Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Din hits the ground hard, snow puffing around him. His left arm is now pinned by the leg of the young woman sitting on his chest, while his right arm is wrenched under him. She has a vibroblade to his throat as she snarls, “Do you yield?”

He tries for a moment to shift until he feels where the toes of her boots are sitting, right over his groin. She’ll make him yield one way or another.

“I yield.”

She’s off him in a moment, using her jet pack to get as far away from his as possible. He’s jealous of the pack, he hasn’t earned one yet. He looks to his trainer, Hudu Shiv, who shakes his head and hands some credits to the man named Pre Vizsla, the one they call the Mand’alor.

“I can see why she’s your second now,” Hudu tells Vizsla as the two older men walk away together.

Din gets to his feet, stepping over by his training mates from the fighting corps. He looks back at the young woman, but she’s already moving away with a group, mostly of females and a couple of males. He doesn’t know her name, just that she’s the second in command of the Mand’alor’s forces.

Orwig shot his mouth off, and she had thought it was Din challenging her to a fight. Din took the fight, because it would be poor form to blame it on Orwig, who would have definitely gotten his ass kicked by the Owl-helmeted Mandalorian in the first thirty seconds. Din had at least lasted about ten minutes with the woman.

Din turns to Orwig after the young woman is out of sight, “You owe me for that ass kicking.”

“Whatever,” Orwig mumbles, turning to walk away. Din grabs him hard, spinning the younger man to face him, leaning menacingly over his fellow corps member, “You owe me. Hudu lost money because you shot your mouth off and hid like a small child to get me in trouble. Unless you want me to beat your ass in front of everyone, you will pay me all your credits.”

“I won’t” Orwig whines, trying to get out of Din’s grip as another voice says, “You will.”

They both turn to see Hudu standing there. Din releases Orwig to stand at attention, as well as everyone but Orwig.

“But….”

“Were you the one that disrespected the Nite Owl?”

Orwig gets in line, dropping his head and mumbling, “Yes.”

“You will pay Din Djarin your earned credits for the next seven rotations for your dishonor at having him fight a battle he did not start.”

“Yes Hudu,” Orwig sounds like he’s crying in his helmet.

“Go clean the ship. I want it spotless,” Hudu replies and Orwig heads away while Hudu looks at the rest of them, “The rest of you may enjoy your time here on Carlac, we will leave in two rotations.”

The remaining six turn to go, but Hudu stops him. Din looks at his trainer, “Sir?”

“You fought a battle not meant for you, and you held your own against the girl.”

“She’s a powerful warrior.”

“She is for one of a pacifist house and barely a woman,” Hudu agrees, “Come, you did well and will be compensated for it. The Mand’alor has spoken.”

Din nods once as he walks in step with Hudu toward a row of darkened huts towards the back of the main gathering area.

++++

Bo-Katan stands facing Pre, blood running from the corner of her mouth.

“You’ll do what I tell you,” Pre snarls at her, stalking towards her again. She holds her ground as he screams, “That welp almost beat you. You’ll fuck him until he’s happy and willing to fight on the front lines for us and die thinking he was special.”

Bo-Katan just stares at him a moment before snarling, “Yes, SIR,” then turning and walking out the door, slamming her helmet on her head so Ursa doesn’t see her bleeding mouth and bruised eye and mother hen her in front of everyone.

She makes it to her quarters unseen. The welp has been put in one of the huts in the command staff section for their time together. It makes her sick to her stomach. She’s supposed to be second-in-command and Pre’s partner in all things, but Pre’s never fucked her. Oh, he thought he had, but he’d been so kriffing drunk that all he’d done was rut against her before coming on her and falling asleep.

She changes out of her armor and flight suit quickly, donning her black bathing one-piece so she’s not dirtying her normal undergarments afterwards, black leggings, dark boots, and her dark poncho. She slips into the darkening night disappearing from view. She wants to get this filthy business done with as quickly as possible.

She makes it to the door of the quarters. It’s dark inside and out. He might not be in there. She’ll wait fifteen minutes for him and leave. She slides through the door, leaving the lights off. She stands in the darkness waiting for her eyes to adjust.

“Hello Nite Owl,” comes the unmodulated voice.

She whirls, blade out. Her eyes have adjusted a little to the pitch darkness to see the outlines of someone sitting on the bed though she can’t tell exactly where on the bed as that section is in complete and utter darkness. He must have the curtains mostly pulled around the bed.

“You took your helmet off. I thought was against the rules.”

“It sounds like you have too. Hudu told me, for this night, the Mand’alor would not see it as a travesty, since I was told you would come to me.”

“I could turn the light on,” she snarks, hating the way his voice sounds more manly than youthful even though he’s younger than her.

“You won’t.”

It frustrates her that he’s right. She won’t, one because she doesn’t want anyone knowing where they are, and two, she doesn’t want to see him. The thought of him disgusts her.

She slips the blade back into the lining of her poncho and steps towards the bed. She will fuck him quickly, leave, and be done with the whole affair.

She goes to sit on the side nearest the door, where Pre always makes her sleep, only to be surprised he’s sitting on that side.

“I can move if you like,” comes his deep voice as she startles and stumbles around the bed to the other side.

“Whatever,” she replies as she sits on the bed’s edge away from him, dropping her cloak to the floor, pulling off her boots, and leggings. She’s about to stand to strip when his hand touches the center of her back, “We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

She’d like nothing more than to tell him no, but Pre has his expectations. She won’t lose her position because of this.

+++++++++

She stiffens under his touch. It feels like she’s wearing a one-piece garment that must be what she wears under her flight suit. He’s never felt fabric like this before though.

“This is my punishment for not dispatching you faster,” her voice is full of anger and hatred.

“It wasn’t me that challenged you. Orwig did. Hudu is punishing him, but he’s the one that did it, then hid. If you aren’t comfortable doing this, we don’t have too. I can tell them you were great, the best I ever have had.”

She laughs, it’s condescending, not happy, “And if Pre wants to check to see, watch your cum dribble down my legs, what then? He will want to make sure I fucked you until you were happy and willing to fight on the front lines and die thinking you’re special.”

Bo-Katan can’t believe she said that, but she’s so angry. At least he will think it’s from her and not Pre. He can think she’s a bitch all he wants too.

Din hadn’t thought about the Mand’alor wanting to check. But the rest, was this just her being angry or had the Mand’alor actually told her this?

Bo-Katan shrugs off his hand, shimming out of the bathing suit before turning and crawling further onto the bed. Her stomach feels like she’s going to wretch, but she keeps it down.

She climbs on top of him, reaching for his groin. He stalls her motion, “We can take it slow.”

Bo-Katan laughs at him, “I am not your lover,” she settles a hand on his groin and finds his cock thick and swollen, “I am just your fuck toy for a little bit.”

Din slides a hand up her back, threading his fingers in her hair to keep her head in place while he pulls her body into his lap with the other, “Maybe I don’t want a fuck toy,” he grinds out, dislodging her and resettling her so that her core it right on his cock, arm trapped so that she can touch her clit, “Maybe I want a lover who will fuck me until I am happy and willing to fight on the front lines and die thinking I am special because I got you, Nite Owl.”

Bo-Katan struggles but the angle he’s holding her is just so her arm and hand that were holding his cock are now pinned between their bodies, pushed against her own clit. She can only rake him with her right hand, which she tries to do but he leans back, pinning her hand between his body and the wall behind them.

Din smiles, she’s firey. He didn’t get a good look at her when she snuck in, covered in her cloak, though he did catch a glimpse of red hair. She feels amazing right now, he can only guess how she’ll feel actually impaled on his cock. He forces her head towards his and kisses her firmly on the lips. He’s not good at kissing. He’s watched holovids and seen stuff, but usually it’s just helmets smashed together in a dark corner at the fighting corps barracks. He’s surprised when he tastes blood as she struggles a moment before she seems to relent into the kiss.

He’s never kissed anyone before, and he probably won’t after this, so he tries to enjoy it for as long as it will last. She’s very responsive and it gives him a lot more courage that he’s doing it correctly.

Bo-Katan pulls away from him, finding herself breathless.

“Your lip is bloody. Did he strike you?”

She doesn’t answer him, just turns her head away. Din knows that the Mand’alor did strike her then. He pulls her close, pressing his lips to the point just below her ear where he can feel her fluttering pulse. He’s going to take all night. He’s going to make her feel as good as he can before the sun rises.

Bo-Katan tries to pull away from where his lips are grazing her neck. While his lips are chapped, the soft kisses make her insides flutter, and not in a bad way like the thought of having sex with him did, still does, she corrects herself.

“Touch yourself,” Din whispers to her, shifting a little so that her palm pushes against her clit. Her soft intake of breath is nice, and Din continues shifting his hips, kissing her neck, rubbing her scalp, and keeping a firm grip on that tight ass of hers.

Bo-Katan tries to pull away from him, the stimulation too much, but he keeps a hold of her. His lips find hers again. She tries to bite him, wanting the intimate feelings to go away. He just chuckles, twisting them so that she is now under him on the mattress and pinned by his weight.

Din knows he won’t keep her like this for long. The position is not comfortable or, so he’s been told by some of his female fighting corps members on nights when they are allowed to intermingle.

Bo-Katan manages to get her arm free. She rakes her nails up his back trying to get him to release her. Instead of him pulling away, he grinds down on her harder nipping at the base of her neck then sucking along the vein. She clamps her mouth shut trying to keep the moan from escaping.

Din angles one of her legs over his hip, rolling them so he’s on his back now and she is sitting right on his cock. He can’t tell if the darkness behind his eyes was because of the room’s blackness, or him nearly losing consciousness because of the feel of her rubbing down his shaft.

Bo-Katan freezes on top of him. He’s huge. Definitely larger than Pre. She can’t think about it, she just has to keep her mind on getting through the next few moments, and then she can leave. She reaches for his cock angling it against her core and pushing down with her body.

Din realizes, just as she grabs his cock, that she’s not nearly wet enough by any means. She stuffs herself about half-way onto him, then there’s nothing. She seems frantic and he stops her, “Easy, you’ll hurt yourself and me. Easy.”

Bo-Katan tries to ignore the stretching and tearing feeling of having him in her. It hurts like blazes, but she just needs to get this over with.

Din snakes his hand back into her hair again and grips her ass, pulling her against himself, “Stop. You are going to hurt yourself.”

“Just…. want…this…over….” she pants out and Din can tell she’s in pain by her voice.

He angles for her mouth again, smashing his lips against hers. She rakes his back again, but he holds her while she struggles. He can taste the saltiness of tears and just keeps trying to distract her enough for her body to relax. Finally, they both gasp as her body relaxes just enough for their hips to meet.

Bo-Katan tries to stifle the whimper as her body settles, taking his cock fully. He is huge and she feels so stuffed, like she swears he’s dislocating organs inside her body. She feels dried tears on her face and can taste blood in her mouth from where Pre injured her earlier. She also feels the gentle touch of his lips on her neck as he whispers, “Kriffing hells, you are amazing.”

Din can’t believe the Mand’alor’s second is a novice, but as tight as she is, she has to be, or their leader has a small, useless cock. Din knows he shouldn’t think like that, but this woman, she’s so tight and her little panting noises make him want to be less than honorable. He could ruin her for anyone but him, but in doing so, if the Mand’alor wasn’t pleased with her, he could get rid of her too, no matter how good of a warrior she is to the cause.

Din gently shifts her, lifting her a little on his cock and letting her slide back down, testing to see if she’s relaxed enough for them to continue. She only stiffens slightly, leaning into him to adjust as she comes back down.

Bo-Katan adjust her knees better and lifts herself off his cock, sliding down it with growing ferocity. He grunts with each slide that she does and there are other lewd noises from their coupling as she reaches her peak and comes, panting against him. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that he has. What is it with this zealot? Why is he trying to make this something between them?

Din lays back, rolling them to their sides and sliding out of her with a wet pop. He adjusts her onto her stomach while she’s still limp from her orgasm. He’s adjusting her hips when she starts to come around and try to flip herself back over. He holds her firmly, burying his face in her wet core and lapping until she relaxes slightly with a deep moan.

She can’t fight him as he pushes he cock in at this new angle, adjusting her hips up. She gulps. She had thought she had been stuffed before but this, this is so much more. It had to be an illusion from the angle that she felt like the tip of his cock was pushing against her hear and lungs.

Din settles over her, his chest to her back, sliding his left hand to cup her pussy, fingering her clit. He braces his right arm, sliding it under her to rest his hand on her breast gently tugging the nipple. She whimpers softly, her arms braced and her body tense to try and get him off of her. He begins thrusting; gently at first, then harder.

It doesn’t take long before she’s coming again. Bo-Katan is panting hard now, her body shaking as his thrusts become more erratic. Then he pounds into her one last time, locking their hips. She squeals into the pillow as he bites into her shoulder blade, grunting as she feels his release inside her.

She swears it takes hours for him to quit ejaculating and coating her insides. He’s pulled her to lay on their sides, curling around her almost possessively. Finally, she feels his cock slide out of her with a squishy popping sound. Instantly she gets out of the bed, digging for her clothes in the dark.

“Wait,” he whispers, but he hears her heading towards the door. It cracks open just enough for her to slip into the darkness outside. He catches a slight glimpse of her red hair again before she’s gone. Din sighs heavily, flicking on the light next to the bed. The only way to show that she was even there is a few red spots on the bed and her reddish cum on his now sleeping cock.

He can’t tell if the blood is because she was a novice or she might have been cycling. Either way, it’s a gift. He rises from the bed, pulling a small cylinder from his armor on the chair, and wiping most of it into the cylinder. He does put just a little in the center of his Beskaryc Kar'ta to honor that while she wasn’t fully willing, she gave him a large piece of herself.

Din cleans himself, putting on his beskar, stripping the bed, taking the sheet that showed her blood and cutting out the area before placing the rest in the small stove to burn on the coals. He places the cylinder and piece of sheet into a safe wrap inside his belt pouch, slams his helmet on his head, and leaves the room.

The camp is mostly quiet as he makes his way to the ship. He slips into his bunk unseen, but sleep doesn’t come for a long time.

+++++

Bo-Katan gasps as the hot water hits her back. It’s steaming. She’ll have to remember at 0200 hours no one is using the water so it’s scalding. She scrubs herself head to toe trying to get the welp off of her and warm herself back up from her trip through the cold Carlac night.

“Bo?” comes Ursa’s concerned voice. Ursa must have been waiting and watching from her quarters.

“What Ursa?” she snarls as she sees the shape of the other woman through the fogged glass of the shower.

“Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”

“I don’t need a mother, Ursa. Go back to your own kid.”

“Bo-Katan,” Ursa’s voice warns, and Bo-Katan finishes scrubbing herself before clicking the button to slide open the shower door. She’s learned not to be embarrassed around other women. Sometimes they bath on missions together for safety’s sake.

“Kriff,” Ursa replies pulling her from the shower and looking at all of the bite marks and bruises. Ursa touches her face gently, shaking her own head in disbelief.

Bo-Katan pulls away from her, grabbing the towel, and drying herself off. She forgets that she’s sore and bleeding until Ursa grabs the towel looking at the blood stain.

“Are you cycling, or did you not have enough moisture?”

“Both,” she replies, stripping off the arm patch that is supposed to keep her cycle short. She forgot that she was due until today. Luckily, she was able to get a new one.

Ursa digs into a pouch on her belt and pulls out a pill and some cream.

“This will help with the cock burn inside your vagina, help it heal. Get it in as far as you can, it’s a bacta mix. Take the pill in the next rotation to make sure you don’t get pregnant. I am going to have words with Pre.”

“Don’t Ursa,” Bo-Katan stops her, “don’t. He hit me and punched me a couple of times. The rest is from the welp I bested this afternoon.”

“You had sex with him?”

“Pre told me I had to. He was kriffed that I didn’t dispatch him fast enough.”

“Bo….” Ursa starts, then stops, shifting her a little and looking at the back of her neck.

“Yeah he bit me.”

“That’s not a bite, Bo. That’s a Mand’alor’s Mark.”

Bo-Katan laughs, “There are no such things as soul mates Ursa. This isn’t those stupid trash holonovels that Jennesa reads about people changing into Loth-wolves and mating for life. He just bit and bruised me. Kriffing zealot likes to use his teeth when he takes his beloved helmet off.”

Bo-Katan takes the pills with a handful of water from the sink, then puts the new patch on her skin. She turns to look at Ursa who is just shaking her head, “You can’t let men walk over you like this Bo. Pre is no good for you. Keep the welp or find someone else, but don’t ever allow him to use you like this again, giving you to another man because he was angry with you is not a man I would want to be with.”

“Some of us don’t get choices, Ursa,” she snarls.

Ursa doesn’t engage her, she just walks out of the room then Bo-Katan hears the front door open and close, the lock clicking into place.

She doesn’t sleep well and is more than happy to take a few of her Nite Owls out on patrol early. Ursa is among them and always just a step behind her. They stay out late and are out early the day after as well. She sees the welp again from a distance as she guides her Gauntlet into the air. His helmet follows until she can’t see him anymore.

Din watches the Gauntlet that the group of Nite Owls left on. He saw her briefly, but she disappeared from view just as quickly. He still doesn’t know her name. He won’t ask the non-believers that are showing their faces, and he doesn’t want one of the true believers telling the Mand’alor that Din was asking after the Mand’alor’s second. He sighs as the Gauntlet disappears into the atmosphere. They are leaving today. He won’t have a chance to see the Nite Owl Queen again. Perhaps he can find out her name on his travels.

Chapter Text

Bo-Katan rubs her neck. She needs a massage. She needs to soak in a jet tub like on Catonica at Canto Bight. She needs to drink herself stupid. She needs sex. None of which are going to happen here, especially the sex. She was spoiled a few years ago on Carlac, and she hasn’t found someone else that measures up, literally. She, Jennesa, and Ursa are on a fact-finding mission. Maul’s forces are getting help from Oba Diah and the Pykes. Her crew flew into the port under false pretenses. She hopes they find something soon. Something helpful. It’s been two rotations with nothing.

They took a small lodging unit with three single beds and a refresher in the port area listing themselves as mercenaries for hire. She thought that might help get them some information. Ursa and Jennesa check in from their patrol and Bo-Katan lets them know that she’s going to the pub down the street and for them to find their own meals. She doesn’t dress in her armor. She dresses to look more civilian mercenary than Mandalorian.

She makes her way over to the pub, sitting at the bar, with her back to wall so she can see the crowd. She orders an ale and a steak, medium with vegetables and fruit. She sits sipping and looking at the crowd. A couple of young men, probably her age, are watching her probably trying to get her attention for sex, but she’s got a type and by their small hands, their cocks aren’t big enough. She ignores them, her eyes settling on the person in Mandalorian armor sitting in the dark corner behind them. The helmet suggests male as does the broad chest. He could be one of Maul’s or he could be from a splinter group since Death Watch shattered with Pre’s death. The fact he hasn’t stormed up to her to kill her tells her he’s not high ranking or he’s just waiting.

She’ll keep an eye on him while she eats. She digs into her meal, sighing happily as her stomach thanks her for the perfect food.

++++

Din sits in the darkened corner of the pub. He and Hudu had come to Oba Diah because of some high value targets that would get them a large amount of credits for the covert.

They had just captured the bail jumper with the high price tag. They had taken him to their ship to encase him in carbonite, then delivered him to the guild outpost, picking up their second fob. This one was all but useless, as it just had an age, twenty-two and female. No description, nothing. The only thing promising about it was the exorbitant price tag. Din’s not sure what a twenty-two-year-old woman could have done, but people didn’t believe he was a bounty hunter because he was twenty, so there is that.

Hudu had said it would be hard, but not impossible to find her. They had come to the pub to get information when Hudu had been distracted by a buxom woman. His instructor was a great warrior, but he did have a type. Hudu left with the woman telling Din he’d be back in a little while. That meant four to five hours, especially if they did spice or any other drugs. Din had only nodded and continued to sit. A couple of women have tried to engage him but have learned quickly he’s not interested like Hudu was.

It’s been an hour since Hudu left to enjoy himself, when a red head walks into the pub and the fob starts blinking, emitting a soft hum as Din doesn’t like the blaring to give away that he’s found his prey. His prey indeed. Red heads, they are his down fall. Din knows he has a type. Red heads. He can’t seem to break himself of that. His Nite Owl tainted him that one time. His hand settles unconsciously on the pouch that still carries her gifts to him.

The problem is this woman can’t be the leader of a death force hell bent on killing all of her people like the guild master told them. He’s only been hunting for a while, and he’s seen his share, he’s close to going out on his own, but this woman, there’s no way. The guild master talked about a shrewd, ugly woman who would as soon kill you as look at you, and this woman is anything but that description. He slides the fob into his flak vest, making sure the sound is off, and heads towards the bar.

++++

Bo-Katan sees the Mandalorian stand and begin walking her way. Kriffing hells. She puts the last piece of fruit in her mouth as he walks up to the bar, sitting one seat away from her, “I’ll settle her up,” his voice is deep, the vocoder modulating it even lower as he nods in her direction. His hand holding the credits is large. Hmmm, wrong time for thoughts like that.

“Sure,” the bartender takes the offered credits and leaves as the Mandalorian turns to her, “It seems you made yourself an easy target, coming to a public place like this.”

So, he knows who she is. She can fight her way out of this. She doesn’t want to fight right now. Dammit. Kriffing hells, she just wanted to not be recognized. She should have colored her hair or kept her hood up.

“Maybe I wanted to be caught,” she offers. If she can seduce him into the alley, then she can kill him and worry about the consequences later.

“Did you now?”

“Maybe I am tired of running,” she yawns and stretches, “so tired.”

She shifts her shoulder, getting the old injury to pop, “Let’s not make a scene, go out the back.”

“After you,” he replies as Bo-Katan slides off the chair walking at a slight angle to keep an eye on him as she slips out the door.

++++

Din knows she’s not going to go as quietly as she suggests she is, but he plays along. As he steps into the alley behind the pub, she turns, a vibroblade in her hand, lunging at him.

Din parries and counters her. She’s a skilled fighter. He tries to imagine her in the blue armor of his Nite Owl. She could come close.

He grunts as she gets a strike in on his thigh where his armor doesn’t quite cover all of it. It is a glancing blow and not a deep cut luckily, but he feels the skin tear under the blade. It triggers his blood lust. He loves a good kriffing hand to hand fight.

She strikes for areas where his armor is the weakest. She knows where that is, so she’s been around Mandalorians before, possibly having fought against them or been trained by them. He’s intrigued, wanting to know more. The carnal part of his brain pops up, unhelpfully, that perhaps he could fuck her into submission.

++++++

Bo-Katan has to admit she misjudged the Mandalorian. He’s skilled for a bounty hunter. Not as much as her, but he’s impressive enough. He kind of reminds her of the welp she fought a couple of years ago when Pre was still alive, the one she fucked. She blocks that line of thought as the other Mandalorian tries to use his larger frame to subdue her.

She uses his poor choice against him flipping him to the ground and pinning him, blade to his throat, the toes of her boots pressing into his crotch.

Din looks into the eyes of the woman over him. Her eyes are intense. There’s no way she could be HIS Nite Owl, she’s showing her face, and his red head always wore her helmet, except that night. This woman has to have been trained by his Nite Owl.

Din’s worked out how to get out of this particular pin and he rolls his feet towards his head, rolling her with him and flipping them over. She’s not expecting it and while she gets away quickly she hits the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of her for a moment.

Bo-Katan rolls up to her feet catching her breath even though she hurts like the blazes now. He’s been pinned before like that and knows how to get someone off. Most men are to worried about their cocks to try anything.

“Nice try,” he says stepping towards her. Bo-Katan finds her back pinned to the building behind with no way of escape without her jet pack. Bantha fodder.

“Are you going to come nicely?” he asks.

“No,” she snarls.

“Good.”

Din waits for her to throw her first escape attempt. She feints to see his weak points then jumps straight in the air, slamming her feet into his chest. He’s surprised enough by the move for someone with out a jet pack, but he spins and grabs her around the waist as she passes him, throwing her to the wall and pinning her with his body.

He gets her arms above her head, locking the cuffs on them with one hand while his other braces the wall beside her. He’s panting from the blow to the chest and his cock has a mind of its own as it pushes against her ass.

Bo-Katan can feel his erection as he pins her, his breathing heavy through the vocoder. She pushes back into him, letting him get a feel of his cock sliding along her rear.

Din answers the tease by pushing one leg between hers and raising his knee, rubbing his beskar against her core. She’s stretched to standing on her boot tips. She pushes back again and hums softly as she works herself on his armor-clad thigh.

“Vixen,” he whispers helmet against her head.

“I can be whatever you want,” she offers.

Din chuckles, “You aren’t going free. Not when there’s six hundred thousand credits at stake for you.”

“That much?” she laughs, “if I had known I’d have turned myself in,” she wiggles on his leg. The angle he has her is perfect for her to rub herself raw on his armor. She hopes getting herself off will distract him. He didn’t get the shackles locked completely.

Din knows he should concentrate more, but her rubbing herself distracts him. He keeps a hand on the cuffs to keep her arms up, while he shifts letting her rub more on his thigh and slides his other hand around her body to cup his fingers over her fabric clad pussy.

Bo-Katan grinds down on his hand, feeling his other hand release its hold on the shackles. His other hand snakes around her neck, “Don’t get any ideas.”

She laughs, grinding against him, “My only idea is riding your cock,” she replies as she feels the shackles release and clank down the wall to the ground.

“That’s good,” he replies hoarsely. The hand on her core moves up to the clasp of her tactical pants, jerking the snaps open, and pushing the pants down over her hips. The night air is cool on her rear as he tightens his grip around her neck.

Din doesn’t even think why he’s pulling his cock out and adjusting her to take him. He’s all on impulse right now. She’s wet enough for him to push in most of the way with a single thrust, causing her to grunt and brace her hands on the wall.

Bo-Katan can’t believe how big his is. She’s only felt like this once before and this guy is bigger. He lifts her hips, making her reach even more on her tip toes, his gloved hand working her core as he finally settles her completely on him.

“Kriff,” they both say in unison.

Din gives her a moment before he starts thrusting her. She leans into the wall and athletically wraps her legs around his backwards giving him a different angle and he knows he’s not going to last. He keeps his fingers moving over her clit and just as he slams into her the last time, coming hard, he hears her gasp and feels her clench around him.

They stay in that position for a few moments before he slides out of her. She turns her left hip just enough, as she’s reaching to pull her small clothes and pants up that he can see the tattoo on her thigh. It looks like the helmet of his Nite Owl.

Bo-Katan’s shocked as he caresses her tattoo ever so lightly.

She finishes pulling her binding and pants up, turning to face him as she snaps everything in place, covering herself once again. His blank helmet is just staring at her.

“Did you serve under the Nite Owl?” he asks.

She’s stunned. He really doesn’t know WHO she is. She doesn’t want to tell him, so she only says, “Yes,” waiting to see what he says.

He pulls out a tracking fob. It’s blinking quickly. Kriffing Hells. Someone has put a bounty on her. She thought he just knew her from Mandalore and was trying to take her back to Maul.

“Is this because you served under her?”

“Yes.”

“Is she dead?”

Bo-Katan thinks of Satine’s broken body, the way they found her after Maul had killed her in front of her Jetii lover, tossing her away like trash. Undignified and abandoned. Her eyes well up of their own accord. Her face must tell him what he needs to know as he pockets the fob, “Go. Run. I’ll give you a rotation to get away.”

“Others may have fobs.”

“Not for long,” he replies turning and walking away down the alley.

Bo-Katan can’t believe her luck. She grabs her vibroblade from where is fell out of her hand when she came, then sidles out of the alley, going several blocks away before returning to her shared room with Ursa and Jennesa.

+++++

Din can’t believe his Nite Owl is dead. He stops a few blocks away, panting in fury, wanting someone to release his anger on. As if Mand’alor the Great heard his thoughts, two men walk past him with tracking fobs, “She’s on this planet. Might be pretty easy to find her.”

‘No,’ Din thinks to himself, ‘it won’t.’ When he has dispatched both of the men, crushed and taken the tracking fobs, he walks towards the guild office to have a word with the man about handing out additional fobs, when Mandalorians have taken the job.

+++++

“Bo get out here!” comes Ursa’s yell as Bo-Katan finishes toweling her wet hair. It got grimy in the alley, and she felt she just needed to scrub herself clean, take a precautionary pill, and now she just wants to head to bed.

She walks out seeing Jennesa and Ursa looking at the small table in their shared space. She walks up and sees a bag and tons of busted tracking fobs with a data pad.

The data pad is showing the guild tracking system and as she lifts it, all of the fobs stop blinking. The screen shows MEMORY ERASE COMPLETED. She’s no longer in the guild’s system.

The bag is leaking blood, “It’s a head,” Ursa replies, “with a guild mark on his forehead and an ID card. High ranking.”

“Who brought this gift to you?” Jennesa asks.

Bo-Katan looks at the scribbled note clipped to the side of the bag containing the head.

Credits acquired. Only one fob. Thirty rotation head-start. You’re welcome.

She smiles, “A fellow Mandalorian. I guess I owe him one.”

Ursa looks at her curiously. Jennesa just laughs.

+++++++

Din tosses the pouch of credits onto the weapons bench in the ship. Hudu looks at him, “What’s this.”

“While you were fucking I caught our fob.”

“There’s more here than the credits he told us.”

Din sits, looking at Hudu, “He tried to screw us out of payment. I took retribution.”

Hudu nods, “This is the way.”

Din’s not sure what he did is really the way, but the covert will have enough credits for a while for things they need. He fingers the remaining fob in his flak vest. He managed to get the file for her solely to this fob. While the file was useless, it’s centered here, and the others should be destroyed now and her information erased like she never existed in the guild’s files.

He doesn’t know if he’ll actually track her or not. He’ll have to see how things play out.

Chapter Text

Koska walks into the lodging room they are sharing on Trask, “You’ll never believe the beast that just landed.”

Bo-Katan looks up from the data pad she’s been studying as Axe asks, “We aren’t looking for someone for you to fuck, Koz, we’re looking for help.”

Koska kicks his leg, “Not for me, for Bo. Just your size, shiny Mandalorian armor and a ship. A piece of Bantha fodder ship, but still a ship.”

Bo-Katan ignores Axe’s questioning look. He’s always so overprotective of her. “What clan?”

“Had a Mudhorn on his right shoulder.”

She shakes her head, “Don’t know of an old house with a Mudhorn, might be a new one with all the scattered clans.”

“He went into the bar.”

“Well, let’s go introduce ourselves,” Bo-Katan rises, grabbing her helmet.

+++++++++++

Din chokes on the water. He can’t get to the child and he’s frantic. The Quarren seem to have stopped stabbing him and he looks up to see, no, this can’t be, is that a Nite Owl?

“Take my hand,” the feminine voice tells him, and he grasps her hand. She braces and between the two of them, he’s out of the water, coughing and hacking. He keeps pointing at the water, trying to get out, “the child.”

“On it,” says another female and she disappears into the water.

“Don’t worry, brother,” the first female tells him. Din sits choking as she steps up to her male companion, watching the water.

There are a couple of explosions, and the second female comes soaring out of the tank with a nearly crushed pram in her hands. She sets it in front of him, breaking the cover, and pulling out the small child. She backs up next to the others after handing the small bundle to him.

“Thank you. I have been searching for more of our kind,” Din replies

“Well, lucky we found you first,” the first female replies. The one with the Nite Owl helmet.  

He begins speaking about his quest and goes to look up to get a better look at the first female’s helmet when he sees all three of them have removed their helmets.

He pauses, and the child makes a squeaking sound as he rises to his full height. He enters the leader’s personal space and snarls, “Where did you get that armor?”

“This armor has been in my family for three generations,” she states sourly.

“You do not cover your face. You are not Mandalorian,” he growls out.

“He’s one of them,” the male nods to the first female. His face showing his distaste. Din doesn’t know what the male means.

“Dank Farrick,” the leader says, shaking her red head. Din’s already trying to squelch his desire to take the red head and take the armor off of her.  

“One of what?” he questions, trying to take control of the situation.

“I am Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze. I was born on Mandalore and fought in the Purge. I am the last of my line,” She steps closer as if trying to see his eyes through his visor, “And you are a Child of the Watch.”

“The Watch?” he questions her.

“Children of the Watch are a cult of religious zealots that broke away from Mandalorian society. Their goal was to reestablish the ancient way,” she looks at the child in his arms. The child huddles closer to him, clearly seeing him as the safer option at the moment.

“There is only one way,” he growls out at her, “the way of the Manda’lor.”

He turns, igniting his jet pack and flying away. Kriffing hells, she had to be a red head and a non-believer. Why did she have to be a red head?

+++++++++

They come to rest on a supply ship overlooking the docks after destroying the Quarren vessel. The silver clad Mandalorian hasn’t seen them, so they watch. She has a feeling that the Quarren are not done with the zealot yet.

He’s walking towards the landing docks from the shipping docks still carrying the child in his arms. Soon he’s surrounded by the Quarren.

“I am beginning to hate Quarren,” Koska sighs, standing up from her squatted position. Bo-Katan and Axe stand as well as they hear the Quarren tell the Mandalorian, “You killed my brother.”

“Let me pass,” he growls in that voice that Bo-Katan can’t get out of her head now, husky, and dark, full of violent promise.

“HAHAHA, I don’t think you understand,” the Quarren start to swarm in on him, “you killed my brother, now I am going to kill your pet.”

From her angle, Bo-Katan can see the small child curl into the man’s body more. That’s when she signals, and they land on either side of the hunter to the shock of the Quarren.

“He didn’t kill your brother,” she steps forward ahead of the others, “I did.”

The group of Quarren start to back away and all four Mandalorians fire at them, dropping them all. The man is fast on the draw and deadly accurate. She has to have his help on their mission. She needs this capability by her side.

She turns to him and finds him leaning in towards her as she is leaning in towards him. She offers, “Can we at least buy you a drink?”

There is a magnetic pull, like their chest plates are oppositely charged. He leans into her more as she does the same to him and that husky voice tells her, “Lead the way.”

She walks ahead of him with Axe and Koska following behind them.

As they enter the tavern a Mon Calamari waiter steps forward. The man turns to him, “Not you.”

The threat is clear. The waiter leaves immediately and a female Mon Calamari steps forward, “I’ll get the baby a stool. Have a seat there,” she points to an empty table in the back. The first waiter is staying very far away from them. Bo-Katan guesses this was the person that might have sent him to the Quarren. She’ll confirm that later. She sits and the silver clad Mandalorian sits next to her earning a glare from Axe who is forced to sit across from Bo-Katan as Koska has taken the other seat next to her. The female Mon Calamari brings the child’s stool setting it between Bo-Katan and the newcomer. Bo-Katan wonders briefly what she sees, two couples, the dominant couple with a child? It would be interesting to ask at a later time. She doesn’t hate the thought.  

Only once they are settled and have drinks and food, with the exception of the man and the child, who only has a drink with a long straw and the child a cup, are introductions made.

“This is Koska Reeves and Axe Woves. And your name?” She tries to keep her voice even and not show how curious she is for any scrap of knowledge about him from his own lips, especially his name and clan. She hasn’t felt so electrified around someone in a long, long time.

He’s silent for a moment then he rumbles, “Din Djarin.”

She hadn’t heard of the Clan name before, but with the Children of the Watch, a lot were from minor clans that didn’t have large numbers or were foundlings that had been taken in by those minor clans. She wonders briefly if she still has the old records on the Gauntlet from before the Purge. Maybe his name is in the archives she downloaded trying to save them from Imperial control.

Axe keeps giving her the side eye as she engages this Din Djarin, she can tell he’s jealous of her attention to the newcomer. He’ll have to get over being the only male in her inner circle, because if this Mandalorian works out, she plans on keeping him close.

“Trask is a black-market port. They are staging weapons which have been bought and sold with the plunders of our planet. We are seizing those weapons and using them to retake our Homeworld. Once we’ve done that, we’ll see a new Manda’lor on the throne.”

“That planet is cursed. Anyone who goes there dies. Once the Empire knew they couldn’t control it, they made sure no one else could either.”

Axe takes a drink and looks at her while Koska shakes her head. Bo-Katan keeps her attention on the other man, “Don’t believe everything you hear. Our enemies want to separate us. But Mandalorians are stronger together.”

“That’s not part of my plan,” he looks to the child sitting between them, “I’ve been quested to returning this child to the Jedi.”

She looks at the small green child sitting between them. This is perfect. Absolutely perfect. She can’t believe her luck. She’s sure Ahsoka won’t appreciate her tactics, but she couldn’t have asked for a better situation, his help for information on where Ahsoka is – this is divine providence. This was a gift from the ancestors, this hunter coming to her. 

“What do you know of the Jedi,” she looks from the child to him.

“Nothing. I was hoping you’d help me by Creed.”

The child whimpers as it watches Koska as she eats her chowder. It must be hungry. She looks to Axe and tries to keep the full-on grin from her face.

“I can lead you to one of their kind,” she looks at him and she can tell she has his full attention now, “but first we need your help on our mission.”

“Mission?”

She smiles faintly and lifts her eyebrows, “The weapons. We could use your help.”

He ponders it for a moment, “I will help you.”

“Thank you,” she waives over the waitress, “We’d like to do it early. They are scheduled to leave in the morning from our last intel,” as the waitress comes to their table she asks, “Would we be able to get a child’s size serving of the chowder? I think the baby is still hungry.”

The waitress immediately goes to the kitchen instead of using the fat hose and returns with a small bowl and spoon. The cephalopods in it were much smaller and the child coos as it spoons food into its mouth quickly.

She eats her meal, watching Din Djarin as he surveys the room. He drinks but refuses food for himself. He does get the child second and third helpings.

“We should meet, perhaps before first light, lay out a plan in case something changes,” he offers.

“We could come to your ship if that works for you.”

“It’s the only Razorcrest on the dock.”

“We’ll see you before dawn then.”

He rises as the child slurps the last of its food from the third bowl. He throws enough Calamari flan on the table to cover everyone’s meals and a hearty tip as he picks up the child and leaves.

+++++++++

Din doesn’t head straight back to the Razorcrest after he leaves the other Mandalorians. He stops at a couple of port businesses to check to see if there’s bounty work. Trask doesn’t have a guild outpost, so he can’t pick up a quick bounty that way. They don’t seem to really care much if there are renegades on their planet. It follows what Bo-Katan had said about the black-market port.

He heads back to the Razorcrest, the child asleep in his arms. The port is quiet. As he approaches the Razorcrest, he notices the side ramp is down, but no one is working on the ship. He swears he will burn this port to the ground if the kriffing Mon Calamari left it open and others stole from him.

He walks up the side ramp, blaster out. The refresher door is closed. He can hear the water pump sputtering. He places the child in a half empty crate of clean rags and draws his blade with his other hand. That’s when he sees the armor, the red head’s armor, lying on a crate next to the refresher. The helmet, with a definitive Nite Owl on it, all of her armor and her flight suit.

Din walks across the ship to the armory. It’s unlocked, but nothing is disturbed. That’s when he notices the blinking light on the fob. Her fob. The one from Oba Diah. He sheaths his blade, and he pulls the fob out, aiming it at the door where it starts blinking furiously. He smiles to himself, putting the fob away and locking the armory. So, his long-ago quarry is this Mandalorian blue blood from a major clan, it seems, of zealots that show their faces.

He hears the water click off, so he leans against the armory door, holstering his blaster, and looking at the refresher. She steps out, toweling her short red hair with one towel, while wrapped in his towel. She smiles at him, “I thought we could talk privately.”

“Did you?” he replies as he notices the towel leaves almost nothing to the imagination because of its threadbare state.

She looks around, her eyes landing on the child. She smiles then looks at him, “I did.”

She hangs the towel she was using on her hair on the wall peg behind her, then lets the other towel drop to the floor. He can see the Nite Owl tattoo on her hip as she turns back to him, glorious in her perfect, naked body.

“We have a few hours until the others will meet us here,” she replies as she climbs onto his bunk.

Din knows he shouldn’t do this. This vixen, Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze, could be his downfall. He hesitates barely a moment, before moving towards her.

++++++++++++++++++

Bo-Katan watches as he stalks towards her. She’s heard the rumors about the Mandalorian guild hunter and a hunter he is in his unpainted, high-polished beskar. He moves like a predator.

He pulls his gloves off and tosses them on the bench next to her gear, then, to her surprise, he begins to strip. She figured he’d just drop his trousers and hide the rest of himself like he hides his face. One never knows with zealots what their beliefs allow or don’t allow.

He’s magnificent in build. His skin is dark like the honey she puts in her favorite tea. She lays back watching him as he climbs onto the bunk. He’s left the helmet on, but the rest of him is bare. As her eyes travel over him, she sees the little bit of hair around his large cock which suggests he’s got dark hair. He slides in next to her, his fingers tracing the tattoo on her hip gently.

“Did you appreciate my gift on Oba Diah?” he queries, and she turns to look at where she thinks his eyes are, her face surely showing her surprise. She studies the helmet. This one is newer, better, but she sees the older one in her mind’s eye.

“It was you in the alley way?”

“Yes.”

She smiles, “I did appreciate your gift. A guild master’s head, a data pad with all sorts of wonderful files on it, and ninety-nine fobs. I am afraid there was one fob missing though,” she places her fingers on his chest, pushing him to his back and straddling him, setting her core on his throbbing cock.

“Should I be worried there was one missing,” she asks as she settles on him.

“Not missing. I have it,” he grunts as she shifts her hips.

“Really? And you never found me until now?”

“A lot of things happened,” his voice is softer.

She looks down at his chest, then back up to his visor, “Yes, a lot of things did happen.”

His hands slide on to her hips, moving her back and forth and creating friction. Her body responds and she feels a slight gush of wetness as her body agrees to be impaled on his cock. She rises enough to set the tip at her core and with a firm thrust of his hips, she full of him.

She arches as her hips meet his and she sighs heavily as she hears, “So good.”

She raises herself up and then slides back down his thick length. They both groan. His hands clamp on her hips, and he lifts her and slams her down again and again until they are both sweating even in the cool air of the ship. She’s close when he pulls her off his cock, tossing her to the mattress and pushing her shoulders into the firm bedding while hoisting her hips up.

He pushes back in, grunting as he goes deep. She groans as he settles, hands moving to her rear and slapping her hard, before he leans over her back, slipping a hand between her legs while bracing himself with the other. He begins fondling her clit aggressively.

Bo-Katan hums at his power as he thrusts harder and harder. She bites her lips as she comes to keep from yelling out and waking the baby. He follows her a few seconds later with a heaving thrust and a guttural grunt.

He lifts himself up then she is jerked up as his helmet nears her shoulder.

“Who marked you?” he asks. She’s all but forgotten about the welp from Carlac and the permanent bite scar she has on her shoulder.

“He didn’t mark me,” she replies, “Mand’alor’s marks aren’t real.”

He thrusts into her, his cock still firm enough to make her grunt as he growls, “WHO MARKED YOU?”

Bo-Katan finds herself driven back into the mattress. She fights her way up, surrounded by his larger frame, “He was a welp I fought on Carlac when I was twenty. He was rather mouthy. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

He shifts over her, his touch changing from aggressive to very soft, “You told me she died.”

She thinks back to the alley on Oba Diah, “When you asked about the Nite Owl?”

“You are her. You were Pre Vizsla’s second in command.”

As his softened cock slides out of her she rolls away looking at him, “Who are you Din Djarin?”

“I was Hudu Shiv’s apprentice, the one that Pre Vizsla’s second fought on Carlac.”

She looks at him as he moves closer, his fingers grazing her skin.

“I didn’t get to keep you all night then. I plan to now that you’re here.”

She tries to move away, to tease him, but his reflexes are quick and he’s on her in a flash.

“No you don’t,” he growls, tightening his grip.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“We have to go,” Koska’s voice calls out, “He sent a distress signal.”

“Clear the atmosphere and prepare to jump,” Bo-Katan tells her.

Din moves from the pilot’s seat, pushing past Bo-Katan. She follows him to the doors, “Are you sure you won’t join us?”

He turns, looking at her. His Nite Owl. Alive and sassy.

“There’s something I need to do,” he leans into her as he says it.  

“The offer stands if you change your mind.”

“Where can I find the Jedi?”

She pulls her helmet off giving him one last look at her face, like he’d ever forget it now, “Take the foundling to the city of Calodan on the Forest planet of Corvus. There you will find Ahsoka Tano. Tell her you were sent by Bo-Katan,” he nods, but doesn’t move, still looking at her, “And thank you. Your bravery will not be forgotten. This is the Way.”

He nods to her again, “This is the Way.”

He turns and leaves before he makes a bad decision and joins her. He has to get the child to a Jedii. He bales out of the ship, igniting his jet pack and landing near the housing units.

He retrieves the child and makes his way to the ship. It looks like Bantha Fodder. The Mon Calamari did nothing hardly. Kriffing fish faces.

He stops, looking at his messed bunk. It seems like days ago, not hours. Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze, Vizsla’s second and Din’s fight prize. The bounty he’d fucked in an alley way and killed for. He still can’t believe it. They didn’t know who the other was on Oba Diah or even here to begin with. He smiles as he settles the child. Once he gets the child to it’s kind, he’ll have to see about joining her. If she will let him hunt, this could be a great prospect, not only for him, but for the Covert as well.

Chapter Text

Din picks up his helmet. The child, Grogu, is gone with the Jedi. He’s mission is done. He puts the helmet on his head and walks out the door not looking back at anyone, least of all her. His mind flips through so many things in this moment. He’s an apostate now. He has been since he showed his face to the Empire’s scanner back on Morak, but this, this was more than willing. The Jedi saw his face, perhaps those in the room did as well, though she was behind him, so he’s not certain if she did. It was just important that the kid, that Grogu see him, know him.

He makes his way down the halls of the light cruiser. The Jedi’s path of destruction is quite evident. Din doesn’t know where he’s going exactly, he just needs to wander, be away from the bridge.

His hand comes to rest on the handle of the blade. Gideon tricked him into a fight for it. Gideon knew he’d come for Grogu alone. Din shakes his head. If he’d only allowed her to come with him, he wouldn’t be in this mess now. No, he hadn’t wanted her as a distraction while trying to save the kid. He’d wanted her help, but being around her again, she short-circuited him somehow, and he’d told her he’d go alone. He knows she wasn’t pleased, but at the time, he didn’t want to be thinking of her safety, even though she is an accomplished warrior, he wanted to try to keep her at arm’s length. Having her so close again, he hadn’t realized until that moment how she’s an easy distraction for him.

The sway of her hips, her sassy voice, that beautiful face, those intense eyes. Even in his current state, his body wants to be attuned to hers. She’d been leaning over pointing out their plan and he’d focused on her not the plan. He’d said no immediately because he’d had images of them fucking each other to distraction and Grogu dying because he wasn’t fully committed to saving the boy.

Now he wears the blade that she should be carrying, and he won’t fight her. He can’t fight her. He’ll let her win, and she’ll know it. He’d let her kill him, and even if she did, she’d always question in he gave her the win. It’s not like they haven’t sparred before, from their first time all those years ago, but this is different. He doesn’t want to be the Mand’alor, that’s her job, and he doesn’t want to fight her, he just wants her to take what’s hers, him and/or the blade.

He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. He just wanted to find Grogu, get him to a Jedi, and then, well then, he’d thought about joining her cause. It had been such a simple plan in his mind since he helped her on Trask those months ago and he’d figured out who she was.

Din finds himself in the barracks. The door to a room with a large bed slides open, probably some high-ranking person’s room,  and he walks in, turning the lights off at the wall system and crashing on the bed. He pulls his helmet off, his breathing erratic as his head spins. The kid is gone, he has a blade he doesn’t want, and he’ll be forced to fight her, unwillingly, again. He sighs heavily, feeling like the gravity in the cruiser is crushing his beskar into his body and his soul.

++++++++++++++++

Bo-Katan limps through the Cruiser. She saw on the screens from the bridge where Din had gone. Koska helped her with her injury then told her to figure out what to do about Din having the Darksaber. She wasn’t mad, more concerned. Koska knows things without Bo-Katan telling her.

She’s angry with him that he wanted to go alone instead of with her. IF he’d only done that, then everything would be fine now, but he’d been stubborn. She should have been insistent. Why did he ask for her help, then not want her to work with him? He probably thought he was being noble or some kriffing Bantha fodder like that.

She wanders through the Jedi’s destructive path until she comes to the hallway that he entered a room in. Her thigh is aching as she stops in front of the room she saw him enter on the screens. She knocks lightly and hears nothing. Pressing the door release, she steps through the door and stops dead. The lights are off in the room, but light spills from the hallway, highlighting the man on the bed, his face bare.

The door slides shut a few seconds later, but his visage is burned in her mind now. His olive skin, his dark eyes, his curly brown hair, and his facial hair.

“Din,” she starts, but he gives a weak chuckle, “Not like everyone just didn’t see it on the bridge.”

“None of us did, Din,” she breaths in through her nose and lets the air rush past her lips, “I apologize, I should not have entered without you saying something.”

“What do you want Bo?”

He sounds so defeated, broken.

“I came to check on you.”

He’s quiet for a moment, before her replies, “Oh, look, you beat me, I submit.”

There is a clunk, and something touches her boot. It must be the Darksaber.

“It doesn’t work that way Djarin.”

“I won’t fight you,” he replies, “You’ve kicked my ass before, that should count. Take it.”

She bends down, feeling in the dark and finding the handle. She picks the blade up and walks straight to the bed, sliding along the edge until she comes to a night stand. His helmet is sitting on it. She places the blade next to his helmet, then sits on the edge of the bed, placing her helmet on the floor.

“It doesn’t work that way.”

His hand settles on her uninjured thigh, “I don’t want it or its responsibility.”

“Well, you have it.”

He rubs her thigh lightly.

“Bo…. Gideon….. he,” he starts.

“I know,” her hand settles on his and he grasps her fingers as he moves over on the bed, making room for her.

She lays down next to him with a grunt, rolling onto her injured leg to face him.

“Your leg,” he begins, but she stops him with, “Just sore now. Koska took care of it.”

“She want us to fight it out?”

Bo-Katan laughs, “No, she wants us to fuck it out, then fight it out. She’s all about both of them.”

Din laughs but she can tell it is sad in its own way, “I remember one of our trainers in the fighting corps saying fighting and fucking were the staples of Mandalorian life.”

She shifts as her sore thigh screams, moving closer to him, “Din, I don’t want to fight you either, but I will have too. You can’t just take a knee. I need….”

He pulls her over so that she’s on top of him, their armor cracking as the pieces make contact. She feels the stubble from his chin against her cheeks as she tries to finish their conversation but his lips crash into hers.

+++++++++++++++++++++

Din just wants her to be quiet and the only way he can think to do it is to kiss her to stop her from talking. It’s the second time in his life that he’s kissed anyone, and only her.

Their armor clanks as he shifts her and tries to settle her where her leg won’t be hurt more. She grunts softly as he settles her right over his cock.

“Din, we….” He pushes his lips against hers hard to forestall her talking as his fingers begin pulling at her beskar and flight suit.

It’s a mess of beskar clanking to the floor as they strip each other. Tangled arms and legs, harsh kisses, and finally they are both in their underclothes, Din settled over her.

“I know how we can solve our problem,” Din tells her.

“How?” she asks with a breathy sigh, as Din kisses behind her ear.

“Whomever comes first, takes the blasted blade,” Din replies as he moves down her body.

She laughs loudly, “That is the most ridiculous…..”

Din doesn’t let her finish. He rips off her small clothes and buries his face into her core, lapping at her like he’s dying of thirst and she’s a fresh running spring. Din braces one hand under her hips and the other one settles between her breasts to push her back to the bed.

Her thighs tighten around his head and her nails dig into his hair trying to pull him off, but Din keeps up his assault on her pussy. It takes but a few moments before his mouth is being flooded by her orgasm. Her fingers loosen their grip and her thighs relax.

He moves up her body, lifting her hips as he goes. He pushes his cock into her and buries himself in her wet heat. Her short nails dig into his arms as he adjusts her, “Looks like you keep the blade,” he whispers against her skin as he kisses her neck, “you came so hard.”

“Doesn’t count,” she pants as he thrusts his hips into her shoving his cock as deep as he can, “not the way it works.”

 Din doesn’t answer her, he just keeps the pace. He can feel that she’s close again. He leans over kissing her hard as he brings her over the edge again. Her nails rake down his back as he kisses down her neck, coming to the knot, the Mand’alor’s Mark. He sucks on the skin around it as he thrusts one last time before he comes.

His arms shake, trying to keep his weight off of her. He feels the sweat running down his neck, and where their stomachs touch. As his cock slips out, he crumples to the bed next to her. He reaches a hand to touch her face, and she leans into his palm.

“Please,” he whispers, “just take it.”

He feels the tears land against his hand, “I can’t,” comes her strained whisper in return.

Din closes his eyes, sighing heavily.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bo-Katan lays quietly for a few moments, before rising out of the bed. She places the pillow next to him and hears him hum softly. Whether he thinks it’s her, or the boy, she’s not sure. She walks over to his side of the bed letting her feet shuffle just a little bit until they come in contact with a belt. She bends down and feels the buckle. It’s hers, thank Mand’alor.

She pulls out a small pin light using her body to shield it’s faint light as she picks up their scattered armor. She stacks his on his underclothes and flight suit. Both her binding and her small clothes are torn and unusable. It’s not the first time she’s had to go commando under her flight suit. It’s not her favorite thing, but she can do it for a few hours.

She looks at the Darksaber lying next to his helmet. She’s lost it again. She’s a failure. She puts her helmet on, turning off the faint light, leaving the man sleeping in the bed. She walks out the door, not looking back. He’s not hers, and she’s not his.

She makes her way to the bridge. Fett and Shand are talking about the Jedi with Dune. She walks to Koska and removes her helmet.

“Well from the smell of you,” her friend laughs, “You fucked it out.”

“Koz,” she starts, but Koska waves her silent, “Is he the one that Ursa and Jennesa said left you that head on Oba Diah?”

“Yes,” she’s not going to lie. Obviously, her love life or lack there of has always been of interest and talked about. Ursa’s been dead for ten cycles now. Her best friend, and she failed her, again.

“And he gave you that mark on your neck and shoulder?”

Bo-Katan’s shock must show, she doesn’t advertise the stupid mark. She hides it, usually under higher neck shirts or her flight suits.

“That’s a yes,” Koska replies rubbing her face, “Why didn’t you force the issue that you go with him?”

Bo-Katan can’t answer that question. She was furious, but with so many people, mainly Dune, she didn’t want to make a complete scene.

“We’re headed back to Lafete,” Shand’s voice carries to her, “pick up some supplies before returning to Tatooine.”

“Mando’s going with me to the New Republic to get his credits for Gideon’s capture.”

Koska looks at her and Bo-Katan sighs, “I am hitching a ride with Fett and Shand. I will bring the Gauntlet back.”

Koska shakes her head, frowning.

“Tell him… Thirty rotation head-start,” she says as she joins Fett and Shand, leaving the ship as quickly as she can.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Din startles awake, rubbing his eyes. His helmet. Grogu. He struggles up, finding a light switch on a lamp and looking around. That’s right he’s on Gideon’s Cruiser. Grogu is with the Jedi. Bo-Katan is gone. His armor is stacked neatly, and his helmet sits with the Darksaber next to it.

He climbs out of the bed, unsure how long he’s been asleep. He dresses quickly, replacing his helmet, and stepping out of the room to see Koska Reeves leaning against the wall.

“Reeves.”

“Djarin.”

They stare at each other a moment, before she replies, “The New Republic is just docking. You are going with Dune to get your credits.”

“Bo….”

“She left with Fett and Shand to return to Lafete to get the Gauntlet,” she pauses, playing with the blade in her hand, “She told me to tell you that you have a thirty-rotation head-start.”

With that she turns and leaves. Din heads the opposite direction, finding Cara with Gideon and other prisoners. She doesn’t comment on his long disappearance, and he doesn’t offer anything. As he sits on the New Republic ship, as far away from anyone as he can get, he opens the pouch that’s bulging.

He pulls out scraps of fabric as well as her first gifts. It looks like his collection is growing. There’s her binding and her small clothes, ripped from where he’d ripped them off of her a few hours ago. He replaces the items, making them fit better into the pouch, then looks at the blade attached to his hip. He has no idea how to do this without fighting her. He leans back, starring at the wall across from him, his mind whirling with scenarios.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bo-Katan gets out of the heated pool. She’d come here after her argument with Koska and Jennesa where she swore them to secrecy about her stupid mark on her shoulder and who gave it to her. They both thought that it might have influence with the forces.

She hates this stupid mark and everyone’s idiotic “soulmate” dank.

She wraps the towel around her body, using the upper part to dab at her damp hair ends as the door to the pools slides open. Axe Woves stands there glaring at her.

“Knock first Axe,” she replies, turning her back to him.

She hears him storm across the room and feels him move her hair away from her back. She jerks away from him, picking up her vibroblade as she turns back to him.

“A kriffing zealot,” he shakes his head, storming back out of the door he just came in. She’s going to beat Koska and Jennesa, they swore they wouldn’t talk about it.

She’s going to wait until the morning. She’s too tired to deal with this dank right now. She walks down the hall to her room, looking at the large, cold bed. She crawls in, snuggling as many pillows as she next to her back, in a poor feeling of having someone holding her. She stares out the window at the starry night.

She startles awake. She’s not sure how long she’s been asleep, but there is sunshine in the window now, and the only ship she can see is her Gauntlet. Her forces have left her. She truly has failed. She doesn’t get out of bed that day or the next. Her butler droid drives her from the bed the third day. She sits on her throne, looking at the long empty hall. It’s as empty as her head, and her heart.

Chapter Text

Bo-Katan sits in the corner of the large cavern that the Covert uses for gatherings watching as Ragnar tells the tale of his capture by the beast and his rescue. She smiles to herself. She can’t see the other children’s faces or the adults for that matter, but everyone is intent on him as he talks about his harrowing experiences. She has a feeling everyone else is smiling too.

Grogu toddles over to her, lifting his arms. She sets her cup down and picks up the small green child. He’s been bouncing around Ragnar for nearly three hours since their return. The older boy has made concessions to make sure that Grogu is included everything. Grogu nuzzles against her chest plate, laying his head against the Beskaryc Kar'ta, right over her heart, and with a contented sigh, he is asleep in just a couple of minutes.

She adjusts herself to a more comfortable position to hold the little one. She moves her cup, which is mostly empty, and leans back holding him as she watches the others. Paz is talking with Din and several others. He pounds Din on the back with a raucous laugh.

She gently rubs Grogu’s back while rocking softly to the music that a few of the Covert members are playing on handmade instruments. She watches the children run and laugh, hiding in the dark cave because it’s safer than outside in the sun. That makes her sad, remembering her early days on Mandalore, playing in the gardens.

She must drift off to sleep as she feels a gentle shake on her shoulder, “Bo?” comes the whispered voice. She pops her eyes open and sees Din leaning over her.

“Sorry,” she replies, trying to hide her yawn through the vocoder, but not succeeding, “Must have dozed off.”

“I can take Grogu,” he says.

She looks down to the little one, still with his head over her heart, little clawed hands latched onto her cuirass and digging into her flight suit.

“I don’t want to wake him,” she whispers.

“He’ll be a menace when he wakes up, trying to wake you or look for me.”

Bo-Katan had been given her own small cave space. It was about three down from Din’s space which was slightly larger because he has Grogu. Grogu can be loud when he wants to be. She’s heard him more than once since they came to stay. Most of the Covert is good, understanding it is a child getting used to new surroundings, but there are a couple that aren’t and one of them has a cave space next to her. Valdir grumbles daily if he hears the slightest thing out of Grogu. He is young and smug and needs a good training lesson to put his life in perspective.

“I don’t want to wake him up now, or he’ll keep everyone up all night,” she pauses, “You could grab my sleeping mat and move it into your space.”

Din pauses, his visor trained on hers. It only takes him a moment to decide, “Anything else you need?”

“No, I only have the mat and a blanket and pillow.”

“I’ll bring them,” he replies helping her stand while not shifting Grogu too much.

They stop at her little cave space, and he rolls up the mat, grabbing the blanket and pillow and checking the space, before walking with her to his space. Valdir sees them, but Bo-Katan doesn’t care. They aren’t doing anything untoward even though It feels like they are doing something “bad” by the rules of the Covert, but Bo-Katan knows that’s not true. She’s seen her share of Covert members heading to rooms together and they aren’t bound.

When they enter Din’s space, she sees he has a lamp, his bed roll, Grogu’s pod, and a small carry sack that must contain the toys she’s seen Grogu playing with on occasion. Din rearranges a little bit, setting her mat about a boot length away from his.

He helps her sit as she’s got both arms around Grogu and can’t quite get down without jarring him awake. Once she’s seated, she arranges her bedding while Din finishes moving things around, then sits on his mat.

Bo-Katan lays down pulling the blanket up over her and Grogu. She had to get the pillow from the Gauntlet, because she’s not quite used to sleeping in her helmet all the time.

Grogu gurgles a little bit, shifting until he’s over her Beskaryc Kar'ta again, then settles. She tucks the blanket around him a little more, then turns to see Din laying on his bed roll, facing her.

“You two were asleep for about an hour before I woke you,” he replies.

“I think he was tired from running around with all the other kids,” she laughs lightly, “he was asleep in just a couple minutes.”

“And you?” he kids softly, “what’s your excuse?”

She lays there a moment, not wanting him to know she was awake all last night worrying about the mission, Ragnar, so many things that she couldn’t sleep well, including the fact Din had been about this far away from her last night and all she wanted to do was snuggle up to him, to feel safe; so, she just tells him, “I didn’t sleep well last night, figuring scenarios.”

“You should have woken me up,” he says with a huff, “I would have helped you work through things.”

Her answer is a yawn that she can’t stop. Din turns out the lamp with a chuckle, putting them in darkness.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Din watches from a distance away while Bo helps Grogu with the little wooden training dummy. Paz made it for Grogu out of scraps with some old padding from old towels. She’s sitting in the sand next to it, her body in an enticing position, leaning on one hip with her legs stretched out, while she shows him how to make a fist with his little hands and punch the dummy. Grogu giggles, punching it then opening his hand and blowing the dummy out of the sand with his powers.

“That’s cheating,” Bo says teasingly.

Grogu purses his lips, blowing a raspberry at her. She tickles him in the middle of the chest, and Grogu laughs, backing away from her and running in a circle babbling as he goes. Din tried to get him to do the training darts again, but Grogu seems to have related the darts with Ragnar being taken by the beast, and he got frantic not wanting to be in the dart area.

Bo offered to watch him with the little dummy while Din worked through the various challenges with the other kids. Din helped for a little bit, but he’s been distracted for a while watching the pair. After Ragnar’s rescue, Din and Bo have been sharing the same sleeping quarters. It is innocent enough; Bo didn’t want to wake Grogu that night and Din had retrieved her bed roll and put it next to his so that Grogu wouldn’t wake the whole Covert trying to find Din if he had stayed in Bo’s quarters.

Grogu has decided that is how it is supposed to be now, so if Bo tries moving her bed roll out, Grogu can be seen dragging it back to his and Din’s quarters. They stopped fighting him after seven rotations. They set up a curtain divider in the room so that they could each have privacy to remove their helmets if they want while the other watches Grogu. Now having shared space with Bo for close to a month, Din can’t imagine not doing it. He imagines doing much more, but he always stops those thoughts. While he’d like to share Bo’s bed, the previous times were always something not right, he thinks. He wants her to be comfortable and amicable as well, willing, not forced.

He hears someone walk next to him and stiffens a moment until he hears, “It’s Vhemi.”

He turns to look at her as she continues, “I figured I should warn you that it’s me and not Natalia or Irida.”

“They are persistent,” he replies, thinking about the two younger women that always seem to plant themselves in his path at every opportunity.

“They are jealous little osiks,” Vhemi laughs.

Din chuckles, “Of what?”

Vhemi looks at him, “Din Djarin, are you being coy?”

“No.”

Vhemi laughs, “Kriffing Mand’alor, Din,” she turns to look where Bo and Grogu are playing, “Her. They are jealous of her. You brought her here. She now shares your quarters. She plays with your son,” Din goes to interrupt that Grogu’s isn’t his son, but Vhemi stops him, “Whatever Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze is to you, they are not, and they are jealous.”

Din shakes his head in disbelief, “Bo and I are friends.”

“Is that what you call it?” Vhemi chuckles, “Valdir wants her in the worst way.”

Din stiffens. Valdir is a little prick that needs to be put in his place.

“Hmm, so you aren’t immune to your own jealousness like I thought you were,” Vhemi pats his shoulder, “You and Bo-Katan work well together. She loves your child,” Vhemi shrugs and Din swears, even though he can’t see her face, that she’s smiling, “perhaps you should put a mark on her,” Din feels his body stiffen even more, “Oh wait, you already have.”

Din turns to staring hard at Vhemi, “I….”

“It’s alright,” Vhemi replies, “only Tonga and I know. We were doing night watch with her and stirred up a crawlers’ nest. We had to strip ourselves bare and jump in the hot pool to get them off of us. Wash our clothes and spend the night nude,” Din feels his throat go dry,” Thank goodness for pressurizing our helmets or we’d be apostates now. We were admiring her tattoo when I saw the mark. I thought one of the crawlers had bitten her, until I saw it up close. It’s not often a Mand’alor’s Mark happens.”

“We don’t talk about it.”

“You should,” Vhemi pats his arm, “Like tonight at the hot pool,” she says as she walks away.

Din turns back to look at Bo and Grogu. Bo is now laying full on her side, helmeted head balanced on her right hand, elbow in the soft sand, watching as Grogu plays with some rocks with legs. Those must be the rock crabs that were in the stew the other night. She tickles Grogu’s feet making him giggle and drop the crabs, who make their escape while Grogu giggles as he toddles towards Bo-Katan, pushing her down gently with his powers so he can crawl on her cuirass. Din watches a few moments and is sure they are both asleep.

He’s never broached the subject with Bo-Katan, other than when he questioned her on Trask. Perhaps he should speak to the Armorer about the true meaning of the mark.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bo-Katan pants heavily. She and Din have been sparring for close to an hour now. She’s sweating and she really wants to go find that hot pool again that she, Vhemi, and Tonga found that one night after stirring up the crawlers. She’s heard whispers that partners have been going to it and it’s open tonight. Vhemi told her that earlier and suggested Bo-Katan might bring Din.

Din charges her and she front flips using her jet so she’s landing behind him and kicking his knees to try to bring him down. Din falls, grabbing her ankle with his feet before she can jet away and flips her. She crashes to the ground he jets to land on top of her.

She rolls him with her, and they both end up hitting the ground hard, breathing heavily. The Armorer comes into view, “I call this match a draw.”

Bo-Katan grunts, panting to hard now to make a response. Din mumbles something from where he is laying just about a foot from her. She struggles up, Vhemi reaching a hand out to her as Paz helps Din up.

“The hot pool is all yours tonight,” she whispers, “remember to take Djarin with you.”

Vhemi disappears before Bo-Katan can say anything. She sees the other woman a moment later bending down to pick up Grogu, “How about you stay with me and Choj tonight.”

Grogu’s eyes get big, and he looks at Din, then her, waving his arms and grunting. Din walks over to talk to Vhemi. Bo-Katan figures that she’s out of this conversation. She’ll let Din and Vhemi figure it out. She heads from the training grounds to her shared space with Din in the cave system to get her towels and a torch light. She’s started bringing more things into the shared space over the last few rotations.

She’s definitely going to soak; her back is so kriffing sore. She doesn’t care if Din joins her or not at this point. She’d like it if he did, more than she’d like to admit. But with five spars today, the last with Din, her body aches and she is so exhausted, she just wants to sleep.

She starts up the cliff from the side by the cavern entrance and makes her way to the sun heated pool. It’s probably got a thermal in it somewhere because it is hot clear into the midnight hour, but she’s not going to go looking or scanning in the dark. They made sure to mark the path so that is was away from the crawler nest it looks like. She doesn’t want that experience again. She follows the now worn stone to where a large natural pool is carved out of the rocks. With the darkening sky she can see the steam rising.

As she sets the torch down, she looks around to see that some of the Covert members have been industrious. There’s a few flattish rocks now making a bench to one side and it looks like a heavy net has been bolted between the twin spires on either side of the pool to make a hammock of sorts.

She sits down on the flat rocks next to her torch, laying down her towels, and beginning to pull off her boots and leg guards. She hears the crunching of boots on rocks. Looking up, expecting Din, she frowns to see it’s Valdir stepping into the light of the torch. Obviously, the beating Din gave him today was not enough. He’s made it clear he’s interested in her and Bo-Katan has shot him down at every turn. Din buried Valdir in the sand at her feet, telling him, once he yielded, that perhaps he needed to be a better fighter before picking fights.

“Thought you might like some company,” comes his smarmy voice which reminds her a lot of Gar Saxon’s voice.

“No,” she replies, putting her boots back on. She begins fastening her leg guards into place as he stops on the other side of the pool.

“Don’t be like that.”

“Like what,” she asks, rising.

“What do you see in him?” Valdir asks, “Just because he has shiny armor, a fast ship, and an ugly kid.”

Bo-Katan feels her fingers twitch towards her blasters and stops herself. No shooting the stupid young punk. Grogu is a sweet child, and she won’t listen to someone talk dank about him though.

“Because I marked her,” comes Din’s voice behind Valdir. The younger Mandalorian spins, looking at Din who appears to have melted out of the dark right next to them.

Bo-Katan wants to growl a nasty comment about the stupid scar Din gave her years ago that everyone keeps calling a Mand’alor’s Mark, but Valdir replies, “Sure you did,” with a laugh, “You just started sharing a room.”

“He marked me years ago,” Bo-Katan replies, hoping it will get Valdir out so her stiffening back can just soak and relax.

“Prove it.”

“A Mand’alor’s Mark is sacred,” Din replies, “not to be shown about frivolously.”

“You think because you have a ship and bring stuff back to the Covert, that you are better than all of us, you’re not,” Valdir shouts at Din, pushing him backwards, “Your are barely redeemed, and only because the Armorer believed you.”

Bo-Katan goes to step around the pool to put a stop to it, when the Darksaber ignites. It takes her breath away, to see it gleam off Din’s armor in the dark. He looks every bit the image of a Mand’alor as he spins it once, causing the blade to make a hissing sound.

Valdir steps back as Din advances on him.

“Leave now,” comes Din’s deadly whisper.

“I won’t,” Valdir starts then sparks fly from his vambraces as he brings his arms up to block the Darksaber as Din swings it again.

“Leave,” the blade sizzles against Valdir’s vambraces turning the beskar red, heating it, “now.”

Valdir stumbles backwards, turning around and running back down the now dark path. A moment later there is the sound of crashing and cursing as well as “Get off, get off” that fades as Valdir must continue down the cliff.

“Well, he found the crawler’s nest,” Bo-Katan can’t help but chuckle as she approaches Din.

Din turns the Darksaber off, and turns to her, “Vhemi told me I should join you, even though you didn’t ask me too.”

Bo-Katan snorts indignantly, “She has her ideas. I wasn’t going to force you into anything.”

“You didn’t even ask me.”

“No,” she walks back around the pool to sit on the rocks and remove her leg guards and boots again, “I thought you would feel obligated, and I didn’t want you to feel that way.”

Din follows her, sitting on the rocks next to her, “You could have asked.”

She turns to him, “Would you like to join me?”

Din’s visor stays trained on her for a long quiet moment. She thinks he’s going to leave, then he says, “Only on one condition.”

She sighs, “What’s that?”

Din’s hand comes to rest on her back with his palm covering the mark on her shoulder and neck, his thumb sliding under her helmet and her hair to rotate softly against the base of her skull.

“Bo….”

“I don’t know if I can believe in it. I…..” she starts until Din pulls her closer slipping his other hand around her waist, “Maybe I can convince you.”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bo groans softly as Din shifts in the hot pool. She’s limp in his arms, her helmeted head resting on his shoulder while his cock is stuffed inside her. She has her legs wrapped around his back as Din rubs the sweet sand gently into the skin of her back.

She hums softly as he finds a sore spot. She took her spars seriously today, as any good warrior should, but he’s finding a lot of sore spots that she seems to have, especially over her left shoulder and back area.

“Does that feel good?” he murmurs, their helmets clacking, as he rubs her back in a spot that seems particularly sore for her.

Her answer is just mumbling words as she relaxes into his touch and in doing so, her pussy clenches once around him and she comes. She whines softly then. Din chuckles as she claws his back with her nails in retaliation.

He rinses off her back and then braces one arm around her back and the other under her rear to help lift as he stands, stepping out of the hot pool into the cool night air.

He carries her to the reed mat that Vhemi sent up with him. He manages to maneuver them and keep his cock in her while settling them on the mat.

Once Bo is lying, he legs still curled around his hips, and her rear braced on his thighs, Din starts thrusting hard. Bo’s pants come heavily as he pushes hard to bring them both to completion. She disengages the seal on her helmet, lifting it just a little to catch her breath, exposing her pale chin to the torch light. Din flicks the torch off, flooding them into darkness.

“Sorry, can’t….. breath,” she whines. Din releases his helmet seal lifting it just enough so that when he leans forward, he can press his lips to hers. She sucks in air in surprise as he kisses her, clanking their helmets, he begins thrusting furiously as he feels her clench around him, coming hard. He pumps a couple of times more, before feeling his own release.

They break apart from the kiss, both panting heavily. He braces himself to not squash her as he tries to get air into his starved lungs and come down from his orgasm.

“Are… we… apostates?” she coughs out lightly.

“Not that I am aware off,” he replies as he gently pulls from her with a so pop, his cock now limp.

“You turned off the,” she sighs, “the torch. I….”

“Just protecting up both,” he replies, lying on his side and adjusting his helmet. She rolls to face him, adjusting her helmet into place.

Din throws his arm around her, pulling her close, then covers them both with a blanket from the pack Vhemi sent with him.

“Hmmm,” she replies, relaxing into him with a soft clank of her helmet to his.

They lay like that for some time, Din thinking she’s fallen asleep, her breathing steady.

“I wish I knew why you were so scared of the mark,” he whispers, more to himself than the sleeping woman in his arms as he gently rubs the mark with his fingers, “it would allow us to so much more freedom with the covert.”

“Showing our faces to each other?” she whispers back to Din’s surprise.

“Yes, eventually. I would allow us the Armorer’s support should we so choose to further our attachments, and once that is done, then yes, we would be able to do so in private.”

She’s quiet for a few moments, “I am not saying no,” she finally replies, “I just need time.”

“We have all the time in the world, Bo,” Din replies with a smile, “all the time in the world.”

She curls against him and the fall asleep. Din’s not sure how long they sleep, but he’s facing the east and the pre-dawn light wakes him.

He rouses Bo, and they wash quickly in the pool, which is still pretty warm, even though the night was chilly. They gather their things in silence and start back down towards the caves. She slides her hand gently into his and Din squeezes it in response until the have to let go to enter the cave system from the upper guard area.

They are putting their stuff away in their shared space as Grogu screams down the cave towards them, laughing loudly with Vhemi on his heels.

“Oh, you little ornery snot!”

Din scoops Grogu up, “Were you good for Vhemi and Choj?”

“NU!” shouts Grogu, “PATU!”

“He was fine until about an hour ago,” Vhemi replies slightly out of breath.

“SHIP LANDING!” comes a voice, “NEW REPUBLIC X-WING!”

Several of the Covert storm out to the beach. Din gets Grogu handed off to Ragnar, who is taking the smaller children into hiding, and heads out as Bo and Vhemi heard the children quickly into the interior.

It’s the one he calls Blue, Captain Carson Teva, and Nevarro is under attack. All the time in the world turns to ash.

Chapter Text

Bo sits in her room on the Gauntlet, they have been searching for several weeks now for what once was her crew. Since the Armorer made her remove her helmet, she hasn’t shared space with Din. It feels wrong. Like she’s been given a privilege that he can never receive, and she feels badly for it. She’s pulled away from him because of it; him and Grogu both.

As if thinking of the little green gremlin child causes it to happen, her locked door slides open, and Grogu is standing with hand raise giggling.

“Grogu NO!” comes Din’s voice too late as Grogu giggles more, sliding into her room with the door closing.

“Did you just come into my room without permission?” she asks, looking at the boy as he grins.

“Patu.”

“Did you knock first?”

“Patu.”

There’s a knock on the door, which seems to be locked again, “Bo, I’m sorry, Grogu….”

“Let himself in,” she replies, pressing the door release on her vambrace sitting next to the bed on the gear stool she has.

“He did…..” Din walks in the door, stopping dead in his tracks.

She might have forgotten she’s still in her sleep shirt and short pants. Well, it might be his shirt that she might have stolen when they were sharing the cave space in the Covert.

She throws the covers back, shifting to sit on the edge of the bed, “I’ll be out in a few minutes,” she replies, reaching for her binding sitting on top of her flight suit.

“Sure,” is all Din says as he scoops up Grogu, who begins crying at the top of his lungs, as the door slides shut behind them.

Bo-Katan gets up, pulling the shirt off and putting on her binding, before hitting the ‘fresher and then getting dressed. She can still hear Grogu’s wails as she approaches the cockpit several minutes later.

“Grogu,” Din’s voice sounds tired and frustrated, “Stop.”

Whatever Grogu says is indecipherable. He just continues to pound his small fists on the side of his pram, while Din sits next to him at the nav station.

When Grogu sees her, he stretches his arms out, sob-shouting “BUUUUUuuuuuuu”

She passes him, sitting in the pilots chair, then turning back to the pair, “You have to stop crying and ask you dad.”

She’s sure Din is going to reply that he’s not Grogu’s dad, when the boys sniffles, turning to Din, but pointing at her, “Buuuu Patu GGGarrrs.”

Din looks at her, “Is it alright?”

She nods and Din pulls Grogu’s pram out from next to him. It floats over by her, and she settles the boy next to her left side so that he can see out all the viewports.

“I am sorry he woke you,” Din replies. She turns slightly to look at him, “He didn’t. I was awake, just struggling to get myself up. He did me a favor.”

Din’s quiet as she takes the ship off of auto pilot but leaves them in hyperspace. They heard about a planet on the Outer Rim, which might be where the fleet is. They are heading towards it. Looks like another hour give or take.

“I wondered where that shirt went,” Din says after a few moments of silence.

“What shirt?” she asks, smirking, not turning to look at him.

“The one…” he takes a breath that is audible through the vocoder, “The one you were wearing.”

“That’s my shirt,” she looks to Grogu and grins. Grogu giggles and claps his hands.

Din’s quiet for a moment, “If you need it, I guess it is.”

She can’t stop the laugh that comes out. He can act so serious at times. She turns to look back at him, “I guess if you need it back that badly, I can give it back to you.”

“I’m good,” he replies, “you can keep it.”

She can’t help but smile. It makes her feel bad for keeping him at a distance. It’s what she does, push people away.

They are interrupted by the ship coming out of hyperspace and a beeping coming from the long-range showing the planet they are looking for. Bo-Katan guides the ship into the atmosphere and then down towards the planet. As she clears the clouds the greenery and city scape come into view, and she can see the ships settled in a far field. She forgets about the shirt instantly as she concentrates on getting her nerves under control.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Din is restless as they leave the Resistor Bar and head towards the facility to look at the battle droid that went berserk. He’s felt restless since they started the search for Bo’s crew, after seeing her bare face for the first time in months. She’s pulled away from him again, just when he was starting to think the bond they had was growing more.

He looks to Bo, who is looking at the cityscape around them.

“Lust Alley,” she snorts, looking at a sign for the street next to where they are walking.

“Lovers Lane,” she snorts again, “Sinful Street,” she laughs, “Where did they get these names?”

Din looks around, “Divergent Drive, really?”

He shakes his head as he eyes a group of droids talking outside of another seeming droid bar. He slides behind Bo and edges her over so that he’s the one nearest the droids now.

“What are you doing?” she glares at him.

“We don’t know if more will malfunction tonight.”

“Are you going to kick them?”

“No,” he replies, though he doesn’t stop watching each droid that they pass.

As they reach the building they are needing, the droid at the front stops them, “I apologize, but we are closed for the night.”

“It’s not even 2100,” Din replies stepping forward aggressively. Bo puts a hand on his shoulder, “We were informed that we could have access to the droid stabilization center.”

“Yes,” the droid replies, “I see Mandalorians Bo-Katan Kryze and Din Djarin on the list, but we are closed. The DSC is open from 0800 to 1500 daily except for a one-hour sustenance break for the humans between 1200 and 1300.”

“That’s work?” Din can’t believe this planet runs with hardly anyone working.

“Yes,” the droid chirps cheerfully, “on Plazir-15 we allow our human friends to follow their joyous pursuits.”

“Is there a droid we can speak to about what we need?” Bo asks, making Din’s spin crawl.

“No,” the droid shakes it’s head, “sadly, we do not have droids ranked high enough to not have human supervision in this division.”

Din walks away, slamming his hand on the corner of the building. He just wants to get this over with and get Bo to her crew.

“What is your problem?”

Bo is standing in front of him, hands on her hips, glaring.

“Nothing,” he grumbles grasping her shoulder lightly and turning her towards the palace. He’s ready to get Grogu and sleep in the Gauntlet, but Bo pushes into him, knocking him into an alleyway.

“WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?”

She pushes him back against the wall of the building, hands on his cuirass. Din slides his hands to her hips automatically. Her eyes narrow at him, and he takes a breath, “I just want to get this over with and get you to your fleet.”

“Well, we have to wait until 0800 tomorrow.”

Din sighs heavily, lowering his head, “I apologize.”

“Just ease up with the droid hate,” she replies, “Are you hungry?”

Din looks to see the building across from them has a diner in it, “We could get something to take back to the Gauntlet.”

“You’re buying,” she replies with a smirk as she pushes off his chest and walks over to the front door.

He follows her, looking up to see the street sign that says, ‘Divine Plaza’ and the diner is called ‘Divine Intervention.’

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bo-Katan watches as Din begins pacing the lift. The Duchess and Captain Bombardier have already retired to their quarters and taken Grogu with them. Din looks like he’s about to explode. He’s been edgy since they first headed down into the Plaza area.

The lift dings and the doors slide open revealing a sitting area near the lift that is extravagant. Plush chairs, plants, a sky light, it’s very beautiful. Bo-Katan walks out of the lift and turns to the left like the droid told them. The door to room 713 is ornate and the keycard beeps as she approaches.

The door slides open, and she stops dead, Din running into her back as she looks at the room. No lights come on, but the room is ethereally lit by the stars above and a small gas-run fire place with a rug in front of it. The room is ninety-nine percent glass with one large bed, a lounging area of puffy chairs, the fireplace area, a meal prep area, and then what must be the refresher is hidden behind frosted glass.

“What the Kriff?” Din replies moving past her and looking around.

Din opens the glass door and light floods into the room. It’s a refresher with a water fall into a steaming pool with a little nook for the toilet and another area for the sink. The only other lights seem to be in the food prep area, as Bo-Katan finds out when she walks there to set their carry-out meals on the counter. It’s meant to seem cozy and daring at the same time for a couple.

She can see where the royal couple might have thought she and Din were a couple. The woman at the diner had thought so as she argued that Grogu had probably already eaten, but Din insisted on getting food for the boy. She opens the cooling unit to place Grogu’s food inside. Din is stalking around the room, on edge like he has been most of the time they have spent on Plazir-15.

“I’ll sleep in one of the chairs,” she offers, thinking he is fretting about the single bed.

He stops, tilting his head to look at her, “I’ll sleep in the chair, you sleep in the bed.”

“Or we can just sleep in the bed together,” she shrugs not sure why she’s offering. She’s far to anxious to go back to how they were in the Covert. She’s so close to her old crew, but something about Din being next to her would help her sleep. Whether it’s feeling safe or something else, she’s not sure.

Din freezes, turning to look at her. Whatever he was going to say is interrupted by a knock on the door. Din turns, opening it and growling, “What do you want?”

“Princess Bo-Katan Kryze and Lord Din Djarin, I am EV-11. I am at your service to take your clothing to be cleaned and pressed and your armor polished.”

“We don’t….” Din starts, but Bo-Katan walks over, touching his arm, “We appreciate your service, but we do not let our belongings out of our sight. It is not our way.”

The droid seems flustered, “Oh no. The Duchess and Captain Bombardier will be most aggrieved since you are helping us. I can’t wake them or the child in their care. I….”

“It’s all right,” Bo-Katan smiles, “I will let them know tomorrow. You won’t be in any trouble. Please, don’t let it worry your circuitry.”

“As you wish Princess Kryze,” the droid nods, rolling away.

She turns to Din, “Go shower, grumpy, and quit scaring droids.”

She walks back over to the meal prep area, pulling the container of food for herself out. She looks back at Din who is standing there.

“Well….” She replies.

“What about you?”

“I’m hungry. I am eating now.”

It takes another moment before Din shakes his head and steps into the refresher.

Bo-Katan eats her meal, her mind whirling a parsec a minute. She’s not sure how long Din is in the refresher, but she’s aware when he walks out. He’s in nothing but his helmet and some sleeping pants. He is magnificent, every bit a Mandalorian warrior, from the curve of his muscles to his scars. She visualizes the face she saw briefly on Gideon’s cruiser, the dark curls, chocolate eyes, and slightly scruffy facial hair. Her pulse rate picks up for a brief moment, then she stops herself. She can’t do this.

“My turn,” she replies putting her container in the disposer and stepping around him to enter the refresher. She takes a deep breath, looking at the waterfall shower and the steaming pool that is a tub. She sees where Din hung his flight suit on a peg and his armor is stacked neatly on a shelf next to it.

She strips, hanging her flight suit and stacking her armor. She settles into the steaming pool, taking a deep breath as the warm water relaxes her tense muscles.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Din sits on the bed leaning against the head board looking at the data pad that was one the nightstand. It talks about the room they are in, the Starry Night Suite, and how the glass in the room allows for the guests to look out, but not others to look in. The glass tints during the day to allow sunlight in but not blinding and heat, and at night it clears but retains warmth from the day. The waterfall shower and tub are constantly recycling and cleaning the water so that it is not wasteful.

“Interesting reading?” Bo’s voice comes from the end of the bed.

He looks up and stares. She’s in a very form fitting night dress. It shows her curves very well as she slides under the covers next to him. He shows her the data pad, “It’s about this room and all the recycle and energy saving it does.”

“Hmm, heated blankets,” she replies, tapping the button on the pad. Din feels warmth radiant around him. He’ll be sweating in no time if she keeps it that high.

He also notices that it seems much darker in the room as she hands him back the data pad, “There’s a setting called starlight that darkens the room, if you wanted to take your helmet off, I can’t see.”

The data pad’s light is the only thing visible. He sets it on it’s charger and the light goes dim, dropping the room into complete darkness. Din waits a few moments before he releases the seal on his helmet. He lifts it off setting it on the night stand.

“It’s okay? You aren’t going to be excommunicated for the tribe?” Bo asks.

“It’s fine,” he replies, rolling to his back and looking at the stars overhead through the glass roof. It’s been a long time since he felt comfortable enough to remove his helmet and look at the stars.

He feels Bo shift, and her hand slides up, resting on his chest, “Din, may I ask you something?”

“You just did.”

They both chuckle then she’s quiet.

“Yes, you can ask.”

“Why do you hate droids so much?”

Dank farrick. She would ask that.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me, but I would like to understand.”

He’s never talked about Aq Vetina with anyone. Ever. He’s never trusted anyone with that part of his life. He knows he can trust Bo, but talking about it, the emotions welling in him, he doesn’t know if he can handle it.

“You don’t have to,” she replies, fingers ghosting over his bare chest, “if it’s that traumatic.”

He latches a hand onto hers, the other fisting the sheets, “I can.”

She’s quiet, her fingers grasping his firmly as she waits for him to speak. He’s not sure how much time passes. He hangs onto her hand like a lifeline.

“I was ten. Aq Vetina was a neutral planet. I remember that from lessons. My parents were devote and important in the village. I remember having a lot of friends and what it was like. One day battle droids showed up and just began destroying the village I lived in,” Din breathes deeply, “We were trying to escape. My parents running with me. Everywhere we turned there were battle droids. They were killing everyone, adults and children, animals, anything that got in their path. My parents hid me in a cellar, and they were killed. The cellar door opened, and I saw this battle droid aiming at me, then it just explodes. I had covered my eyes and when I looked up, there was a Mandalorian warrior offering me his hand. He took me to a ship, and we went to Concordia when the fighting was done. There were only a few survivors, all of us children. We were initiated in the fighting corps as we got old enough. I have disliked droids ever since.”

Her fingers tighten around his, “I am so sorry, Din. I had no idea.”

He rolls to face her, unable to see her even this close in the darkness of the room, “I know there are some good droids in the world, but when I saw those B2 droids, I………”

“Lost your mind for a few moments?”

“Yes,” he huffs lightly.

Her left hand snakes from under the pillow to slide gently against his bare face. He sucks in a breath, the touch so intimate. Even more so as her thumb runs gently over his lips.

“I can’t even imagine,” she whispers, “to be so young and experience that.”

Din kisses her thumb, then gently takes it in his teeth, sucking it for a moment before releasing it. He releases her hand still on his chest, to slide it down her arm and over her hips, pulling her closer.

The fabric feels silky soft, as does her skin as his hand slides under it. He leans into her lips kissing whatever he can touch until they come in contact with hers.

He pushes with his body until she’s under him. He shifts her hips to meet his. They are frantic. He knows he’s just releasing the energy he’s had bottled up since the whole battle droid incident and telling her his story. He rips the sleep pants down, pushing himself against her wet core.

As he pushes in, she groans against his lips, biting them. Din growls in return, pushing into her heat and thrusting. There’s nothing soft or gentle about this encounter, it’s demanding and violent from both of them. It doesn’t take much for her to cum or him either, as they pant heavily, lips continuing to touch as they suck air in.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bo-Katan feels him kiss her neck where her mark is located. He’s wrapped around her like a Din Djarin blanket as well as his cock being stuffed inside her. She’s exhausted, but horny, and he seems to be as well. This is the third time he’s cum in her tonight. He kisses the mark again and she shudders, shifting a little bit.

Din leans his lips against her ear, “May I ask you something?”

She snorts out a laugh, “You just did.”

He nips gently at her cheek, “I deserved that.”

“You did,” she smiles as she turns her head and their lips touch, “What did you want to ask?”

“Why do you turn away from this mark?” he asks as his lips settle on it again, making her skin crawl.

She realizes how he must have felt answering her question. She can feel her heart pounding in her chest. He curls around her more, pulling the blanket over them, even though she knows he’s too hot with it on. Between the feel of him and the heating blanket, she shudders, then relaxes.

“I am the youngest of four sisters,” she replies, “Satine was fifteen years older than me, Adelkie was twelve years older than me, and Shandilya was ten years older than me. My father was hoping for a boy. My name was to be Bodoni. When I was born; he kept the Bo and added Katan after his great grandmother Katana-Li.”

She shivers and Din’s body seems to melt into hers. His lips still soft against the mark.

“I was two when father and Satine went to Coruscant to stand before the Senate. I remember a little because when they returned Adelkie and Shandilya were so excited to see a mark on Satine’s neck. She kept it hidden and told us to tell no one. When Satine was nineteen, Adelkie was sixteen and ran away from home. I don’t recall it, but she was gone for several months. Shandilya cried most of the time, because some boy she had been in love with had disappeared too. I didn’t understand until much later. It seems that Adelkie had run off with the boy Shandilya liked. They had eloped and when Adelkie returned, I remember the excitement because she was going to have a baby. Everyone kept telling me that. I didn’t understand but was excited because everyone else was excited. Until Adelkie and Shandilya started fighting.”

She slips her fingers against Din’s, and he squeezes firmly, “Adelkie was pregnant with my nephew Korkie. She was almost full term. Shandilya, in her anger, shoved Adelkie down the stairs of the palace. I was at the bottom and remember her eyes, just staring. Then it was a mess of people coming to help her, Shandilya screaming, Satine handing me off to my nanny, and taking charge. Being little, most people forgot about me in a sea of adults. I snuck out of my room because I loved being around my sisters and I wanted to know Adelkie was all right. Korkie was born that night, Adelkie died after giving birth to him. I remember father and Satine trying to talk to Shandilya, but she kept saying she was glad that Adelkie died, because she stole Shandilya’s Mand’alor Mark. Shandilya insisted on the man marrying her. He refused her. He died next to my father in battle, wearing a tribute to Adelkie on his arm, always in love with her. Satine was sent away with the Jedi when father died. Korkie and I were hidden along with Shandilya at a close friend of the family’s house. Shandilya,” Bo-Katan sighs recalling the moment, “she snuck out of the safe house we were in, and she was killed in a blast that took out part of Sundari square. Satine returned with the Jedi and took over. That pacifist Duchess. It wasn’t until I was about twelve that I saw Satine’s mark. She told me she could never be with the man who gave it to her. I asked to if Adelkie had one. She did. Shandilya and I were the two that didn’t, until…..”

“Until you did,” Din whispers.

“Yes. I have seen the tragedy that befalls House Kryze,” she breathes deeply, “Satine died in Obi-Wan’s arms after being mortally wounded by Darth Maul when he killed Pre and took control of Mandalore. Obi-Wan was the one that gave her the mark. They were never together because he was a powerful Jedi and she the Duchess of Mandalore. So, I find the mark to be……a burden I don’t want to bear.”

Din kisses the mark lightly, then kisses her cheek, “I am sorry Bo.”

“I would say it’s not your fault,” she laughs with no real mirth, “but it is.”

Din huffs lightly, “I would take it back if I could.”

“I know,” she replies, “But so many people put the mark over fighting ability, brains, anything else. I saw how Satine hid hers, never letting people see it. She knew that it would only cause problems. She even hid it from the Jedi, so that he would never know. She always told people that went on about Mand’alor’s Marks, that they were old tales to make women weaker in the eyes of men, property, not authority. Some still believed, but most didn’t. I didn’t until it happened to me.”

They lay silently for some time. Din’s cock softens and her body releases it. He still lays close to her, holding her tightly. She thinks Din must have fallen asleep. She’s close to that herself when she hears his soft whisper, “I would never see you as weak or as property. You are so much more,” she steadies her breathing, so he doesn’t think she’s awake, but she wants to cry as he continues, “I am not sorry you bear the mark, only sorry that what you experienced changed it’s true meaning.”

She doesn’t respond and he doesn’t say more; his breathing steadying more as he falls asleep.

Chapter Text

Din’s vision is bleary. He can barely get the controls of the N1 working. Grogu is in his lap, little hands on the wound obviously trying to heal him. R5 is short circuiting, having been hit in their escape. The droid helps Din get the ship off the ground, but there’s no response after that.

Din pushes Grogu’s hands away from him, “Need you to…. Fly.”

“Patu?”

“Get us home,” Din tells his son.

Greef will know what to do when Din doesn’t respond to the hail. Mandalore might be closer, but Din doesn’t want Bo to see him like this. Doesn’t want her to know that she’s been betrayed again by people she put her trust in. She will think all of the Covert was in on it, not just him. He should have dealt with him ages ago, but he didn’t. Now he’s paying for it. He just has to let Greef know about the chip he has and get the info to Bo to protect herself. Din sees Nevarro on the screen and presses the button, “Grogu, take us home,” he gets out as blackness covers his eyes.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Attention N-1 Starfighter, state your business,” comes over all channels. Bo-Katan holds a hand up to the man speaking in the council meeting.

“Attention N-1 Starfighter, state your business,” comes the urgent call again.

“PATU!” comes over the frequency, “Patu BU Da Patu.”

“Grogu,” Bo-Katan breaths out not even realizing she leaving her seat and running, “Get a tractor beam on that N-1 NOW!” she screams over the comm.

“Yes Mand’alor!”

As she exits the building, she can see the pulsing of the tractor beam as it connects to the N-1 pulling the ship down to Mandalore’s surface.

“Koska get a med team, Axe with me.”

No one questions her of the Nite Owls or the Watch, only the returning group, who has been giving her so much grief that last few weeks, seem to be upset she’s left the meeting. Several of the Watch and Owls keep the Returners back as she runs towards the landing pad.

She sees Koska charging up with a medical team. Everyone jets to the now stilled N-1 as the hatch slides open and Grogu screams “PATTUUUUUUUU!!!”

Bo-Katan lands next to the ship. Din is slouched back, badly injured.

“No, no, no,” she growls as she scales the ship to get herself on the lip of the cockpit. Grogu is covered in blood. She scopes the boy up; it doesn’t look to be his.

“I’ll get him out,” she hands the boy down to the nearest person, Koska, who grabs him and passes him to a medic. Grogu begins wailing.

“Axe, Koska, get up here, I can’t get him out by myself.”

The pair join her and they wrench Din from the cockpit. He groans. Thank the stars, he’s still alive.

They wrangle him onto the gurney and the medic team begins stripping his armor, “Leave his helmet,” Bo-Katan replies sternly.

“But Mand’alor, he…”

“He’s part of the Watch. DO NOT SHOW HIS FACE!”

“Yes, Mand’alor,” the lead medic replies as the begin transporting him.

Bo-Katan starts after them, but is blocked by the council, “We are still having a meeting Mand’alor Kryze.”

“Our meeting is adjourned until further notice,” she replies.

“No. We have put this off too long. You need to decide about a husband.”

Bo-Katan looks at the disappearing Din Djarin and his son, then turns to the group around her. She sees Koska’s smirk and knows that Koska knows what she’s going to do as she turns pulling her hair out of the way and pulling her flightsuit collar down, exposing the mark she’s hidden for far to long.

“I am going to be with the man who put this mark on me,” she turns, dropping her arms to the Westars at her side, “Does anyone else want to kriffing get in my way right now?”

The group moves aside. She ignores the shocked expressions on their faces as she makes her way to the medical building.

She steps into the emergency area. Grogu is squealing and screaming, pushing people away from Din with his powers.

“Din Grogu,” she says sternly. The boy stops instantly, looking at her, “They are trying to help. I need you to stop what you’re doing.”

Grogu looks at her, glaring, his face in a snarl she’s never seen on the boy before, “PATU!”

“I know you are scared for your father, but you need to let them help him. Come here.”

She hasn’t seen Din and Grogu, other than in holo conferences or report videos in a few months. She’s not sure the boy will mind her, but he seems to believe her. He flips through the air, and she catches him. She nods to the medics, and they begin working on Din while she and Grogu take a seat. Axe and Koska, and it’s looks like Vhemi and her partner Choj, block the doorway, allowing only medical staff in and out. Bo-Katan focuses on Din, praying silently for him to live.

“Lady Kryze,” comes the voice of the Armorer.

Bo-Katan looks up to see the other woman standing next to her, “Yes?”

“I have brought Din Grogu a new tunic and clean underthings from Din Djarin’s ship. I am having his droid worked on, it was damaged badly. I am having the ship cleaned as well and any possible evidence taken. The logs have been downloaded and given to General Woves.”

“Thank you,” she replies as the Armorer takes her leave.

She picks Grogu up, taking him to a wash basin out of the way of where the medics are working with Din. She fills it with warm water and some soap to make bubbles, then helps the boy out of his bloody tunic. Underneath he’s wearing chainmail, a Mudhorn rondel, and on a thin cord, a Mythosaur pendant. She gets him out of the armor and his underthings, and places him in the bath.

Grogu purrs as she gently washes him, his eyes closing as he hums to himself. Once he’s clean she turns, and one of the medics hands her a towel.

“He’s survived the surgery. If he makes it through the night, we’ll be lucky.”

“He will,” she replies as she dries Grogu, “I want him in a private room. Din Grogu and I will stay with him.”

“Yes Mand’alor,” the medic turns telling others to begin prepping to move Din to another room from the emergency area. A dome surrounds his helmeted head pushing oxygen into the ventilator of his helmet.

“I’ve got his armor,” Koska replies, “I will take it to the Forge to make sure it is still has integrity.”

“Thank you,” she replies, putting Grogu into his fresh underthings, his armor, and his fresh tunic.

She reaches for a bag, and Axe’s arm pulls it down, “Go. I’ll get Ragnar to get the boy’s clothes to the wash.”

“Thank you,” she places a hand on Axe’s shoulder. She sees his eyes look at the hand then her. She’s finally understood, since Din has been gone from Mandalore, that all this time Axe has held a torch for her, but’s she’s always been someone else’s, she just never wanted to see it.

“I am….”

“Don’t,” he replies, “Koska told me you’ve had it since you were twenty. It was the night you almost lost to him, wasn’t it? When Pre told all of us you were indisposed for the night.”

“It was,” she holds Grogu to her shoulder, the boy yawning and whimpering reaching an arm towards where the medics are starting to wheel Din away.

“Go. We’ve got this. I’ve got ships in the air already looking to see if they were followed,” Axe replies.

Bo-Katan follows the gurney into Din’s room. She looks at the board that holds his vitals and information. He was stabbed four times in areas around his armor. She sits before she and Grogu can crash to the floor. The medics leave and some time passes. It gets dark outside and in the medical unit.

Grogu has reached a hand to touch Din’s arm.

“Grogu,” the boy looks up at her, “Nod yes or no when I ask you a question.”

Grogu nods at her as she asks, “Did they follow you?”

Grogu shakes his head no.

“Did they ambush your dad?”

Grogu shakes his head no.

“Did he know who did this to him?”

Grogu nods yes.

She leans back in the chair. So, it was someone Din knew. But he’s known a lot of people over the years. That could be a long list. She taps her vambrace, “Koska see if you can get me Greef Karga on the holo.”

“Trying Nevarro now.”

“I wish you could tell me who it was,” she replies.

Grogu leans forward touching his hand to her face. She feels a jolt and images flood her mind. Their assignment was to go to an Imp outpost. When they arrive, there is a Mandalorian with the imps. The armor looks familiar. She can’t place it though. Suddenly, an image from the Covert fills her mind of when Din was fighting Valdir. That’s who it is. She blinks and Grogu looks at her nodding yes.

Valdir had betrayed them. He was giving the Imps information on Mandalore. She hears something on the other side of the door. She puts Grogu on the bed next to Din and pulls her blasters, pushing her way into the darkened corner. Grogu huddles against Din as the door opens and Valdir steps through it.

“I swear Djarin, you just won’t die. And now she’s gone and told everyone about that stupid mark, so now I’ll have to kill her too. Looks like she left you and the brat though. It’s been a long time coming, you paying for my brother Orwig getting beaten to death. You never once cared that Hudu beat him to death in a “training accident” when you all returned to Concordia. That’s why Hudu had to die the way he did. dishonored. My older brother was an idiot, but no one does that to my kin. Now, I am going to gut your ugly kid, kill you, and make it look like you set this all up to kill her.”

Grogu growls and Valdir laughs at him, “What are you going to do runt?”

Grogu lifts his hand, and Valdir goes flying against the wall, guns clattering to the ground as he struggles to get the invisible hands from around his throat.

“Enough Grogu,” she tells him, stepping out of the shadows as Valdir crashes to the floor. She flicks on the lights as Valdir picks up a weapon stopping because her gun barrel is resting on his neck between his helmet and his cuirass, “If you so much as flinch, I will blow your head off.”

“BO! BO!” comes from the other side of the door as Axe slams through it. She doesn’t take her eyes off Valdir, who shifts the blaster towards the bed. She pulls the trigger. Valdir collapses in a heap.

Axe rubs his shoulder walking up to her, “Well, guess you got him.”

She looks at Axe, “How did you know?”

Axe nods towards Din, “He had a data chip hidden in his armor. Koz found it and read it. Djarin managed to kill everyone but this scumbag because he’d already left. We have confirmation the base Djarin was at was destroyed and New Republic is in control of it.”

“Get your shoulder checked out,” she tells him. Axe nods, leaving. A couple of Axe’s men come into remove Valdir’s body while a medic checks Din.

Once everything has quieted down again, Bo-Katan removes her utility belt. She slides into the bed, laying on her side and trying not to hurt Din in the tight space. Grogu is curled on his other side. She reaches her hand onto Din’s chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. Grogu touches her hand with his. She leans her head next to the oxygen dome surrounding Din’s head.

“Don’t you leave me Din Djarin.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Din feels like he is swimming against a strong current. Perhaps he’s falling into the depths of the Living Waters again. He struggles against the water that’s trying to pull him under.

“Din, Din, no, it’s okay Din.”

“Da, Da, Patu!”

Din struggles more. No Bo and Grogu are with him. Bo. Bo. He’s got to save Bo.

“MEDIC! Din. Din stop, you’re going to hurt yourself.”

Din feels a weight on his chest and his eyes pop open. Bo’s hands are on whatever is around his helmet as she sits on his chest, pinning his arms.

“Din. Stop.”

He takes a breath, and everything seems to come into better focus. He stops struggling.

“You’re in the medical clinic,” Bo says, “Grogu got you to Mandalore.”

“Valdir….”

“He’s dead,” Bo replies as she climbs off of his chest, releasing his arms. Din notices two other Mandalorians with data pads.

“Lord Djarin,” the one says, “Glad you are back to the living world. Mand’alor Kryze and your son have been worried. I am Medic Kast; this is Nurse Resinger. We are just going to check out your vitals.”

Din relaxes back as they both scan him. He feels Grogu’s hand touch his side and he turns to look at the boy, “You did good,” he whispers out, his throat hurting.

“Don’t talk to much. Due to your religious beliefs, we have had to pump oxygen into the dome and force it into your helmet. Your nasal cavity and throat are going to be raw from the forced air. We will get this dome off in a little bit. It looks like you are breathing well on your own. I will get you some fruit juice with a straw to drink.”

Din nods a little, coughing. He feels a hand on his chest and looks over. Bo’s face shows dark puffs under her eyes. She hasn’t been sleeping well. He lifts his hand to touch hers and she smiles at him.

Din watches as the medics work around him. He feels Grogu snuggled next to him and Bo’s hand rubbing on his chest as he coughs. He must doze off after a moment or two, as he feels other hands on him as if shaking him. He opens his eyes, “Whuutt?”

“Sorry to wake you. We are taking the dome off now.”

“kay…” Din coughs.

“It will take about thirty seconds after the oxygen push stops, so take a deep breath.”

Din does and coughs, then does it again. The medics begin to wrestle the dome off. He’s counting in his head and just as he hits thirty-two his helmet modulates itself through protocols and begins to work properly as they get the dome off.

Din breathes deeply again, and coughs. He feels hands on his helmet and sees Bo, “Just releasing the pressurizer.”

There’s a hiss and his helmet releases. He feels the straw touch his lips and he drinks deeply. It tastes delicious. It cools and soothes his throat.

“Easy, Lord Djarin,” the medic says as Din swallows the juice, “Don’t try to drink it all at once. You’ve been out for five rotations. Your body is only used to IV fluids mixed with vitamins and nutrients to keep you healthy while you recovered.”

“Not Lord,” Din struggles out.

The medic looks surprised and turns to where Bo is sitting, “He gets embarrassed when people address him that way. High Magistrate Karga says he doesn’t use the term on Nevarro either.”

“Ahh,” the medic smiles, “Is it okay if I call you Din as Mand’alor Kryze does.”

“Yes,” Din replies hoarsely.

“Well, Din,” Medic Kast replies, “All of your vitals look normal. We’ll have you on bedrest for a few rotations. And no strenuous activity either. The bacta did it’s job much better than we expected, but I don’t want you tearing open the soft tissue.”

Din nods to the medic but sees the smirk on Bo’s face that she schools when the medic looks at her, “Mand’alor, I would ask that you get some rest as well.”

“I will,” she replies.

“And no strenuous activity for him. I think you understand what that means,” the medic replies as he leaves the room, and the door clicks shut behind him.

Din looks at her, “Strenuous activity?”

“Sex Din. Sex.”

Din coughs, realizing now what was meant. The straw touches his lips after he stops coughing and he takes a long drink.

Grogu is now dead asleep on his shoulder, “He heal me?”

“I think he has been. He’s been terribly exhausted.”

“When he heals people it takes a lot out of him.”

Bo rises from where she’s been sitting. She’s in a long green robe, her hair is missing it’s usual band because it’s in two small braids. When she turns to tap a pad on the door, Din can see her neck and shoulders clearly, exposing the Mand’alor’s Mark.

She turns back to him, and he thinks it looks like the night dress she was wearing on Plazir-15. She steps next to the bed, tossing the robe on the chair and climbing into the bed next to him.

Din looks, realizing the bed is much larger than a normal medical bed. He looks around the room then, taking in the soft lighting and the window.

“Where are we?”

“I had you moved a few rotations ago from the medical ward. There were too many people snooping,” she replies curling next to him under the covers, “This is my home. You haven’t seen it because you haven’t been back to Mandalore for some time.”

“Thank you for letting me and Grogu stay in your home.”

“It’s yours as well,” she says as she places her hand on his chest over his hear, “If you want to…. stay.”

Din looks at her. Her eyes are closed, her breathing steady. She’s dead asleep already. Din coughs lightly as he turns his head from looking at Bo to looking at Grogu. The boy is holding a toy of some kind. Din shifts his arms, wrapping them around Grogu and Bo’s shoulders. There is a quiet comfort to the room. It takes just a moment, and he joins them in sleep.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Bo-Katan pants heavily. Din has her up against the shower wall and is pounding into her, his chest against her back. She whines as her breasts smash against the shower tiles. Din was released from his bed rest yesterday and they tried to behave yesterday, but this morning, Din had dragged her into the darkened refresher and insisted they bathe. That had turned into touching, kissing, and now Din thrusting inside her.

She comes just before he does and they stand, water splashing over them, getting colder by the moment.

“I don’t think Medic Kast will like the strenuous activity,” she snorts softly while Din kisses her neck. She feels the shower shut off as they reach the water capacity.

“That was not strenuous,” Din pants.

She laughs, “I am sure Medic Kast will not approve.”

“What he doesn’t know, won’t hurt him.”

She shivers and he gently pulls away from her, reaching out of the shower stall to grab a towel. He wraps it around her, “Need to get you warmed up.”

“I can’t stay in bed today. The Armor set a comm that the council is restless since I haven’t been listening to them gripe for ten rotations.”

Din gives an undignified snort, “Because they don’t know what you are doing with the zealot in your own home.”

“Don’t call yourself that,” Bo-Katan replies, feeling suddenly very possessive of Din and his beliefs.

“It doesn’t hurt me, Bo,” he leans over kissing her shoulder, “they can say whatever they want.”

“Let them talk, don’t call yourself that,” she can’t explain to him how it angers her to hear him call himself a zealot.

She walks out of the room drying herself off as she goes. She knows he’ll only be around for a few more rotations before he takes Grogu and returns to hunting. The council will start in again wanting her to choose one of the Returners to “bind” Mandalore.

More like bind her. She puts on her undergarments, turning to grab her flightsuit when she sees Din’s helmet on the nightstand. The room is flooded with the rising sun, unlike when they headed to the shower. She grabs it, opening the door just enough to slide it through, and set it on the floor for him.

She finishes dressing, then heads out to the kitchen to make tea before she faces the masses. A knock sounds on the door and before she can answer it, it wrenches open. Koska stands with Grogu in her arms.

“Listen you little…..menace…. you needed to wait until someone answers the door,” Koska states sternly.

“PaaaaTuuu,” Grogu laughs at her, obviously not agreeing to her assessment.

“How was he?” Bo-Katan asks.

“Kid will eat anyone out of their home,” she replies as Grogu struggles out of her grip to land on the chair by the kitchen table.

Bo-Katan smiles, rubbing Grogu’s head, “So what’s the whispers?”

“That he’s ugly and only hides his face so no one sees him,” Koska replies, “and that if you don’t show up today they will mutiny because the Armorer scares them. They want him off planet and the Watch “put in their places.”

“Lovely,” Bo-Katan replies.

“DA!”

Bo-Katan looks up. It takes her the longest moment to put together the fact that Din is standing in full armor in the doorway to her bedroom, but there’s something wrong.

“Of course,” Koska laughs, “he’s kriffing hot.”

“Din….???”

“I won’t be leaving,” Din replies, “Grogu needs to learn from his mother as well as his father. He can only learn from you, Bo, on Mandalore.”

“Din….. your face…..your beliefs in the Way.”

Din smiles, his face lighting up the room, “There is only one way. The Way of the Mand’alor.”