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alpineglowx · 3 years

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I'll Do The Same {Din Djarin x OC} Chapter Five: Nightmares

pairing: din djarin x female oc

warnings: none

* * * *

“I respect your boundaries, your rights as a bounty hunter. But I need you to know that I’m in this for the long haul, whatever it takes. You can kick me off right now but I want to let you know that I’m not leaving without having said my peace. I love that kid, and I care about you too. I know we have a lot to go through, but I’m willing to do this. I don’t know what it all entails, bringing the kid to his own people, having him choose his own path, but I at least want to try. Because I didn’t give enough of a fight last time something like this happened, and I’m not going to do it again.”

The Mandalorian eyed her for the longest time, Grogu’s dark eyes staring back at her as well. She waited, taking a deep breath until he finally said,

“It’ll be dangerous.”

“I know,” Thell admitted.

“I’m a Mandalorian. You know I can handle this task myself.”

Thell threw her hands up defensively. “I’m... I’m not saying all of this just because I don’t think you could do it, in fact... you’re probably one of the best qualified people in the galaxy to do it.”

“Then why offer to help?”

Thell hung her head, debating her answer as she eyed the skyline of Coruscant just beyond the Razor Crest.

“I...I know it sounds kind of selfish, but I don’t have anywhere else to go. I don’t know anyone else, Mando. And even though the circumstances have been... strange, to say the least, I've enjoyed my time. And I'm not totally useless... I did save his life once or twice, if I remember correctly.”

Thell risked a glance at him, tentatively, until she looked at the kid again.

“I could still help with whatever you need, and I promise I won't get in your way. I mean, you’ve probably needed help before, right?... I'll stay out of your business. And when this is all over, I'll find my own way. I promise.”

A long pause. “It won’t be easy, Thell.”

She set her shoulders. “I know the risks. But I’m alone right now. My parents, my home, everything I’ve ever known is gone. I don’t have somewhere to call my own. So what do I have to lose?”

“You know you could risk getting a bounty placed on your head, too?”

Thell nodded. “I’m aware. But... he’s more important to me than any of that.”

She let her gaze linger on Grogu, held tightly in the Mandalorian’s arms. Reaching one arm out, she delicately let her hand rest on his head, rubbing his ear with her thumb. He murmured happily, wrapping one small hand around her thumb.

“Okay.”

Thell’s eyes drifted back to the Mandalorian’s helmet, to the V slit, and she could feel her heart beat a little faster. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“I promise I won’t bother you incessantly, or ask a million questions. I know you don’t like that.”

“You know how to shoot?”

“Uh,” Thell stuttered. “Not particularly.”

“You’ll have to learn if you want to stay.” As the Mandalorian spoke, Thell could feel her heart rise with joy. “And look after the kid. I’ll show you how to pilot the Razor Crest too just in case of any emergencies.”

“Okay.”

“It’s not easy work. This life... It’s not easy.”

Thell smiled, just a small, crooked smirk in his direction. “Wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Because when he clapped her playfully on the shoulder, and the baby cooed in joy, Thell could only feel more at home than she had ever been.

They started slow, gathering some remaining supplies on Coruscant and flying off into hyperspace for another time. The Mandalorian was still quiet, no more talkative than he had been when she was only supposed to stay with them for a month. That had passed now, and while he had opened up to her some, he was still quiet.

She wondered how long this journey would take them. Mando seemed desperately attached to the kid, as much as he would probably deny it if she really asked, so she knew this trip wouldn't be an easy one. It hasn't been easy so far. Thell had nearly died trying to get Grogu back to safety that one night in the woods.

But for once, as she lay down to sleep, the steel surroundings of the Razor Crest were warm. She could memorize every crate, indent in the steel, and labeled supply box until she fell asleep. She had no idea how long she would be with the two of them, but for now, she didn’t have to worry about it. While it had taken some persuading and practically begging on her end, Mando had let her stay with them. And while he wasn’t the easiest person to be her true self in front of, she was figuring that out too. Who was she when she was no longer a servant, but a person all her own?

The first night with her strange new family, Thell woke with a start. Sweat streaked down her face and neck and she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. The cargo hold was silent around her except for the constant humming of the Razor Crest. They had stopped in the atmosphere of an uninhabited planet, safe for the moment to sleep for the night.

The hammock bed that Mando had swung up for her rocked as she rubbed her eyes, trying to clear her vision. She could hear the baby snoring softly in the sleeping chamber across from her, and debated throwing her blanket back over her shoulders to fall asleep again. But something like fear was gnawing at her, so Thell swung her legs over the side, carefully maneuvering to slide back down to the floor and grab her cloak. The door to the sleeping chamber was cracked, and she peeked inside out of pure curiosity; but the bed was empty, and she couldn’t see the Mandalorian in the cargo hold. She made her way up quietly to the cockpit to find the Mandalorian lounging in the pilot’s seat.

At her entry, he made no remark, so Thell quietly sat herself down in the adjacent seat, leaning her head back to rest comfortably. She could see Mando from the corner of her eye, his gaze fixed on the stars outside. The silence was comfortable, so Thell relaxed against the seat, letting her eyes follow the trail of stars outside.

“Are you okay?”

At his sudden question, Thell nearly jumped.

“Uh, yeah...,” Thell muttered. “I’m fine.”

He didn’t respond for a long moment, and when he did, his voice was low.

“You seem shaken.”

Thell squirmed in her seat. “I... think I had a nightmare. When I used to have them back home, I would go to a place where I could see the stars. It calmed me down...” she explained, then whispered under her breath, still does.”

Her eyes wandered, pinpointing constellations and planets. A month had gone by and she still wasn’t used to sitting in the vastness of space, with the stars and planets just at her fingertips.

“That’s Mon Cala... I think,” she said, pointing to a bluish dot in the distance. “And D’Qar’s over there. Naboo should be right there next to it.”

She could hear the Mandalorian huff through his helmet. “You know you’re stuff.”

Thell couldn’t help but smile, mildly proud of herself. “My mom used to teach me the star systems every night when I was kid... Not sure why, but it helped distract me from everything else. Guess it can come in handy now.”

Thell’s words drifted off, until she set her eyes on Mando again, genuinely curious. The glow from space littered onto his helmet, showering the Beskar in starlight.

“Don’t take this the wrong way... but how long has it been since you took it off?”

“Last night,” he responded quickly, almost comically.

“I...,” Thell started. “I mean... Since someone saw your face.”

The Mandalorian crossed his arms over his chest, relaxing against the seat. Thell wondered if she had stepped over a boundary of his until he spoke again.

“I was young. No one has seen my face since I swore the Creed.”

“And the Creed... it’s like your code? Your way of life?”

“Yes.”

“Oh,” Thell murmured, and sank back against her seat. Whatever dreams or wishes she had of ever seeing his face might as well be crushed.

“What color is your hair?” He slowly turned her direction, until Thell had to throw her hands up. “What? You get to see my face all the time.”

“It’s brown.”

. . . .

“Hold it here, on the grip. And make sure that the safety is off before you shoot.”

“The safety?”

“Right here. It doesn’t let you fire if it’s on.”

Thell’s eyes widened. “Oh. Okay.”

The Mandalorian passed the small black blaster to her, to which she hesitantly wrapped her fingers around the grip.

“Hold it even with your shoulder, one hand to stabilize yourself.”

Thell did as he had instructed, carefully pointing the blaster to a target he had set up several yards away. They had landed on a small desert planet just outside a small neighboring village. The air was more dry and warm here than Thell had ever experienced, and she was constantly wiping sweat away from her eyes.

She shook droplets from her forehead against before readjusting her arm, pointing the blaster towards the target. The last time she had held a blaster was the night she had first met him, the one the guard had forced into her hands.

He had killed that guard, and it suddenly rocked her.

Slowly, she set her arms down, letting them rest at her sides. The Mandalorian was quiet, but Thell could sense he was waiting for her to shoot. After a moment, he asked,

“What’s wrong?”

Thell couldn’t make eye contact with him; she could only see the blaster being shoved into her hands, all over again.

“I... I can’t do this right now,” she said, starting to stumble back. “I need a break.”

As she turned to leave, she felt the Mandalorian’s iron grip on her wrist, keeping her close.

“Thell,” he said, gazing down at her. “What’s going on?”

Instead of answering, she gently placed the blaster in his empty hand and pulled out of his grip, turning her back to him.

Taking a deep breath, she answered, “The last time I held a blaster was the night you took Darand. It was given to me from a guard you killed.”

When all the Mandalorian did was stay quiet, Thell said, in a rather low tone, “There was blood on the blaster. His blaster. It was the one I was defending myself with... but why? Why am I using one now if just to do the same thing?”

“Because you chose this.”

“But I... I can’t kill someone. Having that weapon in my hands... it felt like too much power. It was too much power.”

“Sometimes we can’t make those calls.”

Thell turned, slowly, peered at him from the corner of her eye. “What do you mean?”

“... Sometimes the moment comes too quick, and we’re forced to make a decision: we choose to live, or we die. You would protect the kid, wouldn’t you? Protect yourself?”

“Yes... but I... At what cost?”

“You can’t ask yourself those questions when you're forced in the moment. But you can decide right now whether or not the kid is that important to you.”

Thell could feel tears in her eyes; she knew she had to make the decision, but somehow, it was pressing against her harder than she had imagined. This was all part of becoming her new self, her identity as a new person. She knew she didn’t want to be a killer, she never would be.

But if it meant protecting herself, the kid, and even Mando himself, she would do it.

But she could only nod, blinking away tears.

“Then you know why I’m giving you this.” When he passed her the blaster again, Thell took it with trembling hands.Without Mando having to instruct her, she raised the blaster at shoulder level again, switching off the safety with ease. The weapon still shook, so Thell closed her eyes, letting the fear wash away momentarily as she realized that she was in control.

With her eyes back open, and every intent and all attention focused on the target, she fired, shooting straight through the center of the circle and leaving a gaping, blazing hole.

“I’m not saying it’s easy, but sometimes it’s all you have.”

Mando trained her during the first week, until Thell felt comfortable enough shooting the targets. The nightmares remained, now wrought with blurry images of standing over that guard, and Thell still found herself wandering into the cockpit. The Mandalorian had never been much of a conversationalist, but it eased her to know that he didn’t mind her company. He didn’t hide away once she entered or showed disinterest in her conversation topics. In fact, she was getting to know him too. He was, slowly but surely, becoming her friend. At night, amidst starlight, she felt more comfortable not being expected to hold a blaster and fire at targets. Here, she felt more herself.

“Do you ever sleep?” She asked him one night.

“Yes.”

“... just seems like you’re in here most nights.”

“You are, too.... we train all day. Aren’t you tired?”

Part of her was.

“I... a bit. But I enjoy this.”

“Hm,” was all the Mandalorian said.

Getting a reading of his emotions had been the hardest part for Thell. Without seeing his face, or hearing much of a tone change in his modulated voice, it was hard for her to pinpoint exactly how he was feeling. He didn’t seem annoyed at her most days, but sometimes doubt would creep into her mind. Was he going to change his mind in letting her stay if she asked too many questions? What were the right questions to ask? Who was this guy, anyway?

But he seemed to get there first.

“Still having the nightmares?”

Thell’s brows raised. “Um... Yeah. I am.”

“What do you see?”

She leaned against the seat, trying to figure out what he was getting at. “That guard you killed... The one that gave me the blaster.”

“You see him every time you hold it.” When she nodded, the Mandalorian continued. “That’s the fear holding you back, Thell. You’ll have to learn to overcome it.”

“How?”

“You have to fight your own demons... figuring out who you want to be.”

Finally, was all Thell could think. All she had ever wanted to be, since she was a kid, was her own person, not a husk of someone who had come before her or the expectations of another.

But having someone else put it into words was more than frightening, and all she could think of were the millions of questions that were racing through her head. How does she find out who she’s meant to be, where she’s meant to be? Who is she without her parents or original home?

But she could deal with those questions later, or she knew they would consume her would she let them sit. Instead, she perked up, directing her attention back at the Mandalorian.

“Mando?”

“Yes?” His voice was nearly soft, his attention focused on the stars outside the cockpit window.

But Thell’s eyes were on the strange signet on his right shoulder pauldron, an animal of some sort with a large horn. It was a symbol for something, and Thell knew it.

“The symbol on your shoulder,” she started, pointing to her own shoulder. “What is it?”

“It’s the sign of the Mudhorn.”

Thell’s brows creased. “And... what’s it for?”

“It’s my Clan.”

“Clan Mudhorn, then?” At her question, Mando nodded. “I haven’t heard of that clan before...”

“It’s because it’s just the kid and me... I had to fight a Mudhorn on Tatooine to get back pieces of the Razor Crest that Jawas had stolen from me.” The way he spoke of the past, how recent Thell wasn’t sure, made him warmer in her mind. This strange crew of two, a rugged Mandalorian and his adopted green baby, were their own clan.

Thell couldn’t help but feel a slight fondness rise in her soul for them. Yes, she loved them, the kid especially, before he had agreed to take her on to help his cause, but now something was different. Because the child wasn’t just this small, helpless creature, and the Mandalorian was not the same man that had walked in on her that night with Grogu in her arms, a blaster pointed directly at her face. He had been ready to kill her, would have, if she hadn’t let Grogu go.

She still didn’t know them very well, but she knew he wouldn’t kill her now. No, maybe not ever. Because she was risking tooth and limb, every opportunity she had at some normalcy in her life, to return this child to where he belonged. And she would gladly do it if it meant having Mando accompany her, protect her. He didn’t see her like everyone else did, like the daughter of a servant, like a lower class citizen. And it made something deep swell within her heart, a feeling she had never allowed herself to feel before.

She just wondered if he felt any ounce of the same thing she did.

“Does the name Sai’Lya have any significance?”

His question tore her out of her trance, and Thell blinked to look at him clearly.

“I don’t think so. Why... Do you know something?”

He shook his head lightly, his attention turning back towards the stars. “I don’t.”

“Hm,” Thell muttered, slouching against her seat and letting her fingers toy with the leather cord around her neck, the one holding the necklace to her body.

“Oh!” She exclaimed, nearly jumping up from the seat and wondering if she had scared Mando.

“I do have one thing of my dad’s... I was gonna show you, the night those people shot at us.”

His helmet slowly turned her way as Thell fished the necklace out from inside her tunic, gently turning it over and in Mando’s direction. It was small, made of some smooth metal, depicting some leonid creature: a cat with large fangs.

“I’m not sure what it is,” Thell explained with a shrug as she turned to lean towards him. “But it’s the only thing I’ve ever had of my father’s.”

Suddenly, Mando went rigid as his eyeline found the necklace, and Thell felt her blood go cold. He leaned forward, ever so slowly.

“Mando, is something wrong?” She asked, her voice shaking. “What’s going-"

His hand suddenly shot forward, the gloved fingers gently holding the necklace out. He was close now, so close Thell could clearly hear him breathing under the helmet.

“This,” he started, and Thell swore she could hear his voice break under the mask.

“This is Mandalorian.”

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alpineglowx · 3 years

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I'll Do The Same {Din Djarin x OC} Chapter Ten: Vulnerable

pairing: din djarin x female oc

warnings: none

* * * *

Din was gone.

Everything was gone.

All Thell could see was darkness, even when she lifted her hands and pressed them to her eyes. The only thing she could make out was the steady drop of water somewhere ahead of her. Feet moving like she was walking on glass, Thell prowled forward, one foot hesitantly in front of the other. The air was like ice on her skin, causing her back and arms to burst out in goosebumps.

The steady drops of water only continued, growing louder as she stepped closer. But there was a single light, an omniscient glow that illuminated the puddle at her feet. But it wasn’t water at all, just a growing circle of crimson blood that was beginning to pool around her feet.

Thell stumbled back, landing on her backside with a terrified shriek. Blood splashed around her, clumping on her ankles, painting her hands in red. Breaths quaking in her chest, Thell raised her hand to her face, to the blaster that was suddenly gripped tight in her hand. The one that Din had given her a month ago.

And when she settled it next to her waist, one of the bandits from Pasaana, the strange humanoid creature, was looking back at her from several yards away. Standing like a ghost, blood dripping down his arm and trailing like small rivers off his fingers. Her hand rose like she was a droid, against her own mind, against her own instinct.

“No, no,” Thell stuttered, trying to grab the blaster with her other hand, the one covered in thick blood.

But her hand wouldn’t stop moving until she had positioned it directly at the creature, trembling in her hand like she was being electrocuted. Tears streamed from her ears, but they were thicker than water, and tasted like iron on her lips.

“Stop...” Thell begged. “Please.”

But the blaster fired anyway, launching her head back and colliding with a wall. A crack, either from her head or the wall, resounded in her ears, and her vision blurred. The blaster was gone, and the blood had washed away, but the cold hadn’t subsided.

A figure surrounded by a drab gray wall hovered above her, creaking like the hull of the Razor Crest and casting her in deep shadows.

It was Bleys Darand, her former master, frozen like a ghost in a carbonite shell.

. . . .

Thell woke up screaming, the effort burning her throat as she pushed herself to a sitting position. Her arms trembled as she gathered the blankets close to her chest, heaving out shaking breaths. She cried into the blanket, dry heaving into the material to try and block out the sounds of her sobbing.

Above her own loud breathing, she heard Grogu whimpering in his bed. He was crying softly, bending over the hammock he slept in to look down at her.

“Oh, gosh,” Thell croaked, reaching towards him. “Sorry, buddy.”

She took hold of him, groggily peering down at the kid while she curled him into her lap. He had calmed down quite a bit, murmuring in her blanket.

“Thell?”

She had barely heard the Mandalorian enter, standing with one hand braced against the wall and peering down at her from the entrance of the chamber. Thell trembled, the breath catching in her throat.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, and he sounded like he had been to hell and back. “Why are you shaking?”

He bent forward before Thell could even think, and she flinched, holding the kid close.

“Hey, what happened?”

The tears came again before she even cared, pouring down her cheeks like rivers. She could sense Din moving closer, but all she could do was shake her head as Grogu even tried to comfort her, snuggling into her sleeping tunic.

“Thell.”

And suddenly Din was closer than he had ever been, resting with one leg propped up on the cot and one hand placed hesistantly in the crook of her arm. Eyes blurry with tears, and her throat constricting from holding in sobs, she gently went to push his hand away.

She had been too shaken from the dream as it was, and she knew she felt too vulnerable having him so close. She could have easily grabbed his hand back, leaned into him, felt his warmth despite the chill of the Beskar. She wanted to hug him, see what color his eyes were, tell him just exactly how thankful she was for him coming into her life and how much he meant to her.

But she couldn’t, because it went against everything he believed in, and she couldn’t take that from him. Even if her feelings begged her to.

So when she pushed his hand away, she regretted it.

“I-I’m sorry,” she sobbed, pushing the palms of her hands into her eyes. “I’m just so s-scared.”

“Why?” His voice was gentle. “What happened?

“I... I killed those people, back on Pasaana... I-I keep s-seeing them, their faces in my dreams,” Thell choked out, running a hand through her hair. “I’m just so scared, Din.”

“Of what?”

She whipped to face him, holding her arms over her chest. “Of myself! This isn’t me! I was a servant all my life... I haven’t known anything like this. I never wanted to kill anyone, but here I am, two months deep into this insane trip with you and the kid, and I’m killing people. How do I go back after something like this? I didn’t want this, Din!”

She thought he might yell at her, or storm off in silence like he did sometimes. She didn’t expect him to suddenly reach out, brushing a wisp of hair that had strayed in front of her eyes. He moved it behind her ear, his fingertips curling gingerly to cup her cheek and lift her chin. He was trying to look at her, even through the mask. Even through the glove, Thell felt the warmth from his hand seep into her skin.

He had never been this gentle before, and Thell had never expected him to be. He continued to surprise her, day after day.

“You are not a murderer,” he told her, almost sternly. “You only killed them to protect me. That doesn’t mean you have to think of yourself like that.”

She could feel Grogu in her lap, grasping gently at her hand as Din’s hand left her face.

“Din...” Thell breathed, finally able to speak despite her tears.

“What is it?”

“How do you do this? How... how do you carry weapons on your back knowing what they could do?”

“Weapons are a part of my religion. I wouldn’t be Mandalorian if I didn’t have them. But that doesn’t mean I always use them to kill. I have to defend myself, too... it... it’s not always easy on my conscience, Thell.”

Thell swallowed hard, rubbing her thumb under her eyes. “How do you deal with it all?”

“... I move on to the next job.”

It wasn’t the answer she was hoping for, but it seemed like the only one he could give.

“I... I didn’t get to, uh, send them off properly.”

“Why? They were trying to kill us.”

Thell shrugged. “They were... but along the way they were someone, weren’t they?”

He didn’t respond.

“Growing up, when someone I knew died, I would say a word to them... a farewell of sorts.”

“... What word?”

“Udesiir.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Din went rigid, and Thell looked him up and down.

“What?”

“It’s Mando’a. It means... to be at peace, to rest.”

“She’s dead, Thell.”

Bleys Darand stood above her, one hand on her shoulder. Thell was numb, only staring blankly at the sheet covered body that lay on a table only feet in front of her.

She knew her mother was dead. She knew the minute she had told her to go away so she could talk with Darand.

“You can say goodbye.”

He motioned her forward, and with trembling legs, Thell walked to where her mother lay. She couldn’t peel back the sheet, barely lift her own hand to her forehead and whisper the word her own mother had taught her.

She knew the word. She had said it countless times. She would say it almost eighteen years later, crouched over the bleeding body of one of Darand’s guards, the night she met Din and Grogu. The night her entire life changed.

Little had she known that it had been of the Mandalorian language all this time.

“My mother taught me it from a young age,” Thell explained, drawing her knees to her chest. “We would say it anytime someone in our house died.”

He stood, watching her like a statue.

“Let’s take a break.”

Thell blinked. “What? What type of break?”

“We’ll stop running, just for a little while. I know a safe haven not far from where we are. We could stay there for a bit, recuperate. No weapons, no enemies. Just the three of us.”

Thell beamed, looking at him with wide eyes. She just hoped he saw how thankful she was.

“What about Grogu? What about getting him back to where he is supposed to be?”

“We’ve already been out two months. I think we can spare a few days... what do you say, kid?”

Grogu tilted his head at the Mandalorian, cooing softly.

“I’ll take that as a yes... Thell?”

“Yeah... okay. That sounds nice.”

Din started to turn away, and before she could stop herself, her hand was on his arm, holding him in place.

“Could you... If you’re not doing anything, could you stay close by while I sleep?”

His attention was on her for only a moment before he turned, settling back against the wall just below the window to the sleeping chamber. Thell placed Grogu back in his hammock, tucking him back under his blanket before settling under her own. She had just closed her eyes, dimming the lights, when she heard Din speak.

“If it’s any consolation, your father would be proud of you.”

Another tear strayed down her cheek. “... Thank you.”

They stayed in a comfortable silence, listening to the hum of the Razor Crest as Thell dragged the blanket up to her chin. She could still sense Din sitting outside, just like she had asked him to.

Thell sniffed harshly. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Yes.”

“... What color are your eyes?”

A pause.

“Brown. Like yours.”

. . . .

“Welcome to Naboo.”

Thell practically smushed her face against the glass of the cockpit window, too excited to sit down for the remainder of the landing.

The landscape was beautiful, all rolling hills and waterfalls and forests. Somewhere in the distance, on their flight over, she had seen round-topped settlements of blue and white, and gardens with flowers of every color. So when they finally landed, Thell was already waiting at the drop ramp. Grogu was next to her, cooing excitedly when the ramp opened.

“Just be careful,” she heard Din call as she practically flew down the ramp, the pain in her back having subsided to a subtle bruise.

They had landed in the middle of a large field surrounded by cliffs and waterfalls, at the edge of a small forest. The grass was up to her knees, brushing like whispers against her legs as a sweet breeze rolled through the air. The sky was clear, completely devoid of clouds, and the sun felt like kisses on her skin. Thell closed her eyes, letting her head fall back as she let the wind wash over her, cleansing her, renewing here. It felt like a paradise compared to the other planets they had been on.

Grogu was yelling behind her, waddling down the ramp after her. Whipping around, she walked back to the kid, carefully situating him so he could grasp her head while sitting on her shoulders.

“You good?” Thell asked, tilting her head up to catch a peek of those floppy green ears. He was making more noise than usual, but he sounded happy.

“You two look pleased.”

Thell turned, catching Din’s gaze as he came close to them and smiling widely. She couldn’t help it.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “Perfect really. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Good... we’ll leave at the end of the week.”

Thell let her gaze linger on his helmet, admiring how the sun shone off his armor. He looked more relaxed here, even having left his larger weapons on the ship.

“Thank you,” Thell said, bumping his arm with her elbow. He silently dipped his head, and Thell opened her mouth to say something, but she wasn’t sure what. Instead, she turned back towards the sights around her, feeling Grogu playing with her hair. Despite her nightmares, and the uncertainty she felt about the future with Din and Grogu, her heart finally felt at peace.

She spent the day exploring the surroundings with Grogu attached to her shoulders, holding tightly to her head and poking at her when he wanted to get down. Even from a distance, she could see Din watching out for them, keeping a close eye on the tree line as he surveyed their location. To Thell, it seemed completely safe, uninhabited, but she knew he was just making sure no one would catch them off guard.

They walked to waterfalls and the bottom of towering cliffs where strange birds descended, catching fish in the streams that flowed. Thell kept close to Grogu, noticing he was always curious and willing to put himself in danger if something interested him. She ended up grabbing him several times so he wouldn’t fall in the streams or be pecked at by the birds.

As evening came, and the sun was setting just over the ridge, Thell returned to the ship. She had gone inside for food rations, having left Grogu outside with Din at the border of the forest. Dirt was caked up her pant legs, and her hair was tangled from Grogu messing with it, so she used the fresher as quickly as she could. When she returned, standing at the helm of the drop ramp, she couldn’t see them. However, there was a faint orange glow in the distance, and she could see the Mandalorian’s Beskar reflecting off the light.

With her arms and back full of supplies and food, Thell made her way over to them. Din had set up a fire halfway across the field, far from the Razor Crest but close to a formation of rocks that bordered the forest.

When she came close enough, grass crunching under her feet, she could see Grogu leaning against one of the rocks, eyes wide as he stared at the fire. Din was standing close by, setting his blaster aside when both of them turned to look at her. Thell stood silently, her arms full, glancing between them.

“Hey,” Din said.

“Hi.”

Maybe it was because she had showed up with her hair wet, draped over her shoulders, or the fact that she was wearing her mother’s sweater, the one that made her look older, that made Din look at her differently. She couldn’t see his face, or even guess his expressions, but his stance and the way he had turned his head were enough of a giveaway.

Or maybe it was the fire reflecting off her copper hair, cascading her in an orange glow, she wasn’t sure. Maybe due to the fact that he held her face the previous night and spoke to her in such a comforting way.

Or because they shared the same eye color.

Whatever it was, it frightened her, because it made her realize she was starting to look at him that way, too. Sly glances from the corner of her eye, admiring the way he cared for Grogu or piloted the ship. Or how he carried himself with such confidence, but at the same time, held an equal amount of respect for her and for others. He surprised her each and every day, this man that had once been cold and withdrawn from her slowly starting to warm and kind.

He wasn’t half bad looking either, despite never having seen his face.

“I brought dinner,” Thell said, trying to diffuse the tension.

The Mandalorian cleared his throat and stepped up to her, taking the materials in her arms and sitting down next to Grogu. The kid babbled happily when Thell sat down at his other side, warming up the soup next to the fire and watching the flames cascade into the night sky, the embers disappearing amongst the stars.

. . . .

Grogu fell asleep in Din’s arms soon after they had finished eating. It was quiet, the whisper of the wind and crackling of the fire being the only disturbance. Thell’s eyes were on the stars above them, mapping planets, naming constellations in her head. Din was quiet too, his arms wrapped around the kid as he leaned casually against a rock. Grogu had fallen asleep with his hand gripping the Mandalorian’s thumb, his mouth slightly parted as he snored. Thell couldn’t help but sneak a few glances at them while the kid slept, her heart swelling with joy at the scene.

“This place is nice,” Thell whispered, not wanting to directly disturb him.

“It is,” he replied, his voice soft to not disturb the kid. “Do you feel any better?”

Her heart leapt to her throat. She knew that he had wanted a break, but hearing him outright ask her if she was feeling better made a whole world of difference. Did he care about her enough to actually risk them several days, doing virtually nothing but relaxing? She knew he had a mission, to return the kid to where he would be safe, and that was his first priority.

Maybe that was it, too. He wanted more time with the kid. He essentially hadn’t left his side except when Thell had wandered around Naboo with him. When Grogu was near, the Mandalorian was right there with him.

But she couldn’t imagine him leaving the kid. Her mind wandered back to the night she had fallen asleep with Grogu, telling him stories of Luke Skywalker and the Rebellion. The same night she had promised to keep them together, no matter what.

Maybe it wasn’t her place to make that promise, but seeing Din holding his own adopted son so closely, made it all the more clear in her head.

So Thell nodded. “I do. This place feels... safe. I feel safe.”

“Good.”

Din’s attention was on the fire as he held the kid, but Thell couldn’t tear her gaze from him.

“You’ve been alone for a long time,” she said suddenly. “... before him...”

But to her surprise, Din actually responded. “I have.”

“How long?” She ventured to ask.

“Since I was a kid.”

“I’m sorry.... was there... anyone before him?”

“No.” At Din’s response, Thell leaned back, wrapping her mother’s sweater tighter around her sternum.

“Din,” Thell started, eyes flickering back and forth across the night sky. “Can I ask you a serious question?”

“Sure.”

“When we were leaving Trask, after we had spoken to Bo-Katan, you mentioned something about not being able to save your parents... what did you mean when you said that?”

Din was silent for a long time, so long that Thell wondered if he had fallen asleep. But finally, after she had shifted against the grass, he spoke. “My parents were killed by droids when I was young, ones that were sent by the Empire to my village. The Watch came... and they took me. They saved my life.”

Thell’s eyes wandered back to his face, or at least where she knew his face would be under the mask.

“I’m sorry.”

“It was a long time ago.”

“That doesn’t mean it doesn’t still hurt... it’s okay if it does. No kid deserves that.” He went quiet, and Thell bit her lip nervously. “Sorry... It’s not really my place to speak.”

“Don't apologize... I don’t talk to anyone else about it.”

“Oh... well, thank you for telling me anyway.”

“Why were you so hung up on it?”

Thell shrugged. “I don’t know much about your past, or what made you who you are. And I didn’t want to pry, or be rude about it... so I never asked. I know you’re generally a pretty private person, but... I don’t know. I didn’t really expect you to be the type of person who just spills everything.”

“I’ll tell you.”

Thell sat up, resting on her elbows as she looked down at him.

“What?”

“... I’ll tell you about myself. I’ll tell you about the Tribe... if you want.”

He slowly turned to look at her, and Thell beamed. “I would be honored.”

“And you were right.”

“About what?” She cocked her head.

She saw his hand grip the child tighter, his thumb rubbing over Grogu’s cloak. “No kid deserves that.”

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