So, I know that I really haven't been active on here for a while, which relates to my busy personal life, but as things start to slow down, I am considering starting a new Star Wars series.
I actually haven't been interacting with much Star Wars media recently, so it would take a lot more watching movie and relearning information, but it's something I am interested in. Currently, my one major hobby is a bit of a chore, currently because of educational concerns. I think writing again would take my mind off of things and allow me to destress. What do you guys think? It may take a lot of planning, waiting, and pre-writing, but I think maybe I could make it work.
I would be interested in seeing what type of series people would enjoy to see from me.
What type of character would you like to see from me to write a (dominantly fluffy) fanfic about?
a/n: this is based on the idea requested by northernlion196 on Wattpad. some lines belong to lucasfilm.
DO NOT REPOST MY WORK.
summary: the reader is a member of the Rebellion and has been sent on a solo mission to extract the Princess of Alderaan from her prison aboard an Imperial Star Destroyer. while her missions rarely adopt any mistakes, she couldn't have foreseen the snags in her plan that would come in the form of two moon-jockeys and a wookie.
warnings: light made-up name-calling, mild swearing, a scuffle involving blasters, a trash compactor, possible claustrophobia trigger
word count: 5K
music: The Standoff by Ludwig Goransson
PART 2
The bright red beam of excited gas ripped through the flesh of your shoulder with little warning. The unexpected sensation knocked you back against the wall, deafening every other limb in your body and directing every ounce of adrenaline to the inflicted area. The smell of simmering armor and charred flesh filled your helmet, which you hastily ripped off, gasping for air as the shock stripped the last vapor of air from your lungs.
"It's- it's a girl." The voice of a young man met your ears, fading in and out against the blare of rushing blood in your head. There was a moment of timid silence as they stared at you, lowering their blasters.
"I'm just as shocked, kid," Another masculine voice filled the room, deeper than the last. "I didn't know they were pretty under there."
"I shot a girl! I can't believe I shot a girl!" The first exclaimed, running a frantic hand through his blond hair.
"What's the big deal? She's one of them!"
"You can't shoot a girl! It just isn't right!"
"That's what you're worried about!? We've got about two minutes before someone up there figures out how to override that blue rust-bucket's circuits and send reinforcements to barge through that door and kill us all!"
"Are you alright, miss?"
As you hastily sucked the air back into your lungs, you became vaguely aware of approaching footsteps. You tried to pull your focus to the approaching figure, whose gentle voice came nearer by the second. As his white-clad boots stopped short next to yours, your eyes widened, and you raised your blaster in a heartbeat, slamming it into the pink tint of his left cheek.
With a dull and sickening sound upon impact, he staggered back and stumbled over the debris of panels and corpses that the previous barrage of blasterfire had left in its wake.
"Luke!"
When his body collided with the ground, his blaster hit the floor, prompting you to kick it out of his reach. In a second's glance, you repositioned your blaster to the other man's chest.
"Hey! Don't point that thing at me!"
You studied their faces as you glanced between them. They obviously weren't Stormtroopers or even Imperial sympathizers; troopers were trained from childhood onward, before any memories or attachments could sway their devotion to the Empire. These two had evidently found their way onto the base, overtaken a control room, and downed a dozen or more imps.
That left only two, maybe three, options: they were mercenaries with a query for the capture of some dirty imperial general who gambled with more than he had with the wrong person, or they were scavengers looting on a live base for parts actually worth selling, which was a pretty outlandish theory.
No smuggler or scavenger in their right mind would board the Death Star in hopes of claiming parts; the chances of escape were little to none - and the price failure would be death. There was a chance they could be with the Rebellion and you'd simply never met them, but it didn't add up. What harm could two rebels do against this magnitude of a starbase?
"Who are you!?" You yelled, pulling your limp arm closer to your abdomen. You tried your best to hide your pain, hoping to intimidate the darker-haired male. In your haste, you had failed to acknowledge the wookie looming in the corner with a bowcaster hoisted in his long arms, aimed directly at your chest. A series of howls leapt from his lungs, echoing around the room. You jerked your blaster towards the wookie, and then back at the brunet, who had also fixated the barrel of his blaster in your direction.
"Put the blaster down, sweetheart. We're two against one. You get shot either way," He coaxed, using the back of his free hand to wipe the sweat from his brow. He swept his dark hair to the side as he did so, donning a fresh smirk. You hated to admit it, but he was right; the odds were against you, and you couldn't very well complete your mission if you were dead. You slowly lowered your blaster to the ground, shifting your gaze between all three faces. "Good, now toss your weapon over there."
"If you think for one second I'm getting rid of my only means of protection, you're more of a fool than I took you for, Casanova." You quipped, tucking your blaster into its holster.
"Casanova, huh? You think I'm a lady's man?" The self-gratification that lit up his features was enough to make you sick. You scoffed.
If I were to pick between the three of you, you thought, I'd go with the blond, or better yet, the wookie, before I'd ever consider your arrogant hide.
"I think you're an arrogant womp rat," You said, ripping off the busted shoulder plate that covered your bummed shoulder. The blood around the edges of the cauterized flesh, where it hadn't been completely burned but the blast, pooled lightly into your sleeve. With every heartbeat it pulsed, releasing more of the crimson liquid into your tunic. You failed to hide the grimace in your face. "You never answered my question. Who are you?"
The blond-haired man stood to his full height, which was rather short for a Stormtrooper's armor, and picked up his blaster. His cheek was red and blood stained his teeth and lips. As he wiped his mouth, his blue eyes bored into yours apologetically, his lips turning upwards into a soft smile. It made you shift uncomfortably. You had never been looked at like that before. A fluttering sensation erupted within your stomach.
You were the one who had socked him the cheek, so why was he smiling?
"Who are you, sweetheart? Just another one of the imps who serve on this hellhole?" The other continued, pulling your eyes back to his.
"I'm not playing this game with you. My allegiance isn't your concern until you answer my question." You said with a growl, clutching your arm tighter. Your gaze returned to the blond as he stepped closer to you again, tilting his head as he studied your face. His golden hair fell to the side, displaying it's shaggy length. The hue of his hair against the cool light reminded you of the stacks of straw and hay back on your home planet, how it would turn golden in the afternoon light and compliment the blue sky. His eyes, as blue as they were, resembled that same bright sky you used to know very well.
"You're not a Stormtrooper, are you?" He asked in a gentle voice, amply drawing nearer again.
"No, I'm not," You replied, turning towards him warily. "I'm with the Rebellion."
"The Rebellion!?" He echoed, eyes wide and smile broad. He glanced to his companions, who also seemed more than relieved to hear the news. The casanova lowered his blaster and took a few steps toward you both. The wookie lowered his bowcaster slightly, but kept it high enough to shoot you in the knees if necessary. He didn't seem to trust you quite yet.
"What's one rebel doing all alone on an Imperial starbase?" The brunet questioned. You studied his face as he stood in front of you, then looked at the blond once more. You contemplated telling them a lie, but where would that get you? If there was a chance they could help you, you surely needed it now. And if they didn't, the worst they could do was kill you.
"I'm here to extract the princess and return her to the rebel base safely." You said.
"You're kidding!" The blond exclaimed, almost giddy. "We're here to rescue her, too! That's why we came to the detention level. She's in block AA-23, which should be outside this-"
"We didn't come here for the princess, we came here by accident," The other interjected, frowning. It was obvious this wasn't the day he had planned for himself. "The kid roped me into this suicide mission."
"Yeah, but that's what we're trying to do now, isn't it?" He defended, copping a higher tone of voice and an annoyed expression. When they began bickering between the two of them, you eyed the wookie in the back, who stood silent. His bowcaster was aimed at the ground.
Your voice drew their eyes to yours once more.
"You still haven't answered my question; who are you?"
"What's it to you, swee-"
"I'm Luke, this is Han, and that's Chewie," He smiled, gesturing to his comrades. "I'm a Jedi."
"A Jedi!?" You eyed the boy from his feet upwards, taking him in. He was young, very young, and you could tell he was inexperienced in combat from the turn of events in the last ten minutes. He was too kind, too merciful, and far too loose with his movements. Sure, he had managed to blast you, but he left himself open to attack in every direction. You scoffed at him as Han backed away and eyed the remains of the control panel, which had begun to beep with the incoming of a new transmission. "You don't look like a Jedi; you can barely fight."
"Hey, look who's talking! I'm not the one who got herself shot!"
"You're the one who shot me!"
"I wouldn't have if you hadn't barged in here unannounced!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, was I supposed to send a transmission to the head control room and let them know I was coming for the princess?"
"It wouldn't have been the worst ide-"
"Listen here, straw-head, you're the reason I'm in this mess in the first place! If you two moon-jockeys hadn't infiltrated this detention level I would be well on my way with the princess! You're the one who managed to get pulled on board the largest Imperial starbase in the sector! I can here on my ow-"
"We can argue later! We gotta find out which cell this princess of yours is in," Han began, scowering the panel. "Here it is, twenty-one eighty-seven! You both go and get her, I'll hold'em here!" With the jut of his arm, Han directed you both to the open corridor where the princess was being held.
You bit the inside of your cheek as you jogged over to the corridor ahead of Luke, biding the shock of each step as it sent a wave of ragged burning through the nerves in your shoulder. Luke donned his helmet once more and followed close behind. With his boot-falls accompanying your own, you read off the cell numbers in your head as quickly as you could.
The sound of a blaster going off drew your attention back to Han. The transmission receptor was smoking.
"Luke! We're gonna have company!" He yelled.
"Here it is!" You exclaimed, keying a few buttons of the control pad and releasing the locks on the doorway. Luke stood next to you, waiting for the door the glide open. With the release of the pressurized containment vesicles, the door opened, and Luke entered first.
He stopped short in the doorway, cocking his head to the side in curiosity as he eyed the princess. Her white robes draped elegantly over her natural figure, which was more than alluring. You knew she was beautiful, even without being able to see much of her from behind Luke's bulky armor. You had met the princess several times through rendezvous aboard the planet of Alderaan, in which you would often deliver risky messages for the Rebellion into the hands of her father.
Her beauty and raw tenacity often drew the attention of most men, which typically didn't bother you, as you had never been interested in anything not pertaining to your missions - especially a distraction in the form of a man. However, this time, an odd sensation swirled inside your stomach as he gawked at her from underneath his helmet. You didn't know why, but you wanted him to stop looking at her before he could develop any softness for her.
Is this. . .jealousy?
"Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?" She asked with no trace of enthusiasm in her voice whatsoever.
"Huh?" Luke fumbled. "Oh, the uniform-"
"Would you move, you buffoon!?" You chided, shoving him out of the way as he took off his helmet. You stepped down into the cell and revealed yourself to the princess.
"(Y/n)!" She exclaimed, getting to her feet.
"Leia, I've been sent here to rescue you," You exclaimed, drawing nearer to her. "There's a ship waiting for my signal that will board us. It's orbiting above Alderaan."
"(Y/n), Alderaan's been destroyed," She said, touching a hand to your forearm. "This starbase is one big weapon, with the ability to destroy entire planets."
"What?" You breathed. As you took the information in, you realized what that meant. In all the time you spent crawling through the air ducts and trying to blend in with the patrolling troops, you hadn't paid attention to what had been happening elsewhere, or what other orders were being given outside of the princess' capture. The ship that was waiting for you would have had no chance of escape if it was orbiting the planet itself. It would have been blown into oblivion. "Then we've got no way of escaping."
"We've got a ship on board, in the docking hangar." Luke added.
"Who's this?" Leia asked, glancing from you to Luke.
"I'm Luke Skywalker."
"Who?"
"I've got your R-2 unit and I'm here with Ben Kenobi-"
"Ben Kenobi!?" You and the princess exclaimed simultaneously. You turned to Luke, eyebrows drawn together in frustration.
"You didn't say anything about Obi-Wan Kenobi being with you! Why didn't you say something!?" You yelled, clutching your blaster closer to your chest. Having that bit of information would have been extremely enlightening.
"How was I supposed to know to tell you about him!?"
"I told you I was with the Rebellion, didn't I? You didn't think I would find that information valuable!?"
"We didn't exactly get off on the right foot, you know. There was a lot to take in,"
"You mean after you sh-"
"Should I leave you two alone or are we going to get out of this cell?" Leia interjected.
"My apologies, princess. Come on!" You turned and fled the small cell, leading the way out into the dark corridor, which was filled with the echoes of blasterfire. Chewie came running down the grated pathway, followed closely by Han.
"Can't get out that way!" Han exclaimed, keeping his blaster aimed for the doorway. The control room was filled with Stormtroopers.
"Looks like you've managed to cut off our only escape route." Leia said, peering over Han's shoulder. He turned back to her, annoyed and out of breath.
"Maybe you'd like it back in your cell, your highness?" He managed to retort just before a blast of red flared right above your heads. Leia gripped Luke's arm as they retreated behind a cell doorway, causing that bitter feeling to flare inside of you again. As a blast flew past your face, you ducked behind Han. You tried to contribute to the barrage of lasers blasting towards the crowd of imps congregating in the control room.
You could barely make out what anyone was saying over the sound of Han's blaster and Chewie's bowcaster blaring in both of your ears. You didn't know anything but to open fire until Leia waved her arm for you to move, blasting an escape route through the garbage chute behind your legs. You quickly followed behind Leia as she lead the way.
You tumbled through the chute, landing in a monstrous pile of scraps and garbage. Luke tumbled in seconds after you, not granting you much time to maneuver down the pile. When he landed, he did so directly on top of you, knocking the air from your lungs. You grunted in pain as his elbow dug into your shoulder, mingling with the bare flesh.
"Ah! I'm sorry!" He exclaimed as he clumsily tried to find his footing.
"It's alright. Just get off me, will you?" You breathed, pain riddled in your features.
"I'm trying," He said, pulling his legs up. When he managed to jump down, he offered you a hand, which you graciously accepted. When your feet landed in the knee-deep sludge below, a sharp pain pierced through your shoulder, jarring your senses awake as your adrenaline began to dissipate. Luke noticed how your face contorted as you stood next to him and placed a gloved hand on your forearm.
"Are you alright?" His voice was soft. It made that odd feeling swirl around in your stomach yet again. You nodded, turning your eyes away and towards the princess, who was climbing up the other heap of garbage, looking for a way out.
Luke's gaze fell on the sealed door across from him and he took aim. He fired a single shot at the doorway. In a frenzy of red heat, it ricocheted around the room, nearly clipping each of you. You all ducked as it circled the room until making contact with the rubbage by your feet.
"Hey! Watch where you aim that thing! You already shot me once!" You chastised, standing up to your full height.
"I didn't know they were magnetically sealed!" Luke exclaimed, ducking slightly as Chewie flew down the chute and into the same pile behind you. You both turned momentarily as he clambered down and made for the door, then looked back at each other.
"You're the one who shot her!?" Leia asked, her eyes finding Luke's, but neither of you heard her over your bickering.
"And I suppose you didn't think to wait a second before jumping down the chute on top of me either?"
"I was being shot at!"
"Do you ever use you brai-" You were cut off as the echo of Han's hollering grew louder until it filled the small chamber. He landed roughly on the same heap, gradually sliding down the mess into the sludge. When he stood, he looked directly at Leia.
"A garbage chute was a really wonderful idea! What an incredible smell you've discovered!"
"GGRROOaaWAuhh!" Chewie howled, battering his arms against the doorway in an attempt to force it open.
"Get away from there!" Han ordered the wookie, who then took a few steps back. Han aimed his blaster towards the fired his blaster towards the door just as Luke had.
"No, wait!" Luke yelled.
The red flare left the barrel of Han's blaster, warranting the same results. You ducked into Luke's chest, who covered you with his arm and he bent down to avoid being shot. When it extinguished into the sludge, both of Luke's arms were wrapped around you, helping you stand.
"Will you forget it!? I already tried! It's magnetically sealed!" Luke bellowed, his hands still gently pressed to your body, helping you steady yourself.
"Put that thing away, you're gonna get us all killed!" Leia yelled. Han retorted back in his sarcastic fashion, but you couldn't be bothered to listen until the princess answered, "Just like you managed to shoot a rebel officer? I'll have you know she's a viable asset to the fleet and one of our best figh-"
"It wasn't my fault she barged in with the rest of the bucketheads up there!" Han yelled. Just before Leia could answer, a gurgling roar echoed from everywhere in the room. Your first reaction was to clutch onto Luke's arm, drawing closer to him. He didn't seem to mind.
"There's something alive in here!" Luke said. He subconsciously pulled you behind him in an effort to protect you from whatever had joined your predicament.
"That's just your imagination." Han remarked.
"Something just moved past my leg!"
"I felt it too!" You exclaimed, clutching the back of his armor. You moved your feet around in the water, trying to make contact with whatever had grazed you both. Luke eyed the sludge and garbage, searching for any signs of a living creature.
"Look! Did you see that?!" He said, pointing towards a ripple in the water. You hadn't been quick enough to see the tentacle surface above the water. For a few seconds, silence filled the room as each of you watched around your legs, listening for anything. A low growl faded in from somewhere close to you, but dissipated before you could pinpoint its location. In a mere flash of confused chaos, a tentacle wrapped around Luke's leg, pulling him beneath the surface of the darkened pool and out of your grasp.
"Kid!" Han yelled, swiping through the water with his blaster.
"Luke!" You hollered, delving your hands into the water, hoping to find some part of him to grab onto.
"LUKE!" Han yelled louder. You both kept shifting your feet around in an effort to kick or pull on some part of the creature - or even Luke.
What sounded something like a belch erupted from the sludge by Han's legs, where Luke surfaced seconds after.
"Luke!"
"Grab him!" You screamed, lunging for his arms. Your gloved hands slipped from his armor, but you quickly grabbed onto the tentacle that had latched itself around Luke's arm and neck. He muttered an instruction to Han to shoot the beast before it pulled him under. Han shot his blaster in general area around Luke, but it helped very little.
You pulled Luke up to his feet and he gripped your forearm with all his strength, trying to pull himself out of the creature's grasp. Han shot once more near the base of the tentacle, which only made the creature retract its limb with all of its force, dragging Luke back under the water, and you with him.
You vaguely heard Leia call your name as the lukewarm water splashed against your face and bubbled into every orifice. A mouthful of metal-tinted liquid rushed down your throat, choking the air from your body. Your eyes burned upon contact, as well as the exposed wound in your shoulder. As you forced yourself to swallow the burning taste, you closed your mouth and held your breath, clamping your eyes shut. Luke's hand loosed from your forearm and slid to your hand as he was wrenched in another direction, but you held fast to him, trying to gain your footing.
As you started to stand, something swept under your feet and wrapped around your legs, pulling you away from Luke and deeper into the water. Your grip on Luke failed and as you tried to yank yourself free from the creature, panic racing through your blood. As you began to lose your capacity for air and your lungs began to tighten, you felt the creature's limbs double and circle around your torso, squeezing your armor until it cracked. You pinched and kicked as your strength began to fade, trying your best to at least surface above the water for more air.
The muted sound of creaking metal filled your ears. The tight grasp of the beast relented slightly, allowing you enough room to try and push yourself up to gain air, but a before you could stand, another tentacle wrapped around your neck just before you broke above the surface. You were pulled you down further as it began to slip into a lower chamber; you were a goner.
Just before the hatch shut on top of you, a pair of hands wrapped around your boots and pulled you upwards. The beast was pulled up with you and began to retract its limbs as it did before, slamming your head against the sides of the escape chamber. A humming of metal resumed and the hatch began to slide shut.
With the gate closing quickly upon its limb, the beast released its grip on you, not willing to fight for a meal and risk injuring itself. You felt the same pair of hands release your legs and grab a hold of your hands, just before the voice of Luke became clearer and your head rose above the water.
"Han, she's right here! I've got her!"
You were pulled you up to your knees in a sputtering mess, gasping for air and spitting out the metallic taste that was left in your mouth. You grabbed onto the hands as they gripped your breastplate, dragging you back towards the others. When you opened your eyes and blinked out the murky fluid, you recognized Luke's face hovering above yours.
"Grab her, Han!"
"(Y/n)!" Leia said, trying to make her way to you. As Han helped Luke pull you upwards, you found your footing and raised yourself up, frantically wiping your eyes and pushing the wet mop of (h/c) hair from your face and lips. You picked small pieces of garbage from your mouth and spit out tiny bits of rubble and scraps that had stuck to your teeth and tongue.
"Are you alright!?" Luke asked, turning you around to face him. You looked up at him and wavered where you stood, dizzied from the exertion of attempting to save him and nearly being drowned yourself. Luke caught you, steadying you with his arms. A dull pain at the back of your head began to surge. You gingerly grazed over your scalp with your hand, feeling around for any external abrasions. A small goose egg had begun to form there underneath your hairline.
This whole mission was already more than you had bargained for; you hadn't planned on getting shot, on almost being eaten, and not on bruising your skull.
"I'm-... I'm fine." You managed, trying to catch your breath. You were still spitting out water and coughing the liquid out of your chest and throat.
"Were you trying to get yourself killed!?" Han asked, waving his blaster towards the deeper corner of the pool.
"I was- was trying to save him, you idiot!" You defended, pushing yourself up from against Luke's chest with a weakened sense of strength in an attempt to balance yourself on your own. "A 'thank you' would suffice."
Your graze dropped to your shoulder as the panic left your system once more, leaving you to feel every bit of the jagged nerves that pulsed and burned. You worked your fingers at the strap of your cracked breastplate, trying hurriedly to undo the small clasps and knots.
This man you had only met half an hour ago was more infuriating that anyone or anything you had ever come in contact with in your life - apart from the Empire, of course. He was so coarse and selfish. It was obvious he had no connection to the Rebellion or its purpose; no rebel could ever be that impossible to ally with. Han Solo was an impossible man. You wondered how anyone could ever find themselves seeking friendship with him as Luke had.
But Luke himself, on the other hand. . .
Although he had annoyed you from the first moment you had met him, you believed that was due to the fact that his finger had been the one to pull the trigger on you. Your aggravation was beginning to fizzle out. As you stood longer by his side, you began to feel drawn to him more and more. You still took him for a sloppy fighter and perhaps even a little bit of a dumb blond, but he was selfless and rather kind.
With a click, your breastplate splashed into the water by your knees. You were left with minimal coverage over your torso in the case of another bout of blasterfire. The black uniform underneath would serve as nothing more than a layer to keep you clothed. One well-aimed shot by an imp and you would be dead. Luckily, troopers were known for their precision, not their accuracy.
Great, you muttered in your thoughts. If we do manage to get out of this pit, I've lost most of my protection.
Your eyes widened and you flinched slightly as a gentle finger brushed the hair from your forehead, removing the flecks of rubble from your damp cheeks and pulling the pieces out of your wet hair.
"Thank you." Luke smiled, placing a hand on your good shoulder and pulling you into him. It was only a kindhearted side-hug, carefully done so to avoid your wound, but it made your heart skip a beat. The air in your lungs thinned as he chin rested against your forehead for a few seconds. You felt warmed by his embrace, but it was gone too quick.
The unsettling sound of grinding gears replaced the chaos that had begun to secede, echoing directly from behind both of the longer walls. You all watched as they drew closer together, inch by inch. The garbage, debris, and sludge crunched and rippled all around you.
What if, way before the Mandalorian ever got the bounty for a 50 year old child, he met someone that could turn his whole life around in just a few short days? And what if this person, whoever she is, can help him become the person he didn't even know he wanted to be?
Mandalorian x Female!Reader
***THIS STORY DOES CONTAIN HEAVY SPOLIERS, MOST OF THE CHAPTERS ARE REWRITES OF EACH EPISODE JUST WITH A READER INSERT***
Some more mature themes, especially in the second chapter, but other than that it's whatever happened on the show. I will write more specific warnings in each chapter.
I own absolutely nothing except the reader's actions in the book, her backstory and all of the characters within her backstory.
All of the chapters kinda maybe sorta get longer and longer as they go on but am I sorry? No.
you’re breaking my heart | anakin skywalker x reader | 3/3
a/n: This three part series was requested by @kashyykian on Wattpad.
DO NOT REPOST MY WORK.
summary: A visit in the night, one horrifically convicting dream sequence, and a final confession of loyalty; all of this, for what? Which will you choose? Your growing sense of anger or your pledge to the Light? A life of heartbroken isolation or a life of service to the Jedi Order?
warnings: anxiety, dreams/nightmares, the internal war between the dark and the light
word count: 6K
music: Survivor List by Jeff Russo and Jordan Gagne
PART 1 || PART 2 || PART 4 (alternate ending)
The bright blue light distinguished as the hilt clattered to the floor. You stared at your saber as its dark metal plates contrasted to the cream-colored marble of the terrace. With a shaky breath, you drew your hand up to your chest, examining how much it trembled. You gulped down your uneasiness and turned around abruptly, shuffling frantically through the curtains and retreating under the heavy duvet of your bed. There, hidden away from the light of the evening, your body turned over into chills. Trembling beneath the blankets, you pulled your legs up to your torso, and began to speak the words you had been taught since you were a small child.
"A Jedi shall-" You began, and then adjusted your tone into one of absolution."-shall not know anger, or hatred, or..." The next words hung in your mouth as they rippled back into your memory; the words that could have prevented this entire mess, if you had only heeded them with more diligence. You swallowed over the lump in your throat. "Or love."
As you repeated those words over and over, bidding them entry back into your heart, you felt tears trickle down your cheeks and neck, dampening the soft satin sham of your plump pillow. Focusing on each syllable as it left your mouth, the voice of your master echoed in your mind. You remembered his guidance in the way you delivered the sentences when they needed remembering; to do so with deliberation and faith. You remembered the steps he had directed you to take with your feet to assist with balancing your mind; slow and steady, in a circle of balanced movement. You remembered how Master Windu had reminded you to close your eyes, to trust in the placement of your hands, feet, and the voice of your own mind.
Soon enough, your breathing evened out and your chest relinquished its tightened ache. For what felt like hours, you lie there under the cover of your warm duvet, balancing your thoughts and focusing on the training you had been taught to fight this kind of torment. As the minutes drew on and a state of peacefulness finally fell over you, your eyes grew heavy, and your body drifted between shallow consciousness and slumber, until finally, you fell asleep completely.
Anakin's knuckles were inches from the intricately carved wood of your bedroom door, suspended in nervous silence. He had just come from the dining hall, where he had spent nearly three hours of his evening apart from you, unable to put that sudden disturbance out of his mind. Even when Padmé had been able to join him in the gardens shortly after their meals had concluded, Anakin hadn't been able to hear anything she had brought up. When she had asked him about it, he had told her about your reaction to their relationship and the visit to the medical wing.
Padmé seemed a little shocked herself, both about him telling you in the first place and about your reaction, but had told him not to worry and that she was sure everything would return to normal soon enough. That's what his master had told him, too. But Anakin couldn't be so sure. Neither Master Kenobi nor Padmé had felt what he had between bites of roast and dessert, nor had they heard the tension in your voice, or seen the way you had thrown a hand up at him. They hadn't seen any of what had happened. They hadn't felt it.
As soon as Padmé had left the gardens to conclude her duties for the evening, Anakin had made his way back into the palace and right to your door, where he now stood, stuck in his thoughts, almost afraid to knock. When his knuckles finally rapped against the door, he was met with silence. Anakin's stomach swirled with discomfort.
"(Y/n)?" His voice was soft, but loud enough to be heard on the other side of the door. "(Y/n), it's me, Ani. I came to check on you."
Again, there was only silence from the other side.
"(Y/n), are you in there?"
Anakin pressed his ear closer to the door, listening for any sort of movement to indicate if you were inside and simply ignoring him. When he quiet only echoed, it occurred to him that if you were still in there, you might have fallen asleep within the last few hours. Anakin stepped back from the door and tried the knob, but to no avail. You had locked it, which didn't surprise him.
With a glance both ways down the corridor, Anakin's hand hovered over the knob as he manipulated the gears inside to unlock. He couldn't help but smile to himself as the lock clicked from the other side, granting him entrance.
Works every time, he thought to himself, twisting the knob and opening it slowly. When the door opened wide enough for him to survey the room, his eyes adjusted to the deep blue hue that had settled over the furniture, casting long shadows across the floor and over the bedframe. When he looked at the unkempt covers of the bed, he could see the vague form of your body buried under the duvet. He slipped inside and shut the door carefully behind him, almost without a sound. He leaned against the frame for a moment as he watched the figure under the blankets rise and fall with even breathing, hoping he hadn't woken you.
When you didn't move, Anakin let out the air he had trapped inside, and leaned forward to walk around the room. Within the few minutes of being in your presence, Anakin could feel the resemblance of some sort of turmoil that had been felt here, although it seemed to have faded somewhat. He could sense that something had happened, but he couldn't be sure what. His eyes scanned the room for any indications of what might have taken place. When he stepped forward, the toe of his boot tugged against a heap of fabric upon the floor; your robe.
Anakin knelt down and picked it up with a curious expression; you were never one to dump your robe onto the floor with such carelessness. Even if it seemed a rather insignificant article of clothing to those not a part of the Order, but to the Jedi within, they were almost sacred. The only time they ever touched the ground was when they were shrugged off before a fight, which also held significant meaning. Anakin carefully draped the robe onto the foot of your bed, careful to avoid causing much movement. His gaze then fell on the pair of boots toppled over each other into the corner of the room as if they'd been thrown, which was odd. You always sat your boots upright by the door so you could quickly slip into them.
Anakin turned towards the terrace entryway where the sheer curtains billowed peacefully on the cool breeze as it carried itself into your room. In a nearby chair he found your belt haphazardly hung from the armrest, dangling from its latch and grazing the floor. Why hadn't you rolled it up and stored it away for the night as you had grown accustomed to doing since childhood? Anakin's eyebrows drew together and his frown grew more concentrated as he rolled the belt up for you and set it on the cushion gently.
This just didn't make any sense, any of it. No, you weren't always the neatest human being, but you had always followed the code of conduct when it came to your uniform. And in addition to those clues, the energy in the room seemed to have settled into some sort of abstinent state. It wasn't as tensious as you had been hours ago, nor was it completely peaceful. It was lukewarm - settled right in the middle of the equation. It didn't make any sense.
That was when something out on the terrace glimmered in his line of vision as he passed by your side of the bed, summoning his full attention. His hands divided the curtains as he stepped out onto the marble with softened steps. When his eyes narrowed onto the object, his mouth fell open.
What is this doing out here?
Anakin stooped down and picked up the saber that had been abandoned. The silver metal of the hilt caught the bright reflection of the moon, just as it had seconds before. Anakin's mind flooded with questions.
Why had you left your light saber out here, on the ground of all places?
Under what circumstances did get there?
Anakin turned back into your room, his eyes focused intently on the saber until he set it down by your belt. When he looked up, he found himself making his way to your bedside. His shadow stretched over the bed, darkening the duvet. With an outstretched hand, he reached forward and gently pulled the covers away from your face, revealing your (s/c) complexion as it paled slightly in the moonlight. He found himself smiling - until he noticed the redness in your cheeks and the damp trail that your tears had left trickling down your face. Anakin's heart ached as he realized what he had done.
To you, his confession probably felt like a betrayal. You both had sworn loyalty to the code your entire lives, you even longer than he. And yet, here he was, planning to marry, permanently forming a forbidden attachment to someone. Anakin now wondered how deep your friendship truly ran - would you still consider him your best friend if he was deliberately defying the code in secret? Or would you, in allegiance to it, be forced to separate yourself from him? You had probably thought that you would be the only attachment he had ever considered - that, as his friend, you were the only exception.
And he had ruined that.
Oh, he could be so stupid sometimes! So blind and stubborn.
Just like Master Kenobi had warned him.
Anakin's thumb met your cheek with the softest touch he could muster. He rubbed away the remnants of your salted tears and brushed back the dampened hair from your face. With a remorseful expression, Anakin stepped back and let his eyes take in your face. Would this be the last time he would see you? Would you spend the rest of your life avoiding him? Or was this truly something that would be resolvable, like Padmé and Master Kenobi assured him?
Anakin's stomach turned once more with swelling discomfort. It wasn't so easy anymore, this deliberate choosing to love Padmé. Not because he felt romantically inclined to you; not because he loved you, but because he couldn't afford to lose you. Anakin turned on his heel and headed for the door, closing it tight and locking it back into place. He fled down the hall into his own room with tears burning in his eyes. He'd never been so conflicted.
"I'm sorry she didn't come, Anakin." Padmé's voiced echoed through your mind as you slumbered. An image of her ruffled into color before your eyes. She was dressed in a long white gown, with a cap and veil sewn with delicate lace. A golden ring glinted on her finger as she leaned against the terrace that overlooked the lake. They had just been married, and their only guests had been R2-D2 and C3PO.
Where were you?
"It's alright. Some things don't last forever." Anakin replied, his voice low and little broken. When he looked up, his smile seemed a little sad. He gripped Padmé's hand with his. "Besides, I have you, don't I?" She smiled in return, a gentle laughter leaving her lips. They leaned into each other until their lips connected.
Outside of your dream, your face contorted as Anakin's words resonated deeper and deeper. Tears welled up in your eyes as you slept. Am I really that replaceable? As you heard Anakin's voice over and over again, like a rippling effect, the bright colors in your mind faded into hues of grey as your dream shifted into another.
"I understand you're on this council, but we do not grant you the rank of master." The voice of your very own master, Mace Windu, reverberated through your mind. His face was stern and absolute. When you were able to see Anakin, you noticed his grown out hair and his darkened eyes; it was like a shadow had fallen over his face.
"What?" Anakin's gaze followed the line of Jedi Masters. "How can you do this? This is outrageous. It's unfair!"
"We understand you're confusion, Anakin, but you've been through a dramatic change in the last few months. No one expected (Y/n) to abandon the Jedi Order and disappear like she did. But you need to be mindful of your thoughts; we need to be sure that you're ready for this," Master Kenobi's voice was much gentler than that of Master Windu's. He could sense Anakin's pain and he sympathized with the loss of his closest companion, but it could be no excuse for the wavering that the council felt from within him. "It is no simple task."
"This has nothing to do with her," Anakin's voice was almost inaudible as his memory of you flooded into his mind. But he couldn't afford to feel that right now, nor ever. He corrected his posture and looked Master Windu in the eyes. His frustration was evident. "I am ready. How can you be on the council and not be a master?"
"Take a seat, young Skywalker." Mace Windu ordered, gesturing to an empty chair.
I disappeared? I left the Order? I left Anakin?
The greys of the council room faded rapidly into hues of bright oranges and reds. As you shifted under your covers, you could feel heat like a blistering fire lapping at your skin. Sweat pooled at your forehead and neck as a vision of Mustafar appeared in your mind.
"You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!" Obi-Wan's voice was riddled with heartbreak as he yelled over the sound of broiling lava and steam. His eyes were burning, both from the heat that stung his eyes and from the tears that pooled in them. He staggered up the hill of ash, only to glance down at Anakin's broken body.
"I HATE YOU!" Anakin screamed in a gravelly voice, fueled by anger and pure hatred. His eyes glowed a bright yellow, encircled by a ring of red. Obi-Wan's tears finally fell to his cheeks.
"You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you!" Obi-Wan yelled, the heartbreak practically dripping from his tone. As Anakin's clothes caught fire and set his body ablaze, Obi-Wan turned his face away. He couldn't stomach to watch his padawan, his brother, his best friend, die like this. The cries that roared from Anakin's lungs were unbearable to hear.
The vision dissolved into darkness and vanished. For a long while, you lay in bed, motionless and unable to wake yourself. In that time, a voice came to you that you hadn't heard in a very long time. The voice of the man who brought Anakin to Coruscant. But this – his voice in your head, it wasn't a dream.
"(Y/n), you must defeat the hurt within you. Do you see what your absence will cause? What your anger could perpetuate?"
"Master Qui-Gon?" When there was no answer within your dream, your slumber deepened and the same terrace in Naboo that overlooked the lake rippled before your eyes again.
You stood next to Anakin, holding a bouquet of wildflowers you had personally picked that morning from the fields. Padmé's white dress was more detailed than it was previously. It was gorgeous. The smile on both of their faces brought immense joy into your heart, even if you weren't the one wearing the gown. As the newlyweds repeated their vows, you beamed with one of the brightest smiles you'd ever worn - and it was sincere.
Anakin had invited you to his wedding himself. You were the only guest apart from his mechanic companions, R2 and Threepio. Even though you would never be the object of his affection, you were more than grateful to be able to stand by his side as he pledged his heart to the woman he loved. You would always have Anakin, just in another way. To Anakin, your presence was the only blessing he needed on the day of his wedding.
As they shared the kiss that would seal their promise to each other, you burst into applause. When they parted, Anakin's eyes found yours, his smile radiating beside Padmé's. "Congratulations, Ani. I'm so happy for both of you." You gushed, engulfing him in a hug.
"I'm so happy you were here with us, (Y/n)." He replied as his arms enveloped your frame. Padmé's joyous laughter filled the air alongside yours.
A smile broke across your unconscious expression as you dreamt. That grin of his would always do that to you, no matter if his love was given to another. He was still your Ani in a way that no one else could replicate. And once again, in mere seconds, the terrace blurred into Padmé's quarters at Coruscant, where the blue hue of the evening spread across the room.
"(Y/n), I have to tell you something," Padmé started, looking up from her book. She had been shifting uncomfortably on her sofa for the last hour, but you hadn't said anything about it. You didn't want to intrude, especially when this was one of the few nights you were able to spend with her since you had become close friends. You lifted your gaze from the sparring textbook you were studying to meet hers. Her foot was bouncing slightly against the floor as her nerves acclimated. "I haven't told Anakin yet."
"Okay," You answered, shutting your book and crossing the oval rug to sit next to her. You offered your most welcoming smile in an effort to calm her down. Her anxiety was emulating all around her. "Have at it."
"I-...I'm pregnant." She stuttered, placing a slender hand over her tiny bump that was hidden beneath her graceful gown. Your mouth parted as you repeated the words in your head, taking in everything that it could imply both for her and for Anakin. "I found out last week."
"You're pre- You're, uh... you mean there's...there's a baby in there?" You pointed to her stomach.
"Mhm." She nodded with a light laugh, anticipating your reaction.
"You- you're- ...Padmé, that's-" You struggled to find the right words as it dawned on you. Your best friend was going to be a father! You would be some sort of godmother or aunt! When your arms wrapped around her neck, Padmé didn't hesitate to return the gesture. "That's amazing! Anakin's going to be so thrilled!"
Your smile grew brighter in your slumber as you nestled yourself into your covers. The warmth you felt from these tiny moments was so unreal - and yet so perfect. But how could you get to that point when your heart was aching so much? How could you ever look at Padmé and not be jealous? How could you learn to not love Anakin?
"You are his only hope. If you cannot help him, no one can." Qui-Gon's voice interrupted your worries, filling your body with peace. "The only way to his happiness is through you; but your role in his life cannot be what you are hoping for."
"Come back here, Luke!" Leia screamed, pushing her legs to go as fast as they could through the tall wildflowers of the plains in Naboo. Luke, the son of your two best friends, was a young little boy eight years of age with a habit of playing mindless pranks on you and his twin sister, Leia, as often as he could. Especially when it was your day to take them out. However, he never liked the part where his sister inevitably caught up to him. "You little moon jockey!"
"Get him, Leia! He ruined our cloud mist pudding and our pretty blanket!" You called after the spunky child as he brown braids bobbed in the air. Your smile radiated from where you sat comfortably on the picnic blanket, picking the insects out of the dessert.
"No, I didn't! It was Leia!" Luke stopped in his tracks and looked back at Leia with an incredulous look. "I only put bugs in the pudding. I'm not the one who spilled fruit nectar on the blanket!" When Luke had fully turned around, his eyes opened wide as his sister reared into him in a matter of seconds. Before she could slow down, she rammed right into him, sending them both rolling onto the ground in a fit of laughter. "You almost squashed me!"
"Then don't stop so abruptly when you're being chased, young one!" You giggled, watching as Leia pulled her brother up off of the ground, only to trip him when he tried to take a step forward. Leia's bright laughter filled the open plain, but only until her brother swept her leg under her with his arm, sending her toppling backwards. They reminded you so much of how you and Anakin used to get into trouble together. "Come eat, you two! The sandwiches are ready."
Luke and Leia rushed back through the flowers and plopped down on the blanket, eagerly awaiting the sweet taste of Nabooian bread and meat. After handing them their own sandwiches, you leaned forward, ruffling the grass and pedals out of their hair.
"We have to hurry and eat if we want to go swim under the waterfall, alright? Your father and mother want you back at the palace a little earlier today." You explained, fighting a smile as they collectively groaned.
"Whyyyy?" Luke whined with a mouthful of food.
"They want you both clean and smelling fresh before the banquet this evening. Master Kenobi will be there, as well as my old Master, Mace Windu."
"It's so boring when Master Whantu starts talking. His face is always angry." He retorted.
"And his voice is always like this," Leia's voice dropped in pitch as she attempted her best monotone speech, accompanied by the deepest pout she could muster on her small lips, puffing out her cheeks and placing two fists on her hips. "I-forgot-how-to-smile-because-I'm-allergic-to-happiness." They both burst into laughter.
"It's pronounced Mace WHEN-DOO, Luke," You corrected with a smirk, handing them both a cloth napkin.
"Wind-ew?"
"Close enough," You chuckled, carefully spreading a generous portion of blue butter over your bread. You leaned in closer to them as you whispered your next words. "And you know what I think about his face?"
"No, what?" They asked at once.
"I think he's been so grumpy for so long that his face is stuck that way!" The twins' laughter lifted onto the breeze around you like a sweet melody. Had your younger self known this kind of bliss was possible, you would never have considered any other alternatives to staying by Anakin's side as his closest friend. You couldn't imagine never having known Luke and Leia.
"You are the one who will help Anakin choose the right path," Qui-Gon's voice echoed one last time. "He is the Chosen One, but without you, he will be seduced by darker minds. You mustn't fail him. The balance of the Force depends upon it."
The sunlight filtered through the curtains and danced across your eyelids, pulling you from your dreams. When your eyes slowly fluttered open, you took in a deep breathe of the morning air. As you forced yourself to slowly sit up, you suddenly became aware of what had been shown to you through the night. Everything you had heard, everything you had seen, was the result of the choice you would be forced to make before you left your quarters.
Were you going to hold onto your anger? Hide away your pain inside until it poisoned you beyond remedy? Or face it head on until you conquered it?
Was Anakin truly destined to become a Sith?
The image of his orange eyes send shivers throughout your body. The sight of Master Kenobi's tears, his regret, and the fire that lapped up Anakin's skin... it was so haunting. You glanced down at your hands as those moments played in your head over and over again with perfect clarity. There were those that were empty and broken; the ones in which you had decided to hold onto your hurts and flee from the life you'd been trained for - the life you loved. And there were the others, the ones that were so full of joy and hope. The ones where you were standing there with Anakin, in perfect harmony, as his dearest friend.
How could you ever jeopardize that?
Why had you thought it could only be love or nothing?
You recalled Qui-Gon's words as they ran through your mind once more. You were the one Anakin needed in order to stick to the right path. You weren't replaceable. Padmé had her role in Anakin's life, and you had yours. One as his lover and wife, the other as his friend and confidant, his partner in crime. And he needed both if he was to overcome whatever the future held. The thought of being needed by Anakin for something so vital made your shoulders relax and your lips tip into a smile. Luke and Leia's faces flashed into your head; two little children that yet to even be conceived, and you'd practically knew them already.
Luke and Leia, you repeated their names in your head. Anakin's children.
Deep in your chest there was still a stinging sensation to know that Luke and Leia weren't yours and that you would never be able to fill the role of Anakin's wife. It hurt so deeply that your lungs felt tight, as if the air you were breathing in was too heavy for them. But somehow, from what you had seen in your slumber, you knew that you would be alright with the outcome of Anakin's choice. Maybe not now, maybe not for a long time, but someday. Someday, you would be able to look at Padmé without losing confidence in yourself or feeling jealous. Someday, you would be able to look at Anakin and trust in yourself that what love you had for him was as his friend - that perhaps the bond between you could grow stronger despite the foundations not being laid in romance.
Not today, but someday.
And until then, you would focus more on your own path - the individual journey that you would need to navigate for your own life.
With a sudden burst of hopeful energy, you pulled yourself out of your covers and planted your feet onto the floor. You quietly crossed the room to your chair, where you found your utility belt neatly rolled and your saber setting next to it. With a confused expression, you picked them up and turned to observe the rest of the room. Your robe had been moved out of the floor where you'd dumped it and draped over the other side of your bed. Your boots were still in the corner where they had been thrown, and everything else seemed untouched.
He came in last night, you thought. He came to check on me after what I did.
Does he know what happened after I left him there?
With your thoughts now in a whirlwind of apprehension, you quickly disrobed your clothes from the day before and put on a fresh set. You synched your belt around your waist and clicked your saber onto its latch, your fingers lingering over the weapon as you remembered you temptation from the prior evening. You felt so guilty.
But there was no time for that, nor was there a place for it.
With a clearing of your throat and a few deep breaths, you pulled your robe on and made your way down the empty corridor, pulling your hair out of the braid you'd slept in and running your fingers through the tangles. As you descended the stairwell to the dining hall floor, you pulled it back into a low bun, letting your padawan braid fall free onto your shoulder.
You pressed your hands onto the heavy doors of the dining hall, allowing it to creak open as it glided across the floor. As you stepped inside, you were met with the blurred sound of conversations that flooded the atmosphere in the room as every padawan and Jedi in the palace enjoyed their breakfast. You stalled awkwardly by the door as you scanned the long tables for Anakin and your masters. It wasn't until you saw Mace Windu's hand raised in the air, beckoning you over, that you spotted them. With a deep breath, you made your way over and took the empty seat next to your master, directly across from Anakin.
"Nice of you to finally join us." Windu chided. You looked up at him, expecting to see a scowl, but instead you found the slightest hint of a smirk.
"Late start to the morning, (Y/n)?" Master Kenobi asked, topping off his morning pastries with a lavish helping of sweet cream.
"Um, yes, Master. I had a rough night." You explained, trying to mask the nerves in your voice. All three pairs of eyes settled on you in an instant. "It took me awhile to fall asleep."
"Oh?" Mace Windu's eyes narrowed. You squirmed a little under the pressure of his gaze. Sometimes in felt like he could see right through you. "Something bothering you?"
"No, Master. Nothing too serious." You nodded
"Anakin said something about you not feeling well. Is that true?" Kenobi glanced up at you from across the table.
"Yes, Master," You gulped. Did he tell them what you had said to him? Or the state in which he had found the things in your room?
"Why didn't you notify me? I would have had you taken to the infirmary." Your master inquired between intakes of his eggs and blue milk.
"Oh, uhm, Anakin was kind enough to take me. It was just a dizzy spell. I was outside in the sun for a while yesterday." You nodded, trying to convince everyone - including yourself - that is wasn't a big deal. "The nurse just told me to get some rest." You saw Anakin look up at you out of the corner of your eye. He was probably shocked that you were praising what he had done, judging by how you had reacted afterwards.
"I hope you got enough. We're practicing sparring again today. You and Anakin will lead the younglings through the maneuvers."
"Yes, master." You repeated, finally willing yourself to pile your plate with the delicious food that lined the table.
Throughout the rest of the meal, you and Anakin kept quiet, avoiding direct eye contact, and only mumbling answers when questions were tossed vaguely in your directions. When your plates had been picked clean and the gong that concluded the hour sounded from across the room, you were both excused and made your way down to the sparring grounds just outside the palace courts. When you were out of ear-shot from most of the crowd, apart from a few padawans racing ahead, you finally found your voice.
"Anakin? I wanted to- um," Your fingers twisted around each other as you tried to find the right words. As soon as he heard your voice, he picked up his gaze and looked directly into your eyes as you walked side by side. "I wanted to apologize for how I reacted last night. I was rude to you and you didn't deserve it. I let my emotions get the better of me."
"It's alright, (Y/n). I should have listened to you when you said you didn't want to go to the infirmary. I just thought you were trying to play it tough. I didn't realize you hated it there that much or I wouldn't have fo-"
"No, Anakin," You reached forward and touched his arm, pulling him to a stop. "I wasn't upset about the infirmary. Sure, I hate it there, but that's not what bothered me. You did the right thing in taking me."
"Seriously? I thought you were mad at me because I forced you to go." He replied, his innocent expression still managing to melt the edges of your heart. It would take a lot of time to correct that sensation from happening so often.
"No, no, I wasn't mad about that. Well, I wasn't really mad at all, I was just-...um...Well, if I was mad at anyone, I was really just upset with myself for, um, for-..." Your eyes fell to the ground as you tried to pry the words from your mouth. When your silence lingered, he placed a hand on your shoulder, warranting you to look up at him.
"You can tell me, (Y/n). We're best friends, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember," You smiled with chuckle, recalling what had been shown to you in your dreams. "You won't make fun of me?"
"I promise."
"Well, when you- when you told me about yours and Padmé's relationship, I just panicked a little. I was pretty shocked. And I think...I think I was a little hurt, because I-... I wanted to be your only person, Ani, like you are to me. You're my best friend and- and I don't want to share you with anyone...and you were just trying to find someone to confide in," You glanced down at your hands as you continued. "I'm sorry I let you down like that."
When your words settled into Anakin's mind, he was left a little speechless. He never thought that you would feel so close to him to warrant that kind of reaction. As he remembered the disturbance he had experience the night before and what he had found in your room, and the tears that had stained your cheeks, he realized what it had all meant.
Anakin was your family, just as you were his.
It took you a few seconds to register Anakin's arms around your neck. When you finally did, you slowly wrapped your arms under his shoulders and savored the comfort you found in his arms. For a long moment, you stood there so still in each other's embrace that you wondered if you were still asleep under your blankets, dreaming this all up. You, of course, had embraced each other innumerable times, but this was different. It was a promise, whether Anakin realized it or not, that you would be there beside him no matter what. Instead of a vow of marriage, it was a vow of a friend - a fellow Jedi. You wouldn't let him down again.
"You didn't let me down, (Y/n). It was a lot to take in. I should have let you know sooner, or at least done a better job of telling you," He said, pulling away and placing his hands on your shoulders. "And don't ever doubt how important you are to me. I've grown up with you and I wouldn't let anyone take your place - not that anyone ever could. There's a part of me that only you will ever know, (Y/n), and that's yours."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me, (Y/n). You're the closest thing to family that I have. I never want to risk losing what we have, (Y/n), no matter what happens."
You tried to hide to tears that welled up in your eyes as he spoke, but the sniffling that followed them did little to help your case. When Anakin noticed them, he simply swiped them away and embraced you once more. He, too, disliked the idea of ever having to share you with anyone.
"And Anakin?" You sniffled, wiping your nose with the dramatic sleeve of your robe. You pulled away, looking up into his eyes.
"Hm?" He frowned, worried about what you might have left to say.
"I better be invited to the wedding, or I'll have to crash it myself." You smiled, shoving him playfully. Anakin's laughter filled the air around you, filling your heart with warmth as it always had. He draped an arm around your shoulder and led you down the walkway.
Warnings: mentions of sex and abuse, some extreme violent occurrences that happen to children (all of this happens in the reader's past, and I put that part in italics so you can skip if needed).
When the Mandalorian followed you into your house, he was quite surprised to find how homey and warm it really felt (warm as in comfortable, because obviously it's warm in the house, it's Tatooine.)
He gave a sweep of the small house, something he had to do at every place he went. He noticed that the kitchen was small, with no fridge, a faucet coming out of the wall as a water source, a stove with only one burner.
Down the one hallway there were 3 rooms. The first on the left was a bathroom with a toilet, a single sink and a small bathtub. The second room looked to be your bedroom. It was simple, with only a made bed, a small nightstand holding one picture of you and an elderly woman, and a closet with only 2 outfits in it. In the very last room he noticed the same elderly woman from the picture laying in the bed asleep.
"That's my Grandma." You whispered from behind him. "Well, technically a friend of my actual Grandma, but I've known this woman all my life. Practically raised me. So, I just call her Grandma. Or, more commonly 'Ancient, yet wise' as a joke we came up with a long time ago. She's the fossil, I'm the flower."
The Mandalorian nodded as he looked between you and your "Grandma". He had some questions, but he felt rude to ask. Clearly you had sensed his questioning and told him to follow you.
You lead him to a table with 2 apples that were starting to go bad, and started boiling some water on the stove. You gestured for him to sit, and when he complied, you began.
"I live in the town where the infamous Shmi and Anakin Skywalker used to live when the boy was just a boy, so this place seems to be some sort of local attraction on this dump of a planet.
"Local attraction to whom, you may ask, since Tatooine is not a place anyone in their right mind would go to for a vacation? Local attraction to Imperial Officers, Stormtroopers, and anyone who is part of the Empire. I have a feeling Darth Vader doesn't exactly like this place and wants it to be gone.
"So, what would you do if you were a Sith Lord and absolutely despised something? Destroy it, of course. And that's exactly what he did.
"My parents were slaves, just like I am now, but they abused me. Abused me and my baby sister Alora. Beat us till we were little pieces of pulp, then go have angry sex in their room, and not so quiet either. That was basically every night of our lives.
"Until one day.
"I had finished my duties, and instead of going straight home, I went to go visit my Grandma, who had been the only real parental figure in our lives.
"Alora wasn't with me, since she was still too young to do any work. I was helping the Fossil clean some of her pots and pans, and some of the vegetables she managed to grow, which still confuses me because we're in the middle of a desert, how the hell can you grow vegetables in sand... Where was I?
"Oh right. So I was washing some lettuce when we heard some sirens go off. I had never heard sirens before, ever, I didn't even know our town could afford sirens, so I didn't know what they meant, but my Grandma did.
"Immediately she went and shut everything off, all the droids, all the power, everything. She grabbed any recent garbage and the food we were making and dumped them down a hole she uncovered from one of the paintings on the wall. She went around every single room making sure it was perfectly clean and look like it hadn't been lived in in years (my Grandma was a big neat freak so it only took like 10 minutes.) She swept the floors to rid of any footprints in the sand and walked over to me.
"Then she picked me up and somehow pulled out the fridge and it started floating (I don't even know this woman was insane), went behind it, swept the last of the footprints then put the fridge back in front of us.
"And we waited.
"By this point I was so confused as to what was going on, and I was crying quite a lot because it had to be something bad. And Alora, she was back at home with our parents, and I wasn't there for her. I wasn't there to protect her from the bad like I always did.
"As we sat in darkness my Grandma just held me in her lap and shushed me, told me it would all be over soon.
"To help calm me down she told me stories, and it worked quite well. When we heard the Stormtroopers come into my Grandma's little farm we were dead silent.
"The Ancient One held a gun in one hand and me in the other, and we sat in the floor listening. Turns out her plan was genious because I actually heard one of the dummies say that it looked like no had lived here for years, and then left.
"We waited for another hour after we thought they were gone because you can never be too careful.
"Then we heard what had to have been one of the biggest explosions ever. Grandma's farm was a good 5 minute ride in a speeder, which is like at least an hour walk, from town, and we heard this explosion like it was right next to us.
"I cried some more. We were sitting in pitch black for the next, oh it had to be at least 2 and a half hours before the both of us (or at least my Grandma) got the courage to get out.
"When we did, my Grandma and I walked to the town to let any of the straggling Stormtroopers leave.
"When we did get to town, bodies were everywhere. Blood was sprayed over every surface, and the smell was rotten and musty. I saw many faces of children I played with burned and bashed in, their bodies twisted in awkward angles.
"My Grandma and I walked to my house. And it was a disaster. The two joining houses on either had completely collapsed, and it looked like ours was about to as well. But I still ran in. Screaming for Alora. I ran to her room, Grandma trying to get me to come back inside because the roof could cave at any moment.
"And when I got to her room, she was there. Lying on the floor. Laying in a puddle of blood with 2 bullet wounds in her back."
You wiped a tear that began falling down your face and continued.
"Oh my god, the look on her face. It'll be burned into my brain for the rest of my life. Her once cute little brown eyes had this look of a haunting death no one should ever see. Her room was destroyed, but I paid no mind to the mess as I cried next to her body.
"I left my sister that day. I could have saved her, I could have at least been there and died with her so she didn't have to suffer alone.
"Our parents had obviously done nothing to help her, we found their bodies hiding in their bedroom closet. Shows how much we really meant to them.
"But I could've been there. Maybe I couldn't have stopped her death, but I could have just been there.
"I was 7 years old. She was 2. And I failed her. I was really the only one she had. And I left her.
"My Grandma picked up my screaming body and dragged me back to her farm. We lived there for the next, oh 10 years at least until the town was rebuilt to be the same again, and when my Grandma fell ill, I became a slave and now work to keep us alive.
"Though I wish I was there with Alora, or had taken Alora to go visit Grandma with me, not once has Grandma ever failed to let me know that she could not be more grateful that I felt comfortable enough to go visit and spend time with her, because if I hadn't, I would be dead.
"She never fails to let me know that it was not my fault, and she's so happy that one of her girls made it out alive.
"She misses Alora as terribly as I do, but Grandma was much better at hiding it for my sake. She said that there was nothing we could have done, and for that we must move on with the few happy memories we have of her."
The Mandalorian was speechless, though he did get a sense of deja vu. His story was not that far off. But he wasn't going to tell you that.
The table was silent for a few more minutes before you spoke up again.
"One of the Fossil's favourite stories to tell is the one about a Mandalorian."
This made the bounty hunter's interest peak, and he looked up at you embarrassingly quickly.
"She told the tale of the brave man from Mandalore, who was trained to fight, kill, have no sympathy and just simply get the job done. But, he had a weakness. A girl he loved too much for his own good, which unfortunately lead to his downfall."
The Mandalorian gulped beneath his mask. Strangely, this story seemed a bit familiar to his situation.
"She liked to call him 'Lumpy' cause he always wore armour and was never able to hold her properly. It was never comfortable to hold him, because he was so... lumpy. And the nickname was born. "
"It's awful."
You smirked. "All the more reason to use the name. The girl never found out his real name, so, she stuck with Lumpy."
The room became silent again, until there was the sound of coughing. You stood up quickly and ran to the stove where you had your water boiling. You put it into a bowl with some powder, and while it turned into a muffin, you picked up one of the apples from the table and a poured some room temperature water into a cup.
You walked down the hallway with the food in your hands, and the Mandalorian trailing behind you. He watched with admiration as you walked into the room, set the food down onto the nightstand and helped the coughing woman, who the Mandalorian now knows is your Grandma, drink the water.
You really were an amazing person.
As you were feeding her the bread, you spoke to your Grandma. "So, we have a visitor today."
"Oh?" The bounty hunter noticed the elderly woman's voice was very soft and delicate, but still had a certain beauty to it.
"Yes, he saved me in the bar today, and I offered him our home for a night."
"What happened? Are you alright?" He noticed that she spoke slowly, but her words still came out in an almost majestic way.
"All thanks to the visitor. A cruel Twi'lek grabbed me and whispered some disgusting things in my ear. I got a good punch in, but my saviour swooped in and took him out of the bar. He then came back to ask if I was okay."
"How thoughtful."
"Yes, he was very kind to me. Would you like to meet him?"
"Are you sure this is a good man?"
You looked over at him and smiled. "I think so."
"Alright, then yes I would." she answered.
"Now, Grandma, you have to promise me you won't freak out."
"Why would I freak out," she gave a confused glance. "I thought you said this was a good man."
"You'll see." she shrugged, and you gestured for him to come over. He complied right away, and came to stand just a bit behind you. Your Grandma looked up at him and gasped.
"A Mandalorian."
"Yes, Grandma. His ship is quite far away, and there is a terrible sandstorm outside, so I offered him our place for just the night."
The bounty hunter felt a sense of calm around you. He knew that this was more than likely a bad idea, but he couldn't find it in him to say no to you.
"My, my," sighed your Grandma. "A Mandalorian."
You giggled. "Yes, Grandma." You glanced at the nightstand a gasped. "Shoot, I forgot to cut the apple. I'll be right back." You looked over at the Mandalorian. "Can you keep her company for a few minutes?"
The hunter was shocked. Did you really trust him that much? "Of course." He went and sat down in the chair near your Grandma's bed, resting his weapon against the nightstand.
When he looked up and saw you smile, he felt his heart skip a beat for what had to be the millionth time. "Thank you."
He followed you with his eyes out the door, and after another minute, he looked back at your Grandma, only to see her grinning at him.
"She likes you."
"Can't imagine why."
"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you helped her without expecting anything in return. That poor girl has not been shown much kindness in her life."
"The man that attacked her was my bounty."
"Doesn't matter. You came back to her after you got rid of him. And that's more than she's gotten from any stranger in a long, long time."
The Mandalorian stayed silent. So the elderly woman spoke up again.
"Thank you."
Just then you came back into the room. "Alright, much better now." You went and sat back on the bed next to your Grandma, and started feeding her the apples. The Mandalorian simply sat, admiring your movements, your actions, your beauty, and the words that came from your lips as you told your Grandma about your day.
After you finished feeding your Grandma, you brought over a bowl and toothbrush (unfortunately with no toothpaste) and brushed her teeth. Then you helped her sit up and sat behind her, taking a hairbrush to her head and gently detangled all the knots. By the time you were done she was exhausted, so you laid her back down, tucked her in to her blankets, gave her a kiss on her head, blew out the candle on her nightstand, grabbed the dishes she ate from and exited the room to head towards the kitchen.
"Goodnight, Ancient One."
Your Grandma smiled and replied, "Goodnight, Flower."
The bounty hunter watched all this from the doorway, and marvelled at your graceful way of fluttering around the room. Every move you made was perfect, and the Mandalorian simply could not do anything but stare in wonder and awe.
You, of course, did not know this, since his face was hidden behind the mask. But that definitely helped make his staring less obvious, which he was thankful for.
As you were walking down the kitchen, the Mandalorian followed in silence, and sat down at the table once more. He observed as you once again began boiling water, sliced up the apples, and made the muffin from the powder.
When you were finished you filled another glass with water, and made a motion with your head for the bounty hunter to follow you. He did, and noticed you lead him to your room.
"I'll leave the food here for you. This room has a curtain, and I swear on my Grandma's life, I will not come in here at all when you are here. I just have to use the bathroom, and then that will also be yours for the rest of the night."
As you went to the bathroom, the Mandalorian sat on the bed and waited for you. When you finished, you waited in the hall and asked "Can I come in?"
"Yes."
So, you walked in to put your clothes on the last hanger in the closet and turned to face the bounty hunter.
"Is the anything else I can get you?"
The bounty hunter shook his head.
"Alright. Well, if you do need anything, I'll just be sleeping in Grandma's room."
He nodded at your smiling form, and said a small "Goodnight."
When your smile got bigger, the Mandalorian knew that he really was in deep, deep trouble.
"Sweet dreams."
And with that, you walked away, leaving the Mandalorian to his own devices in getting ready for bed. He sat for a few minutes, trying to understand what the hell was going on with him. He trusted that you wouldn't come in, and he knew that you knew that he trusted you.
He went to the bathroom, did his business, and went back to his room. He took off his armor and placed it beside the bed on the floor. However, he did keep his helmet on. It wasn't that he didn't trust you; it was everyone else.
He slept upright (a position he had slept in many a time before) with his weapon resting right bedside him, and fell asleep with ease for the first time in a long time.
The Mandalorian had a sneaking suspicion that it had something to do with you.
Warnings: Mild violence, mild sexual harassment but nothing too detailed, cringey writing, sickening amounts of fluff at times.
It was many years before the Mandalorian was given the mission to find the Child that he met Y/N. And what a day that was. A day that he could never, ever forget.
His bounty was a dangerous thief and murderer hiding out on the planet of Tatooine. This was going to be a breeze for the Mandalorian. He had fought enemies twice as big for pay half of what he was offered. But this was a lot of money, and he needed it.
He was walking through town on his way to the Cantina when he saw a beautiful woman on the side of the street. She looked to be washing the sand out of some clothes while talking to an elderly woman doing the same thing.
She had the most beautiful smile the Mandalorian had ever seen upon anyone's face. Her eyes were sparkling brighter than any star to exist, despite the poor life she seemed to be living. Her clothes were old rags that were falling apart in many places, there was dirt covering her hands and face, her soft hair was half done up in a braid, the bottom half flowing behind her, and her voice. My god, her voice. She laughed at something the other woman said, and he swears, he died right there.
But he had a mission to do, and he couldn't think about her. He shook his head and walked towards the Cantina, and instantly saw his target. The criminal was a Twi'lek with purple skin and yellow eyes (a disadvantage for the target, major advantage for anyone trying to find him). The Twi'lek was obviously trying to hide beneath a cloak, but with these extreme temperatures it made it very difficult to do so.
The Mandalorian took a full sweep of the room. There were no other bounty hunters in sight, meaning he did not have to act quickly. He went to sit at one of the empty tables to keep an eye on the target until he left; the bounty hunter did not want to make a scene if he did not have to.
So, he took a seat in the back and told the waitress that he didn't want anything. That's when everything went to hell. The beautiful girl he saw before walked in and went behind the bar. Clearly she works many jobs to get enough money for something.
The girl put on an apron and picked up a tray. He saw his waitress from before leave, meaning this woman was going to be taking over serving him. She walked over, smiling very softly.
"Can I get you anything?" This girl knew that the man sitting before her was a Mandalorian, and he would not order anything because he can't take off his helmet. But, it was her job, so. Whatever.
The bounty hunter looked up at her face and felt his heart stop. Oh god. If he thought that she was beautiful from afar, she really did look like a goddess up close. He could make out some more features of her face, and he swears he fell in love with every single one of them.
But what the hell. This has never happened before. What the hell. He's been to plenty of clubs all over the galaxy for his work. He's seen women bathed head to toe in gold, practically drowning in diamonds, radiating their bodies and beauty. But he never thought about any of them. How could he, though, it's not like he could do anything with them.
But this woman? She spoke one sentence to him and he was hers. Just like that. If she asked him to jump off a bridge he would. If she asked him to fight a thousand rancors he would. If she asked him to take off his helmet... he probably would. For her. Cause then he could be with her. Oh my god, shut up. What the hell was he thinking? He's got a job to do, and plenty more after this one. There's no time for that.
"No thanks."
She nodded, and gave another gentle smile. "Let me know if you change your mind."
He gave her a curt nod of is head and went back to looking at his target, for he knew if he didn't he'd ask for something he would come to quickly regret.
She walked away towards another table, and the Mandalorian couldn't help but look back to admire the shape of her body. He quickly deduced that she was way too skinny due to starving on this planet, but he still could only find one word to describe it. Perfect.
He looked back to his assignment. He hadn't moved, just continued to drink his drink. It was about 20 minutes later that his problem escalated more. You see, the truth is that the Mandalorian was barely looking at his target at all. The truth is that he couldn't keep his eyes off the woman. She was just so positive and graceful with her movements. And clearly, he wasn't the only one thinking these thoughts.
It just so happened to be the target himself who wanted to woo the girl as well. And there was no way the bounty hunter was going to let that happen. The girl smiled as she placed another drink in front of the purple alien, but the Twi'lek had other ideas. He reached out and grabbed the girl's wrist, pulled her ear towards his mouth, and the Mandalorian clenched his fists so tightly together he thought his armour was going to break.
"You look good enough to eat, sweetheart. Why don't you get out of here with me. I'll show you a good time."
The girl tried to escape his hold as she responded, "I'm flattered, but no thank you. Now please let me go."
"Not gonna happen sweetheart." And he started to bite on her ear.
She was now desperately trying to yank her arm away. She even dropped her tray and swung a mean right hook to the Twi'lek's jaw with her free arm, but he wouldn't let loose.
With his heightened hearing in his helmet, the bounty hunter heard every word that was spoken, and was having none of it.
Though he felt an immense sense of pride that she managed to get a good hit in, he knew she couldn't win this fight; this was a murderer after all.
He made is way over in less than 4 steps and ripped the guy's hand off the girl's arm, and stood between them, protectively keeping the girl behind his back while he towered over the target.
He then grabbed the Twi'lek by the collar of his cloak and brought him up to his face.
"You're lucky the bounty is much better for you alive rather than dead. Touch her one more time and you will be a dead man. I wouldn't keep you alive for all the money in the galaxy."
He then grabbed the Twi'lek's arm and dragged him out of the Cantina all the way to his speed racer, punched him so he was knocked out, and tied him up 6 different ways so the target couldn't get away.
After tying up the now prisoner, the Mandalorian stood up and walked back to the Cantina. He spotted the girl wiping up a table, and instantly noticed the bruises forming on her wrists.
He walked up to her, and found his heart melting when she saw him and smiled.
"Are you alright?" he asked her.
She nodded and smiled again. "All thanks to you."
He shrugged and shook his head. "He was my target anyway."
"Still. You saved me, and for that I thank you. Is there any way I can repay you?"
He shook his head once more. "I'm just glad you're okay."
"Please. Let me take you back you my place. It's not much, but there's supposed to be a sandstorm tonight, and those can get very serious. Please."
The bounty hunter contemplated. He knew his ship was quite a distance away; he didn't want his ship to get recognized by other bounty hunters and steal his catch. He also knew that if the sandstorm the girl was talking about did happen, the prisoner would more than likely die. And he needed the money.
He looked down at the girl.
"Alright."
Her smile seemed to grow 10 times at that one simple word.
"Perfect. I get off in about 15 minutes. Can you wait that long?"
The Mandalorian smiled under the mask. "If I have to."
The girl giggled as she walked away towards her last few customers.
When the 15 minutes were up, the girl turned the lights out and locked up the doors. They then walked in a comfortable silence towards, first his speeder, then her home.
After tying up a gag around the prisoners mouth, a blindfold around his eyes, and punching the guy one more time when the girl wasn't looking to make sure he would stay knocked out, he stuffed the guy into the storage compartment of his speeder and turned to face her.
The winds were already picking up outside, and he knew the girl was right about the storm.
After a few seconds of staring at each other, the Mandalorian spoke up.
"What's your name?"
The girl smiled once again. "Y/N."
And with that, she turned around and entered her home, with the Mandalorian trailing closely behind her.
"... and the Mandalorian swooped in and saved the day!" you beamed as you swung the kid above your head, making it giggle both at the ride and the ship noises you were making.
Said Mandalorian was walking a few paces ahead of the you, half listening to the stories you were telling the Child about the two of you over the years and half looking out for any threats, especially since you now had a very valuable target on your hands.
He was wary; speaking from plenty of experience, anything could happen at anytime.
The more he thought about the threats that could happen, the more he thought about protecting you, and now the kid.
There was no denying that you and the kid have already become best friends. Or, even more so, like mother and child. It was obvious in the first 30 seconds of meeting the baby you would be a great mother, and it was proved the longer he observed your interactions with each other. You'd be strong and stern, yet tender and kind and loving and gentle and really, really, really...
He shook his head to get rid of those thoughts and continued forward, the egg thingy floating behind him and you trailing a few paces back.
The bounty hunter was doing his best to walk the three of you back to the ship, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.
Mud was sticking to his shoes and was beginning to crawl its way up his legs. He had to turn around and catch you twice from some particularly slippery patches.
It didn't seem to phase you though, since he heard you pointing out the little lizards you saw and kept your smile on at all times. You had asked if it was okay for you to carry the Child, to which he answered of course, but he still brought the... carriage?... just in case.
"Now, let me tell you about an even better superhero than the Mandalorian. I know what you're thinking! Y/n, how could there be someone even better than the Mandalorian, he sounds like such a great guy. And I would say well, he is, but sometimes he can get grumpy (especially when he's hungry), and nobody likes a grumpy man, oh no. But this superhero is the most courageous, brave, beautiful, strong, smart, and funny person, and she goes by the name of-"
The Mandalorian furrowed his eyebrows and slowed to a stop as he heard the sound of something new, though he couldn't quite place it. "Y/N," he called hesitantly to you. It sounded like footsteps.
He heard you stop abruptly, both in walking and your story. "Are you serious?" you asked. "I just told like 6 stories about you, don't I get a turn-"
"Y/N," he called a bit louder this time and waved you over. He placed his hand on his gun and looked around while he waited for you to catch up. Right now you were surrounded by tall rocks besides the path in front and behind you. You were standing in the shade because the sun was blocked out by the tall cliffs, but the heat was still intense as he could see some sweat dripping off your forehead.
As you came and stood next to him the Mandalorian whispered, "Keep the kid close." He could see you nod in his peripherals, staying silent because he knew you could hear it too: the sound of movement of something much bigger than those lizards.
The bounty hunter instinctually put his left arm in front of you while the other gripped the gun. It was silent, save for the wind blowing in your faces and your heavy breathing in anticipation. To his right he noticed a shadow move quickly, making him look left to find the source.
All of a sudden a Trandoshan, an alien with orange-brown scaly skin and four short horns on the crown of it's head, jumped towards the Mandalorian, swinging it's vibro-axe and attacking the bounty hunter.
"Get back," he grunted in your direction as he quickly pushed the carriage away and turned to try and shoot his attacker, but he wasn't quick enough.
The Trandoshan knocked the blaster out of his hand and swung it's axe straight for the bounty hunter, so he swiftly shot his head back and blocked the repeated hits with his wrist guards.
On the fourth swing the Mandalorian caught the axe and began wrestling the alien for it. The Trandoshan tried to punch him in the head but that failed when the bounty hunter deflected it with one arm and twisted the axe with the other, effectively making the attacker lose his balance and flip onto the ground.
Just as the bounty hunter was about to stab the opponent, another of it's kind came from nowhere and thrust it's own axe out, blocking the Mandalorian from his actions and tangling the two axes together.
The second Trandoshan freed his axe and swung again, crippling the blade of the bounty hunter's axe causing him to throw it to the side, rendering it useless. Panting, the Mandalorian ducked under another swing of the axe before taking out his Amban Rifle and using it to combat his foe.
First he waved the rifle above his head an maneuvered it to be in front of him, turning on the electricity and shocking the scaled enemy till it was dead. He groaned as the Trandoshan he knocked down earlier used the broken axe to cut deeply into his left arm, but the bounty hunter quickly turned to face the surprise attacker and smacked it's head with the razor sharp edge of the rifle.
With both of his opponents on the ground he whipped his head around to find you in your own mess, a third Trandoshan standing behind you with his arm around your neck. He ran over as fast as he could, watching as you elbowed the alien in the stomach and slithered out of its grip, then kicked its legs so hard the scaly alien fell back and hit its head on the ground.
The Mandalorian aimed his rifle at the Trandoshan's head and as soon as he could see you crouching and covering your own, he shot the alien and watched as it disintegrated into ashes.
With heavy breathing coming from the both of you the bounty hunter held his hand out to you, gently helping you stand up. He looked to his left and was relieved to see you had put the kid in the floating egg, and it was just sitting there cooing at the two of you.
That was when he heard what sounded like beeping, causing the both of you to look to your right and see a tracking fob sitting in the mud. You quickly rushed over to it and picked up a rock, smashing the fob into tiny pieces.
"Does this mean they're always going to be onto us?" you panted, looking to the Mandalorian for some answers. He slowly nodded his head and looked at the kid, now realizing just how dangerous this situation was going to be.
---
It was beginning to get dark out, so the bounty hunter offered to rest for a while which you didn't hesitate to agree upon.
He was sitting next to the small oil lamp you had turned on, grunting in pain as you sat next to him and tended to the wound on his arm.
He did his best to focus on anything but his arm, opting on your features and humming as you continuously shocked the wound with the very small taser. He had to admit, the distraction was working quite well.
Your hair had fallen out of it's ponytail long ago, leaving it to cascade down your back and occasionally fall into your eyes. There was a small crease between your eyebrows as you concentrated on the task at hand, and your skin had strange reflections dancing across it from the glow of the lamp.
You had stopped for a moment to look down at something, and the Mandalorian was about to ask you what was wrong before he saw it too. The kid had somehow managed to climb out of the carriage and walk it's way over to you, trying to climb up onto your leg.
Giggling at it you gently picked it up and brought it back over to the egg, carefully putting it back inside. "I have to go help Lumpy for a few more minutes," you whispered in its direction, wrapping the blankets around its tiny body. "So I need you to wait in here. Okay?"
The baby only cooed back and grabbed onto the finger you were using to caress its face. The Mandalorian watched as you smiled brightly and gave it one of your leather wrist bands to inspect and hopefully grab its attention enough to keep it out of trouble.
He saw you nod in satisfaction that the kid was preoccupied with the intricate designs of the wrist band before you turned back to the bounty hunter's arm, picking up the taser and beginning again.
This went on for a few more minutes, you shocking the wound in an attempt to close it while humming, the baby turning the piece of fabric in his hands over and over again in complete and utter fascination, and the bounty hunter wondering how the hell you were managing to make him fall even more in love with you after all this time. It truly wasn't fair.
As he watched you with a silent admiration behind his mask, he couldn't help but get lost in his thoughts. The Mandalorian loved and hated the mask for many reasons when it came to you. He loved it because it allowed him to be able to memorize your features without you even noticing, but he hated it because he wasn't able to do anything about it.
How much longer was he supposed to go on with this stupid game of pretending like everything was okay? Because, at least in his mind, it most certainly was not. He just wanted to be able to hold you and love you and never ever let you go, but some stupid gut feeling told him that now was not the time. Not yet.
He's never hated his gut feeling more. It hasn't let him down yet, though, so that means he's sticking to it. The worst part about it is that this is the one time he can't even ask you for your opinion, your help and view of the situation, which has guided him in the right direction countless times.
It's all so messed up, but the bounty hunter's hoping that soon he'll be able to work up the courage to at least tell you something. Anything.
His thoughts got cut off by you talking to him with a very gentle tone as you started to wrap the wound on his arm.
"I think I closed your cut as far as it can go, but I'll still have to wrap it so it won't get infected. Even though it's extremely useless for me to say this you're gonna have to try and ease up a bit on that arm, just for a day or two to help it heal. However, it seems like with our luck right now that isn't going to happen," you sighed, beginning to clean up all of the supplies.
"Thank you for helping me," he grunted out, biting his lip to stop him from crying out in pain as he picked up his broken chest plate and began shocking that as well in hopes of bringing the pieces of metal back together.
He flicked some sort of switch and an orange light came on, effectively making the author question what the hell was going on.
The bounty hunter was interrupted by your gasp and quickly whipped his head up, watching you put your hand over your heart. He was about to ask what was wrong before he saw you pick up the kid from beside you place him in your lap.
"You almost gave me a heart attack, how did you get out of the carriage again?"
The Child only replied by giggling and waving your leather wrist band above its head, making you chuckle as well. "Yes, that is pretty interesting isn't it?"
You laughed again when you gave it the second bracelet, watching as the baby gasped and slowly reached out for the second one. It held one in each hand and looked back and forth between them, not sure what it was supposed to do with two wrist bands.
The Mandalorian continued tinkering with the machine while he faintly heard you talking to the kid. When he was finished he glanced up to see the you lying on the ground with your eyes closed and the kid snuggled up into your arms, both of your breathing patterns slow and even.
He sighed as he grabbed the blanket from inside the carriage and opened it, shook it out and then laid it on top of you before putting out the lamp and attempting to get comfortable on the rocks as well.
He didn't go to sleep, even though he wouldn't tell you that, and chose to stay on look out in case something were to attack again.
---
It was bright and early on the next day when the three of you walked over a ridge with the sun slowly rising behind you. The Mandalorian could tell you didn't get enough sleep because you kept rubbing your eyes and yawning, but he knew time was slim ever since the kid was around, meaning you had to keep moving.
He wasn't sure how much longer you walked when you reached the ship, but he did know it was about mid-day because the sun was high in the sky by now. He wasn't paying too much attention to the sun, though, because a situation much more pressing presented itself and now he was fuming.
He had walked days upon days in the desert only to come back and find out that some stupid Jawas thought they could rip his ship into pieces and steal whatever they wanted. Well, not on his watch, that's for damn sure.
Before he could wait for you to catch up the Mandalorian took full advantage of his position on the higher ground and took out his rifle, quickly aiming and shooting at one of the Jawas stealing his things. He then reloaded his rifle and aimed at another one, not thinking about the consequences it may hold later.
As he began reloading for the third shot you kneeled down in front of him and placed your hands on either side of his helmet.
"What the hell are you doing?" you screamed, looking at him with wild eyes.
"What do you mean what am I doing," he yelled back, just as exasperated. "They've just torn a part the entire ship!"
"We can get it back, but it's not going to be easy now that you've killed some of them-" your arguing was cut off by the Jawa's Sandcrawler starting up and beginning to drive away.
"Y/N we've got to get our stuff back!" He didn't wait for your response as he bolted for the Sandcrawler, running at full speed. When he got closer the bounty hunter knelt on one knee and aimed for a main power source to the vehicle, firing as quickly as he could. It slowed down the Sandcrawler but not enough to stop it, making the Mandalorian sigh as he got back up to chase it again.
Once he got right beside the massive machine he jumped to his left and grabbed onto the droid chute, using his arms to pull his body up to reach the ladder. He gripped the first rung of the ladder with one hand and swung his other over, then stopped for a minute to take a breath.
With legs dangling the bounty hunter did his best to pull himself up, using the momentum of the Sandcrawler. The second his leg reached the first rung of the ladder the Mandalorian began climbing it, not hear your screaming for him to stop and think for a second.
Grunting from the pain in his arm because of the gash (he rolled his eyes internally as he realized you were correct in the situation not letting him take it easy), he continued to pull himself up the ladder. Just as his hands reached the top rung, he felt the Sandcrawler turn to the right, making him look to the right as well.
That's when he noticed what the Jawas were doing; there was a large piece of rock sticking out from a wall, and they were going to try knocking him off with it. Luckily he was at the top of the ladder, meaning he could quickly lay down on his side on the small ledge and avoid the jutting out rock.
He did just this, with seconds to spare.
After a big breath of relief the Mandalorian looked up only to see the Jawas were throwing spare parts down the side of their Sandcrawler in an attempt to knock him off, but this failed when he grabbed onto the ladder again for support.
The bounty hunter climbed back onto the ledge and stood up, back leaning against the outside of the vehicle, looking all around while thinking of what to do next. The Jawas were above and throwing more things at him, and you were to his right running at a slower pace behind the baby carriage, but he knew that you knew as long as you could see the massive tin can you'd be fine.
Glancing to his left the Mandalorian noticed that there were pieces of metal sticking out of the exterior wall of the Sandcrawler and immediately began climbing them, determined to get his ship pieces back.
He climbed about half the height of the wall when a Jawa opened a window just above him, making him reach for the ledge as extra support than the tiny pieces of metal sticking out.
This did not work in his favour, however, because the Jawa then shut the lid of the window on his fingers so hard the bounty hunter had to pull back immediately, his feet slipping too. This lead to him hanging on for dear life by just his right hand, and he could hear you scream his name as he almost fell off the Sandcrawler.
Grunting from the exertion the Mandalorian rolled his eyes at his own stupidity before launching his whipcord thrower at the large canon resting on the roof of the vehicle. Once the line wrapped around the gun and was stable enough to support his weight the bounty hunter then placed both feet on the side of the Sandcrawler and began slowly walking up.
The Jawa's continued to throw miscellaneous items at him but the bounty hunter's grip on the cord was stronger, and he slowly pulled himself up the huge machine. Debris kept falling in his face but it was really only starting to annoy him and made him want to push further even more.
For good measure he grabbed one of the Jawas poking its head out of a window and tossed it behind him, not really paying attention to its scream as it fell to its death.
Even though he couldn't make out the exact words you were saying the Mandalorian could hear in your tone that you were scolding him greatly for what he just did, and he instantly felt a bit bad. A bit.
The Jawas then began hitting the cord with the tips of their weapons, causing the rope to slack and give him away a bit, but it held and the Mandalorian climbed the whole way up, reaching the top and throwing another Jawa off the Sandcrawler.
He then placed both arms on the lip of the floor and heaved his way up, then quickly got to his feet and drew his gun.
As soon as he stood up to full height, though, the Mandalorian knew that this was a big mistake. He was extremely outnumbered with at least 20 Jawas all aiming their own ion blaster at him. Each and every single one was fired, making his body go stiff for a second, then convulse, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. The last thing he felt being the sensation of falling to the sound of your screams of anguish.
---
You watched with horror as the Mandalorian got shot at multiple times by an ion blaster and fell back off of the Sandcrawler, hitting the ground so hard you cringed, then went limp.
"LUMPY!" you screamed, running at full speed to get to his body and ignoring the tears that started streaming down your face.
You knelt down beside him as soon as you could, shaking his shoulders and his head, sobbing.
"Lumpy, get up, please, it's okay," you sniffled, feeling around where you could for any injuries. "Come back to me!"
You glanced up to see the Sandcrawler slowly moving forward with the Jawas standing on top and laughing at you, making you feel quite angry at their rude behaviour.
"You get back here right now and help him," you yelled at them. "I know for a fact that it is not the Jawa way to-"
You were cut off by a shot from one of the short creatures by its ion blaster hitting you directly in the chest, making you convulse the same way the Mandalorian did and fall back next to him, shaking uncontrollably. You watched the world go black as your eyes rolled to the back of your head and your throat began to close from the electric shock, making it hard to breathe.
The last thing you remember is hearing the Jawa's tedious laughter, and the throbbing of your head from the lack of oxygen.
---
The Mandalorian shot his eyes open and groaned as he sat up, taking in his surroundings. To his right he noticed the tracks of the Sandcrawler belonging to the thieving Jawas continue to further than the eye could see, the machine long gone in the time he was passed out.
To his left he saw you lying beside him and immediately crawled over your body, quickly becoming desperate as he shook your body and called your name.
"Y/N, hey open your eyes for me, come on now," he pleaded. The bounty hunter could see your chest slowly rising and falling, encouraging him to continue his attempts at waking you up.
"Come on, sweetheart, you know I can't do this without you. Y/N, come on, you gotta wake up," he ignored the light shaking of desperation in his voice as he pressed on, determined to wake you up.
He breathed a sigh a of relief as you opened your eyes just as suddenly as he did and sat up, scanning everywhere with wild eyes as your breathing picked up instantly. Sensing your panic he brought your face to his, making you look at him directly.
"Hey, it's okay, I'm right here," he stated firmly, trying to make you understand. "You're safe, it's okay, I've got you." At hearing these words your body seemed to deflate into his, and he let you rest your head on his shoulder as you cried, hugging you and rocking you slowly back and forth.
"I thought you were dead," you whispered, making him glance down at you quickly.
"I'm not, I'm right here," he vowed, tightening his grip just a bit.
"You know," you sniffled, rubbing your cheeks to rid of the tears but keeping your head buried in his shoulder. "You can be really stupid sometimes."
This made the Mandalorian laugh through his nose and nod his head, agreeing with your statement. "Yeah, I know."
Together the two of you looked at the kid and its cute little frown, and then back at each other. The bounty hunter placed his hands on your hips and helped you up, saying, "Let's head back to the ship, then we can make our next move."
With your nod of confirmation the three of you headed back, dreading the information of just how bad the ship's condition was in.
---
The closer he got to the ship the more angry the bounty hunter seemed to get. The Jawas had literally left nothing behind, taking even the smallest things, including the panels of the outside walls of the ship.
He walked inside and went straight for the weapon's closet, slamming them shut in anger when he saw that it was completely empty. He then climbed up to the cockpit to see you sitting in the pilot's seat, flipping switches and pushing buttons to see just how many things weren't working.
The Mandalorian glanced back at the left engine to only to see black smoke puffing out of it, then looked to the right one to see it met the same fate. He heard you sigh and turned to face you, waiting to hear your news.
"We're completely offline," you stated, crossing your arms and looking around. "It's the Jawa nature to steal anything even remotely useful, and that's what they did." You heaved a big sigh before continuing. "What do you think we should do?"
Before he could reply the both of you heard a cooing noise and turned to face it. The Mandalorian saw the kid walking slowly up the ramp with it's tiny legs, reaching it's hand out towards you.
This made you put a on a bright smile and run to go pick it up, spinning it around to make the Child giggle. The bounty hunter couldn't help but smile softly at what was going on in front of him, observing as you then placed the Child on your hip. Despite the circumstance, he realized that he was indeed very lucky to not be doing it alone.
"Should we go ask the Ugnaught for help?" you suggested as you rocked the kid back and forth in your arms.
The Mandalorian sighed and slumped over, looking at the ground. "I don't think we have a choice," he replied in a very defeated tone.
"Well then," you perked up as you tickled the baby on its stomach, walking down the ramp and in a random direction. "We better get moving."
"Y/N," he called, laughing a bit through his nose as you continued your trek.
"Yeah?"
"He lives that way," the bounty hunter smirked, pointing in the complete opposite direction of where you were going. He watched with amusement as you slyly turned yourself around and began walking in that direction, stating,
"I knew that, I was just testing to make sure you knew that too."
The Mandalorian rolled his eyes at that statement and began following you, not realizing how glad he was to have you in such a situation like this.
---
After at least another day of walking tirelessly through the desert, the three of you came upon the moisture farm of the alien that helped you a few days prior.
It was getting close to nighttime and the bounty hunter could tell that you were starting to get cold, but kept quiet because he knew his arguing would work to no avail.
Together you walked up to the shorter man who was up on his radio tower, fixing something at the very top.
"I thought you were dead," the Ugnaught deadpanned as he continued with his task, not bothering to even look down to see who approached him.
The both of you stayed silent as he stepped down the ladder and looked at the baby that you had set down on the ground. "This is what was causing all the fuss?" he asked, confusion lacing his tone.
"We think it's a child," the Mandalorian stated, pressing buttons on his wrist as he spoke.
You whipped your head around to face him and gave him a dumbfounded look. "You don't say," you expressed in a mocking tone, pointing to the baby that was preoccupied following a frog.
The Mandalorian stuck his tongue out at you even though you couldn't see and continued on. "Our ship has been destroyed," he explained. "We're trapped here."
"Stripped, not destroyed," the Ugnaught corrected as he grabbed another tool. "The Jawas steal, they don't destroy."
"Stolen or destroyed, it makes no difference to me," the bounty hunter replied as he accepted the small device offered to fix his wrist control panel. You walked over and ripped the tool from his hands, giving him a glare at his tone and set to work on fixing the panel.
He ignored it and continued on. "They're protected by their crawling fortress, meaning there's no way to recover the parts."
"You can trade," the Ugnaught countered, looking directly at the bounty hunter.
"With Jawas?" he exclaimed in a very unconvinced tone. "Are you out of your mind?"
The bounty hunter yelped as he felt a small shock in his forearm, and looked down to see your smirking face. "It's not a bad idea, Lumpy. I used to do it all the time with my Grandma."
The shorter alien nodded. "I will take you to them."
The Mandalorian sighed as he knew he had no choice but to comply.
"I have spoken."
Together the three of you turned around to look at the kid, and watched as it put a frog in its mouth.
"Hey," scolded to Mandalorian. "Spit that out." He then rolled his eyes as the baby instead ignored his words ate the frog whole, turning to see the look of laughter on your face.
You then looked up at him and shrugged, knowing he was giving you a look of question. "You gotta eat what you gotta eat, and that is clearly what he wants to eat."
"Why do you have to say it in such a weird way?"
"Am I wrong?"
"... No."
You shrugged again and then went over to the baby, picked him up and sat him on your shoulders as you walked back to the Ugnaught's small home.
The Mandalorian mumbled under his breath as he followed you, shaking his head and contemplating many of his life choices.
---
After a very long and rainy ride in the trolley attached to the blurrg, you arrived at the campsite of the Jawas.
The Mandalorian jumped off and held his hand out for you, keeping a wary eye out for the stupid tiny aliens that tore apart his whole ship.
He held his gun out in the other, the Jawa's attention on him not going unnoticed.
"They really don't like you," observed the Ugnaught.
The Mandalorian watched you roll your eyes as you responded, "Yeah, well he did disintegrate a few of them."
"You need to drop your rifle," the shorter man said.
The bounty hunter shook his head. "I'm a Mandalorian. Weapons are part of my religion."
"Then you are not getting your parts back," the Ugnaught deadpanned, and the Mandalorian glared your giggle.
He sighed, and relctantly gave in. "Fine."
"And the blaster." The Ugnaught then turned around in greetings of the Jawas. "Good day!" he shouted in Jawaese, raising his hands above his head. As the shorter man continued his conversation with the thieves, the bounty hunter turned to face you.
He watched as you placed the Child on your head and cooed at its giggles, then walked up to you and booped the baby's nose. The kid laughed much louder than expected from such a tiny body, making the Mandalorian smile and look down to see you doing the same.
"Stay here," he whispered. He pinched your elbow lightly to make you laugh then spun around and went to meet the Jawas and get his parts back. He went and sat down beside the shorter man, awaiting what was to be said.
"They will trade all the parts for the beskar," the Ugnaught translated.
"What? I'm not gonna trade anything. These are my parts," the Mandalorian shot back, ignoring the holes you were burning into his skull with your glare. "They stole them from me."
He then tried to speak back in their language, doing his best to remember some of the words you taught him last night. "They, they... belong... to me!" He said in a frustrated tone, trying to get his point across to the poopyhead Jawas.
The smaller aliens then began laughing at him, teasing him for butchering the pronunciation of their language.
"You speak terrible Jawa," their leader(?) criticized. "You sound like a Wookiee." he said in a sarcastic tone, putting his hand up to his ear in mock confusion. The bounty hunter was becoming increasingly outraged, and missed the way you quickly put the baby down and started rushing to his side.
"Do you understand this?" he asked in a very bitter tone, lighting the fire from his wrist straight towards the leader before it quickly got put down by your hand.
"Stop it!" you frowned, giving him an angry scowl that made the Mandalorian look down in shame before turning around and blocking him from view.
"Please, please, lower your weapons," you begged, placing one hand out protectively in front of your body. The bounty hunter watched at your careful approach and rebuked himself internally.
"Please forgive his aggressive behaviour, but he is a Mandalorian, he can not give up his armour. There must be something else we can trade."
The Jawa then pointed to something behind you, making all three of you look back.
"Get away from it!" the bounty hunter demanded, now becoming even more ticked off with the situation. He felt the slightest bit of relief when you stood up and collected the baby in your arms, then came back to sit beside him.
"Please, there must be something else," you begged, keeping the Child close to your body.
The Jawas then all turned to face each other and huddled together, disscussing what the Mandalorian assumed would be something he would be willing to trade.
When their decision was made, the leader then spun to face them, waving his hand in your faces.
"We will require The Egg," he demanded. "Bring us The Egg."
The bounty hunter furrowed his brows in confusion, and you looked at him with the same expression.
"The Egg? What egg?" he asked, the both of you turning to the Ugnaught in hopes of some answers.
The Jawas then began chanting "The Egg! The Egg!" making the bounty hunter what in the name of all living things could be so special about an egg.
"It seems they will take you there," the Ugnaught observed, noticing the the Jawas were boarding their Sandcrawler and waving for him to get on as well.
Letting his head fall for a minute, the Mandalorian sighed at how this all could have been avoided if these stupid Jawas were anywhere else on the planet and wouldn't have taken apart his ship.
He was brought out of his stupor by the feeling of a hand on his shoulder. The bounty hunter looked up to see you smiling gently at him, and he nodded. "Let's go."
He stood up and held his hand out for you, then brought the carriage to his side and followed you up the ramp into the massive vehicle.
---
It was at least another day's travel when the Mandalorian reached the entrance to a cave, toying around with the idea if he should actually go in there.
"Is there where the Jawas said it would be?" you asked as you walked up to stand beside him, furrowing your brows at the very vague information given.
"I think so," the bounty hunter nodded, feeling just as confused as you were.
"Well, let's go," you shrugged, taking a few steps towards the opening.
"Woah woah woah. What?"
"What do you mean, what? We need that egg, so let's go get it!" He groaned internally at your stubbornness. Why were you so determined to suddenly go on all of these expeditions? Why did he even agree to you coming along? He should have said no in the first place, but as per usual he caved and agreed to you coming along. But why were you suddenly so interested in running into the face of danger?
"Look at this place, you can't just go marching in! It's pitch black in there!"
"You have a light that sits on your head!"
"Yeah, it's enough for me but is it enough for you?"
"Well, do you have any other suggestions, cause I'm all ears!"
"Yeah, I go in, and you stay here."
"Oh, yeah because that's so much better!"
"Yes it is!"
"Why, because I won't be in your way and you can go do all the hero stuff while I sit back?"
What?
"No! Because I'm the one with all the armour, and this way if something happens at least I'm being protected!"
"Oh good, and I just get to watch it all happen?"
"No! Because it's pitch black in there, and you'll be safe out here!"
"Even better! I won't even get to know what happens to you if you die because I'll be left out here all alone!"
"That's not a valid point, because it might be all sunshine and rainbows in there and I'll be fine!"
"Then why can't I go in if it's all sunshine and rainbows?"
Dammit.
"Because what if it's not!"
Oh yeah, valid point she's on your side now, go me, yet again.
"Oh, you're such a-"
Your argument was cut off by a low grunting noise that did not sound happy at all. The both of you turned to see a giant Mudhorn walking its way out of the cave, giving what seemed to be a death glare directed at him more than you.
Before he had time to react you reached up and unclasped the flashlight from his helmet, then stood in front of him and did the ritual of placing your forehead on his. Immediately he snaked his arms around your waist and brought you closer.
"You distract it, I'll get the egg. I think it likes you more," you whispered, making the bounty hunter let out an embarrassing snort.
"Seems more like hate to me."
This made you shrug, but giggle nonetheless. "Don't die, please. I do still need you, you know."
The bounty hunter could then feel his heart in his throat at your words. He could've poured all his feelings out right there, but he knew that yet again, now was not the time. Instead he only responded with, "Come back to me."
He smiled as you grinned as well, and found himself holding on just a little bit longer. "Always."
With that, you made a mad dash to his right in an attempt to go around the large rhino. Said Mudhorn didn't notice you at all, much to your amusement, and lowered it's upper body to the ground, getting into position to start running.
How the hell am I gonna fight this thing?
The Mandalorian didn't have much time to answer that question before the Mudhorn began sprinting straight towards him. Out of the corner of his eye the bounty hunter saw a glimpse of your hair as you ran into the cave, and that split second of distraction was enough of an opening for the Mudhorn to run into him and knock him back a good 30 feet.
He groaned as his back hit the ground and his body slid back in the mud, feeling it get under his armour and seep through his clothes. His neck felt sore as his head smacked against the ground, but he did his best to quickly stand back up.
He then grabbed his rifle and tried to load it, but the mud had jammed the loading cartridge, rendering the whole rifle useless. Still, the bounty hunter pressed on, desperate to get as much defense as he possibly could against the animal 5 times the size of himself.
His finagling attempt ended up being a bust as the Mudhorn ran at him again at full speed, knocking him back another 40 feet. The bounty hunter groaned again as his head whipped back against the ground and he slid back in the mud again, hurriedly trying to come up with a new plan.
He sat up quickly and tried wiping his wrist clean, thinking that maybe he could use the fire to fend off the beast.
That worked for about 2 seconds before the large rhino used its massive front horn to ram it into his chest, knocking the wind out of the Mandalorian and making him see stars. The bounty hunter gasped for breath as he willed the blinding pain in his chest to go away before using his whipcord and getting it stuck in the beast's face.
That also only proved to be useful for about 3 seconds before the Mudhorn quickly became irritated and started running in the opposite direction, making the bounty hunter go flying as his arm was still attached to the cord.
His shoulder screamed at him for ever thinking that would be a good idea, and he went for a little roll in the mud as the cord broke from the force of the Mudhorn acting against him.
The animal then rammed into his chest again, once more making him lose his breath and go tumbling backwards. His vision was starting to go all fuzzy as the pain increased tenfold, and he found himself wheezing from now having crushed ribs.
He glanced down to see his chest plate had completely opened up again and was sparking with electricity, making him groan this time in frustration more than anything else.
The Mandalorian's legs and arms felt all tingly as he realized he was drained; his adrenaline was completely worn out and every muscle in his body ached beyond belief.
Mud was covering most of his vizor, leaving him barely able to see, but nonetheless, he willed his legs to move and stand him up. Panting, he brought himself on one knee and grabbed the small knife from his boot, coming to terms with the fact that there was not much else he could do. This is certainly not the way he wanted to die, but it seemed like he had no choice.
As the Mudhorn sprinted straight towards him, the bounty hunter's life flashed before his eyes, and he found that most of it was you.
Sure, there was the odd memory here and there about becoming a Mandalorian, but the ones he enjoyed, the ones he wanted to see were of you.
And they mostly centered around the thought that he's spent years not telling you how he feels. But how could he? He's certain that if you felt the same way, there'd be no more Mandalorian from him. And if you didn't, you'd leave him forever and his life would no longer have any meaning.
But would not being the Mandalorian be such a bad thing? He's not so sure he's ready to settle down just yet, but he knows the second you told him you wanted to he would.
Is that a problem? Yes.
But does he care? No.
Sighing, he stood up to his full height as the Mudhorn sprinted towards him at full speed, while the Mandalorian just lazily held the knife out in front of his body; his energy had been completely drained, and there really was nothing else he could do.
Maybe if he died this way then he wouldn't have to live with the possible rejection. That thought made him roll his eyes instantly. What a coward.
Very unacceptimg of this fate, the Mandalorian held his knife in front of him, determined to fight no matter how tired he was.
However, as soon as the rhino got about 4 feet away, it all of a sudden couldn't move forward anymore. The bounty hunter stood there in shock and confusion, wondering what was going on. He could clearly see that the animal was desperately trying to get to him, but something was holding it back. He continued to stand there dumbfounded as you came up in front of the now floating Mudhorn and placed your hand on its head, doing your best to soothe the beast and calm it down.
"Hey! Hey, it's okay, it's okay." The creature immediately began calming down, and the bounty hunter gave an even bigger look of confusion as he thought it was you keeping it in place. Since when could you do that?
That thought was quickly diminished, however, when he looked to his left and noticed the kid was holding its hand out with its eyes closed. It seemed to be concentrating very hard. The baby became tired very quickly from the obvious overexertion of whatever it was doing, and it clued in that you were trying to calm the creature down to put less strain on the Child's work load.
It seemed your help wasn't enough though, because after a few seconds the kid backed up in his carriage and passed out, exhausted from doing... the floaty of the Mudhorn thing.
As soon as the kid fell back the Mudhorn dropped to the ground, and that's when the Mandalorian stepped forward and plunged his knife straight into the beast's neck, killing it almost instantly.
The bounty hunter gasped for air as he fell back, but had a much softer landing than he expected. He glanced up to see your face looking back down at him with an obviously worried expression.
"Lumpy, I said distract the thing, not take a mud bath with it."
The Mandalorian could form no response in his attempt to catch his breath, knowing if he tried to speak it would probably end up being offensive in another language. He rested his head on your legs and desperately tried to regain his energy as you wiped the mud away from where his eyes would be.
"Did you... get the... the egg?" he asked in a still very breathless tone, and you looked at him with a concerned face.
"Well, I was hoping you wouldn't notice so quickly but I actually couldn't find any egg-"
"WHAT?"
You giggled as you wiped some more mud off of the bounty hunter's helmet and looked down to see the rest of the damage done to his armour. "I'm just kidding, of course I got it. I put it over there, it's fine. I'm so sorry I put you through this."
The Mandalorian waved his hand around in a non-chalant manner, but in an overly dramatic way. "Nah, it's fine, I mean I did almost die multiple times, but it's all good-"
He smiled at the scoff you made as you responded, "You know what you're right, I think I just over estimated your skills and abilities to be able to-"
"Are you serious? Did you see the size of that thing?"
"Yes, I did, and the baby seemed to have much more success in taking it down than you did!"
"Yeah, well he's got weird magic stuff and look now, he's knocked out."
"Aw, the poor thing's probably exhausted. We need to get him back."
The bounty hunter sighed at your statement because he knew you were right but he didn't want to move, partially because it physically hurt him to do so, but mostly because he just wanted to stay like this forever, even though it was super uncomfortable with all of the mud. "Just... a few more minutes."
He smirked at the small smile you sent him and closed his eyes, revelling in the last few minutes he had before you had to make the long journey back to the Jawas.
"Lumpy?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm really worried about the baby."
He sighed again, not wanting to get up. He mentally went through the list of all the things that had to be done and internally groaned in frustration. You had to help the kid, and then he had to figure out a way to put the ship back together. Not to mention his armour needed an extreme fix up too. And then get the kid back to the client.
With one last deep breath, the bounty hunter sat up, agreeing.
"Alright, let's get going."
---
The Mandalorian handed the egg to the Jawas, feeling much more relieved now that he can finally get the parts back and get off the planet. He shook his head in disgust and turned your body around to face the Ugnaught as the Jawas began feasting on the furry egg, opting out on watching them stick their hands in it and slurp it up.
"I'm surprised you waited for us," he said to the shorter man.
The bounty hunter snickered as you shoved his shoulder and stepped in front of him. "What he means to say is thank you for waiting for us."
The Ugnaught only shrugged and responded, "I'm just surprised it took you so long."
The bounty hunter only rolled his eyes at the punch to his ego, but determined that after seeing you laugh at the comment, he would take all the jabs in the galaxy to see it again. "Yes, well, there were some minor complications," he tried to play it cool, and almost broke the façade from your stare of disbelief at his words.
The shorter man nodded his head in knowing and walked up the ramp with the Jawas. The Mandalorian watched as you followed him and started laughing at a small joke he made as you began loading the parts onto the cart, and he rolled his eyes at his own stupidity.
Years. It's been years you idiot, get over it.
But could he really do that?
---
On the ride back to the ship, you sat next to the Mandalorian and gently cradled the Child in your arms, glancing up at him with worry.
"Is it still sleeping?" the Ugnaught asked as he was riding the blurrg pulling the cart.
You nodded your head as you stroked the baby's cheek.
"Yes," the bounty hunter replied, obvious concern laced in his voice as well.
"Was it injured?"
"I don't think so," you answered.
"At least, not physically," the bounty hunter clarified, and he smiled at your nod of confirmation.
"Explain it to me again," the shorter man asked, still not understanding what exactly happened.
"Lumpy, do you think it has the Force?" you asked him, furrowing your eyebrows in thought.
"The Force?"
You nodded your head in affirmation. "Yeah, like in the stories my Grandma used to tell. You remember Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, don't you? Those stories went on for ages."
The Mandalorian thought about what you were saying, and remembered you telling him about how Darth Vader was the cause of the destruction of your home. Not to mention the Battle of Yandor was such a pivotal point in history that the whole galaxy knew about it within days.
"I don't know," you shrugged. "I just can't think of any specific species that could do such a thing."
The bounty hunter slowly nodded at your words but didn't have an answer. He had certainly heard of those things, but had no idea if it was true or not.
The conversation was cut short by the arrival at the Razor Crest, and the Mandalorian let out a loud and rather annoyed sigh. He walked up to it and placed his hand on the side, wondering how it was going to get fixed.
"There's no way we're gonna get this to work without a full maintenance facility. This is gonna take days to fix."
He heard you scoff yet again behind him, making him turn around to face you with his eyebrows raised.
"How dare you doubt our knowledge," you accused as you gently placed the baby back down in the carriage and gave it another quick glance before jogging beside the Ugnaught.
"If you care to help, it might go faster," the shorter man quipped, and the bounty hunter glared at the little fist bump you shared with the Ugnaught.
"Don't mind him, he's a little slow when it comes to technical stuff like this," you explained, talking as if he wasn't 3 feet away from you and very much listening to every word you were saying.
"How do you manage to do it all on your own?" the shorter man teased, and the Mandalorian grinned as you snorted at that question and picked up a torch and some goggles.
"Beats me."
The Ugnaught then brought a metal plate over to the Mandalorian and held it out to him. "There is much work to do."
The bounty hunter looked up at the ship and sighed. You were already climbing up to the top with another metal sheet to weld onto the ship and he obeyed, knowing there was indeed much to be done.
It was an entire week of giggles, little jokes, small arguments, worry over the baby, almost no food or sleep, story telling, burn marks littered over everyone's body, from comfortable silence to loud breakouts in song, and everything in between before the Razor Crest was fully operational once more.
The Mandalorian then sat in the cockpit and turned everything on, sighing in relief as everything seemed to be the way it needed to be.
He smiled as you came up behind him, carrying the baby because you were still very worried, and hung the dice you gave him all those years ago back up on the little hook attached to the windshield.
The bounty hunter looked up at you and noticed there was still mud caked into your hair, making him realize if you needed a shower, he definitely did. You made eye contact with him and gave him a small grin of your own, cradling the baby in one arm and using the other to flick a few more switches.
"Seems like we're all good now," you observed, checking all the computer screens for any signs of something going wrong.
The Mandalorian stood up and nodded his head in agreement, then made his way over to you. He looked down at the sleeping Child in your arms and frowned. "I think it's gonna be okay," you whispered, gently caressing its face with your finger and rocking it slowly. "We just gotta give it some time."
The bounty hunter only nodded again and looked at your face, trying to read your expression. He could see the increased worry from the little creases forming between your brows and the squinting of your eyes as you tried to figure out a way to help the baby.
Without saying anything the Mandalorian pulled you into a hug, even though he knew he smelled like literal poo, and held you as close as he possibly could towards himself. He internally sighed in relief as you seemed to snuggle a bit closer, and he knew that it was going to be very difficult to let the baby go.
Pushing that thought aside, because that was not a road he wanted to go down right now, he gently reminded you that it's time to go.
You nodded, responding quietly, "We have to go say thank you, our new friend deserves the world for his kindness."
The bounty hunter agreed and followed you out of the cockpit to where the Ugnaught was standing. Together the three of you looked out of the open hatch, enjoying the view of the planet now that you were done building.
"We can't thank you enough," you started. "For absolutely everything."
"Please allow us to give you a portion of the reward," the bounty hunter offered, feeling just as grateful as you were towards him.
"I cannot accept," the Ugnaught declined. "You are my guests, and I am therefore at your service."
The bounty hunter watched as you slowly nodded your head and gave him a big hug with your free arm. "Then all we can offer you is our sincerest thanks."
"And I offer mine," the shorter man replied, making the bounty hunter scrunch his nose in confusion.
"What for?"
"Well, thank you for bringing peace to my valley. And for giving me a happy memory to look back on, despite the circumstance." He then collected his bag and walked down the ramp, leaving the bounty hunter to wrap his arm around your waist as he climbed onto his blurrg.
"Good luck with the Child," he waved, and while the bounty hunter nodded, you gave a sad smile and wave back. "May it survive and bring you a handsome reward."
The frown you gave after that sentence did not go unnoticed by the bounty hunter, but he kept his mouth shut and simply nodded.
"I have spoken," the Ugnaught finished, and with that, he turned the blurrg around and began the long journey back to his home. The Mandalorian squeezed your hip a little as you rested your head on his shoulder, but no words were spoken between the two of you.
Silently you headed back to the cockpit, the bounty hunter sitting in the pilot's seat and you in the one behind it, not putting the Child down for even a second.
The Mandalorian started up the engine and pressed any more buttons that had to be pressed, successfully letting the ship take off away from the planet.
After you were floating in space for a minute or two, the bounty hunter turned around to see a small tear falling down your cheek. He quietly leaned over and wiped it from your face, only using a gentle whisper to talk to you.
"We've gotta bring it to the client. I'm sure it'll be okay."
He sighed as you only nodded and kept your eyes on the baby, making the Mandalorian turn back around in his seat and plug in the coordinates. He didn't like it at all, but this was his job.
So he sucked it up and let the autopilot take over, watching the millions of stars go by as he contemplated whether giving up the Child was a good idea.
From what he could tell by his gut instinct, it was not a good idea at all.
You writhed in the harsh grip of the Stormtroopers as they ushered you down the marbled hall towards what you assumed would be your end. The more you fought to wrench yourself from their grasp, the more their gloved hands dug into your skin. A few feet in front you, more troopers surrounded Princess Leia, leading your small procession to the cells bellow the main hangar.
As you grunted while trying to free yourself, you noticed Leia’s head turn to the side, her eyes trying to meet yours.
“Stop fighting them, (Y/n). Not here. The more you resist, the more they resort to less affable solutions.” As she uttered the word ‘affable’, her tone became flout and she sneered at the trooper to her left. Leia’s reply halted your attempts, but in her warning you caught on to her subtle plan.
Not here. Not yet, anyway.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL FIC BASED OFF OF THIS IMAGINE.
[please ask before using my imagines as prompts, or at least give credit to the idea if you are inspired by it. do not copy what I’ve already written. do not repost. thank you!] [gif not mine, found on google ages ago.]
