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He saved you.
Three weeks ago, he broke his metaphorical tough exterior shell and saved you from an impeding doom.
He didn’t have to, in fact it was probably easier for him to leave you there, but he placed himself in that same danger to rescue you.
You were standing there, suddenly surrounded by troopers, some with artillery questionably beyond his defense capabilities. Mando had escaped, he was fleeing successfully, but he returned when he realized you weren’t with him anymore.
Never had you seen a human being destroy so many armed enemies so swiftly in the realization that he may lose you without even a single scratch upon your skin. Prior to this occurrence, you didn’t believe he cared about you at all. You were just temporarily valuable to him.
You joined him on his adventures after meeting him in the cantina on Sorgan, with the promise to present him with information on a bounty if he provided you shelter from people who wanted to harm you. You told him it was complicated, and you couldn’t go into detail about the situation. He was reluctant, and even told you no initially. You weren’t sure if it was the motive to collect the bounty money or his secretly warm heart that changed his mind, but you were thankful nonetheless.
After your rescue, you gave him the information he sought, he captured his target and gathered his reward, but still, three weeks later, you remain a passenger of the Razor Crest, and he hasn’t insisted that you leave him.
After it happened, there was a lot of silence between you two. Gradually, though, he spoke to you more. To your surprise, he initiated most of the conversations. He wanted to know about you. Unfortunately, your past created a wall, a barrier, between you and anyone who tried to get too close. You bonded with him slowly, and you were appreciative of his company. Against your strong intentions, you were starting to have romantic feelings for him. Feelings you had tried to ignore for the sake of having your heart inevitably broken in time. Feelings for a man you’d never even truly seen with your own eyes. Somehow, though, the mysterious nature of the Mandalorian was all the more interesting to you.
He was lonely, living in the vast galaxy all alone. No matter someone’s lifestyle, surely that becomes hard after some time. You wonder if his loneliness drove him toward you. He was kind, that much was obvious, but even with his warmth, he seemed to block himself off from you as well. You’d call him a friend, or an acquaintance at the very least. The new feeling of being able to trust him with your life added a thick layer of depth to your friendship.
Tonight, both of you were rested opposite to each other around a crackling fire located in the distant forests of the lusciously green moon of Endor. The air was thin, and a slight breeze sent chills down your exposed arms every now and then. Mando wanted to stop here as peaceful place to rest for the night rather than sleeping on the Crest again. A change of scenery is certainly nice, you thought.
“Its quieter here than I imagined” you break the silence.
“Wasn’t always quiet here” he mumbles, looking up at the stars beginning to peak into the evening sky.
“That is true…” you agree, remembering the events that took place here only a few short years ago in the days of the Empire.
Mando brewed some tea on the fire. You’d both grown to enjoy the soothing heat of the tea before you went to sleep.
“Do you want some?” he called out to you, pouring a cup for himself in the process.
“Yes, please”
You walked over to him, the fire warming the skin on your arms as you passed it. You attempt to look him in the eyes, only to be met with the reflection of the small flames staring back in the shine of his helmet. You smile softly, still aware that he could see into your eyes.
“Thank you” you nodded to him, accepting the mug from his gloved hands. As you move to return to your seat across the fire, a leather encased hand wrapped around the small of your wrist and pulled lightly toward him.
“Stay, please” he gently pleads. You were surprised, he’d never been so forward before.
“Okay” you responded, turning back toward him.
“I need….someone” he released his hold, spilling his words out uncomfortably.
“I’ll stay here, I don’t mind” you comfort him, noticing in his tone and shifting body language how shy he was becoming. You sat next to him, your knee barely brushing against his.
“Thank you” he spoke quietly, dropping his head.
“Are you okay, Din?” You asked, uttering his name out loud to him for the first time since he’d told you his real name. He looked toward you again, likely warmed and charmed by hearing you address him correctly.
“Yes. I’m okay. I’m just..” he started. It was obvious he was struggling with his words.
“Lonely?” You filled in his sentence for him. He audibly exhaled, indicating that you hit the nail on the head with your assumption.
“I guess you could say that” he mumbled.
“Din, I’m always with you” you consoled him.
“I know. Sometimes I just need more than that” he said sadly. You knew he didn’t mean sexually. You knew he wasn’t implying that he wanted you to give him anything.
“I know what you mean” you admitted.
“You do?” his tone was hopeful.
“Yeah…sometimes you just need the touch of another human being” you said, moving your hips- toward him. You were as close to his body as you could be.
“Sure” he agreed immediately, thankful that you formed the words for him.
“Have you always been alone, Din?”
“Not always, there were more of my kind that I was close to, years ago”
You dared not question what happened to those people as you were certain it would upset him.
“I thought, after what I’ve been through, that maybe I wanted to be alone” You began. “But, its growing old and I’m growing lonelier”
“You’ve probably wondered why I’ve let you stay with me this long”
“Everyday, I wonder why…every single day”
“You’ve grown on me, y/n” He said after moments of silence. “I care too much about you now to leave you in danger. I realize that may be overstepping some boundaries” he was gentle in his words. A smile was plastered onto your face. Never had the Mandalorian dug so deep into his feelings for you.
“I care about you, too” you reciprocated the gesture. He snapped his attention to you, certainly not expecting this from you either.
“Its not something I’m used to. Being cared about” he said, looking down to the forest floor again.
Your heart was shattered at the sound of his confession. This gentle giant was deprived of affection and was turning to you for comfort.
“You are just as deserving of love as any other being in this galaxy” you blurted suddenly. You realized the weight of your words, and you worried none for how he’d respond.
He was without words and you expected no response.
“That’s…that’s kind of you, y/n” he says. You could hear the blushing smile he possessed.
You planted your palm on top of his hand that rested upon his knee. You slowly, and hesitantly, leaned your head onto his shoulder. The beskar shoulder plates made it uncomfortable against your skull, but it was the best effort you could make in the moment. His body shifted, noticeably unaware of how to react to you.
“I know we are still getting to know each other, but, I’m here for you” you said.
Din was silent. But after a deep breath, his hand pulled itself away. You were worried you’d made him uncomfortable, but it was quite the contrary. His other gloved hand gripped the tip of the middle finger and pulled the thick covering from his hand. For the first time since you’d met this man, you were seeing his bare skin. Internally, you gasped, but you were inaudible to him in response.
As your palm lay flat on his lower thigh, you watch him lower his newly exposed hand move to lay atop of yours. The warmth collected on the surface of his skin from being encased in the glove immediately transferred heat your frigidly chilled hand.
“You’re so cold” he sweetly states the obvious.
“I’m okay”
“You need to get warm” he says, wrapping his fingers around your hand and squeezing lightly. Your heart fluttered.
“I feel warmer sitting next to you” you reassured him. This was true, as the heat from the fire stored itself in his armor at a quicker rate than that of your skin.
“You can get closer, if you want”
You did just that, and removed what little space remained between you and him. You looked up at him, wishing so badly that you’d be able to kiss him. You knew the impossibility of doing so.
“Your cheeks are red” Din said with concern. He released your hand and slowly raised it to meet your cold cheek. There was not only another transfer of warmth from his skin to yours, there was a spark of electricity that felt so deeply intimate. You leaned your face into his hold, and closed your eyes with the feeling of affection he offered.
You opened your eyes again, to see him intently staring, or so it seemed. You wrapped your hand around his wrist, encouraging him to continue his touch against you.
“I wish I could be even closer to you” you muttered. Speaking partially against his palm. You respected his culture but wanted nothing more than to really feel him.
“Can I trust you?” He spoke at a whisper. Your mind wandered. What could he mean?
“Of course. You’ve saved my life. The least I could be is trustworthy to you”
“Can I kiss you?” He inquired. Your heart began to beat rapidly in eager anticipation.
“How would y-” you began, knowing it wasn’t allowed for you to see his face.. He already knew the end of your sentence.
“Close your eyes, cyar’ika” he said sweetly. You didn’t know what that word meant, but with his tone, you assumed it meant something kind. “As long as you don’t see me, it’s okay”
You did as he asked, nonverbally giving him permission to kiss you. You heard the beskar unlatch and be lifted from his head. You breathed in sharply and slowly released your lung’s capacity.
“Keep them closed” his voice, now not muffled by his helmet, was such a wonderful sound. It graced your ears so raw, and so close to you. You’d always imagined what he sounded like without the thickness of his helmet blocking his mouth, but actually hearing it was breathtaking to you.
His hand returned to your face to cup your cheek. You felt him move closer to you without saying a word.
Suddenly, his lips delicately crashed into yours, and you form your lips into him. Your mouths were fused and still for a few moments, just taking each other in. You were able to finally smell him. He gave off an aroma of cedar that mimicked the scents of the luscious forest trees mixed with a deep masculine scent. You absorbed the presence you could observe of him without the sense of sight.
His lips were surprisingly soft and supple as they pressed into yours. He was gentle, and by the sharp breath he took, it was obvious he had not kissed anyone in a long time. If ever. You were both enthralled in one another’s affection. Neither of you expected this contact when you first sat around the fire. Slowly, you both rotated your lips in sync together, as if you’d both rehearsed it.
After what felt like a lifetime of connection to Din, you both made the decision to pull away. He breathed out in a giggle. The type that you hear when someone is overwhelmed with passion. Your eyes remained closed until he couldn’t put his helmet back in.
As you hear it latch back, you still wait for his confirmation.
“You can open your eyes now”
And he looked the same as he did the last time your eyelids were open. You tried to wipe the uncontrollable smile off of your face, but that effort alone made it more noticeable.
“Thank you for trusting me” you broke the silence. He grabbed your hand again, and lightly squeezed as he did before.
“Y/n” he called to you.
You looked to him.
“I don’t want to be lonely anymore” he said plainly.
“You don’t have to be, Din” you promised him.
“That’s why I never asked you to leave” he started “You make me feel whole…I don’t know how else to say it” he spilled out. It was clear that he was hesitant to say these things and be so forward, but it also seemed to be a relief to him.
“I’d love to stay with you. Wherever you go, I’ll go. I’ll stay until you decide you don’t want me around anymore” you said. You were both speaking at a whisper, despite being alone in the forest.
“That won’t happen” he assured you. “I can’t let you go now”
You smiled ear to ear. Your heart was full in the intimacy of your conversation. You couldn’t wait for the endless travels and adventures that the two of you would have to come.