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max--phillips · 5 years

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A Mandalorian Walks into an Inn - Rewrite - Chapter 1

Hello friends, tis I, the . frenchiest fry. I know on ao3 I said I was going to wait to post this whole thing at once when I was done, but I’m incapable of waiting and I want you all to have this content now. A heads up for those of you who have read the original: I’m completely changing the timeline so it occurs entirely after the first season, so that godawful excuse for a couple chapters that were just me recapping what happened in episodes 7 and 8 are no longer going to be a thing. So, without further ado, the rewritten first chapter of AMWIAI.

Warnings: maybe some canon-typical violence but otherwise none, this is pretty tame for now, but smut (and a Lot Of It) will come soon, don’t you worry

Words: 3k

Pairing: Din Djarin x Female OC

Summary: Thessa Emereas settled on Lothal to lead a normal life after her stint in the Rebellion as a pilot. Then she forms a stupid crush on a guest at the inn she works at, who just happens to be a Mandalorian, making her reconsider if she wants to have a normal life or not.

The space around Panatha was a mess. The Rebellion, I, really thought this was going to be an easy victory, a system to swipe out from under the nose of the Empire. We were dreadfully wrong. More Imperial ships than we expected were here to guard the planet from our attempt. We figured there would be one, maybe two star destroyers and maybe some other smaller ships as a matter of the fact it was an Imperial planet. Try a small fleet. Something was important to the Imperials here. Explosions littered the battlefield, wrecked fighters and ships made it difficult to navigate. It looked dire, but command was coming from one of the star destroyers closest to the planet, and if we could just take that ship out, we might be able to turn the tide and liberate the system.

“I can make it!” I shouted over the comms, my target in view. My R5 astromech had been taken out, but I still had my radar and nav computers up and good to go on my X-wing. I’d be fine. We could win this.

“Emereas, fall back! Even if you can make it, you won’t be able to take it out on your own!”

“We can take back this system! Just give me ten more seconds!”

“Gold team, disengage and come back, that is an order!”

I sighed, frustrated, ready to comply with orders when I was hit. Grazed, more accurately. Just enough to take out one engine. I began spiraling down towards the surface of Panatha. “I’m hit, going planetside!” I said, trying to regain control of my X-wing the best I could. All it did was make my crash survivable, barely. My fighter barrelled through thick forest canopy, catching on branches several feet off the ground. My comms still buzzed in my ears, and I heard that other fighters in my squadron had also been hit. And not been as lucky. Two were lost in direct hits. Two more were coming to the surface. This was my fault. I should’ve listened.

I took off my helmet and tossed it to the side, anger at myself, the Empire, everything bubbling in my chest. I pushed open the top hatch of my fighter, pulling myself out with some difficulty. I dropped to the ground, landing ungracefully with a thud on the leaf-covered ground. I attempted to move, and a searing pain shot around my side, up my back. I stifled a scream. I looked at my hand, and it was covered in blood. Where was this blood coming from? I reached around to the source of the pain, grabbing onto a piece of metal protruding from my back. I tugged on it, hissing. I clenched my jaw, and with a deep breath, pulled the piece of shrapnel out. That fucking hurt. There was more blood, but I could move again. I glanced up to get my bearings, only to see another fighter caught in the trees, a stray branch pinning the pilot to the backrest of his seat. Zech. He was a good kid. He had potential. Now he’s dead, his face eternally contorted into an expression of terror, because of me.

Something moved in the trees. I grabbed for my blaster, cursing as more pain ripped through my body. I scrambled to try and get into cover, but I was quickly stopped in my tracks by an explosion far too close for comfort. Just meters away, another fighter collided with the ground going much, much faster than I had just minutes ago. I was sent tumbling back, colliding with a tree. Panic started to set in. I was fucked. I was so incredibly absolutely fucked. I sat up against the tree and readied my blaster. If I was going down, I was at least going down fighting.

Then they came. Stormtroopers, in waves, white armor in stark contrast with the natural colors of the landscape making them easy to target. Easy to drop. I lost track of how many I had killed, at least a dozen, maybe two. Adrenaline and my unwillingness to die did wonders for my aim. Just as I was beginning to think I might make it, two pairs of hands grabbed my arms, yanking me up. Something hard hit me over the head, and I faded in and out of consciousness. I was dragged onto an Imperial shuttle.

But that’s all I remember.

I was captured.

Then I was angry.

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I survived that day. I made it out. I don’t remember how, but frankly I don’t care. It’s been nearly six years since that incident. I earned my first Redbird. My time in the Rebellion was overall a positive experience. Two Redbirds, a Superior Service Medal, and a Group Commander Citation later, I was about done. I hadn’t thought about that day in a long, long time, and I was ready to settle down, lead a normal life for a while.

Which is why I came to Lothal.

I worked as an innkeeper now, at least partially. I didn’t own the place, but I’ve been here for about a year now and I’ve put my own mark on things. The inn was in a small village, a few hours by speeder away from the next major town. It was just big enough to draw the business of several travelling merchants regularly. That was a blessing; it was far too difficult and expensive to travel all the way to the next town for supplies all the time. Of course, those of us that live here are having to do that less and less. We’re lucky enough to be expanding somewhat, with more permanent merchants and residents. In fact, a couple just opened a single ship bay in the village. That brought in some more travelling merchants, more varied supplies coming in.

But, of course, it brought in some other interesting things, too.

My gut was telling me it wasn’t a good thing when a pre-Empire ship that looked like it had been through the ringer landed in our singular bay. I watched as it landed from the entryway to the inn, squinting to try to get a better look at it in the bright sunlight of the day. The Razor Crest? Curious. Well, it had to bring someone in, and that someone had to spend credits one way or another. Hell, maybe my gut was way off and this was just a new travelling merchant coming in for a few days to sell their wares then they’d be on their way. Maybe they would return in a few weeks. Who knows. Either way, whoever it was, they would need a room, and I had the only ones in town. I went back inside, around the counter, and back into the kitchen.

“Cerniki, someone’s landing in the ship bay,” I shouted. Cerniki was our cook, and a good friend. “Probably should put the soup on in case.”

“Alright,” he responded from back in the pantry area. “Thanks for the heads up.”

“Always!” I said, turning back to go to the counter, waiting for our potential new guests. I suppose there was a chance they would just stay on their ship, but if their beds were anything like the ones I remember from the Rebellion, they sucked and weren’t comfortable. I bent down to grab a datapad from under the counter, then got distracted by the fact that a bunch of things were knocked over and disorganized. Cordes… Cordes owned the place, and wanted everything in its place, but was bad at keeping it that way themself. I sighed, organizing the various odds and ends back where they belonged. Why in the galaxy did we have any flimsi at all? We had datapads, we didn’t need this stuff! When I stood back up, a figure had entered our inn. I didn’t hear them come in, and they startled me.

The first thing I noticed was the armor. It was… on the newer side, but it had discoloration and scratches, a sheen like a steel pan that got too hot. It had seen some heavy action in a fairly short amount of time. I could only imagine what the person wearing it had been through in his years. The distinct T-shaped visor in his helmet told me immediately he was a Mandalorian. Just about as curious as the fact he came in here in an at least 30 year old ship. You didn’t see many Mandalorians out in the galaxy, a rare sight indeed. But a well known one, and a terrifying one if you were the wrong person. I wasn’t the wrong person unless you were an ex-Imperial with a grudge, but he still made me feel… nervous. He seemed tall, but that might just be the fact he had full armor on and carried himself with confidence and intent. Maybe it was the long rifle strapped to his back. But the nervousness was right beside something else. Intrigue? Something that gave me butterflies in my stomach. Either way, he was here, and he wasn’t looking for an innkeeper to just stare at him.

“Hello there! How can I help?” I asked politely, smiling.

“We need lodging,” he said. His voice was modulated through the helmet, but still a deep, pleasant tone. “Do you have a room available?”

I nodded. “I do! But, we?” I asked, leaning forward slightly to tap into my datapad which room he’d be in. In leaning forward, I saw who “we” entailed. A small green being, with big, dark eyes and huge ears gripped to the Mandalorian’s ankle, looking up at me nervously. “Oh, my goodness, how cute! Ah, you’ll probably want a crib in your room, then.”

“If you have one, yes,” he responded, helmet turning, looking down at the little one by his side.

“Absolutely! Let me show you to your room, and I’ll bring one to you,” I said, grabbing a key from the counter and walking out from behind it, and down the hallway towards the guest rooms.

I’d done this tour a million times, but there was something… off-putting about this one. I was likely just projecting, but the way he followed me down the hallway was almost like he was stalking me, watching my every small movement, waiting for me to make a mistake, trip, attack, something. I knew deep down that he wouldn’t hurt me; he had a child with him, and one that he clearly cared deeply for. Despite his intimidating exterior, the way he picked up and held the little one gave away his softer side, something I wouldn’t have expected to pick up on, if it existed at all, within the first minutes of us knowing each other.

We arrived at the door and I opened it for him, handing him the key. “This is your room. Give me just one moment, and I’ll grab that crib for you.” I turned and went a few doors down in the hallway to a storage closet, and grabbed the crib, carting it down the hallway and back into the guestroom. “I’ll set it here for now, but feel free to move it around as you need,” I said, setting it in the corner just inside the doorway. “I’ll let you get settled, but is there anything I can get you?” I asked, smiling at the expressionless helmet covering the face of the Mandalorian. This was going to be interesting. He was extremely difficult to read, which made my job as an innkeeper, as someone who was supposed to be good at customer service, a little bit more difficult.

“Something to eat for the little one.”

He was a man of few words, clearly. This made some logical sense to me for some reason. I nodded. “Of course, our cook put a pot of soup on not too long ago, I’m sure it’s ready by now,” I said. “I’ll be back with that in a few minutes. If you need anything else, my name is Thessa.”

“Thank you, Thessa.”

Goosebumps erupted up and down my arms, and those butterflies returned with a vengeance. It wasn’t out of the ordinary for me to develop small crushes on guests, but this was… bizarre, and different, and new. So far this man had spoken 24 words to me, and he did not seem like he would open up anytime soon. Some combination of the mystery he brought with the armor and the helmet, the confidence and the way his presence fills the room, the way he’s so gentle with the little green child he was with was getting to me in a way I wasn’t expecting.

I nodded, smiling still, hoping I wasn’t blushing and giving away my incredibly fast infatuation. I walked somewhat quickly back to the kitchen, checking on Cerniki and the soup. I grabbed a tray and a bowl, then paused, grabbing another one just in case. I know he said that the little one needed to eat, but surely he did, too, right? Unless he was a droid under there, which I supposed was possible, though... unlikely.

“Did you see who just came in here?” I asked Cerniki, hushed as if the new guest was within earshot, as he hovered over the pot of soup, making sure it was coming together properly.

“What, that suit of armor?” he asked. “Yeah, what’s a Mandalorian doing on Lothal?”

I shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. He has some weirdly adorable little kid with him, too,” I said. “I wonder what that’s about.”

“Who knows, and who cares, as long as he spends credits, yeah?” he said, handing me the ladle for the soup.

“Yeah,” I responded, kind of distracted by my own thoughts. I had a bad feeling about this. Well, maybe not bad, just… off. I filled the two bowls with soup, and grabbed some bread, a couple glasses of water, and a candy for the little one. “Thank you, Cerniki,” I said, leaving the kitchen to take the tray of food back to our new guest. Once at the door, I carefully balanced the tray on one hand and knocked. Before I even had my hand all the way back down to my side, the door was open. Okay, so he was fast.

“I brought you a bowl of soup as well,” I said, bringing the tray in and setting it on the table in the middle of the room. “I know you said for the little one, but I figure you must be hungry as well.”

“That’s… very kind of you. I appreciate it,” he said.

“Of course. If you need any more to eat, Cerniki in the kitchen can get you fixed up, or you can just flag me down,” I said. I turned to leave, but then my curiosity got the better of me, and I opened my mouth before my brain could stop me. “If you… don’t mind me asking, what brings a Mandalorian to Lothal?” I asked, mirroring Cerniki’s words from earlier. “We don’t get a lot of visitors here, it’s a small town.”

He turned his head from me to the little one. “Work.” The child began eating, happily slurping up the soup. “The kid is… a new responsibility.”

“Ah.” I looked at the Mandalorian, watching him watch the kid. I knew he was aware I was watching, though. Details don’t get past him, that much I could tell already. “I take it he isn’t… yours, though. Unless you’re actually tiny and green under there.”

There was a pause, and a soft crackle in his modulator that I could’ve sworn was a small laugh. “No, he’s…” Another pause. “I found him. It’s a long story.” I knew he was telling the truth on that one. This was an unlikely pair if I’ve ever seen one.

“Well, I’ll tell you what,” I said, shifting to lean against the doorframe. “I’d be more than happy to keep an eye on him here while you find work. And your best bet to find it is going to be at the bar to the left down the street about a block,” I suggested. “If not there, they’ll be able to point you in the right direction.”

There was a long, deafening moment of silence. The Mandalorian turned his head back towards me, slowly, in a way that made me want to shrink back down the hallway behind the desk and forget about even offering. Even though I couldn’t see his face, I could feel his eyes burning into me. It felt as though he could see right through me, into my very soul, to see if I was honest, clearly letting me know he wasn’t going to leave the kid with just anyone. Would I hurt him? Would I defend him if need be?

After what felt like years, he spoke again. “I would appreciate that.”

“Sure thing,” I said, standing from my leaning position. “Well, if you need anything, I’ll be at the desk for a while yet. If it’s late and I’m not there, I’ll be up in my room, which is up the stairs, first door on the left.” I smiled again, pushing through the nerve-wracking feeling of having my entire conscious dissected with a glance. He gave a curt nod, and I turned and left, gently shutting the door behind me.

As I walked back to the desk, my mind raced. An internal argument, trying to convince myself to grow up and stop thinking about this mysterious stranger. The thought of him just stepping closer to me, touching me with a gloved hand… it made my heart flutter, but I shook my head as if to physically remove the thoughts from my mind. This was not a person I wanted to be involved with. He was a Mandalorian, a fierce and mighty warrior, a deadly hunter. And this kid with him… that huge pair of ears was adorable, sure, but why did this man have him? This had to mean trouble, right? He said he found him, what did that mean, exactly? Nonetheless, this was a man who had seen things, felt things. Despite the initial shine of his armor, it still had dings and scratches and that discoloration. He was clearly protective of the kid; the way he held him, and took a long time to consider if I should be allowed to look after him told me this definitively. He wasn’t going to hand his trust out to just anyone.

Damnit, we were up to 54 words and I was a goner. I needed to stop this, or I was going to get myself in over my head again. A normal life! That’s all I wanted, coming here. I deliberately chose a small town on a backwater planet for a reason. Of course, I didn’t think of the fact that small towns on backwater planets were where people on the run loved to hide.

Chapter 2

#Tori says things #a mandalorian walks into an inn #my fic #the mandalorian #din #din djarin #din djarin x female oc #din djarin x oc #the mandalorian x female oc #the mandalorian x oc #star wars #thessa

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max--phillips · 5 years

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A Mandalorian Walks into an Inn - Rewrite - Chapter 2

Welcome back to the fun zone friends. i can post little a chapter two, as a treat. (to clarify this is the entirety of chapter 2 i’m just tired and think im funny)

Read Chapter 1 here

Warnings: Canon-typical violence, masturbation (not really detailed), still not getting busy with each other but we’ll get there in the next chapter I promise

Words: 6k

Pairing: Din Djarin x Female OC

Summary: Mando convinces Thessa to join him on a job in hopes to get her to come with him.

The first couple days of Mando’s visit were fine. Great, even. He was a model guest, leaving his room neat and tidy which made my job a lot easier. He was regularly finding work. Bounties, mainly; he wasn’t really interested in odd jobs. He was paying more than the actual rate for the room was, too, which I attempted to politely decline, but he insisted in such a way that I simply could not argue with. He was persuasive, and I couldn’t tell if it was because he was intimidating still, if he was just really good at persuasion, or if I was caving because of my weird, and increasingly unwelcome, crush. The one thing that was starting to worry me, however, was the tension Mando was causing. A couple of the merchants who usually visited just… stopped coming if they knew he was here. I figured they assumed he was there for them, but that wasn’t the case. From what I could tell, he was just trying to keep his head above water so he could keep his new ward safe. The downside of this, of course, was that those merchants had supplies we needed, and we couldn’t continue to just send people out to the next town over to restock. That would get unsustainable in the blink of an eye.

The silver lining to all of this came down to the fact that, as Mando spent more time in the inn, and as I spent more time with the child, he started to open up, even if barely. He gained more of a personality around me, and became very slightly less intimidating. We even had short conversations on a fairly regular basis, which I eagerly looked forward to.

One evening, he came back into the inn, looking a little bit worse for wear. “Hey, Mando, are you okay?” I asked, looking up from my datapad where I was doing some bookkeeping for the inn. The child was sitting on the counter next to me, and he cooed and reached out as he realized Mando had returned.

“I’m fine. I just need to patch some things up,” he responded, rolling his shoulder slightly as if to shake off an ache. “Can you watch him for a few more minutes?”

“Of course,” I answered, placing a hand around the little one to keep him from crawling off the counter. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you need anything?”

“I have what I need. Thank you, Thessa.” Goosebumps again.

“You’re more than welcome.”

He retreated to his room, closing and locking the door behind him. I sighed. Sometimes I caught myself worrying about him a little bit. I imagined him for a moment, tying down bandages and bacta-patches. It would be so much easier to patch up his wounds if I could help. I knew he wasn’t allowed to take off his helmet as a matter of… principle, or religion, or something, but was he allowed to show skin? I wondered what it looked like under all those layers, if it was light or dark or somewhere in between. How many scars he must have from years of doing what he does. Then I wondered what color his hair was, what color his eyes were, whether or not his lips were soft, how they would feel against mine…

I was torn from my daydream when he was standing in front of me at the desk, picking the child up. I blinked, then felt my cheeks heat up slightly, momentarily afraid he could hear my thoughts. “All good?” I asked.

“Yes. Thank you again for watching him,” he said.

“Of course,” I responded. I paused for a moment. “Mando?”

“Yes?”

What the hell did I even want to say? “Uh… goodnight,” I finally said. “If you need anything you know where to find me.”

He nodded in that way he did and went back to his room, green child tucked safely in the crook of his arm. Once the door was closed behind him, I silently chastised myself. What was going on with me? Yeah, I had a bad habit of developing little crushes on guests sometimes, but this was… different, somehow. The mystery that shrouded him drew me in like a moth to a flame, and I wasn’t about to get burnt. A normal life, Thessa! That’s why you’re here! No more adventuring or danger! You have a nice collection of awards from the Rebellion, that’s more than enough! Still, I was completely enamored with the way he handled the kid, how gentle and caring he was, and Maker, his voice. I could listen to him talk all day, even though he wasn’t the type to do that. I sighed, starting to walk upstairs to my room. I had to stop these feelings from growing. This was getting ridiculous. What did I even expect him to do? Invite me to run away with him on his ship? Fat chance. I was a random innkeeper he happened to meet while he was taking some time to lay low and find work.

I entered my room and yawned. Despite having a fairly uneventful day as far as the actual inn went, that little womp rat Mando left with me was a troublemaker. I couldn’t turn my back on him for a second or he would disappear and get into something he was not supposed to be in. He never got far enough to hurt himself, thankfully; I can’t even begin to imagine what would happen to me if the little one got hurt on my watch. Keeping him corralled was an exhausting job. I went into the refresher to clean up before I changed into my bedclothes.

I took my hair out of its messy bun and combed through it. It was thick and curly, a little bit frizzy, dark brown, and fell just beyond my shoulders. I parted my hair down the middle, carefully putting my hair into two neat braids. I eyed over the scars on my face; nothing major, and frankly you probably wouldn’t see them except for the fact that they interrupted the patterns of freckles on my skin. A small reminder that I fought for what was right, but also…

I shook the thought from my head, and returned to my bedroom, stripping out of my work clothes and pulling on a loose pair of pants to sleep in. While I was looking for a shirt, there was a knock at the door. I sighed. “Just a second,” I said, raising my voice just enough that whoever it was could hear me. I grabbed the nearest thing to cover myself with, which happened to be a jacket some pilot friends got me as a gift for earning my Group Commander Citation. My two Redbirds lived on the front left panel, just above the breast pocket there. The Rebellion logo was emblazoned on the shoulder. I slipped it on and wrapped the front closed, opening the door.

The Mandalorian stood there, practically towering over me despite the two of us being similar in height. It had to be the armor that made him seem so tall, right? I was suddenly acutely aware that I was completely bare under this jacket. I also noticed then that he had the kid with him, which… helped, but didn’t break the tension entirely. I cleared my throat nervously, feeling my cheeks heating up slightly. “How can I help?” I asked, my voice cracking slightly, but I pretended not to notice.

“Sorry to bother you. Do you have a… lock? The kid’s figured out how to get out of the crib and open the door,” he explained. “Just need something to keep him from wandering off.”

I nodded, a smile spreading on my face. “Uh, yeah, I have a babyproofing door knob thing,” I said, waving my hand, almost to define what I was talking about. “Gimme just a second, okay?” I turned away from him to zip up my jacket so my whole chest didn’t fall out while I was grabbing the item.

“You’re… Rebellion?” he asked, his head tilting slightly.

“Oh. Yeah, uh, I was a pilot,” I answered. “Mainly X-Wings, but I can fly just about anything.” I turned back around, starting to step out into the hallway.

“Are those Redbirds?” he asked.

I sighed. “Yes, they are.”

“Were you on the ground too, then?”

“No. Not by choice anyway. Just got… unlucky a couple times.” I continued downstairs and around the corner towards the supply closet. “Thankfully the training you get in the Rebellion covers a lot of possibilities.”

He was quiet, seemingly considering what I’d said. I don’t know if it was a good or a bad thing that he knew I was a fighter pilot. Was he more likely to whisk me away? Is that what I even wanted? He was probably just trying to make conversation. But at the same time, that was unlike him as far as I knew. We arrived at the supply closet, and I pulled out the piece of plastic that would hopefully keep this ornery bundle of energy contained. “Think this’ll do the trick?” I asked.

“Only one way to find out,” he responded.

Fair enough. We walked back to his room and he opened the door. I entered, slipping the cover on the doorknob and jiggling it, assuring it was attached correctly. “There. You need to squeeze pretty hard on that thing, so unless he can manage to get that tiny little hand all the way around it, I think you’re good,” I said. I knelt down to the owner of the tiny little hand in question, who Mando had set down and allowed to toddle over to me. “Now, you need to stay in your crib and get some sleep! You want to grow up big and strong like your daddy, don’t you?” I asked. Suddenly I was aware that that might not even be the correct title for him, and… it was a little loaded, anyway. I glanced up at Mando, who had tilted his head slightly again, as if he was considering what I said. I felt my face burn bright red, stood quickly, and turned to leave. “Well, if that’s it, I’m going to go back--”

Mando reached out and placed a hand on my arm, not hard, just enough to get me to stop. Those butterflies flooded in once again. “Thessa, wait,” he said, releasing me once he finished speaking. I inwardly wished the contact didn’t stop; it sent shivers down my spine despite the innocence of it all. “You’re a pilot, former Rebellion no less. You’re great with the kid, and he’s taken a liking to you. I could use help from someone like you.”

This is exactly what you didn’t want to happen, you karking dumbass, I thought to myself. A normal life, Emereas! A normal life! Not whatever this shiny bastard is into! “I-- what? I mean, that’s… thank you, but I have responsibilities here, and you haven’t even seen any of my skills in action beyond my babysitting capability,” I responded, hiding my intense interest fairly well behind a wall of excuses.

“I have a job tomorrow,” he said. “It should be easy, in and out, but there’s always a chance things could go south. How are you with a blaster?” he asked. His tone did not make this sound like an invitation I could decline.

I sighed. “I mean, good, but I’m rusty. I haven’t shot in ages,” I responded.

“Then come with me. If everything goes as it should, you shouldn’t have to get your hands too dirty,” he said. “And I’ll pay you well for it, even if you decide it’s not for you.”

I swallowed, taking a moment to think about it. I wanted to throw myself headfirst into this, but that was not the reason I chose to settle here. But… this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and who knows where it would lead. I was more than capable, and it wouldn’t take me long to get back on top of my game with a little bit of target practice. “I… alright. Alright, I’ll come with you tomorrow, but I’m not going to promise you anything,” I said.

He nodded. I could almost imagine that he was smiling under the helmet, but I’d never know for sure. “Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Mando,” I said, waving slightly and turning to go back up to my room.

“Good night, Thessa.” My heart skipped a beat. I went back to my room and hung my jacket back up. I found an old, worn-out shirt and pulled that on instead. My face still felt like it was on fire. I almost couldn’t believe he’d just offered me a job. But what about my job here? Sure, I didn’t really have any permanent ties keeping me here. I was close to Cordes and Cerniki, yes, but not so close I’d feel too bad leaving on a whim. But that was a ridiculous consideration, right? I can’t just leave! According to who, though? Why not? I groaned, frustrated with myself for making this internal conflict more complicated than it should be. I opened a drawer in my dresser, digging to the bottom for my blaster and its holster. The grip still felt right, and the sights were still in good condition. I took it out and set it aside, ready for the morning. I grabbed a datapad and sat at my table, writing a letter for Cordes and Cerniki just in case Mando managed to convince me of the inevitable and I left this simple life behind to return to a life of adventure with a stranger.

Once that was written, I set the datapad down and slipped into bed, laying on my back and looking up at the ceiling, studying the patterns there. I bit my lip and let my mind wander to thoughts about the subject of my infatuation. I wondered for probably the thousandth time what his lips would feel like against mine, if they were soft. I wondered if he had facial hair that would scratch against my face. I wondered if he was gentle, or if he could be rough, or a sweet mixture of both. My fingers danced down my body, and I slipped a hand under my pants, my eyes fluttering closed. My mind involuntarily flicked back to my earlier comment, calling Mando the kid’s daddy. I gasped, brushing over my sensitive bundle of nerves. Okay, that one’s staying right inside my head where no one else can get to it, but it was an alluring thought all the same--one that sent a lightning bolt of arousal directly between my legs. I took my time, ultimately bringing myself to an orgasm imagining riding those gloved fingers in the cockpit of a ship, him whispering dirty things to me through that modulator. Once I finished I rolled over in bed, burying my face in the pillows. That can’t become a regular thing or I was going to self-destruct eventually. Or I could just accept that this infatuation would kill me. I drifted off to sleep, wishing he was next to me.

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The next morning I woke up much earlier than needed. I began packing a bag with essentials, stuff I couldn’t leave behind if something happened and we needed to leave. Something in my gut told me this was necessary, which should’ve made me stop in my tracks and change my mind and not go with Mando on his job today. But it didn’t. If anything, it encouraged me on, like this was what I was supposed to do. I set the bag on the table in my room, then I neatly folded my jacket and set it on top. I went to the refresher to look in the mirror, adjusting my hair into one braid that rested over my shoulder. I took a deep breath, clearing my mind before I strapped my holster to my hip, placing my blaster in it snugly. It felt right to have it on me again, somehow.

I joined Mando just outside the inn. The first stop was back to his ship, where he locked the little one inside, in a small alcove with a door he’d filled with toys and things to keep him busy. He assured me that this was fine, that he had plenty to do, and this was the safest option for him while we were out. I agreed, still worried about leaving a baby alone for any period of time.

The plan was simple enough. The target, a man who owed a lot of money to the wrong people, spent a lot of time in a seedy bar on the edge of town. One even I wasn’t familiar with, and as we approached the structure I could see why. It looked entirely uninviting, dirty, and weirdly dark despite it being the middle of the day. He would have a couple of lackeys with him, but nothing more than the two of us could handle. The client wanted him alive if at all possible, but would pay most of the bounty if he was dead. Standing outside the building, Mando produced a blinking tracking fob and studied it for a moment. He nodded, putting it back in his pocket, and we started to enter the establishment.

The few patrons who were inside quieted quickly upon our arrival. Well, his arrival. A towering suit of beskar armor would outshine a washed up Rebel pilot playing bounty hunter any day of the week. It started out fairly well, just some heated chatter between Mando and the target. I kept my mouth shut for once in my life, not wanting to cause more trouble than was already bound to happen. Rather, I kept my eyes on the people he was surrounded by. A guard immediately beside him, one at the bar, and… one right behind me. I turned, back to back with Mando, and smiled politely at the newcomer. I relaxed my hand on my hip above my blaster, not making a move to grab it, but ready to.

Then a shot rang out. From the target himself, no less, a grave mistake that left him slumped against his chair with a shot right between his eyes. I drew my blaster and pointed it at the guard immediately in front of me. There was another shot, followed by a ping against beskar, and Mando was pushed back into me. I kept my stance, ensuring he wouldn’t fall over, which was easier said than done; all of that armor he wore made him much heavier than he looked. The guard facing me fired his blaster, but he missed… mostly. The shot grazed my shoulder, bouncing off of Mando’s backplate. I had fired my own shot, landing squarely in his chest before I even noticed I had been hurt. I cursed. I noticed another one coming out from a side room and quickly aimed and shot him in the head. A few more shots rang out behind me, then it was quiet.

“Are you okay?” he asked hurriedly.

“Fine,” I responded. “Any left?” Any uninvolved patrons had long since left the bar to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

“I don’t think so,” he said.

“We should sweep just in case,” I said, beginning to walk towards the edges of the room slowly, blaster at the ready still. Mando nodded and followed suit, going the opposite direction. “The fact that those guards didn’t just scatter after you killed him concerns me.”

“Could be nothing,” he said, but there was a waver in his voice, even through the modulator, that told me he was worried about the same thing.

“I hope you’re right.” I rounded my way to the bar, and peaked behind it. A guard was on the ground, but he was still alive. Time slowed down as I watched him move his hand out. A detonator. There was a bomb in here. “Mando, get down!” I dove to the other side of the bar, the explosives blew somewhere near the back of the establishment, and the building went up in flames. I instinctively covered my head, and something heavy landed on me.

When I came to, my ears were ringing, and I felt out of breath. I tried to move, but realized I was pinned. Slowly the burning sensation set in, and I could feel every edge and splinter of the burning beam that was keeping me down angrily press into my skin. I groaned, trying to get my hands under me enough to leverage this beam off of me, but no matter what I did, it wasn’t enough. I cursed, slamming my fist against the ground. Easy job, huh, Emereas? Sure, no problem, Mando, I’ll tag along! Idiot, I thought to myself, trying to steady my breathing. Panicking in this setting wouldn’t do me any good at all.

“Mando? You out there?” I shouted, trying to see if I could get my knees under me to use my legs to get this thing off. No dice. “Anyone?”

“Thessa! Thessa, are you okay?” he shouted back. I saw his boots running towards me and I tilted my head.

“Oh, never better,” I responded sarcastically, voice straining somewhat. Mando knelt down and, with some struggling himself, lifted the beam a few inches off of me. Getting it off almost hurt just as much as having it there, if not more. I groaned in pain again, wriggling out from under it.

“You’re badly burnt, we need to get you out of here,” he responded. “Can you stand?”

I got up on my hands and knees, grabbed my blaster from the ground, put it in my holster, and worked my way up from there. He offered me his hand, and I used it to help pull myself up. “Yeah, I’m--shit!” As I attempted to stand up straight, a stray piece of wood, presumably from the beam that was just pinning me down, announced its presence, lodged in my side. It had managed to catch in such a way that it was all the way through my side, but not centered enough that it was hitting anything major. “Well that’s cute.”

“Leave it,” he said. “It’s keeping you from bleeding too much. Let’s go.” He wrapped my arm over his shoulders, helping me walk towards the entrance. As we did, a red blinking light in the rubble caught both our eyes.

“What’s that?” I asked.

He bent over and picked it up. I braced myself against the wall to keep from falling over before he returned under my arm. “A tracking fob,” he answered, studying it for a moment. “The kid. That bastard’s still alive. We need to leave, now.” If I didn’t know better, I could’ve sworn there was fear in his voice. He threw it on the ground, smashing it to pieces, and started walking faster, making me hiss in pain, towards his ship.

“Wait, wait, the kid?” I asked.

“The… kid was a quarry,” he said. “I thought I solved the problem a few months ago. Which makes it that much more important that we leave now.”

“That doesn’t give me a lot of time to think about your offer,” I responded, my free hand gripping at the area around the monster splinter, hoping to keep it still or… something to make it less painful.

We got to a point about halfway between the inn and the ship. Mando slid out from under my arm, but kept me supported, looking me in the eyes. At least, I assumed he was. The helmet made it impossible to know for sure.

“I know it’s a lot to ask,” he said. “If you don’t want to come with us I understand. This job went much worse than I thought was even possible.”

“It’s fine, shit happens. If I learned anything being a fighter pilot, it’s that nothing goes according to plan,” I responded, my grip on his arm supporting me tightening a bit. This fucking hurt.

“I really could use you. You held your own in there, you’re a damn good shot,” he said. “I will pay you handsomely. Significantly more than you make at the inn.”

I sighed. “I already wrote a note to my coworkers and packed a bag. Take me back to the inn and let me grab it, then we can leave,” I admitted.

He nodded. “Thank you, Thessa. You’ll be a great help.”

“Will the kid be alright?” I asked as Mando walked me back to the inn.

“Yeah. The ship’s on lockdown, the only one who’ll be able to get in at this point is me,” he responded. “I think we took care of the immediate threat back there, though.”

“For now, at least,” I said. He hummed a response.

We arrived at the inn and made our way up the stairs, where I motioned to my bag which Mando grabbed, slinging it over the shoulder I wasn’t leaning against. Thankfully no one seemed present to confront me, so I left without conflict. It was sort of bittersweet. Cerniki and Cordes were good people, and I’d miss them. But they’d be just fine running the inn without me; they had been for years before I showed up. And I now had very important things to do, apparently. Part of me was worried I’d just be an over glorified babysitter, but if his audition for me was a job, that couldn’t be the only reason he invited me to come along.

We made our way back to the ship. He tapped some things on his vambrace, and the ship’s ramp swung down for us. He helped me walk up, and sat me on the floor up against a crate.

“Hold on, I’m going to get us off the planet and into hyperspace, then I’ll be down to get you patched up,” he said, running up the ladder to the cockpit and disappearing for a moment. I was leaned forward to keep my back away from the crate; putting any pressure on it made it hurt even worse. I felt the ship lift off, and I placed a hand on the floor to steady myself against the new movement. After a few minutes we were in hyperspace, and Mando descended back into the hold. He opened a crate and pulled out some medical supplies; bandages, bacta patches, and some other things. I glanced down at the splinter through my side.

“That’s going to be a motherfucker to get out,” I mumbled, gingerly taking hold of the end sticking out of the front of my side and taking a cursory pull. I hissed again, letting go.

“Yeah, it will,” he responded, getting a rag to soak up blood ready to go. “Are you ready?” he asked, hovering his hand over the piece of wood.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I responded, my hands going to brace against the floor. I took a deep breath, and on the exhale he pulled. I couldn’t hold back the scream that escaped my lips, nor the tears stinging in my eyes at the sensation. My hand shot up and grabbed onto Mando’s shoulder, knuckles turning white as I gripped into his shirt just inside his pauldron. “Fuck!”

“It’s out,” he said. “Breathe.” I nodded, obeying his command, doing my best to steady my breathing. He hitched up my shirt to expose the wound entirely. It was bleeding pretty profusely, what you would expect for a stab wound like that one. He pressed the rag into the front side, spraying bacta down on the other. It stung like crazy, making me curse again. He fastened a bacta patch down, and repeated the gesture to the other side. The bleeding stopped quickly. Bacta worked wonders, thank the Maker. I took a deep breath once the work on that wound was done.

“Thank you,” I breathed, letting go of his shoulder.

“I need to bandage your back,” he said. He paused, unfastening his cape from his back and handing it to me. “You’ll need to take off your shirt so I can get to it.”

He said it so matter-of-factly, and I knew it was necessary, but it still made my face heat up, a dark blush overtaking my cheeks. I nodded, turning my back to him, and slowly peeled my ruined shirt, followed by my equally ruined bra, off. I tossed them aside, and clutched his cape to my chest.

“This is probably going to hurt too,” he said. I took another deep breath, then again on the exhale, he sprayed bacta on the wound.

That stung far worse than the other wound had. Hell, it hurt worse than getting that piece of wood pulled out. Burns were the absolute worst. “Oh, fuck!” I shouted, my hand going to my mouth to stifle any more shouts, tears falling from my eyes. Once he was done, I took a shuddering breath. “Really wish I was cursing so much under better circumstances,” I quipped. Wait, what? For fuck’s sake, Thessa, shut your mouth!

He ignored my comment, thankfully, and began placing down bandages on the wound. Once they were fastened, he observed his handiwork. Then he gently grabbed my upper arm, turning my shoulder towards him. “You were shot,” he said.

“Grazed,” I corrected. “It’s fine.”

He paused, then picked up the bacta spray again, spraying it on the wound before applying another bacta patch. “I’m sorry this happened.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “Really. I’ve… been through worse. Two Redbirds, remember?”

Mando stood and grabbed my bag for me, setting it next to me. “You should get some rest.” I dug around in the bag and grabbed a shirt, pulling it on. I handed his cape back to him, and he extended a hand to help me get up.

I took it, pulling myself up with some difficulty; the skin on my back shifting as I did so complaining. “That… sounds good. I can just set up a cot out here,” I said. I didn’t let go of his hand.

“No, you can sleep in my room, I’ll just sleep in the cockpit,” he responded. He wasn’t letting go of my hand.

“What? The cockpit? Absolutely not, I can’t just-- that’s not comfortable, and you need rest too! I couldn’t possibly--” I stuttered out, before he cut me off. I still hadn’t let go of his hand.

“Thessa. You need a good rest, you’re injured. I’ve slept in the cockpit of this ship more times than I can count,” he said. “Please, at least until you’re healed.” He still hadn’t let go of my hand.

The addition of ‘at least’ made me make a face at him. “You’re not giving me your bedroom,” I said. Hands. Was this real?

He seemed to ignore me again, pulling me along to follow him. I rolled my eyes and walked with him to a room tucked back on the far side of the hold. It was a small room, but big enough that he had a small table, a chair, and a dresser alongside his bed. “If you need anything, I’ll be up in the cockpit,” he said. He still wasn’t letting go.

I bit my lip a little. And my body acted before my brain could stop me from making a fool of myself. I leaned in a little, pressing a kiss to the side of his helmet where his cheek would be. I pulled away, and immediately looked horrified, letting go of his hand and turning away.

“Uh, thanks, for this,” I said.

“Of course,” he responded. “And Thessa?”

“Yes?” Maker, I fucked up, he’s mad now. He has to be.

“Thank you again. This means a lot to us,” he said, before turning and leaving me to my thoughts once again, the door sliding shut behind him.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. I held my hands together, to my chest, almost as if to keep the sensation of his gloved hand against mine in my grip. That did not just happen, right? Surely I died in the blast and this was just a bizarre fantasy before I finally passed on to the other side.

Before I could convince myself of my own death, my exhaustion finally set in, and I yawned. Alright, maybe I did need some rest. I carefully climbed into the bed, not wanting to put any more pressure on any of my wounds than necessary. I ended up deciding the best course of action was to sleep on my stomach; I could take some pressure on the bruises I could feel on my chest and ribs where I was pressed into the ground by the beam, but not so much on my burn, or the graze on my shoulder. The bedsheets were soft and comfortable, and they smelled like him, or at least I assumed they did, as any time I was close enough to him to be able to confirm that theory I was distracted by injuries.

Had I made a mistake? Maker, I hope not. This was… sort of exciting, interesting to get back in the thick of things. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed being in action. And how absolutely draining it was. I also partially hoped that Mando didn’t realize I had a stupid crush on him, despite the fact I kissed his helmet like an absolute fool. I knew it had to be obvious to him, but I still could hope. Now, though, those feelings would likely grow because of the fact I would be spending so much more time with him. Damnit. Oh well, if he didn’t reciprocate, I’d just have to learn to live with it. Still, he didn’t let go of my hand… I settled into the bed, falling asleep quickly, the smell of the sheets filling my head with thoughts of him I hoped he didn’t mind me having.

--------

Din Djarin wasn’t fast to trust. Not by a longshot, and not with the little one. Something about the innkeeper immediately got his attention, though. Maybe it was the way she smiled and greeted him as if he was just another person, not some novel newcomer to be marveled at. Maybe it was the way she played with and cared for the kid, and the way the kid seemed to begin to like her quite a bit. Maybe it was the way she held her own in the bar, with good aim and an incredible ability to keep her cool under fire. He didn’t miss the way she held him up when he was nearly knocked off balance by a stray blaster bolt. Maybe it was the way she so nonchalantly addressed her injuries, as if they weren’t as big of a deal as they were. Maybe it was all of those things.

Either way, not only did Din trust her, he felt something else he wasn’t terribly familiar with taking root in his chest. When she smiled or laughed he felt it dig in a little deeper. It shot through him when she didn’t let go of his hand, and became practically overwhelming when she kissed his, well, sort-of-cheek. She was beautiful, capable, and smart. She was former Rebellion, and the other former Rebel he knew was someone he’d trust with his life. Did trust with his life, and probably lived because of her. Clearly their ranks were filled with the right people.

He still felt incredibly bad, almost guilty, about how this job fell completely apart. Thessa shouldn’t have been injured, this should’ve been an easy task. How quickly things can get complicated. Indeed, if his hunch was correct, Gideon was somehow still alive, and still after the kid. But he couldn’t worry about that now, he’d need to get more information and a plan. He sighed a bit, grabbing the kid out of his alcove before scaling the ladder to the cockpit. He sat down in the captain’s chair and swiveled back around, staring out into the eerie blue of hyperspace.

He wondered if she felt the same. That odd fluttering in his core when she did something so simple as smiling. Surely not, that kiss was likely just a gesture of thanks, that was something people did. He wasn’t the type people usually had an interest in. Too… mysterious, impersonal, faceless. It was best if he just banished those feelings and moved forward as professionals, nothing more. He settled into the chair and tried to get comfortable, falling asleep, unable to fight off the thoughts of his new acquaintance.

Chapter 3

#Tori says things #my fic #a mandalorian walks into an inn #din #the mandalorian #star wars #din djarin x female oc #din djarin #din djarin x oc #the mandalorian x female oc #the mandalorian x oc #fic

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