#and adopts this solus form

[fatalwhims]

Do you ever think about what emet was feeling during the 12000 years post sundering and go a little insane

[legobiwan]

The spirit is willing but the flesh and mind are so very tired and the calendar is relentless. I can't wait for the semester to be over so I can do some real writing again.

Excerpt from solus creatura. Trying to get the writing chops back in place. Oof, there's some rust there.

~~~~~~~~~

"And what is so wrong with carving out an identity separate from your brother?" Dimentio asks. "I seem to recall you feeling rather passionate about that particular topic in the past."

"That’s not…No! Yes!" Luigi smacks his thigh with a frustrated growl. "I don’t know! I didn’t want it to happen like this." He hadn't wanted it to happen it all.

Dimentio tilts his head, his gaze fixed on Luigi. It's a familiar movement by now, one Luigi has come to associate with the types of barbed, incisive questions he once thought were housed solely in the domain of his own traitorous subconscious. Whatever Dimentio says next, Luigi knows he's not going to like it.

"Was there any other way?" the jester asks after a long, uncomfortable moment.

Luigi narrows his eyes, fists curling his sides. "What do you mean?

"Only that your brother would never have let you go except by force. Nor you him," Dimentio adds with an airy wave of his hand. "You are too much in his gravitational pull, too yoked to his desires, to the image he projects. Nastasia’s work, albeit crude, accomplished the goal of your separation better than any of my own planned manipulations."

"Your planned manipulations?" Luigi eyes go wide, voice shooting up an octave as he covers the distance between the two men in a single, angry stride.

"Look at what you’ve accomplished in such a short period," Dimentio continues, gesturing at the spot Mario had stood not more than five minutes ago. "Your brother," he smiles, "has been holding you back."

The blow comes before the terrible truth leaves Dimentio's treacherous mouth, Luigi's fist colliding with the underside of the jester's chin, Dimentio falling to the ground in an ungraceful arc of tattered, motley ribbons.

Luigi rubs at his hand, scowling.

"You're not wrong," he hisses, hating himself for the admission. Luigi's voice lowers to a dangerous rumble as he looms over the prone form of Dimentio. "But you haven't earned the right to say a single syllable against Mario."

With a wheezy half-laugh, Dimentio pushes himself to a seated position, massaging his jaw. Luigi wonders what's hiding behind that mask, if Dimentio's skin, if he had any, was showing the first blossoms of black-and-blue injury.

Luigi would like to see that.

"Noted," Dimentio rasps, adopting a lopsided, pained grin.

[autoacafiles]

The stories of the Firstforged are many and the mysteries many more, but one of the most commonly understood aspects was that Cybertronians aligned themselves to the Firstforged that best reflected their values, and that when the schism led to all out war between the Thirteen, those that followed their lead would either go into battle alongside them or find another way to secure their legacy. Though most Cybertronians have long since forgotten the tribes, they remain a somewhat important historical fact, and the names of these tribes still stand in the writings and records of the ancient ages.

The devout followers of Prima, the Houses of Light divided themselves under given surnames, many of which are still prominent in Cybertronian society today, including House Pax, House Ambus and House Maximus. The Houses of Light were often in stories portrayed as less of a tribe and more an order of gallant knights, and are to this day seen as keeps of order, hosting the largest number of Convoys from their lineage.

Considered a tribe of barbarians and conquerors by the history books, the Darklanders were those that followed Megatronus, taking their name from the wild and then untamed regions of Cybertron that they resided in. It is said that the surviving Darklanders thrived after the Schism, forming under warlords to try and rule what remained of the then scorched planet.

The followers of Onyx Prime, the members of the Flock sought to spread their wings out into the cosmos and create new homes for themselves. They believed in finding that balance between the organic and the technological, and unlike others would rather live alongside the organic nature of their adopted homeworlds. While isolation has lead some descended warlords such as Gigatron, Yharon and Dragotron to see a bestial superiority, it is known that Onyx always advocated a way of collaboration.

A tribe that focused on both smithing and artistry, it is said that this tribe were taught by Solus to see the beauty in all things. Contributing to Solus’ work on the Primal Amory, the Radiant Forges departed Cybertron completely on the advent of the Schism, seeking to avoid conflict and preserving their culture in honour of Solus, as well as hiding as many of the weapons they were responsible for. While they were only remembered only by name and relics for many eons, the emergence of Caminus lead to a resurgence of their culture.

Those that followed Amalgus Prime were said to be those that believed that transformation was the most fundamental function of their being. It is said that all natural triple changers were descended from the people of the Enigmakind, with rumours spreading some of their kind had evolved to have even more mode. None of the Enigmakind, however, could ever truly guess the depths of their leader’s obsession with form and transformation, nor the steps they would take to affirm this.

Said to be the forebearers of the minicon race, the people who followed Micronus Prime were said to be the earliest to sprout the irregular abilities that would come to be known as “Talents”. The Micron Arms were firms believers in unity and that they were stronger together, a statement attested to by entries that say the people of the Micron Arms were even able to bolster the powers of their allies with the abilities.

The servants of Liege Maximo, it is said that many of those that joined this tribe were manipulated by Liege or his acolytes, fed lies to buy their loyalty to them. While in most cases this would make the tribe fragile, Liege’s mastery of the spoken tongue allowed the tribe to remain intact, at least until he vanished into the Dark Ages.

Knowledge and Wisdom is true power, especially to the followers of Alpha Trion. They were said to be seekers of great knowledge, believing that everything has future consequences. Every event recorded in detail, giving Cybertronians a vast degree of information on the past that not even the smartest races of the galaxy can hope to have. It is said that the Dark Age that came after the Schism, before Knight Convoy uncovered the Matrix, is the one blank mark of the Lorekeepers’ records, and they hope one day to change that.

One of the least well understood of the Thirteen Tribes, Gestalta followed the teachings of Nexus Prime, said to act as middlemen between the different tribes to maintain stability and foster unity. With the recent rediscovery of combiner technology, some are beginning to suspect the name Gestalta and their interest in unity had a double meaning.

One might call the Adherents of the Moment less of a tribe and more of a group of people who like to chill around each other. While not directly lead by Alchemist Prime, the Adherents of the Moment follow his way of taking each day as it comes and enjoying every moment you get. As a result, they kept their hand clean during the schism and spread out amongst the stars, creating their own little communities away from the conflict.

The followers of Vector Prime are those so dedicated to their leader that when Vector disappeared into the temporal wilds, they patiently waited for his return. While some members of the tribe await his return so that they may learn from his knowledge from the future, others wish to ensure that the flow of history is not disrupted, though as the days turn into years, and the years turn into millennia with no sign of Vector, few continue this once sacred duty.

Lifegivers is perhaps too narrow of a descriptor for the ambitions that flow from the tribe of Quintessa Prime. They seek not only to create new life, but also to constantly build and improve upon it, as well as existing life. An eternal quest to bring everything to its quintessential self. A general disregard for time honored traditions in the face of advancement and evolution puts them at odds with the more fundamentalist tribes.

Little is known about the mysterious thirteenth tribe. Their leader, their goals, their communes are all a mystery. Even their symbol has been found in scarce ruins and artifacts. This has resulted in the tentatively known “Others” to be one of the largest historical mysteries, even to this day...

[chocobothis]

Solus Ve'tra Profile

Name: Solus Ve’tra (previously Solly Vetra)

Nickname(s): The Tiny Ve’tra, Vaar’ika (runt), Jabiimi Butcher

Pronouns: She/Her

Species: Sephi-75%, Human-25%

Birth Year: 40 BBY

Gender: Cis Female

Sexuality: Bisexual, Biromantic, Polyamorous

Romantic Status: Single-ish (whatever her and Lumi have surpasses romance)

Love Interest(s): Pre Vizsla, Bo-Katan Kryze, Lumi Kirrin

Enemy: The Republic, The Jedi Order, The Separatists, The New Mandalorians, The Sith, etc. Look, she’s a former Senior Padawan turned political terrorist in Death Watch. It’s almost easier to list who actually likes her.

Hobbies: Art, Strategy Games, Reading, Hunting,

General Likes: Museums, History (any sort really), Piloting, Mechanic Work

General Dislikes: Most Senators, Jedi Order, Bland Foods, Speaking Basic

One Word To Sum Them Up: Devoted

Noun to Describe Them: Mandokar (the right stuff, the epitome of Mando virtue - a blend of aggression, tenacity, loyalty and a lust for life)

Temperament: She’s rather even tempered with an excellent poker face when it’s necessary. Chaos doesn’t bother her, making her excellent at handling stressful situations from medical wards to battlefields. As a Jedi Commander, her troopers adored her and when settled into Death Watch that rings true there as well.

Other’s First Impression of Them: Appearance wise, she’s almost dainty (5’5”) with an elven beauty about her causing people to underestimate her might. Then personality wise, she comes off as very charismatic with a keen eye for politics.

How did they get here: Even before going to Mandalore as a representative of the Jedi Order and Republic she was having doubts about things. Meeting Pre, getting acknowledged again as Mandalorian, and spending so much time with Satine sealed how much she hated her life. Having a minor mental breakdown, learning of a specific kind of Republic Rot, and she just finally broke. She tore through a false Mandalorian Clan on Nar Shaddaa to get proof, destroyed an information network, and then contacted Ursa. She wanted in on what Death Watch had.

Fun Fact: As much as she fulfills the role of Rally Master, with the context of Death Watch and greater Mandalorian Culture, she’s grumpy about the title. The traditional rally master armor is bulky and entirely red; she likes neither of those things. Her preferred armor style is a sleekier assassin style in blacks, grays, and silvers.

Free Space/Ramble: Because of how I write Sephi (Thustran based specifically) with some vulpine traits and being highly adept to the cold it makes her a little bit arctic fox-esque. Her grandfather (the man she’s the smaller, almost identical feminine form of much to her ire) has the Silver Fox going while she’s a slight prankster. Yes, she will abuse the Force to move a stylus a few inches away from someone without them seeing to be annoying.

Armor Notes: Solus specifically sticks her preferred color scheme in line with what her Clan would traditionally wear. This includes her left pauldron being black with the clan's signet in a muted gold. It's a display of millennia long solidarity between Clan Ve'tra and Clan Wren. Otherwise, she adopts the style of Death Watch, specifically the Nite Owls. Later on, when she has her twins, she tends to decorate her chest plate with one of their hand prints on each side.

[rescuebabiesau]

Hi! Another question;

Will Optimus have any little ones of his own? He does have a dino form after all....

In my AU, no.

In the AU (and possibly canon) Optimus lost his dinobot form when he was reformatted by the Forge of Solus Prime, and has not had any reason to rescan and go through all of that again to regain it.

He's also old enough that the likelihood of the programming becoming active like Bumblebee's did is very, very slim. At this time, I do not have any plans for him to be a parent (other than essentially adopting Bumblebee and therefore making him like Flashdrive's grandfather)

Megatron, however...

[deshpandeisha]

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[industryinsightsandanalysis]

Pain Management Devices Market Analysis and Forecast (2021-2027)

The global pain management devices market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of approximately 8% from 2021 to 2027. This growth is driven by an increasing geriatric population, rising prevalence of chronic diseases, technological advancements in medical devices, and heightened awareness about pain management solutions.

Key Market Drivers:

1. Increasing Geriatric Population: The aging population is more prone to chronic diseases and pain, necessitating effective pain management solutions. For instance, the CDC reported that 5.8 million Americans were living with Alzheimer's disease in 2020, a number expected to nearly triple by 2060.

2. Prevalence of Chronic Diseases: Conditions such as arthritis and cancer, which are associated with significant pain, are on the rise. The CDC states that about 58.5 million U.S. adults have doctor-diagnosed arthritis.

3. Technological Advancements: Innovations in medical technology enhance the effectiveness and adoption of pain management devices. These advancements are pivotal in minimally invasive treatments, contributing to the growth of segments like RF ablation.

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1. By Product Type:

   - Electrical Stimulators: Devices that use electrical currents to relieve pain.

   - Radiofrequency (RF) Ablation: Expected to witness significant growth due to its minimally invasive nature and effectiveness in treating chronic pain.

   - Analgesic Infusion Pumps: Deliver analgesic medications directly to the bloodstream.

   - Neurostimulation: Use electrical impulses to interrupt pain signals to the brain.

   - Others: Include various emerging pain management technologies.

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   - Cancer: Accounts for a significant share due to the high incidence of cancer-related chronic pain. WHO reported nearly 10 million cancer-related deaths in 2020.

   - Neuropathic Pain: Chronic pain resulting from nerve damage.

   - Facial & Migraine Pain: Chronic headache and facial pain conditions.

   - Musculoskeletal Disorders: Conditions affecting muscles, bones, and joints.

   - Trauma: Pain resulting from injuries.

   - Others: Other chronic pain conditions.

3. By End-User:

   - Physiotherapy Centers: Specialize in physical rehabilitation and pain management.

   - Hospitals & Clinics: Hold a significant share due to their comprehensive treatment capabilities and high patient influx.

   - Others: Include home care settings and specialized pain clinics.

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[wicultyls]

DevOps Certification and Serverless Computing: Embracing Event-Driven Architectures

Introduction:

In the ever-evolving landscape of information technology, staying abreast of the latest trends and technologies is crucial for professionals aiming to excel in their careers. Two prominent concepts that have gained significant traction in recent years are DevOps certification and Serverless Computing. When combined, they form a potent synergy that empowers organizations to embrace Event-Driven Architectures, revolutionizing the way software is developed, deployed, and scaled. This article explores the intersection of DevOps certification and Serverless Computing, highlighting the benefits of adopting event-driven approaches.

I. DevOps Certification: A Foundation for Efficient Collaboration

DevOps, a portmanteau of Development and Operations, is a set of practices that aims to improve collaboration and communication between software development and IT operations. DevOps certification programs provide professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to implement DevOps practices effectively. By fostering collaboration, breaking down silos, and automating processes, DevOps accelerates software delivery, enhances quality, and improves overall efficiency.

II. Serverless Computing: A Paradigm Shift in Cloud Architecture

Serverless Computing, despite its name, doesn't mean there are no servers. Instead, it abstracts the infrastructure, allowing developers to focus solely on writing code without managing the underlying servers. This paradigm shift eliminates the need for provisioning and maintaining servers, enabling a more agile and scalable approach to application development. Serverless architectures are event-driven by nature, responding to events and triggers with minimal operational overhead.

III. The Synergy of DevOps and Serverless: Event-Driven Architectures

Efficient Development and Deployment: DevOps practices streamline the development pipeline, and when integrated with Serverless Computing, developers can deploy functions in a more granular and modular manner. This enables rapid development and deployment of microservices, promoting agility in response to changing requirements.

Automatic Scaling and Cost Optimization: Serverless platforms automatically scale based on demand, ensuring optimal resource utilization. DevOps principles, when applied to Serverless architectures, enhance automation, enabling organizations to scale effortlessly and manage costs efficiently.

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[ut-girl666]

Heyyy it’s the anon again! I’m back with more questions :3

Can we know a bit about the OCs listed under Prime partners?

And also, if any of your Rescue Bots OCs have met High Tide, Quickshadow, Blurr, and Salvage, what do they think of them?

Hey! So sorry for such a late response to this! I had a reply in the works, but Tumblr ate it, so I’m gonna type it out again.

To start with the RBs;

There’s a possibility the OCs have met High Tide in passing. But I can certainly tell you, immediately off the bat, since I’ve heard that he goes full drill sergeant on the RB’s asses, Mintracer would not be fond in the slightest. Who does this mech think he is, bossing around his adoptive son, and second-creation? Oh yeah, and his son-in-law, too, but more focus on his precious Chase. >:(. The others, it depends, haven’t decided yet.

Blurr and Salvage, it also kinda depends, and I’d say they’re probably some of Blades’s classmates from the academy, given behavior, from what I’ve heard. Most likely, they may have met Blaze as classmates, and Mintracer as one of their teachers, but the others, who knows.

Quickshadow, yes, Mintracer, Flare, & Ember have certainly met her. Mintracer is neutral, but also not quite fond of her. Her history with Chase and Heatwave is… interesting. Flare and Ember wanted her to be something of a love interest to him; didn’t work. Heatwave doesn’t swing that way, and was already with Chase. Chase and Quickshadow just didn’t really… ‘work’, as anything more than classmates, if you feel? Quite possibly she was one of the students who barely held onto a C in his class, after pretty much the whole school base bombed that final essay; might’ve gone at Chase a little after, too, claiming favoritism in some form, since he was the only one got higher than a B-. Haven’t quite decided, but Mintracer wouldn’t be fond of this particular former student, and Flare and Ember have probably forgotten about her.

—

Now, on the Prime Partners; for context, this is to say partner more means ‘romantic’ partner, since that’s the relationship they each had with their respective partners. So, Elita would also be classified as one, and later on, Thunderclash as well. And further, in AU Canon Divergence, context: Solus is a TransMasc/FtM using He/Him pronouns and from a former sister planet known as Femmax, Amalgamous was the original Decepticon Leader way back when long before any of the main bunch were thought of, and Zeta is a separate person from Sentinel. So in order, from first to last so far;

Luma

Luma is Solus’s partner. She was a moon/night themed femme, that Sola met at some point when the two took a trip from Femmax to Cybertron, and the two became fast friends, and developed some feelings. Luma was quite possibly the most supportive person of Sola’s feelings regarding their gender, and was happy to adapt to new pronouns and a new name for them. They held quite a lot of trust between them, and lived together on Cybertron post-transition, in a relationship. Solus was adamant that he wanted Luma with him in the afterlife, so they both reside in the Hall of Primes, which started the trend.

Wintegreen

Wintegreen was Amalgamous’s conjux. They had a cross faction relationship, originally, since Amalgamous was a Decepticon - the Leader of that revolution, in fact! (Also the very proud holder of the title as The First/Original Autobot Fucker/Crossfaction Relationship Engagee) - and Wintegreen was some little nobody Autobot foot soldier. After lots of stress from the Autobots, and seducing and serenading from Amal, they decided they were done being an Autobot, and became a Decepticon, sitting on the throne with Amal. They ended up with two creations; the first one named ‘Thirteen’. They passed when the Autobots managed to unexpectedly siege the base, post-war/in the middle of Alchemist’s Reign. The four rest together, though their creations didn’t follow into the Hall with them, thought to have reincarnated.

Lilacwing

Lilacwing was Zeta’s… well, it’s complicated, but not to say they’re not in love! They just don’t know what to call it, because they weren’t necessarily official, but certainly accompanied and interacted with each other a whole lot more than just the Prime and Air Commander who happened to be ‘friends’. But they did have more than their fair share of nights on the couch with some shitty romance show going as background noise. Unfortunately in normal AU, they did pass, killed at some point though only Lilac recalls who, making way for Sentinel to be picked by the council.

However, in the ‘Line of Primacy AU’, they didn’t pass, but Zeta was forced to abstain a while, due to a situation popping up, and forced to give up the ‘pop up’ in his chamber, so they lived in his place, and after Sentinel fell, they came back into reign. After a while, eventually they found the little one they’d been forced to give up, and brought him home, with the little friend he was with, since they’d been left without anyone else to go to. Therefore creating the lineage, of Zeta and Optimus. And they ended up adopting Megs, and they love their silver swan, even if he does tend to forget they’re his adoptive parents every time he visits Iacon. No, Lilacwing did not carry Op. ;)

So that’s them. I’ll probably make some more regarding the LoP!AU at some point, and such, but there we are! And again, super sorry about the delay. The original answer got erased, and then it was an ‘out of sight, out of mind’ thing, and I just got around to retrying answering. Hope this answers, dear Anon!

[reignitedprimes]

Solus Prime Headcanons

This isn’t Solus Prime’s first time being ‘reignited’. She never told the four bots she adopted this, but when she met them in the beginning of the golden age, Solus was on her second round of reignition. Oddly enough, Quintus had gone down, found her body-- or what was left of it, and dragged it out without Onyx or Micronous knowing and tried to ‘rebuild’ her. He thought, he had failed, but hadn’t. Solus-- Under the name Silversong, at the time, would go on to lead the rebellion against Quintus’s rule and drive them off. When Sentinel Zeta Prime took over, she vanished into the masses, and ended up forming with Orion Pax briefly. Alpha Trion was actually the one that had shown her to Redraven, Darkfire, Brimstone and Copperstorm on the streets of Kaon. Where, surprisingly, she also found Prima, trying to coax the four out from their hole in the wall. With some work-- and it helped that Brimstone dove for Alpha Trion and Orion upon recognizing his teacher-- Solus and Prima had a long talk. Solus explaining her part in everything thus far, and Prima explaining that, at least in this moment, Redraven had been shown to him in a vision. With a LOT of arguing amongst themselves, Prima and Solus decided to teach and guide the four young bots to be primes-- true primes. With, at least, Prima intending for Redraven and her siblings to overthrow Sentinel and the council.

[oh-three]

Masterlist

You can find me on AO3, here- and fanfiction.net here. 

I crosspost all of my stories to both (but only my favorites are featured on this masterlist), have been since July 14, 2021 (most of my older ones on FFN are not on my AO3). Feel free to kudos, favorite, follow, etc- but know that comments or reviews are always welcome! They make my day every time.

My inbox is always open if you want to talk! (Especially if it’s about Star Wars).

Tumblr taglist now available!

Blorbo List

When Our Boots Wear Thin & Our Hearts Grow Heavy

Cobb Vanth

Part 1 - When The Suns Grow Low, The Fight Only Gets Tougher

Just before joining in on the battle for Mos Espa, the people of Freetown dropped their wounded, dying marshal off at Fett’s Palace. Fett quickly realizes that Cobb Vanth may be beyond the help of even a bacta tank. He needs outside aid- they all do. Centered around the S1E7 end credit scene. [5/5 chapters]

Part 2 - When Twilight Checks In, The Collars Pull Tight

Bray Ealdel, a close friend from Cobb Vanth’s past, returns to Tatooine under mysterious circumstances. For Cobb, it’s a chance to catch up on lost time. But Bray, if he plays his cards right, gets to keep his life for a little longer. [8/8 chapters]

Part 3 - When The Heart Outruns The Body, The Suns Clear The Fog

Pressured by his aging body and his tired mind, Cobb Vanth ponders stepping down from his role as the Marshal of Freetown. Other, more personal, matters take him offworld for the first time in his extensive life. The fire in his eyes hasn’t quite been stomped out yet. [14/14 chapters]

Part 3.5 - When All Is Right, The Suns Are High [INTERLUDE]

After a lifetime of fighting for freedom, Cobb Vanth has finally won his once and for all. With his health back on the incline, all that’s left is to settle down and embrace the fact that he can finally live his life the way that he’s allowed the rest of his town to. One-shot; series interlude. 18+. [1/1 chapters]

Part 4 - When The Suns Begin To Set, Life Finally Begins

Cobb Vanth has retired from his position as Marshal of Mos Pelgo and embraced the life he had given the people of his town. But after spending near all his years working himself to the bone, it’s hard to drop the habit. [2/? chapters]

Other resources:

OC Guide

Our Anonymity Is Your Protection (But Sometimes Our Masks Fall Away)

The Grand Inquisitor

A series of short stories centered around our favorite Grand Inquisitor, starting from his time as part of the Jedi Temple Guard.

Incorrect Quotes:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

Part 12

Part 13

Other resources:

Name pronunciations

Rakesh Brem & his master

Art for the series can be found both here on my blog or on my DeviantArt page.

Battle Born | Tech & His Goggles

Tech

A collection of related one-shots based on a headcanon that Tech’s goggles help him to see. Lots of angst and sibling bonding included. (Non-canon compliant with Batch content that comes out after the first season).

The Lengths We’ll Go, The Heights We’ll Reach

Tech & Hunter

The kidnapping becomes the least of their problems, and now the Bad Batch is plagued with sorrow, regret, and the shadow of what could have been.

Take A Deep Breath, You're Home

Echo

A series of one-shots in which Echo finds his place in the Batch and comes to peace with his losses.

Solus Tome (Alone Together)

Fives

The Bad Batch brings Rex to the sunken remains of Tipoca City. Within her walls, they find a cryo stasis chamber- and, inside it, a fractured soul in desperate need of healing. Or, Clone Force 99 finds and adopts another traumatized reg.

Silence Is A Lonely Country

Ian Malcolm

The dead live, and Ian Malcolm bears that truth in the form of a grizzly wound on his arm. On the run across the wildlands of Central America, he and the others do their best to survive the beginning of the apocalypse.

Memories Keep Us Alive | Until Next Month

Jack Russell

Once he gathers the courage to send the first letter, they begin to come in after each full moon, telling of tales no one would believe had they not seen the impossible with their own eyes.

Or, five letters that Jack Russell sends to his sister, and one time he gets a reply.

Let No Man Be Another's Who Can Be His Own

Jack Sparrow

Following Lord Beckett’s demise, Elizabeth Turner leads the Brethren Court in a series of raids against the scattered East India Trading Company. At first, it’s the smaller outposts. And then she leads them against a rather large establishment in West Africa. There, she finally learns how one Jack Sparrow wound up a pirate.

[supernaturalgirl20]

From Love & Happiness/Fluff: “I wanted to say “I love you” for the first time without stuttering, but that failed.” Maybe with Din :)

An ask from @dindjarinneedsahug.

I Love you!

Pairings: Din Djarin x reader

Warnings: nothing really just fluff, maybe some cursing.

Traveling with Din was…..an adventure to say the least. You were with him before he picked Grogu up as a bounty, and over the two years you’ve went from reluctant partners to, well your not really sure actually. All you know is that you work together, have adopted a little green child and fuck almost every other day. You love Din, of course you do. He’s kind, loyal, an amazing father and handsome. Not that you’ve actually seen his face, but you can tell from those late nights in the dark, when you trace the outline of his face after he’s fucked you into his cot.

You’ve told him you love him, you didn’t mean too, it just sort of came out while you cried out in ecstasy. That one moment of release that quieted all your doubts and insecurities. Din pulled out of you that night, got dressed and went to the cock pit. He hasn’t spoke to you since and that was two days ago. He’s currently out hunting a bounty, you were told to remain behind and watch Grogu. You tired everything to tire him out and nothing has worked. For someone so small, he has bundles of energy. You went to the local market and bought some proper food, hoping that you could finally get Din to open up over a nice home cooked meal. Grogu was helping, and by helping you meant eating anything he could his hands on.

“Ok buddy that’s enough, you’ll ruin your appetite.”

“Pa du.”

“Yes yes, I know I’m being mean, but you’ll thank me later.”

***

This is how Din found you when he arrived back at the crest. It was such a domestic sight, you cooking and Grogu helping. He got that flutter in his heart again. He’s been actively avoiding you since your said those three words. Not because he doesn’t feel the same, but he’s never loved anyone in his life, not romantically anyway. He knows he should talk to you but he’s not good with feelings. He’s suddenly struck with and idea and thankfully you haven’t heard him so he can sneak off and clean first.

Stepping out of the refresher, hair damp and towel wrapped around his waist, he grabs his razor. He need to look his best. He’s nervous, he’s a grown ass man and he’s petrified. He dresses and makes his way back to where you are. Your dishing up when he comes back.

***

Your dishing up dinner when you hear movement, looking towards the ladder, you spot a brown mop of hair. Shit it’s Din. You quickly close your eyes shut tight.

“Din, what are doing? Where’s your helmet?”

He walks towards you and grabs your wrists gently.

“It’s ok Mesh’la. I want you to see me.”

“No! I won’t be the reason you break your creed.”

“I’m not breaking anything, please look.”

“I said no! Din you told me only family can see your face, as in your children and your wife. I’m neither.”

He clears his throat awkwardly, before he continues.

“I…..I’m…..Y/N, I lo…. Ugh!”

“Din is everything ok? Is this about the other night, I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable, but I do love y…” he puts a finger to your lips, a request to be quiet. He lets out a long sigh.

“I wanted to say “I love you” for the first time without stuttering, but that failed.” 

“What?!” Your voice has become high pitched. Did he just say what I think he said?

“I love you Y/N. I’m also sorry for the way I’ve behaved the last two days, I was just nervous I guess.”

“You…you love me?”

He lets out a small chuckle, “yes I do.” Grogu has been watching the whole interaction, munching on a piece of meat. Din starts to gently pull your hands from your eyes. You keep them shut.

“Y/N, I want you to see my face, please! I think it’s only fair you see the face of your husband, don’t you?”

“Husband?! Your not my…”

You feel Din pull away slightly before he turns back and grabs your left hand.

“Will you marry me?”

Your in shock. You slowly open your eyes and your net with the deepest brown eyes you’ve ever seen. You take a moment to look over his face, taking in his brown mop of curls, his slight beard and the curve of his nose. You meet his eyes again and you can see the red tint to his cheeks.

“I hope I’m ok?”

“Ok?! Din your gorgeous, your so handsome.”

He pulls you into him and gently places his lips on yours. You begin to kiss him back when he suddenly pulls away.

“You never answered my question? Will you marry me Y/N?”

“Yes Din, yes!”

He places the ring on your finger and kisses you again.

“Ok the ceremony is simple, you just need to repeat after me.

“Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome, mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde”

You repeat him word for word. “What does it mean?”

“We are one when together, we are one when parted, we will share all, we will raise warriors.”

“So that’s it? We’re married now.”

“Yes.”

“That was easy.”

“And now I don’t have to kill you for seeing my face.”

You look at him worried. “What?”

He has a serious look on his face before he bursts out laughing. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help myself.”

You slap him on the chest before picking Grogu up.

“You hear that little buddy were an official family now. I’m your mama and he’s your papa.”

You swear he understood what has happened as he sequels and starts jumping in your arms.

“Ok! Who’s hungry?!”

Tagging:

@lunaserenade @anaaaispunk @librariantothejedi @day-off-inkyoto @asta-lily @maievdenoir @elinedjarin @dindjarinneedsahug @pascal-rascal424 @pintsizemama @seasonschange-butpeopledont @janelongxox @stevie75 @thorins-queen-of-erebor @dihra-vesa @loserrlauraa @kirsteng42 @ikinmahlen @almaeunice @jediknight122 @colorlesswhispersunknown @rosie-posie08 @alberta-sunrise @javierpinme @pascalisthepunkest

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[moralesispunk]

What Their Weddings Will be Like

Female Reader x

For: Frankie Morales, Din Djarin, Marcus Moreno, Pero Tovar, Agent Whiskey, Dave York, and Marcus Pike.

Frankie

This was the day that Frankie had been thinking about since your third date. Not in a weird over-possessive way, but you fit so easily into his life that he couldn’t not imagine you in his future from that day on. When the day finally came, he couldn’t stop his usually steady hands from shaking as he tried and tried again to tie his bow-tie, eventually giving up and letting his mum do it. It was a cosy wedding, lots of close friends and family their to celebrate. You both decide to have it in early summer so it can be outside, a fully outdoor ceremony with lots of flowers and a tent full of fairy lights to dance under the stars at night. Frankie never left your side from the moment you stood next to him at the altar and he didn’t stop crying either. The tears first came when you walked down the aisle towards him, then when you said your vows and I do. They started again when you were first announced as Mr and Mrs and started to prick at the corner of his eyes as when he watched you laugh with your mum and his mum as you told them about a disaster with the flowers. He tried his hardest to fight them away during his speech but let them flow again during your first dance. He carries you over the threshold and into bed that night, kissing every inch of your body as you both lie there exhausted but more happy than you thought possible at the end of the day. He made sure his eyes were on you every moment throughout the day, taking in every expression you made to make sure he would remember this day for the rest of his life.

Din

Din will be prepared to give you whatever you want to celebrate but what is important to him are those three simple sentences: Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar’tome, mhi me’dinui an, mhi ba’juri verde (we are one whether we are together or apart, we will share everything, we will raise our children as warriors). When you tell him that you don’t care for the usual wedding traditions of your people and are happy with the simple Mandalorian ceremony he is happy and will fly straight to the Armorer, never letting go of your hand the whole way there. He can’t stop the tears from flowing behind his helmet as you repeat the lines back to him, his hands shaking as he tilts his head down for a Keldabe kiss. When you move back to private quarters, he feels sick with nerves when he reaches up to remove his helmet in front of you for the first time. He isn’t sure what he expects when your eyes meet without filter for the first time but it isn’t the pure love and adoration that is there. He gives in to his emotions, letting his body fall to his knees before you as tears fill his eyes again. When you fail to lift him up you join him on the ground, holding his face in your hands and kissing all over it as he holds your waist in his hands, repeating how much he loves you in the most gentle whisper you have ever heard.

Marcus M

Marcus wasn’t 100% sure whether he would marry again but after you met Missy for the first time he knew he would. He knew from the moment he met you that you would be in his life for the rest of his days but when he seen how quickly you and Missy connected he knew that he would love to call you his wife one day. He proposed in a very low-key but romantic way and had already started asking questions about what kind of wedding you wanted the next day. You decide on a simple wedding with close family and friends. He cried from the moment you walked into the room, not able to understand how lucky he got to be calling you his wife in about half an hour, tears getting heavier as he recited his vows, even heavier when you said yours and he couldn’t see the room any more when you turned to say some special "vows” to Missy. And his vows... oh my god. This man just has the most perfect way with words and is able to tell you exactly how he feels every time he sees you and thinks about your future together. As soon as you both got a chance to sit and eat, he made sure to get your first dance going quickly before you can get interrupted again, keeping you on the dance floor and in his arms for a lot longer than just one dance. He held you close to his body, his head resting on top of yours that was pressed to his chest, and whispered more private promises to you that he didn’t want to say in front of everyone at the ceremony while thanking you for loving him as well as you do. He also has the perfect honeymoon planned for you both and it is split into two parts: the first week spent on your dream vacation as he plans dinners and walks but a lot of time spent in bed, the second week Missy joins you both on a fun filled week of rollercoasters and water parks to celebrate the adoption papers that means you are officially her adopted mum.

Pero

To be honest, you weren’t sure whether Pero was the type who would ever want to marry. He was pretty unorthodox, not caring what others thought about him and in turn you became less worried about what people thought about you. Pero was still selling his sword but when he was home you stayed in your beautiful but simple cottage just outside of the village. On days he left you would keep on your brave face as he kissed you goodbye but would spent the rest of the day hugging the jumpers that still smelled of him close to your chest. The tears were worth it on days he came home from his travels when you would be running into his arms before his feet had even landed on the ground coming down from the horse. This time was different and you weren’t sure why as he stopped you before you crashed into his body. He spoke more words in this moment that he ever had before, rambling about how he missed you, all of you, every moment he was gone and he didn’t want to leave you every and he especially did not want to leave you without some protection. The next morning you and Pero went to the local church for a simple ceremony between you both. Had anyone seen Pero they would have thought he was unhappy as he repeated the vows with his scowl still on his face but his eyes were a dead giveaway that he was only just holding back tears.  

Whiskey

Another one who is a bit unconventional and not ashamed of it. The minute Jack has the ring on your finger he is telling you how excited he is to have you as his wife and how he doesn’t want to wait another day to call you that. You decide whats better than one wedding but two and so decide to run off to Vegas in the jet that Jack definitely checked out for the day. Not long later you were running out hand in hand as husband and wife, Jack whisking you into his arms at the bottom of the steps and taking you to the fanciest hotel to have the most extravagant dinner. The second wedding has your friends and family, a bit more formal with Jack in a tux and you in a wedding dress as you say your vows for the second time. He takes the opportunity to enjoy walking around with you by his side as husband and wife in front of everyone you’re close with.

Dave

A traditional wedding will be on the cards for Dave. He quietly goes with you to every step of the planning process - trying the cakes, looking at flowers, scoping out venues. He doesn’t seem too excited but walks around the venue with you hand and hand as he listens to you talking about how the tables could be set out. The reason he is so quiet is because he feels... guilty. He doesn’t know how he got so lucky to have you in his life let along get to watch you walk towards him down the aisle in a few months time. He is excited and it’s already to spill over in the form of tears on the big day, he is just too scared to get excited until the vows and I do has been said.

Marcus P

Like this wont be the most romantic day you can imagine. Make sure you have waterproof mascara for this because he will be have you crying with happiness from the get-go. Just as you are getting ready a small box and note will arrive with a necklace and love letter attached. He will tell you how lucky he is to have found you and how he is even luckier to get to call you his wife in a few short hours. Don’t worry because he will tell you all this again later in front of your friends and family as he holds your hands and doesn’t look anywhere but your eyes. Prepare for Marcus to sneak you away when everyone is busy with the music and dance floor for a moment of peace and quiet as husband and wife. You are just about to say you are surprised he has held it together all day, only one tear managing to spill over as he said his vows, but as your mouth opens the tears begin to fall as he pulls you into his chest and slow dances below the stars to the quiet music coming from inside, only managing to whisper how much he loves you into your hair before he can’t form any more words.

//

Permanent tag list

@phoenixhalliwell @asta-lily @hb8301 @princess76179 @sarahjkl82-blog @spideysimpossiblegirl @blackmarketmummy @evyiione

[acourtofsnakes]

Ret'urcye Mhi - Rogue, Chapter 7 | The Mandalorian x Force Sensitive! Reader (F)

Summary: Can things go back to normal after the Mandalorian saw you break down? Or have walls been torn down that can’t be replaced?

Warnings: Light swearing, I don’t want to give it away but no smut but… a ‘moment’ with some certainly hot thoughts and pining but nothing heavy though, reader has a back tattoo, let me know if I forgot anything!

AN: I have brought in Cara Dune in this, and she will be a frequent character. I by no means condone what Gina Carano did, and I am pleased and relieved that she is gone. However, I do like her character, as many others do. She IS only mentioned in this one briefly but will be a main character in a few future chapters. 

Also, Readers tattoo is loosely based on this design!(link)  I’m not sure who the exact creator is, but it was posted by Urban Threads on Pinterest, but if you know, please tell me! ❤️

Word Count: 8231

As always, credit to whoever owns the gif. I usually find them on Google or Pinterest, so message me if it’s yours ♥︎

Rogue Taglist:  @snipskixandbeskar   @weirdowithnobeardo @the-bottom-of-the-abyss​ @jackgrzs

Rogue Masterlist | Introduction| 1: Solus| 2: Arir | 3: Tor | 4: Gaa'tayl | 5: Kyr’am | 6: Cabur | 7: Ret'urcye Mhi |

Mando’a Translation: Ret'urcye mhi - Goodbye

Neither of you mentioned that afternoon. 

It hadn’t come up in the 3 days since, and it hadn’t come up today. You made sure of it. 

Every time Mando looked at you, and you just felt he was going to mention it, you’d change the subject. Or just walk away. You didn’t need to have that conversation with him. You couldn’t have that conversation with him. Or anyone. 

The Mandalorian had sat there, holding you for the hours it took for you to cry yourself out. When the shuddering sobs had given way to hitched breaths and a numb stare, he’d still sat there. Rubbing your back in gentle circles, in time with Duru’s tail gently swaying over your arm. He hadn’t uttered a single word either, just letting you break down in his arms. 

When the quiet ambiance of the ship and the pressure of his hand had lulled you into sleep, he’d carried you to his bed – well, the narrow cot that jutted out from the wall in what was supposed to be the medical area. He’d given up his sleeping compartment to Grogu a long time ago, to keep the little creature warm and safe. 

He’d laid you in, covering you with the blanket and then one more that he pulled out from a unit. 

You were asleep, so you hadn’t seen the way his gloved fingers gently brushed back the hair from your tear flushed cheeks, the way they’d lingered for a moment as he’d looked down at the soft strands gliding over his fingers. You hadn’t felt the way he’d frozen when a sudden want crashed through him, to yank off his gloves and run his bare hands through your hair, feel the silkiness and the texture for himself. 

And you also wouldn’t have noticed the way his breathing went ragged for a moment and he’d lurched back, stumbling away so quickly he nearly overturned a box on his way out of the door. 

Your sleep hadn’t remained easy. Only a few hours later, you had woken up screaming, unsure of where you were, why you were on a thin cot that smelled like metal and smoke and something distinctly unique and almost like sandalwood. It was somehow comforting, soothing. You had inhaled the scent, trying to calm down your pounding heard and regain control of your breathing.  

It was only when you could suck in a full breath that you realised where you were, who’s bed this was. 

A feeling of gratefulness had crashed over you, only to be immediately wiped out by shame. You had broken down in front of him, spat such awful, awful things to his face.

And when you heard footsteps outside the compartment door, the husky baritone of his voice as he called out your name softly, you’d gone still. Like you were back on the run, mere inches away from a hunter and one move would mean disaster. 

He’d lingered, you could see by the shadows of his feet under the tiny gap at the bottom of the door. A wild thought had come to you, that he had his hand pressed to the door and you could just.. open it. Open it and let him come in, let him carry the burden of your nightmares and your feelings even If it was just for a little while. You could share some of those plaguing thoughts that you’d unleashed today. And he would listen. You didn’t know him that well, but you knew him enough to be confident he would sit there, let you talk. He knew what it was like to be alone, to have emotions and worries that you had no choice to bear yourself. 

The temptation was so strong, you craved that contact and connection so much that you were halfway across the room before your snarling argument came back in full technicolour. The things you’d said to him. The appalling way you’d acted. 

No.

You couldn’t see him. You couldn’t face him after that. After what you had said and the way you had cracked. You shook your head firmly, waiting until you heard a sigh so soft you might have imagined it and retreating footsteps. 

It was only then you that you returned to the bed, pulling the twin blankets up high over your shoulders. 

You’d deal with seeing him in the morning, but for now, all you could do was bury your face in the thin pillow and try not to notice how it smelt like him.

Something had changed between the two of you since that afternoon. He had glimpsed a part of you that you normally kept perfectly hidden, even from yourself. 

…

You were on your way to another bounty, one of the last couple of pucks that Mando had left. 

Mando had mentioned it was a hot, desert planet and he’d prefer it if you stayed in the ship with Grogu. It’d be far too hot for the little guy out there. You had obliged happily, more than fine to stay in. You didn’t like to be too hot, it made you uncomfortable and agitated. 

The cockpit was quiet, a peaceful silence had descended upon it as Mando flew the ship. 

You’d found yourself drawn to watching his hands lately. There was something… oddly soothing about it. Watching him work the controls, hold Grogu, clean his weapons. 

You wondered if he missed the sensation of touch, and then wondered if yours and the kids presence here made it harder for him. Meant he had less chances to take off his armour and be free of it. 

Of course, that had then led you onto the thought of wondering if he slept naked when he was alone. 

The thought of him lying there, nothing hiding him, separating him from the world. 

The thin blankets sliding over the body you knew was toned, yet soft enough in all the right places. 

It made your mouth a little dry, your cheeks a little pink and you struggled to find something else to think about. 

Your eyes drifted to his hands again, remembering the sound of the gloves being drawn off the other night. 

They were mesmerising, agile, and you couldn’t stop thinking about them in your hair, on your skin. 

Stars above, get a grip, girl. 

You mentally scolded yourself for these thoughts, trying to steer your damned imagination onto something more appropriate. 

Luckily, your saviour came in the form of Mando himself. He tilted his head back slightly, enough for you to know he was talking to you, “What’s your favourite planet? Or one you’d like to visit?” 

The question surprised you, you had to admit. You weren’t used to people asking about your likes and dislikes. You smiled though, perhaps this was his gentle way to break any tension left over. “Hmm… I think… I’d have to say the planet I’d like to visit most... either Hoth or Coruscant.”

Mando laughed, that gorgeous rough, honey laugh, “Okay, Coruscant I can understand, but Hoth? Really?”

You pouted at the back of his head, “Yes!! It sounds beautiful.”

The Mandalorian laughed more, “Beautiful? Sweetheart, it’s covered in ice. It’s freezing there. All you would see is ice and snow… and more ice and more snow.”

You scowled at him now, throwing the leftover wrapper of Grogu’s cookies at his helmet, “And? Snow and ice are stunning. They’re powerful and strong. I’ve only ever been in a proper snowfall once, and I fell in love. The way the flakes float down and.. dance even if there’s the faintest breeze. And then when they land on your skin or your eyelashes like little cold kisses… The sound it makes under your boots when you walk on a fresh fall. And it softens everything, makes it easier on your eyes to see across the landscape… it’s quiet, muffled… Besides, I like the cold.”

Little did you know, Mando was grinning like an idiot under his helmet, adoring the way you defend it to him, the way you describe something as simple as ice and snow. “You like the cold, huh? Then why are you always grumbling that the heating is broken?” The teasing lilt to his voice was evident, so animated and content, compared to his usual cooler, calm silence.

You opened your mouth, then closed it again. “That is… completely irrelevant.” You looked at the back of his head, “What about you? If my choices are so hilarious.”

The Mandalorian made a thoughtful noise, “I wouldn’t say there’s one place in particular… But… there’s a few sanctuary planets dotted around. Places with really pretty, dense forests where you could walk for days and not spot anyone else. They’re protected and safe, no dangerous animals or anything allowed… literally sanctuaries. I’d like to take Grogu there… let him wander and have fun and eat things he shouldn’t without having to look over my shoulder.” 

It was the most you’d ever heard him speak in one go, and there was a tenderness in his voice that brought tears to your eyes. This man truly loved his little green adoptive son and would do anything for him. “That sounds... stunning. I’ve heard of those planets and always wondered what they were like...” 

He made a hum of agreement, fingers working over the control panel as he put it in autopilot. “One day…” He turned around in his chair, “What about your favourite colour?” 

You moved to sit cross-legged in the seat, defying the concept of a chair. “Blue. Darker blues, like a midnight blue.” You swayed your chair from side to side slightly, “Actually, the same colour as the cloak you got me. So well done, kudo’s for you.”

Mando leant back in his own chair, tapping the side of his helmet before resting his hands on his thighs again. “This thing lets me read minds; you know.”

You began pulling the pins from your hair, “Mmhm, and I can fly.” You raise an eyebrow at him, grinning. 

He chuckled, watching you intently behind the helmet though you wouldn’t know that, watching every pin get removed from holding up your hair, “It wouldn’t surprise me at this point, princess.” He tapped his thighs absently, “You wanna know the real secret?”

You nodded, reaching in for a pin that had become stuck deep in your hair, the last one. “Surprise me.” Got it. You yanked the pin out, letting your hair fall down and your fingers through it. You sighed a little in relief as you rubbed your fingertips against your scalp, chasing away any tightness from the day. 

Mando didn’t say anything. He was too distracted, to struck into silence by the sight of your hair. 

The light from the ship and coming in through the windows turned some of the strands to gold, igniting them with that fire that blazed within you – and that he’d been on the receiving end. 

His hands tightened over his thighs, because he was overtaken by a craving, a need to remove your hands and feel your hair for himself. 

It wasn’t the first time he’d had these thoughts. 

Fuck, he’d been having these thoughts since he first saw you. He just hadn’t realised them until that night he’d nearly lost his life and woken up to you passed out on his chest. 

He’d frozen, even his breathing stopping as he felt the warm weight of you, even though the armour. 

He couldn’t bear to move you, to take away that pressure, the closeness of another human that he had missed for so long. 

So, he hadn’t. He left you there. Spent hours watching you sleep, the warmth of your breath slightly fogging up the armour on his chest. 

“Lori? Anyone in there?” You tilted your head, watching the man before you that was staring at you intently, his breathing somewhat ragged. 

He startled slightly, coming back to himself, “Huh?”

You chuckled, “Where did you go? I was waiting for you to knock me off my feet with your revelation.”

He made a noise, “Uh… I.. actually can’t remember...” He tugged at his glove, an odd gesture so at odds with his usual confident demeanour. 

You tilted your head, still smiling a little, “Are you okay?”

Luckily, he was saved from answering by the beeping of the controls behind him. 

You’d arrived at the planet. 

~

It was hot. 

Beyond hot. 

The air was warm, the water was warm, you were warm. 

And already awake, having just calmed your breathing down from another nightmare, when you heard Grogu, his little coos and gurgled filtering down the hall to you. 

The poor little creature had probably woken up from the heat. You had been on this desert planet for a couple of days, opting to stay in and look after the Child whilst Mando hunted down the bounty. The days here were scorching, a dry heat that sucked the life from you immediately. Even the nights were hot, unlike normal freezing desert nights. 

Mando had returned this evening, panting from the heat after coming up from the carbonite chamber. “I swear it’s getting hotter out there.”

The cooling system on the Crest was just as temperamental as the heating, so it wasn’t exactly cool in here. The metal floors, which were normally always chilled, were warm underfoot. Mando had let you keep his room, and it was just as hot, being contained in with itself, so you’d been sleeping with the doors open. 

Not that it made a dent. Every single closed space was like a heat trap, especially Grogu’s little compartment. So, no wonder he had woken up. 

You stretched, then slipped from the cot and made your way to Grogu.

It didn’t take long to settle him, he was all tuckered out from the games you’d been playing today, so after patting his skin with a cool cloth, he had fallen back under. 

You were now at the small ‘kitchen’ area in the ship, washing out the cloth. You huffed, splashing some water on your wrists and pulling out the pin that was holding up your hair, and falling out. Grogu had a habit of tugging the ends of your hair in his little fist. 

You’d taken to wearing a thin floaty dress to bed, one you’d picked up in that market before it had turned into a horror show. The material was gauzy, allowing the heat to escape your body without it sticking to your clammy skin. What helped enormously was the large cut out in the back. It secured at the back of your neck, and then fell open, exposing almost your whole back before joining again at the base of your spine. 

It was probably the flimsiest, most sinful thing you’d ever worn, but it was gorgeous and hey, it did the job. 

You rolled your shoulders, pressing the cool cloth to your neck and you couldn’t help the sigh that escaped your lips and you could have sworn you heard a sizzle. 

Footsteps behind you startled you, breaking you from your reverie, and then Mando’s voice filtered through the silence, “Are you okay?”

You turned around, smiling when you saw him because he was still in all his armour… not that you were surprised. He must have been boiling though, under all those heavy layers. 

You nodded, lifting the cloth from your neck, “The kid was awake, but I settled him down, he was really warm.”  

His head was covered, naturally, so you wouldn’t have seen the way his eyes followed a bead of water rolling down your neck, and the unbidden thought of his tongue catching it “Thank you for seeing to him, I didn’t hear..” 

Weird. Normally he was so attuned to Grogu, hearing him before he even woke up if you were sitting together. Maybe he was tired, from his hunting. 

What you didn’t know, couldn’t know, was that he had been staring at the ceiling for the 3rd night in a row. Having thoughts that he should not be having, his body yearning for things it shouldn’t. 

You shook your head, still smiling and turned back to the sink area, “It’s no worries, I was awake anyway so… And you’ve been hunting. You deserve the rest.” You set down the cloth, running your hands through your hair and reaching for your pin to secure it back up. You faced him again, gathering your hair in your hands, “How was it?”

But he wasn’t listening. 

He suddenly moved forward, and then he was in front of you. “Wait.” His voice was low, almost strained. There was a husk to it that hadn’t been there before, but it ignited something within you. 

You froze, your hands still stuck in your hair. You looked up at him, raising your eyebrows slightly, “What..?” It was only now he was right in front of you that you could see his chest, rising and falling rapidly. “Mando, are you okay?”

He shook his head quickly, his helmet tilted down to you, his hands curling and uncurling at his sides, “Let your hair down.” His voice was still that rumbly order, and it was such an odd request that you did just that, letting it tumble back down again. Your own hands trembled slightly as you lowered them. 

A shudder seemed to roll through his body, and he rocked forward on his feet, lurching toward you in a movement that lacked his usual smooth elegance. It was unsteady, unsure. 

He stopped when he was a mere few inches away, the closest you’d been to each other since that afternoon. 

This close, you could practically feel the heat roiling off of him under his armour, and you tilted your head up to meet him, concern in your eyes, “Mando, you need to go and have a cold shower.. You sound like you’re burning up… do you feel flushed?” 

He shook his head jerkily, his hands raising, “Shh… please. I just.. I need to..” He broke off, a sharp intake of air cutting his words. 

Something else began to curl through the worry in your belly, like some instinct knew things you didn’t. You swallowed, your voice low when you next spoke, “You need to what..?”

The Mandalorian was shaking, his body tensing and untensing like he was fighting himself, telling himself not to do this. “I.. I need to touch your hair.” 

Stars, you could feel the flush that crept up his neck and cheeks, like it burned through his helmet but you stayed completely still. 

His words were whispered through gritted teeth, like he was physically trying to bite them back, “I just... I need to do this, please… I’m sorry, but I cant-” He sounded like he was in pain, still breathing raggedly. 

Heat flared through your blood, igniting a flame within you that was irresistible. You nodded, letting him see you, “Okay.” Like you could say no to him. 

The vocoder nearly didn’t pick up the huff of relief that escaped his lips and he curled his hands into fists again, “Turn around. And close your eyes.” That rough command was back and you were more than obliging to let him navigate this moment. 

You turned around, facing the kitchen area, looking over the darkened surroundings before shutting your eyes. It immediately threw all your other senses into overdrive, so you could hear every single rasp of his breath as you exposed your skin to him, and the pounding of your own heart. 

“You have to keep them closed. You cannot turn around or look.” There was a desperate plea in his voice, an edge to it that hurt your very soul. He was audibly torn, between his Creed… and this desire that he seemed to have given into. 

You nodded again, aching to reach back and reassure him, “I won’t. I won’t open my eyes or turn around until you tell me, I swear on it, Lori.” You let every ounce of truth and understanding seep through your words, praying that it would be enough to convince him he could trust you. 

Seemingly, it was, because the next noise that you heard could have struck you dead. 

It was the sound of leather rubbing against skin, the friction as they were pulled off, then a soft thump of the material on the floor. 

He had taken off his gloves. 

He was standing behind you… with his hands bare. 

You. A person he hasn’t known for very long at all, and he was partially bare, uncovered. 

Your head exploded, a million thoughts racing through it once, sending your heart into overdrive and your own breathing rapid and unsteady. 

There was a pause, like he was steeling himself and then… then the slightest sensation, like he was catching the ends of your hair, just brushing them. 

That simple movement sent a shiver down your spine, and it was enough to get him to move more. He lifted his hands and then you felt fingers slide into your hair at the back of your head, then slowly, slowly, drag down the length. 

You heard a sharp intake of breath behind you, and then a soft mutter, “It’s so soft..” You barely picked it up, even though the ship was silent. The fingers ghosted through your hair again, and his voice was bewildered, “How do you get it this soft in that tiny ‘fresher..” It was like he was talking to himself. 

You couldn’t help the soft laugh, a release of tension from this whole thing, “I can’t reveal my secrets, Lori. Can’t have your hair being softer than mine. There’s only room for one on this ship.”

He chuckled, and it ran over your bones like honey, dousing them in such a sweet sensation. “I’ll get it out of you one way or another, princess.” 

You rolled your eyes but didn’t get the chance to speak because then his fingers were running up your scalp from the base of your head to the crown, with a light pressure and the feeling was so unbelievably good, that you couldn’t help it. Your head leant back into his touch and the faintest sigh left your lips. “Keep doing that..” Your cheeks flushed, embarrassment crashing over you. Why did you have to say that?

The Mandalorian’s hands had paused, absorbing that soft sigh of pleasure and trying to cool his body. But you had a hold over him, he couldn’t say no. He merely did it again, with a firmer press of his fingers against your scalp, a light scrape of his nails just to get you to make that noise again, to be convinced that you were enjoying this just as much as he was.

You didn’t stop the next sigh, this one louder, more delighted. It was like you knew what the other was thinking, could read each other that well.  

He was driving you insane, rendering you speechless just from playing with your hair. 

You don’t know how long you stood there for, his hands running through the soft locks. 

He lifted it slightly, then made a soft noise. “I didn’t know you had a tattoo.”

A tattoo? Oh right. 

It was true, you did. It was a delicate piece, spanning from the top of your spine to just above your hips, lining your spine. It showed the phases of the moon, drawn in a minimalist style, with small stars and additional lines coming out of every other piece. 

You nodded quickly, “I’ve had it for years.” Fuck, could your voice sound anymore needy?

“What does it mean?” His words were murmured and then the next thing could have had you on your knees. 

You heard a sound that had haunted you since the night he nearly died, the sound of leather sliding over skin. The soft plop as it fell to the floor. 

No way. Has he just..

His fingers, his bare fingers ghosted down your spine, following the line of it with a touch so fleeting it almost made you whine. 

In fact, it did, a whimper rising from deep in your chest. 

He was touching you. 

His bare skin, skin that he had sworn by Creed to keep covered and hidden until marriage, was trailing down your spine as light as wings. 

Pleasure shot straight though you, making your nerves and blood sing, making your knees shake and your belly hot. 

A tug on your hair, a tug that was sharp enough to send a faint tinge of pain through your scalp had you moaning, you couldn’t help it. Your lips parted and the moan fell from them, soft, a little high and drawn. 

Mando swore under his breath, his whole body twitching behind yours, “I asked you a question, sweetheart.” There was a hoarseness to his voice that hadn’t been there before, a straining note like your moan had shot right through him. Which is had. 

What does it mean… what does it mean? Focus!!

“Um… right. When I was on the run, initially in the beginning, I never had a place to call home. Everything I knew had been torn away, and I could never settle anywhere. Every night, I would look up into the sky and watch the moon. No matter what planet I was on, no matter where I was, or if there two moons or 4, it was always there. I only had to look up, and there was something up there to ground me, give me some sense of comfort. It might look smaller, or be a different colour, but it was still the moon. And it made me feel… safe. Like it was a… a companion in a way. I just had to look a little closer, beneath the colours or the distance and there it was. It was always in the sky, so I wanted to get it tattooed so that it would always be with me. No matter if I was outside, as free as I could be, or inside and trapped.” You flushed a little, “That probably makes no sense and sounds so stupid.”

You could sense the Mandalorian shaking his head, his voice still low and soft, “No.. I think it’s beautiful. And I get it. I move around so much too, there’s only a few things that always remain the same. So I know the value of having something familiar.” He ghosted his fingers down it again, trailing all the way down to where the cut out portion of your dress stopped and then back up again. 

When his hand reached the top of the tattoo, he slid it up further, cupping the back of your neck in his broad, warm hand. 

It sent electricity shooting across your skin, that blazed as he wrapped his thumb and fingers around either side of your neck, just a gentle pressure there. 

You moaned again; you didn’t even try to hide it. Your head fell back, exposing your throat to him in a sign of instinctual submission, even though you knew he wouldn’t kiss you. You didn’t mind, you just needed more, more than this teasing touch, more than the faint brush of his fingertips. Your chest shuddered, knuckles white as you gripped the counter in an effort to stay still, “Lori…” You whined his name, hoping it would spark something in him, would force him to do something. 

You felt him shudder again, felt his hips draw back from your body like he was trying to hide just what these noises did to him. 

Fuck. 

It burned you, turned your belly molten and the power that washed over you was heady. You had turned him on just from your hair, your skin and your moans. 

The voice that came out was equally as tight, husky and you might have lived and died inside the low baritone “What is it, princess?”

Your fingers curled around the side of the counter in front of you, and you were glad he couldn’t see your face when you whispered, “Please..”. Your voice was low, pleading and aching. 

You felt him shudder behind you, a tiny groan echoing through the helmet.

His next words nearly undid you there and then, “Like I could say no to you.”

Then his fingers pressed into your spine, caressing down your back over the tattoo with such admiration, such warmth that it arched slightly, chasing more of that sensation. 

Your head was spinning, convinced you were dreaming, that this wasn’t real. 

This didn’t happen between you both. 

You flirted, sure. But that was harmless, playful. 

This… this was real. He was letting you feel his bare skin, uncovered and unhidden. 

And it was tearing you apart. 

The scrape of his thumbnail on your skin tore you from those thoughts, ripped you back to the present as it ran down the curve of your back. If your eyes had been open, they would have rolled into the back of your head. 

Your head fell forward, back arching completely into him and the sound that you let out was sinful. You could only concentrate on the that sharp, pleasurable hurt that you felt in your belly, the feeling of his other hand as it held your shoulder, holding you in that arch. 

Heat pooled low in your belly, and every dream, every thought you’d been trying to suppress about him came blasting into full technicolour. All because of his hands. 

Those damn hands you’d been pining over since saving his life. 

His head was so close over your shoulder that you could hear the low pant of his breath, the coolness of his armour barely brushing your shoulders as you pressed back into him. 

Fuck, did he want this as much as you did? 

By the way his hand tightened, he had to. You didn’t know how you knew it, but you did. 

You swallowed, licking your lips to say something, anything, spur him on but a harsh beeping suddenly broke through the thick tension on the room. A light was flashing, and by the time the fog of pleasure cleared in your head, he was gone. 

Gloves picked up and yanked on, boots disappearing up the ladder into the cockpit to check on the autopilot. 

The taut sensation in your body snapped, making you sink to the floor as though the strings had been cut.

You lifted shaking hands to your face, burying them in them with a low noise. Your head was a mess, you couldn’t get over it. Couldn’t stop feeling his fingers on your back, your hair. Hear the ragged pant of his breathing, the rise and fall of his chest against your shoulders. 

It was just touch, just the simple act of touch but it had igniting something so fierce within you. 

Something had changed. 

What the fuck was that?

You sat there on the floor for Maker knows how long, before dragging yourself up and hurrying off in search of a very, very cold shower. 

~

You weren’t quite sure how to face him the next morning. 

You had taken your cold shower, and it had done nothing to cool the fire in your blood so you had to take the initiative, hoping the crash of the water and the fact you were biting down the back of your free hand would cover the desperate moans you made. 

Little did you know, the Mandalorian was going through the exact same thing, back arched, lips biting into his lip to stop the groans. 

You hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it, stop thinking about what had occurred between you. 

Surely it broke some kind of rules of his Creed?

He had touched you with his bare skin. You weren’t married. You weren’t together. You didn’t even know his name. 

Yet he had touched you and.. reacted to you. 

Maybe that was just instinct, his body’s natural response to such things. 

But he had carried on… until you were disturbed anyway. 

Your head went round and round in these circles until your body had calmed down enough to sleep. 

…

You rose early, wanting to be washed, dressed and ready and doing something to occupy you before you had to think too much about what you were going to say.  Maybe just… Good morning?

Sure. Good morning was fine. 

Normal. 

It totally didn’t reveal what you’d had to do in the shower, or the thoughts you were still having about it. 

You had this discussion with yourself all the way up the ladder of the cockpit, and when you rose to your height, you blurted it out in a cheery voice before you could bail, “Morning!”

Breezy. Nailed it. 

The Mandalorian was sitting in the pilot’s chair, fiddling with controls and levers, gloves firmly on. “Good morning. Did you sleep okay in the heat?” 

You nodded, sinking down into the pilots chair and feeding Duru a treat, “Yes, thank you. Finally.” You stroked under Duru’s chin, your eyes straying to those hands as he slide them over some switches. 

The same hands that had cupped the back of your neck and trailed fire down your spine. 

A flush started to creep along your cheeks, so you quickly looked away, “Did you?”

The light bounced off of his helmet as he nodded, “Yes, thank you.”

Polite. His words were polite. Almost... distant. 

Okay… Okay, so maybe he just feels awkward?

You bit your bottom lip, worried if you should say something. 

No, leave it. He no doubt feels over-exposed and maybe shy about what happened last night. Don’t bring it up. Just act normal.

You nodded faintly to yourself and returned your attention back to Duru. 

~

Mando was ignoring you. 

You had been trying to deny it, but he most certainly was. 

Yesterday, he had engaged in talking to you now and then throughout the day, but only passing comments and a few spare words. 

You had spoken more when you were beating the shit out of each other. 

You kept telling yourself that it was just lingering awkwardness from how to go back to normal after that night, but the gnawing in your gut told you otherwise. 

It had been shouting at you this morning when he had parked the ship on a planet, announced he was going hunting and he’d be back in a few hours. 

Then he’d just gone. 

You had waited for him all day, mooched around the ship, played with Grogu and Duru and tried not to worry. 

You sat up for hours, even when the little ones had gone to sleep, waiting to talk to him. 

You’d convinced yourself that you should talk about. You should tell him you didn’t expect anything from him. That you didn’t hate him, that he didn’t hurt you or anything like that. 

Just to tell him whatever you needed to stop this frostiness. 

You had it all planned, had every phrase and comment worked out to stop this atmosphere. 

About 15 minutes ago, you’d heard the ramp open. 3 minutes after that, the hiss and echo of the carbonite chamber. 

Then you’d heard him go and check on the kid, then go to his quarters. 

And now, it was his booted feet on the steps to the cockpit that held your attention. 

You took a deep breath, prayed to the Maker and spun your seat to face him as he rose up. 

The mere sight of that beskar-clad body set your heart thumping, but you coaxed an easy smile on your lips anyway. “Hey, how was the hunt? Cause you any trouble?”

Mando didn’t turn his head to look at you, just padded over to his seat and spun it to the control panel, “It was fine. Easy.” His words were clipped, not harsh, just… efficient. Straight to the point. 

You swallowed, your courage faltering a little. 

Mentally, you scolded yourself. You didn’t falter in the face of a man who’d touched you and now wouldn’t talk to you. You didn’t whimper and pander to a tense atmosphere. 

You sat up a little straighter, pulling your shoulders back and you looked over at him. 

Now or never. 

“About the other night-”

“I’m taking you to Nevarro.”

What?

You had both spoken at the same time, your eyes now bewildered as you beheld him. “What?”

He said nothing, just fiddled with some controls. 

“Mando, what do you mean?” Your voice was shocked, but steady. Did nothing to betray the shock that had just hit your chest like a punch. 

You didn’t hear him swallow, only heard his words, “I’m taking you to Nevarro. We’re on the way now.” He said them softly, evenly. 

Hearing it again only made your heart drop to somewhere around your waist. 

He was leaving you. Dumping you on some planet. And going. 

Your hand tapped your leg as sort of nervous habit, and then the words were out, “Is this because of the other night?” 

It was his turn to sound bewildered, his head just turning to the side, but you knew he couldn’t see you in his peripheral, “What? What do you mean?” 

Your heart was starting to beat uncomfortably in your chest, a sense of shame beginning to creep over you, “Because of what happened in the kitchen. I didn’t see you, I didn’t see your skin.”

Mando turned to face you, one hand still on the panel, his hair half turned but head rotated all the way to look at you, “No, no it’s not because of that-“

You cut him off, “You didn’t… you didn’t offend me. Or hurt me. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry if.. if my reaction made you feel awkward or think something. I don’t.. I don’t expect anything from you, if that’s what you’re worried about. I never have, so please don’t think that.” You flushed, the shame colouring your cheeks. You couldn’t help it. But this was the reason, right? The only reason why he would be dumping you. 

He shook his head, “Stop. Stop..” His voice softened slightly, “No. It’s not because of… that. I know you didn’t see me. And I know you don’t expect anything from me.” He took a breath, “I’m taking you to Nevarro to keep you safe. That’s all. I have friends there, Cara Dune and Greef Karga. They’ll look after you. They’ve already set up accommodation for you, so you don’t need to worry about that. 

They already knew? 

Something like hurt flashed in your eyes, colouring your tone, “They… You already planned this..?” There was no bite in your voice like you would normally have in this situation, you were too shocked by the sudden change in direction your journey was taking. 

Mando tilted his head, “I contacted them whilst I was on the hunt… I wanted it set up before we got there, so you wouldn’t stand out to anyone looking.” He still looked at you, “Is that okay?”

You sensed you wouldn’t have a choice in this. So you decided to take the high road. You wouldn’t whine about this. 

You smoothed your expression over into a mask of calm, “Yes… I was just a little surprised that’s all. But thank you, really. I’ll… set about packing my things.”

He sounded confused, his head tilting back to watch you rise from your chair, “We have a couple of days yet.”

You nodded, “Oh, I know, I just want to make sure I have everything. And all the things I want to steal from you.” You laughed, even going so far as to nudge his shoulder before escaping. 

You were gone to quickly, so you wouldn’t have seen the way he slumped in his chair, dropped his head into his hands. You wouldn’t have heard the pained sigh that escaped his lips at the thought have having to part with you. 

~

~

~

The Mandalorian stood at the top of the ramp with you, staring out across the dusty, volcanic terrain of Nevarro. Your new home for… however long. 

You said nothing, running your fingers along the edge of your cloak, observing the landscape and trying not to let any emotion show on your face. You had kept up natural conversation the past few days. Saying nothing of the wrenching pain that tore in your chest every time you remembered you were departing. 

Mando cleared his throat, one arm holding Grogu and the other hand resting on his hip in a gesture that was becoming painfully familiar, “Cara and Greef know you’re coming. They’ll be waiting in Cara’s office for you.” 

Grogu was sulking, squirming every now and then to try and get out of Mando’s grip. He had screamed the whole morning, and only calmed down when you hugged him and sung to him on the way here. 

You nodded, also trying to ignore the thoughts swirling round in your mind as to why he was leaving you here. Was it because of your argument? The way you had broken down in front of him? Or was it because of the other night? The way his fingers had run through your hair, and then trailed down your spine, mapping your tattoo. His bare fingers. The things he’d whispered to you, “I just... I need to do this, please… I’m sorry, but I cant-”

“I’ve been thinking about this for days..”

Had he known then that he was going to leave you here? Or was it after that, that he’d decided he had broken one too many rules and had to get rid of you. 

Words floated over to you, and you realised he was talking again so you hauled your attention back to the conversation at hand. 

“-safe here. No one will come looking for you. Greef has taken all the pucks that have come through with your name on them and Cara will do sweeps every couple of days to make sure.”

You looked down at your feet, a bitter feeling leeching through your veins that was getting stronger with every moment you got closer to leaving the Crest. 

“Hey… look at me..” 

It was that honey softness of the Mandalorian’s tone that finally had you looking up at him, your expression perfectly masked to hide every ounce of emotion in you aside from a calm neutrality. 

He tilted his head a little, turning his body toward you, “Please don’t think I’m dumping you here. I had planned to bring you here since I destroyed the puck and the fob.”

Like that made you feel any better. 

He must have read the flicker in your eyes, because he stepped closer, his hand lifting to your upper arm, “I want you to be safe.” You could almost feel his eyes boring into yours, “I am more than grateful for everything you’ve done for me. And the kid. More than you’ll ever know. But, travelling with me.. it only increases the target on your back. People know you’re with me. I don’t want that for you.. you deserve to be free..”

And what about what I want?

You only smiled, forcing your expression to one of a lighter one and you nudged him gently, “Hey, I get it. You have to get rid of me because I’m showing you up on hunts. Can’t have anyone destroying your infamous reputation.” You rolled your eyes, laughing even if it did send daggers into your heart. 

And his. 

He squeezed your shoulder playfully, then dropped his hand. “You’re hilarious. I told you, the day you beat me is the day the stars implode.” You could feel a line of humour in his voice though, and it softened your shoulders, made you relax. 

He was doing this to keep you safe. He had planned this for weeks so you could have a break, a chance to rest. 

So, you lifted your head a little higher, your smile becoming more real. “Thank you, Mando. For everything. I can’t ever repay you for this, for what you’ve done.” You motioned to the outside. 

He nodded, his hand resting at his sides again now, “We’ll call it even.” His head remained focused on you, lingering on you and then he reached into a pouch and held out his free hand, “Here.”

You let him drop the objects in your hand, a small stack of credits. 

“It’s not much, I know, but it’ll be enough to get you some food and supplies you need. You don’t need to worry about a place to stay, Cara will show you but… You can get what you want and need.” He withdrew his hand slowly, almost reluctantly.  

You swallowed, closing your hand around the credits and you slipped them into the pocket inside your cloak. “Thank you..”

The Mandalorian merely nodded again, leaning back against the threshold of the ramp, his thumb absently rubbing circles on Grogu’s belly.  

It seemed that there was nothing else to draw this goodbye out, so you took a breath, straightening your cloak. “Well… I guess I’ll say goodbye then.” You looked up at him, then stuck out your hand for his, realising only a few seconds later how dumb that was. 

Before you could pull your hand back, he reached out and clasped your hand in his own, wrapping his fingers around your distinctly smaller hand. “Goodbye… princess.” You heard the smirk in his voice, and you couldn’t help the chuckle and the eye roll again, not failing to notice the way his hand tightened involuntarily and then withdrew. 

You looked at Grogu in his other arm, who was still avoiding looking at the pair of you, wriggling in his father’s arms. You bent down to draw your face to his level and you stroked his ears, “I’ll miss you, little guy. Make sure to keep your dad on his toes, okay? You gotta make up for both of us now.” You pressed a kiss to the top of his head, feeling his little hand pat your cheek with a mournful noise. Tears burned the back of your eyes, so you leant back, instead picking up Duru so she could say goodbye. 

Grogu cooed sadly again, stroking Duru’s cheek, looking up at her with his glossy eyes. 

You let Duru but her head against him, chitter a goodbye and then you stepped back, allowing her to climb up your shoulders as you looked up at Mando. 

You just watched him for a moment, his armour reflecting the light on one side and then, with a soft inhale of courage, you turned and walked down the ramp, Duru padding at your feet. 

You had only just cleared the ramp, stepping onto the hard, compacted ground when Mando called out, “Wait.”

You turned quickly, hope blooming in your heart, in your expression though you tried to stop it. 

He had made a step onto the ramp, body poised like it was trying to run to you but he was holding back. He hesitated, almost as if he were torn with what to say – or what not to say, but all that came out was, “Ret'urcye mhi.”

You couldn’t help the shiver that licked down your spine, the way his voice turned into dripping honey when he spoke Mando’a. “What does that mean..?” You prayed he couldn’t hear the slight hoarseness to your tone.

He tilted his head down to look at Grogu, then lifted it back up to you, “It means goodbye…. And maybe we’ll meet again..” 

Your heart swelled a little, a flush of pain going through it but you smiled softer, your expression melting and you inclined your head slightly, “I would like that.. very much…” 

There were a million other things that threatened to roll off your tongue, pour from you but before they could, you turned around, walking toward the town and feeling his eyes on you the entire time, burning into the back of your head like a fiery brand. 

You were about 4 metres away when you heard Grogu start crying, when your own tears broke through and spilled down your cheeks. You kept walking, even when your vision began to blur and go fuzzy.

So you didn’t see the way Mando hugged Grogu closer, whispered, “I know, kid, I don’t want her to go either.”

You’d be okay. It would be fine. 

So you and the Mandalorian were parting. It was no big deal. You had helped each other; you had returned each other’s debts. You owed each other nothing. 

The sound of engines whirring filtered into your ears, and you waited until you heard the Crest lift from the ground before turning round. 

You paused, wiping your cheeks as the ship that had become a haven of sorts lifted into the sky. It hovered for a second, as if hesitating and then shot up higher, taking with it the two people that you had come to mean more to you than you realised. It felt like the Razor Crest had taken your heart with it. 

How comes you hadn’t realised before how much they meant?

Too late now.

You remained watching the sky, long after the ship had vanished into the atmosphere. 

With a shuddering breath, you wiped your cheeks. You kissed Duru’s tail, and then returned to walking toward the town. 

You’d be okay… right?

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[novembermurray]

Together

Read on AO3

Rating: Teen (Implied/Referenced Violence Towards Children)

Pairing: Din x Omera

Summary: Hungry for revenge, Xi'an finds where the Mandalorian disappeared to, the lovely wife he settled with and his oh so innocent daughter. All that's left is to wait for him to return, to take from him what he took from her: family. But Xi'an has made one serious miscalculation...

For @mandomeraweek Day 7

“Omera?” Din called, closing the door to the house behind him. The hallway was dim with the last glow of the sunset coming through the curtained windows. He leaned his rifle— a lower powered but serviceable replacement for the Amban Pulse Rifle he had lost— against the wall beside the coat rack. Then he released the seals and took off his helmet, setting it on the side table at the door just for that purpose. It was becoming easier and easier, feeling more and more natural every time he did it; return home, remove the helmet, kiss his wife, kiss his daughter. Less and less he felt the crawling feeling of shame when the cool air hit his skin. Less and less the breath would catch in his lungs with the ghosts of old fears he had left behind.

“Omera? Winta?” He called again, rubbing his hair to unstick it from his scalp. It was stiff with sweat after the long jet-pack flight from town. He was looking forward to a bath and a hot meal. Maybe Omera could even rub the tension of the journey out of his shoulders before they turned in for the night. 

“In the kitchen,” Omera called to him softly from down the hall, something off about her voice. A faint light, probably just the coals of the cooking fire, showed under the curtain that covered that doorway. Strange for her to work in such poor light, Din thought, frowning, and followed the sound. 

“Is something wrong?” he asked, pushing aside the curtain and stepping in. Omera was standing stiff before the fire, facing him with pain on her face and shining tracks of tears on her cheeks. But it was the movement just behind her legs, half hidden in shadows and her skirts that made him freeze.

“AH!” Omera cried out. Something shoved her hard from behind, knocking her to her hands and knees.

“Omera!” Din went for his blaster on instinct. 

A blood-chillingly familiar voice tutted: “Ah-ah-ah!” 

A lithe, violet-skinned figure stood up from where she had been crouched behind Omera. She clutched Winta’s smaller body to her chest with whipcord strong arms. Two long lekku swung behind her and she grinned with sharp canine teeth. She kept Winta held up by a hand around the human child’s waist and another over the little girl’s chest allowing the captor to keep a small, wicked looking vibroblade up against the child’s neck. Winta squirmed faintly and trembled with fear, her brown eyes wide and darting frantically between her mother on the floor and her adopted father in the doorway. She bit her lip and whimpered softly.

“Hello, Mando,” the captor purred, breaking off into a maniacal giggle.

“Xi’an,” Din breathed her name with horror.

“Bet you never thought you’d see  me  again after you left me on that prison ship,” the twi’lek continued. 

Din swallowed visibly, his gaze shifting from his ex-team-mate to Winta, to Omera on the floor, then back to Xi’an. He tensed his grip on the blaster but he wouldn’t raise it. Xi’an held Winta like a shield in front of her, and the vibroblade was expertly positioned in just the way that assured any wrong twitch would be fatal to the little girl. Din couldn’t risk that and Xi’an knew it.

“Drop the gun,” Xi’an ordered him, high voice cracking with mirth. 

Din complied.

“Now kick it over here.” 

Din kicked the gun, watching it skitter across the uneven boards towards the women. He saw Omera’s hand twitch and tense as the weapon came to rest barely an arm’s length away from her. Din had to force himself not to meet his wife’s gaze for confirmation, trusting her to understand without communication.

“Very good,” Xi’an purred. “Oh, but this is even better than good. Look at you!  Look  at you.” 

Din flinched, practically able to feel the sharp eyes raking over every inch of his exposed face. It felt like spiders crawling down from his hairline into his armor, making him want to squirm in front of her, but he held still; he let only his eyes move, from Xi’an to Winta, meeting his daughter’s terrified gaze. It broke his heart to see a new tear roll down her cheek.

“This is so much better than I had hoped, because now I get to watch your face— your real face— as I tear apart your pretty little family.”

“Your grudge is with me,” Din implored her, easing half a step forward. “Just me. Let them go.”

“Oh no!” Xi’an took a step to the side, moving around Omera’s prone form like the other woman was a toppled piece of furniture. “You took  my family  so now… I’m going to take yours.” She held Winta a little tighter and the little girl whined, teeth worrying at her lip. Her panicked eyes darted toward Xi’an, trying to see her captor over her shoulder. The involuntary shift of her body brought the blade a hair closer to the delicate skin of her neck. Din gasped and raised his hands like he could grab across the distance and pull the dangerous weapon away.

Xi’an laughed at the terror that was clear on his bare face, celebrating his anguish.

“Winta,” Din said in a trembling voice, “ad’ika, look at me.” His daughter's eyes snapped back to his, but they were wavering. He pitched his voice low, like he did when he soothed her nightmares. “It’s going to be ok. Everything will be fine, just look at me.”

“Do you hear him?” Xi’an turned to whisper right into the little girl’s ear with a wicked giggle while her eyes remained firmly focused on Din’s. “Do you hear him lying to you? That’s what he is. A liar… a backstabber…”

“Look at me, Winta. It’s ok.”

“Cold-blooded killer… traitor! Did you think you could have this life after all the destruction you’ve left behind?”

“Just focus on me. Just me. You’re gonna be ok.”

“After you betrayed my brother? Then you sent those New Republic dogs after him?” Xi’an spat, trembling with her own rage and taking another step forward. She leaned toward Din to hiss her accusations, the blade in her hand moving just a fraction away from Winta’s skin. “You thought you could have  all this after everything you’ve— “

Omera dove for the blaster on the ground, getting to her knees and swinging the weapon up. Xi’an turned at the sound. Din lunged forward in the same moment, one hand closing around Xi’an’s on the knife hilt and the other grabbing for Winta.

Bzaap!

Xi’an jerked. Din wrenched the blade out of suddenly limp fingers and threw it across the kitchen. He pulled Winta into the circle of his arms, spinning around and shielding her with his body, pressing her face into his shoulder. The little girl let out a yelp, somewhere between a sob and a scream, grabbing at her father’s armor just as desperately as he held her in return.

The twi’lek’s body hit the floor with a resounding thump.

Din looked over his shoulder back at the lifeless eyes and shuddered with relief. And he couldn’t stop shuddering, his whole body shook like he’d run the entire way back from town, his heart pounded in his chest and his lungs couldn’t get enough air.

“Omera?” He looked over at her, scanning her for any injury. She lowered the blaster, holding it out and to her side, angled safely down and away. 

“I’m ok. Winta? Winta, are you alright?” Omera hurried to her daughter’s side and stroked her dark hair, fingers brushing over the back of Din’s gloves where he cradled Winta’s head against his shoulder. 

Winta nodded wordlessly against the beskar breastplate but didn’t loosen her grip on her father a fraction.

Omera breathed a sigh of relief and leaned into Din. She clicked over the blaster’s safety and dropped it on the floor so she could bring both arms around her husband and daughter. Din felt her hand carding through his sweat stiff curls soothingly.

“I— I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry,” Din whispered, turning his face into Omera’s shoulder and letting her warmth and her scent fill his senses. 

“Shhhh!” She whispered to him.

“I’m supposed to protect you,” Din said. “But I brought this danger here. She was right; how can I have this when— “

“No!” Omera said firmly, grabbing his face between her hands and forcing him to look up. He met her shining eyes. There were still tracks of tears down her full cheeks but her stubborn chin was set and her eyes burned with determination. “No, she wasn’t. You do protect us and we protect you. We’re a family; that means we work as a team, together.” 

Wasn’t that what they had agreed? A part of Din’s mind asked. Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar’tome, mhi me dinui an… One together and one apart, they would share all; together for the good… and the bad… And when he had needed Omera, when the child that depended on them needed them Din had been able to rely on Omera, and Omera on him.

He leaned into the warmth of her hands, feeling his tears sliding between her fingers, and whispered back with a nod, “together.”

--

Fin.

And that’s the end of my week of Mandomera! You can find all the submissions and the followups (some still forthcoming) here: Ember’s Week of Mandomera!

[buckyodinson]

The Reveal (Mandalorian x fem!Reader)

Summary: You and Din are about to be married, and Din is anxious about revealing himself to you.

Word Count: 1.7k

A/N: I saw a tweet by @/pascalsdiaries and was inspired??? Let me know what you think?

The tweet: ‘just thought abt din being self conscious after he takes his helmet off in front of u so u pepper his face with kisses everyday to make sure he know's how handsome he is to u’  (@/pascalsdiaries on Twitter)

It was the day Din was finally going to marry you.

He was stood in front of the mirror in the fresher. It wasn’t massive, since the fresher is so small. But it’s bigger than it used to be. Before you came along, he only ever really needed a mirror for when he’d shave. And the shaving was just for convenience, otherwise his face would itch underneath the helmet, which isn’t a particularly fun experience. But once you joined him, and offhandedly mentioned that you didn’t understand how he got on with such a small mirror, he bought one at a market and installed it for you. Now as he looked at his reflection, the significance of the day hit him. Today, you were finally going to see his face.

He looked at the bags under his eyes. As he looked at them, he realised how tired he looked. He felt tired, sure, but he’d never really looked at himself like this before. He looked old and weathered. He looked at the scruff that littered his chin and jaw, and rubbed it with his hands, debating its presence on his face. He eventually decided to keep it, but just tidied it up a little around the edges. He looked at the mop of hair on his head, trying to neaten it up, but ultimately giving up. It was a pointless exercise, given he’d be putting the helmet on again for the meantime before the actual ceremony.

As he studied his face in the mirror, he grew anxious. He turned and angled his face every which way, worry etching his features as he did so. What if you didn’t like his scruff? Or the colour of his eyes? Or the shape of his nose? Do his ears stick out? He’d never really taken notice of other people’s ears before, but the longer he studied his own, the bigger they looked. He sighed deeply and dragged his hands down his face. 

Frankly, he was terrified that once you saw his face, you were going to be disappointed. He didn’t consider himself much of a looker. He’d never thought it was something important, figuring he’d never have to be helmetless, so who cared what he looked like, right? But now he has you, he wants you to be happy. And now he’s incredibly self-conscious. Din thinks you’re the most beautiful person he’s ever met, both inside and out, and he’s worried you won’t feel the same once you see him.

He snapped himself out of it as he placed his helmet back atop his head. He knows he’s being unfair. You’re not as shallow as he’s making you out to be. He knows you love him, despite never having seen his face. But he still worries that he’s not good enough. 

The door opens and he walks out into the hull of the ship, observing you sat feeding the Child, and smiling down at the little womp-rat as he babbles up at you. Din’s heart aches at the sight, and he can’t believe he’s lucky enough to be marrying you. By the evening, he’ll be able to call you his wife. It still doesn’t quite make sense to him that you said yes. He’s still waiting to wake up from this wonderful dream. He’s pinched himself on several occasions to make sure this is actually all real.

You turn around to look at Din once you notice the Child watching him, “Everything okay?” You smile brightly at him.

“Y-yeah. I’m good.” He nods slightly at you and climbs the ladder to the cockpit. You sigh as you finish feeding the Child, wondering if he’s having second thoughts about today.

Once you get the Child asleep, you climb to the cockpit and sit in the co-pilot seat. You sit in silence for a few minutes before Din puts the ship on autopilot and turns around to face you.

“Are you ready?” He asks softly through the modulator, and you nod in reply, smiling at him.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” Your question catches him off guard, and he doesn’t answer you immediately.

But he’s reaching a hand out to you, and encasing one of your hands with both of his and you feel the visor of his helmet bore into the depths of your soul, “I’ve never been more sure of anything, cyar’ika.”

Your eyes water at his statement, and his gives your hand a gentle squeeze as he stands and beckons for you to follow him to the hull. Once you reach the middle of the hull, he kneels on the ground and you join him.

He’s told you a little bit about the ceremony. It’s not like a traditional marriage ceremony you’re used to. There’s no officiant. There’s no witnesses. It’s just the two of you.

“So I will say the vow, and you repeat it back to me, okay?” He takes your hands in his and holds them against his chest, and you nod.

“Mhi solus tome.”

“...Mhi... solus t-tome.” You repeat back to him slowly, and he gives the faintest of nods.

“Mhi solus dhar'tome.”

“Mhi solus... dhar’tome.” You say with a little more confidence this time.

“Mhi me’dinui an.”

“Mhi me’dinui an.” You’re somehow looking straight into his eyes through the visor, and Din almost falters on the last vow.

“Mhi ba’juri verde.”

“Mhi ba’juri verde.” Din lets go of your hands and moves his own to cup your face, and you fall into a silence.

“My wife.” He finally says after what seems like an eternity of just staring at one another. You let out a small chuckle and a tear rolls down your cheek. He catches it with his thumb, before pulling his hands away. They find your own hands once more and he brings them to the sides of his helmet, taking a deep breath as he presses the release mechanism and waits for you to lift it up, moving his hands back to his lap, where he wrings them anxiously.

You take a deep breath yourself as you slowly lift the helmet. You honestly don’t know what to expect when you remove it, but when you see Din’s face for the first time, your breath hitches and you’re at a loss for words. You place the helmet softly on the ground, not breaking your gaze with him. More tears form in your eyes as you reach your hands back up to touch his face.

You smile as you touch the scruff littering his jaw, and you feel his jaw tense underneath your touch. Your fingertips trace his features, committing then to memory. You subconsciously lean closer as your fingers ghost across his face. Din opens his mouth to speak, but you lurch forward and kiss him. He’s stunned at first, but quickly responds, placing his hands on your face, as he feels your hands move to his hair, where he feels your nails scratch at his scalp slightly.

You pull away breathlessly, with a big grin on your face, and Din fully appreciates your beauty without the filter of his helmet. He thought you were stunning before, but now... oh man, he couldn’t get over it. You blushed under his gaze, and he was definitely blushing under yours. Your hands make their way back to his cheeks, where your thumbs gently graze the skin there, and you both stare lovingly at one another.

“So... do you like what you see?” You gasp at the sound of his unmodulated voice, but you hear the worry lacing his question, and your heart bursts thinking about him being anxious to show you his face.

“Din, you’re beautiful.” You sound almost breathless as you speak, and it calms Din ever so slightly. You see him let out a deep breath, and you watch as his shoulders relax and his head drops slightly.

“Were you worried?” You lifted his chin with your fingers and you saw tears forming in his eyes. He nodded at you, not trusting his voice.

You pulled him to you, resting your chin atop his head. You wrapped one arm around his torso as the other made its way into his hair, gently stroking through it. He wrapped his own arms around you in response and you sat like that for a few minutes before you placed a kiss on the top of his head and spoke quietly, “Honestly, you could’ve been a Gungan under that helmet, and I’d still love you, Din.”

You feel him laugh quietly against your chest, and you lean back and he loosens his grip on you. When you see his face again, there’s still the remnants of the few tears that escaped his eyes, but now there’s a smile on his lips, and it only gets bigger as you speak again, “I guess I’m pretty lucky though, because I get to look at this face for the rest of my life.”

“Really?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything, Din.” You repeat his earlier statement and it makes him smile even wider.

You lean in again, and he closes his eyes in anticipation, but furrows his eyebrows and opens them again when you kiss the tip of his nose, then move to pepper little kisses all over his face before finally landing on his lips. He pulls you towards him and kisses you deeply, and you feel his worries dissipate.

You stroke his hair as he pulls away from you and rests his forehead against yours, “My handsome husband.” You mutter against his lips.

“My wife.” He says the words almost in disbelief, before repeating them again with some more strength behind them, and you don’t know if it’s physically possible to smile any wider than you already are.

After you sat for a little while more just enjoying one another’s company, you made your way to the Child’s crib, and you both spoke the adoption ritual, meaning the Child was now your own until you found his home planet.

From then on, whenever Din has his helmet off (which is anytime it’s just you two and the kid on the Crest), you insist on littering his face with kisses to remind him how handsome he is. It takes some time for him to get used to the affection, and he’s still self-conscious, but your actions definitely help him see himself a little better, and the more you do it, the more he believes that he doesn’t look half bad. Now when he looks at himself in the mirror in the fresher, and he starts to feel self-conscious, he thinks about your lips ghosting his features, and he remembers all the compliments you whisper against his skin, and he smiles.