#carak writing

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Dincobb + “protecting you isn’t my duty. it’s my privilege” 😍

so this uh 1. took longer than i wanted but i knew that was likely to happen, lol and 2. ended up being way longer than i expected

also catch me ending fics seemingly randomly cause i think of how to actually end them 😬😬

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The market in Mos Espa is more colorful, more loud, more everything than Cobb has seen in a long time. He prefers staying out in Freetown, not just because it’s where his people are, but because it’s quiet and calm for the most part.

But he also enjoys getting to walk on the other side from time to time. He hasn’t been back to Freetown in several weeks – confined to Fett’s palace while he heals – and he’s preparing to make the return journey. While packing up the few things he had, he thought it would be good to get a few gifts, something for the kids, maybe something for Jo and Taanti.

Glancing over his shoulder, it seems that Cobb has finally slipped out from under the weight of his new guardian's gaze.

Since Cobb has come out of the bacta tank, Din has been a unique combination of hovering but also keeping his distance. He’s there at Cobb’s shoulder every time he ventures outside of his room, pulled taut as a tripwire as he keeps his eyes out for any possible threats, but every time Cobb turns to talk to him Din is suddenly gone.

Cobb isn’t sure how Din knows when Cobb wants to talk, but he’s kind of impressed by his intuition.

He knows Din blames himself for what happened to him, for this new metal encased shoulder he didn’t ask for and the quavering in his fingers that’s slowly abating as he gets used to the circuitry knitted in with his flesh. He knows Din blames himself because Shand alluded to it over drinks, because Fett flat-out told him over dinner, and because Din won’t talk to him.

What does Din think will happen if they talk about what happened? Does he think Cobb will be furious, will never want to see him again? That’s so far from the truth that Cobb can’t even picture the scenario in his head.

He wants to thank Din, like he finally got the chance to thank Fett and Shand. He wants Din to wave it off like it was nothing while knowing from the line of their shoulders and the iron in their eyes that it was anything but nothing.

These people care for him, and he’s so confused by it. But that doesn't mean that he doesn’t treasure it.

Cobb lopes through the market, steps slow as he takes in each of the stalls and seller’s wares. A few people seem to recognize him and wave in greeting, a few others attempt to bow to him like he’s seen people do to Fett, and he cuts them off quickly, but the best is that several shopkeepers give him discounts on their products.

He gets a few hand-carved wooden dolls for the kids – they’re painted to look like Fett, Shand, and Din and he’s sure the kids will love having Jo use them to tell the story of the battle of Mos Espa. Speaking of Jo, he finds her a new headwrap in muted colors, as is her style, but a stunning pattern he’s surprised can be accomplished in a woven textile.

It’s when Cobb’s looking for something for Taanti, that he catches sight of sunlight on beskar.

Ah, there he is.

Cobb isn’t dumb enough to think that Din wouldn’t find him, eventually. He’d just wanted a bit of time on his own, an afternoon without someone treating him like glass. He sighs and ignores Din, lets him pretend he can be stealthy in armor that shiny on a planet with two suns.

After finding a nice gift of off-world booze for Taanti, something just for them that’s not from behind the bar of their paltry cantina, Cobb keeps drifting along. At some point, Din stops hiding and finds his way closer to Cobb, trailing behind him a few paces back. After a bit of this, of shop-keepers glancing over his shoulder with trepidation, Cobb grits his teeth and finds his way down an empty alleyway beyond the edges of the marketplace.

He stops halfway down the alley and wrings his left hand around the strap of the leather bag he’d brought with him for his purchases. He can feel the heat the new metal shoulder has absorbed, even through the fabric of his shirt and for some reason, that does it.

This reminder of his weakness, of how he’s changed, is what brings his nerves to a head, snapping like a frayed rope and lashing back to hurt those in its vicinity.

Cobb doesn’t even attempt to turn around as he snarls, “I don’t need you protecting me. Don’t know if you feel some guilt-based duty to do so, but I don’t need you hovering.”

It’s silent after he speaks. Cobb almost wonders if he’s just spoken to empty air, if Din isn’t there after all. Then, a hand lands on his shoulder – against the metal encasing his shoulder – and the touch is light, careful, almost… scared. “I don’t… I apologize,” Din says.

Cobb turns to look at him, whips around fast enough to dislodge Din’s hand, and is prepared to launch into the tirade building in his throat, but instead he jerks back as he watches Din reach up to pull his helmet off. He doesn’t even notice he’s closed his eyes until there’s a hand brushing through his messy hair.

“Please, look at me.”

Cobb’s seen Din’s face once before. When he was forcing his way out of the bacta tank – disoriented and terrified – he must have surprised Din while he was sitting sentinel at Cobb’s bedside, possibly dozing with his helmet off.

He remembers little of it though, his memory of those few hours post-tank hazy from the shock and pain and the fuzziness of being fully submerged in bacta for that long. He doesn’t want the second time – really the first time – that he sees Din’s face to be in this back alley. It doesn’t feel sacred enough for such a gift.

Again: “please” and Cobb crumbles, pulling his eyes open to look at Din’s brown curls, and brown eyes and brown mustache and Cobb realizes brown is his favorite color. Once he meets Din’s eyes, the Mandalorian begins to speak, his words coming out in a rush.

“Protecting you isn’t my duty. It’s my privilege. I… I’m sorry if it’s been suffocating, but I was so scared while you were in bacta. That you weren’t going to wake up, and it was going to be my fault for getting you involved in a fight that wasn’t yours. But then you opened your eyes, and you looked at me and you weren’t furious. You didn’t hate me, and I felt so privileged that I could still see your smile, hear your laugh, watch you be strong against all odds.

“I know you don’t need me to protect you, but… for so much of my life, when people I love were put in danger’s way, there was nothing I could do. I apologize if I’ve been stifling. I’ll back off.”

Din’s grip on his helmet is so tight the leather of his gloves squeaks against the beskar. Cobb can’t think over ‘people I love, people I love, love, love’. He can’t seem to get his mouth to work, everything he wants to say in response to that getting caught in his throat.

Din nods and turns to leave. “I understand,” he says, his voice low and fractured.

“No, no, Din please.” Cobb’s hand shoots out and grabs onto his wrist before he can put that helmet back on and slip out of the alleyway. “I didn’t… I’m sorry. I thought this was just guilt. I mean, clearly that’s some of it and we’re gonna work on that, but – I didn’t know that you… you said that you… do you really love me?”

Brown eyes flash from hooded sadness to wide-eyed panic, and Din stutters around his words, “I… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’m so sorry.”

Cobb chuckles, the sound more sigh than an actual laugh. “You didn’t make me uncomfortable. That, uh, that made me happy. That you care about me. That you’re not just doing this cause you feel guilty about what happened.”

He reaches his hand up – his fingers don’t quake at all this time, the circuitry in line with his brain for at least this single moment – and sinks his touch into Din’s soft curls. Din lets out a small gasp, then smiles.

“No, not just doing this because I feel guilty,” Din agrees, leaning in and bumping his forehead against Cobb’s.

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This Is Just To Say: BobaDin Father's Day Fic

a follow-up to my fic for last year's bobadin mini father's day fest, i've wanted to write din getting to reciprocate and cook for boba almost snce the first fic got published. inspired by the art of @stealyourblorbos and the art of @agentequus (who i hope don't mind me tagging but please let me know if not!)

hope y'all enjoy this little slice of domesticity in the fett-djarin household!

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From BobaDin With Love Day Two: Intimacy, Closeness

inspired by the ask from @mandaloria314 all those weeks ago, here it is! a little quick ficlet about armor, caretaking, and what it means to let others help you with something so close to your heart.

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From BobaDin With Love Day One: Firsts

Ever wanted to read a BobaDin farmer's market AU? If yes, wild, but wonderful because you're in the right place. If no, come on, give it a try.

Crack treated seriously by the BobaDin server has resulted in this and I had such a blast writing it. I really hope you all enjoy!

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From BobaDin With Love Day Four: Commitment, Marriage

final day and it's with a second chapter of the first fic i published last year! i'm very fond of this fic considering it was the one that got me back into writing for the first time in 7 or so years, so i'm really happy i could come back to it again.

thank you again to @asiminthering for letting me use her art as inspiration/reference for the banner behind din! please go check out her work and give her the love she deserves!

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BobaDin Fall Fest Week 3! Creature Feature

so i wrote a vampire au for @bobadinweek's creature feature prompt...because im but a simple lad who can't help themselves and i want to torture boba at every given turn in every possible way

all credit for the AU idea goes to @mydetheturk and @quilltea who's versions you should DEFINITELY go read. they both have a vampire din instead which is also such 👀

(this one is my most post it and run, im so nervous about this one tbh)

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did i write a father's day bobadin fic? yes

can you read said father's day bobadin fic? yes

do i regret anything? well, only a few things and mainly my inability to stop projecting onto sir fett

check out the collection on AO3 or the BobaDin Week Tumblr

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2021 Fic Year in Review

Total # of Completed Works: 8! which is a little mind-blowing

Total Word Count: if just completed works it's 62,723 but if including wips, i ended the year with 73,998 words in total

Fandoms I've Written In: The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett

Looking Back, Did You Write More Fic Than You Thought You Would This Year, Less, Or About What You’d Expected?: well considering this was the first year i wrote fic in about 7 or so years, uh, i'd have to say i wrote a lot more than i expected, lol

What's Your Own Favorite Story: you know i'm not entirely sure, i really enjoyed writing all of them but i think if i had to pick it would have to be the one that started it all and got me back into writing which would be Relief in Sharp Lines

Did You Take Any Writing Risks This Year?: oh i dont really think so? like i said this was me writing for the first time in several years after a, uh, unfortunate experience being made fun of for my writing so just writing again at all was a risk! (but also now that i think of it the, ah, few nsfw fics i wrote could be called a risk cause i had legit never ever written nsfw before)

Do You Have Any Fanfic Or Profic Goals For The New Year?: ah! just to write and to get things finished and not let them sit for forever. but to also not get mad at myself when things do take some time. having to write a lot for school/work is something i have to realize makes it hard to write for fun and balancing the two. but ALSO to get the western au to a point where i can start publishing chapters!

Most Popular Story Of The Year?: oh that was definitely I Want Us to Eat Well! that fic is my most well-performing for being one of my shortest fics. (i'm hoping to do a follow-up to it for the bobadin valentine's event. hopefully!)

Story Of Mine Most Under-Appreciated By The Universe, In My Opinion: oh i don't know, im always trying to not overthink how much my fic gets read or gets kudos and just enjoy the process. (but also maaaaybe A Marshal of Restraint cause i put way too much effort into writing that one and i KNOW there's too much exposition for a nsfw fic but)

Most Fun Story To Write: again, i don't know. i really enjoyed writing all of them! but i think the one i really had fun with and let it flow as it wanted was The Maker Won't Mind. it was very self indulgent and sometimes i worry it's too ooc but i just want the boys to have soft things

Most Unintentionally Telling Story: Baatir! no doubts about that one. i gave all of my chronic pain and mental health issues to boba and din and really went 'if i dont have someone to take care of me then at least the boys fucking will'

Biggest Disappointment: i'd say either not being able to get a fic out for each day of the bobadin weeks/events or not getting the western au to a good point, it's kind of stagnated but i love the idea so much and really want to work on it

Biggest Surprise: writing again AT ALL! im so thankful for everyone in the bobadin server who was so kind and helpful and cheered me on while i was starting to write again and all the lovely people who beta read for me and yeah, it's been wonderful.

many thanks, love, and hugs to @coffeequill for the tag

and a few no-pressure tags!: @maderilien @jaigeye @mandaloria314 @eavangeek

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You know what why not, let's do a quick New Year's Even End of the Year Revue of everything I've written this year! To be totally honest when this year started I did NOT expect to start writing fanfic again after not writing for about 7 or 8 years but I cannot thank the Boba/Din server and all the lovely people in it, the amazing people who helped beta my fics, and the entire fandom for all of their support, kind words, and help along the way. All my love, from me to you.

Relief in Sharp Lines

The Mandalorian. Teen. Words: 5,144. Boba/Din.

Who knew a random thought about Din in eyeliner would get to me to start writing creatively again after all this time?

Of Good Use

*NSFW* The Mandalorian. Explicit. Words: 5,993. Boba/Din/Original Male Character.

Can I explain myself concerning this one? No, but I can and do blame the Boba/Din server. What a bunch of enablers. I'd literally NEVER written smut before this so if it's awkward as all hell....yeah.

I Want Us To Eat Well

The Mandalorian. General. Words: 3,104. Boba/Din.

My most well-performing fic of the year! I need to write more domestic cooking fic.

Together, Eventually

The Mandalorian. General. Words: 3,686. Boba/Din

I wrote this in one afternoon for the Boba/Din Week because it came to me in a flash of procrastination from stats homework. I'm fond of it but I think sometimes about fleshing it out further.

Baatir

The Mandalorian. General. Words: 5,231. Boba/Din.

This fic idea was in my head for a while because I really project onto these two hard when it comes to both mental things and chronic pain. I've never had a character I can project my aches and pains on quite like I do with Boba.

Unquenched, Unquenchable

The Mandalorian. Mature. Words: 4,523. Boba/Din.

What can I say other than I love vampires, I have a lot of feelings already about how Boba sees himself as a monster of his and others' making, and neck biting is hot. This was inevitable.

A Marshal of Restraint

*NSFW* The Mandalorian. Explicit. Words: 11,443. Boba/Din/Cobb.

Can I admit that I actually started out in this fandom being a Din/Cobb shipper? Then Boba showed up and kicked down the door. But I never lost my love of Din/Cobb. Also, why is 1/3 of this fic unnecessary worldbuilding? It's not necessary for the smut but alas!

The Maker Won't Mind

The Book of Boba Fett & The Mandalorian. General. Words: 23,599. Boba/Din.

My TBOBF Big Bang Fic! I was working on this from August to November, it's the longest piece I've ever written (like I think it's actually longer than my MA thesis) and I'm full of love for it. I had the title for the fic long before I started writing and when that ending hit me: BLESS. I worry it's out of character for Boba but I just hope people enjoy indulging with me for a bit.

And to end! Some works in progress:

Relief in Sharp Lines Part 2 & Part 3

Baatir Part 2

Boba/Din/Cobb multi-chapter Western AU

Boba/Din Farmer's Market AU

Hannibal AU (because I'm trash that will never truly be free of Hannibal)

Visit to the Jedi School

And various smut fics, including some more in the Free Use Verse and something else I'm going to be embarrassed by (hint: We Will Raise Warriors).

So, if you've made it all this way: thank you, love you, bless you. Happy New Year's and many tidings and good luck.

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BobaDin Week! Day Three: Caretaking

been working on this one for a bit and it was super cathartic to write and im really excited to share it with everyone!

do i love these two idiots? hell yeah

do i project on to them a bit too much? oh hell yeah

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BobaDin Week! Day One: Identity

did i crack out this fic in about four or so hours? yes

did my wonderful beta make it coherent at the last minute? yes, and bless them

do i regret anything? a few things less than i probably should

check out the full collection on AO3 or the BobaDin Week Tumblr

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Last Line Game

thank you for the tag @johaycc! can't believe i missed it come through this morning but here we are!

rules: write the latest line from a wip and tag as many people as there are words in the line. make a new post!

because i have...too many wips...i'll actually do the last line of two seperate wips:

Jo shook her head. “They didn’t get that close to town. They skirted the edges, the boys on watch were able to tell that they were Imperial while they did and they left without stopping into town. Think they might have been headed towards Eisley by the direction they were going.”

---

Din smiles up at Boba, who frowns back at him. “Don’t.” Boba shoots back at Din. Din chuckles. “Just proud of you, cyar.”

since ive seen A LOT of people get tagged for this so i'm not going to add anymore and rather, please! take this as an open invitation to join along!

and if you're still here, how about a little nsfw last line under the cut:

“And now, I would like to humbly request that you lay back, relax, and let me bounce on that pretty cock of yours,” Boba purred, digging his fingernails into Din’s lower stomach.

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“I want us to eat well”

Every third question!

(guess who went to sleep astoundingly early last night and missed this coming in but no matter 😘 thank you for sending it!)

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

(does this count as narration?? either way this might be my fav line) Din reached out and swiped his thumb across Boba’s brow line. It came back covered in white powder. “Someone who would let our ad’ika cover him in flour,” Din laughed. 

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

you know i'm not sure but i do think there's something that sets it apart. it's my most well-kudos'ed work by 100+. i think it's just the ease of the relationship between boba and din? it was so easy to write, it just flowed?

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

no, not at all. i think i wrote this fic mostly, if not at all, at one time. and even before that, it was pretty much the same in my head while thinking about it.

12: What do you like least about this fic?

i don't think there's anything i like least about this fic, it really is the one im most proud of in it's whole. i'm really happy about it. is that a cop out answer? lol

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

a whole lot about breakfast foods in the gffa. also, what an aebleskiver was and that i needed one to make my own little pancake balls. :D

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writing ask meme: POV! (maybe something star wars-y?)

okay not only did i miss this yesterday cause my drive took longer than expected and then i slept all day today BUT my computer restarted while i was halfway through writing this so AGH. but!

POV — something that’s already happened, retold from another character’s perspective

I wanted to write a bit of something like this already but here's a little bit of Din's POV from the drunken conversation in Chp. 3 of The Maker Won't Mind. Also woah, I wrote way more than I expected I would.

His mind is hazy: both from the drink and the emotions swirling around in the air, and Boba is trying to make him go to bed. Din doesn't want to go to bed -- not unless it's with Boba's sharp warmth curled up against his side -- he wants to keep talking to Boba. He wants to hear everything that Boba has to say about where he's been, how he got to where they are now, and where he wants to go. He wants to ask if Boba has considered where Din will be in his plans for the future.

Din is suddenly sitting on his bed and he sways without Boba's grip on his shoulders keeping him upright. He's listing towards the side and he's certain he's going to crash down onto the sheets at any moment. But for now, he looks up at Boba as he stands over him and attempts a smooth expression, cocking his eyebrow as he jokes, "How do we keep ending up here?"

At his words, Boba blushes.

He blushes.

Din cannot fathom that Boba blushes. No, Din understands that Boba can blush, in theory, but he can't process that Boba would blush over something that he's done.

But now Boba is backing out of his space even further and Din feels like crying even more than he did earlier. He wants to reach out and wrap his arms around Boba, to bury his nose into the fabric of his robes and breath his scent in, and to feel the warmth of his skin.

Din grits his teeth, feeling slightly sober all of a sudden. Boba doesn't want any of that -- Boba wants nothing to do with him further than this debt between them and the jobs Din can do for him. Din knows this but he can't help but imagine.

Boba is talking to him, he catches 'sorry', 'water', 'need'. Yes, Din needs. He needs quite a lot but nothing that he can put words to. Instead, he simply answers, "No, I"m fine. Vor entye." He smiles. He knows Boba has learned enough Mando'a to understand him, he won't be putting him on the spot by using them.

As Boba steps away, Din's vision grows blurry -- between the push for tears to fall, the whiskey in his body, and how exhausted he feels, he's not surprised. When Boba returns, Din can only see him in shapes and colors: a black smudge for his robes, the copper warmth of his skin, and...oh, he's holding a smear of gray out towards him - the glass of water.

He takes a quick drink then sets it aside. He looks up at Boba -- at the shape of him -- and wants to say something, anything. He wants to tell Boba so much but his throat feels like it's stopped up and none of it comes out, not a word.

Then, Boba is nodding, once, and he's gone.

Din finally lets himself collapse on his bed. He breathes out a low, "fuck," under his breath and then quickly falls asleep before he can think any harder about -- well, anything.

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3 + dincobb!

okay so, i adjusted the prompt just a little to fit in slightly better but not too much to be completely different. also i wrote almost 800 words because i cant stop myself. :D

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The pacing had begun about half an hour ago and as Cobb tracked Din’s path across his floor, he could clearly see a clean line through the layer of sand that was impossible to keep out of the front room.

Cobb had heard when Din had started, but he hadn’t processed how long he’d been going at it until about 5 minutes ago. He had set down the vaporator part he’d been tinkering with on the small kitchen table and stood to lean against the low wall separating the kitchen and the den.

“Din?”

He turned to look at Cobb immediately, freezing in his pacing. Cobb took that as a good sign. At least Din wasn’t so far into the fog that he couldn’t hear Cobb. Din had been there before. It had been...concerning.

Cobb understood being within your head and not being able to find a way out. Extracting Din from the thorns, however, differed greatly from the way he helped himself. Cobb had been on his own for so long. It took some adjusting to care for someone else again.

But he was willing to learn for Din.

“What’s rattling around in that dome of yours?” Cobb questioned, stepping forward. He slowly set his hands on Din’s shoulders, making sure he wouldn’t flinch away from the touch. Once his fingers rested against the coarse fabric of Din’s flight suit, he pushed him slowly backwards until he could press him to sit down on the threadbare couch.

Din looked up at him with those big brown eyes. Cobb smiled. Tears pooled in the corner of Din’s brown eyes. Cobb frowned.

“Oh, sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Cobb stepped forward quickly, wrapping his arms around Din’s head and pressing his face into his stomach. It was half a hug and half a way to help Din hide himself. Cobb had picked up that sometimes, when Din felt overwhelmed, it helped for him to tuck away into something, whether his helmet, a blanket, or even Cobb on occasion.

Din hiccuped, and Cobb could feel a few tears falling onto his hand where it wrapped around the curve of Din’s head.

“There’s — All these people — I don’t —,” Din started and stopped several times before Cobb pulled a hand away from his face to pet over Din’s curls.

“Shh, take your time. I’m here to listen, at your pace. Tell me what you want, what you can, even if that’s nothing at all,” Cobb reassured him. Din nodded, his forehead scraping against the fabric of Cobb’s shirt. He was glad he’d worn one of his softer shirts. Din didn’t need anything else abrasive in his life right now.

Slowly, Din seemed to calm until he could force out more than a couple of words at a time. “They don’t care. They don’t care what I want. I don’t want to be Mand’alor. I don’t want to rule. I just want to protect my son. I just want to stay here with you.”

Cobb sucked in a breath. He couldn’t admit to fully understanding all the intricacies weaved into the situation with the Darksaber and Mandalore. There was so much there that he had a hard time grasping it all. Boba had worked him through parts of it, after Cobb had asked for his help to understand but not wanting to burden Din, walking him through parts of their history and chunks of Mandalorian culture.

It was... a lot.

Cobb sank his fingers into Din’s curls and raked his fingernails across his scalp. “Din... I know. I know you don’t. But... I —” Cobb paused. “I can’t imagine anyone else better for this. Isn’t there some saying about the simple man being the best ruler? Or something? I — what I mean is, I think you’re the best for the job exactly because you don’t want it. You won’t abuse power you don’t even want.”

Din hiccuped again and pulled back so he could look up at Cobb. “And, I’ll be here. When you can’t take all their posturing anymore, I’ll be right here,” Cobb said, swiping his thumb through the tear tracks under Din’s eyes.

“I’ll.... I’ll be here to welcome you home,” Cobb said, with a brittle, nervous smile. Was that too much? To call this Din’s home? They’d been together for a bit now, but what if Din did want to settle on Mandalore one day? Or even on Yavin with the kid? Or what if --

Cobb’s thoughts screeched to a halt as he heard Din chuckle. He blinked and focused back on Din’s face. “Now, you’re the one overthinking, dear.” Din laughed. The sound was weak but bright, and Cobb’s smile spread wider to hear it.

“Thank you, Cobb. I would love to come home to you.”

(also i did kind of plagiarize myself and accidentally copy the whole thing about din being a good leader because he doesn't want to be one from another fic, so you may see that later, lol)

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will hopefully share a full preview in the future but for now, the first full draft of the bobf fic is done!

this is the longest thing ive ever written and it's one hell of an emotional slow-burn ride, if i do say so myself