✨stardust✨ @itsjuststardust - Tumblr Blog

Country Roads - Series

Pairings: Fem!Earthling!Reader x Din Djarin Status: WIP Rating: Mature... for now... MINORS DNI Synopsis: You’re a nurse who owns and runs a farm in rural America. You’re doing the best you can to get by when Mother Nature decides to complicate your life even more than it already was by having a tornado drop a man and his radioactive Furby onto your truck. That’s it. That’s the story... Well, that’s all you had expected the story to be, something to laugh about once the shock wore off, and everyone went their separate ways. Too bad (or lucky for you, you’re still unsure), life had other plans for you, the strange armored man and his strange green sidekick. No use of y/n

Country Roads AO3 Link

#country roads #the mandalorian #fanfic #din djarin #din djarin x earthling!reader #din djarin x female reader #fem!earthingling!reader x din djarin #mandalorian fanfic #din djarin/original female character #the mandalorian au... or is it?#the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian fanfic #no beta we die like men #minors dni #wip #star wars fanfiction #hope you like wizard of oz references #hope you like et references

awkwardpaws

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Country Roads - Chapter 7: Spacemen, Mechanics, and Robots (oh my)

🧡Country Roads Masterlist🧡 Previous Chapter

🌪️ Chapter Summary: April 4th, twenty-twenty something: the day you thought would be remembered for your trip to Walmart, only for that event to get dethroned by something worse. Otherwise, known henceforth as the day you finally believed your guests were from outer space. 🌪️ Pairings: Fem!Earthling!Reader x Din Djarin 🌪️ Word Count: 9.9k 🧡 Author's Note: HAPPY MANDALORIAN AND GROGU RELEASE WEEKEND! 🥳 It was so nice seeing our man and Grogu back on the screen again. Now that a few of you have guessed it, Star Wars does NOT exist in "Dorothy's" universe. *Gasp* 😱 As fun as it would be to have Din see himself on TV (as Mando 😉) or as an action figure, that didn't fit with the ✨plot✨ So, take that information and use it as you see fit, as we continue 🧡 April 4th has been a bit of a doozy for both Din and Dorothy, and it ain’t over yet 😈 🎵Chapter Soundtrack🎵 “UFO” - UFOs, Braxe + Falcon, Alan Braxe, Phoenix AO3 Link to Ch 7

Chapter 7: Spacemen, Mechanics, and Robots (oh my)

April fourth, twenty-twenty something

“Follow the light.” Dark brown eyes followed your pen light through the motions—Up, down, left, right, diagonally, tracking it perfectly. You clicked the light off and studied his eyes, nodding as his pupils both responded equally, each returning to the same size in sync. “Where does your head hurt?” you asked, exchanging your pen light for your stethoscope. When Din just motioned around his head, you smiled. “So, everywhere? Or does it hurt worse in a specific area?”

“Kind of everywhere,” he mumbled.

You nodded along. “How would you describe the pain? Throbbing, or dull and achy, or like someone is stabbing you with an ice pick?”

“Um, it’s better now that we’re not inside the store, but more like a dull throbbing?”

“Okay, does anywhere else hurt? Neck, back, abdomen—”

“No, just my head,” he cut you off with a shake of his head.

“Nothing else hurts?” you prodded with a disbelieving glare. When he shook his head again, you said, “Take your shirt off.”

#country roads #the mandalorian #fanfic #din djarin #din djarin x earthling!reader #din djarin x female reader #fem!earthingling!reader x din djarin #mandalorian fanfic #din djarin/original female character #the mandalorian au... or is it?#the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian fanfic #no beta we die like men #wip #star wars fanfiction #hope you like wizard of oz references #hope you like et references

Country Roads - Chapter 6: Walmart

🧡Country Roads Masterlist🧡 Previous Chapter

🌪️ Chapter Summary: April 4th, twenty-twenty something: the day you decided it would be a good idea to take your Spaceman and his Furby to Walmart. 🌪️ Pairings: Fem!Earthling!Reader x Din Djarin 🌪️ Word Count: 11.8k 🧡 Author's Note: Din's first outing into the "real world" is finally upon us! Chapter warning at the end of the chapter if you need it. I promise at some point that I will stop putting Din through the emotional wringer... but today is not that day. XOXO 😘 🎵Chapter Soundtrack🎵 “Abel” - The National AO3 Link to Ch 6

Chapter 6: Walmart

April fourth, twenty-twenty-something

After watching the light pink and orange sunrise, Din helped gather the deck of playing cards and the lamp. Silence settled over the two of you in the early dawn hours. Only, what started as a comfortable, easy silence slowly turned into an uneasy one as Din began to withdraw into himself with each item he grabbed.

“Hey,” you called quietly in the soft morning light, and when Din turned his sad puppy dog eyes at you, you reminded him of your words from just a few minutes ago, “Everything is gonna be okay.” With one last reassuring smile to your guest, you folded the blankets, and the two of you carried everything back inside the house. Not wanting to put anything away just yet, you dumped it on the recliner in the living room in favor of coffee.

Din followed silently behind you as you headed across the hall toward the kitchen in search of coffee. However, with each step he took, you could almost see the dark cloud you had worked so hard to disperse begin to reform over his head. You made your way to the coffee pot as he slid into what has become his seat at the kitchen table, silent and brooding. Not that you were a chatterbox in the morning. You could barely function without at least one cup of coffee, preferably two, so maybe it was for the best that the kitchen had gone quiet in the early morning hours.

While your Spaceman may be quiet and brooding now, that hadn’t been the case all night. Even you had to admit that your unintended all-nighter had been surprisingly… fun?

You’d woken up from your usual nightmare to the sound of an empty house and had almost forgotten you’d had guests over until you heard the guest bedroom door close, followed by the sound of unsteady stomps down the hall toward the stairs. The clock on your phone displayed the ungodly hour of three twenty-three in the morning, so at least you had gotten some sleep. However, when you heard the sound of the screen door slam closed, you realized that going back to sleep was not in the cards for you. After checking the spare room to find Grogu still sleeping soundly in the crib, you decided to put your hoodie back on and go check on his keeper. Lucky for him that you had too, or he probably would have passed out on you again, or given himself a heart attack.

Finding an alleged man from outer space, who claimed to be a bounty hunter, having a panic attack on your front porch was not on your bingo card for the day, but somehow that still wasn’t as surprising as him being dropped onto your truck by a tornado.

After working your spaceman through his episode and some gentle prodding, he finally relaxed enough to start talking to you about his alleged travels through outer space, amongst other things. You found yourself getting sucked into his story. How could you not? Stories of cities suspended in the clouds, moons with purple grass, planets made of ice and lava… It might be the sleep deprivation talking, but you were actually starting to believe him. He spoke another language for Christ’s sake. You would most definitely be running your recording through Google Translate to see if it recognized it. However, if it came back as Klingon, you’d be kicking both him and his green pet out on the curb.

But for now, you were content with housing your Spaceman and his radioactive pet Furby until you could figure out how to help them get back home. You just needed to figure out how to prep Cassie for the possibility of guests staying with them for an unknown amount of time.

“What?” Din grumped from the table, pulling you from your thoughts. He rubbed his face before running a hand through his hair, only adding to his disheveled look—hair sticking up at odd angles, the five o’clock shadow slowly turning into actual scruff along his jaw, not to mention the way his biceps strained that poor, borrowed shirt.

The coffee pot picked that time to let out a loud belch between its normal gurgling sounds, snapping you out of oogling the exhausted stranger sitting at your kitchen table. “Nothing,” you covered quickly, pushing off the counter to start on breakfast. “Everything okay? You’ve spent the last five minutes rubbing your temples.”

“Headache,” he murmured before heaving out an exhausted sigh.

“That’s what you get for staying up all night,” you tried to tease, and tossed him a playful wink when he raised an eyebrow at you. “Eggs okay?” you asked, already grabbing a few fresh eggs you’d collected from your chickens yesterday. “Might still have some veggies to make an omelet,” you commented, staring into the almost depleted fridge. “I need to go to the store…”

“If I said you didn’t need to do anything out of your way, would you listen?” he grumbled, giving you his patented scowl.

“Mmmm,” you hummed in mock contemplation before settling with a grinning, “No.”

Your Spaceman rolled his eyes. “Eggs sound great.”

“Omelets it is.” You went to work chopping up whatever veggies were left, a bell pepper, mushrooms, and used the last of the shredded cheese to add to your omelets while the coffee finished. “Hey, after breakfast, I’ve got some chores outside to do before the day starts. Why don’t you come with me, and you can look for your helmet while I’m taking care of the animals?”

He seemed to perk up at that, and then the coffee pot finished its final sputtered notes, drawing his attention to the hot, rich-smelling beverage on the counter behind you.

“Coffee?”

At his eager nod, you grabbed two mugs and poured each of you a glass. You couldn’t help but smirk at Din’s response to the first sip of Earth’s version of caf. It was the first thing that he actually looked excited about, other than when he was talking about his ship or his adventures with you in the middle of the night. Still, it was going to take more than a cup or two of coffee to rid him of the dark smudges under his eyes or free him from the cloak of exhaustion that was wrapped around him.

“I figure that we can wake Grogu up once I’m finished cooking, and then go out for a little bit.” Din nodded, content to focus on his coffee rather than you. “Then, I will probably take off for a bit.” That got his attention. “I need to go to the store and get some more food, especially if I’m gonna have guests for a bit.” His mouth opened to argue, but you pointed the last bell pepper you were chopping up for omelets at him. “I know you’re about to tell me not to go out of my way, but I also need to eat, and you thought fried calamari counts as currency here.”

“Calamari Flan.”

“Whatever. So, how are you going to feed you and Grogu?” Din slumped in his chair at that. “It’s fine,” you tried to assure him. “I don’t mind. Really. I won’t be gone long, and while I’m out, you should try and get some sleep.”

“I’m fine,” he muttered, but you shot him a look of disbelief before returning to the stove to work on breakfast.

“You’re not,” you argued without looking back at him. “You had a panic attack in the middle of the night. You haven’t gotten any sleep since you woke up twenty-four hours ago after being dropped on top of my truck by a tornado. You’re not alright. Your body has to be one giant bruise. You’re running on adrenaline, and if you don’t stop, you’re gonna crash out. You need sleep. Your body needs rest. Your mind needs rest.”

At his silence, you snuck a peek over your shoulder and found your guest staring forlornly into his mug. He needed sleep, but you had a feeling he wouldn’t be getting any rest until he found his helmet. His religion—Creed was strange and foreign to you, but there was no faking the pain in his eyes. Even in the dim lamp lighting, his dark, soulful eyes were screaming at you during your little talk last night.

“What?” he huffed, and your eyes went wide at getting caught staring… again.

“Just thinking about what it would be like to live in a city in the clouds,” you covered with a smirk.

His pointed look indicated that he didn’t quite believe you. “I’m gonna go wake the kid up,” he sighed before rising from the table to head upstairs.

He may not be on the verge of a panic attack at this moment, but it would seem that the dark cloud had returned over him since he sat down at the table for coffee. For his sake, you hoped he found his helmet and a way to return to where they belonged before that dark cloud of despair completely consumed him.

The rest of breakfast was a quiet affair.

Din remained quiet and subdued, appearing deep in thought. However, despite the dark cloud hovering over him, he still managed to compliment your caf and omelets. You learned that Din’s green Foundling was much more of a morning… creature than its keeper or its current host after he immediately greeted you with a bright smile and giggle once Din got him situated in the booster seat. The three of you ate the omelets you cooked for breakfast in relative silence. Grogu would have eaten another one, and you would have made it for him if you had not used the last of the eggs and leftover veggies. Once everyone seemed to finish their plate, and you and Din polished off the carafe of coffee, you were stopped from gathering the dirty dishes by Din, who, in a surprising move, took all the dishes to clean in the sink.

It would seem that your Spaceman had actual manners after all.

A short while later, you found yourself walking up the gravel drive toward the barn, still dressed in your pajamas and yellow crocs, with the list of questions you’d asked him last night clutched in your hand. Din walked along the fence, still wearing your brother’s clothes you lent him from last night, along with his boots, and carried a now-bright and alert Grogu to help him search the fence line for his missing helmet.

As your new Spaceman and his Furby patrolled the fence line, you went down your list of questions from last night, and the man answered each and every one of them exactly as he had yesterday. You’d thought that you would be more relieved now that you could cross concussion off your list of concerns, but the conviction that Din used to answer each question, not to mention the tales he had told you during the night, only made the options left more challenging. Challenging… confusing… those two words were almost interchangeable at this point. Part of you wanted him to slip up, to find a hole in his story, but a larger part of you was becoming increasingly terrified that you might actually have a couple of aliens on your hands.

Now that you were outside in the fresh morning air, the monosyllabic Spaceman was much more talkative after breakfast and a couple of cups of coffee. This time, while you went down your list of questions, he peppered you with questions between your own.

“Your people really don’t travel off-world?” he asked, obviously finding it difficult to believe.

Meanwhile, you were struggling to believe you were even entertaining his questions.

“I mean… we’ve been to space. There’s a space station in orbit somewhere that astronauts from all over the world stay on,” you told him. “We’ve been to the moon, and we’ve got satellites and things, but that’s pretty much it.”

“What about visitors?”

“Visitors? From outer space? You mean other than you?” you asked, earning you a raised eyebrow from the man, as if he were silently saying, duh. “If we have, I doubt the government would ever admit it. Doesn’t stop the conspiracy theorists, though. We get a lot of good TV shows and movies about it. Star Trek is huge worldwide. E.T. is one of my favorite movies. Cassie and I got really into Doctor Who when she was pregnant and on bedrest—Actually, Rosie is named after Rose Tyler,” you admitted with a chuckle, remembering watching Christopher Eccleston’s final episode as the Doctor with Cassie, only for her to go into labor the moment David Tennant appeared on the screen.

But Din wasn’t chuckling along. He frowned as the three of you reached the barn and came to a stop. “So… none of the planets in your system are inhabited?” he asked, appearing to struggle to wrap his mind around that concept.

This guy wasn’t budging from the whole Spaceman aesthetic.

And then you remembered him taking you up in his jet pack last night, along with the stories about growing up and his travels…

“Let’s say I buy into this whole,” you paused to wave your hands at Din and Grogu, “spaceman thing. Are you saying that every planet where you’re from is inhabited?”

His shoulders instantly sagged at your question. “No.”

“And of the ones that are inhabited, do all of the people there have the ability to travel in space? Like every planet is equipped with a spaceship dock or something?” He sighed and shook his head at your question. “I’m not, not saying that there isn’t life out there,” you continued with an apologetic shrug. “I’m just saying you’re not gonna find it in this solar system.” The man stayed silent, but you could tell by the faraway look in his brown eyes that he was somewhere out in those very stars you were currently discussing. “Look, I’m sorry,” you started again. “I’m gonna be a little while dealing with everyone in here,” you said, hooking your thumb at the barn and coop behind you. “Feel free to keep looking, and I’ll come find you guys when I’m done.”

As you turned the horses out and opened the chicken coop to start cleaning and feeding, you kept tabs on Din as he and Grogu continued to scour the nearby land for his helmet.

You wanted to believe Din, and while Grogu’s existence made a compelling argument to the whole alien story, there just had to be a better, more realistic explanation. You kept one eye on your guests as you completed your chores, trying to figure out what his deal was, but your newfound Spaceman was an anomaly. By the time you were done, you found the stranger who was taking up a majority of your thoughts leaning against the fence to your horse pen, holding onto Grogu while he let the child pet the muzzle of one of the older draft horses you owned.

Taking a moment to observe the sweet scene, you lingered near the chicken coop, holding a fresh basket of eggs. The horse was your personal favorite, mostly because it was the only one of the three that was yours. Most girls wanted a car for their sweet sixteen, but when your dad showed up on your birthday, hauling a trailer that held the horse before you, there wasn’t anything you wanted more. At eighteen hands, and somewhere around the ballpark of nineteen hundred pounds, the Clydesdale-Percheron cross was the largest of the three horses you owned, and maybe even the largest horse in the entire town. He was massive, and the sleek black coat and mane only added to his imposing presence. Thankfully, neither of your guests seemed intimidated by the creature that towered over Din.

“That’s Jack,” you introduced, smiling when Grogu squealed as he continued to stroke the horse’s soft muzzle with his tiny three-fingered hand. “He normally doesn’t like strangers.” No sooner than the words left your mouth, the black Percheron cross nipped the man’s bicep, but Din seemed unfazed. “Jack is also short for Sir Jackass. Sorry,” you apologized as you approached your two guests.

Not that you could blame Jack. Even you wanted to nip at—whoa, you stopped yourself from finishing that sentence, but could already feel your face grow hot at the thought.

“It’s fine,” the man mumbled as he held his hand out for Jack to sniff before he joined Grogu’s hand to pet Jack’s snout.

“No luck?” you asked, mentally willing your face to return to normal before Din looked at you. Hopefully, the man had found his prized helmet when you weren’t looking, but he shook his head, silently answering your question. “We can take another look later. I think the weather is supposed to be pretty nice until sometime next week, so there’s plenty of sunny hours in the next few days to look.”

The only sign that Din heard you was a morose nod of acknowledgment while he and Grogu continued to pet Jack.

“You guys are welcome to stay here on the farm until you find it. Cassie and Rosie won’t be back until next weekend sometime.”

Another sullen nod.

“Jack seems rather smitten with Grogu,” you commented with a pleased smile when Jack picked that moment to nuzzle the small green creature in the belly with his muzzle. Unfortunately, not even Grogu’s squeals of delight could pull even a whisper of a smile from his keeper’s face. “I’m gonna shower and change before I head to the store. Feel free to hang out with Jack for as long as you want. When I get back, we can go look a little deeper into the fields.”

“Thanks,” came his hollow, perfunctory response, but you could see him already losing hope.

You cast a nervous glance to your left when you heard the man’s boots fall into step with you as you began your trek back to the farmhouse.

“Your clothes should be dry,” you tried, looking to fill the slow walk that seemed to stretch forever in the awkward silence.

Din only nodded along to your words, but kept his eyes on his boots as they crunched over the gravel rocks.

At the continued silence, you snuck another look at the man walking beside you and caught his unfocused, glazed over eyes, oblivious to his surroundings. The only thing that made watching the hope slowly leave Din’s eyes bearable was the tiny green creature he was carrying. While Din appeared to be losing hope, Grogu looked around the farm with the biggest, toothiest smile you’d seen yet from the kid. He pointed at the other two horses and the chickens as Din carried him down the gravel drive with such a look of childlike wonder that you started to maybe, kind of sort of, consider the whole Spaceman and his alien story.

“And it occurred to me that that’s the only outfit you have,” you commented nonchalantly, trying to fill the tense silence. “I mean, aside from what you were wearing under your armor.” The man’s low hum was the only answer you received. “I’d let you borrow some more of my brother’s clothes, but they wouldn’t fit you.” As much as the too-tight shirt was a real treat, the sweats weren’t especially form-fitting and ended up looking more like highwaters when he wasn’t wearing his boots. “I’ll get you a couple of outfits while I’m out,” you offered.

And if you made sure the shirts you picked out fit him a little snugly… then you were just doing the Lord’s work.

“I’ll be fine,” he gruffed out without looking at you.

“I insist,” you encouraged, braving to lean in to nudge your shoulder into his arm, remembering how the action seemed to somewhat comfort him a few hours ago. “People around here get a little… standoffish about outsiders,” you settled on. “I’m sure you can take care of yourself, but you’re gonna get some strange looks walking around looking like you’re from the Middle Ages. You might want some inconspicuous outfits for your travels.” You smiled at the picture of your Spaceman walking around town in his armor and weapons… You’d give the gossips in town less than an hour before they called the Sheriff on him. “Besides, I’ve got to go to the store today anyway. It wouldn’t be a big deal to get you a couple of things.”

Din’s brow furrowed, and he came to a stop at the steps to the wooden wrap-around porch. You waited for him to gather his thoughts, bracing yourself when he finally turned to give you a searching look. You tried to ignore his piercing gaze, but found it difficult not to get sucked into those distressed puppy dog eyes.

“Why are you helping me?” he questioned, staring you down with those rich, brown eyes.

“Because you need help,” you shrugged.

“Just that easy?” came his skeptical challenge. "Everyone is standoffish about outsiders, but you're fine helping someone who pulled a blaster on you?"

You shrugged again. “You were hurt, and you needed help. I mean, if you didn’t have Grogu, I woulda kicked you to the curb the second you drew your phaser on me,” you teased, sharing a smile with Grogu. Din had the humility to appear embarrassed and even a little remorseful at your jab, and you leaned your shoulder into his arm again. “You were scared. I’m not sayin’ it’s okay, but I’m sayin’ I understand. ‘Sides, I know it’s been a while since I’ve gone to church, but I’m pretty sure there is something in the bible about welcoming aliens, not mistreating them, and providing them with food and clothing,” you shrugged again.

Din’s brow furrowed at that. “I thought your people didn’t have contact with visitors?”

You smirked at the man’s confusion. “Aliens, meaning foreigners. It’s a figure of speech. I’m just paraphrasing from what I remember from Sunday school classes. I may not be especially religious anymore, but I still abide by the Golden Rule.”

“Golden Rule?” he sighed as if you were the one speaking gibberish.

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” you quoted, giving him a comforting smile. “If our roles were reversed, and I ended up getting sucked up inside your spaceship, I’d hope that you would treat me the same way, even if I was terrified.”

His intense gaze locked onto yours as he studied you, likely trying to assess if you were telling the truth. You let him. You had nothing to hide. You weren’t lying. Part of the reason you became a nurse was to help people, so it’d make you just as hypocritical as most of your podunk town churchgoers, who just went to sit in a pew for show and not take in any of the lessons they were meant to learn.

The silence combined with his intense scrutiny slowly became too much, and you found yourself itching to lighten the mood.

“You don’t know who Taylor Swift is, and you’ve never heard of the Golden Rule? Maybe you really are an alien,” you chuckled.

He finally tore his gaze away from you at your half-assed attempt at levity, and he looked around at the miles of farmland surrounding you.

“Could I come with you?” he asked, looking out over the fields that would be harvested for corn and wheat over the next few months. “I just need to get my bearings, and maybe if you can show me around, I can… figure something out,” he finished with a hopeless shrug.

“I really think you should try to get some rest.”

“Dorothy,” he pleaded, turning those brown puppy dog eyes on you. “I don’t know how long it will take to find our way back. If we’re here for weeks or even months, then I don’t want to be a drain on your resources. I need to figure out how your world works.”

“Sure,” you caved. “But there’s no rush. Even when Cassie and Rosie get back, there is still room,” you offered with a kind smile that made your Spaceman shift uncomfortably. “Give me a chance to shower, and we can go. We’ll have to take the bike again. The mechanic is coming out to take a look at the truck to see if it can be salvaged this afternoon, so I’ll need to be back to meet him.” As you finished, both of your eyes landed on the rusted-out pickup truck that had once been your dad’s pride and joy. “But yeah,” you continued with a shrug. “It will probably be good if you have some adult supervision. We can take the long way, and maybe we’ll find something that looks familiar or jogs your memory.”

Din appeared reluctant, but whether that was because he was reluctant to have you as his babysitter or because he doubted he would find anything, remained to be seen.

Forty minutes later, you were coming down the stairs to head for the door, dressed in a pair of light-wash skinny jeans tucked into your old ankle-length riding boots, and a comfortable navy blue shirt with The End of the Road written on it in faded yellow letters. It was one of the employee shirts worn at the bar Cassie managed. Someone who had one too many drinks, spilled an entire pint down your shirt one night, and Cassie had snagged one of the extra shirts for you to wear, and told you to keep it. It had a bit of a V-neck, but the material was so soft and comfortable that it became one of your go-to shirts for running errands.

When you made it to the living room, you froze at the sight of your guests waiting patiently for you on the couch.

“Absolutely not.”

Din instantly frowned at your greeting. “What?” he asked, looking genuinely confused.

You nodded to his outfit, hoping he’d get the idea that if the whole purpose was to get him clothes so he didn’t stand out, that maybe going dressed in his coat of arms wasn’t gonna fly. “You’re not going dressed like that,” you countered and then frowned when you realized he was wearing his gun again. “And you’re definitely not taking that with you.”

“But—”

“No buts,” you cut him off, shaking your head. “If you want to come, then you’re gonna follow my rules, Spaceman. No armor. No weapons, even if they are part of your religion.”

“I have to take my blaster,” he argued as if it were another appendage and he’d die if he couldn’t bring it. “What if we run into trouble?”

“I promise you, we won’t be running into any kind of trouble that will require the use of deadly force today.” The man glowered at your answer, but you weren’t backing down. “My planet. My rules,” you countered, crossing your arms over your chest. Din rose from the couch and copied your stance, trying to intimidate you into caving, but there was no way you were gonna let him tag along dressed like that. You shrugged. “Fine, then I’ll just go on my own,” you said, moving to grab your backpack and another bag to haul everything back in. “I think hot pink is really going to be your color.”

Din’s shoulders sagged before he asked defeatedly, “What am I supposed to wear?”

Twenty minutes later, you had eventually talked him out of his armor, but let him keep his tactical pants and boots, and had him back in the tight Red Hot Chili Peppers shirt. Granted, ten minutes of that argument were getting him to leave his phaser gun (blaster, he kept reminding you) behind on the top shelf of the closet in the room he had stayed in last night. However, after a very long twenty minutes of arguing and threatening to leave him behind, you prevailed as the victorious one.

Honestly, you were just happy to see that your argument had lit a bit of a spark back into Din’s brown eyes. After your talk during the morning chores, you were becoming concerned that your Spaceman was shutting down. Lucky for you, he apparently found you just annoying enough that his fire hadn’t been stamped completely out yet.

Admittedly, he probably would have been fine in the odd, long-sleeved shirt made of the same material as his pants. You could have passed the ensemble off as coveralls or something, but this looked slightly more like the vibes you were going for. It had nothing to do with you realizing that, you’d been so distracted by the armor and the utility belt, to notice that his pants actually accentuated his ass quite nicely. It also had completely nothing to do with wanting to see his biceps straining against the shirt sleeves again…

The Lord’s work, you reminded yourself with a smirk.

“I look ridiculous,” he snarled as he inspected the wardrobe you’d dressed him in for your adventure.

“Trust me, you are actually going to look normal where we’re going,” you teased as you tossed him a spare backpack.

Din sighed as he grabbed Grogu from the couch, only to glare daggers at you when you cringed. “What now?” he seethed.

“I know he’s like, your emotional support Foundling or whatever, and I know I joked about him coming, but we can’t actually take him with us.”

Your spaceman’s face hardened at your words. “Where I go, he goes,” came his low, grave response.

People would absolutely call the Sheriff on you if they saw you with… whatever Grogu was. The creature may be cute, but you had no doubt that others would absolutely fall for the whole alien bit. One phone call, and you’d be locked down in your home with NASA or Area 51 standing guard while they reenact the ending to E.T.

At the very least, if Grogu stayed behind, you were avoiding a trip to Animal Control.

But… stranger things and people went to Walmart every day…

“I have an idea,” you tried, running up the stairs to raid the closet that was now hiding the man’s weapon on the top shelf, but on the bottom of the closet were several of Rosie’s old baby things that had been stored away.

Another twenty minutes later, with only mild objections from Din, you stood back and admired your work.

You managed to scrounge up Rosie’s old baby harness carrier contraption, which you’d given to Cassie at her baby shower, along with a pair of six to eight-month-old sized jeans overalls to put over the Bluey shirt. The legs were long enough to cover Grogu’s squat feet and further conceal his distinctly nonhuman attributes.

“Voila!” you announced proudly, beaming at your ingenuity.

Only, instead of one, you had two sets of the most unimpressed eyes glaring back at you.

“What?” you defended, motioning at your completed ensemble, which was a stroke of genius if you said so yourself.

Din was still dressed in the same outfit he had begrudgingly settled on twenty minutes ago, only now he had the black baby harness strapped to his chest, with Grogu tucked away in his overalls.

“See, now Grogu can come, and,” you paused to fish out an old, navy blue sun hat from when Rosie was a baby, with a pair of her old baby sunglasses to complete the look. “We can stuff his ears inside the hat and put the sunglasses on before we go inside, and no one will know!” you finished, placing the sun hat on Grogu’s head to further make your point.

“You really think it’s gonna be that big of a deal?” Din asked, smiling for the first time that day, when Grogu grabbed the hat and threw it to the ground.

“I really think it’s a big deal,” you agreed, snatching the hat from the floor to put in your backpack. “We don’t go visit other planets, and aliens allegedly don’t come and see us, so you tell me what you think will happen when the world sees you shopping with an adorable alien baby?”

“So you finally admit we’re not from your planet?” Din tried with a slight quirk of his eyebrow.

“Whether or not I believe you, I’m sure someone at the store will, and I promise you, your embarrassment about your outfits will outweigh the potential repercussions. However, if you wanna risk it, by all means, go and change back into your armor. Just don't get upset with me when the Sheriff comes for you. I don't have the money to bail you out of jail, so you’ll be on your own, buddy.”

Din looked down at the tiny green creature strapped to his chest with a sigh. “Sorry, kid, but you heard Dorothy. Her planet, her rules,” he said with a scratch between his ears.

“Sorry,” you agreed with a shrug. “Trust me, it’s for the best. Where we’re going, you’re gonna see enough weird shit. I just don’t want us to be the weird shit in question.”

“Where are we going that has you so concerned about what we’re wearing?”

“It’s called being in public,” came your flat reply. “Granted, where we’re going, the dress code is a little… lax, but it’s not lax enough for you to show up in your medieval armor set with your… Foundling,” you settled on, avoiding the alien word again.

“Once again, where are we going?” he asked, and you could detect your Spaceman’s annoyance for you creeping into his words again.

“Have you ever heard of Walmart?”

In an attempt to avoid (or limit contact) with anyone you knew, you bypassed your town’s smaller Walmart and ended up at the Walmart Supercenter that was just off the highway, the next town over.

Although now that you were standing shoulder to shoulder with your Spaceman, staring at the enormous building with the familiar blue on the top third of the building, with the prominent WALMART signage that could be seen all the way from the highway, you were beginning to have second thoughts. You hadn’t even made it out of the parking lot, and you were starting to wonder if the extra crowd was worth the extra mileage.

But it was too late now. You were already here, and you needed to be able to get the shopping done and get back in time to meet the mechanic, Rick, back at the farm around two when he promised to stop by to see what could be done about your truck.

“Why do you look like you’re about to head into a battle you know you’re gonna lose?” Din asked from his spot beside you.

You pointed at the building looming in the distance. “I was hoping there wouldn’t be quite so many people here on a weekday afternoon,” you grumbled. Only you had forgotten that this was the end of spring break, which meant an influx of people who would normally be at school or work.

“I thought you were a Healer?”

“The Earth term is nurse,” you corrected him. “And what does that have to do with anything?” When you turned to give him your attention, you quirked an eyebrow when you saw that the man was still wearing the spare motorcycle helmet you dug out of the garage for him to ride. "You know, you don't have to wear that anymore now that we've made it to our destination?"

The man's head cocked at you, almost like he was confused. Then, when he realized that he was still wearing the motorcycle helmet, you simultaneously remembered your conversation from last night.

"No one is meant to see my face."

"Shit, I'm sorry," you apologized with a grimace. "I forgot that you don't go out in public without having your face covered."

Din took one look around the packed parking lot full of cars and people, and apparently determined that no one else was walking around, hiding their identity from the world. The man's scowl that you'd become familiar with was the first thing you saw as he slowly lifted the black helmet over his head, and had to squint as the bright spring sun hit him square in the face.

"We'll try to be quick, and I promise you can put it back on the moment we check out," you offered with a friendly pat to his shoulder.

The man shifted uncomfortably as he turned his dark eyes on you. "So, Dorothy, why is a nurse so anxious about shopping?" he asked, apparently eager to change the topic of discussion.

"I'm not sure what one has to do with the other?"

“Just that people are your job,” he reminded you with a skeptical look around the parking lot.

“Exactly,” you sighed, squinting against the sun as you looked up at him. “But I'm not getting paid to deal with these particular people.”

“C’mon,” he scoffed. “It can’t be that bad.”

Ten minutes later, once the three of you made it through the entrance and Din got his first true Walmart experience, the scowl that returned to his face told you all you needed to know.

In true Walmart, wild-card fashion, the three of you were immediately greeted by bright fluorescent lights, illuminating the hordes of people milling around the aisles, and the sounds they made seemingly echoing around you. A gaggle of children came careening around the corner, screaming and attacking each other with brightly colored foam pool noodles, only further authenticating the full Walmart experience. At the sound of a particularly shrill squeal, even Grogu burrowed into the baby carrier strapped to his keeper’s chest until he was completely hidden from view.

“Told you,” you grumbled under your breath as you pushed the shopping cart through the aisles, as you attempted to get your bearings.

It wasn’t just the people who wore on your nerves. It was everything. It was the bright fluorescent lights, the noise, the displays, and the messy aisles left behind from being ransacked… Actually, now that you thought about it, people were the majority of the problem.

You decided to tackle some toiletries first. Something other than your citrus and lavender scented bath products for the man to use, and something that would be safe for Grogu's wrinkled skin.

As you turned down the aisle that would take you toward the pharmacy area where the toiletries were kept, the two of you were gifted with the visual eyesore of a man hunched over to pick something up from the bottom shelf, with half of his excessively hairy asscrack on display because his camo print shorts slipped past the point of no return.

“Careful,” you whispered to your Spaceman, who was still scowling as he walked beside you and the cart. “Your face will get stuck like that if you scowl for too long,” you teased, bumping into his shoulder.

Din hardly acknowledged your words as you turned down the men’s aisle. His eyes were taking in everything, clocking every passing person, head swiveling at the slightest sound, not focused on the task at all.

“Okay, got any preferences?” you tried, nodding to the wall of men’s haircare and body wash products.

He finally pulled his attention away from the main aisle, only for him to jump when a young woman in cut-offs that left little to the imagination stormed past you. Her flip flops clacked angrily as she screamed obscenities into her phone, all while dragging her screaming kid behind her.

You and Cassie always dreaded bringing Rosie to Walmart, but thankfully, Rosie was an angel and rarely gave the two of you too many problems. In public, anyway. Unfortunately, she was a sponge and had picked up on your and her mother's quick wit and colorful vocabulary. After the second time she was sent to the principal's office for swearing at teachers or classmates, you and Cassie had to lay out some ground rules about what was okay to say at home versus at school. So far, that seemed to do the trick.

With a shake of your head, you forced yourself from your memory of Cassie explaining to her daughter that "Yes, Caleb hogging all of the colored pencils was a shitty thing to do, but you're seven, you can't say the word shitty." Rosie's quick response of, "Well, that's stupid," still brought a smile to your face. Especially when, after her mother agreed with her but told her that was just the way it had to be, Rosie informed her that her teacher also considered "stupid" a bad word. "Since when is stupid a bad word?" Cassie had asked you, but neither she nor her daughter was impressed when you reminded them that Rosie was seven. They both just shared a look before simultaneously saying, "That is stupid."

You were still smiling when you realized that your Spaceman had gone from scowling to looking borderline overwhelmed.

“Hey,” you murmured, reaching out to rub his bicep, surprised when your Spaceman actually leaned into your touch as he returned his attention to you. “Just try and tune it out. It’s gonna be like that the entire time.” When Din’s face paled slightly, you gave his bicep a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll be quick. Let’s just get you some stuff and maybe something quick for dinner, and we can go.” At his nervous nod, you pointed to the products once again. "What do you normally use when you're on your spaceship?" you asked, trying to pull him back into the usual banter the two of you had developed.

Din bypassed the fact that you were even willing to entertain the idea that he had a spaceship. "Um, I just have a sonic cleaner on the Crest," he murmured. "Sometimes I use chem wipes if I'm on a hunt for too long without access to a shower."

"You have a sonic shower? Like on Star Trek?" you asked, unable to hide your amused smile. However, when the man's anxious eyes flicked to you, you decided that now was maybe not the time to delve into how many similarities there were to his "Spaceman" life and Star Trek. "Okay, so I'm just gonna take a stab in the dark and guess you're not picky?" When Din answered with a quick shake of his head, you nodded. "Alright, well, all I have is a shower, so let's find you something to wash with other than my citrus shampoo," you started, turning your attention back to the shelf.

Something quick, and easy… The Dial men's 3-in-1 seemed like a good choice, but when you grabbed it from the shelf to flick the cap open, your nose scrunched at the smell. Din watched you methodically pick your way through the options before you finally settled on what you dubbed the winner.

"One bottle takes care of your hair, face, and body," you explained as you handed him the black bottle of Nivea Men's Active Clean 3-in-1. "And the smell is nice, but not too overpowering." When you nodded at him to smell, he seemed pleasantly surprised. "Vanilla bourbon, allegedly," you said, taking the bottle back to toss in your shopping cart. "Okay, let's see, what else…"

Your spaceman followed you up and down the tiny aisles as you continued to grab supplies for him and Grogu. A tear-free kid's body wash that had a bit of a fruity scent for the green creature, Old Spice deodorant, lotion, a beard trimmer-electric razor combination tool so he could keep that mustache of his groomed, and whatever else happened to catch your attention. Din watched silently as he walked beside you, watching you pick through options.

Any time there was a loud noise or someone paged over the intercom, you noticed the man inching a little closer to you, but you carried on, pretending everything was fine. Grogu popped out of his hiding briefly to stare at the TVs on display in the electronics aisle, watching the brightly colored movie clips or animal documentaries with wide eyes. Din remained silent while you opted to take the easy route and grab a bag of Pizza Rolls from the freezer section for dinner to expedite your trip.

Only when you happened to walk past a police officer with a Glock strapped to his waist, Din turned angry eyes to you to argue, “He got to bring his weapon.” Not that you wanted your Spaceman to be overwhelmed, but needless to say, you were thankful for another distraction in the form of some teenagers knocking a DVD display down, and gave the officer a nervous smile as you encouraged Din to walk quicker beside you as you headed toward the clothing section. Although you regretted thinking that when he went silent again and went back to looking as if he’d rather be anywhere but here.

Same, Din. Same.

Maybe Walmart was too ambitious an excursion for your first outing with your Spaceman. You could only imagine if your roles were reversed, and you were the one from another planet, only for someone to take you to one of the most overstimulating places in the entire world. So, you did your best to stay calm and relaxed, giving him friendly smiles while you talked your way through everything, not expecting a response from him.

But it wasn't just the man's anxiety, or how he became overwhelmed the second you walked in, that you noticed; there were other, little things that you found curious. Including the fact that even though Din could speak English, or Galactic Basic, and the numbers of both your languages were similar enough, the words themselves were still a complete mystery to him. Any time you pointed out a certain product or told him that you were headed toward the sign that said Men's Clothing, he just looked lost until he looked to you for help. Which would explain why he continued to call you Dorothy, even though he held your credit cards, with your name plastered on them, in his hands last night.

By the time you made it to the men's clothing, you realized that your Spaceman was struggling.

No, not struggling. He passed struggling two exits back on the highway. He was in trouble.

When you stopped in front of the jeans, you were about to ask him what size he thought he was when you caught the concerning look on the man's face. Just like last night, his tanned skin had turned sallow, there was a misty line of sweat that clung to the man's hairline, and the biggest indicator that Din's anxiety had spiraled into a full-blown panic attack was that his dilated pupils were no longer on you and back to clocking every person and noise in your vicinity.

"Hey," you murmured quietly, not wanting others nearby to overhear your conversation. “You don't look so good. We don't have to keep going—”

“I’m fine,” he ground out, bearing his teeth slightly when a group of four rowdy teenagers came barreling through the clothing department, pushing their friends in the metal shopping carts as they raced one another through the racks of clothes.

At your gentle touch, he flinched before allowing himself to relax as you stroked his forearm. You frowned at the clammy skin under your palm. The man was practically vibrating, and his emotional support Furby was still hiding inside the harness strapped to his chest.

Your eyes started searching for a quiet place you could take him to ride out the worst of it. The restrooms were at the very back of the store, and, basically, from your current location in the dead center of the mass supercenter, it would be just as easy to make a run for it outside and leave your shopping cart behind.

Right as you were about to throw in the towel and call an end to your adventure before your Spaceman had a complete meltdown, a new sign grabbed your attention, bringing relief with it.

Fitting Rooms

"C'mon," you murmured again, but when the man’s head appeared to be anywhere but here, you grabbed onto his hand.

A flash of recognition broke through Din's panic when your hand gripped his, and his large hand returned your grip in a death-grip of his own.

You led him by the hand, tugging him to stop him when he tried to grab the shopping cart. "Leave it," you ordered before dragging him along to follow you the rest of the way.

Thankfully, no one gave you a second glance as you wove through the clothes until you reached the men's side of the fitting rooms.

There was a short line of customers waiting for their turn, along with a bored-looking teenage girl with black hair and bright pink highlights framing her face, wearing her blue employee vest as she manned the small table and return rack. When someone exited the fitting room closest to you, you gripped Din's hand tighter as you pulled him along behind you, bypassing the line of four to take the open room.

A chorus of "Heys" and "Not fairs" called from behind you, but you paid them no attention.

Once you had Din shoved inside the tiny stall, you poked your head out the door toward the teenage employee. "We just need a sec," you told her, smiling when she nodded back at you.

"Hey," a disgruntled patron called before you had a chance to close the stall door. Before you could blink, you snarled when the man grabbed your wrist. "I've been waiting for five minutes! I'm not giving up my spot just so you can have a quickie—"

No sooner than the man's sexual accusation left his mouth, he was cut off by a large hand shooting out from behind you to grab his throat. You gasped in surprise as the disgruntled patron coughed because your Spaceman was fucking choking him.

"Let. Her. Go." Din's dark command was so quiet that only the three of you could hear. Even though the man Din was currently choking couldn't talk, judging by the look of sheer terror on the stranger's face, you knew he got the gist.

"Hey," you whispered, showing Din that the angry man had released your wrist. "It's okay. Let him go."

Din's snarl was the only sign that he heard you, but when he finally released the stranger, you shoved your Spaceman back into the stall before turning your fury back on the man who thought he could touch you.

"I-I'm s-sorry," he stuttered.

"I don't care," you seethed. "Now, unless you want me to release him," you paused to hook your thumb back at your Spaceman, who was frantically pacing the stall, "out into the store—"

"N-No, ma'am," he said, shaking his head almost comically.

"Then I need you to back the fuck up, and give us a minute," you growled. "And if you, or anyone else, gives us any shit, you're gonna get my foot up your ass. Got it?"

The six or seven men in the vicinity gave you quick nods of understanding while the teenage girl smirked at them from behind her table.

With one last snarl at the other customers, you slammed the stall door closed behind you. The sound the metal slide lock made when you locked yourself in with the strange man you'd essentially known for a day reverberated louder inside your mind than it probably did in reality.

The small changing stall was cramped and unimpressive. The whole space was maybe four feet by four feet, with a booth on the wall opposite the door and a small mirror to your right. Not quite enough space for your frantic Spaceman to pace, but that didn't stop him from trying.

"You're a Spaceman bounty hunter, surely you have encountered scarier places than Walmart," you tried, but your Spaceman continued pacing as if he didn't hear you. "C'mon, talk to me—"

“Something's wrong,” he growled, baring his teeth as he spoke.

“I can see that,” you nodded, keeping your voice calm and posture as non-threatening as possible while you gave him time to work through his emotions. “Talk to me,” you encouraged him.

“Something is wrong with me,” he seethed.

“Okay, break it down by pieces that make sense to you—”

"They can all see me," he snarled as he spun on the ball of his boot to head toward the other wall. "And everyone looks the same!"

It was your turn to let out a begrudging sigh at his commentary, but you nodded in agreement as you crossed your arms over your chest. "I mean, I know there are a lot of white people, you're in rural America, it's basically unavoidable, but we've got little communities of people from all over sprinkled around. Also, the Indian rez is right around the corner, too.”

"I'm not talking about skin color," he spat. "I'm talking about species. You're all the same!"

Your mind had to buffer at that comment, and at risk of sounding like an idiot, you replied with, "Well… Yeeaaahhh?"

"That's not normal!" he exploded, latching onto his hair to tug his head, pulling the messy locks in all different directions.

Din let loose, after that, and the only thing you could do was stand there dumbly and let him rant.

You didn't even realize what he picked up on or overheard during your shopping excursion. You'd been so focused on talking through the shopping choices that you had completely tuned out your surroundings. Din, however, heard it all. Heard a group of high school girls talking about how they were going to force another girl off the cheer squad because her skin color detracted from the aesthetic. Heard two employees talking about how one of their coworkers was passed over for a promotion because she was pregnant. Heard two boomers, that you caught giving Din a dirty look as they passed, complaining about how many Mexicans were coming in illegally and taking the decent women away from 'Mericans.

You stood there in the changing stall, gobsmacked by the little things he picked up that you had completely tuned out.

"Why were they even looking at me when they said that? I didn't even look at them until they glared at me! What is a Mexican, and how is that different from a Merican?" he ranted, and you cringed when he tugged harder on his hair. "Your people are so primitive that you haven't made it farther than your own moon! And I'm not surprised after seeing how your people act!"

"I'm not sure that the people of Walmart are who you should judge the entire planet on—"

"I certainly hope not, because at this point, if this is the best you’ve got, I don't know how we're going to make it off this hellhole!"

Oh. That's what his freakout is about. Not only was he dumped in the armpit of the country, but you also had to go and make matters worse by taking him to fucking Walmart. This was Din's less fun version of your jet pack ride last night. A glimpse into the world he'd been dumped in, only to find that it was not as advanced or open-minded as wherever he was from, which, granted, didn't take much, but you could understand his panic now.

You put yourself in his shoes. Hypothetically speaking… You're somehow pulled by a tornado and end up across the galaxy, and end up in the redneck capital of the world. You lose your helmet and your religion because of it. Nothing is familiar. The place you were dumped in has no space travel, which probably also means there's no technology to even send a message for help. This would all be overwhelming enough on its own, but then to complicate matters, you have a very alien looking creature in your protection that you've sworn to protect…

"Hey," you began, and stepped in front of him, reaching out with both hands to grab his biceps to stop his frantic pacing. You kept your grip light and stroked the soft skin of his inner biceps with your thumbs as you spoke. "Din, you're having another panic attack—"

He scoffed and tried to remove himself from your grasp, but you held firm.

"Listen, the things you heard were not okay, and please believe me when I tell you that not everyone on this planet, or even in this state, thinks like that." At the man's scoff, you gave him a smile. "Consider yourself lucky, buddy. Of all the pickups you could have landed on, you landed on mine, and I don't tolerate that kind of stuff on my farm. Neither does Cassie. Hell, half of the people in my miserable town are convinced Cassie and I are in a secret lesbian relationship, and we take great delight in playing into that to make those people as uncomfortable as possible," you told him with a wink.

Din scrunched his nose at that and adorably asked, "Why would people be uncomfortable because you're in a relationship with a woman?"

"Oh, Spaceman," you tutted with a smile. "You're so sweet and innocent," you teased, earning you another scowl. "There's that scowl," you cheered, rubbing his arms. "Now, I want you to look at Grogu," you instructed as you unlatched the plastic pieces of the carrier strapped to the man's chest so you could pull the green creature out for him to look at. "Look at that adorable face," you continued, smiling when he took Grogu from you.

Grogu was a natural. The little tyke stretched his stubby arms out toward Din's face, and Din pulled the creature in close enough for Grogu to try and wrap the man's head in a hug.

"You're exhausted, you're in an overwhelming place—" As if on cue, the loud overhead speaker sounded, making Din jolt and clutch Grogu to his chest. "If you want to leave right now, say the word, and we will leave," you told him, tentatively reaching for one of his hands. To your surprise, the man instinctively shifted so he could thread his large fingers between yours, latching onto your offer to be his ground wire. "But, now that you've gotten a glimpse of how people react to people who don't look what they consider normal," you snarled and rolled your eyes to hopefully show Din that you weren’t one of those people. "If you can handle it, I say we try to finish the shopping and get you a couple of outfits to help you blend in."

"I'm sorry," he apologized, turning his brown puppy dog eyes to you. "I don't normally… I'm usually better at controlling my emotions than this."

"Don't apologize," came your quick response, and you gave him a reassuring smile. "I haven't been in exactly your shoes, but…" You clenched your eyes, debating on what or how much of your past to tell him. "But I was in a really terrible accident right before I graduated high school, and when I was finally well enough to be out in public again, I also used to get panic attacks." You smiled when Din was the one to give your hand a little reassuring squeeze at your admission. "They happen. We just need to limit some triggers until we get out of here. Okay?"

His brow furrowed, and he shook his head. “You don’t understand,” he whispered. “I don’t do this,” he growled. You frowned at his words, but continued to hold his hand while he spoke. “I can’t explain it, but ever since we arrived, everything feels off. I don’t have karking panic attacks. It’s like my body is screaming at me.”

“How so?” you asked, becoming concerned that you’d missed something drastic on your cursory exam.

“It’s everything,” he rasped. “The sun feels different, the wind feels different,” Din began, pausing to search for the words to help describe what he was feeling. “It’s like I can hear my blood flowing through my body. The pounding in my head has gotten worse the longer we’re here, and the lights are too bright. It almost feels like I can feel the planet spinning, and it makes me nauseous… Dorothy, I don’t think we’re meant to be here,” he finished, and you felt tears brim at the guttural devastation in the man’s voice.

“Okay,” you breathed out nervously. “I want you to take a deep breath through your nose with me,” you said, pulling an exaggerated breath through your nose, and felt relieved when Din closed his eyes and did as you instructed. “Now out through your mouth,” you continued, letting all of the air out of your lungs in a slow, concise stream. “Everything is gonna be okay,” you reassured him as he exhaled. “Let’s just grab some clothes and go. When we get back home, I am gonna do another exam on you to make sure I don’t need to take you to the hospital.” Your Spaceman opened his mouth to argue, but at your pointed, challenging look, he closed his mouth and nodded in begrudging agreement.

At the same time Din nodded, a soft knock sounded from the other side of the door.

"Hands to yourself," you whispered, but your Spaceman just gripped your hand tighter while he tucked Grogu back inside the harness to hide him from view.

When you cracked the stall door open, you were greeted with a soft smile from the teen with hot pink highlights.

"I just wanted to check in and see if you needed anything?" the girl asked.

"Oh, you're so sweet," you told her, relaxing against the door. "I'm sorry, but he just needed a moment."

The girl just nodded and smiled. "Don't worry about it," she brushed you off. "My daddy has problems in packed places since he came back from the war," she explained. "I told security everything was fine, and that other guy was being an ass."

"I don't know you, but I could hug you right now," you sighed, and shared a smile with the teen. "Hey, actually, do you happen to have some measuring tape back there? We were getting ready to pick some jeans out, and I'm not sure of his measurements."

The girl nodded and walked back to her desk to rummage in a drawer before coming back with a soft tape measure.

"Thank you," you replied as you took the tape from her. "This saves us from extra trips to try things on."

"Glad I could help," the girl beamed back. "I can also talk to the manager and see if they'll let me open up a register to check you guys out, so you don't have to wait when you're ready. He's a veteran, too; he gets it. Just come find me when y'all are ready," she said, giving you a little wave before she returned to her desk to continue folding clothes before you could say anything else.

"See," you murmured as you closed and latched the stall door behind you. "Not everyone here is awful."

Din just gripped your hand.

When you had to explain that you needed both hands to take his measurements, he reluctantly let go of yours.

You made quick work of his measurements, typing out notes of the numbers in your phone as you went.

Once you were done, you went to your backpack and dug around in the front pocket until your fingers found the smooth AirPods case, and pulled it out to show him.

"I want you to wear these until we get back to the bike," you told him. You took the small earbuds out of their charging case and passed them to your Spaceman, who gave them a skeptical look. "There is a noise-canceling feature to help block out the extra sounds. I can also play some music for you, if you want something extra to help drown everything out. That helps me sometimes."

After a couple of seconds, Din finally got the small AirPods situated, and you gave him a quick tutorial on how to turn the noise-canceling feature off and on.

"When we go back out there, if you start to get overwhelmed, even with the earbuds, I want your focus on Grogu or me. I'll pick out some clothes, and if I want your input on something, I'll squeeze your hand three times." At Din's nod, you asked, "Ready?"

You scrolled through some options on your phone while Din got the earbuds in place, and you ended up settling on The National, setting the volume to low. When you gave Din a thumbs-up, then a thumbs-down, he responded with a thumbs-up.

With Grogu secured in the carrying harness and Din's hand in yours, the three of you exited the small changing stall. You stopped to give the teen another thankful smile and slipped her a twenty along with her measuring tape before you led your Spaceman back out into the men's department.

You found your cart where you left it, in front of the jeans display, and were relieved to see no one had taken any of the items you'd already picked out.

Taking a deep breath, you scanned the jeans, found his size, and selected two pairs of straight-cut Levi's, one in the standard dark denim and the other in a slightly lighter wash. Next, you found the shirts and grabbed two packs of Hanes shirts, one white and one black.

There was only one awkward moment when you stood in front of the selection of men's underwear, and you resorted to squeezing Din's hand for his input. The man pulled his gaze from you to the options before you, and you had to scold yourself for the embarrassed blush that crept on your cheeks when he selected a package of black boxer-briefs. You grabbed a second pack in a variety of colors and tossed both into the cart.

Another five minutes later, you had your cart loaded with everything he needed, including a black button-up shirt, a red flannel shirt, a pair of blue flannel pajama bottoms, two packs of thick work socks, and the most expensive purchase: a sturdy pair of ankle-high, dark brown, waterproof work boots. Who knew where the road would take him, and those seemed worth the extra price over a pair of tennis shoes that would fall apart on him in case he ended up hiking to NASA headquarters.

Din hovered close behind you as you started emptying the cart with your haul onto the conveyor belt while the young punk-rock girl from the fitting rooms logged into the computer to start checking you out. You ignored the dirty looks the other customers gave you, at least until you made eye contact with the guy who grabbed your wrist the next lane over. You snarled at the man and snapped your teeth in his direction, making him try and look anywhere but at you. The teenager giggled from behind her computer screen, and you smiled when you felt Din's hand give yours a thankful squeeze.

When you felt Din's palm growing sweaty against yours again, you looked at him to see what was wrong, but saw his eyes on the screen that was displaying the slowly growing dollar amount as each piece was scanned. You wanted to kick yourself. Of course, the one thing he could read was how much this impromptu shopping spree was costing you. You squeezed his hand, and once you had his attention again, you shook your head and pointed at you and then to Grogu. With a sigh, Din dropped to look at the kid hiding in the carrier.

You weren't worried about the money. Well, you were, but that's what credit cards were for, and the total wasn't nearly as bad as some of the shopping excursions you, Cassie, and Rosie took whenever someone needed a pick-me-up. You were more concerned about whether your haul would fit in both of your backpacks.

Thankfully, you and Din were able to strategically fold, roll, and tuck the clothes, not in packs all into one backpack, and put the toiletries and the packs of socks and underwear that didn't fit into Din's backpack into yours. For the shoes, you tossed the box into the trash and ended up tying the work boots to your backpack with their laces.

When the two of you walked out of the store hand in hand, you were surprised that Din didn't immediately put his helmet back on, but seemed content to at least make it to your bike.

"Thank you, Dorothy," the man's baritone voice rumbled as he removed your AirPods and studied them in the large palm of his hand.

“No problem, Spaceman,” came your easy-going response as you got your backpack situated.

"They connect to your comm?" he asked, and at your blank stare, he pointed to the iPhone in your hand.

"Oh, yeah," you nodded. "Bluetooth."

He quirked an eyebrow at the term Bluetooth, but bypassed it to ask, "Does it read off messages? Or was that part of the music?"

"No, it can read you—" Oh no. You forgot that they would read your incoming texts to you. "Wait, why?"

The man grinned with your AirPods in his palm. "You got a message from your friend, Cassie."

Oh…

Oh no.

Lord only knows what she texted you. You didn't even feel your phone vibrate.

"She wanted to know on a scale of one to ten, eggplants, how your night went with the… I think she called it, sexy weirdo?" he relayed, unable to hide the smirk trying to form on his face.

"Give me those," you grumbled, snatching the tiny earbuds from his palm to shove them back in their case.

When you put the AirPods away and grabbed the bike keys, you caught your Spaceman still smirking at you.

"Shut up," you groaned, giving his chest a weak shove before putting your helmet back on, hoping you got it on in time to hide your flaming red cheeks.

"What's an eggplant?"

While the man seemed innocently in the dark about that particular emoji's other purpose, you decided it was best to play dumb.

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you," you yelled, pointing to the side of your helmet where your ear was as you started the bike up.

Hopefully, by the time you got home, your Spaceman would find something else to fixate on.

You watched from the corner of your eye as Din did one last check of his backpack and Grogu's harness before sliding onto the passenger seat behind you.

And when your Spaceman gently tapped his helmet against the back of yours, silently giving you the okay to go, you told yourself that the flutter in your chest was from the adrenaline of surviving your trip to Walmart, and not because of the sexy weirdo straddling the motorcycle behind you.

🌪️ A/N: Chapter Warnings: Panic attacks and bigots. Dividers by: @firefly-graphics 1. First and foremost, I am not saying that every rural town is the "armpit of America" or is full of backwater bigots. There are good and bad people everywhere. But what I will say is that I, my stories, my Tumblr, etc., are a bigot-free zone. To quote 'Dorothy', "Of all the pickups you could have landed on, you landed on mine, and I don't tolerate that kind of stuff on my farm." So, here on Ranch Stardust, if you spew hate, you will be blocked, reported, and you best hope we never meet in irl 😇 2. I am not a Walmart fan. I've always found it overstimulating, even as a kid, but it is sometimes a necessary evil that cannot be avoided. One of my first trips to a real Walmart was with my grandparents when we had to drive half an hour from their farm to get to the closest town, and I never understood why they wouldn't just leave their five-year-old granddaughter with the cows and horses while they went and did the shopping 🤪 3. THANK YOU SO MUCH! It is mindboggling how much y'all are loving this little AU, but I am eating it up! Every kudo, and especially all of those super thoughtful comments (swoon), reblogs, all of it, really make little redneck Stardust's day. Seriously, y'all are the best ✨

🧡 Tag List: @racheldon @leeroyjagginz @djarins-cyare @higgsvoidout @abandonedreaper @brunloccPlease drop a comment or send me a message if you'd like to be added to the tag list 🧡

Country Roads Masterlist

Next chapter in series - Chapter 7: Spacemen, Mechanics, and Robots (oh my)

#country roads #the mandalorian #fanfic #din djarin #din djarin x earthling!reader #din djarin x female reader #fem!earthingling!reader x din djarin #mandalorian fanfic #din djarin/original female character #the mandalorian au... or is it?#the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian fanfic #no beta we die like men #wip #star wars fanfiction #hope you like wizard of oz references #hope you like et references

fellshish

a lot of writing is sort of watching the film in your head like oh sorry can’t write the chapter yet i have to repeat hallucinate the dialogue first

Country Roads - Chapter 5: Losing My Religion

🧡Country Roads Masterlist🧡 Previous Chapter

🌪️Chapter Summary: Din Djarin finds three things on Earth he tolerates. 🌪️Pairings: Fem!Earthling!Reader x Din Djarin 🌪️Word Count: 9.7k AO3 Link to Ch 5

Chapter 5: Losing My Religion

"Grogu?"

The kid looked up from the shiny, metal gear ball he'd become obsessed with at the sound of his name and cooed.

Din couldn't help but chuckle. After a little over a year, he finally had something to call the kid other than, well, kid. He had a name. They had found a Jedi, and hopefully, after today, they would have a lead on another one.

But until then…

#country roads #the mandalorian #fanfic #din djarin #din djarin x earthling!reader #din djarin x female reader #fem!earthingling!reader x din djarin #mandalorian fanfic #din djarin/original female character #the mandalorian au... or is it?#the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian fanfic #no beta we die like men #wip #star wars fanfiction #hope you like wizard of oz references #hope you like et references

Country Roads - Chapter 4: Cookies and Twenty Questions

🧡Country Roads Masterlist🧡 Previous Chapter

🌪️ Chapter Summary: April 3rd, twenty-twenty something: the night you had cookies and hot chocolate with a man from outer space. 🌪️ Pairings: Fem!Earthling!Reader x Din Djarin 🌪️ Word Count: 7.7k AO3 link to Ch 4

Chapter 4: Cookies and Twenty Questions

April third, twenty-twenty something

The sound of the pipes upstairs kicked on right as you finished washing the last of the dishes from the day in the kitchen sink. Your eyes flicked to the ceiling at the sound of water flowing through the pipes as you set the last plate in the rack to the left to dry, then wiped your hands on the hand towel while you tried to figure out how tonight was going to go.

It was strange hearing someone else padding around upstairs after it had been you, Cassie, and Rosie living here for so long. It would seem that your girls' club had temporarily been invaded by a couple of boys, but you had a week before Cassie returned from visiting her mother to figure out what to do with them.

#country roads #the mandalorian #fanfic #din djarin #din djarin x earthling!reader #din djarin x female reader #fem!earthingling!reader x din djarin #mandalorian fanfic #din djarin/original female character #the mandalorian au... or is it?#the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian fanfic #no beta we die like men #wip #star wars fanfiction #hope you like wizard of oz references #hope you like et references

Heaven In Hiding - Chapter 45: The Reunion

Heaven In Hiding Masterlist

Chapter Summary: Din Djarin and his clan of three reunite with Paz Vizsla and his Covert, while the green armor they've been holding onto is finally reunited with its owner.

Word Count: 13,270

Author's Note/Chapter Warnings: Happy ✨TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY✨ to Heaven in Hiding 🥳 And we're finally back! The muse *may* have gotten a little carried away with a new story that I posted about a month ago called Country Roads, but we have now returned to our first love. Not sure how posting two stories simultaneously is going to go, but I PROMISE this one is going to get finished... eventually 😅 So, without further ado, may I present the beginning to the end... MINORS - DO NOT INTERACT - 18+ ONLY 🎵Chapter Soundtrack🎵 "I Will Follow You Into The Dark" - Death Cab for Cutie Cover art by: @roughdaysandart

Heaven in Hiding 2 Year Anniversary!

Guys, it’s the TWO-YEAR ANNIVERSARY of Heaven in Hiding! 😱 Not gonna lie, I can’t believe we’ve almost made it to the end (and also can’t believe it’s taken two years to get here 🤪). In honor of this milestone, I would like to show you guys the piece that the magnificent @roughdaysandart created for me! They took an idea I had inside my head (and a stick figure on a post-it note) and created something absolutely magical. In my mind, this is the book cover to all 600k some-odd words. I’m in love. Thanks, friend ♥️

Speaking of Heaven in Hiding… see you this Saturday (April 4th) for Chapter 45!

#fanfic #fic art #the mandalorian #the mandalorian art #mandalorian art #mandalorian fanfic #heaven in hiding #din djarin x force sensitive OFC

freeshavacado

you can only reblog this today

Country Roads - Chapter 3: The Pinky Promise

🧡Country Roads Masterlist🧡 Previous Chapter

🌪️ Chapter Summary: April 3rd, twenty-twenty something: the day you and a man from outer space made a pinky promise. 🌪️ Pairings: Fem!Earthling!Reader x Din Djarin 🌪️ Word Count: 8.9k AO3 link to Ch 3

Chapter 3: The Pinky Promise

April third, twenty-twenty-something

“Here,” you offered softly, setting a bottle of water on the table in front of the man.

“Thanks,” he whispered.

You watched him fiddle with the plastic bottle, noting how much smaller it looked in his massive, calloused (surprisingly well-manicured) hands before he unscrewed the plastic lid and downed a third of it in an eager gulp. With his handler taken care of, you passed one of Rosie’s old sippie cups filled with water to the green creature, smirking when he snatched the pink plastic cup from your hand and immediately started to down its contents just like his owner.

“Nice to see you do have manners after all,” came your knee-jerk, dry response, but you desperately needed to fill the silence so you could stop staring at his throat or hands.

#country roads #the mandalorian #fanfic #din djarin #din djarin x earthling!reader #din djarin x female reader #fem!earthingling!reader x din djarin #mandalorian fanfic #din djarin/original female character #the mandalorian au... or is it?#the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian fanfic #no beta we die like men #wip #star wars fanfiction #hope you like wizard of oz references #hope you like et references

itsjuststardust

Country Roads - Series

Country Roads AO3 Link

itsjuststardust

Chapters 1 and 2 are officially live on Tumblr and AO3 for your reading pleasure 🧡

Truly FLOORED by the response the teaser got 🧡 Honestly, I don't have the words, but so thankful for the positive interactions y'all gave it.

#country roads #fanfic #din djarin x earthling!reader #the mandalorian fanfic #star wars fanfiction #wip #ao3 fanfic

Country Roads - Chapter 2: Stranger Danger

🧡 Country Roads Masterlist 🧡 Previous chapter

🌪️ Chapter Summary: April 2nd, twenty-twenty something, otherwise known as the day a tornado dropped a man from outer space on your pickup… and you have to figure out what to do with him. 🌪️ Pairings: Fem!Earthling!Reader x Din Djarin 🌪️ Word Count: 8.2k 🌪️ A/N #1: Y'all, I was FLOORED by the response to this story. Thank you so much for your comments, kudos, reblogs, all of it. Truly. I know that chapter 2 was included in the teaser, but this has been edited and added onto. I'm sure there will be some questions about how much this story lines up with our Earth, and I think some things will start to make sense, or you can start to make some guesses as our Earthling drops more and more references, but I promise, it will get explained eventually. But for now, slip into your red ruby slippers and enjoy 🧡 AO3 Link to Ch 2

Chapter 2: Stranger Danger

April second, twenty-twenty-something

You’re soaked to the bone after your sprint from the truck to the shelter. The downpour had completely drenched your shirt and jeans, making them stick uncomfortably to your skin. You don’t even want to look at your hair at the moment, because based on how it was dripping, and pieces clung to your head, the only thing to save it would be a shower and a new day. Then you remembered the light layer of mascara you'd applied before work this morning and had no doubt that it only completed the wet raccoon aesthetic. Not to mention that with every shift you made, you could feel water squelch in your tennis shoes through your soaked socks, and could feel yourself tetering precariously on the verge of becoming overstimulated.

And that didn’t even include the tornado, the stranger it dropped on your pickup, or the green, hairless, wrinkled creature it came with.

#country roads #the mandalorian #fanfic #din djarin #din djarin x earthling!reader #din djarin x female reader #fem!earthingling!reader x din djarin #mandalorian fanfic #din djarin/original female character #the mandalorian au... or is it?#the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian fanfic #no beta we die like men #wip #star wars fanfiction #hope you like wizard of oz references #hope you like et references

writingdose

Country Roads - Chapter 1: Flying Debris

🧡 Country Roads Masterlist 🧡

🌪️ Synopsis: You’re a nurse who owns and runs a farm in rural America. You’re doing the best you can to get by when Mother Nature decides to complicate your life even more than it already was by having a tornado drop a man and his radioactive Furby onto your truck. That’s it. That’s the story... Well, that’s all you had expected the story to be, something to laugh about once the shock wore off, and everyone went their separate ways. Too bad (or lucky for you, you’re still unsure), life had other plans for you, the strange armored man and his strange green sidekick. 🌪️ Pairings: Fem!Earthling!Reader x Din Djarin 🌪️ Word Count: 3.2k 🌪️ Chapter Summary: April 2nd, twenty-twenty something, otherwise known as the day a tornado dropped a man from outer space on your pickup. AO3 Link to Ch 1

Chapter 1: Flying Debris

April second, twenty-twenty-something

Twenty percent chance of storms, my ass.

The air had changed in the late afternoon hours. The breeze picked up, shifting from a calm, soothing spring breeze to a gusty, ominous one. If you weren’t sure they were coming before, your suspicions were confirmed when the air suddenly stilled at sunset.

Storms.

djarinmuse

Manifesting Pedro hosting SNL again for the finale before the The Mandalorian and Grogu theatrical release

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‎🕯️‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎pedro on SNL ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎🕯️

‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ 🕯️ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎‎ 🕯️

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✨Stardust's✨Complete✨Masterlist✨

🩶The Mandalorian🩶

💚 Heaven In Hiding AO3 Link Pairings: OFC x Din Djaring (Mando) Status: WIP (Acts 1-3 complete. Act 4 in progress) Synopsis: Five years before the Mandalorian even met the Child, Mando took what he thought was going to be the easiest bounty with the highest payout of his career thus far. Capturing a runaway dancer—a ballerina versus a Mandalorian—was laughable. Until it wasn’t. The Mandalorian is a bounty hunter. His job is to collect a quarry and then return it for a profit. It doesn’t matter what happens to said quarry once he has returned it and collected the credits. So, then, why can he not forget about a sad pair of emerald green eyes after he turned her in? And when their paths cross again five years later, and he sees the condition his former quarry is in, how can he justify returning the Child to them? He is a bounty hunter. It doesn’t matter what happens to them… right?

🧡 Country Roads AO3 Link Pairings: Fem!Earthling!Reader x Din Djarin Status: Coming Soon Synopsis: You’re a nurse who owns and runs a farm in rural America. You’re doing the best you can to get by when Mother Nature decides to complicate your life even more than it already was by having a tornado drop a man and his radioactive Furby onto your truck. That’s it. That’s the story... Well, that’s all you had expected the story to be, something to laugh about once the shock wore off, and everyone went their separate ways. Too bad (or lucky for you, you’re still unsure), life had other plans for you, the strange armored man and his strange green sidekick.

🤎The Last Of Us🤎

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