone?« he asked, desperate to do whatever he was asked to to be forgiven. He couldn’t avoid taking the helmet off on Morak. It was necessary to save his child. »According to the Creed, one may only be redeemed in the living waters beneath the mines of Mandalore,« the armorer explained to him once again. Knowing the mines were destroyed, he felt the ground collapse beneath him. He was no Mandalorian. He was no one. His clan was nonexistent. To make the blow a little harder, the last words Vizsla directed his way were »leave, apostate.« 

Was Maia even still here? How long had he been away? 

Maia had been working on her ship for as much as she could, to occupy her mind from this stupid fight she had with Din. When he came back, they would have to talk about this. If he came back. The brunette felt absolutely miserable after he had misunderstood what she wanted to tell him. She shouldn’t have mentioned it at all, and now all she could do was hope for her partner to come back to her. Her heart was aching, as was her hand. One she could take care of fairly quickly, the other would take some time, given she and Din could rekindle. 

If he actually left her here and this was it, she would never get over it. 

The thought alone drove tears to her eyes, a painful drag growing in her chest. Had she insulted him so severely that Din would now wait the day out so she would leave? She wiped her tears on her robe and occupied her mind with more work on her ship; until she felt some hunger. That was the other problem: Din had left her with none of the credits they had gotten from their bounty, she couldn’t get some food, nor something to drink or fuel to leave.  She would have to manipulate her way out of this, once more. 

Maybe it was fate, or just sheer luck, that a Rodian and a Zabrak approached her on the platform and were so adamant about getting her something to eat and share a few drinks. How could she say no when her stomach was growling? Maybe Din’s intuition would get him here quicker if she stayed with these men. So the pretty brunette sat with them, had some food and a drink. While they pulled out more and more alcohol, Maia decided it was for the best if she only had this one. Instead of telling them about being a force-sensitive bounty hunter apprentice, she pretended to be a mechanic, working for a bounty hunter, waiting for her boss to return from a job.

Maia had a lot of time to think about what had transgressed earlier today. There had been so many opportunities for things to turn out differently, and yet she had managed to make the worst possible outcome her reality. She had said things that were actually hurtful and as much as she didn’t mean them how he had picked them up, all of this just happened because he refused her help. Din should have allowed her to help, or at least tell her why he didn’t want her to help. Perhaps he didn’t want her to expose her abilities out in the open, but he could have said it. Had she more openly offered her help. 

It had been hours since she and Din split, hours since she told him it didn’t matter that he took the helmet off. Hours since she gave that stupid ultimatum. Had he abandoned her? Her thoughts raced around and the alcohol didn’t necessarily make it better, but the two men, telling jokes to get her to laugh, helped a little. In theory, she could have looked for him, focused her mind and find him in the Force, but if he didn’t want her any more, she didn’t feel like it was right to stalk him. She sighed internally, telling herself it wasn’t a day later yet, so maybe he would return. She needed to be patient.

At least none of the two aliens sitting beside her seemed to realize she was still on her second cup of alcohol, which she hadn’t even touched yet. She mostly pretended drunk, because being drunk was way too dangerous out here. She knew how to make herself blush, even if it was a little embarrassing. She thought about Din. About how they had kissed and how his arms felt around her. And that little glimpse of his belly. All the things she had felt when she had dreamed about Din and her being intimate. All of the noises that had engrained in her mind. 

»Here you are,« a familiar voice startled her. She had just pretended to absolutely lose it over a suggestive joke, when she heard the steps and soon after, his firmer than usual voice. Din finally returned, and he found her here, obviously drunk and having fun. Still pretending to be drunk, she turned on her stool to face him, giving him a warm smile. Maia knew she was blushing, partially because of her lewd thoughts, partially because she actually felt a little caught. »Hey boss,« she greeted him, making sure he would instantly register that she pretended to be someone else. »Ship’s all clean and ready to go when you are,« she explained and watched as his helmet tilted slightly. She gave him a once-over just as he did the same to her. His pants were fixed and he seemed to be in less pain. Just a bit tense in the shoulders, which maybe had to do with her sitting here with two strangers and laughing. The spear on his back was gone. 

»Well, it’s not recommended to let a Mandalorian wait,« she announced and stumbled off the stool. She saw Din twitch in her direction, ready to catch her if she actually fell. »Gentlemen, it was a pleasure.« The Zabrak took a breath, perhaps to protest, but it seemed Din’s presence alone made him reconsider. The Rodian had drunk a significant amount of Spotchka and just leaned on his arms, dreamily staring at the brunette. 

Maia turned to Din and her features softened a little. He had come back and she could apologize, hoping he didn’t just come here to say goodbye again. All she needed was some privacy with him. Privacy her ship couldn’t grant them, and she yearned for the Razor Crest to be back here. Instead of postponing their talk any further, she thought of a different solution. »Oh, I have to show you something for the ship. There’s this thingy…« She grabbed hold of his hand, relieved that he didn’t immediately pull back, and pulled him into one of the alleys that weren’t visible from the small shop she had just sat at with the aliens. They had their privacy … as best as they could right now. 

Din followed until they had reached the relatively dark corner, away from her two hosts and away from other curious glances. »Well then, wheres the thingy?« he sarcastically asked, letting go of her hand and crossing his arms in front of his chest. All of this screamed ‘don’t touch me’ to her, and Maia took a small step back. As soon as her brows scrunched together, he added »I … wasn’t sure you’d still be here.«

Despite his posture clearly telling her to keep her distance, she placed both hands on his bracers. »You were gone for so long, I thought I had chased you away.« Maybe he just came here to say farewell. Stop it. You know he wouldn’t behave like this if he wanted you to leave. »Listen, I said some terrible things to you earlier. I was frustrated that you got hurt and didn’t allow me to help you. You limped around with a burnt thigh for over an hour, probably even two, and you know I can heal you. Boba Fett is a trigger for me and I blew up in your face, I’m sorry. You’re right that there was no time to tell me. I didn’t ask you, I had a suspicion about him back when Gideon mentioned Fett. You didn’t deserve all of what I did to you today.« She took a big breath and closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her strength. »About the helmet. I must’ve phrased it wrong, because I never wanted you to think it didn’t matter to me that you took it off. I’ve told you that it means a lot to me. What I wanted to say is that I wouldn’t have minded if you still had it on and kept it on. Being with you was what I wanted, even before I knew you had taken it off. I’m sorry, our communication needs work.« 

Din looked at her and didn’t move a muscle at first, listened to her explanations without interrupting her. As soon as she felt his arms move, she let go and as much as she didn’t want it to happen, the little alcohol in her system made it hard to hold back the tears. »Cyar’ika,« he softly said to her, cupping her cheek with one gloved hand. She closed her eyes when she felt the thick leather on her skin. She was so relieved that he still used that name for her. »I’m sorry too. Mandalorians are prideful and stubborn. Getting hurt in a fight is especially frustrating. I felt useless and having you chase after Baiz on your own wasn’t something I wanted to cast upon you.« She opened her eyes again, his glove wiping away a tear, just like it had happened in her nightmare. »I asked about your family. Unfortunately the armorer couldn’t tell me anything.« She nodded, softly as to not lose contact with his glove. »It’s okay,« she assured him. »It would’ve been too much of a coincidence. But why were you gone for so long?«

»They took care of my wound and I patched up my flight suit. While I was there I helped rebuild the forge, and trained with the Darksaber. It took some time and I can safely say, Jedi look more elegant than me when fighting.« It almost made her chuckle. »My offer still stands to train you. It takes time.« He sighed and his empty hand reached for his belt. »I had the spear remade into armor for Grogu and also this.« Maia looked down to his hand, extending one of hers so he could drop something into her palm. A small Beskar mudhorn, smaller than the one on his shoulder, but very obviously his clan symbol, laid in her hand. »It’s yours,« Din added when she held the little pendant up, closer to her face to inspect it. 

Maia understood this was a kind of connection to him, but then again, this could mean far more than she right now understood. »It’s beautiful, but I don’t understand, why are you giving me this?« It wasn’t that she didn’t like it. She wanted to know if this was more than a gift. 

»It’s Beskar, I wanted you to be able to carry some with you. I defeated a mudhorn in a fight. I almost lost, but Grogu helped me with his powers. The armorer declared us to be a clan until I found a Jedi for him. It connected us.« She kind of understood. It was a sign she belonged to him. This must mean they were okay and that fight was forgotten. She closed her fingers around the pendant and held it to her heart. »Thank you cyare.« Despite her positive reaction to the gift, his shoulders dropped. 

»I don’t have a clan any more. I took off the helmet and now I am an apostate.« His helmet followed the shoulders, dropping significantly. It was heartbreaking to hear, especially with the pained tone in his voice. She didn't even ask for permission, she just hugged him. It probably didn't feel like much with the armor between them, but she did it anyway. »I’m sorry, Din. Is there anything we can do?« 

He wrapped his arms around her after a few seconds and pulled her in, quite desperately held onto her firmly. They stayed like this for what felt like eternity, his helmet resting on her shoulder. She heard his breathing underneath the metal, felt every muscle he moved. And she stayed quiet, certain he just needed time to process all of this. »There is one thing I could do but it’s … impossible. Go to Mandalore and bathe in the living waters. The city above the mines was destroyed when the whole planet was bombed.« His helmet rotated towards her neck a little, as if he could hide his face further, or was he searching for her scent? »I don’t know where to go to next. Because they cast me out, there is no way for you to be accepted, either.« 

Her own status wasn’t a concern for Maia right now. All she wanted was for him to be okay. »Don’t worry about me. I’m right where I belong.« She kissed the side of his helmet, even if he couldn’t feel it nor see it. There wouldn’t be much for him to register besides the noise. »We should think about where to go from here. Maybe Tatooine is an option. Peli seems to always know someone who can help, maybe we can go from there.« And maybe they just needed some time off. Din needed time to grieve Grogu, too. He nodded after his helmet had risen from her shoulder. »Tatooine, then.«

She hugged him a little tighter one last time before she let go and put the pendant back into his belt pocket. She didn’t want to lose the precious gift, besides needing something to wear it, anyway. »I will get it when I have a chain for it. Do you want me to fly there?« »Please.« Maia nodded and they let go of one another. The blush on her cheeks had mostly left and her eyes had returned to their normal, beautiful state. She wondered if Din teared up underneath the helmet at all. He didn’t have to hide it from her. And as soon as they had left the small alley behind them, they left for Tatooine. 

[imabeautifulbutterfly]

Once Upon a Time on the Razor Crest

AO3 Link Main Master List

THE RAZOR CREST RANCH SEVEN

Chapter 01 | Chapter 02 | Chapter 03 | Chapter 04 |

Chapter 05 | Chapter 06 | Chapter 07 | Chapter 08 |

Chapter 09 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11

THE CRESTWORLD

Chapter 01 | Chapter 02 | Chapter 03 | Chapter 04 |

Chapter 05 | Chapter 06 | Chapter 07 | Chapter 08 |

Chapter 09 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 |

Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15

ON TEMPORARY HIATUS

[amiedala]

SOMETHING HOLY MASTERLIST

— MAIN MASTERLIST | AO3

SUMMARY: “Mine,” Din is saying like a prayer, “you’re mine.”

There’s a desperation to it, an undercurrent, and Nova unhinges her mouth as Din watches, hard and desperate pressed against her, so desperate that it burns through their clothes. A hymnal, he’s singing, with nothing but the same syllables. It’s desperate, pleading. More than piety. Like a zealot, for her, only for her. Like Novalise is something holy.

— Mandalorians. Jedi. Rebels. The conclusion to the epic love story across the stars—with desecration and divinity in equal measure.

Something Holy is in-progress. Updates release on Saturdays (as frequently as possible) at 7:30 pm EST.

CHAPTER 1: Start at the Beginning

CHAPTER 2: Fault Line

CHAPTER 3: Dangerous Things

CHAPTER 4: Wreckage

CHAPTER 5: The Ghost

CHAPTER 6: Pulse

CHAPTER 7: No Mercy

[hunnythebee]

Stow Away

Chapter 13: Villas of Theed

Jo had learned to expect the unexpected when it came to her Mandalorian, but even still he caught her offguard. The night's not over yet, and he still has more surprises in store.

3.5k words - third person - female original character - explicit

Chapter 12 | Chapter 14 | Masterlist

Tags: Din Djarin x OC, Mandalorian x OC, love, confessions, mask FINALLY comes off, kissing, Din being a sweetheart, festival of lights, naboo, theed, fluff, domestic life

Warnings and Fic below cut

Warnings; Smut, Oral F receiving, PiV, unprotected, creamp!e, overstimulation if you squint, f!ngering

Hello everyone. I don't even know where to begin... my life spun out into chaos in the last couple weeks and I truly wasn't able to write a single word for a long time... but now I am back! I was inspired and finally picked up my laptop and finished this chapter. I can't guarantee that I will have the next chapter ready by next week, but know that I am still writing and this fic is far from abandoned. I do have some other fics in the works as well that I want to put a little more effort into but I want to tie this one up first before really getting into anything else. Thank you for your patience, and I look forward to writing for you all some more.

Jo couldn’t believe her eyes. There he was. The face of the man whom she had loved for so long. He was even more handsome than anything she could have ever imagined. Her gaze fell from his eyes, trailing down along his slightly hooked nose to his lightly bearded mouth that was displaying the most attractive crooked smile. She followed along his strong jaw and back up to meet his eyes, that still burned with a ferocity that made her flutter. His gaze dropped from her eyes to her lips and his tongue darted out to wet his lower lip and his stare found her eyes once again.

“I– You– What–” She stammered. Her heart was racing and she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. 

Din took her hand in his and cupped her cheek with the other. “I have loved you since I first laid eyes on you. You are the one I dream of at night. If I close my eyes, you are what I see. When I thought I had lost you forever I became a shell of a man. I lost my way in every sense. And when I thought you were dead I was shattered… but somehow… somehow you came back to me. I have my strength back because of you, and I never want to lose you again…”

“I- I love you too, Din Djarin. I don’t know when it happened, but I fell for you. I thought of you every day we were apart.” She answered with tears in her eyes. Din pulled her in for a long awaited kiss. When their lips touched, it was as if the whole galaxy stood still. She threw her arms around his neck and he held her tight by her waist. Jo felt him smiling against her mouth, causing her to smile in return. Their world melted and blended together into a blur of lights and the sensation of one another. She broke away from the kiss and he tried to chase after her, but she stopped him with a single finger pressed gently to his lips. “Wait… please. I want… I want to see you. Really see you. Please?” Jo begged, her eyes pleading with him. 

“Anything for you cyar’ika.” Din smiled and reached out, running his knuckle along her cheek and up into her hair. He twisted one of her braids in his fingers, fixated on every minute detail of her. The attention he was paying her would have made her nervous had it been anyone else, but this was Din. This was her mandalorian. Jo sat back and took in the image of him. She memorized the curvature of his jaw and every line on his face that would deepen when he smiled. Jo brought a hand up to touch his cheek and the moment her skin made contact he melted. She watched in awe as he relaxed into her palm, the softest smile on his lips. Jo leaned in once more for another kiss.

Their lips met with a fervor. There was no more timidness, nor shyness left to be had. All that was left was the raw unbridled love and passion for one another. A chill ran down her whole body. A warmth that was all too familiar spread throughout her. She wanted to kiss him like this for hours, but that was not going to happen here. The curtain was drawn back slowly by the protocol droid from before. He was spouting a pre-programmed spiel of how he hoped they enjoyed the show and to have a pleasant stay on Naboo, but Jo and Din were too busy readjusting themselves to pay any attention. By the time Jo looked back at him, Din was already sporting his mask and hood. Her heart sank, despite knowing that it was necessary. 

He was checking on Grogu who, despite all the noises and flashing lights, had fallen asleep in a nest of hors d’oeuvre crumbs. His cute little face was sticky from fruit juices, but was altogether peaceful. Jo took the napkin that had come with her plate and dabbed gently at his mess, smiling to herself as she did so. 

“Jo? Is everything alright?” Din put a gentle hand on her bare shoulder and she looked to him.

She sighed happily, “Everything is wonderful. I was just thinking…”

“About?” He urged her to continue her thought.

“I was thinking about the fact that, I get to have this. You and him, forever,” Jo was beaming with the tears of joy still threatening her lashes.

Din shifted his hand from her shoulder to cup her cheek, “And we get you forever cyare.” 

They found their way out of the viewing areas and back into the city streets. There were easily triple the amount of people as before. Attendees filled the walkways, shoulder to shoulder, eager to get to the next celebration or event. Everything was loud and vibrant, and to Jo it was home. Din and Jo took their time roaming the streets hand in hand, enjoying the sights and smells. Music echoed throughout the whole city it seemed. The night was alive with parties in every sector. Grogu’s carrier followed gently behind them as they strolled, the lid closed tight to block out the light and the noise. 

Eventually they found their way to a quieter part of Theed. A residential sector lining the riverbank. Tall, ivy covered buildings lined the waterside, each sporting a warm glow from inside. They reminded Jo so much of her old home. These were obviously much more grand, but the design was the same. Din pulled at Jo’s hand as he stopped at the steps to one of the houses. She turned around with a look of utter confusion.

“What’s wrong? I thought we were going to the hangar,” she questioned.

Din shook his head and gave her hand a light squeeze before ascending the steps with her. When he reached the door he tapped a keycard to it and it slid open for him. He moved Grogu’s bassinet inside ahead of them and turned to face Jo.

“I never said we were going back to the hangar tonight,” he said with a slight smugness.

Jo’s brain was still catching up, “You never said… You mean to tell me we are staying here?!”

Din laughed. It was music to her ears. “Yes, mesh’la. We are staying here.”

Her eyes lit up. She followed him into a large round foyer where a protocol droid was waiting to greet them. A grand staircase led upwards to a second floor loft. Further into the house was a kitchen and a sitting room, adjacent to which were a set of double doors. The doors opened into a beautiful master bedroom with a huge plush mattress with a golden duvet and matching pillows. The whole of the home’s interior was decorated with warm tones, not a harsh color in sight. Out the back of the house was a balcony that had a beautiful view of the waterfront. It was here that Din found her after settling Grogu into the upstairs loft.

She was bathed in the moonlight. Her sunset hair blowing gently across her shoulders and her dress billowed with every small breeze. She leaned against the bannister in a similar manner as she had on Tatooine, but there was something about seeing her here that just felt right. Din remained silent, wanting to watch her in her element without interruption. He quietly leaned against the wall a few feet behind her and just watched.

Jo turned around and met Din’s soft gaze. He had removed his mask and hood entirely, casting them aside along with his cloak. He looked so comfortable. Jo had never seen him in such a state of ease. His aura of relaxation was radiating off of him and taking over her own. Jo approached him, a certain confidence in the sway of her hips as she moved. Din’s eyes trailed down her figure, a hunger growing in them as he made his way down and back up to meet her eyes. The way he was looking at her made her flush with heat. She was so used to the expressionless visor, which gave away nothing except for the occasional tilt or audible hitch in his breath. Now she could see everything. The way his eyes wandered, how he bit into his lower lip and smiled, and how dark his eyes got. 

Jo finally closed the distance, pressing him into the wall he had been lazing against. He grunted from the force as his eyes lit up with excitement. His hands roamed her every curve and gripped at any part of her he could, pulling her into him as close as possible. His breathing was shallow, ragged even. Jo traced the outline of his nose with her own, teasing him with the possibilty of her kiss but not quite giving it to him. Their lips were but a hair apart, lightly brushing against each other. She draped her arms over his shoulders and tangled her fingers in his hair.

“I need to feel you mesh’la…” He begged breathlessly. “Please…” His voice was low. A needy growl.

“I’m yours, Din.” Jo proclaimed just before their lips met. The kiss was heated, but slow. It was as if they wanted to make every moment last. Drink the passion in slowly. Din’s hands made their way from her hips, tracing along the exposed skin, up to her neck where the dress was fastened by three small pearlescent buttons. His fingers carefully unfastened each one as he kissed along her jaw and down her neck. As the neck line fell slack he chased the material with his lips till he met the edge of her shoulder. Din’s mouth found hers once again as the dress fell to the ground, revealing Jo to him entirely. He gripped her thighs and lifted her, wrapping her tightly around his waist. His hardness dug gently into her pelvis as he carried her across the room to the large bed, coaxing a soft moan from her lips.

Jo settled softly onto the bed with him hovering over her. “I want to see all of you, Din,” Jo pleaded as she played at the edge of his waistband.

Din smirked and moved his hands to grip the back of his shirt and pull it over his head in one swift movement. He stood tall over her as his hands moved to his trousers. “Whatever my cyare wants, she shall get.”

Din’s words caused her heart to race as he slid his bottoms off. He bent over to cast aside the pants, and in doing so fell into eyesight of her dripping pussy. Jo’s need was evident and he was overcome with the craving to taste her on his tongue. He lunged forward, his mouth making contact with her in all the right ways. Jo’s back arched against the bed and her hands found his hair. Lost in the ecstasy of having her lover taste her in such a needy way. His tongue collecting her juices and moaning into her, taking as much pleasure in the act as she was. Din’s lips locked around her swollen bud and suckled, causing her to gasp and moan out his name. “Mesh’la,” his honeyed voice spoke from between her legs, “Eyes on me.” Jo propped her head up with the use of one of the multitudes of pillows and did exactly as instructed.

The sight was intoxicating. He lost himself completely in her, looking up at her eyes with a heavy lidded and lust filled gaze. It was almost predator like the way he looked at her. Din’s hands gripped her thighs and pulled her closer to him as his tongue worked her with an intensity. 

Jo felt her climax approaching, a heat building and rising. She squirmed in his grasp, which only encouraged him and caused him to bury himself deeper and hold her tighter. The room was filled with the sound of her panting and moaning his name as her release reached a fever pitch and poured into her veins. He slowed his movements as she rode out the high, but did stop till it had passed. The moment it subsided his mouth was on hers once more, the tip of his hard cock teasing against her over sensitive nerves. Jo whimpered into his mouth causing his cock to twitch against her.

“Din…” She moaned, “I want you now. I need you now.” 

He hummed in her ear, as he grinded against her still. “Tell me mesh’la. Tell me how badly you need me to fill you.”

“I’ve wanted you for so long…” she panted. “Dreamt of you every night. Only you. I’m yours Din please.” Jo grinded her hips against him desperately. He conceded. Din sank into her slowly, burying himself in her completely and reveling in sound of her as he finally gave her what she craved. What they both were craving. 

Jo cried out in ecstasy as Din buried himself in her. He propped himself up over her and stared lovingly into her eyes, breathing heavily. The worlds stood still for in that moment as she took in the fact that never had she been able to see him when they were intimate. Not his face at least. He had always been either shrouded in darkness or masked by his helmet, but not tonight. Tonight he was laid bare. Jo could see his pupils, dilated with lust, and his brows knitting together as he attempted to keep his composure and failed. She brought her hand up and cupped the side of Din’s face. He closed his eyes and leaned into it, placing a soft kiss to her wrist. 

He leaned down and caught her lips in a passionate kiss. As they melted into each other, Din’s hips began to move causing her to gasp out his name. He moved slowly, each thrust angled perfectly. Jo tossed her head back and moaned as he trailed kisses down her jaw and neck. He chuckled as she was coming undone beneath him. Din enjoyed the sight of her letting herself go and giving in to the pure pleasures that he could give her. He pulled his hips back, almost leaving her entirely and causing her to let out a needy whimper before he snapped back into her. His thighs met hers with a satisfying slap. Jo cried out for more. Clawing desperately at him, hoping to convey how badly she wanted him but he maintained his pace. 

Din’s hand found her jaw as her eyes began to flutter shut, “Keep your eyes on me, Mesh’la. Only me.” He began to pick up his pace, feeling her clenching around him. The sensation of him thrusting into her was building up and she was getting closer.

Her eyes felt heavy, and she couldn’t think but she followed his command. She watched as he bit in his lip and threw his own head back, exposing his muscular neck. His eyes found hers again and they were so lost in each other that she hadn’t even noticed what was coming until it was already happening. Her body vibrated and spasmed as she moaned and screamed. The sensation was already almost too much but then Din’s nimble fingers found her clit and she was destroyed. 

Just for a moment the world was just blinding white. She saw nothing, felt nothing outside of the sensations he was giving her. Bliss, ecstasy, and pleasure. Jo managed to regain some semblance of conscious thought once again and watched her lover who was lost in his own climax. His muscles her tensed and his brow was furrowed. Her name poured from his lips like a prayer and his eyes refused to look away from her face. He released inside of her. A warmth spread through her, as he moaned out in pleasure. Din’s full weight came down on top of her as he took a few more desperate thrusts before becoming still.

Jo traced along his spine absent-mindedly as he came down from his high. His face was buried in her neck, where he was placing hot sloppy kisses and cooing unintelligible praises. Once Din’s mind came back to him, he rolled to her side and traced across her curves with his hands.

Jo turned onto her side and propped her head in her hand, “That was… incredible.” Their chests were rising and falling in unison as they both took deep steadying breaths.

Din let out a breathy, low chuckle. “You are incredible mesh’la.” He leaned in and gave Jo a soft peck on the cheek before leaving the room for a moment. 

She smiled and began to feel the after effects of sex sinking in, but it didn’t last long when she felt her body being dragged down the bedding towards the edge. Din had returned with a glass of water and hunger in his eyes. He handed her the water and she took a big long sip. A little bit spilled down her chin and the droplets fell on her breasts. Din got on his knees and cleaned every droplet off her skin with his hot mouth. Slowly working his way down to between her legs once again. 

Jo let out a gasp of surprise as she felt his mouth on her oversensitive nerves. “Wh-what’re you doing?” she asked breathlessly.

Din smirked against her and simply said, “What gave you the idea that we were done?”

Jo smiled to herself and laid back onto the bed as he continued.

 She lost count of how many times he made her orgasm that night, and at one point they all just blurred together. They had carried on till they physically couldn’t anymore and fell asleep in each other’s arms. Jo woke with his arms still around her and her head still resting on his chest. She shifted slightly, so as to see his face. He still wore no mask, no helmet, nothing. The sun was just beginning to peek into the room and little streams of sunlight danced across his face. His features were relaxed and peaceful, with a small smile playing at his lips.

Jo could stay in bed and watch him sleep for hours, but there was something else that she wanted to do this morning. A surprise for him to say ‘thank you’. She carefully untangled herself from him and stood from the bed on shaky legs. Her whole body ached, but it was a good ache. The kind of ache that reminded her of the events that led to the pain. She picked a robe off a hook by the door and proceeded into the kitchen.

It was just like old times. She filled the villa with the scent of her cooking, which summoned Grogu down from his hideaway and resurrected Din from his slumber. They both came into the kitchen at the same time, but the appearance of Din made Grogu freeze. He was still missing his hood and mask, walking around the house fresh faced and groggy. Grogu watched as Din kissed Jo and wished her a good morning, and then as Din came over to greet him.

Din picked up the wide-eyed child and held him tenderly as he went and sat at the breakfast nook, setting Grogu on the counter. Din and Grogu sat and watched her cooking, nostalgia washing over them at the sight. When she turned around and saw him fixed on her, with the largest smile she paused.

“What is it my love?” She asked playfully.

He let out a soft laugh and replied, “just like old times, isn’t it?”

She returned his smile and teased, “yeah, except we aren’t in that tin can you called a ship and I can see your face. But other than that, just like old times.” She turned and placed the plates of food in front of Din and Grogu, then fixed herself one and sat beside Din. 

He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and thanked her. “It looks delicious mesh’la. Thank you.”

She blushed a little at the compliment, “you’re welcome, now eat up.”

A comfortable silence fell as the three of them dove into their food. Once they had all finished and the kitchen was clean, Grogu went to watch the boats pass in the canal while Din and Jo relaxed in the small seating area.

 All morning, Jo had been contemplating something. She wanted to tell Din her story, but was unsure how to approach it. Luckily, Din was able to provide her with the perfect opening.

His deep brown eyes were searching hers, an expression of concern in them. “What’s on your mind mesh’la? You seem lost in your thoughts.”

“I am…” she began, “I’ve been thinking… and after everything you’ve given me, I want to give you something in return.”

He took her hand in his and smiled, “you don’t have to give me anything. You are enough.”

She gave him a small smile, “I want to though. I want you to know me as no one else ever has. I want you to be the one person in the whole galaxy that is allowed to see me completely. Which is why I think it’s time I told you my story.”

Chapter 12 | Chapter 14 | Masterlist

[wild-karrde]

Hi! I saw your fandom rec post and wanted to submit a thing. This is a self rec, by the way! So it's on Ao3, under the pseud Star Princess, and it's a 7 part fanfic series for The Mandalorian. It does feature my own oc as a main character and inserts her into the main plot of the show (plus includes my own plotline in the seventh part). The link isn't working, so the series is called The Mandalorian and the Alkavarian (I'll DM the link to you).

I wrote this series into existence for over a year, and it made me really happy. It also inspired me to watch other Star Wars shows (Clone Wars, Rebels, The Bad Batch) and now I'm planning fics for those shows too! The Mandalorian and this fic series essentially made me into a big old Star Wars nerd, and I really want to share the story with other people. If it's easier, I have a masterpost pinned on my blog page!

It's not NSFW but does include mentions of more mature themes (a glance at the tags will probably give you an idea?)

Anyway, I think this is a really cool thing you're doing, and I'm excited to see the other recs you get.

Heck yeah! I love everything about this! We don't always get a lot of Mando fics on FF, so I am HYPED that you've sent your series in! Vasara's past seems so heartbreaking, but I love the thought of seeing how she fits in with Din and Grogu. And I'm so glad that you got inspired to watch other shows (I say this as someone that writes for a LOT of TCW/TBB characters). Thanks so much for sending this in!

Link

Participate in Fandom Friday to show your favorite creators from this week some love! :)

[singsenochian]

The Jedi & The Mandalorian

Oh snap, so I started working on this for freaking ever ago, back when Season 3 had yet to come out and we were a year or so away from it. And I realised today that I had a 39th chapter sitting on my hard drive. So, surprise to my readers!

And if you're a new reader, welcome to my special hell that lives rent free in my skull. Have a safe and happy trip!

[djarins-cyare]

I’m really enjoying this fic! Well-written with a likeable OC, a compelling plot, and an innovative spin on Canon events that references plenty of wider SWU lore. If you don’t already have an AO3 account, it’s worth applying for one just to read this!

My Mandalorian romance fic 🪐Beyond Beskar🪐 is ready to be read! I'm so excited to share it now, I hope you like it, I've put my heart into it 🥹 I will release a new chapter each Saturday, the fic is locked, so you can only read it when you’re logged into AO3!

[puchosdementa]

[ledgersmountain]

And that's why i don't like reading fanfics or imagines with real life people, especially smut or stuff like that, not anymore bc it's just... weird

I don't see a problem with fictional characters because, obviously, they don't exist, but writing a scenario where a real person, who has a family, a job, relationships, etc, fucking you or doing whatever, is already absurd to me (my opinion)

It seems that people see these public figures as an object and not as a REAL person that should be respected.

Edit: if pedro already feels uncomfortable with some thirsty tweets about his person imagine the fanfics

[the-mandawhor1an]

The future

Chapter 10 – Guided by the stars, connected by the force

Masterlist

⇐ Previous chapter | Next chapter ⇒

Chapter summary: Din and his allies infiltrate Gideon’s cruiser to rescue Grogu. When all seems lost and their lives in danger, two ships approach. Is this the reunion Din is hoping for, or just the Jedi Grogu had called out for?  

Warnings: Canon-typical violence; Gideon is a dick as usual; angst angst angst; the helmet comes off; Jedi ex machina;  FUCKING KISS ALREADY!!!!; Bo-Katan hits us with the lore; jealousy; fluff; the return of the bathtub; only one bed; 

Words: 12.2k (I’m sorry I can’t stop yapping)

A/N: Alternating POVs in this chapter, peeps! I’ve ultimately decided against doing one block of just Din and then jumping back in time to show where Maia has been, having POVs change like cameras would in the series makes more sense (also could be my roleplaying background playing a huge part in this). The bathtub scene never happened in the roleplay, if anyone is interested I can yap about this more on Maia mondays. I hate dialogues, y’all. 

With the help of Dr. Pershing’s shuttle, making it onto the cruiser wasn’t too hard. While his allies made it up to the bridge to cause a distraction, Din took a different route towards the brig to save his foundling. There was little intervention by Stormtroopers. The Darktroopers, however, made Djarin worry. As Pershing had just let them know, the newest iteration were no longer humans. It was droids. As if it wasn’t stressful enough to infiltrate an Imperial cruiser with only 5 people, Din would have to face droids. 

On his way towards the holding cell, Din just happened to stumble upon the bay where the Darktroopers were stored. To his luck, it seemed he had just made it around the corner when they had finished charging and made their way towards the hallway. »Osik,« he cursed and practically threw himself against the door controls, shutting the doors before all of them could make it into the hallway. The closest droid to the front had just enough time to react to hold the door ajar and slipped out, leaving all of the other machines locked behind the heavy doors. In an instant, the Mandalorian was on edge. They would break the doors and if he didn’t manage do decommission the one currently opposite of him, he’d be broken too. 

Upon first contact, Din was thrown across the hallway, sliding along the reflective floor like he had weighed nothing. Thank the stars for the padding under his armor which softened the blow at least a little. Pulling the blaster out, he took a few shots at the droid, desperate to find a weak spot, but being unsuccessful. Every shot just ricocheted until his enemy was just opposite of him. It grabbed Din’s arm and twisted it, forcing him to let go of his blaster. The droid’s other hand grabbed the human by the throat and lifted him up, pressed him into the wall behind him. It rammed its fist into the Beskar helmet again and again, right in the center of the visor, slowly denting the metal wall further and further with the force of the impact. The bang of metal on metal was unbearably loud in Din’s ears, the vibrations causing a headache. Perhaps he would come out of this with yet another concussion. 

Despite the noise and lack of oxygen he had to escape the Trooper’s death grip, one way or another. Behind his opponent he saw the other droids working to break the doors in, the small transpari windows already cracking. He had to be quick. He aimed his flame thrower into the droid’s midsection, hoping to melt some key component to destroy it, but to no avail. What came to his rescue, however, was said droid flinging him through the air once more, which allowed Djarin to catch his breath and attempt to open the air lock. Before he could pull the lever, however, he was pulled away again. The Trooper decided it would now use its blaster against Din, who had no choice but to activate the whistling birds. It felt like a waste of this weapon, and it probably was, but he needed the time to whip the spear out from behind him. 

He rammed the Beskar weapon into the droid, just beneath the head, and let out a relieved breath when he saw the glowing read eyes flicker and turn off. Just before the doors’ integrity was too compromised, Din opened the air lock and saw all of the other droids get sucked into space. He took a few steadying breaths before he continued onward. After this confrontation, there was no more playing nice for him. 

This came rather unfortunate for the two Stormtroopers that stood between him and his child. Their deaths were considerably quick, but brutal nonetheless. All Din wanted was to grab Grogu and get out of here. The rescue looked to be over when he reached the controls to open Grogu’s cell door, but when they opened, he found none other than Gideon with Grogu. He was holding a strange blade in his hands, black but at the same time glowing. The closest weapon he could have compared to it was a lightsaber, but then again, it didn’t look like the one he had seen Maia use. Maia… if only she had been here with him now. But then again, would she not be in danger, so close to Imperials? 

»Drop your blaster, slowly,« Gideon ordered, and Din didn’t hesitate to do as he was told. »Kick it over to me.« The blaster hit the wall somewhere behind Gideon. Djarin wanted to make his reasons clear, so he said »give me the kid.« The Moff didn’t budge, waving the blade above the child’s head. »He is fine where he is.« He waved the blade a little more, the low hum the blade made sounded somewhat like a lightsaber. »Mesmerizing, isn’t it? It used to belong to Bo-Katan.« Go figure. So this was the blade she had mentioned back on Trask. The darksaber. 

»I know you’ve been traveling with her. A friendly piece of advice, assume that I know everything. Like the fact that your little wrist launcher fired its only salvo. Or that – to my disappointment – Maia is no longer traveling with you.« Din’s heart sank. It wasn’t so much that Gideon mentioned Maia, it was more that he was disappointed. That only confirmed for Djarin that the Imperial had some kind of plan for her. Maybe the experiments they had witnessed on Nevarro. »Where is this going?« he rather asked the Imperial. 

»I’m guessing that Bo-Katan and her party have arrived at the bridge and are looking for me, or more specifically, this saber. And, in their frustration to not find me, have killed everyone on the bridge, like the murderous savages you are,« he responded. He was probably right. Din didn’t react to it much, he focused on the child. Grogu was surprisingly calm, given the situation, but the child was most likely exhausted. Who could blame him. »And now they’re beginning to panic. All Bo-Katan is here for… is this.« Gideon held up the saber. »Do you know why?« He didn’t even wait for an answer. »Because it brings power. Whoever wields this sword has the right to lay claim to the Mandalorian throne.« Din didn’t care much for power or a throne, but it made sense why Kryze was so adamant about getting it back. »Keep the blade, I just want the kid.« 

And for the first time, Gideon was surprised. Perhaps he had thought he could get Djarin with the outlook of power and a title. He had miscalculated. The pause was long and a little awkward, but ultimately, he deactivated the blade. »Very well. I already have what I want from him. His blood. And because the other donor I had in mind has decided to … not stay with you after her little interjection on Nevarro, there’s no more blood we can study.« Din really tried his hardest to not let any kind of emotion slip. Gideon didn’t need to know that he would absolutely kill him if he ever laid hand on Maia. »This child is extremely gifted and has been blessed with rare properties that have the potential to bring back order into the galaxy.« Sure, like they had tried with the mothers and ultimately failed. Gideon looked over to Grogu, then back to Djarin. »I see your bond with him. Take him, but you will leave my ship immediately and we go our separate ways.« 

Din went to grab Grogu, but of course Gideon had to ambush him. A fight broke out, ending with Gideon on the ground and Djarin deciding he would spare the Imperial’s life. The Moff would get a trial, probably an execution at the hands of the New Republic. 

Gideon’s plan suddenly revealed itself when they had made it up to the bridge. Din had the saber in one hand, Grogu on the other arm, when he guided his captive towards the others. Suddenly it made sense why Gideon was so surprised by him declining the to take the blade. He wanted Kryze to turn against Djarin, who was now the rightful owner of the darksaber anyway. Of course, Din tried to surrender the blade to Kryze straight away, but she snapped at him. She would have to win it in a fight, otherwise her claim to the throne was illegitimate. 

They could and probably would have bickered further, hadn’t it been for the radar to alert them about approaching vehicles. Said vehicles turned out to be the Darktroopers Din had already forgotten about at this point. Of course they would return in the most unfortunate moment: When it looked like they had won. 

Din had struggled immensely fighting one, now they would have to deal with multiple. Neither blasters nor his other weapons had done much harm, only the spear had really helped. And they only had one, maybe two weapons to damage the droids; if the saber could actually cut through anything as Kryze had said. He had to think about something quickly. About 10 were marching towards the bridge, while others spread across the way to the hangar just in case the group made it out the bridge alive. He looked over to Grogu. All of this could’ve been prevented had Maia stayed. But then again, they had mutually agreed to split, as to not risk his creed, which he had broken either way at this point, and for her to gain control over her emotions. As much as he hated himself for the thought, he wished she was here with them, a last line of protection for Grogu. Could she maybe hold out for a little longer than the others would? She hadn’t been scared of the dragon either. Would a lightsaber help with the droids? Probably. 

And with every bang of the droids’ fists against the heavy metal blast doors, with every creak the steel made under the impact, slowly bending until it would ultimately burst, Din’s heart sank a little deeper, until the realization had settled in properly. 

Maia had abandoned him despite her promise to be there for him and Grogu. They would die at the hands of droids. And his foundling might survive, but would have to witness his protector be killed, just like Din had witnessed his parents die. 

If only Din had the same intuition a Jedi had. He would have known that Maia would keep her promise.

»I can sense the tension in your body. You’re nervous,« Luke said over the radio, causing Maia to roll her eyes. »Thanks for mentioning it. Putting attention to it isn’t helping. I can feel Grogu and it’s agitating me. He’s scared.« Ever since Grogu had channeled himself in an old Jedi monument, Luke had been able to sense him and now they were so close, she could too feel what was going on in the child. 

»I can feel it too. It won’t be long until we’re there,« Skywalker tried to soothe her. It wasn’t helping too much. Grogu was one of her concerns, the other she didn’t want to talk about. Din would be there and she wasn’t sure what to expect when they met again. It had been some time since they had separated. While it felt like it had been forever, it was a couple of weeks at most. If even that. The moon she had been on with Luke had shorter days, she imagined, and she had never bothered to count how many sunsets she had witnessed there. How long had it been for Din? Did it feel like less when he was in space most of the time and he had no natural day-night cycle? 

Back on the bridge, the radar alarmed them of approaching vehicles once again. Two spots came closer and Bo-Katan looked at the screen. »Two life forms, an X-Wing and an ARC-170.« Cara Dune sighed »oh great, we’re saved.« »Incoming crafts, identify yourselves,« Bo ordered via the radio, only to be ignored. Din looked to Bo-Katan, then towards the ships they could see fly past the bridge. Could this be their salvation? The helmet turned to Grogu, who was a little more alert now, looking over to his protector and his ears twitching. 

As the ships landed in the hangar, the banging on the doors stopped. It was as if the whole bridge was holding a collective breath before Fennec finally broke the silence. »Why did they stop?« Did it matter? Din looked over to one of the security monitors. All of the Darktroopers had in fact stopped in their movements, not only the ones right behind the blast doors. They all turned at the same time, now all of them facing the hangar. The group closest to the strangers started walking, a different camera showing the cloaked figures exiting their ships and walking towards the main exit. 

The sight of lightsaber blades was familiar to Bo, so it was no wonder she immediately said in disbelief »those are Jedi?« Din’s helmet snapped around towards Kryze, not sure he had actually heard right. Jedi? Was it Maia after all, coming to save him and Grogu in the last second? 

Maia walked next to Luke, one saber in each hand. »We’ll find out if the training was worth it now, huh?« Luke chuckled. »These are droids, I’m a little insulted if you struggle with them after training with me.« She shook her head in amusement despite him being right. A droid shouldn’t be too much trouble, unless one decided to blow up in her face again. »I will look for a terminal,« she announced when they entered the first hallway. »I need to check my file.« 

»Are you sure you need to find out about your past? There will be no gain from it, all it will do is cause pain.« Luke wanted to shoot her a look, but the blaster fire called for their attention. The droids weren’t too much of a problem for them, equipped with sabers that easily cut through these machines and the ability to throw them if they came too close. »Nothing,« Maia responded, throwing the scrap she had turned one of the troopers into through the hallway. »Nothing in my file could be more painful than what the Empire had made me go through.« »I can’t tell you what to do and I won’t try,« Luke reminded her, swinging his saber with an ease that was astounding. »You should focus on the future, your past can’t be changed.« But if she couldn’t change the past either way, why would it change anything about the present to know? »I’ll think about it.«

Din walked over to Bo-Katan, who still had the two Jedi on the monitor. They made fighting these machines so easy, cutting through them like it was nothing. He could neither make out the blade colors, nor any features on the strangers. They were almost the same height, not necessarily tall compared to the Troopers they were fighting. Deep down he wished for one of their hoods to just fall back so he could see if one of them was in fact Maia. He so desperately wanted her to be here. None of the fighting styles looked like what he had seen Maia use. The stranger with one blade used stronger swings. 

One of the two steered away from the path towards the bridge. Why would they separate? Then again, it looked like the Troopers had no chance against them, maybe one was here for a different reason than Grogu. Gideon must’ve realized the droids’ inferiority to the Jedi at the same time. Taking out the blaster he had hidden away underneath his cloak, he took a few shots at Bo-Katan. Of course, her armor deflected the shots and she remained unharmed. As if Din could sense what he would do next, he leapt towards Grogu simultaneously as Gideon aimed at the child. The child was fine. 

Seeing both of his plans fail, Gideon turned the blaster upright underneath his chin, only for Cara to hit not only the blaster out of his hands, she landed another blow to his face to make sure he behaved. He wouldn’t get the easy way out. She sat him down on the steps again. Din’s ribs were pulsating with pain from just throwing himself on the ground, but it was fine as Grogu was okay. The small child had climbed up one of the tables and had his hand on the monitor, showing one of the Jedi coming towards the bridge. Just as the stranger had entered the elevator, they saw the droids in front of the blast doors grab their blasters. 

Maia wanted nothing more than to just run up to the bridge and jump into Din’s strong arms. She wanted to cover the helmet in kisses, but then again, she was nervous. Scared to face him again after he had – quite cruelly – sent her away last time. Perhaps looking for her file was a distraction, a detour she took to have some time to think about this. Luke was likely right about her past, but then again, the three days with Din had impacted her in a way. If there was a family still out there looking for her, she needed to know. She would have to find them. Looking for a terminal wasn’t too hard, and she went to work. 

Up at the bridge, it didn’t take long for all of the Troopers to be turned into expensive scrap. It was a little impressive and intimidating at the same time, seeing someone deal with almost a dozen of these at the same time while Din had struggled with just one. Especially when Din saw them squeeze the last droid into a brick with the force, he was certain that person was a Jedi, a strong one at that. 

Grogu extended his hands towards the door and looked over to Din. The helmet dipped to face the child, and he picked the little one up. There were no words needed, the child’s reaction to the stranger told the Mandalorian enough. »Open the doors,« he ordered, but no one moved. »I said open the doors.« Fennec was the first to regain her voice. »Are you crazy?« With a sigh he sat the child down again, opening the doors himself. 

The mist of escaping hydraulic fluids and dust engulfed the stranger, their light saber coloring the clouds around them bright green. They were not particularly tall, but their presence was imposing, just like Tano’s had been. The blade of the light saber retracted into the hilt and they clipped the metal to their belt. They pulled down their hood to reveal a fairly young looking man with dirty blonde hair and friendly blue eyes. Contrary to what they had just seen him do, he looked harmless. »Are you a Jedi?« Din asked, to which the stranger nodded. »I am.« 

The stranger extended his arm, offering a hand to Grogu, who just shyly looked in between the Jedi and his protector. The child cooed and looked to Din, let his ears drop a bit. »He doesn’t want to go with you,« Din translated. Maybe he didn’t want Grogu to go, either. Letting the child go would mean he’d be all alone again. He’s gotten so used to being around someone, would it be worse now, with both of his Jedi companions gone? 

»He wants your permission,« the man opposite of him explained. »He is strong with the force, but talent without training is nothing. It is dangerous.« »I understand,« he replied. It was the same with Maia, all over again. 

Maia lifted her head from the terminal as if she had heard her name despite being alone in the room. She listened for any sound, her eyes darting around the room. Nothing. It was no use to stay here anyway, the whole database had been wiped and she was not equipped to restore deleted files. Closing her eyes, she felt for Grogu and Din up there. The pain that radiated off of the Mandalorian was intense. 

The green eyes shot back at the screen. Why did it matter? Her past was nothing more than a few 1s and 0s at this point, the family she had 25 years ago most likely dead anyway. Her future might be up there on the bridge, broken-hearted and alone. »Let go,« she reminded herself and she left the room, walking towards the elevator that would lead her to Luke, to Grogu, and hopefully, back to Din. 

»I will give my life to protect the child, but he will not be safe until he masters his abilities,« their savior continued up there, and the Mandalorian had to remind himself once again, that this was necessary. Grogu needed to learn how to handle his abilities, how to deal with his emotions, even if that meant that his protector would feel abandoned. Din picked up the child to speak to him, say farewell. Grogu fussed and kept reaching for the air towards the hallway behind the other man. Not understanding what the child wanted to tell him, Din turned him around so the big, brown eyes looked at him. »I’ll see you again, I promise,« he told the little one, gathering all of his strength to not break down. He had to be strong now. 

Grogu just stared at him, reached his tiny hand forward and touched the helmet. Din would lose him too. First Maia, then his ship and his home, now his son. They would all leave him. He understood what the child was hinting at. He removed the helmet, slowly and carefully as he just had one hand to maneuver the metal off of his head, but it felt right. It didn’t matter now after all, he had already broken his creed back on Morak. 

What harm would it do for the child to see him before they said farewell?

Grogu stared at his protector and extended his hand once more, touching Din’s cheek and then resting his tiny hand on his jaw. Din closed his eyes, trying to memorize the feeling. Whether the child had intended it or not, it was the same spot that Maia had touched when she and Din kissed, and for a moment, it was like she was here with them. 

»Alright pal,« Din finally said, having to tear himself out of this moment before he told the Jedi to get lost and rather take Ahsoka’s advice. »Don’t be afraid,« he said softer, his voice cracking because he heard a little sniffle from Grogu. He sat the helmet and his foundling down, watching as he waddled over to the Jedi and the astromech next to him. The droid seemed awfully delighted to see the small, green child, chirping and wobbling on the spot. It just so happened that at the same time the elevator in the background dinged, but Din was too distracted, exchanging a look with the human, who then leaned over to pick Grogu up. 

And just when he thought he would be alone, he saw a familiar face in the hallway. 

Maia was so focused on Luke picking up Grogu that she didn’t even register the other people on the bridge at first. There was a man opposite of her master with short, dark brown hair and a pained expression on his face. She didn’t recognize him, maybe he was just a companion. The silver armor he was wearing didn’t even register in her mind, all she was focused on was his face and the tell-tale sting she suddenly felt when the brown eyes darted over to her. It was as if electricity shot through her when the dots connected. She froze, her eyes immediately glossing over with tears. »Din?« she asked, fully aware it had to be him, the armor and the sensation in the back of her neck giving her the confirmation she needed. »You took your helmet off,« was all she could say. 

»I did. For him, and for you.« As soon as she saw him take a step towards her, she ran over to him and practically crashed into his chest, wrapping her arms around him. Finding it a little hard with the jetpack and the spear on his back, she rested one hand just below the jetpack, the other on the back of his head. If she had more time she woul have removed her gloves to feel his hair, but this happened so suddenly. 

Din buried his face in the crook of her neck, looking for evidence she was really here and this wasn’t some cruel illusion. Her much shorter hair brushed over his face and he could make out the familiar scent on her, providing enough confirmation that she was back to soothe his broken heart. »You’re here,« he whispered against her skin and pulled her closer, almost lifting her off of the ground. This was a lot to handle at once. 

Sadness, grief, but also the faint shimmer of hope that had kept him going, and love. Din wouldn’t be alone after having grown so used to being around others. It also gave him hope that he would see Grogu again some day, that he would come back to him, just as Maia did. She had her face halfway in his hair as well, her eyes pressed shut otherwise she would start crying. »I told you I’d be there if you needed me,« she reminded him, a single chuckle escaping. 

Their heads separated from each other and moved back just enough so they could look into each others eyes properly. His were red and irritated, glassy and so were hers, welling with tears but none yet rolling down her face. Safe to say they both were happy to see the other, and they didn’t care if anyone saw. Din knew his allies would know to let them have their moment, and Luke was too fascinated by the two interacting, knowing that Maia and the Mandalorian shared a bond only few could relate to. 

It was Skywalker who called for Din’s attention, feeling his job done here. »I’ll keep my promise,« he assured Din, watching as Maia unraveled her arms from the other man to stand to his left. »Grogu will be safe with me.« He nodded towards Din, then turned his attention to the brunette. »Remember what you’ve learned,« he reminded her one last time. Her head tilted to the side, leaning against Din’s pauldron and her eyes sparkled when she replied »I won’t forget it. May the force be with you, and with you, Grogu.« She extended her hand, offering Grogu a finger to hold onto for a moment to say goodbye. She knew the child would be safe with her master. He had cared for her so well, she had no doubts Grogu would do well with him, given the child was willing to learn. 

Grogu practically hung over Luke's shoulder when they walked over to the elevator, waving at his protector and friend. Perhaps he wasn’t waving and rather reaching for them, but both adults knew this was the best way for the child to get adequate care. 

This moment could have been so bittersweet, so wholesome and tragic at the same time; if it hadn’t been for Gideon to ruin it by opening his mouth. »Oh, isn’t it lovely,« he swooned, but his voice dripping with disgust. »One foundling leaves… and another returns.« Maia rolled her eyes and turned to find the Moff on the ground, where he belonged. His bloodied nose told her that this wasn’t his first uncalled for comment. Din took hold of her hand, causing her to wonder if he wanted to stop her of if he just wanted to be close. Their hug could’ve been longer, she agreed. 

»You deleted my file,« she accused the Imperial, confused why he would refer to her as a foundling. Din and her were obviously closer, and she was a little too old to be adopted, right? »I did, with great pleasure, actually,« Gideon replied, returning her intense gaze. »I was a little disappointed you didn’t arrive with your Mandalorian friend here, but as it would turn out, you are as predictable as I had thought and would show up either way. I just wanted to have the opportunity to tell you that you won’t ever find your parents.« 

Suddenly, Din holding her hand was very welcome, because she could squeeze his hand and he could return the gesture, reminding her what was actually important right now. »Then speak,« she ordered, causing the Man opposite of her to grin. »You’ll never find them.« She raised an eyebrow, did he even have information? »Tell me something new.« »Your parents must be dead, either of natural causes or killed, by the Mandalorian we neutralized to get to you.« His words didn’t even register properly before she felt her heart stop. What? 

»Oh, I’m sure it’s tragic to hear,« he continued, reading the confusion in her face with ease. »He died fighting if that is any soothing to you. Who knows how long you had been with him before we found you.« There was only one conclusion for her, Gideon was trying to agitate her, antagonize her until she lost control again. He was lying. Mentioning a tragic death of her parents at the hands of a Mandalorian while three of them were in the room with her made sense. As much as she hated to give it to him, Gideon was a smart man, but she had changed. 

»Maia,« Din softly spoke to her and squeezed her hand, he felt her fingers tremble. She turned to him, her eyes were a little less friendly this time. It was obvious it was affecting her and even if Djarin wasn’t too concerned about her losing control this time, he wanted to ground her. Did Din know? She thought about it for just a second. »He’s not lying, is he?« she asked and he felt his own chest tense. 

Did he want to just tell her? Did she even want to know? »I saw your file. I found it on a terminal in an Imperial base. It got destroyed with my ship, I wish I still had it.« It sounded like a confirmation, even if Din was reluctant to actually say it. It made sense, in a way. Despite having a rather traumatic experience with Fett she felt safe in Din’s presence, but it could’ve been because of their bond. The sound of Mando’a was familiar to her, even if she had little inclination what the words meant. It would explain why she felt all warm and fuzzy when he called her mesh’la. 

“Oh how noble, a Mandalorian willing to risk his life, wasting time in an Imperial base just to find a little intel on his friend. Removing his helmet for a child he will never see again. Does it feel good? Do you feel special?« Gideon practically spit and Maia wondered why he was still allowed to breathe. »Tell me, 414, do you actually believe you’ll have a future with him?« That stung. She thought she did, she knew it. It was easy to guess the soft spot she had for the Mandalorian, given everyone present had seen how they ran into each other’s arms. Worst of all was referring to her by her ID, something Gideon did on purpose. 

»Jedi, Sith, what does it matter. You could have been so powerful thanks to us. What would that Mandalorian have done with your talent? There were no Jedi left after Order 66 that could have taught you. See what we had made you do, turn a whole research complex to nothing more than dust with one wrathful outburst.« Would he ever shut up? »Has he seen what you can do? Does he know how many died because of you when you were still a teenager? How their pleas fell on deaf ears in your blinding rage and no one survived?« Gideon’s lips formed a devilish grin. He wanted the others to be wary of her, scared and avoid her. Part of Maia struggled to keep her composure, the sound of bending and creaking metal roared through the ship, widening Gideon’s grin even more. »I take that as a no, but why would you care, huh? What are a few humans to you?«  

»Don’t listen to him, he wants to provoke you,« Din suspected, still holding onto her hand. Was he scared of her? Gideon scoffed »of course I want to provoke her.« Finally, one of the women offered to silence Gideon, her threat did not deter him from speaking, though. »Do you realize how pathetic you all are? A failed science experiment, a Mandalorian that breaks his codex for a child and a girl,« he looked over to the other women. »Heiress to the throne of a destroyed world, and the only item to strengthen her claim is in the hands of a friend; and her sidekick. An assassin working for the traitor Fett, and don’t even get me started on you, Dune.« It was a lot to take in at once, but the name Fett rang a bell. Boba Fett? 

With a sigh Maia finally let go of Din’s hand, walking over to kneel beside Gideon. »Maybe we are a pathetic bunch and you might think you’re superior to us,« she addressed him, placing a hand on his chest armor and pushing down, leaning in to push him into the steps beneath him. Part of her wanted to just off him, but he didn’t deserve to be let go so easily. »At the end of the day, you are the one in cuffs right now. I won’t be your instrument, nor am I the monster you want the others to see in me.« Finally, Dune took Gideon and left with him. The Imperial would be on trial with the New Republic and would get what he deserved. A nice long prison sentence, hopefully. 

The tension left Maia as soon as the elevator doors had closed and she could finally face Din again, who still had his helmet off. As much as she didn’t want to be stuck staring at him, she couldn’t help it, there was so much to take in. »What did my file say?« she asked him. »Do you want to know now?« They could talk about it when they were on their own, but Maia couldn’t wait. And as she would soon find out, she did good to want to hear it now. »They stumbled upon you during a patrol. You were about 4 years old and clearly showed signs of force sensitivity. You were with a Mandalorian at the time, they neutralized him.« »Neutralized. What a nice way to phrase killing yet another father of mine.« »I’m sorry,« Din touched her arm, trying to soothe her, but more gestures from him and she would start crying. »It’s okay. I have closure. We should leave.« She didn’t have to ask him twice, it had been quite a lot for one day for the both of them. Din grabbed his helmet, but before they could walk through the blast doors, the red-haired Mandalorian addressed her. »Maia, is it?« »Yes?« »I might know something about your family,« she explained. »You mean the Mandalorian that found me?« She shook her head. »Does the name Rayssa ring a bell?« Rayssa? The brunette furrowed her brows, it felt familiar, but it was a name. She could’ve heard it anywhere. »It might.« »I figured, you look just like her.« »I don’t understand,« Maia mumbled, and yet she somehow did, judging by how her throat became tight. »I’ve met a Mandalorian once who had lost both husband and daughter. Right around the time the Empire must’ve taken you in.« Now Din also turned around to speak to the other woman. »Are you sure?« he asked. They exchanged a look and she nodded. »I am, the similarity struck me as soon as Maia appeared here. I wouldn’t have mentioned it if it hadn’t been for Gideon.« 

»Wait, I’m Mandalorian?« Maia found it hard to believe, as much sense as it made. »You are and both of your parents were. Your name is Arana Vizsla, you were born on Mandalore to one of the oldest houses our kind has. One of your ancestors, Tarre Vizsla, was both a Jedi and a Mandalorian too. He forged the darksaber.« Eyes shot over to Din with the last sentence and he looked down to the saber hilt. »Then she should have it,« he responded after a moment, motioning to grab the hilt, but Kryze stopped him. »Di’kut! She would have to win it in combat, I’ve told you. Until someone defeats you, the saber is yours.« Maia didn’t understand anything, neither who Tarre Vizsla was, nor why Din suddenly had a weapon that looked and sounded like it was a lightsaber. And was that a Beskar spear on his back? And she was certain that there was another Mando’a word in there, and she would have to ask him what it meant. 

It was a little too much at once and she looked over to him, brows downturned and eyes big. »Can we please leave?« How was he still holding up so well, had they not been through a lot too? All she wanted was some time to process all of what just transpired as well as finally having him all to herself. There was a lot for them to talk about after the realization had finally settled in that they were reunited. »Let’s go,« he nodded towards the elevator. With a nod towards Kryze and Shand, he had said goodbye and walked alongside Maia towards the elevator. This must’ve been a lot for her to deal with, but he was happy she was back with him. It looked like she would stay this time. 

As soon as the elevator doors had closed and the lift set in motion, Maia pressed the e-brake and turned around to fall against Din’s chest again. He pulled one arm around her and pulled her in, buried his face in her hair once more. »I missed you,« he quietly confessed. He wasn’t sure how uncomfortable it was to hug him with the armor on, but she didn’t complain about any pain. She buried her face in his cape and sniffled, making him pull her even closer. »I’m sorry,« she mumbled into the fabric, barely audible if he hadn’t been so close to her. »It’s okay,« he reassured her. »You’re here now, that’s what matters. It’s a lot for you to take in right now, I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you about your dad at a better time, when we were on our own.« He felt her head move in a soft shake no. She leaned back to uncover her face to look at him. Her eyes were a little red now, making the green of her irises seem even brighter. Yes, this definitely was his favorite color. 

Maia freed one of her hands from its glove and cupped his cheek, stroking him with her thumb. The stubble of his beard felt rougher than on Tatooine, had he shaved just recently? »I’m exhausted but I’m fine. Aren’t you tired?« There he was and she took him in. He was handsome, more so than she had thought. Not that it mattered much as her feelings had been there before she knew his face. »It’s a little weird to suddenly see a face with the voice. I’m sorry if my staring is a little uncomfortable,« she explained. »Does it feel weird now that there’s no metal between us?«

His eyes were dark, much darker than she could have imagined even if he had told her. They were beautiful, mesmerizing. Like an endless ocean, dark and mysterious. »It is,« he confirmed with a soft nod. »No one has seen my face since I took my creed and suddenly there’s so many. Today, and also back on Morak where I had to remove my helmet in front of a whole room of Imperials. But it was worth it. Grogu is safe.« She felt for him and rose to her tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek. He closed his eyes, his head twitching sideways ever so slightly. »If it felt right to take the helmet off, it probably was. Grogu might not understand what you’re sacrificing, and I might not understand fully myself, but it means a lot to me. One could even say you’re quite pretty underneath that bucket,« Maia told him with a soft smile on her lips. He smiled too, but there was still a bit of pain in his eyes. 

»You think I’m ‘pretty’?« »In a masculine way. Your smile is infectious.« They just stayed like this for a few seconds, looking at each other, faces so dangerously close. Maia really wanted to kiss him again, but she felt this wasn’t the right moment. Din was just as overwhelmed as she was, processing Grogu was now gone and possibly grieving. She would stay. They would find another time to kiss if he wanted to. She grazed the skin on his cheek one last time before she took her hand back, letting go of him entirely. »I assume the ARC is yours and you have a spot for me? We could also take one of the lambdas,« Din inquired. It was justified, she thought, Luke’s X-Wing couldn’t accommodate another adult. »It’s not the Razor Crest but I can take a copilot in. Do you have an idea where to go?« She loosened the brake on the elevator and they descended. 

»I lost everything when my ship was destroyed.« Din didn’t have to tell her again, she remembered when he reached out for her. His voice had sounded so broken. »We should get some money, I don’t carry that much with me. Maybe I have to take on some bounties for the time being.« »We might find you another ship, but you’re right, we’ll need money.« Bounty hunting? Would he be able to take her with him, or would she have to stay behind because it was safer? »You can be the pilot for now,« she let him know, stepping out when the elevator reached the level that would take them back to the hangar. »I don’t want to just take over your ship,« he said, but it really was no big deal. »Don’t worry. You know where to go, it just makes sense that you fly there. You’re probably the better pilot anyway. I’m … just okay.«  She walked beside him, taking the opportunity to take his profile in. Din seemed to be in thought, but he felt her eyes on him. »There is a space port I want to travel to next. Some of the Mandalorians, the covert that once was on Nevarro, might be there. The port is called Glavis, it’s a gigantic ring structure.« Maia nodded. Sounded like a good lead, and now that he had mentioned his covert, she had an idea. »Might they know my family?« 

It was possible, she wasn’t the first Vizsla Djarin had met. There was one in the covert, Paz. Perhaps he was related to her. »If anyone knows, it would be the armorer. House Vizsla is big, though.« He didn’t want to put her hopes up. If Kryze knew her mother, he had the suspicion that Rayssa had not been a child of the Watch. »You take the news relatively well,« he added. Maia shrugged »It is weird to suddenly just … be one of them. It explains why it feels so familiar to me, though, and maybe why I was so opposed to the Jedi codex from the beginning. Maybe I remembered my family deep down. It’s hard to accept, don’t get me wrong, I think I just have to let the news settle.« »It will take some time.« »Will you take me on your hunting trips? If it’s safe?« Din hesitated. »It’s hard to say when it’s safe. It can change within a second, sometimes I have to be spontaneous.«

They walked past the Darktroopers, which were nothing more than piles of scrap now. Din had struggled so much with one, he was so lucky Maia and her master had arrived just in the right moment to save them all.  »You mean like you had to be with the dragon?« A sly grin crept up to her lips and he jokingly rolled his eyes. »I doubt there will be dragons.« They finally reached the hangar and it was time for him to put the helmet back on. There he was again, just how she had known him. Still, it was a little sad she could no longer look at his pretty face. »Last chance: Is it okay I’m flying?« His modulated voice was so much rougher than his unfiltered voice was. The tone didn’t change much, but it lost a lot of its warmth. »Unless you steal the ship and abandon me it should be fine.« He chuckled and shook his head. »I won’t, don’t worry.« 

They boarded the ship, Maia struggling to climb up the ship until she ultimately just jumped up there. As soon as the cockpits were closed, she opened up the radio channel so she could talk to the pilot. »How long will it take us to get to Glavis?« Din flipped a bunch of switches, starting up the engine. »A few hours. You can rest if you want to.« »I don’t think I can,« she sighed. »I could really use a shower and something to eat, maybe I can find some rest afterwards.« She really wanted a warm shower. Hot water on her skin and a perfect little occasion to just let all of the tears out she was holding back right now. While Din agreed they needed to rest, they would have to see how far his credits could take them. »One after the other. We’ll get some food and then find somewhere to stay. Deal?« »Deal.« 

It had gotten quiet back there, and Din asked after a few minutes of silence »Maia?« »Mh?« she sounded exhausted. If only he could’ve hugged her again. »Do you want me to let you sleep?« »I don’t think I can. My thoughts keep racing.« »Do you want to talk?« »About my thoughts?« 

He smiled underneath the helmet and leaned back. »About anything you want. I’ve missed your voice.« 

»I can tell you what I’ve been up to ever since we split.« »For example. I take it that the voice you had been talking about ended up being that Jedi?« He almost referred to him as ‘that guy’. He hadn’t put any thought into it earlier, but he was a little anxious knowing Maia had stayed with him for all this time. He must’ve been around her age too, and a Jedi, just like her. 

»Luke felt a disturbance in the force because of me and offered to help. I guess you could say I found the Jedi before you did.« Din chuckled. »You could put it that way.« So, Luke was his name. Not Master, not his last name. Luke. »He took me in and trained me. It was all we did while you and Grogu were out in the galaxy, probably experiencing one adventure after the other.« Oh how right she was, but most of these adventures had been anything but exciting. »Grogu and I have been through a lot,« he confirmed, his voice a little heavy with grief. The little troublemaker was gone. With Luke, who had spent a lot of time with Maia before taking his foundling in. 

Maia bit her lip, sensing she had struck a nerve when mentioning the child. It was a fresh wound, she didn’t want to keep reminding Din. But there were some things she wondered. »How did you even find the seeing stone? We could feel Grogu so clearly and from what I’ve been told, these old monuments aren’t on any map« »I found a Jedi. Ahsoka Tano.« Did the name ring a bell with Maia? »I helped her free a village and in return she told me about the stone.« 

So he had met a Jedi. Of course Maia had no idea who this woman was, but it didn’t matter now. But if she was a Jedi, »why wouldn’t she take him in herself?« Din sighed. Maybe Maia should change the topic. On the other hand, maybe it helped him to talk to her about this. She knew what Grogu would deal with now. If there was anyone that could help Din soothe his guilt, it was her. 

»She refused,« he explained. »It sounded personal. She said his attachment to me was too dangerous. Her recommendation was to just let his abilities fade and train him like I would a foundling. But I felt like that wasn’t right.« There was a bit of silence from the other end. »I didn’t even know we could lose our abilities,« Maia mumbled. »I doubt you could. You are a Jedi now, right?« 

Maia thought about it. Technically she was. »I haven’t thought about it to be honest. I passed the trials, so … that should make me a Jedi? I – If you think Grogu could have stayed with us, he couldn’t. Just as I had to leave, he will need some distance.« She thought Din had ulterior motives. He did, but his thoughts weren’t even with what she had told him just now. He had wondered what this would mean with her attachment. If she was even allowed to have feelings for him. The way she hugged him, even the way she looked at him, made him think there was something. Something he reciprocated.   

He hadn’t expected this kind of reply, but after an awkward pause he said. »I understand.« Maybe he would have to ask more directly next time. But how could he without stumbling over his words? He pressed his lips together, hoping she would just tell him in due time. »So,« he started. »What are the trials?« 

»Six tests to prove you’re ready to become a Jedi. That you have all the qualities needed to become a warden of peace. It’s trials of skill as well as testing the mind and resilience of an apprentice. For example one trial is enduring great physical pain.« She couldn’t even finish her thought before Din interrupted. »He hurt you?« Her heart sank, that’s not what she had wanted Din to think. »No, he didn’t. My injury on Nevarro was my trial. I – sorry. Bad example. It’s just one of the easier trials to explain.« 

Din took a breath, now realizing himself that his demeanour was a little too much. His jealousy got the better of him in this moment and he just wanted a good reason to justify not liking Luke. »So you trained with him all day?« That was a lot of time to spend with a man. She had only taken three days with him to get him to kiss her. »I did. It was a little strange, I have to admit, but we’ve gotten used to being around one another all the time. It’s better than being abandoned.« That stung. Whether she intended or not, it felt a little like she blamed Din for sending her away. And now she had stayed with a guy for the entire time they had been separated. »You must’ve grown close,« he suggested, dreading his words as soon as they had left his lips. He was a little too exhausted to not let the jealousy overtake him. 

Maia picked up on it. »I would say so. I consider Luke a friend.« Was that enough? Maybe she should change the topic. »Who were the two Mandalorians with you?« »Bo-Katan Kryze and Koska. Her sister was the last ruler of Mandalore before the planet got destroyed.« »How did you meet her?« 

So he told her. From picking up the frog lady on Tatooine, to their little stop on Maldo Kreis with all of the cave spiders and the adventure on Trask. At first Maia was quite responsive, asking questions ever so often, but her interruptions turned to more and more silence. By the time he told her about meeting Ahsoka, Maia was unresponsive and had likely fallen asleep. Maybe listening to him offered the distraction her mind needed. Something to focus on while she fell asleep. 

They made it to Glavis some time later, Maia waking up from her nap when she felt the ship touch ground. While it felt good to get some rest, it was nowhere near enough and she was a little disoriented. She almost fell when she jumped out of the ship. »Let’s get you some food, mesh’la.« Din had his helmet on, who would’ve guessed, and called her mesh’la again. She was pretty to him, even if she looked a little sleepy right now. They walked away from the landing platform, finding a little shop where Din could buy something to eat for the both of them. Maia had regained her energy a little while walking, looking at the credits in his hand. »How much do you have left? Is it enough for a bed?... two beds«

»I don’t think so but maybe we can arrange something. Pay part of the cost now and the rest after I have found a bounty contract. Some cheap motels might be willing to make a deal.« Din didn’t need much to be comfortable. He had lived in his ship for the past couple of years, mostly. »Can I make a counter offer?« Maia asked. The thought of a dirty, run down motel room was a little disturbing, even if she didn’t have to worry about her safety too much. »Sure,« Din shrugged, taking the two containers of stew and continuing the way down the street. »I could abuse my power and get us a nice hotel room. And a bathtub.« »Alright.« That easy? Ultimately it was safer to get a nicer room, and Djarin was curious if she actually could just get them a room for free. It might come in handy in the future. 

Fueled by Din’s permission, Maia guided him towards the less shady part of the station. More and more neon lights showed up on the buildings, tinting everything in pink and blue. Every hotel they passed looked ridiculously luxurious and definitely out of their price range and he wondered by which criteria Maia looked for the perfect accommodation. His heart sank a little when she entered one of the giant hotel towers. He couldn’t even stop her before she halfway jumped on top of the reception to wave her hand in front of the front desk personnel, a humanoid woman. 

It was a little scary how her eyes unfocused as soon as Maia had raised her hand. »You’ll give us a key for the best room you have. With a whirlpool. No one will bother us, we don’t have to pay, and you’ve never seen us. As soon as we are in that elevator, you will delete the security footage.« Din’s helmet turned towards Maia, who did this with an alarming ease. Had she done this before? How must it feel to be influenced like this? He looked over to the receptionist, who slid a keycard over. »Suite 1217 is on the 12th floor. Please enjoy your stay.« 

The brunette turned to him, keycard in hand and a wide grin on her face. She and Din walked over to the elevator, his facade breaking as soon as the elevator doors had closed. »That was a little creepy.« »How else would we get a suite?« »A normal room would’ve been fine for me.« He didn’t need it. He was fine with just a mattress if he had to be honest. »I’m sure you’ll think differently when we’re inside.« The elevator dinged and they were on the 12th floor. She opened the door to the suite and it was … big. They had a table, a bed, and a ridiculously large window that showed the neon-tinted city beneath them. 

Din set the two containers down, removed the spear and jetpack and took off his helmet, sitting beside the table to eat before he would walk all over to inspect the suite. Maia sat with him and they ate. The stew was warm, and while it wasn’t the tastiest meal he ever had, it was satiating. They had a small kitchenette in here, so they had plenty of drinking water as well. »How’s the food?« he asked her in between. »It’s okay. Better than the stuff I had in the recent days,« she explained. Nutri-bars were really anything but tasty. They both smiled. 

Din finished his serving first and he leaned back into the chair. »You can have the shower first.« Maia nodded. »Thank you. I hope it has a tub at least, I want to be cooked a little before I go to bed.«  

After the small but satisfying dinner, Din started taking off his armor while Maia entered the bathroom and was greeted with the blinding white light. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust until she could make out everything. A toilet, a shower, even a washer was installed here. The latter’s presence surprised her, but this was a suite after all. Next to the door hung bathrobes of a very soft and fuzzy bright white fabric. 

Behind a semi-transparent wall, there it was, the whirlpool she had specifically asked for. She dimmed the light to be less offensive to the eyes and debated for a second if she should take the opportunity and use the washer. She quickly undressed and chucked her clothes in the machine, delighted it even had the option to tumble dry. She took one of the robes and went behind the privacy screen. There it was, the pool, flush with the ground level, hidden behind transpari steel that probably was mirrored from the outside. The neon lights were also visible from here, but less stark. Maybe the window in here was tinted for more privacy.

It didn’t take long to fill the pool up with water and she entered the warm bath, leaning on the edge to watch the neon lit city outside. Ever so often she’d see a ship fly by in the distance. The port was busy and yet it was so quiet up here. 

After a while there was a knock on the door. »Maia?« »You can come in,« she answered. Din entered and looked around for a second, somewhat relieved that she was behind that matte screen. »Do you mind if I take a shower? Doesn't look like you need it right now… I can’t see you from there either.« »Go ahead. You can put your suit in the wash, I haven’t started the cycle yet. Don’t worry about me, there’s nothing new to see here for you. Still tattooed, and the back is still covered in scars.« She heard the zipper of his vest, thought for a second about him undressing just a few meters away from her. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the arms she had crossed on top of the pool edge. 

Din wasn’t too amused to hear her talk like this. His voice was softer when he replied »scars tell a story. It’s horrible what you went through. The scars are a testament to the horrors you’ve endured. You survived them. Every Mandalorian would tell you that you’re so strong for persevering.«

Maia scoffed. »Strong. All the Empire did was make me weak and unstable.« For a second the rustle of his flight suit halted. »You’re not weak. Don’t say that.« 

»Of course I am. I’m emotional. Spiteful. I can barely contain myself if I feel like crying. Worst of all, I was isolated for so long, I barely knew how the world worked. I still struggle with it sometimes.« 

»You’re loving despite all of the trauma. They couldn’t take that away from you. It’s commendable.« 

»What is it worth to be loving in such a cruel galaxy? I’m a broken person. My body is mangled. Who could love that?« 

»Maia…« he came closer to the privacy screen. She turned around, seeing his silhouette through the semi-transparent material. He didn’t dare to move a muscle when he heard the water swirl around her moving body. He knew she could see him. »Don’t be so hard on yourself. Your body is still worthy of worship.« 

He just stood there, letting his words marinate. She blushed, undoubtedly so, too taken aback by his words to even speak. While she couldn’t see his face through the screen, she saw his shoulders rise and fall with an audible sigh. His head dropped just the slightest bit as he continued. »I think you’re beautiful… if that matters.« He knew it did. She knew too, but she didn’t say it. 

Din showered in silence, his clothes as well as hers in the wash while both of them enjoyed the hot water separately. There was an uncertainty in the air Maia couldn’t deny. Was it because of all that happened on the cruiser? Gideon’s words still lingered, taunting her and effectively ruining what should have been an important moment in her life. She and Din were reunited and yet she wondered if there was a future with him. She had feelings for him, she had known for a while, and it seemed he did too. But it was a lot. He had broken his creed, with the nice side effect that she was now allowed to see his face, but the consequences would find them soon enough. She had suddenly found a part of herself she had lost so long ago. 

What if Gideon was right?

When the washer let them know their clothes were clean and dry, Din exited the shower, dried off and opened the machine to take out their clothes. Maia, halfway asleep in the warm water, listened to the rustle of him putting his clothes back on. It was Din’s voice, now soft and silky, that pulled her out of her half-dazed state. »Are you okay in there?« She slowly blinked and raised her head to watch him through the privacy screen. »I’m just relaxing, don't worry about me. I haven't drowned yet, it's just so cozy in here.« Maia bit her lip before the invitation to join her in the bath could escape. As enticing as the thought was, Din wouldn't do that with her.

Or would he?

»Din?« »I’m still here.« She saw his silhouette behind the screen, watched as his unruly hair moved when he turned his head towards her. »What are we?« she asked. His shoulders tensed visibly, before he took a breath and replied »whatever you want us to be, cyar'ika.« So she wasn’t opposed to attachments despite being a Jedi? Seemingly taken aback by his own response, Din left the bathroom relatively quickly, leaving Maia to marinate in this feeling of breathlessness. At least she avoided inviting him into the water this way. 

Cyar’ika… she was certain she had heard this word before, but where? And why was Din so adamant about using Mando’a when he knew she didn't understand it. It only ever came out of him in kind of emotional moments. 

She closed her eyes and focused on the word. She heard it before, she knew she had. A different voice, still male, echoed deep in her mind. 

‘Cyar’ika where are you?’ the male voice called out, only to have a female voice reply, ‘We’re in the kitchen, cyare.’ She watched as a woman with long red hair appeared in her peripheral, and then a man joined in. There wasn't much to be seen, dark hair and the rest of his features were obscured. It was like looking through water. Were tears in her eyes? ‘How is the little one doing?’ the man asked, promptly lifting Maia from her seat. And there it was, an unfamiliar face that slowly became clearer as it came closer. ‘She’s been crying ever since you left,’ the woman explained, wiping the small child’s cheeks with her fingers. She was beautiful, and she in fact looked a lot like what greeted Maia in her own reflection. A large hand rested on the child’s back when the man pulled her up to his face, practically burying it in the child's belly. ‘I’ve missed you too, my little star.’ ‘Think you can handle two girls being obsessed with you now?’ the woman teased, causing the man to erupt in laughter. ‘Of course I can. I love you, cyar'ika.’ ‘I love you too, cyare.’ 

Maia opened her eyes, confused what she had just experienced. That was, she was certain, a memory of her parents, pulled back to her conscious because of Din. Tears began to well in her eyes, partially from the sighting of her parents, partially because that meant that Din had just used a term of endearment.

It was finally time to leave the tub, her hands had pruned significantly and the sensation in her finger tips was uncomfortable. She put on her panties and her undershirt and tried to regain her composure, to no avail as Din must've felt the heartache radiating through the bathroom door. Another knock came from the door, but instead of answering, Maia opened the door, her eyes glassy and facing the floor. 

With his thumb and index at her chin, he gently pushed her head upright. »What’s wrong?« His voice was a mere whisper, barely loud enough to hear over the single sob that escaped her lungs. »I’m sorry,« she replied, barely able to contain her voice. »It’s just too much.« She knew she worded this wrong when he let go of her. His hand wandered to her upper arm, resting on her skin as a means to comfort her. His hand was warm and surprisingly soft on her skin. »Do you want to talk about it?« was all he asked. Din was certainly as overwhelmed with the situation as she was, not much of a talker himself usually. Before he had met her, actually. 

»I’m trying. Trying so hard to be good, to not let my emotions rule over me again and ever since I've been back, all I feel like is crying. I was fine with forgetting about my past to focus on the future. Now I know a bit about my past and all it does it haunt me. My parents are most likely dead anyway, like Raymond.« Another sob shook her, tears running down her cheeks. »You just gave Grogu away and have your own grief to deal with, and now you're stuck with me, alternating between crying and a lovesick teenager.« 

There it was. A little confession of feelings, wrapped in between self-pity and justified sadness. 

Finally she found the courage to look at him, his beautiful features tinted in blue, pink and purple. Din looked down at her, his breathtakingly dark eyes staring into her soul. There was a softness and empathy in his down turned eyebrows. »Can I –« he began but sighed and pulled her into his arms, caging her in an embrace. His forehead rested gently against hers. She wrapped her arms around his back and leaned in. Din's chest was so warm and welcoming, only his shirt and hers separating them in this moment. It felt good to be caught in a hug, feeling his heart pound against his chest and hers as well. »Mesh’la,« he began after a moment of silence, pulling her even closer when he felt her lean in. »There’s nothing that could feel better than having you with me right now.« 

She hugged him a little tighter as one of his hand caressed over her back. »I'm sorry about your parents. I'm sure you had a lot of questions and it's unfortunate that they're not here any more. I will help you where I can, I promise.« His head moved away from hers, allowing him to look into her eyes again. »I know that Grogu is in safe hands and that he might return one day, just like you did.« 

She watched as his eyes wandered downwards to her lips for a second. There was a traitorous sparkle in his eyes before he leaned forward and stole a kiss from her. Before she could reposition her hands, however, Din pulled back. His cheeks had turned colors, now a nice shade of red, presumably. It was hard to tell when the whole room was tinted purple. »I’m sorry, was that okay for me to do?« 

She took both hands from his back, cupping his face in them. »Never apologize for kissing me,« she hushed and leaned in for another kiss, more passionately this time. His hand landed on the back of her neck and pulled her in closer. It felt like time was running in slow-motion when their lips connected, sparks flying and her heart rate quickening. She leaned back to allow herself to take a breath. When her eyes opened she saw Din lick his lips before smiling at her. »I’ll remember. I could get used to this.« Did he know what he did to her with just these few words? It seemed he wasn’t done whispering sweet nothings, either. »You’ve turned my world upside down, cyar’ika. Are you aware of that?« 

Maia stroked his cheekbones, trying to find the right words to respond. Because frankly, all she wanted was to kiss him over and over again. »We’ve both sacrificed a lot for this, cyare.« Her hands wandered down his chest, feeling his heart pound underneath his ribs. His heart was racing, as was hers. »You’ve said we are what I want us to be,« she began, trying to find any change in his expression. All she could find was affection. 

His stance was clear. »If you want me, you can have me. If you don’t, we should stop this; I’m sure you can guess which I would prefer.« His hand was still on her neck, his thumb tracing over her skin. »I want to be upfront, I don’t know what my future will look like, but I’d be happy if you were part of it.«

As much as her impulse told her to reply with an ‘I want you’ or say no for a joke, she chose her words more carefully. »Guess that means ‘you and I against the rest of the galaxy’, huh?« He chuckled and nodded. »This is the way.« Her head tilted to the side when she repeated »the way?« Instead of explaining it, Din leaned forward and kissed her forehead. »We should go to bed, it was a long day and we can’t stay here for long in the morning.« He was right, but Maia dreaded having this moment end. 

»No fighting about the bed this time around?« she asked and let go, slowly walking out of his embrace. »Unless you’re not willing to share,« he replied. The bed was definitely big enough for two adults to comfortably sleep in. Something told her a smaller bed would’ve done fine as well, as she would probably take the opportunity to be as close to him as she could. He allowed her to crawl into bed first, and the first reaction she had was to practically melt into the mattress. »Oh kriff I should go back downstairs and get us this room for an entire week,« she whined into one of the numerous pillows, not properly registering when Din also snuck under the cover. Judging by the groan he let out, his back must’ve not had the pleasure of such a soft bed in a while. If ever. »Would you? Stars, I don’t think I’ve ever slept in a bed as soft as this.« Din looked over to her, didn’t have to say much. He was on the side, all it took was for him to raise his arm and she scooted in, snuggled right into his chest. It was a pity that neither him nor her smelled much like anything besides the hotel soap. Still, Maia had her face buried in his shirt and his face was in her hair. »Good night, cyar’ika,« he whispered into her hair, to which she replied »good night, cyare.« 

Notes underneath the chapter whaaaaat 

I don’t really want to add any more of my blubbering, the chapter is long enough as is (and actually I had to split it, there was SO MUCH MORE supposed to happen but I realized this would be a 20k+ chapter. no one needs that) 

I want to take this little break down here to show something that is awfully fitting with the setting in this chapter. My dear friend Rocket (whos also obsessed with Pedro and the color purple) posted a Din piece some time ago and I just… I gasped. 

Do you see the vision? Neon lights (aka Bi lighting) and Din without the armor???

HELLO??? THAT IS DIN IN THE SUITE OKAY 

Props to Maia for not undressing on the spot because gurl I would 

Give Rocket some love:

[kirsteng42]

1 of my favourite Din series. I would recommend it to all PP fans, it’s great story telling.

Cyare series**

Pairing: Mand’alor!Din Djarin x Mandalorian!f!reader with name

summary: on his journey to become the Mand’alor, Din encounters someone who will turn his world upside down and change it forever. 

SERIES WARNINGS: plenty of sexual acts, angst, death, mentions of guns, friends to lovers, soulmate!AU.

Below is the completed story, along with its subsequent one shots. SOME CHAPTERS CONTAIN SMUT SO IF YOU ARE NOT 18+, SCROLL AWAY!

header: @katronautt​ ​

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[imabeautifulbutterfly]

Once Upon a Time on the Razor Crest

Summary: First steps to friendship

A/N: Hello lovelies,

I hope everyone had a good week. I just want to put this out there as someone who works in the medical field, please be kind to doctors, nurses, technicians, receptions, and cleaning crews.

Just be kind in general. I had a rough week with a very rude patient. It might not seem like much but after a while it takes a toll. So to everyone and anyone who needs to hear this, thank you for all the hard work you do.

Love oo

Due to the past history of the OC there will be discussions alluding to past domestic abuse, please note that as it could be a trigger for some.

Warnings: discussions of lunch, trying to avoid isolation, mentions of past trauma (blink and you'll miss it), discussions of being dirty (physically), possible mud (use your imagination). If I miss any warnings, please let me know.

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Main Master List   |  Once Upon a Time on the Razor Crest

THE CRESTWORLD

CHAPTER NINE

As we watched Taika and Misty munching away, it made me remember we needed to eat too, “Din, what do you want for lunch? There’s some leftovers from last night’s dinner or I could make us a sandwich and salad …”

“You know…” he cut her off, realizing he needed to make more of an effort with her. 

Sure she was his employee, but he was also the only person she knew out here. Cobb and Fennec were always busy in town and the surrounding areas,  and Fennec had even less time than Cobb, being Boba’s right hand. Then there was Grogu, and as fun and enjoyable he was for a little kid, it wasn’t the same as having someone around her own age to hang out with. 

He nodded to himself, resolving he needed to do better, “You did a really good job today, Ann. Looking after Bessie, milking her, noticing there was something off about her. You could’ve easily brushed it off, or not even bothered to tell me about it. But you did, and because you did, I can tell you there will be a new addition to the ranch. Nerfs have a faster gestation than most quadrupeds. We should have a new addition in a month or two depending on if it’s a bull or calf. Not to mention you fed the nunas and collected the eggs, even though I know it freaks you out a little. I even noticed that you stamped the eggs with the date, and put them away. Cleaned out the pens as best you could … before I got here.” He smirked.

I tilted my head to look at him, resting my head on my arms that were propped on the railing of the corral. I didn’t say much, simply looking at him as I narrowed my eyes at Din, “I can’t tell if you’re making fun of me, or if you’re being genuine”

He chuckled, as he glanced over to her, shaking his head. “Genuine, I’m being genuine,” he turned back to look at Taika and Misty, “plus, I owe you for this morning.” 

I smirked, focusing back on the horses, “So … does this mean, I’ll get a pay bump?”

“Ha! No.” He stood stretching, “However, I do believe, your good work today, and for my …”

“Assery?”

“That’s not even a word.”

“Words aren’t words, until you start using them more often”

Din shook his head laughing, “Anyway, I do believe this entitles you to lunch on me. How about we go into town for lunch? I know a good restaurant.”

“Oh, um … yeah, I guess…”

He hadn’t expected that reaction, “Do you not want to?” Din glanced over to her.

A thousand scenarios ran through my mind, my biggest concern was bringing danger to this small town, but … Fennec went through a lot to cover my tracks so I could make it here. I couldn’t keep hiding on the ranch like I was. I needed to stop letting my ex dictate terms. I needed to start living again. 

I closed my eyes, and reminded myself, I wasn’t that same weak girl, he initially married.

 “No. No.” I focused on the landscape before, taking in the beautiful mountains, the crisp air. I was far away from him. “I’m up for going into town. After all, I need to see more of this area, get to know the town and people. As beautiful as this ranch is, I can’t exactly be holed up here forever.”

“No. You can’t” he smiled.

 I smirked, as my eyes glanced down, looking over my dirty outfit, “Maybe I should change? Take a shower at least?” My hand subconsciously went to my forehead and hair, wiping away some of the sweat and dirt.

Din shrugged, “You can if you want to but there’s no need, we’re going to a diner, not some fancy five-star high-end Coruscant restaurant. Plus this is a farming town, we’re all used to being a little dirty.”

“Hmmm … Well, I guess, if you’re going like that” I motioned to his shirt, “then I guess I can go like this” I motioned to my less than stellar outfit.

“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” He looked down, sure there was dirt, hay, dust, some grass strains, and something … he hoped but wasn’t entirely sure was mud. The more he thought about it, the more he changed his opinion, “You know, now that you mention it, maybe a change of shirt wouldn’t be the worst thing.”

I chuckled, nodding in agreement, as he tried to flick a nondescript dark matter off his shirt towards me. I squealed, flinching away from him, increasing the distance between us. “Hey …” I held up my finger as I moved further away, “I’ll have you know, I have enough of my own questionable dark matter on me, I don’t need to take on yours, too.” I shouted over to him, when I was far enough away and headed back into the house.  

Din watched as she headed back to the house, slipping off her boots before she went in. 

He stood in the open glancing over to the pens, the horses grazing, and Bessie chewing away as she stood there looking at him, and he couldn’t remember a time he felt this content from cleaning the pens and grooming Taika and Misty. He shook his head, pushing his thoughts aside as he headed into the house to change.

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Main Master List   |  Once Upon a Time on the Razor Crest

@littlemisspascal @sprout-fics @liadamerondjarin @badbatch-simp24 @spicymcnuggies @lady-ren @firstofficerwiggles @darkangel4121 @discofern @kavecika @monako-jinn-stories @ladykatakuri @avathebestx @theroguesully @furyhellfire66 @carodealmeida @ciramaris @twinkofthedink @dindjarin-mandalorian @tortor-mcgee @sarcasmismyonlydefense24 @chiyo13

[dindjarindiaries]

You reblogged that starter list and before I even saw your message, this one SCREAMED Din to me:

❛ if i could be a different person, i promise you, i would be.

character: Din Djarin (The Mandalorian)

prompt: "If I could be a different person, I promise you, I would be."

main masterlist • prompt masterlist

You looked up at the expanse of stars overhead and let out a soft breath. The slight sting of the night's chilled air nipped at your nose, but the way it filtered through your lungs felt relieving. This was the open air; it was much more freeing than the ship you had started to feel trapped within.

It was that ship's boarding ramp you were sitting on, and as you took a quick glance over your shoulder, you saw its owner watching you from within the cargo hold with a worried tilt to his silver helmet. Having been caught in the act, his armored chest rose and fell in a breath as he started to walk towards you. Your gaze returned to the sky above as you sensed his approach.

"I thought you were charting another course," you said as Din took his place alongside you. "We can't spend too much time here."

Din shrugged in your periphery. "An extra rotation won't hurt."

Your head snapped towards him as your lips parted in disbelief. "A rotation?"

Din's visor was stuck on the stars, but after a moment of you staring, he returned your disbelieving glance. "What?"

You chuckled and shook your head, returning your attention to the night sky. You closed your eyes as your heart began to beat more rapidly. The question you wanted to ask screamed within your mind, but it came out as a mere whisper. "Why?"

There was a pause before Din responded. "Why what?"

You reopened your eyes and kept them on the stars. Looking at Din would make you lose your resolve. "Why are you bending your rules?"

When Din remained silent for a long moment, you quickly glanced over at him. His visor was fixed on his gloved hands as he picked the orange-colored material on his fingertips. "We can afford the time, for now." When he continued, his modulated voice was even lower than before. "And you're happy here."

You furrowed your brow at him. "I'm happy regardless."

Din gave his helmet a brief tilt. "Sure. But..." he paused, as if musing upon something, "not like you are on planets like this one."

You didn't know what to say to that. The sweet inhale of the crisp air you took was enough to prove his words true. As you continued to stare somewhat dumbfounded at Din, he added more.

"You don't like being on the ship."

You instantly shook your head and willed the words to come, but they wouldn't. Your throat had closed up around your wildly beating heart as the truths you tied to each atrium and ventricle came closer and closer to freeing themselves.

Din took your silence as a much more disappointing reality. Even his modulator couldn't hide his hurt. "You don't like being with me."

"No." You couldn't have gotten the word out faster if you'd tried. "That's not true."

"It's okay. I understand." Din's arm rested upon his propped-up knee as he looked at the stars yet again. You watched his visor reflect them with fond admiration. "My lifestyle isn't meant to keep people around for long." He nodded, as if he was still convincing himself of such a truth. "I've grown used to it."

His words, a genuine and honest reflection of himself, shattered your heart enough to let the shards escape through the barrier your throat had attempted to create. Each beautiful truth began to spill out in a stained glass mosaic of the image you had crafted over the past few months. "Yet I'm still here."

That caught Din's attention. His visor found your gaze as you pieced your art together.

"I've felt trapped, yes, but not by you or your ship." You exhaled and watched your hand as you set it on the metal of the ramp beside you. It was just inches from Din's own. "It's a feeling. One that consumes me, really. And while it's centered on you, it's not because of you that I feel so trapped. That's only because I know the truth. I know your guard has to stay up."

You huffed and shook your head at yourself.

"It sounds ridiculous to say out loud, honestly, but... you deserve to know." The corners of your mouth pulled up in a sad smile. "Even if there's nothing you can do about it."

Din's visor never left you as he sat in the heavy silence that followed. Eventually, his visor lowered, his focus moving to his gloved hand as it closed the distance to your own. Only part of his hand covered yours on the boarding ramp as he spoke in the most beautifully honest tone you had ever heard from him. "If I could be a different person, I promise you, I would be."

You shook your head, your gaze also fixed on your hands as you did so. "If you were any different, you wouldn't be the person I've grown such feelings for."

You were delicate in the way you laced your fingers through his, allowing him to pull away at any point if he so wished. He made no such move, instead letting his armored chest rise and fall in a careful breath as your hands became fully entwined. After a few more quiet moments, he spoke up once again. "I can learn."

You looked back up at his visor and hoped your expression wasn't betraying your strong glimmer of hope. Din offered a determined nod.

"I will learn."

Your smile couldn't be stopped as you looked upon him much more favorably than you ever had the stars. "Yeah?"

Din nodded once more, resting your entwined hands on his armored thigh. "Yeah."

[wild-karrde]

#Fandom Friday 💖

I want to mention my dear Kathi @june-girl-86

For more than two years now she puts time and effort into her series "The Burden of Responsibility" (Din Djarin x fem! OC)

In (up to now) 53 chapters she describes Din Djarin's way to being the ruler of Mandalore. And no matter if it's a canonical character like Ashoka, Bo-Katan or well yes Din, or the many many OC she invented... Kathi brings them to life in a magical way.

BTW for those who are interested... I am sure she's willing to share the story in German too. Am I right? 😏

OOOOOOOOH I LOVE FICS THAT EXPLORE THIS PART OF DIN'S LIFE. (Which is admittedly why I wrote one haha). But I've always thought that after giving up Grogu, there were so many different directions his character can go. And this seems like such a wonderful direction to take it. LET THE MAN FALL IN LOVE. LET HIM GO ON ADVENTURES WITH HIS LOVE INTEREST. I'm all about it hehe. Thanks for the rec!

Participate in Fandom Friday to show your favorite creators from this week some love! :)

[whatsnewalycat]

Passenger / Chapter 7

Pairing: Trucker!Din Djarin AU x OFC Charlie Wanderlust

Wyoming (Part Four)

[ Previous Chapter ][ Series Masterlist ]

Chapter Summary: Our heroes fuck around and find out.

Rating: Explicit (18+ only)

Word Count: 4.1k+

Content / Warnings: smuuuuuuuuut, dirty talk, inner conflict, outer conflict, jealousy, dog grogu, the mandalorian au, fascist propaganda, not beta read

Notes: Ayooo! This “day” is gonna be split into 2-3 parts, which will conclude the story arc for Wyoming, then I’m taking a small pause from writing this to finish another ongoing series (Designated Person). This series is going to be ginormous in terms of longevity (I have at least 20 more chapters plotted out and fully intend on completing them) so pls don’t worry, I am not abandoning them. Also I switched the POV from 2nd to 3rd person and will be updating the backlog of chapters to this POV.

—

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP—

Din feels around blindly for the alarm clock and presses the big SNOOZE button, releasing a sigh into the sudden silence. 

Someone else’s body heat sticks to the edge of him. He shifts onto his side and tugs at the warmth, huddling closer. It mumbles something into his chest, but trails off, weight going slack against him. 

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP—

Din unravels to turn off the alarm clock, then rolls back over, letting his arm fall loose over the lump beside him. The warmth wiggles closer with a groggy hum. 

Prying open heavy lids, he blinks until his eyes start to adjust to the dark motel room. His surroundings come into focus gradually. Stiff sheets and body heat and a nest of blonde hair. 

He draws back to look at her face, studying her peaceful dozing features. The curve of her lips and the dip of her Cupid’s bow. From this distance, he can map out all the tiny freckled constellations smattered across her face. 

He syncs his breath to her quiet snores and absorbs the steady rhythm of her pulse. 

Just for a few more seconds, or a minute. 

It might be the only time he gets to see her in this way, so defenseless in such close proximity. Mona Lisa without the protective glass, she is precious and vulnerable. 

If that much is true, who is he? The thief sent to rip her from her frame? The night guard posted to protect her? Or both, or neither, or does it even matter? Because here she is, a real life enigma, and all he can manage to be is the awestruck witness who stumbled upon her. 

She starts to stir, burrowing into the crook of his neck. He should wake her up. Separate himself, at least. 

It feels wrong to hold her this way. 

It is wrong to hold her this way. 

‘Unprofessional,’ he reminds himself, as if that were the only reason and not just one of many. 

She stirs again.

This time, a yawn expands her rib cage and puffs hot down his collar. He pretends to sleep, closing his eyes as her lashes flutter against his thudding pulse. 

Shit. 

He braces for impact. Waits for her to come to her senses. To shove him away or pull back. 

But she doesn’t. 

Instead, she nuzzles closer and yawns again. On the exhale, she relaxes into him. 

Her weight and warmth melt through him, unclenching muscles he never knew he had. She curls and uncurls her fingers against his chest, a gentle affection that flickers up his spine. Her touch wanders to the elbow draped over her waist. It slowly roams up his arm, lulling him into a trance-like state as she skates along his bicep, then his tricep, rounding his shoulder to trace his collarbone.

When her fingertips graze his neck, heat swells at the very center of him and spills over the edges, reverberating through his body. A groan scrapes his vocal cords and his cock throbs against her belly. 

Traitor. 

Before panic can call him to action, Charlie arches towards him and releases this sweet, quiet gasp that empties his mind of reason. 

He tightens his arm around her waist and rocks his hips, blood burning when she pushes back. 

Rolling onto his back, he pulls her on top and they both moan at the weight of their hips settling together. She wastes no time working herself against him, huffing and whining in his open mouth. 

He has enough sense not to kiss her, but not enough to keep his uncuffed hand from slipping beneath her shirt to explore her soft, warm skin. 

“Oh fuuuck,“ she moans, body tensing as she speeds to a frantic pace. 

His eyes roll back at the violent rush of stimulation. He finds the small of her back and pins her hips to his so all she can do is wriggle and whine with frustration. 

“Slower,” he pants, grinding the damp fabric between their bodies, “Feel that? Just like that.”He softens his grip to guide her, nodding when she matches his indulgent momentum, “There you go. Fuck, that’s perfect.”

“So fucking good, holy shit—”

Sucking in air through gritted teeth, he starts to gather her hair in his fist. Her hand follows on its short leash, clinging to his handcuffed wrist as he pulls her hair taut. She moans and melts against him, but her hips never miss a beat. 

“Such a good girl for me,” he murmurs, spurring her faster when she chokes out a guttural noise. 

Every time she slides up and down his swollen cock, a hunger inside him deepens. 

He wants to feel the heat of her in every conceivable way, to explore the aching need simmering between them. He wants to strip her bare and count her freckles and fuck her senseless. He feels her panting breath on his and desperately wants to kiss her. How pathetic. He wants and wants and wants, and yet, he knows there’s no time for all of that. 

Not with the way she starts to sputter and shake, heating his blood with second-circle hellfire. When he tightens his grip to wield her body against his, assuming control, she doesn’t resist in the slightest. 

“Din—fuck, it feels sofuckinggood, don’t stop. Don’t stop—oh my god don’t stop don’t stop—”

“Are you gonna come for me like a good girl?” 

She whines and digs her nails into his wrist, nodding frantically, “Yes yes yes yes yes—”

All her muscles go tense and gasping steals her breath. It returns to her a moment later with a choked sob and shaking limbs while his heartbeat pounds through his body, thick and hot, growing louder and louder until it consumes him completely. 

He groans, hips stuttering against her as the warmth of ecstasy washes over him. 

They go slack-limbed in the moments that follow, liquefying into a throbbing, panting puddle on the mattress. 

It’s what heaven must feel like, he thinks. Blissed out and serene, the weight of her ironing out every adversity he’d ever faced into a single flat line leading to this. Leading to her. 

The saccharine thought sours on his tongue.

What the fuck am I doing? 

—

What the fuck am I doing? 

Charlie pokes at her half-eaten cheese omelette a few times before wrinkling her nose and pushing the plate aside.

As she folds her legs up in the squeaky wooden booth, she allows herself to glance across the table at Din, whose aviators are fixed on her. She doesn’t know that he’s looking at her but she does all the same. No proof except whatever gnaws at her stomach lining. 

“Just like that… There you go. Fuck, that’s perfect.”

Heat rises to her face. 

Averting her gaze, she searches for words to start idle chit chat, but comes up blank. Her mind keeps wandering back to the ghost of his touch. 

“Are you gonna come for me like a good girl?”

She squirms a little, then buys herself some time by taking a slow sip of lukewarm, watered-down coffee. 

This silence isn’t normal. 

She needs to act normal. 

Make conversation. Just don’t mention what happened, because it couldn’t have happened. There’s no way she would allow… that. This.  

No. Not a chance. It didn’t happen. 

It was a dream, that’s all. 

A really really hot dream. 

Drawing a deep breath, she tries on this new version of truth and finds enough comfort to let her shoulders fall away from her ears.

RULE #5: Live in the now. 

Onward and upward. 

Today I will paint the sign and play a show and take every moment as it comes. 

She digs the notebook from her rucksack and pulls the pen from its spine. Flipping to a blank page, she finally breaks the silence. 

“How big would you say the Giddyup sign is, ten by five?” 

Din takes a sip of coffee, then shrugs, “Ten by eight.” 

“Ten by eight?” She frowns, visualizing both ratios on the paper, and concedes, “Ok, yeah. That seems about right. Thanks.” 

Using her thumb as a benchmark, she sections off the page in a rough 5:4 grid. While outlining her design, she watches Din at the edge of her vision, who scans the cafe between sips of coffee. 

“So after this, we pickup clothes from the laundromat, pick up the pup, and head over to Paul’s?” 

“Yes.” 

“My first set starts at eight. Figure I can get most of this done by… pfff, I dunno, five? Maybe six, depending. I’ll have to make myself presentable, eat something, then we can head over to Outlaw.” 

He doesn’t respond. 

“Got any song requests for me?” 

She looks up at his silence and finds his aviators fixed on something across the room. Right in his crosshairs, the waitress jots down a bald man’s order. 

Of course he’s enamored with the waitress. Why wouldn’t he be? 

She has a kind, gentle way about her. She’s delicate and ladylike. She has long, shiny hair and a contagious smile. She probably showers every day. She probably reads the Bible and young adult novels between assigned texts for her nursing school program. She probably has childhood friends and a five-year plan and regular communication with her family. 

Most people are into that sort of thing. 

So sure, it makes sense that he perks up like a dog earning table scraps every time she stops by their table. 

RULE #9: Do not get attached. 

It doesn’t matter that he likes the waitress. Not in the big scheme of things, anyway. She should utilize his tongue-wagging, not detest it. 

The logic is sound, but the feeling inside her doesn’t change. 

Cloying and desperate. 

So fucking stupid. 

If she were traveling with him under her own volition, she would’ve parted ways with him before this had a chance to germinate. 

Yesterday, probably. 

This morning at the latest. 

Right after she woke to find her body curled up against him, his arm draped over her side. His skin felt so warm and good on hers. Comfortable. 

I should have killed him when I had the chance. 

Din shifts. 

She looks up from her gridlocked mountain range in time to see him pull his shoulders back and puff his chest out. 

Predictably, the waitress approaches their table and begins picking dirty dishes off the table, “Can I get y’all anything else?” 

“Just the check is fine,” Din answers. 

“Excellent.” She props the stack of plates on her hip so she can pull the bill from her apron. Placing it face down on the table, she smiles at him, “No rush, just whenever you’re ready.” 

“Thank you,” he nods. 

Charlie gives her a polite smile when she departs, then watches Din’s attention follow.

Red flares through her, a bull in a china shop. 

Fuck. This. 

She flips her notebook closed and tosses it in her rucksack, “You should invite her to the show.” 

His focus snaps back to her. “Why would I do that?” 

“I dunno,” she shrugs, taking out her wallet to evaluate its contents, “Seems like you’re sweet on her. Might as well give it a shot.” 

He draws back and frowns, studying her too close for comfort. 

She grabs the check, doing some quick math before teasing, “Wow, you’re a cheap date.”

“What are you doing?”

“Buying breakfast.“

“There’s no need—”

Waving him off, she wriggles out of the booth and swings her bag over her shoulder as she starts towards the cash register. 

He catches up with enough time to hiss in her ear, “Don’t do anything stupid.”

“All set?” The waitress smiles between them. 

“All set.” Charlie hands her a stack of fives under the check, “The change is for you.”

“Oh, well thank you. I appreciate it,” she punches the total into the register.

“Yeah, of course. It was delicious. And the service was excellent, obviously. But, umm… Hey, you know, if you’re not busy tonight, I’m playing a few sets at Outlaw. You should come.” 

Din’s glare burns a hole in the back of her head, lending her a sick sense of satisfaction. 

The waitress blinks up at her, eyebrows jumping a little, “Oh, are you guys in a band?” 

“No, just me and my guitar. He’s security,” she jerks her thumb over her shoulder at Din, but doesn’t dare turn around. “Anyway, no pressure or anything if you have plans already. But if you don’t, it’ll be a good time.” She leans in closer and drops her volume, “Between you and me, I think he would like it if you came.” 

The waitress chuckles a little, glancing at Din before tucking a wave of hair behind her ear, “I have to check to make sure I don’t have plans, but… Yeah, maybe.” 

“Perfect! Oh—My name is Charlie, by the way,” she nods over her shoulder, “The big guy is Din.” 

“I’m Marla.” 

“Marla,” Charlie repeats, trying to regulate her manufactured enthusiasm, “We’ll see you later, then, yeah?” 

A coy smile spreads across Marla’s face, eyes flicking to Din before she nods, “I’ll see what I can do.” 

—

In the swollen silence of the laundromat, Charlie plucks a freshly-toasted shirt off the clean clothes pile, glancing at Din’s sharp movements beside her as he does the same. 

She swallows the frantic buzzing in her chest that urges her to smooth the tension. 

It was the right thing to do. There needs to be enough distance between them for her to find the escape hatch. 

Discomfort is temporary. This discomfort is necessary. 

She cannot let it get to her. 

RULE #3: Keep your wits—

Din chucks a balled-up shirt back into the pile and spits, “Are you taking this seriously?” 

“The laundry?”

“I told you we need to keep a low profile.” He He faces her, all rigid and puffed up, “First it was the show, then the sign, now you’re trying to get us in with the locals—”

“Yeah, you’re welcome, by the way. I got you a deal with Paul and a date with Marla, plus I’ll get spending cash—”

“We shouldn’t even be in public, let alone keeping a social calendar. You don’t understand how dangerous it is for us to be visible.” 

“Do you really think Marla from The Pantry Cafe is going to ping my location to all your buddies?” She scoffs, trading her folded shirt for her crumpled up pair of jeans. “I highly doubt anyone here gives a shit about me.” 

“That’s not—” He sighs, propping a hand on his hip, “If someone from the guild picks up your trail, they will come for you.” 

She rolls her eyes and tucks the folded jeans in her knapsack, muttering, “What then, you won’t get your finder’s fee?” 

“It’s not about that, it’s about your safety.” 

A voice at the back of her head reminds her she’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar. 

She almost listens to it, too. Until Din opens his trap to drive his point home further.  

“I know what these people are capable of—”

“Kidnapping and murder, I assume.” 

“There are worse things.”

She turns to him and blinks, “Scare tactics, Din? Really?”

“Not a scare tactic. A reality check.” 

“Oh my fucking—”

“You’re being reckless and you know it.” He squares his shoulders, jabbing her chest as he grinds out, “Tighten. Up.” 

Swatting his hand away, she scowls up at her reflection in his aviators. Her fingers twitch with the impulse to rip them off and stomp them to pieces. 

“You know what? Fuck you.” Searching his face, she envisions barbed wire and life sentences. She hardens to stone and doesn’t dare fucking flinch as she speaks. 

“You keep acting like you’re doing me some big favor because you’re not an absolute fucking ghoul to me. You fucking stand there and say it’s about my safety like you’re protecting me or something, but you’re not. You are protecting an investment. Din. The dollar sign attached to my head. You said it yourself, I am nothing to you but a payload.” 

A bitter laugh escapes her, resentment bubbling up from an old crack in her heart, “You don’t give a shit about my well-being. My fucking safety? Fuck off. You’re delivering me to the same fucking slaughterhouse they would.” 

Every visible sign of anger sloughs off him like dead weight, leaving him with this raw, deflated expression that undermines her certainty. 

As she stares at him, bracing for a response, her own self-righteous fury withers up and dies in her chest. It turns to a plea. 

Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me it’s not about the money. 

Taking a step back, he turns and starts shoveling clothes into his backpack. “Let’s go. We’re already behind schedule.” 

It shouldn’t feel like a punch in the gut, but it does. 

She nods solemnly, then falls back into place helping him clear the folding table. 

—

Din crosses the vacant road from Jackalope Motel to Giddyup Auto, holding Grogu’s leash taut at his side so he can’t wander.

Dawn begins to eat away at the night sky, dusty orange fading to light blue, leaving only a tiny sliver of dark over in the west. Daylight dyes wispy eastern clouds blood red and banishes morning fog, drying up the damp that collected overnight.

Ahead of him, Charlie’s dusty green knapsack sags from her squared shoulders, swaying back and forth like a pendulum with each purposeful stride. She keeps her spine straight and her eyes forward and an invisible yardstick between them, as she has since their spat in the laundromat. 

The distance is necessary, though. For both of them. 

Somewhere along the way, he allowed the line drawn between them to become blurred. He lost all definition. It never should have happened in the first place. 

He should be grateful she had enough sense to pull the trigger this time. 

Grogu perks up and lets out a small, “Boof.” 

Din tears his eyes away from Charlie’s backpack to see Paul emerge from the shop, waving at Charlie, who walks up to greet him. They both look back at Din, then Paul tells her something that makes her snort with laughter. It’s strange, he thinks, how she can flip her demeanor at the drop of the hat. 

As he draws closer to the conversation, his ears attune to her voice.  

“… this is the easy part, honestly. I should be able to finish up before sundown.”

Paul grins, hooking his thumbs in the belt loops of his coveralls, “Seems we’re runnin’ on the same timeline then.”

“Oh. You mean…?” Charlie shuts her mouth and glances at Din when he comes to a stop within their circle of conversation. 

“Well, good morning, sunshine,” Paul teases. “I was just telling Miss Charlie here that the rig should be finished up quick, long as I don’t find any surprises.” 

Din frowns, “By tonight?” 

“That’s what it’s lookin’ like.” 

“I thought it would take longer.” 

“Made good time,” Paul shrugs. “Figured y’all would be itching to get back on the road.” 

Grogu starts whining at Charlie, who crouches down to pet him. The dog heels and pins his ears back, lapping at her hands as she gives him all her attention. 

Din clears his throat and gives Paul a nod of appreciation, “How much do I owe you?” 

“Lookin’ at twelve hundred, give or take. We can settle up later.” 

“Hey Paul, can I grab your tall ladder?” Charlie gives Grogu a pat before rising to her feet, “Oh, and do you have an extra stereo I could I borrow for the day? I don’t want the big guy to chat my ear off.” 

Paul cackles while she shoots Din a teasing look that makes his blood pressure spike. 

“Come on, I’ll see if I can’t find one for ya.”

—

CEO Pushes City to ‘Clear Homeless from the Streets’ in Open Letter to Portland Mayor. 

Amidst recent controversy surrounding the growing homeless population in Portland, one local businessman speaks out on behalf of property owners. 

In an open letter to Mayor Ed Kneeler released this morning, Tom Bucheron, CEO of Empire Property Management, LLC, calls for the Mayor Kneeler to “take action against the epidemic of homelessness in Portland,” which, he goes on to claim, presents undue financial burden on Portland property owners.

Din follows the link to a PDF of the letter, looking up from his screen to observe Charlie as it loads. 

On her perch at the top of the ladder, she paints while singing along to some 80’s power ballad on the radio. The blonde bun at the crown of her head, lops from one side to the other as she bops around to the beat. 

With her constant squawking and beak of a nose, she sometimes resembles an ill-tempered bird. This only solidifies the likeness in his mind. A yellow cockatiel whose domesticity never took. She screams and nips at those who dare try closing her cage door. 

She glances back over her shoulder, so he drops his eyes to the screen of his tablet. 

Mayor Ed Kneeler: 

I call upon you today to take action against the epidemic of homelessness in Portland. 

In recent years, we have seen a dramatic rise in homelessness, drug-related and violent crimes, and overdoses. We have also seen property values plummet as of late. I have been residential property management and real estate investment for 34 years. I’ve seen property values ebb and flow with the market, and can say with certainty that our current state is unprecedented.

Homeless encampments are epicenters for crime and disease, sprouting up through the cracks of our beautiful city and spreading at a disastrous rate. Property values suffer. As such, the real Portland citizens suffer. Those of us who have families and homes here. The real Portland citizens, we invest in our community through fellowship and commonwealth. We are the lifeblood of this city and we are suffering dearly. Dually so are Portland property owners. Our property values plummet with the blight of homelessness. Not only that, but we also foot the bill for welfare and social programs with our taxes so that the City can enable the miscreants that come in droves to suck up our resources. 

In a lineup of cities comparable in size and population density, Portland stands out for all the wrong reasons: low property values, high crime rates, high taxes, and an epidemic of homelessness. Cities that rigorously enforce vagrancy laws reap the benefits of higher property values and lower crime rates. 

It couldn’t be clearer. The City should strive to eradicate homelessness in Portland, not enable it. Today I ask that you enact a citywide ban on vagrancy and start disbanding encampments. 

The only reason I ask this of you in such a public forum, Mayor Kneeler, is because I question your motives for not addressing this matter sooner. 

Do you act on behalf of the real citizens of Portland, or in your own self-interest? If your peers in the Democratic Party frown upon law and order, does that affect your decision-making? While pondering whether or not to act on this problem, what holds more weight? Potential backlash to your career, or the burdens suffered by real citizens of Portland? 

Please do not let your pursuit of legacy destroy our beloved city. Step up and do what’s right. 

Sincerely, 

Tom. 

Din saves the PDF and checks on Grogu, still curled up in a ball beneath his chair. He looks up at Charlie, who went quiet when the radio started warbling the weekend forecast. 

As she rolls green acres onto the sign with quick, short strokes, her fluffed-up bun still bops back and forth like she’s dancing with just her head. Probably singing to herself. 

Did she tell him the truth about what happened in Portland? 

It shouldn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. Whether it’s true or not, she was right. He’s delivering her to the slaughterhouse. 

Normally he finds comfort in this ambivalence. This time it settles like lead in his belly, heavy and poisonous. 

He digs the phone from his pocket and dials Karga. 

“Din! Just the man I wanted to speak to.”

He frowns, “Why?” 

“The client is looking for an update on the asset. You still have it, correct?” 

“Yes.” 

“When can they expect your arrival?”

His gaze wanders to Charlie, painting away without a care in the world. Guilt twists his stomach raw. 

“What do they want with her?” 

A beat goes by before Karga responds. 

“They didn’t tell me and I didn’t ask. Neither should you, if you know what’s good for you.” 

Din looks down at the gravel and nods. “I’ll have her there by Sunday at the latest.” 

[kenobiwanx]

din djarin x oc commission ✨️