Warnings/Tags: Angst (but mainly just in this chapter). Hurt/comfort. Slow burn. Eventual fluff. Major spoilers for the Mandalorian 2x6 (let’s be real, any mention of the ending of that episode is a warning because wow, the feels)
Masterlist
Chapter One: Too Late
Summary: As you and Din struggle with the aftermath of Tython and set out to return things to the way they were, you find your friendship developing into something more.
A/N: I decided to make the intro to this fic its own separate chapter, so although it’s short, the next part will be posted before this week’s coming episode on December 11. :) I'm physically incapable of writing beginnings, so as usual enjoy me dropping you right smack dab in the middle of the action. This will be a bit of a slow burn, people. I want to build their relationship UP. This fic will directly follow the events of episodes 6-8.
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It wasn't meant to happen this way. It wasn't meant to happen at all.
Your lungs burned as you followed Din and Fennec up the ridge, close on their heels as the three of you weaved around boulders and fallen storm troopers towards where Grogu had been left at the top of the seeing stone.
Tears threatened to spill from your eyes as you pushed through the exhaustion weighing on your mind and body, but there was no time to cry. No time to wonder how the Empire had found you or what they'd do to the kid if they reached him before you did. All you could afford to think of now was making it to the top of the hill.
“Dank farrik,” you panted, throwing your head up just in time to see four black droids descending from above the temple and disappear from your line of sight. Panic hit you like a wall of duracrete. You tried to run faster as Din practically leapt over a stone in his path.
Not Grogu, came your desperate plea to whoever was listening as you finally came up over the top of the ridge and caught sight of the seeing stone. Please, not after everything.
Din and Fennec came to a halt in front of you just as the droids, unlike any you'd ever seen, blasted off with the kid.
"No!" you cried out, pushing past the Mandalorian even as he outstretched his arm to stop you. The child’s big ears flapped in the wind as they soared upwards and you spun to see Din holstering his blaster to raise the scope to his visor.
Your heart was racing. Beads of sweat rolled down the back of your neck as you waited for him to say something.
“They’ve got the kid! Don’t let them get away!” Fennec exclaimed into her commlink and you turned to see Boba’s ship pass just overhead.
You knew it was futile. Boba Fett wouldn’t be able to take down those droids without hurting Grogu, and Din basically said as much. All you could do was watch helplessly as Grogu disappeared into the clouds and a piece of your heart was ripped away.
The news of the Empire’s return barely registered in your mind.
He was gone. You had lost him.
The blaster you had been gripping like a lifeline all the way up the ridge slipped from your grasp and clattered distantly against stone as Din and Fennec grew quiet behind you.
The warm breeze blew through the patches of overgrown grass around the temple and you blinked slowly at the seeing stone. It felt like ages before anyone spoke.
"Mando, we should go," Fennec said, her voice surprisingly soft for a mercenary. You thought perhaps there was some pity in her words as she retreated back down the hill.
After only a moment's pause, you felt Din’s gaze on your back and braced yourself to hear the pain in his voice over the loss of his son.
He had asked you to stay with the kid, but you had gone to help the others. Why hadn’t you done what he had asked? You could’ve been there, done something.
You jumped as you felt the gentle touch of Din’s gloved hand on your elbow and looked over your shoulder to stare straight into the black visor. It wasn’t anger you saw in his posture or the inclination of his helmet towards you. It was grief.
There was no use hiding the tears that blurred your vision, but you still ducked your head away when his fingers curled around the fabric of your sleeve in silent gesture before he stooped down to pick up your blaster.
"Din," you tried, blinking up at him as he pushed the blaster into your open palm. The blaster he had gifted you back on Tatooine when you had first joined him.
“Let’s see what we can salvage from the Crest.” The modulator did little to mask the strain in his voice.
There was nothing you could do to comfort him right now, no bacta or bandage you could pull from the pouch at your waist to mend the wounds currently tearing through each of your hearts in the absence of the child. If you could’ve taken a guess at the expression he wore behind his helmet, you imagined he was opening his mouth as if trying to find the words.
But ultimately he held your gaze for a moment longer before turning to follow Fennec back down the hill.
You stared after him for a moment, dared one last glance at the sky, and made your way towards the smoldering ashes of the Razor Crest.
...
Tag list: There will be a taglist for this so just let me know if you’d like to be added! And thanks for reading!💕
Why do you think Osomatsu took it the hardest out of all of his brothers when Choromatsu was leaving for his new job?
oh boy, this is just as complicated as that Iro ask
there’s a couple reasons, from my own interpretation
one, they’ve been sextuplets their whole lives, living together, being super close, being, like... part of a ‘set’, you know? Osomatsu defines himself as being “the oldest”, he doesn’t feel like he has a personality outside of that (even tho that’s not really a personality but that’s another talk for another day)
but if the brothers aren’t together... he’s not really the oldest, because he’s the only one. he hates being alone because when he’s alone, he doesn’t know who the fuck he is. being “the oldest Matsuno sextuplet” is how he sees himself, so he wants his brothers around so that he can keep being that... otherwise, who is he? who is Osomatsu if he’s not the oldest brother in their little group who are always together?
basically this point is that he’s got identity/dissociation issues and Choromatsu leaving was the beginning of all of them leaving, which meant Osomatsu would have to figure out what his identity outside of “the oldest sibling” was, and he’s terrified of doing that, half because he doesn’t think he’ll like who he is, and half because finding yourself is a lot of work that he doesn’t know if he’s ready for
another point is that it probably hit especially hard specifically because it was Choromatsu who was leaving first
Choro and Oso were incredibly close as kids! they’ve drifted apart a bit now, and they fight a lot, and they’re so much different, but they’re still pretty damn close. they were partners in crime as children, and Osomatsu at least actually still considers Choromatsu his best friend
(which is a whole other thing that makes me cry tbh because I don’t even think that Choromatsu knows Osomatsu still thinks of him as his best friend)
so having Choromatsu leaving first was like he was losing his best friend, which is of course a really shitty feeling! so he took it hard simply because, to his mind, it seemed like Choromatsu who he loves so much was really excited to move out and get away from them (and more pointedly, to get away from Osomatsu)
he’s also been kind of in denial up until the point where “we’re gonna have to eventually move out and not be together all the time anymore” became a reality. he always knew it would happen, but when eventually finally rolled around, he wasn’t prepared. the logical part of him knew it would happen, but the emotional part of him didn’t expect it to actually happen so soon
so he kind of shut down and acted the way he did because... well, he wasn’t ready, and because he wasn’t ready, he couldn’t react properly to the fact that it was actually happening. part of him knew, but he hadn’t actually really processed it yet
my boy is so fucking complex and that entire episode I was so sad because the whole time I was thinking Oso what are you doing you need some help hhhhhhhhhhhhhh 😢
I’ve gotten to the Starcity part in Enderal again. :/
This time when I saw Kurmai and his ship and heard the Nehrimese mage talking about Anku I legit forgot I had done this quest before and got so, so excited. I was gonna get to see Starling-King-of-insanely-long-name-of-gobbledygook and Haimon and yay!
Then I remembered....
That whole quest is just fifty times sadder for me now.
The Wedding of Bellatrix Callidora Black and Rodolphus Jacque Lestrange
The House of Black were not known for doing things by halves. A Black wedding was an expensive affair, and the Lestrange family came from old money as well. It became something of a competition between the two - which family could spend the most money. A hefty dowry was paid to the Lestrange family as was tradition, and the rest of the wedding came together swiftly. Rabastan was his brother’s best man, and Bellatrix’s sisters stood beside her on the day they’d always giggled about as children.
The wedding took place in a Chataeu not far from Paris, the setting fit for royalty. Anyone who was anyone was there - trust two of the most prestigious pure-blooded families to make a happy union of their children into a networking event. Cygnus and Druella Black never passed on an opportunity to demonstrate why the House of Black were practically wizarding royalty, and to compete on why their strand of the family line was best. There was no male heir between them, but their eldest daughter fit their wishes perfectly. The perfect heir to the House of Black marrying the perfect Lestrange heir.
Bellatrix’s dress was dazzlingly white, a huge and heavy train trailing behind her. It was long sleeved to obscure the mark on her arm, and she was a vision of beauty as Cygnus walked her up the aisle. Rodolphus and Rabastan stood at the end of the aisle, and unbeknown to Bellatrix Rabastan had a copy of Rodolphus’ vows just in case Rodolphus forgot. As she carefully watched her soon-to-be husband, Bellatrix could sense his nervousness. Strange, considering it were an arranged marriage but the ceremony continued with little issue.
Vows were exchanged - a promise to be loyal to one another, to share everything life could throw at them, and a promise of eternal trust. Bellatrix avoided using the word ‘love’ in her vows, but Rodolphus declared before their gathered families and guests that "I didn't mean to love you, but I do."
That set alarm bells ringing in Bellatrix’s mind, but it was too late now. They shared their first kiss as husband and wife as their families applauded, and a grin played on both of their lips as they pulled away. No longer a Black, instead she was Bellatrix Lestrange. The name fit so perfectly. Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange, a husband and wife duo not to be trifled with.
After the ceremony began a grand celebration. Their first dance was set to the same piece of music that Cygnus and Druella had danced to at their own wedding, and Druella had taught her daughter how to dance like a proper pureblooded woman - much to a younger Bellatrix’s dismay. Now she was glad of her mother’s teaching, for there were what felt like hundreds of eyes on the couple as they twirled around the dance floor of the ball room. After their dance was over, others joined them on the dance floor. A sweeping glance across the room showed that Andromeda and Rabastan were dancing - theirs would surely be the next wedding that they attended. Malfoy was there, much to Bellatrix’s dismay, dressed in robes that were drawing eyes all across the room. Trust Lucius Malfoy to try and show up one of his best friends at his wedding. It was exactly the sort of behaviour Bellatrix had come to expect from the Malfoy heir, and exactly the sort of behaviour she deplored. If she’d been given her way, he would not be here.
Almost as if her new husband could sense her growing displeasure as she watched Malfoy, his lips brushed close to her ear and he whispered that they should go somewhere more private. Taking his hand, Bellatrix allowed Rodolphus to lead her away from the dance floor and to one of the upper levels of the chateau. A brief glance over her shoulder showed her mother’s look of shock that the bride and groom were leaving the wedding already - but Bellatrix needed a moment. Narcissa wasn’t too far from Andromeda, and a warmth filled her heart. She couldn’t have imagined her wedding day without her sisters by her side as bridesmaids, as they had talked about so often when they were young. Bellatrix was so proud of both her sisters - of the women they were becoming.
Rodolphus led Bellatrix towards a balcony that overlooked the beautiful grounds of the chateau. The music was still playing faintly in the background - but for now husband and wife stood alone. His arms encircled his new wife, and he began to sway with the faint music. Bellatrix followed his lead before looking up to catch Rodolphus’ gaze. “Love?” She questioned, knowing that Rodolphus would know precisely what she asked. “What a terrible thing for a husband and wife to love each other,” was his response, dripping with sarcasm. A small huff and Bellatrix cleared her mind, returning to their dance with a small smile.
At the end of the day, she was pleased with the husband she ended up with. They served the same master and had the same values - she would have refused a husband that did not believe what she did, regardless of the shame it might have brought upon her. But Rodolphus was enough. They danced under the stars for a while longer before Rodolphus drew backwards, a hand searching within his jacket pocket. A small box lay in his hand, and Bellatrix quirked an eyebrow. “What’s this?” Rodolphus opened the box to reveal a black rose necklace, set with sparkling black diamonds. “A gift for my new wife,” he simply offered in explanation, motioning for her to turn so he could put the necklace on. Brushing her hair aside, the necklace lay comfortably against the top of her chest and she reached up to touch it gingerly. It was beautiful, just her style, and a gift fitting for the heir to the House of Black. “It’s beautiful,” Bellatrix whispered as she turned before capturing her husband’s lips.
After stealing a few more private moments, the newly weds returned to the ballroom hand-in-hand. Bellatrix’s careful gaze didn’t miss the fact that Andromeda no longer appeared to be present - but she didn’t allow herself to dwell on it too much. The rest of the evening passed with a blur, full of dancing and kisses and more stolen private moments in the gardens. A fireworks show ended the evening as the couple reached for a portkey that would take them to their honeymoon destination.
And so began the rest of their lives as the Lestranges.
