I just wanted to let You know that as i have read Shot in the dark and im now reading Hunted in the Shadows (both by Mary Dublin and Anne Kendsley) ive made it my habit to look at your posts with memes for both of these books, they add even more fun as i'm reading those, almost like im reading it with someone.
Love your memes, u so fuckin funny Man
Omg, Hi Anon 👋🤭🫣🤭🫣🤭🫣🤭👋
Thank you!!! I’m so glad someone is out there enjoying my memes! 🥹🥹🥹 That’s exactly what I was hoping for! It makes me so happy!
If you ever want more memes that I made of other people’s stories, not just Shot in the Dark, you can find them here!
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“Almost like I’m reading with someone” 😆🤭 hehehe
My memeing ghost sitting with y’all as you read SITD & HITS 👁️👄👁️ 👻:
This is my character Lillian from my comic Stepping into the Dark. Felt like I should post her. You can find the comic through my Strawpage ( https://82jay28.straw.page ). I learned cursive for this. The pains of an artist/writer.
i have not been working on skk at ALL lately.... but i want to... agh.....
if you will permit me to yap a little about SITD-verse.... kind of some nsfw-ish headcanons and random stuff... n_n
so skk are in an arranged engagement since they're small, but they won't actually get married until age 20 bc that's when dazai will come into his political power as a prince... (this is sort of based on japan age of majority being 18 for some things and 20 for others... anywyas)
so when they're like. 18-20 they're adults legally but not married so they aren't allowed to be together unchaperoned. no out-of-wedlock shenanigans allowed (eyes emoji)
but already since their childhoods they're in the habit of sneaking into each other's rooms, just to hang out. dazai has insomnia and they both get lonely so they're always doing this.
but when they get older, there's so much more tension....
dazai still sneaks across to the adjoining tower at night out of habit because why would he sit awake all night alone with his feelings when he can simply go and annoy his fiancé instead?
chuuya is like. dazai you idiot. we aren't married yet if you're caught in my rooms after dark there will be such a scandal
and dazai's just like. rolling his eyes.
(typical dazai know it all tone of voice) i don't want to do anything sinful, chuuya, I just want to spend time with you. is that allowed?
and for once he's being honest! .... well. for the most part. he'd really only thought about sitting with chuuya and talking his ear off about random bullshit. maybe a little bit of making out.
but then when chuuya lets him in and he's only wearing a loose linen shirt and trousers to sleep in, and it's a hot summer night, and the linen is thin and dazai can see the outline of his body through the fabric. and dazai is still only what, eighteen or nineteen? still young and inexperienced....
so that's when the teenage boy brain goes into overdrive and dazai is like. well. okay. maybe i do want to do something sinful after all
(I wrote a lil somethin actually... idk if it makes sense but. hands you it)
___
Chuuya lights the larger oil lamp from the small candle already burning on the bedside table. Dazai’s eyes stay firmly fixed on the floor the entire time.
“What’s with you?” Chuuya demands, tone accusatory. “You barge your way in here at who knows what time of the night and now you won’t even look at me.”
“While I swear to you on the honour of the crown that I was being honest with you five minutes ago,” Dazai’s voice comes out a little strangled, “I might have to retract what I said about not wanting to do anything sinful.”
Chuuya snorts derisively. “Should’ve known. What caused the change of heart?”
Dazai is still looking very pointedly at the floor. “Your nightclothes,” he says, “Are rather thin. Even in this light, I can see… well. Almost… all of you.”
“Oh,” Chuuya says. This would, in theory, be a good opportunity to act dainty, shy, demure – the delicate feminine persona people have always wanted from him. But that’s never been who he actually is, and tonight Chuuya is feeling a little wicked. He pushes his shoulders back, knowing his unbound chest is clearly visible through the linen of his loose nightshirt. “What do you think, then?”
“Chuuya.” Dazai puts one hand to his temple, partially shielding his eyes. “Don’t.”
Chuuya’s eyes widen in surprise. In all these years, never once has Dazai given in first in the stupid back-and-forth games they play.
“You’re serious.”
“Deathly so.” Dazai swallows, hard. “Chuuya, I… your body, in the candlelight… My god. I want you so badly it makes me insane.”
Chuuya cocks his head to one side. “Then have me.”
Dazai makes a choked sort of sound. “Don’t even—”
“Why not?”
“We’re too young. We’re not married. There’s a thousand reasons—”
“I didn’t think you cared about social rules.”
“I don’t,” Dazai snaps at him, “But I care about the things I do with you.”
“Oh,” Chuuya says again, taken aback for the second time. “I… well, shit. There’s… no rush, you know? We’ve still got…” He trails off. It still feels a little heavy to say the rest of our lives together.
Dazai takes a deep breath in, and exhales it slowly through his nose. “I know.” He’s still not looking at Chuuya directly. Chuuya finds he misses the burn of his gaze, the way it sparks something under his skin, sets him alight.
Chuuya reaches out for his hand, brushing their fingertips together. In the heat of the moment it feels more intimate than it should. “Will you kiss me?”
“Fuck,” Dazai breathes, “Of course. Always.”
Chuuya steps forward into Dazai’s space, and lets his fiancé’s arms enfold him.
Summary: Cal Kestis offers some more insight into who your mysterious son is.
A/N: Thank you guys for being so, so patient and still being excited for me to update. I feel like my Din muse has returned and I hope you enjoy! Taglists are open, and as always feedback is welcome! xx
Pairing: Din Djarin x Fem!Reader
Word Count: 5.6k
Warnings: spoilers for up to s2, e5
SERIES MASTERLIST
MANDALORIAN MASTERLIST
MAIN MASTERLIST
»»————- ♡ ————-««
"Oh," your heart fell as you looked down at the little one sitting on the floor and cooing happily. He looked between the between you and Din before turning his gaze back to Cal, and the figures behind "is there...do you know anything about him? I don't know how...I'm still learning how to properly wield the force and I can't..."
"Yes," he said as he gently held out his hand to the little. You felt Din tense slightly at your side and gently put your hand on top of his, giving him a gentle squeeze, "come here, little one."
The child slowly clambered up, grabbing one of Cal's fingers and letting the Jedi pick him up. He cooed quietly as a wave of emotions splashed over Cal's face. You wondered if this was hard for him, if it reminded him of the mysterious Master Yoda, if it reminded him of the days before he, like so many others, lost everything.
"We'll go," you offered quietly as you motioned for Din and the others to follow you, along with Jeele. Din stiffened at first but didn't question your judgment and then followed after you.
You settled back down in the kitchen, the six of silent as you let a long huff of air.
“Where are my manners,” you shifted next to Din and studied each of the new figures in turn. There was another woman, older in appearance with warm, dark skin and a kind face, a younger woman covered in tattoo-like markings and white blonde hair, as well as a smaller figure that you recognized as a Latero. You offered them your name before turning to your Mandalorian, “this is Mando and I believe you’ve met Jeele already.”
“Cere Junda,” the older woman stuck out her hand and gave you and a firm handshake, “this is Merrin and Greeze. We work with Cal; you just be the mysterious Jedi.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever qualify to have that title,” you admitted, “not since the order is all but gone. But...you are. I can feel it - the force is strong with you.”
“It once was,” she confessed as a tight smile crossed her features, “but I no longer use it. Much as happened since the fall of the Order, and much of it I’d like to forget. The pull to the dark is too strong sometimes...I’m sure you must have felt it.”
You tensed as her words washed over and Din’s gaze shifted to you. You swallowed thickly as you realized that she was right; what you’d felt, especially in the crystal cave was strong, that call to chaos and violence, the pull to the dark. But you were strong enough to resist it then and you hoped to continue to be, “y-yes...I’ve felt it before.”
“It will get easier over time,” she promised, almost as if she could hear you fears and worries, but then again, you supposed she probably could, “Merrin is a Night Sister. You probably feel the energy from her too.”
“A Night Sister,” you said as the younger woman offered you a small smile, “from Dathomir? You use Magick, don’t you?”
“I do,” she agreed, “you are well versed in your histories aren’t you?”
“I had a lot of time when I was studying by myself, I tried to learn a little about a lot, but I would not consider myself an expert by any means. Your people have been through much.”
“As have yours,” she reached across the table and gave your hand a gentle squeeze, “we’re survivors, we make due with what we have, and stick together.”
“Together is the only way we survive,” you agreed before you turned your attention to the last of Cal’s crew, “it’s nice to meet you too. Greeze?”
“At your service,” he sounded entirely neutral as he looked over the two of you, eyes lingering on the Mandalorian, “don’t see many of you anymore. What are you doing with a little Jedi? I thought Jedi were the enemies of the Mandalore?”
“It’s a long story,” you begin, thinking about the day you’d met your mysterious Mandalorian, sure that it was going to be the last day of your life. Little did you know that it would be the beginning of your entirely knew life, one will with more adventure, and love, than ever before. You turned to Din and offered him a small smile, sure that he was giving you the same one in return, “but to make it short, I had a bounty on my head, and he ended up saving me both from my injuries and capture, and the rest is history really.”
“Oh jeeze, another love story,” Greeze sighed jokingly as your cheeks turned warm, causing you to pointedly keep your gaze away from Din, although both of you now knew that’s exactly what it was, but so much more than that, “what is it with Jedi and forming attachments, I thought that wasn’t allowed.”
“It wasn’t,” Cere said sharply, “which is one of the many reasons the Jedi Order fell. I never quite did understand that part, I do...but it never made sense.”
“Good thing I’m not a Jedi then,” you said softly as the whole table laughed, “because I would have been doomed a long time ago.”
Din’s hand was on your thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze as he watched you closely, a rush of emotions coursing through his blood.
“Listen, Cal told us about your crystal. Which means it’s time construct your own lightsaber,” Cere explained as you sat up with excitement. You’d been through hell and back to get that crystal and you were going to build that saber no matter what, “we have materials for the hilt back on our ship, we’ll get it all out for you. When you’re ready, come find us and then you can build.”
“Thank you,” your breath caught in your throat as you stared at table and let out a long breath.
“It’s a big step, and a right of passage,” Cere acknowledged, “take your time and find us once you’re sure.”
“I will,” you promised. The three of them stood up and started to head back to their own ship, with Jeele giving you a small nod and following them. It must have been a comfort to her as well to have other people who had experienced the same things around. They knew all the same heartbreak and loss.
Once when they were gone and silence fell over the two of you again, you let out a long sigh, just as Din did the same.
"You don't think-"
"No," you promised, "I don't think Cal is going to do anything. We can trust him, I can sense it."
"Do you think we'll get answers...something? Maybe he can help train him," he started babbling as you reached up and put your hand on the cowl at his neck giving him a gentle, reassuring squeeze, "I don't know if...I’m not...”
"I know," you replied softly as you understood exactly what he was trying to say, "you know what we have to do. Whatever happens, we'll get through it. We're a family, Din and nothing is going to change that. You don't have to do this alone...I will be here with you every step of the way."
He remained silent for a few moments, and you could hear a few heavy, long exhales come through the vocoder of his helmet. You remained silent but put your head on his shoulder, watching as he put a hand on your thigh. You put your hand on top of his and he silently laced your fingers together.
In all honesty, you weren't prepared for what might be coming. You'd been waiting and looking for more information about the mysterious small child, your son, but now that you might be getting some answers it all felt...gut wrenching. You wanted to know more about him and how to help him for his sake as much as yours and Din's. But at the end of it all, his was Din's son, and yours. Parting with him... it would be...almost impossible, but if it was what needed to happen, then you would do it. You were sure it wouldn't be forever, something in your heart told you that at the end of the day, your family would always be together.
The silence was tense at first, stiff as you both tried to come to terms with things that might soon be happening. But it soon shifted into something much more bearable and comfortable. One of the many things that you loved about your ever blossoming relationship with the Mandalorian was how the two of you could easily read each other. You rested your head on his shoulder as his hand was firmly on your thigh.
"Din?"
"Yes, Mesh'la?" his voice was tired, bells, he was tired and exhausted but he kept going; because of you and your son.
"We're going to be okay," you promised him again, feeling the need to reassure both of you again, "just like I had to leave the two of you for a while, this might be the same. But look, we're back together. The force...it works how its supposed and I know we're going to be together always. I saw it..."
"A Mandalorian and a Jedi," he huffed lightly, "they would never have seen it coming."
"Times change as do all things," you agreed, "but we are neither. I'm just me and you're just you. Aliit."
"Aliit," he agreed. You could see him leaning ever so slightly towards the door as you laughed lightly, "do you think..."
"Let's go and check," you stood up and offered him your hand, which he took without hesitation. The two of you slowly padded down the hallway, remaining silent as you walked back into the hull.
You weren't sure what you were expecting, but it certainly wasn't the sight that met your eyes. On the floor, almost as unchanged as when you'd first, were Cal and your son, intently staring at each other. Din looked between the two of them before turning to you.
"They're communicating," you whispered softly, "they can understand each other's thoughts...its a skill you learn and improve over time...I'm afraid I'm not quite there yet."
"Thoughts," Din repeated as you nodded slowly. Almost as if on cue, Cal broke his gaze with the little one and turned to you.
"He wants me to tell you something," Cal as you approached the duo and sat down on the floor next to them with Din following suit. The little one turned me looked at both of excitedly, "his name. His name is Grogu."
“Grogu,” the name, gentle and soft, completely unexpected and yet perfectly fitting, caught in your throat. The tears that welled up in your eyes were immediate as you looked at the same green creature on the floor. After all this time, you finally knew his name. Grogu. He turned to, a little smile on his face as his ears perked up in excitement, “hi, my love.”
“Grogu,” Din repeated and the little one’s response was enough to make your heart melt. He cooed happily, nothing but happy little noises as he clambered to his feet and headed straight for Din. He stopped in front of his legs, holding his little arms up as he waiting for Din to pick him up. He hesitated for just a moment and you were positive you heard a small sniffle from under the helmet as DIn gently scooped him up in his arms before holding him tightly to his chest. It was silent for a moment as the two embraced each other before pulling apart as Din pressed the his helmet tenderly against his forehead, “Grogu.”
“Cal,” you reached over and back the child, no, Grogu’s back and gently rubbed it in a sign of reassurance, “can you tell us anything more about him?”
“I was able to get some more out of him,” he confessed, “but there’s a lot of...holes, dark spots, in his memory. Parts of his memory are almost blank; he spent a lot of time in hiding, in fear...he was alone and scared for a long time. He hid his powers, lost touch with them for years in order to survive. His ability to adapt and blend in led to his survival.”
“But he’s used them recently,” you raised an eyebrow as Grogu made a small sound.
“He feels safe,” Cal explained as Grogu appeared to nod, “he feels protected when he’s with both of you.”
“H-he does?” Din’s voice cracked as Grogu held onto one of his gloved fingers, “I’ve always wondered...”
“Yes,” Cal promised with a gentle smile of his own, “he’s formed a strong attachment to you, both of you. He thinks of you as parents.”
“We think of him as ours,” Din’s free arm found its way around your waist as you nodded, trying to take in and adsorb everything. That mean he understand you both, he knew just how much you loved him and how much you both cared.
“Where was he before? Before he was found?” Cal’s face fell slightly at your question, an almost upset expression crossing his features, “Cal?”
“At the Jedi Temple on Coruscant,” he explained. Where your brother hand been. Where Cal had been. Before they lost everything, “he had several teachers over the years, but during the purge he was smuggled out and put into hiding. He was lucky...like me. We survived unlike so many of our brothers and sisters.”
“You both went through so much, Cal, but you survived, that’s the important part,” your voice was gentle as the ginger haired man closed his eyes and let out a long breath. You had no doubt that the memories still plagued him often; survivor’s guilt. You all had in one form or another, “but who saved him? Why just him? Not that I don’t love him, but what’s so special about him?”
“I don’t know,” Cal shook his head in defeat as he looked at Grogu with a sad little half smile, “he doesn’t remember...or he’s blocked it out.”
“Another piece we still need to figure out,” while you felt slightly defeated, you were happy in turn. You knew a little bit more about him and his origins, and if nothing else, you had a name and you knew that he loved you both as much as you loved him.
“The most important question is - what does the Empire want with him?” Din kept his voice down, although the frustration was evident as he held Grogu close to his chest. All the excitement of what had been going on had slowly worn him down and he was started to loose the fight against slumber, “there was a scientist, he was trying to do something to him, but I took him back before they could do anything further.”
“The Empire doesn’t exist anymore,” you reminded Din as the men sighed deeply in unison; if it wasn’t for the severity of the situation, you would have laughed.
“The Empire still exists, it always has,” Cal offered as Din nodded, “under different names in different forms. Evil is always out there, and there’s been...stirrings about.”
“Of what?!”
“A new order,” Cal confessed quietly as you grimaced. None of that sounded good in the slightest, “but that’s just among many other things going on.”
“I...we’ve been tasked to bring him back to his people,” Din said as a look of realization crossed his features, “whether’s that his native people or the Jedi we don’t know.”
“There’s not many Jedi left,” Cal stated the obvious as you nodded, “especially not fulled trained Jedi like Jeele or Cere.”
“What about you, Cal?” you asked, knowing that Din was reluctant to do so. It would be hard on you both, but you knew what you had to do, “can you train him?”
“No,” he shook his head as you and exchanged a look of surprise with your Mandalorian, “his attachment to the two of you...it’s very strong. Emotional bonds by Jedi are forbidden for a reason-”
“Surely you can’t believe that.”
“We’ve all seen what an emotional attachment can lead to...it can lead to great things, but horrible, terrible ones as well,” he closed his eyes as his shoulders slumped forward, “Darth Vader was once a Jedi by the name of Anakin Skywalker. He was one of the most powerful Jedi of all time and yet we all know what happened with Darth Vader.”
You breath hitched in your throat as you thought back to all the horrors and atrocities that had plagued not just your childhood, but Din’s as well, and those of countless others, “what do we do then? How do we...”
“I don’t know,” he let his words linger in the air as he slowly leaned over and gently stroked Grogu’s soft ears. The little one was curled up in Din’s arms, the tiniest snores emanating from his mouth, “but I can’t take...I don’t want to set him down the wrong path.”
“Where do we go from here?” your question hung in the air as you exchanged a worried looked with Din. Part of your heart was elated that this meant you wouldn’t have to part ways with him just yet, but confused hung over in clouds as well. Despite all this time and effort, you were still no closer to figuring how the overarching mystery of it all, “if you won’t train him...”
“There is another place...Tython,” he perked up suddenly, “there’s a Jedi Temple there...it’s been long abandoned but has always had a strong connection, but if you take him there and he reaches out through the force, another Jedi somewhere might hear him and come.”
“If...”
“Like I said, there’s not many Jedi left,” he grimaced, “but someone might hear him. But it’s up to him, if he chooses to reach out. It’s his decision to make.”
“We’ll do it,” Din said quietly as he looked at his son sleeping in his arms, “if it could possibly help. Whatever it takes.”
“Yes,” you agreed, “we’re in this together.”
“I’m sure he’ll make the right decision,” Cal slowly rose to his feet, pausing as he studied the three of you. It reminded him of his own little found family, of Cere, or Merrin, or Greeze, and how no matter what, they were his family, “I think he’s already made his decision.”
"What do you mean?" you stood up and followed Cal as he walked towards the ramp to rejoin his own crew. Putting a hand on his arm, you gently stopped him, "what decision has he made?"
"You'll see," he promised quietly, casting a look back at the Mandalorian who was whispering gently to the small bundle, "I'm sorry I can't provide more answers, but I know you'll get them. But you - when you're ready, come and find us to build your saber. After that, I'm afraid our ways will have to part."
"Thank you, Cal Kestis," before you could stop yourself, you threw your arms around him and embraced him as though your life depended on it. He stiffened for a moment before responding in kind, "you've already given us so much."
He gave you a solemn nod, looking back at your Mandalorian before you, watching as your face softened, "may the force be with you."
"May the force be with you," you replied, closing the ramp back after he disappeared into the snow to keep the chill at bay.
You were silent for a moment, head practically spinning with everything going on, but one thing you for sure was that you loved your little family more than anything.
"Mesh'la?" Din tilted the helmet up at you, keeping your quiet gaze for a moment. You struggled to hold back tears as you slowly made your way over to your boys, "is everything okay?"
"I...umm...yes," not a position to even begin to try to explain your emotions, you held your hand and motioned for him to take it. Without hesitation, Din gently enveloped your hand with his and rose to his full height.
“I’m just...it’s a lot to take in. All of it.”
“Yes,” he commented gruffly, almost reminding you of the tone had adopted when you’d first met him. Your heart sank slightly at the thought and you hoped he wasn’t retreating into himself. Reaching up, you put your hand on the part of his neck that was covered in fabric and gave him a reassuring touch.
“Let’s go and rest,” you whispered, feeling the gravitas start to weigh on you. Between everything that had happened in the last few days you were physically and mentally exhausted. The siren call of slumber was getting greater and greater with every passing second. Din seemed unsure for a moment but you weren’t going to let him pull away. You knew he was worried, maybe even terrified of what was to come, just as you were, but you wanted him to know that he was definitely not alone, “Din. I’ve got you, I promise. We’re a family, don’t forget that...please don’t shut us out.”
“I won’t,” it was a soft promise as he reached up and touched your cheek with his free hand, the other still holding tightly onto the little one. Keening into his touch, you exhaled slowly as he wiped away the single tray tear that had rolled down your cheek, “I won’t...”
“Come on,” you took his hand pulled him towards the small space that was deemed as your deemed, “the bed is small but we can make it work.”
And so he acquiesced, feeling calm and contented, almost as if he was glad to let someone else be in charge for once, glad to let be the follower instead of the leader.
Once you were inside the small room, which made him look even more massive and broad, you reached for Grogu, taking care not to wake him up as you set in your bed, bundling him in blankets to keep him warm. He made a small sound, but quickly snuggled deeper into the blankets as your heart melted.
Turning your attention back to Din, you reached for his arm, slowly, waiting for him to stop you if he so chose.
But he didn’t. He made a small sound in the back of his throat as you worked to tenderly take off each piece of armor, starting with his boots. Setting each piece down gently, you didn’t stop until you were at his pauldrons, when you hesitated slightly. He was almost bare now, left in only his underclothes as he watched you work. Your breathing had become slow and methodical as you worked and you noticed that his had done the same
Something palpable had shifted; you weren’t quite able to put your finger on it, but you could both sense it. Once the armor was stripped from his shoulders, you let your hands linger on them, offering him a reassuring squeeze before moving to pull away to switch off the lights so he could remove the helmet if he chose to. But before you could move, his hands went to your wrists and held your hands on his shoulders.
“Din...” his name was soft but caught in your throat as you gazed into his visor.
“I want...” he trailed off, a shaky exhale leaving the vocoder as you tried to pick his words carefully, “we’re family.”
“Yes,” you agreed with a gentle smile, “we are.”
“Y-you’re staying...right?”
“Always, Din,” you promised quickly, “always. We were meant to find each other, to be together. I love you more than anything.”
“I love you,” his heart settled a little bit as he spoke the words aloud, reaffirming himself that this was real, “and I want you to be my wife - my riduur.”
“Din...I...” you nodded, your words not needing to be spoken as you both understood loud and clear what you were saying. His hands were firm but gentle on yours as he slowly moved them closer and closer to his cowl and the metal exterior of his ever present helmet, “you don’t have to do this.”
“I know,” he rasped as you tried to keep your lips from trembling, “but I want to. You have never once asked, attempted to look, judged, or made a big deal out of it. If there is anyone in the galaxy that deserves this it’s you. The one I want to spend the rest of my days with. We found each other as hunter and prey, and look where we are now.”
“So different and yet utterly the same.”
“The first time you left,” he swallowed the lump in his throat as he tried to collect himself, “I didn’t know what I was doing. I’d never felt such a loss, such an emptiness before. I had to find you. But the second time...it was still hard, but it hurt less. I knew you’d be back, and we would be together again...”
“I felt the same way,” you confessed breathlessly, positive that your heart was about to burst out of your chest at his words, “it was the worst time of my life. Even once I’d accepted that you were gone, I still held onto hope that would we would be together again.”
“And now? I can’t imagine a day without you,” you sighed contentedly as you leaned forward and pressed your forehead against his beskar, “I will follow you to the ends of the galaxy, Mesh’la. You...you and Grogu are everything. You mean more to me than you will ever know.”
“Are you sure about this?” it was a mere whisper off your lips as it hung in the air for a few moments as Din weighed the gravitas of the moment. He inhaled deeply before nodding once.
“I’ve never been more sure about anything in life than this,” his words were enough to make you melt on the spot as he slowly brought your hands to the side of his helmet. He didn’t remove his own, his large, warm hands covered your own as he slowly, painstakingly slowly, began to push it up. He halted for just one moment before whispered, “together.”
“Together,” you agreed as the helmet started to come up, higher and higher, inch by blissful inch. Out of habit, or instinct, or whatever you wanted to call it, you squeezed your eyes shut, not daring to sneak a peek. Once it was completely lifted from his head and he released your hands to set the helmet along with the rest of his armor.
“Open your eyes, Mesh’la,” and gods did you almost choke as a strangled sound caught in your throat. His voice was warm and honeyed, that same baritone you’d heard before, but something was different about this. He reached up and touched your cheek, stroking it gently, “it’s okay...”
“Din,” it so damn soft that weren’t even sure that you’d said anything. And then slowly, little but little, you opened your eyes, blinking away the bleariness before finding him. And then you did it was like your heart stopped then and there as your world fell apartment and came back together all at once.
Din. Din Djarin. Your love. Your soon to be riduur was starting at you with the softest expression you’d ever seen.
He was a mixture of emotions, nervous, relieved, excited, overwhelmed, scared, happy.
But then, as you reached up and found his face, studying him astutely, he realized what it was more than anything else.
Loved.
He was loved. So loved. And it radiated into every fiber of his being, golden like the sweetest daylight.
“Hi,” you choked out as your tears welled up in your ears. He was so lovely, even lovelier than your vision made him out to be. Reaching up, you put your hands on either side of his face as you traced over his features, committing each little bit to memory.
His lips, soft and plush, pulled in a little smile, completed with several days worth of stubble and a mustache that might have look silly on anyone else. His eyes, sweet and dark, crinkled slightly as his smile grew and a dimple of revealed. Those eyes that had seen such beauty and horror, so many things, and yet they still watched you like you were the only thing in the world that mattered.
As you carded a hand through his dark curls, he made a sound of content as you scratched at his scalp. His was utterly beautiful, and while a small part of you wished you’d gotten to see this side of him earlier, you knew this was moment was perfect.
“Hi,” he repeated as he waited for you to say something...anything else. Judging by your reaction, how still and soft you remained, he knew this was playing out just as it was meant to.
“That vision had nothing on you,” you beamed at him, warming every part of him as he visibly relaxed, “you are...everything, Din. No matter what you think. “
“May I kiss you?” it was a timid, shy little question as you eagerly, wrapping your arms around his neck and breathing him in. He smelled as delicious as he always did, warm and musky, a comforting smell that both ensnared you and grounded in the same moment.
“You don’t have to ask,” his hands found your waist as he pulled you close and crashed his lips onto yours. It was proper this, for the first, and hopefully many more to come. His lips chased yours in a gentle manner, although there was a sense of urgency behind his kisses.
Din pulled you against his body as you smiled against his lips, heart warming as you responded in kind. It wasn’t perfect by any means, a somewhat awkward, messy tangle of tongue and teeth as the two of you started to learn each other, in an entirely new way. But you wouldn’t have changed it any way at all. It was utterly perfect, and you knew then, just as you had before, that you were so in love with him.
The force might have worked in mysterious ways, but this was destined to be. You knew that wherever the two of you where, whatever happened, your souls would always find their way back to each other.
“I love you,” you grinned at him when you broke apart for a breath of air, foreheads pressed against each other.
“Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum,” you raised your eyebrows at his words, attempting to figure out what he meant. You knew it was Mando’a, all of your time spent studying his culture had taught you that much, but it didn’t help with the translation. He laughed lightly at the confused expression, causing your mouth to form a small o.
“What does that mean?”
“It’s similar to I love you,” he promised, “it more or less means I hold you in my heart forever. More or less I love you.”
“I love it,” you replied with a small grin, “and you. Will you teach me?”
“Teach you what?” he asked you took his hand and started pulling him towards the bed where the little one still slept soundly, completely unawares that two worlds were changing right next to him.
“Mando’a,” you pulled back to the blankets and pointed at the bed, motioning for him to crawl under them. He was tired, his head spinning, and he was eager to take you up on that offer, “I’d like to learn, to be able to speak it with you...and one day, o-our son.”
“Cassian,” he remember as you nodded, feeling a flush of warmth enter your face at the sheer thought. You switched the light off and padded back over to him, watching as he scooted over to make room for you, leaving Grogu nestled in between the two of you, “are you warm enough?”
“Yes,” you made yourself comfortable, snuggling into the pillows and blankets as his arm found its around your waist, his longer legs tangled with yours, “perfect. I wouldn’t change this for anything.”
“Me neither,” he agreed as he felt his eyes start to get heavy with sleep. This moment was everything; the three of you together as one little family. Which, he now knew, was exactly what you always had been, even when neither of you knew it, “rest now, Mesh’la.”
“You too Din,” you grabbed his hand with yours and laced your fingers together, “promise me something?”
“Anything.”
“That isn’t a dream? This is all real.”
“It’s not a dream,” he reassured you, “this is all very real. And tomorrow we’ll still all be here.”
“Good,” you brought his hand to your lips as you kissed his knuckles, “good. I love you, Din.”
The SITD All-Star edition is officially free for all now. Head to @stab for 54min of wow-factor and watch @sealtooth @mfanno @jordysmith88 surf with custom Pukas DARKs by @axellorentz. You will witness their dissection of shapes from the top brands and a hell of a show: @mayhemsurfboards_mattbiolos @cisurfboards @dhdsurf @jsindustries1 & @pyzelsurfboards. The boards we submitted were all custom shapes based on the Pukas DARK by @axellorentz. - #1 // 6'2" x 19.12" x 2.63" x 33.22 L. w/Futures - #2 // 6''0" x 19.13" x 2.50" x 30.60 L. w/Futures - #3 // 5'11" x 18.88" x 2.21" x 26.47 L. w/FCSII - #4 // 5'11" x 18.75" x 2.31" x 27.50 L. w/FCSII PD: we are truly sorry to hear of the loss of Dane’s brother 🙏🏻. Sending love from this side of the world Dane. #sitd #stab #allstars #pukas #pukassurf #axellorentz #dark #surf #surfboard #surfboards #blindtest https://www.instagram.com/p/CC_ZY4dqSzh/?igshid=1h7agfy1y0hva
