"You weren't talking about the kid."
I make a run for the ladder and Din quickly jumps in my way to stop me. "It doesn't matter, you heard what she said. I have to go to Ilum, and you should get Grogu to Tython."
"You're not leaving," he says, his words ramming into each other as he holds his arm out to block my path. I huff out a breath and glare up at him.
"Yes, I am."
"No, you're not."
I cross my arms over my chest, rolling my eyes when he sets the child down in his hammock and mimics my stance. The kid lets out a displeased grunt, but we both ignore it. "We have to land somewhere else eventually and when we do, I'll take my things and go. You can't stop me from leaving the ship, Mando."
He shakes his head stubbornly as he squares his shoulders. "I can."
"Then I'll just have to run away!" I throw my arms in the air, clenching my jaw as tears start welling in my eyes again.
He takes a slow step forward. "I'll find you," he says, his voice like gravel.
I swallow and take a step closer too, invading his personal space as I stare into the blank visor of his helmet. "And what if I don't want to be found?"
He growls and shakes his head, grabbing my shoulders and giving them a tight squeeze. "I'll find you."
I squirm in his grip and he releases me, which gives me my opening to slip past him. He tries to grab my arm and I duck under his reach, running for the ladder. I use the force to jump up to the cockpit and quickly sink into the pilot seat and start the take-off sequences, sending the Crest into the air with a rocky start. This thing really needs repairs.
When I hear Din scrambling up the ladder behind me, I frantically concentrate on punching in the coordinates on the display screen. It's stupid to think I can outrun this conversation by flying away from this planet, but here I am.
"Set a course for Ilum," he orders, bursting into the cockpit. I shake my head, finishing up the coordinates.
"Nevarro," I correct him. "Maybe I'll take up Greef Karga's offer on bounty hunting. I'll need to build up some credit to get my own ship." I frantically press a few more controls and try to concentrate on flying the ship. "I can't exactly get to Ilum without a ship, can I?" I try to laugh, but it comes out stifled and choked.
"Stop it," he snaps, rushing over to my seat. He reaches for the controls, trying to punch in a new course, and I slap his hand away. When he tries again, I groan and slip out of my seat. I make it to the doorway before his words stop me. "You weren't talking about the kid." He repeats his words from earlier and I pause, my hand gripping the doorway tightly. He takes a step closer to me and I make a run for my room.
He doesn't follow, so I take the extra time to turn around and shut my door. I yank the staff off my back and one choked sob escapes me, making my chest heave. I wasn't expecting to stay. I didn't think I'd have to face him after my indirect confession. I'm not even sure I was ready for him to hear those words, and that's why I let him think I meant the child.
And of course, I absolutely love Grogu too.
How did this happen?
I tug my arms out of my jacket sleeves and toss the garment to the ground, suddenly feeling too warm. My door hisses open and I suck in a breath, wrapping my arms around myself as I turn around. Din marches into my room, the door sliding shut behind him, and immediately starts talking as he points one accusing finger at me.
"After everything, you were going to leave? And that was going to be your goodbye?"
I groan, plopping onto my bed as I glare up at him. "I have to leave, Mando. You don't trust me anymore, and I know it's my fault, but that's no way to live. You can't stand being around me, and I can't sit here and bear it any longer."
"That's not..." he trails off, taking a step closer. "I was angry because you didn't trust me enough to tell me who you really are."
"It wasn't a lack of trust!" I shout, jumping up to my feet as he stares down at me. "The Mandalorians see me as a traitor, a disappointment. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to see me the way they do!"
"I could never think of you that way," he argues sharply.
My face twists with confusion as I shake my head. "But you did! You were angry a-and betrayed, and hurt, and..." I trail off as he shakes his head at my words. I groan, throwing my hands out to the sides. "I felt your emotions loud and clear!"
"I know," he says, a sigh trailing his words. One of his gloved hands lifts and brushes against the side of my arm and my breath catches in my throat. I hate that the simplest things can so easily fluster me now. "I know. I was angry. But I told you why, Tara. I thought...I just thought we were past not telling each other things."
I cross my arms over my chest again and press my lips into a thin line. "Is that why you never talk about what happened on Nevarro?"
The words slip out before I can stop them. I didn't want to talk about Nevarro, not right now. We clearly have a lot more going on right now than a spontaneous kiss from months ago. I start stammering, trying to figure out a good way to take it back when he stops me.
"You're right." His voice is gravelly and almost too low to hear. I slowly uncross my arms, raising a skeptical eyebrow as he nods. "I didn't talk about it because I didn't understand it. I didn't understand why I did it."
I let out a long sigh through my nose and let my eyes drop to the ground as I shake my head. He's uncomfortable, I can tell, and I'm starting to feel bad about bringing the whole thing up. I hadn't meant for this. "It's okay, Mando, it was the heat of the moment. I understand."
"I don't think it was."
That makes me look up, my eyes quickly finding his helmet. I can feel his emotions loudly through the force, though now it's nothing but nerves, fear, and something I don't quite recognize.
"It was...new," he starts, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He's so nervous, I can feel it. I can't imagine why. "It started as respect and trust. I thought we could make a good team, for the kid."
He nods along as he speaks, his voice turning hard as if we were business associates. His nods quickly turn into shaking his head as he sighs, his shoulders slumping.
"And then the longer you were around, the more it grew. I wanted to protect you the way you always tried to protect us, to keep you safe. I wanted you to know that I could keep you safe." A shaky inhale seeps through his modulator as he mutters, "I'm not sure when exactly it became more than a need to protect you. But it did." My jaw nearly drops to the floor.
He reaches his hand away from my arm and up to the mudhorn pendant sitting against my chest. He holds it between his finger and thumb, just as he did before, and takes a step closer.
"You know what it means to be a part of my clan," he whispers. It's not a question. I swallow, nodding up at him. "You can't just leave."
"I lied to you," I croak, my eyes watering. A few tears trickle down my cheeks and I groan, swiping them away with the back of my hand.
"I forgive you, cyar'ika." I feel the cool beskar of his helmet press against my forehead and I close my eyes, focusing on the sound of his breathing. "I want you to stay."
A short sob escapes me and his arms immediately wrap around me, tucking me into his chest. My face fits in the crook of his neck as he presses one hand against my lower back and the other into my hair, muffling my cries before I force myself to take a deep, uneven breath.
"I wasn't talking about the kid," I whisper into the soft fabric of his shirt. I hear him swallow as he gently massages his fingers through the hair at the nape of my neck.
He hums to himself before sighing. "Close your eyes," he orders softly. I lift my head enough to frown up at him and he shakes his head, using his thumb to swipe away a lingering tear on my cheek. I let out a quick sniffle and nod, letting my eyes close.
My whole body tenses when I hear the metallic hiss of his helmet sliding off. "Din?" I whisper into the new darkness. The warmth of his chest leaves me and I hear him walk forward, likely setting his helmet down somewhere. He leaves me standing awkwardly with my eyes closed in the middle of my room. I'm about to ask him what he's doing, but something stops me.
His lips, warm and unbearably gentle, press against mine. My shoulders tense up for the first few seconds, but I quickly relax as his hands come up to cradle my neck, so carefully as if I might shatter in his arms. One of his thumbs traces the bottom of my jaw as he pulls me closer.
Too soon, he pulls away and presses his forehead against mine. "Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum, cyar'ika," he whispers against my lips. I shake my head, resisting the extremely powerful urge to open my eyes. I hear a faint chuckle from the back of his throat, so raw and unfiltered by his helmet. "I love you too."
I suck in a breath, but it's cut off when he suddenly kisses me again with more pressure than before. I hesitantly wrap my arms around his neck, one hand finding the outline of the scar from his head injury on Nevarro. My fingers trace over it as he kisses me, and I can feel a sense of careful restraint in his actions. But he doesn't pull away, and neither do I.
A loud, urgent beeping from the ship makes us both jump, instantly ending the kiss. He quickly releases me and I hear him shuffling before the helmet clicks back into place. When I open my eyes and look into that blank helmet again, my gaze instantly drops.
"We must've reached Nevarro," I say, clearing my throat as I start heading for the door.
He hums out a 'no' and shakes his head. "Ilum. I changed our course and made the jump before I came in here."
A small grin tugs on my lips as I look back at him, rolling my eyes. "You never listen, do you?"
He chuckles, reaching forward to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear as he slips past me and through the door of my room. "It's a good thing I didn't."
"And why's that?" I ask, following him as he makes his way toward the cockpit. He pauses in the narrow hallway, taking my pendant in his hand as he stares down at me.
"Because now you're stuck with me."
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Hey everyone!
Bit of a short chapter today, but I just felt like it was the perfect place to end it. There you have it, they've both finally confessed! Now they just have to survive Ilum next chapter 👀
I hope everyone's been having a good week so far. Did you all see the trailer for Mando S3??? I cannot tell you guys how hyped I am. It looks amazing!
As always, until next chapter :)