Back To You - (Din x Reader) Epilogue/Prologue for Close To Home
A/N: IT IS HEREEEEEEE!!! So sorry it took so long. So much happens. I was going to divide this and then I thought, âHmmmmmâŠ. No.â As one does. Another note at the end to avoid spoilers. Seriously. Donât read it until youâve read the whole thing. Youâve been warned. I have spoken. This is the way. Yada yada yada. âŠ..You just jumped forward and came back didnât you? đ Also, once again, there is some lore in this that @writerlyhabitsâ wrote in a fantastic short, and I loved it so much, I asked if I could use it.
There are parts of this you wonât understand if you didnât read the Dincember 2022 Drabble Carry You With Me, but they are very small mentions, you will be fine as a whole if you donât want to read it. But why wouldnât you? đ„ș
(This takes place two years after the other one, and goes to the beginning-ish of episode 1/5 of TBoBF, Return of the Mandalorian.)
I do not own Star Wars or itâs characters. Sadly. But I carry them in my heart. Does that count for something? My soul says yes.
Warnings: Tooth rotting fluff, Grogu being the cutest thing you ever did see, (Nobody touch me heâs still here okay?) and Din is once again a warning in and of himself in this one. Helmetless Din. What? Who said that? đŹ Typical show violence. Swearing. Space swearing. Grogu is a menace. Arguing? Mandoâa. Show dialogue, so spoilers? (But if youâre here, you know how this works.) Return of past characters. Tears. Shenanigans. Lots of banter. Throwback to chapter one with dialogue repeats but in the bestâąïž way, and copious amounts of me trying to work in back to you as a normal thing in a sentence bc why not.
Word count: 16,655 (I said what I said.)
As always, thanks to @grippingbeskar for encouraging me, looking over this for me, and being the one to introduce me to Din fanfiction in the first place, getting me hooked. You are fantastic and I always love our chats.
And for @fordo-kixed-rex, you deserve so much more than a shoutout for reading all 75 million iterations of this massive chapter from start to finish, and helping me in between. Youâre a real one, friend. This series would not have gotten this far without you.
Also a shoutout to @what-the-heckin-heck, @dontletyourchildrenwatchthis, @lloweryourstandardss, and @littlemisspascal for being a sounding board for me over this whole process. (Also to @deceiver-of-gods for all of your help over all the chapters with the Mandoâa. I hope I got it right in this one.)
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Xxx
Two years laterâŠ.
Tatooine was bustling. As always. Vendors with their wares, smells and brilliant sights everywhere you turned. Something new and exciting to pull you in and suck all your credits dry just like the planet's heat stole every drop of moistureâŠ.Â
But it was all nothing without the kid. It was dull and drab without Grogu at your side. His soft babbles, the odd âPatuâ heâd throw at the next snack heâd like to stealâŠ.Â
Dank farrik! Turning away from the hanging frogs at the nearest vendor, you swiped at the most recent batch of tears rising to the surface. Sniffling loudly, you melted into the warm hand that came to rest on your back, eyes fluttering shut.
âItâs okay, meshâla. I miss him, too.â The modulated voice at your ear carried unspoken sorrow of its own, sadness itâd never dare to even whisper into the universe, lest that make it real. If he kept it hidden, secretâŠ. Like his face, nothing in the galaxy could use it against him. Somehow it made him stronger. And you both resented that and wanted to squeeze the life out of him for it at the same time.Â
âItâd be nice if youâd show it once and a whileâŠ.â You grumbled, turning toward him but keeping your eyes cast down to stare at the sand.
His hand fell to his side slowly. âWhat?â Head tilting to the side as he peered down at you in question, barely any space left between you, it leaned the other way when you shook your head with a sarcastic grin.
âNothing. Forget it.â Your eyes lifted up to meet his visor finally, squinting against the glare of the twin suns. âGot everything?â
Din nodded. âAlmost. Just need the-â
His words were cut short when the satchel across his chest suddenly dropped to the ground, the strap cut inconspicuously by a passing Rhodian seeming to casually bump into the Mandalorian only moments before.
You turned to try and find the culprit but Din tugged on your upper arm.Â
âForget about him. Heâs just the-â Both of you looked down at the ground to find the satchel missing, â-distraction.â
You smirked. âI see.â
As Dinâs head began to swivel in search of the thief, you attempted to reach out through the crowd with the Force, searching for the familiar signature of the contents in the satchel.
âHow did you not get an alert?â
Now your head was on a swivel. Directly to the Mandalorian. âA what?â
âYou know.â He wiggled his fingers like Cara always did when referencing the Force. âWhy didnât you know?â
You rolled your eyes with a sigh, looking back to the crowd. âIt doesnât work that way.â The world weary words youâd said a thousand times felt like a mantra at this point. Then after a moment you added, âIâm not a security system.â
âWell that would be handy,â Din said offhandedly, beginning to walk purposefully in the direction the two of you had come not minutes before.
Stumbling after him, your face scrunched like youâd eaten something sour, you pulled on his upper arm to try and turn him around, but it only stopped him, his head still on a swivel. âWait, what?!â
Din sighed in frustration. âI donât know. Iâm just looking for the thief. That bag has something impor-â
âYour old armor, I know.â Dinâs full attention was on you now, his head tilted slightly in question. âEverything has an energy, thatâs a really simplified way of how the Force works. Right now Iâm trying to track the signature of your armor.â
âWhat is it?â He asked hesitantly, his weight shifting to one side.
Smiling softly, you took a step forward, grabbing his hand and pulling him down a side alley toward where you felt the signature grow stronger. âNothing but goodness, Man- Din. Light and strength.â You stumbled over his name, still not used to using his actual moniker in public.
He chuckled at your fumble, shaking his head in disbelief. âFrom that dingy old stuff?â
âItâs not the quality of the armor that Iâm reading.â You looked at his visor over your shoulder, eyebrow raised. âItâs the quality of the warrior who wore it.â Turning back forward to navigate between the street crowded with lifeforms, one side of your mouth lifted in amusement. âThat type of thing leaves an impression.â
âYou didnât answer my question,â he finally grumbled quietly. When you looked back at him once again, your brow arched higher than before, he huffed. âHow did you know it was there?â
Smiling softly as you held the gaze of his visor, you turned back to face forward, moving a bit faster. âYouâre about as subtle as your new armor.â Din let out a soft, annoyed groan. âI saw you packing it back in Peliâs hangar.â
âI can be subtle,â he groused, slowing his steps slightly.
With your own groan, you turned to face him with a toss of your head for emphasis. âYes. So subtle, Mandalorian. My big, shiny tin can. Now come.â Grabbing his hand once again with both of yours, you began to walk backwards, pulling him along with you. âWe have a thief to catch.â
The alley had quieted down, the masses of beings thinned out so it was basically only you and Din, and maybe a handful of beings milling about, using the cross way as a shortcut to somewhere else. No one was lingering, their faces streaking by as they hurried to move on with their day.
âHold that thought.â Din pulled you to a stop, planting his feet as he turned his head toward a crate on his left. On top of the box sat his satchel, untouched, his armor still causing it to look awkward and lumpy. âWe may have just lucked ou-â
A surge of panic behind you caused you to turn toward the source, a small figure darting out of your line of sight as a familiar small voice muttered, âOh shi-â before spinning around in Dinâs hold, his grip around their forearm holding them tight.
âOkay, you little nerf herder, nice try- Sola?â Dinâs voice dropped on the name.
You turned to fully face the pair, eyes going wide on the small girl now a young adult, maybe twelve, possibly thirteen years old now.Â
She looked between the two of you, her expression a mirror of your own, as her body deflated in Dinâs hold, her weight going slack in his grip while she cried in disbelief, âItâs you?!â
You couldnât help the highly intelligent thing that tumbled out of you next. âItâs you?!â
Sola sighed a sigh worthy of a Mandalorian before she grumbled, kicking one foot at the sand path of the alleyway. âI knew I recognized that armband.â
Reaching up, you traced over the ribbons on your left bicep with the tips of your fingers on your right hand, eyes darting down to look at it briefly before they pulled back up to level a stern glare on the girl.
Before anything else could be said, heavy footfalls came racing up behind your little gathering. A female stumbled the last few steps, coming to a stop and collapsing, slapping her hands onto her knees before you could see her face, struggling to catch her breath. You opened your mouth to greet the newcomer, but she held up one finger before you could utter a sound.Â
Din finally muttered in disbelief, âCara?â
Your head whipped over toward the figure, eyes wider still. âItâs you?!â A hand came up to rest on your forehead, massaging back and forth as if that would help things sink in and make more sense. Your brows practically knit together in confusion with this new information, one arching up as you stared at the woman. âIâm so confused.â
Standing up, with one last heavy breath, Cara offered the two of you a tired smile. âFollowing up a lead.â
She held up a hand to stop Din before he could even ask, her eyes closing in mock annoyance. âLong story.â She opened them once again to land directly on you with a wink as Din sighed in exasperation before her attention turned onto Sola, her hand falling to gesture to the adolescent before landing at her side with a graceless slap. âAnd this little womp rat stole my commlink.â
Din looked down at the girl, giving her arm still in his grip a little shake. âThis is Sola.âÂ
The girl shrunk under the stare of three adults.Â
Caraâs gaze flicked up towards his visor, almost accusingly. âFriend of yours?â You nodded, and she sighed, hands going to her hips, weight shifting to one side. âWhy am I not surprised?â
âSola,â you tried calmly, going over to grab Dinâs satchel before it was forgotten in the chaos. âExplain, please.â
âNothing. It was nothing. I just grabbed hers by mistake, thatâs all.â She shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant.
Cara leveled a look on the girl, her tone dry. âOff my belt?â
Sola tried a grin. âWhoops?â
The Marshal lifted the look to Din.Â
âDonât do that to me,â he complained. âI didnât teach her that.â
âDonât even pretend to look at me next, Cara,â you held up your hand to stop her before she even tried. âI only taught her good things.â
Sola rolled her eyes and tried to tug out of Dinâs hold, but the Mandalorian easily held her in place.
âHave a seat,â you offered sweetly, pulling the crate the bag had been on toward you with the Force, and giving her a nudge to sit. âTalk.â
She stared over at the wall behind you, grinning in disbelief. âIt was a dare, okay?â Her eyes pulled up to meet yours, their hard stare melting slightly once they did, revealing something vulnerable, something broken. Her voice softened just slightly, but still held the mock vibrato she started out with, making you huff as she continued. âSome kids dared me to take someoneâs bag, and I was just unlucky enough to choose you.â
âAnd my comlink?â Cara tried.
Sola turned to her with a cheesy grin. âThat was just bad luck on your end.â
âIâll show you bad luck,â Cara grumbled, stepping closer to the teen.
You stepped between them. âCara.â
âWhat?â She barked, trying to peer over your shoulder at the girl before looking you in the eyes.
âNo.â
âShe stole-â
âSheâs a kid,â you corrected. âTell me you didnât do dumb stuff when you were her age. Hell, you do dumb stuff now.â
âYouâre one to talk,â Cara grumbled.
You smirked, arms crossing over your chest as your weight shifted to one leg. âAh, but I travel with a Mandalorian. Whatâs your excuse?â
Cara scoffed. âI knew him first, if weâre going that route.â
âIâm right here,â Din said, somewhat offended, reaching out to gently push Sola down by the shoulder without a second glance when she went to stand up.
You kept your voice even, mildly distracted as you spoke somewhat flippantly. âMandalorians who shot their partner in the leg donât get to talk right now.â
âI didnât shoot you!â He protested, voice going up at the end in agitation.
âYou shot her?â Cara asked at the same time Din spoke, turning to look at him with raised brows.
âI didnât shoot her!â Din corrected before Cara could even finish, his visor swiveling back to you. âIt was a ricochet.â His head tilted to the right as he stared at you. âOn Gideonâs ship. The bolt bounced off the droid when she launched at it, and-â
You waved your hand dismissively, gaze landing on nothing in particular across the street. âSame thing.â
âIt is no-â
âUgh!â Sola threw her head back and groaned, staring at the sky with wide eyes, her voice went up with each following word. âThis is torture!â Her head lowered back to look between the three of you, eyes narrowed to slits before they fluttered shut and she heaved another heavy sigh. âFine. Iâll talk.â She leaned back on her palms on the crate, her face finally relaxing to something more neutral. âJustâŠ. Stop whateverâŠ. This,â she gestured vaguely with one hand while her nose scrunched up slightly in disgust, âis.â
You turned back to face her, nodding for her to go on, but Din interrupted.
âLater.â
You rolled your eyes as he waved his finger at you in admonishment before landing them back on the girl, smiling softly. âGo on, Sola.â
She hesitated before taking a quick breath and letting it all out on an exhale, speaking quickly. âMy parents are diplomats from a planet in the Mid Rim.âÂ
âWoah, woah, woah, slow down, kid!â
Sola glared at you, taking an exaggeratedly deep breath before speaking overly clearly the rest of her explanation. âWeâre here to broker peace between the different ruling houses and our world.â
âHey, if youâre going to have an attitude, we can just leave,â you warned.
âGreat!â Sola beamed. âBye!â She went to rise from the crate but both Din and Cara pushed down on a shoulder on each side respectively, earning a soft oomph! from the teen.Â
She sighed resignedly before going on. âBut as you can probably guess, that goes as smooth as sand in a hyperdrive.â She took a deep breath. âIâm not allowed to do anything. I have to keep up appearances, and stay inside most of the time now because we have gotten death threats after a deal gone bad recently.â
Din visibly stiffened beside her, Cara, too. A chill ran up your spine as she continued.
As she relaxed further back into the crate, her words seemed almost lazy, lackadaisical. âSo I started sneaking out. Nothing major, just needed some fresh air, well, itâs Tatooine, so, air.â Her tone went rigid with her posture, the spark in her fading to a dull ember as her volume faded to a mere murmur. Her index finger traced lines along her knee as her eyes followed the invisible trails it made. âThen I met them.â
âWho?â
Sola met your eyes, almost startled when you asked, like sheâd forgotten people were listening. She shrugged one shoulder, her eyes dropping back down to her lap, her tone still soft. âDoesnât matter. A group of kids. They do petty crimes and stuff, I wasnât going to do anything, but they said they were going to tell the people who had been sending death threats how I was sneaking in and out at night.â Her hand stilled, then began poking at the ankle of her foot tucked up under her absently, her eyes cast down at the ground. âThey had been watching me, I guess. Let them know all our weak points in security. If I didnât do a job for them, then theyâd tellâŠ.â
âAnd one job turned into moreâŠ.â
She nodded at your comment. Her eyes flickering up to meet yours for only a second before they pulled down again.
âWhy didnât you just tell your parents and beef up security?â Dinâs voice was in planning mode.
Sola peered up at him, squinting against the sunsâ light. âAnd prove Iâd let them down?â She looked down at her lap, fiddling her thumbs. âSneaking around, been committing petty crimes? Would you have done that?â
Din looked at the ground, his voice quiet. âProbably not.â
âGive me my comlink,â Cara said, holding out her hand toward the girl.
You huffed, arms crossing over your chest. âReally, Cara? You hear all that and youâre still banging on about your damned-â
Once the device was in her hand, she took a few steps away and spoke into it in a professional voice. âThis is Marshal Dune. Please call off the search. It wasnât stolen, I just dropped it. Sorry for the confusion.â A male voice you couldnât quite make out garbled over static on the other end. âYeah, Iâm fine,â Cara replied, turning to face the three of you. âAlso, Iâm going to take off the rest of the day. Found some booths I want to wander through. Weâll pick up our meeting tomorrow. Yeah. See you then.â
She made her way back over, clipping the comlink to her belt. âI just bought us about twelve hours. Whatâs the plan?â
âPlan?â Sola looked between the three of you with wide eyes.
You smiled. Her gaze was up and off the ground for the first time this conversation. And it was full of hope.Â
âOf course,â you said, smiling gently. âNobody messes with a member of our family and gets away with it.â Sola grinned at your words. Youâd do pretty much anything to keep it there. âNow, letâs go scare some thugs, shall we?â
Xxx
âNow, I know that you packed it,â you said, standing in the fresher of the Crest, voice jiggling as you hopped slightly to pull the armor higher up your chest. âBut I donât know why.â
âOh, the Jedi is stumped, is she?â Dinâs sarcastic amusement was muted through the door, making you roll your eyes.Â
Setting your weight to one hip, you pressed the button, and the durasteel barrier hissed open to reveal your Mandalorian leaning against the frame. His arms across his chest as he waited for you, his posture easy and relaxed, he looked like a growth on the walls of his ship.
Cara and Sola were out in the hangar with Peli, their voices faintly heard along with the annoyed bleeps and bloops of R5 as they echoed off the stone walls and up the open ramp.Â
âNot stumped,â you countered quickly, walking around him to the middle of the cargo hold as you pulled your gloves on, chin held high as you chose your next words with care. His visor followed you as you went. âJustâŠ. Curious.â You finally landed on with a huff, looking down at your hands as they fiddled mindlessly before adding on a mumbled, âAnd Iâm not a Jedi.â
Din pushed off the wall, his head shaking gently in disbelief as he walked toward you slowly. âI was going to have Boba melt it down and forge it into something better.â He stopped somewhere behind you. You were purposely not paying attention, trying not to get distracted and make sure your armor was set up correctly, only faintly registering the absence of the soft thud of his boots on the metallic floor of the Crest right behind you before he went on. âI donât know where the armorer is right now, and itâs not full beskar anyway, so any smith could do it, but I trust him.â
âSomething better?â You turned to face him, head tilted to the side as you clicked your vambraces into place, their gears whirring to life. Stumbling back an inch as you startled, his chest plate brushing against your nose he was so close, you reached out to swat his arm lightly in annoyance, muttering a Donât do that and shaking your hand out to the side with a grimace after it pinged off his beskar. Craning your head back to look up at him properly, you couldnât help the small grin when you found him already peering down at you. âLike what?â
Dinâs head tilted just so to the right. âSomething for you.â He didnât miss a beat.Â
Your eyes widened slightly before they narrowed to slits. âYouâre not going to tell me, are you?â
He was smiling. You could tell by the lilt in his voice as he leaned into the tilt of his head, his body following and started down the ramp. âYou know me so well.â
Reaching out, you grabbed his cape. âNu-uh. Not so fast, Tin Can. Hold up.â Pulling him back to you, though he gave very little resistance, you leaned around to look into his visor when he was a few inches away, his hands on his hips in mock annoyance. âYou donât have to do that.â Your voice had gone soft. He turned to face you fully. âI know that armor is important to you.â
âSo are you.â
You grinned. âSmooth, Shiny. Real smooth.â
Din shrugged one shoulder, his hands falling to rest at his sides loosely. âI have my moments.â
You nodded, starting down the ramp, and talking over your shoulder. âAnd they are few and far between.â
Din scoffed. âLucky for you. You couldnât handle me at full throttle.â
Grinning, you looked down at your vambraces and twisted them a bit. âThat sounded like a threat.â
âItâs whatever you wanted it to be, meshâla.â
âYou look like a Mando.â Solaâs voice pulled your attention away from the man at your back before you could reply.Â
âWhat? In beskar?â You gestured to the armor down your body. âNo.â
The young girl rolled her eyes at you.
Grinning, you reached up to adjust your scarf tucked in to make the armor fit a bit better, and noticed her posture go rigid.
âYou kept it,â she mumbled, pointing lamely toward the blue material around your neck.
âYeah? Why wouldnât I?â
She shook her head. âNo, itâs not that. Itâs justâŠ.â She pulled at her flowing poncho, revealing her bright pink scarf, still vivid as ever, tucked away underneath, close to her heart. âI have mine, too,â she amended softly. âI keep it hidden so it doesnât get dirty or torn.â
âKind of like my armbandâŠ.â You mumbled, closing the last few steps between you before reaching out to softly roll the fabric of her scarf between your thumb and index finger as she traced the ribbon on your bicep with the tips of her own.
âI still have no idea what hyperspace looks like,â she mused, staring at the glittering fabric with a sad smile. âI was so little when we came here, and my parents wouldnât let me anywhere near a cockpit. Iâve only ever been in a cabin while the ship was moving. No viewportsâŠ.â She met your eyes again, hand falling to her side. âSupposedly we flew beside some purrgil and even then they wouldnât let me look.â
Letting your own hand fall to your side, fiddling with the air aimlessly, you held her gaze. âWhy not?â
Sola shrugged. âNot sure. They said something about safety at the time, and I just never pressed it, but now it just feels suffocating.â
âI know itâs annoying,â Din chimed in softly from behind you, his shadow looming over the young girl in the dying sunâs light, âbut I would give anything to have my parents be overbearing one more time.â
Solaâs eyes flew up to the Mandalorian. âWhat happened to them?â
âA story for another time,â he said stoically, turning to the right and going deeper into the hangar. âLetâs confirm the plan.â
You turned with Cara and Sola on your left to head that way, Peli falling in step on your right as the droids followed along behind.
âThey arenât around anymore. It happened when he was very young, about the same age as when we met you. Thatâs why he became a Mandalorian. Thatâs all Iâll say,â you offered quietly. âThe rest is his story to tell.â
The first stars were twinkling overhead as the sky said good night in brilliant shades of red and orange.Â
Once your party had circled around one of Peliâs many cluttered tables off to the side, the top of it littered with ship parts, Din turned to you.Â
âGar beskar'gam jate slanar?â (âYour armor good to go?â)
You nodded. âElek. An jate.â (âYes. All good.â)
Sola turned her head slowly up toward Cara, one brow arched in confusion.
The Marshal slowly shook her head, eyes closed. âThey do thisâŠ.â
âDo what?â You asked, brows knit toward your friend.
Cara leveled you with a look. âStart speaking in any one of a thousand languages none of the rest of us know.â
R5 started beeping animatedly, trilling as he wheeled back and forth on his treads excitedly, and ended on a raspberry, making you and Peli laugh.
âOh, great,â Cara rolled her eyes, âeven the droidâs are in on it.â
BD and Treadwell made their way into the circle, the Pit droids not far behind, all of them chattering away as they approached you until Din sent a blaster shot pinging off of a piece of scrap pipe over in a corner.
The droids all screeched before going silent, freezing in their steps as Peli cried in protest, âHey! Watch it!â
âYeah, we donât want another ricochet,â you mumbled, adjusting your armor for no good reason besides looking down and away from his judgemental visor.
Cara and Sola snickered from their spots across the table from you, the weight of Dinâs stare beside you nothing short of stifling.
âIf you stare any louder, Din, they may ask you to be quiet all the way on Coruscant,â you muttered quietly, adjusting your vambraces needlessly for the umpteenth time to hide the growing smirk across your face.
âIâll just tell them itâs because of you, they'll understand. Garner sympathy.â
Only your eyes lifted up to glare daggers at his visor, his head tilting to the side teasingly as he held your gaze.
âThe plan?â You groused, looking across the table with a sigh as your weight shifted to one side - away from the Mandalorian.Â
His tone was light, as if it held a smile, while he laid out the steps of the plan one more time. âSola said they would be meeting her back at the market in an hour. She meets them as planned. The three of us follow her, and stick around in the shadows, as inconspicuously as possible-â
âSays the man whoâs a walking mirror.â
Din didnât even bother to look at you, only sighing at your remark, his shoulders rising and falling with the effort before he went on. âFrom there, we follow them back to their base of operations. From what weâve heard, shouldnât be too hard to get into. We get in, cause a little chaos, get them to release Sola from thisâŠ. Contract, then we leave as quietly as we came.â
âNo one dies.â
Cara nodded at your words, Din nodding once in agreement, his body going stiff at your next statement.Â
âEven if we run into a Jawa.â
He took a deep breath to begin to protest, but you held up a finger to stop him, mocking his words from earlier.
âLater.â
Xxx
Spotting the culprits was easy enough. They werenât sly about anything as they paraded through the streets with their puffed up chests, smirking as people scattered from them should they get too close. They hassled a vendor or two, shaking them down for a payout, and Cara grumbled beside you, gripping the buckle that showed she was a Marshal tightly through her poncho she wore to conceal it.
Before you could do anything, Din was hot on their heels, handing the vendors a stack of credits to make reparations as soon as the thugsâ backs were turned. They would try and insist he keep it, lightly shoving the money back into his hands, but Din somehow managed to sweet talk them into accepting every time, his head ducked down slightly, hand over theirs in a calming gesture. You wished you could hear what he said.
âIâve never seen this side of him,â Cara muttered offhandedly. âCaring, soft almost. It looks good on him.â
âYeah, it does,â you agreed softly. âThatâs how he is with the kid. Grogu brought out a side of him I donât think would have seen the light of day otherwise.â
She elbowed you. âOh, I dunno. Youâre pretty persuasive. Think itâdâve come out eventually.â
You slid only your eyes sideways to look at her. âWhy must you shit talk me?â
âBecause if I donât Iâll simply fade away. It gives me sustenance. I could go days without food, but teasing you? That simply wouldnât do.â
Turning your head to peer at her incredulously, you spoke in a low voice after a long moment of silence. âIâm going to go stand over there,â you pointed behind you, âas far away from you as possible right now.â
Cara scoffed. âGood. Go. Your beskar'gam is drawing too much attention, anyway.â
With a grin, you began walking backwards down the street, keeping to the shadows. âAw, you paid attention.â
Your friend glared at you. âDonât make me regret it.â
A shit eating grin was across your face. âYouâre speaking MandoâaâŠ.â
Cara huffed, her attention turning back to the street as she mumbled, âLast time I make that mistake.â
Stopping short, you stood up straight. âAw, donât be afraid to show your feelings, Cara. Feelings are a good thing. They make us human-â
âIf you donât stop talking-â
âAre you two done?â Dinâs voice across the alley from the two of you pulled both sets of eyes his way. âThey left a few minutes ago, but I couldnât get a word in edgewise, what with your bickering.â His head swiveled between you and the Marshal, judgment heavy through his visor. âSola is with them, I gave her a tracker, slipped it to her when no one was looking while someone,â he looked at you pointedly, âwasnât paying attention.â
âI was paying attention,â you groused, voice lowering as you kicked at the sand below your feet. âJust not to that.â
âShe was talking about you,â Cara tattled, stepping out of the shadows and into the moonlight, stretching like a loth cat.
âSo were you!â You protested, also stepping into the nightlight, making Cara squint as she held up a hand as if to block the glare of the reflection off your armor. Swatting her hand down, you knit your brows at her. âItâs not that bright out here, donât be dramatic.â
âChildren. Iâm surrounded by literal children,â Din muttered, turning and walking away exasperatedly.
âThereâs no need to be rude,â you grumbled, following after him.
âThen prove me wrong,â he called over his shoulder. âRight now youâre worse than Grogu.â You gasped. âWhen he needs a nap.â Cara gasped. âAnd heâs hungry.â You both gasped.
âI take it all back,â Cara stormed past Din, her words brusque and aloof. âYouâre the meanest person I know.â
âPerson?â Your tone was incredulous as you sped up to fall in step with her ahead of the Mandalorian, head swiveling to land on him with a sly smirk over your next word. âDroid.â
Din stopped in his tracks and sighed, head tilting back to the sky just slightly with a gentle shake. âOh, this mission is off to a great start.â
When both you and Cara kept walking ahead of him, the bounty hunter finally called out on a hiss, âHey! Are you two done?â
âI donât know, are we?â You turned on your heel to face him, hands on your hips as you planted your feet and arched your brows in question, almost accusingly.Â
Din bit his tongue before he turned this into a whole something else before this entire endeavor even got off the groundâŠ. again. For the third? fourth? time. Heâd lost track of how many times theyâd gotten off track in the last five minutes alone, let alone today as a whole.
With a jut of his thumb to his left down a narrow alley, he tilted his head that way for emphasis. âThugsâre that way.âÂ
Both you and Cara hesitated for only a moment, weight shifting slightly from side to side before you dropped your hands from your hips with a huff and headed toward the alley, your Marshal friend in tow.
As you passed by Din, he muttered a low and amused, âOh wise one.â
âIâll tell Sola you said so,â you shot back in a low murmur. âShe already knows Iâm the smart one.â The alley was so small you had to form a single file line, and somehow you were in the front with Cara behind you, and Din pulling up the back.Â
âShe just lets you think thatâs what she thinks,â Cara hummed. âWe all know itâs me.â
Din snorted. âItâs neither of you.â He shook his head at the two sets of eyes shooting daggers at him over their shoulders as they came to an abrupt stop in front of him. âIâm the one with the map and the tracker, remember?â He tapped the right side of his helmet with his index finger.
âOh, will you just get in front and lead, you overgrown Tin Can?!â You hissed, flattening yourself against the wall to let him pass, the heat of the day still clinging to the wall at your back.
Cara rolled her eyes as she squished herself, allowing him through, but it was still a tight fit all around between the three of you. When Din passed her, his back against the opposing wall, she grimaced though he moved quickly. âWill you just get out of my face, Shiny?â
âWhat, you mean you donât want to get to know me this well?â Din relaxed his weight a little, leaning into her slightly. âI thought we were friends.â
Cara shoved him with one arm toward you, making him laugh as he kept going, stumbling slightly from the impact. âWe wonât be if you keep on that thread of conversation, Mando.â
Din stopped directly in front of you, tilting his head sideways as he muttered softly, âHi, meshâla.â Leaning his forehead into yours, he chuckled softly at Caraâs over exaggerated gag in reaction.
âIâm trying to be mad at you,â you grumbled, fisting one hand into his cowl as you ignored Caraâs groans, elbowing her in the ribs with your free arm when she continued.
âWhat was that for?!â She cried in protest.
âJust because Iâm happy, doesnât mean you need to moan about it.â
Her face scrunched in disgust as she looked away at the wall across from her. âGo be happy somewhere else. We have a job to do.â
Din sighed. âSheâs right,â and pushed off the wall to get in front.
You held on to his cape from behind him. âNo. No, sheâs never right.â Cara landed a swift kick to the back of your boot. âOw! What was that for?â
âFor being so wrong all the time!â
âDonât make me speak Mandoâa to you,â you grumbled. âOr how about Huttese? I also know Shyriiwook now, too.â
âHow about you speak silence.â
Din snorted at the Marshalâs words from his spot in front of you, Cara huffing out a laugh from behind.
âWhen all of this is over, you both are gonna pay.â
âYou donât scare me,â Cara scoffed.
Looking over your shoulder, you arched a brow, holding up one hand by your face and wiggling your fingers. âWell maybe I should.â
Her face went pale, her steps faltering slightly as understanding dawned on her features. âYou donât scare me,â she repeated, her voice softer after she swallowed roughly.
You chuckled, turning back to face Dinâs cape once again. âThe Force works in mysterious ways.â
âWhatâs that supposed to mean?â
Before you could answer, Din cut in, without bothering to turn around, âIt's just her way of threatening to trip you. Donât read into it too much.â
He no sooner said that than he was stumbling forward down the alley, reaching out to brace himself on the walls with his forearms.
âLook at that? My boot also works in mysterious ways.â
âWhat happened?â Cara asked, oblivious to you tripping Din with the toe of your shoe.
âGravity. Donât read too much into it.â
Grinning up at the back of the Mandalorianâs helmet where he had stopped in front of you, you let go of his cape still in your grip. âCareful, Din. Thereâs gravity there.â
âWhat did he even trip on?â Caraâs voice was incredulous.
âAir? His ego? PrideâŠ. The options are endlessâŠ.â
âThe foot of an over eager Jedi thatâs about to be in her mouth if she keeps talking,â Din hissed, barely looking over his shoulder at the two of you, arms falling from the walls to his sides.
âHow do you mean?â You scoffed, following after him as he began to move down the alley again.
âWeâre here,â he said with a flourish, the small avenue opening up to a wide street brightly lit with several buildings that dead ended down on the right. With a swooping gesture, he moved to the left, making room for the two of you to step forward beside him, his visor following you closely before tilting to the side. âYouâre welcome.â
âSheâs right,â Cara mused quietly. âYour ego is big enough for all three of us to trip on.â
âAt least itâs well deserved,â Din groused. âI got us here, didnât I?â
âYou followed a map. That was attached to a tracker. A blindfolded bantha wouldnât have had a much more difficult timeâŠ.â You said offhandedly, surveying the area.
Din stared at you for a long moment. âThat armor makes you mean,â he grumbled.
âIt makes me wonderful,â you countered, eyes across the street on a conspicuous crate, narrowing when it jostled slightly. âYouâre just jealous that it looks better on me than it ever did on you.â
âYeah. Thatâs it,â Din agreed sarcastically, his weight shifting to one side as he followed your line of sight. Pressing the side of his helmet, he immediately went into planning mode. âIâve got two heat signatures.â
âMatches up with what Iâm sensing. Two life forms. A whole mess more inside.â You took your blaster from its holster, its gears whirring to life. âEveryone set to stun?â
Hums of agreement came back at you along with nods in your peripheral.
âIâll go in on the right while you two take care of whoever is lurking over there,â Cara gestured across the street with her blaster. âSneak in that side door and start clearing until I find Sola and slip her a blaster, then weâll find this boss.â
âIâm in,â you agreed, while Din nodded in agreement beside you. âLetâs go, Tin Can. We have some thugs we need to introduce to beskar.â
Xxx
Storming the place was easy. These thieves didnât know the first thing about defending their home base.
Getting out on the other handâŠ. That was proving to be more difficult.
You pulled up behind a wall, tucking your arms into your chest as tightly as possible to make yourself a smaller target, your blaster held between both hands at the ready.
âYou said this would be easy!â Din yelled from his mirror position across the hall. Well, almost mirror. He leaned on one shoulder, blaster held up in the opposite hand near his head. His whole body looked just on this side of casual.Â
âI said no such thing. You did,â you countered, trying to mimic his posture subtly. âAnd on that note, Cara was the one who said you and I should go in together, so this is all-â
âOh, no, you donât,â Caraâs voice carried from down the hall, the first word elongated as she slid across the floor on her hip to avoid flying blaster bolts to finally land next to you before popping up. âDonât you dare drag me into this lovers tiff. Nuh-uh.â
Both you and Din spoke in tandem, âThis isnât-â, âWeâre not-â
âYeah, yeah,â Sola said dismissively, jogging up easily behind Din, a singe mark on the shoulder of her poncho.Â
Din stood up straight in an instant, took her arm in his hold gently to examine it, turning her every which way to get a better look. âWhat happened?â
âTold the boss I quit.â She grinned proudly before it melted into a grimace. âHe didnât take it so well.â
Blaster bolts zinged down the hall between the four of you, streaking the air in vibrant shades of purple and red, even an errant green here and there.
âIf I could just use my saber-â you started, cut off by the unanimous voices of your friends.
âNo!â
Letting your head lull back against the wall with a gentle thump, you rolled it in aggravation before facing the others again. âAnd why not?! Iâve saved your asses so many times!â
âClose quarters!â Cara was gesturing with her hands while she spoke, referencing the hall. âToo many people!â She gestured between the four of you. âLaser sword very bright! Very hot!â
You narrowed your eyes at your friend. âI singed one corner of your tunic. One!â
âAnd that was one too many,â Din countered, popping around the corner to let off a barrage of shots before coming back for safety.
âThis was my favorite,â Cara said forlornly, looking down at the smoldering fabric.Â
âIâll buy you another one.â
âNo you wonât,â Cara scoffed. âYou canât afford my tastes-â
âCan we please focus on getting out of here!â Solaâs annoyed voice rang out louder than the blaster fire, pulling all three gazes her way.Â
Din was the first to break, turning back to lay down cover fire once again around the corner. âKidâs right,â he grunted, before letting off a shot that was accompanied by a pained scream at the end of the hall.
âI thought we were set to stun?â You hissed.
Din looked down at his blaster and shrugged meekly, flipping it back to stun. âSorry. Old habitsâŠ.â
âI know I am,â Sola said matter of factly, pulling you back to the topic at hand. âNow whatâs the plan?â
Stepping a little closer to the corner you were tucked behind, you holstered your blaster. âThe plan is for you all to eat your words tonight.â
âWhat are you doing?â Caraâs worried tone sounded at your back, Dinâs incredulous one to your left. âMeshâla, come on, donât do something-â
âTo save our skins?â You finished for him, looking up into his visor with a determined glint in your eye. âWatch me.â
After taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and stepped out into the hall where the blaster fire had died down just slightly. The few earrent bolts bounced away from you as if they were hitting a force field. Confused whispers from the enemy preceded a pickup in the rapid fire, bolts flying at a new frenzy, none of which came anywhere close to touching you or your friends.
Lifting your hands in front of you, the bolts began to stop, hovering in mid air inches from your face, your hands, some several feet from you. The room glowed with multi-colored plasma bolts hovering above the floor. As the shots died out, silence filling in the blanks left behind, the corner of your mouth twitched up in an amused smirk.
With a small twitch of your index finger, all their blasters were disabled with a tink.Â
When you opened your eyes, the blaster bolts that hung suspended all immediately flew the other way, back toward the senders, but in such a way that they wouldnât hit anybody.Â
Within an instant the group of thieves at the end of the hall were left cowering, curled away from the stranger approaching them from the opposite end of the hall. Some blinked wide eyes while others scrambled back, all of them surrounded by smoke swirling around from the black scorches left behind from the blaster bolts.
âI think we win,â you said calmly, walking toward them slowly.
âNot if I have anything to say about it!â One rogue thief said, jumping to his feet, blaster aimed at you.
âI wouldnât do that,â you warned, not even looking at him.
When he pulled the trigger and nothing happened, he looked at his blaster in confusion, pulling the trigger a few more times before shaking it incessantly. âOh, well.â He shrugged. âI have this.â He pulled a spare from the back of his pants.
In two seconds flat Din had stepped forward and shot him with a stun bolt, dropping him to the ground.
âLike I said,â you pulled the active blaster to you with the Force, disengaging the firing mechanism like you had the others before tucking it into the back of your own pants. âI wouldnât do that.â
âYou donât need another one,â Din groaned. âThat makes what, seven now?â
You scoffed. âNot nearly.â With a dry chuckle, you shook your head. âTry three.â
âIncluding the knife?â
âOh, yeah! The knife. No, thatâs four.â
âGuys!â Cara cried, walking up to stand on the other side of you. âSeriously?â
âWhat?â You looked at her a moment before cutting your eyes toward the thieves still looking on in silence. âIâm just recounting the weapons Iâve won from our various missions! I see something I like, I take it.â
âThese guys donât care.â Cara gestured to them with her blaster.
âNoâŠ. But I do.â You turned to look at the punks with a broad grin. âAnd something tells me they want to keep me really happy. Right?â
They all nodded vigorously. All but one. He got to his feet as he said, âOh, kark this!â He was no sooner on his feet than Din had hit him with a stun bolt, dropping him into a heap of limbs where he stood.
âAt least you remembered to use stun this time,â you threw over your shoulder towards Din, never looking away from the band of thieves still looking on wide eyed at your little party of four.
âYeahâŠ. But Iâve been known to forget things real fast,â Din mumbled, shifting his weight just slightly to rest easily on one leg. The way he held his blaster would make anyone think heâd gone soft, but you knew if someone made a wrong move, theyâd be down in an instant.
âHereâs what's gonna happen,â Cara stepped forward, her Marshal voice in full swing. âSola over here is out. I donât wanna hear of any of you within spitting distance of her ever again, do you hear me?â
Most of them nodded, wide eyed at the Marshal. All but one. Itâs always one, you thought with a smile and gentle shake of your head.Â
âAnd whatâre you gonna do about it? Marshal?â The way the punk said her name dripped with so much sarcasm and venom, you were surprised Cara was still standing. If looks could kill, sheâd be dead right now. âYou donât even live here, so how are you going to enforce anything?â
To his credit, he looked slightly afraid when you and Din took measured steps forward while Cara spoke.
âI have friends all over. I donât think you want to find out just how far my reach can goâŠ. Young man.â
Cara winced slightly on the last words and it took everything in you not to burst out laughing. The way her eyes darted over to you, however briefly, with a mighty rise and fall of her shoulders told you she knew sheâd never hear the end of this.
He scoffed. âLike Iâd believe any of that.â
âBut youâd believe blaster bolts levitating in space then flying the wrong way?â You challenged, taking another small step forward.Â
The kid scoffed again.
âYou believe this?â Din was striding forward, his vambraces whirring to life as the flame thrower charged up.
Reaching out with the Force, you disengaged his vambrace as the wall of fire just started to lick at the toes of the boots of the insolent kid.
âNot now, Mando. I think he gets it.â Shooting your eyes over to the kid before looking back into his visor, you saw him glance over to find the teen cowering behind the others, mumbling apologies.
Din strode over to you, keeping his body facing the group of adolescents to make them think he was still a threat, which he was, but you knew him well enough to know he was looking at you now and not them, his head turned just slightly.
âTurning off my vambraces now, huh?â
You shrugged. âWhat can I say? You shouldnât be frying teenagers, Din. Itâs not nice.â
Leaning closer to your ear, his voice hummed through the modulator, something in his tone different this time. âLater,â he promised again.
You grinned, winking at Cara as she rolled her eyes and walked off with an over dramatically gagging Sola. âCanât wait.â
Xxx
Back at the hangar, the four of you tried to move as quietly as possible, to not wake a sleeping Peli.Â
âI canât thank you enough. I donât know how I could ever repay you-â
Placing your hand on Solaâs shoulder, you smiled down at her when her big eyes looked up your way. So much like the first time you met her all those years ago. âThereâs nothing to thank. Thatâs just what families do.â
âWe help each other,â Cara agreed, stepping up behind Sola and putting her arm around her shoulders. Tilting her head to the side in thought, she added with a grin, âAnd yeah, sometimes we want to murder each other, too, butâŠ.â She looked at Din. âIt comes and goes.â
âMostly comes,â the Mandalorian muttered, adjusting his belt before walking off toward the ramp of the Crest. He stopped at the foot of it, withdrawing a vibroblade from his boot before he turned around and walked back. âHey, kid.â He offered Sola the blade. âTake care of yourself.â
âYou bet I will,â she mumbled around a grin, flipping the blade in her palm with expert precision that had your brow arching. Upon closer inspection, she saw a mudhorn upon the hilt. âThatâs the same symbol thatâs on your armorâŠ.â She looked over at your saber. âAnd yourâŠ.âÂ
âLike I said,â you pulled her into a hug. âWe take care of family.â
âWhereâs my mudhorn?â Cara groused.
Din extended a blaster with a freshly etched mudhorn he had tucked into the back of his belt to Sola as he looked at Cara, head tilted just so. âHidden with your act of valor. Go find it.â
âYouâre mean,â Cara shoved his shoulder.
âYouâd get tired of us anyway,â you mused in response to Cara, wrapping your arms around Dinâs waist in what seemed an innocent manner, then lightly pinching his side in admonishment, smiling at his slight groan in response. Before he could get his own arm around your waist in retaliation, you pinned it to his side with the Force, smiling up at him smugly when he grunted in unamusement.Â
âI already have,â she agreed, looking down her nose at the two of you.
âNo you havenât,â Din countered tiredly as he turned back toward the ship, heading up the ramp.
âWhat do you know?â She called after him.
âEverything!â His voice came from inside the ship overlapping your muttered, âNothing.â
âNot enough,â you amended with a grin, meeting Caraâs eye as she returned your smile. âHe doesnât know nearly enough.â
âItâs a good thing I love teaching, then.â She laughed, offering you a hug before she turned to leave the hangar. After a few steps, she stopped and looked back over her shoulder. âYou coming kid?â
Sola hesitated in her spot in front of you. âBut I donâtâŠ. I donât wear armor.â
âVerd'ikaâŠ.â You reached out and rested your hand on her shoulder. âAdâika. Cyare'se. Daworirâika. KaâraâikaâŠ. Almost all of my nicknames for you had something to do with little.â (âLittle soldier. Little one. Loved ones. Little stink. Little star.â)
âNot so little anymore.â
âI can see that,â you smiled softly. âTal tomad.â
She pulled a face. âDo I even want to know?â
âBlood ally.â You reached out and pinched her scarf between your finger tips. âVerd ori'shya beskar'gam.â
âWhatâŠ. What does that mean?â
You smiled. âI need to come with a protocol droidâŠ.â She laughed. âWarrior greater than armor. It means armor isnât everything.â Moving your hand from her scarf to rest on her shoulder once again, you felt Din come to stand behind you, his reflection beginning to morph in Solaâs watering eyes. âItâs who wears it.âÂ
Xxx
As you watched Cara and Sola walk out of the hangar, Din pulled you to the side gently.
âSpeaking of armor, you donât have any now, either.â
Looking down at the armor still very much on your frame, you looked up at his visor and blinked at him once. Twice. âExcuse me?â
He shifted his weight, hands resting on his belt in his default I already explained this pose. âIâm about to meet up with Boba in a few minutes. Need the armor so I can give it to him.â
You matched his posture, ignoring his indignant head roll. âOh right. For this super secret thing for me I canât know about.â
Din nodded once. âYou got it.â
Shaking your head in disbelief, you turned and made your way up the ramp of the Crest, not bothering to turn around as you grumbled, âYouâre awful.â
âI know.â His tone was nothing short of beaming.
Xxx
The next day, the two of you were up with the suns and beginning work on the Crest with a handful of Peliâs droids.Â
The woman herself had appeared after a while, but she obviously was not intended for morning hours.
Peli had disappeared into the shaded depths of the hangar, citing paperwork of some sort, but her snores could be heard from the main landing area.Â
One thing led to another, and the work on the ship was forgotten in favor of brushing up on footwork with two chosen weapons.
The hanger sung with the clashing of beskar on kyber, his spear standing resilient against your purple blade.
The pit droids were hard at work on the Crest to try and cover up the cacophony of battle sounds rising up into the air.
As it hit a new fever pitch, you and Din drawing close together after some particularly fancy footwork, the glow of kyber straining against beskar painting your faces in a soft illuminated glow as you pulled closer still, you smirked.Â
âI think that means I win, Mandalorian.â
Din scoffed, his modulator popping with the sound. âNayc. Aânuhunla,â he drawled, his voice low. (âNo. But funny.â)
Pulling back from one another, you huffed out a chuckle as you began to circle each other in assessment, waiting for the other to make the next move. âGive it to me in Basic, Mando.â Disengaging your saber, you stopped dead in your tracks, arms dangling limply by your sides. âIâm too tired to fight and translate at the same time.â
âGar Jetiiâkad,â Din pointed to the now bladeless hilt in your hand. âNauâur kad.â (âYour lightsaber.â) (âLight up a saber.â)Â
âDin-â
But he didnât let you finish, his hands tightening around his spear as his weight lowered, ready to charge. âKadâau, Jetii.â (âLightsaber, Jedi.â)
âNe'johaa,â you mumbled, igniting the blade and lowering yourself into a ready stance to match. (âShut up.â)
Once you were set, you stood straight up again, smiling softly when Din let his lowered weight relax as well in aggravation, his modulator hissing in annoyance. âThis was just supposed to be for fun. Some training, maybe. Not-â
âKad,â he almost barked, before launching at you. (âSaber.â)
âMirâsheb,â you hissed through gritted teeth as you blocked an overhead blow from his spear, squinting your eyes as sparks flew from the impact. (âSmartass.â)
He took a minuscule step closer, pressing his weight into you and making you bend back slightly. His voice was low and mocking, but strained to show his struggle against your strength as you continued to push back. âOnly for you.â
With a shout, you pushed him off of you with a last reserve of strength.
âThatâs it. Thatâs it. Iâm done.â You held your hands up by your head. âNo more.â Twirling your saber as you stretched your wrist, you tilted your head from side to side. âYouâve got some unresolved issues with only using the stun back there at the hideout or something,â gesturing to him with a swooping hand gesture, you ignored his snort and slight shift of weight, âbut Iâm done with all your nonsense.â Turning away you took a deep breath and disengaged your saber, mumbling under your breath, âNi copaani buy'ce gal.â (âI want a bucket of booze.â)
The next thing you knew you were flat on your back, sand flying out around you as the Mandalorian stood over you, flipping his spear back to its resting position with a flourish. All you could process as you blinked up at the cloudless sky was heat, grit, and what?
âI think that means I winâŠ. Manda Jetii.â (The state of being Mandalorian in mind, body and spirit.)
Eyes flying to his visor, you had to squint at the glare of the suns off the brilliant metal. You could only blink up at him, taking his hand when he offered it and helped you up. After a shared moment of simply staring at one another, he turned to survey the hangar, repeating your words from earlier. âNi copaani buy'ce gal.â
It was at that point you noticed Peliâs face.Â
Her very, very, very distraught face.Â
Following her line of sight, your eyes went wide as you took in the Crest over your shoulder. Sparks flew, singe marks lined the hull. Did I do that?
A poor little astromech Peli had just acquired was trying to tune up something near the ramp of the ship, and Din, once he turned to survey the damage for himself, spying an unfamiliar droid linking into his ship, let his spear loose without a second thought.Â
If you hadn't had the mind to divert it midair with the Force right before impact, the droid would be a pile of steaming wires right now instead of a trembling pile of bolts.
The screech of terror it let out as the spear made impact right above its head made you want to laugh, but you stifled it into your hand, turning a disapproving glare on Din when he asked why you did that.
âWe donât murder innocent droids.â
âNo droid is innocent,â he grumbled, looking over at the scrappy little astro unit.Â
âThey are until proven guilty.â
âI donât need any proof,â Din mumbled. âHave all the proof I need.â
âYou have nothing.â
Before he could say anything else, the angry mech was rolling toward the bounty hunter with an electrified arm ready to zap him, but you held it at bay with the Force. You also held Din back, snorting when he turned a look on you.Â
âNo.â
Peli somehow materialized beside you, everything about her bewildered and distraught. You let the two arguing tin cans go as you turned your attention to your friend, the final zap from the droid to Dinâs thigh before it rolled off not going unnoticed.Â
Pointing every which way with each new statement, Peli began to protest. âI was- They were- You just-â Her hands slapped down to her sides, her face pulled determinedly. âThatâs not fair!â
She turned to her pit droid crew. âWhy do I get all the defective droids in this town?â They began to prattle but she cut them off. âYou guys couldnât fix the wrong side of a bantha.â
Reaching out with your mind, a twitch of your foot sideways ever so slightly, and one of the compartments at the back of the Crest flew off, the wiring inside plopping out like the ship had drunk too much spotchka the night before and now had something to prove.
âItâs alright, Peli. It wasnât all you.â
âYou bet your beskar it wasnât!â She turned a look on Din. âDonât think I didnât notice that massive spear sticking out of the side of my ship.â
Din had the decency to look sheepish, turning his gaze to stare across the hangar, hands on his hips.
âNow Iâll have to track down the Jawas to find enough ancient parts to fix this hunk of junk.â She smacked the hull closest to her with her palm, her eyes fluttering shut as a panel fell off to her right with a clatter.
Leveling her gaze on you, a shudder ran down your spine as Peli stared at you in silence. Finally she spoke again. âYou. Youâre going to help.â
âAnd you,â she pointed at Din. He pointed at himself in question and she nodded, maintaining the accusing jab of her index. âYes, you. Mandalorian.â Din tilted his head curiously. âYou are going to go to the cantina to look for a job to pay for all ofâŠ. this!â
Peli gestured wildly to the sparking Crest behind her.Â
You winced at the singe marks left behind by your saber, beside the puncture mark from the spear as it had let loose from his hands and flown across the hangar. Its beskar body still stood proudly from the hull, glinting in the afternoon sun.
Reaching up high above her head, Peli jerked it from the body of the ship with a grating screech of metal on metal. Green goo began to shoot from the new opening, coating the sand of the hangar around her feet in several inches in a matter of seconds.
She looked down at it before bringing menacing eyes up to glare at Din.
âIâll be at the cantina,â he mumbled, turning to leave without anymore fuss.
âIâllâŠ. Be here, I guess,â you mumbled, catching Peliâs death stare out of the corner of your eye. âPick me up some of those blue cookies on your way back?â
âReally?â Din stopped, cocking his head at you.
âYeah!â You shot back. âThe kid isnât here, so I donât have to share them.â
âWho says I donât want some?â
You scoffed. âExperience.â Crossing your arms, you stared at him. âBesides, who says Iâm sharing regardless?â
Din took a step back toward you, his voice lowering playfully. âI could make youâŠ.â
âCantina!â Peli hissed.
Youâd never seen Din move so quickly.
Xxx
Peli had dragged you out to the large rolling fortress of the Jawas after she had given her pit droid crew a stern talking to.Â
You couldnât make eye contact with them as you stood just behind her and listened to her admonishments. Their judgmental stares from their single ocular lenses could be felt even across the hangar.Â
Looking over the wares, you were just glad Din wasnât here. Jawas would be dropping like flies if he were. He really had a problem.
Bringing your scarf up to cover your face, wrapping it around your head to keep it secure and protect you just a layer more from the suns beating down and sand blowing in the rough winds, you squinted at an old astromech tucked away in the back near the ramp.
âWhat about that one?â You asked, pointing to it.
The little hooded figure helping you turned, exclaiming something when he realized what you were asking about, then began talking a mile a minute and gesturing even faster.
Holding up your hands, you cut in, âYeah, yeah, hold on little guy,â your new Jawa friend grunted at the name as you turned to call for help. âPeli! Get over here!â Waving your hand to gesture her over, you hoped itâd help her find you a bit faster.
You saw her curls before you saw her, turning your way and quickly weaving through the junk as her grumbling got closer and closer, but the exact words were never quite clear enough to understand. âWhat?â She finally asked in exasperation when she was about ten feet away, a power coupling in one hand andâŠ. Something else in the other, you didnât know what it was, but it had a lot of exposed wires and reminded you of an eyeball on a stick.
Pointing to your little robed shadow, you smiled at her. âTranslate. Please.â
With a roll of her eyes, she focused on your small companion, nodding as he went along. âHe says you want that R2 unit.â She turned her focus back to you, hands on her hips, eye on a stick still tightly grasped in one hand, âAny particular reason? I have plenty of good droids back at the hangarâŠ.â R5 started tweeting and blipping in concern, making her roll her whole head over to look at the droid on her left. âOh, keep your dome on. I didnât mean you.â She gestured to the droid with the eye-stick lazily before her eyes cut over to you. âUnlessâŠ.â R5 let out a mighty whoop before rolling away.
Chirping and blooping from the R2 unit pulled your attention back to the matter at hand, watching in amusement as it rocked from side to side quickly on two of its three legs. Its shiny dome twisted back and forth as it let out shrill beeps and whistles, a lone raspberry cutting off the tirade before it focused on a Jawa coming up to stand beside it.Â
As the tiny cloaked figure reached out to adjust the restraining bolt on its front, one of the droidâs front compartments sprung open in the blink of an eye, a surge of electricity arcing through the air and making the Jawa scream. The little scrapper jumped back, stumbling as its cloak began to smoke, strings of Jawaese getting lost in the wind as the tiny thief marched back over to the droid and swiftly kicked it near its treads.
âStop!â You ran over, holding up your hands to try and intervene, turning to Peli with a pleading look on your face.
She tossed the junk in her hands onto the ground, doing a double take for the eye on a stick before deciding against it and made her way over to you, thrusting the odd part into your chest as she passed by. With a roll of your eyes, you tucked it into the bag of parts to make its way back to the hangar that was slung across your shoulders.Â
The bag was over half full, and getting heavier by the minute, but youâd yet to see anything resembling a part you recognized go into the satchel. At this point you think ninety five percent of what she had picked up wasnât even for the Crest, she was just exacting her revenge on Din. And you had no problem with that.
Peli tilted her head as she listened to the Jawa go on a tirade. Eyes flickering between the tiny robe with eyes and the droid, she finally looked back over her shoulder at you. âHe said this droid is just a problem. Itâs memory hasnât been wiped in too long, so itâs developed anâŠ. Ah, well,â she quirked her eyebrows, her hands landing on her hips as she studied the droid. âA strong personality.â
The R2 unit blooped before zapping the Jawa again, a warbling whistle following after in what almost sounded like a taunt for more.
âStop,â you said again, taking another step toward the feisty astromech. It was very hard to not smile as you studied the round dome, its light blinking red and white at you rapidly as it scanned you up and down, finding something it trusted enough to calm down. It didnât zap a third time, but it kept the utility equipped, sending a surge down the line when the Jawa got too close again as a warning.
It reminded you of Din. It even kind of looked like him. You had to really try to contain the smile as you thought of his reaction if you said that out loud.
The head tilt.
The finger.
âLater.â
The body was the typical white of most R2 units, though obviously worn and aged, some pockets of rust peeking through here and there along the edge, along with carbon scoring like itâd seen some firefights. With a darker silver dome, close to the color of your vambraces, you could tell it had received repairs along the line, the contrasting metals denoting different eras in its lifetime.Â
The bands along its body that contained the attachments and along the sides of its legs were a warm coppery color, while the panels along its head were a dark gunmetal gray that reminded you of the Crest.Â
Altogether it was a patchwork of parts, but it made something beautiful to you. Like when the suns hit the sand just right and caused a reflection in the distance. This droid was a mirage, a shadow.
âWhatâs wrong with it?â You interrupted the Jawa currently on another tirade that made Peli look like she was struggling to keep up. Getting down on one knee, still a good distance from the droid, you stared into its lense as it studied you once again.
Your friend turned to face you more fully. âWhat do you mean, they just told you. It hasnât-â
âNo, why hasnât it moved?â
Peli asked the question, turning to look at the droid as she listened to the answer, its lense now turned on her.
âHe said the tread on the right foot is broken. They have it out here because someone is coming to pick it up to wipe the memory. Its-â
âNot anymore,â you said quietly. âItâs coming with me.â Getting to your feet, you began to walk away, stopping when several Jawa voices began to follow after you, each more insistent than the other. You looked at Peli, brow raised in question.
âThey say you canât do that. Itâs already a done deal. Now theyâre asking if you want any of the other droids, they have an-â
You turned, looking at the gathering of red glowing eyes blinking up at you expectantly. Keeping your voice even, you made eye contact with each pair as you spoke. âYou will release the droid into my care.â
A string of Jawaese was mumbled back to you, which you assumed was just them repeating your words, so you went on.
âRemove the restraining bolt, load it in the speeder, and let us go on our way.â
As they mumbled again, they broke off into groups to do what you said.Â
Tapping the leader on the shoulder, you held firmly when he turned to look at you. âAnd it wonât cost anything.â
He nodded before going to join the others.
âHow did youâŠ.â Peliâs voice dripped with amazement. âCan you-â
âNo.â
âYou didnât let me-â
âNo, Peli.â
âFine,â she huffed, crossing her arms and facing the Jawas as they loaded the droid who whistled happily while they worked. âIâm just saying-â
She stopped when you slowly turned to look at her, brow arched.
âYeah, no, forget about it. Not important.â
Xxx
As you unloaded the droid at the hangar, once it was down on the ground, you knelt down slowly to inspect its injured foot.Â
âIâm just going to tilt you a little bit to get a better look, okay?â
The pit droids began lowering some type of harness down to help you, but the droid began to rock back and forth, protesting loudly as its dome swung back and forth.
âOkay, okay,â you held up your hands placatingly, gesturing for the other droids to stop. âNo lifts. Iâll do it myself, but youâve got to trust me. Itâll feel a little strange, but youâre completely safe, I promise. Alright?â
The droid bleeped in agreement after a moment of hesitation, and without further hassle, you nudged it slowly onto its side, floating at the proper angle, held just right by an unseen force. As it moved into the proper placement, the R2 unit blooped an amazed sound.
After poking at the tread for a moment, you wrinkled your brows. âThis isnât broken. What did they mea-â
You were cut short when the tread on the other foot whirred to life where it still rested on the ground, spitting sand in your face in a rapid fire. As you drew back quickly, swatting at the sting settling into your eyes, you just caught a glimpse through your squint of the droid falling the rest of the way to the ground with a screech, your concentration broken.
Before you could really react properly, the R2 unit had popped upright, all manner of Binary curses and colorful language beeping and whistling as it whipped out the zapper it had used earlier on the Jawa, sending a warning jolt down the spine while rotating in a circle to keep all the advancing droids and Peli at bay.Â
Then it started to lift off with some sort of propulsion, a victorious squeal echoing off the hangar walls that was all too soon followed by the sound of sputtering exhaust. Its lense pointed down, watching it all unfold, a quiver of fear warbled out of its voice box. The flames keeping it afloat flickered then died, sending it hurtling to the ground with a scream.
You were just able to stick out a hand, focusing enough to catch it inches from the ground. âI got you!â As you lowered it the last few millimeters back onto the sand, you let out a heavy sigh, relaxing into the warm earth beneath you with a quietly muttered, âI got you.â
âWell, that was a first,â Peli announced loudly, amused, as the R2 unit looked at you, a spurt of oil suddenly spewing onto the ground as it moaned in distress.
âItâs about right on track for me, honestly,â you huffed, laughing as you got back to your feet.Â
The droid quaked as you got closer, worried coos softly filling the hangar.
âHey, itâs okay. Iâm not going to hurt you,â you spoke softly, coming back onto your knees a few feet from the R2 unit. âThat was actually kind of impressive.â You smirked, watching as the trembling stopped. The droid was silent and you smiled a bit broader. âI would expect nothing less, honestly. Itâs what I would do in your situation. Hell, I have done it a few timesâŠ.â The droid whistled softly in amusement.
You laughed, feeling victorious when it wheeled a bit closer to you.
âI have, too. I live a very extraordinary life, my friend.â
A questioning bloop.
âYes, I said âfriendâ. I consider you that, not anything less.â
A series of beeps and whistles, the red light blinking much more slowly now.
âI do speak Binary. Very observant.â
A raspberry.
You laughed, and it was followed by the closest sound a droid can make to the sound, a series of trills.
âCan we start over?âÂ
The droid wheeled closer, bumping its front foot into your knee gently before wheeling back slightly as if to say, âgo onâ.
You introduced yourself, reaching a hand out toward the droid. A panel sprung open on its front, the zapper coming out without a charge, making you arch a brow at the unit as it tittered playfully. The panel closed before another opened, and a small three pronged metal hand extended, closing around two of your fingers and shaking them in jerky movements as it beeped and blooped away.
âR2-B4?â The droid whistled in confirmation, releasing your fingers and closing the panel. âCan I just call you Bee?â A beep that sounded like âyesâ and also meant âyesâ in Binary chirped happily, filling the hangar. âWell, itâs nice to meet you, Bee. How about we get you tuned up, into a nice hot oil bath, run a few diagnostics to make sure youâre running as optimally as you can be, then starting tomorrow we can-â
Some angry bloops and bleeps filled the air, while she rocked back and forth on her feet.
âNo, no, no! No memory wipe! Thatâs not what I meant! I wouldnât do that to you.â She stopped rocking, but her lense scanned you up and down rapidly, her light flashing between red and white faster than you had seen yet. âYou donât know me yet, so I donât blame you. But Iâm not going to do that to you. That wonât happen so long as you are here. With me. With us. That makes you you. I donât want just a droid, I want you, Bee.â
Reaching out your hand, you rested it lightly on her dome and an affectionate beep came out quietly.
âI just meant to make sure youâre running as optimally as you can be. You deserve it, friend.â
It was at this point Din came walking back into the hangar. He stopped short when he saw the new astromech snuggled up so closely with you, the disarray of the hangar floor with the spilled oil and obvious scuffle, and Peli with her army of droids behind her and new eyeball on a stick waving around animatedly as she greeted him with a smile.
âMando! Finally!â She walked toward him. âYou will not believe the day weâve had.â
The look Din leveled on you through his visor was nothing short of stifling. âTry me.â
Xxx
Once Din had calmed down enough to not shoot the new droid on sight, and Bee had calmed down enough to not zap the Mandalorian on sight, you sat down to explain the situation to Din as the astro unit underwent an oil bath.
âI donât know, Man- Din.â You pulled a face at yourself as he chuckled at the slip up. âIt just felt like I was supposed to, and sheâŠ.â You looked straight into his visor. âThe voices stopped when I saw her. Everything did. I donât know.â Looking down to the table top to your right, you began to fiddle your fingers aimlessly. âI swear you wonât have to-â
âOkay.â
âNow donât just- what?â You shook your head to dislodge any sand that may be plugging your ears and causing you to mishear because you could have sworn he saidâŠ. âOkay? âŠ.Okay? Did you just say okay?â
Din laughed softly. âYes.â He nodded. âFine. I trust you.â
Narrowing your eyes, you leaned forward onto your knees, getting closer to him and peering up with scrutiny for an agonizing minute. âWhat did you do?â
Leaning back in his chair with a sigh, he rested his hand on his thigh. âGot you a present.â His head tilted to the side as you sat up a bit straighter. âStill gonna look at me like that?â
Eyes going wide, you sat back and matched his posture.
âThatâs what I thought,â he said with a snort. âI met up with Boba last night, as you know, and after going to the cantina, he caught up to me with the finished product.â
Din reached over and pulled a tarp off a crate to his right, how youâd missed it you had no idea, especially since the item before your eyes still sang with the same signature as his armor had.Â
A jetpack.
Raw beskar and durasteel glinted under the twin suns, polished to perfection and ready to earn their first scuff marks.
âDinâŠ. No.â You looked at him in disbelief. âYou didnât.â
Reaching for the pack, he groaned slightly with the effort, sighing once it sat in his lap. âI couldnât look at you in that horribly fitting armor one more time, and it was just taking up space on the ship.â He set the heavy gift in your lap. âNow I donât have to lug you around anymore.â
Scoffing, you leaned in closer to him, batting your lashes. âDonât lie, you like lugging me around.â
He tossed his head side to side. âIt has its perks, yes, but nowâŠ.â He gently nudged you back with a finger to your shoulder so you were sitting normally in your seat again. âLift yourself, meshâla.â
Sitting up straight as you held the jetpack in your lap, you traced its curves with your hand. âI donât know whether to be offended or say thank you.â
Meeting the gaze of his visor through your lashes, he simply nodded.
âThatâs all I needed to hear. Now, letâs get you fitted and flying - but first, I have to sync them with your vambraces, or else you might-â
âLet me guess,â you sighed, relaxing back into your chair with a thump. âOr else I might blow something up?â Din nodded once in confirmation, and you mirrored him. âSome things never change.â
âAnd some things change all the timeâŠ.â
âWell that was cryptic.â
âFennec found a contact for me that might know where the Armorer is. Where the covert moved to.â
Your eyes went wide and you froze, halfway to attaching the jetpack between your shoulder blades. âExcuse me, what?â
âItâs a job, but I head there in two rotations-â
Your face fell flat, along with your tone. âExcuse me, what?â
âAre you broken?â You arched a brow in question at him. âYou havenât moved since I mentioned the Armorer and youâre repeating yourself.â
With a huff of disbelief, you let the jetpack to the ground beside you with a gentle thud, and faced him once again. âOh, I donât know, maybe itâs because youâre insane?!â
âExcuse me, what?â
âSee?â You gestured to him. âA perfectly valid reaction.â Din huffed, his head tilting to the side in annoyance as you went on. âFirst off I was excited for you, but then you go and say something crazy like youâre going alone?â
âWell I just assumedâŠ.â
âGo on,â you deadpanned, smiling slightly when he trailed off, swallowing roughly.
When he never did, you sighed heavily and forged on for the both of you. âSince Iâm your wife,â you began, eyes cast down to the sand, ignoring the way he tossed his head back with a groan, âI think itâs only right I go with you.â You looked up to meet his visor. âNot to mention I continue to save your skin daily.â
âOne time. IâŠ.â He held up one finger. âThat was. I let that slip one time with Peli and it was an accident.â He huffed, staring at you for a long moment. âYou're never going to let me forget that are you?â
You grinned. âNo.â
Xxx
The two of you landed at the front of Peliâs hangar when you saw an unknown droid approaching in the street from where you were training in the air.
âOh! Pardon me!â The courier droid raised its hands up in surrender.Â
Reaching out, you lowered Dinâs blaster. âYou have a problem,â you mumbled. âYou need to ask questions first, shoot later.â
Din grunted. âThatâs not how I work.â
âWell, maybe you need to upgrade your circuitry, Tin Can.â
Both Din and the courier looked at you.
âBeg your pardon, miss, but that is a Mandalorian, not a droi-â
You couldnât help your snort of laughter. âWhatâs the message?â
âOh. Yes.â The droid reached into a bag fastened to its hip. âYou have a holo from a Greef Karga? Itâs marked sensitive/eyes only. I suggest you watch it someplace private.â Leaning around to look behind you into the vacant hangar, the only other soul being R5 rolling past with an offensive blip, the droid then looked back at the two of you. âOr just stay here.â
Taking the device from the droid with a smile, you were surprised when it didnât just leave.
It reached back into the satchel and procured another device. A puck. And handed it to Din.
âWhatâs this?â The Mandalorian asked dryly, looking at the small device in the droid's hand as if it were the most confusing puzzle in the galaxy.
âCourtesy of Greef KargaâŠ. once again.â When Din made no effort to move, the droid looked between the two of you. âThey go together. I assume they offer some explanation. Otherwise, I have nothing to tell you about them.â
Din sighed, taking the puck and shutting the hangar door before the droid could say another word.
A muffled, âOh. Well, good day, then!â Came through before the retreat of mechanical footsteps was heard.
âThat was rude!â You mumbled, turning to go deeper into the hangar, but freezing when you saw the info spinning above the puck in Dinâs hand.Â
No.
No it couldnât be.
Quickly activating the comm, you let Karga explain what you already feared.
âIf youâre playing this message, youâve already opened the puck. Yes. I know. I was just as shocked, too.â
There, in letters as big as day was your name.
âIt was issued by the head of some small town crime group on Tatooine. Said you decimated their numbers yesterday?â
Din grunted. âNobody died. What do they mean decimated?â
âIâm not issuing the puck to anyone, but be on the lookout. It could make thingsâŠ. Difficult.â
The comm went dead, and all you could do was stare at the puck in Dinâs hand, the info being presented to you but truly not being absorbed as all you could do was watch and blink.
The puck displayed your picture, slowly spinning with all your details next to it.Â
Name: Eesra Kesyk
Last known location: Tatooine
Known associates: Din Djarin, Boba Fett, Fennec Shand, Peli Motto, Sola Kei, Cara Dune, Greef Karga, Mythrol, Bo Katan Kryze, Ahsoka Tano, Luke Skywalker
Karga, Mythrol, Bo Katan, Luke, Ahsoka? For some small time group on Tatooine, they had really gone out of their way to find info on youâŠ.
Your gut sank.Â
UnlessâŠ.
You shook your head. Thereâs no way this went beyond a small town crime lord on a backwater planet. No way.
Focusing back in on the list, you squinted to read the fine print it was in to have everything fit on the little readout.
The rest was just details, date of birth, previous workâŠ. reason for bounty.
âAre they serious?â
Unlawful use of star cruiser in restricted airspace, failure to comply with law enforcement, breaking and entering, damage to public property, battery and assaultâŠ.
Din thought this was all very funny. He was practically giggling by now, snorts of laughter trickling out of his modulator as he stood to your right.
Heâd tried to stop under your glare, he really did, but it just wasnât possible, little snickers escaping here and there.Â
âWho knew I married such a horrible person?â
He did this from time to time. Brought up his little misstep with Peli where heâd called you his wife, leaning fully into the absurdity and embracing the silliness you often tried to pelt at him mercilessly by saying it himself first.
Rolling your eyes, but unable to contain the small grin climbing up your face, you looked back at the puck and crossed your arms firmly over your chest. âYou knew what you were getting yourself into, Tin Can.â Tilting your head at the readout, you pursed your lips. âAnd weâre not actually married, no matter what you said to Peli. Youâre not ready for all of this.â Making a swooping gesture to yourself, you ignored his mocking snort of amusement.Â
You stared at the list for another loaded minute of silence before going on. âBesides, half of these arenât even true!â Gesturing to the list with one hand, you turned to look up at his visor, brows raised. âUnlawful use of starcruiserâŠ. When did we even leave the planet?â
He was still chuckling warmly as he turned to you. âDid I? Know what I was getting into, I mean? I donât know about that, meshâla.â His chuckle grew louder as your face fell into unamusement. âAnd are you sure? Only half?â
Turning to face him fully, you raised one hand to wag a finger in his face teasingly. âHey, youâre the one that keeps coming back.â
Pulling you into his arms, he hummed contentedly. âAnd I always will come back to you.â
Copying his hum of satisfaction, you reached up and grabbed his cowl like always, tucking your face into the fabric and taking a deep breath before turning to the side to look at the holo once again with a sigh.
âThey got my name wrong, though.â
âDid they?â
âMmm-hmm.â Tucking your face into the crook of his neck, you smiled. âEesra Djarin of Clan MudhornâŠ. Thatâs so much better, donât you think?â
He groaned softly. âI-â
Bleep!
Din grunted in mild annoyance as Bee rolled up the ramp, stopping beside the two of you and trilling animatedly. âNot now, Scrap.â
Bee let out as close to a matching grunt of displeasure a droid could make, flipped out the electrified arm on her front, and waved it at Din in warning.Â
âSee? This is why I donât like droids,â Din grumbled.
Rolling forward bit by bit, backtracking just slightly in between, she pried her way into the small amount of space between the two of you, making you step back just slightly to make room.
âWell, hello there,â you mused quietly to the metallic dome whose lense was looking up at you, smiling back at the tiny bloop in greeting. âMay I help you?â
She babbled away in Binary animatedly, charged hand still extended toward Din in warning as she rolled ever so slightly closer towards you, tilting forward just a bit and causing Din to grunt as the forward motion pushed the bottom of her housing into his shin guards with a ping.
âIâm sure R5 didnât say all that. What are you getting at?â
More beeps and whistles, this time containing squeals as her lense switched between red and white rapidly, almost faster than her sounds, as she animatedly continued her story.
âWow,â you finally said when the droid stopped, staring at you expectantly.
âWhat did she say?â Din tilted his head at you.
âNo idea.â You looked up into his visor. âAll I caught was something something BD said and then Peli, JawasâŠ.â
Both of you started to chuckle softly, Bee looking between you as she rotated her dome back and forth, a bloop of disappointment before a raspberry of annoyance, and you couldnât shake the growing grin on your face if you wanted to.
After a moment she reached out just a little further and zapped Din with the electrified arm, tittering a laugh as she rolled away at speed as Din chased after her after crying out in pain. âOw! Get back here, you rolling scrap heap!â
Crossing your arms, you leaned against the opening of the ramp to the Crest, and watched the scene unfold in Peliâs hangar.
Droids, a mechanic, and a Mandalorian all running in circles after a goal you werenât quite sure of. All that was clear was Din was losing.
You were home, with the people you loved.
Looking to the side, you saw the bunk of the Crest open, the childâs hammock still strung across the top. The corners of your mouth pulled slightly down.
Well, almost everyone.
You were a clan of three.
No, it was more than that.
You were also a family.
And someday, youâd all be back together again.
Someday soon.
Youâd find a way to bring it all back to you.
Adjusting your weight slightly, you bumped something on your vambraces in the process causing the jetpack between your shoulder blades beginning to whir with an increasing hum. Flames began to sputter at its base with a growing roar, sending a wall of heat down the backs of your thighs as it prepared to lift you into the skies once again.
âDin?â You called, quietly at first, staring over your shoulder at the new death trap strapped to your spine, then more urgently, âDin!â
He was already jogging up the ramp toward you, his posture easy and relaxed. âCalm down.â
A quick glance behind him showed an amused Peli and her circus of droids, all of them tittering in amusement. Bee rocked back and forth in glee at the foot of the ramp before rolling back to the others.Â
âCalm down?â You repeated in bewilderment, watching him disengage the jetpack from your vambrace with a single button push, as if it was the easiest thing in the world.
âCalm down?!â He began to chuckle, his hand skimming up the inside of your forearm to lightly grab your elbow and push you further into the ship as you went on. âI was almost a flying projectile and you-â
You hadnât noticed the way heâd nudged you backwards completely out of sight of the rest of the hangar until your spine sealed along the bulkhead by the weapons locker, the lights of the cargo hold going to half brightness with a deft swipe of his hand over a control pad to your left.Â
Half, but still plenty bright to see.
âDin?â
Taking in your new surroundings, you looked back up to see him taking his gloves off and tucking them in his belt. His helmet came next, the quiet hiss of the mechanism causing you to screw your eyes shut. The familiar sound of beskar thunking onto the metal floor of the Crest made them close even tighter.
Din chuckled softly, the unmodulated sound tickling your face with his warm breath. âOpen your eyes, meshâla.â
âOh, yeah.â Slowly you blinked your eyes open, looking up to see warm brown eyes, and the sweetest smile waiting to meet you. âI still forget.â
Winding your hands up into the curls at the base of his head, you smirked when he let out a contented sigh through his nose.Â
After a moment of simply holding the otherâs gaze, you muttered quietly, âHello, brown eyes.â
Din was on you in an instant, his groan of annoyance muffled against your lips as you laughed softly into the kiss.Â
âYou always have to ruin it,â he mumbled, crowding you further into the wall, his bare hands coming to cradle your face and making your eyes slip shut at the contact. âNu-uh. Open your eyes, meshâla.â
Fluttering them open, you tried very hard to keep them that way. âSorry. Itâs not every day a Mandalorian is half naked in front of me. Iâll try harder.â
âHalf naked?â He tilted his head, the tip of his nose bumping against yours, one brow arching up in question.Â
âFor you, a helmet and gloves is the equivalent of a-â
Din was back on you again, this time growling in mock frustration against your lips as you laughed a bit louder. The upturn of his lips gave his amusement away, though.
Pulling apart just enough that only your foreheads rested against one another, the two of you held that moment together for quite a while. Simply breathing the other in, and existing in this quiet moment before the storm.Â
Before you left to find more Mandalorians.Â
More Mandalorians.Â
Now that was going to be interesting.Â
After a moment, you rolled your head to the side slightly and peeked up through your lashes to find his eyes closed.
You opened your mouth to speak, only for you both to speak in tandem, âOpen your eyes.â
âI will if you will,â you were quick to retort.
Warm brown eyes met yours once again as the setting sunsâ light poured in through the open ramp somewhere behind him, painting the cargo hold of the Crest in vibrant shades of gold, orange and red.
Din smiled softly, pressing his forehead further into yours, using his hands at your cheeks to maneuver your head back a bit and into a better angle for him to lean his forehead into. âOnly for you.â His fingers began to move up and thread into your hair. âAlways for you.â It was hard to tell where he stopped and you began. âGar cuyi ner aliit. Ni kar'tayli darasuum gar. Gar cuyi ner mir'sheb bal gar utreekov kar'tayli darasuum gar, cyarâika.â He pressed his forehead even further into yours, his lips ghosting over your own with each word. (âYou are my family. I love you. You are my smartass, and your idiot loves you, darling.â)
âGar cuyi ner yaim. Ner yaim'ol. Ner yaim'la.â The light of the day was fading, much the same as the two of you were melding into one another, practically becoming one being, all his hard edges blurring where your soft lines began. The Crest began to fill with long shadows as the lights in Peliâs hangar kicked on, filling the cargo hold with just enough extra light to see. (âYou are my home. My homecoming. My comfortable.â)
Reaching up, you cupped his face in your hand, and he melted into it, his eyes fluttering shut as he leaned into your palm, his voice a low rumble. âNi ratiin yaimpar gar.â (âI always return to you.â)
In the quiet moment, you rubbed your thumb over his cheek bone slowly back and forth before finally whispering with a smile, âOpen your eyes.â
Once he was looking at you once again, you pulled your head back just a bit and tilted it to the side. âSo, where are we going to find the covert?â
He went stiff. âWe?â
You sighed, laying your head on his pauldron. âItâs been how long, and you still havenât learned that Iâm always going to come with you?â
Din looked at you with a matching sigh. He tilted his head at you, his weight shifted to one leg, his hands on your waist moving you along with him. âYou sometimes stay here when I go out on a job and help Peli work on the ship. Itâs almost done after what Gideon tried to do- er, it was until today.â
âExactly. So after this last massacre, I donât think Peli wants to see my face around here anymore,â you laughed, making him shake his head and let out a huff of laughter. âI think Boba would give us a lift to wherever.â
âAnd then how do we get back?â
You smiled as you closed the small space between you, speaking softer as the situation began to feel more delicate. âWeâll figure it out.â
âWhy are your ideas usually half baked or somehow involve fire?â
You closed the distance between you yet again, wrapping your arms around his neck tightly, and pressing your forehead into his. âAnd yet they always workâŠ.â
âYou get lucky sometimes,â he groused half heartedly before he returned the gesture, a warm ungloved hand spread across your back, the other moving up to the back of your head to tuck your face securely into the crook of his neck.
You werenât about to pull away as he held you there gently. Turning your face towards him where it rested on his shoulder, your nose brushed against his neck, and his grip grew tighter. Glancing up towards his face, you thought back to a time in the bar when this all started when all you could see before the helmet obstructed your view was a small sliver of skin that bobbed as he swallowed roughly.Â
Now you had an unobstructed viewâŠ.
âŠ.Of unruly dark curls long overdue for a trimâŠ.
âŠ.Golden skin dusted with a light facial hair that had the slightest hint of grays peppered inâŠ.
âŠ.Kind, warm brown eyes that looked at you with so many promisesâŠ.
âŠ.A nose that had definitely been broken once or twiceâŠ.
âŠ.And a smile that took your breath away.
You turned your head up fully towards his face as you pulled away just enough to look at him straight on, and he turned his gaze down to meet you with a slightly playful tilt of his head like before.
âIâm just that good.â Your hands fell to rest on his chest plate. âNow letâs go find your people.â
âLetâs go find our people,â he corrected.
With a gentle nod, you pulled away slowly after a moment, turning towards the ramp with wide eyes as what just happened sunk in.
Our people.
Din walked past you, looking over his shoulder once he was on the ramp. âAre you coming?â
Our people.Â
Turning your head slightly to the left, you saw he had stopped, helmet back on, gloves securely fastened, and every bit the Mandalorian you had met all those years ago, only now he stood waiting for you, hand outstretched in invitation.
Mine.
You smiled, walking forward and taking his hand. âMoff Gideon couldnât keep me away.â
Xxx
Yes, I gave her a name. Eesra Kesyk. (Ee-sruh Keh-sick) Letâs face it, Meshâla is still whatâs going to be used 99.999999% of the time, and âyouâ the majority of the rest. But weâre going into a part of the story with a whole lot of other new players and I wanted to have something to call the reader besides âyouâ and nicknames. I know this isnât everyoneâs cup of tea, and Iâm sorry. But, itâs my story, and thatâs what I chose to do. I have a plan, so if youâll bear with me, thank you, and I hope we can see it through together. â€ïž Plus, Din still just calls her *sigh* or âstop it!â 99% of the time, soâŠ. đ€
Xxx
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