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"Din Djarin"

He hears his name and it scares him enough to throw up his blaster, finger hovering over the trigger that is pointed right at Luke Skywalker's heart.

The Jedi just blinks up at him, no emotion, no shock or anger or confusion. It was one of the things that Din hated so much about the Jedi's, how they moved and talked like human droids. It made his skin crawl.

He couldn't believe this was the person training his son. Someone who used to be the well-known enemy of his creed.

"I apologize for frightening you," Luke speaks softly as if feeling Din's uncertainty with him. Which yes, he probably could.

"Where's Grogu?" Din finally speaks, straightening up from his defensive position and tucking his blaster back into his belt. He doesn't know why, maybe it's because this man had sworn to him that he'd lay down his life for Grogu, but he doesn't feel any fear in Luke's presence. Or maybe that's just another one of those Jedi mind tricks, easing his mind so he stays off his game.

Luke just smiles at his question, moving his eyes across Din's armour. Din can almost see the reflection of the baskar shining through the blue in Luke's eyes.

"I'm afraid he's sleeping, he wasn't expecting a visitor." Din doesn't appreciate the playful smirk coming across Luke's face before the Jedi turns, his black robe flowing behind him and moving elegantly along with his body. He's walking away now, and Din cocks his head to the side in confusion.

But he follows, he doesn't know why, but he follows.

"Look, I understand I shouldn't be here...I've been told the child's fear and connection to me can cause more bad than good but-"

"You needed to see him." Luke finishes, still walking forward but slowing down to allow Din to walk at an even pace beside him. He has his hands clasped in front of him, the single gloved hand tucked under the bare ones hold.

It's very interesting, but Din doesn't dare ask the story behind it.

"It's hard, being with him all the time to all of a sudden never seeing his face. I uh, I tried to get back to normal, but I bumped into a few people who knew your location, it made me nervous."

Luke nods at the end of Din's speech, lips pursing in thought. Din could only look down upon the man with no more words left to say.

He felt selfish and weak, standing on this planet called Endor and in this home. He's killed a krayt dragon and has put countless bounty's in carbonite but here he is inside a Jedi's home simply because he was lonely.

Maybe it was because he never really knew what loneliness felt like until after Grogu left his arms on Moff Gideon's ship.

He felt his heart break with every step Luke made towards the elevator back towards the X-Wing. And it fully snapped in half inside of him as soon as Grogu was out of his sight. It hasn't been mended back together since, and this place felt like the missing puzzle piece.

"I understand your concerns, Mandalorian." Luke stops and as he turns his hand moves swiftly in front of him, causing a door to open. Din wasn't expecting an empty bedroom, and all he could do was stare. He said what he needed to say, and all he was truly waiting for was this Jedi to boot him out of this planet and be told to never come back.

"Your room for the night," Luke says. That was the last thing Din thought would come out of his mouth.

"I don't understand..." Din trailed off, still at a loss for words.

Luke just smiles, and it's the most human he's ever looked. His eyes are wide and shining, mouth twitched upwards. Din can finally see cracks of life behind the Jedi mask.

"The Jedi stories you've heard are different from mine," Luke says simply, and then he's turning away and walking down the hallway.

This time, Din doesn't follow but instead stares after the mysterious Jedi knight. He's surprised when Luke stops once again, but he doesn't turn around.

"Good night, Din Djarin."

And then he's off again, disappearing around the corner of the hallway. Now Din is left staring at the emptiness and more confused than ever.

And wondering how the hell the Jedi knew his real name.

+

He awakes to a beep and a hiss from beside his bed. The sound coming from the droid Din saw beside Luke on Gideon's ship. It made his expression sour, not enjoying the presence of the droid and also not appreciating it coming in unannounced.

He was getting better at liking droids, at least now he could tolerate them. But he knows if this tin-can wasn't the Jedi's toy, Din would've definitely grabbed his dagger from under his pillow and fired it straight into its stupid glass eye.

The droid let out another string of beeps, shimmying a bit in its place before turning around and rolling out the door. Din assumed it wanted him to follow, and he sighed loudly before grabbing his helmet settled on the bedside table.

He wonders if Luke sent the droid assuming he was sleeping without his helmet on, still respecting his Creed. To Din, he still had the smallest bit of tightness in his chest remembering how he took his helmet off in front of everyone on that ship, but really, he'd do it again in a heartbeat.

If he looked deep into himself now as he placed his helmet back upon his head, he'd admit that the helmet was more for protection now, and less of an identity. Maybe it was because of the child, or the many other Mandalorian's he's met throughout his journey before standing where he is now. All he knows is now he doesn't even blink seeing a droid looking down upon his face.

But he still doesn't know if this Luke Skywalker is a threat yet, so the helmet stays on.

His armour takes a few minutes to put on, and he can hear the droid impatiently waiting for him in the hallway. It was whirling around in circles, making many droid-like sounds that Din could only translate to as "hurry up."

He clipped on the last of the straps along his legs and stood, walking towards the door and peeking out to see that the droid was already making its way down the hallway. Din sighed loudly, peering back into the place he slept one last time before moving at a soft jog to catch up.

The hallway grew wider and wider until Din was guided into a large open room. It looked like it was made for training with all the spears and helmets set up along the walls in racks, there were also some other things that Din had never seen before. He grew curious if those were going to be used towards Grogu's training.

He was about to go over and look, infatuating with the shine of the spears and how they all came to perfectly sharpened tips. But before his gloved hand could reach it, a voice once again made him jump.

"You're awake."

It was Luke again, and it made Din whip his head around in shock. But his whole body melted at the site of Grogu, the little green child tucked into Luke's arms and squealing happily with recognition shining across his big dark eyes.

"Grogu." Din said, and his voice couldn't help but crack, hands tight in fists at his sides as he tried to hold himself back from rushing forward and sweeping the child up.

His heart was mending again, he could feel itself sewing back into place.

Luke and Grogu met eyes, and it seemed like they were speaking their own little language through their minds as they took turns blinking at one another. It didn't last long though, and soon enough Luke bent down and settled Grogu at his feet and allowed the child to stumble its way towards Din.

Din's hands automatically went straight to his helmet, not even batting an eye as he swiftly pulled it off his head and placed it beside him as he slumped to his knees. There was no hesitation once he saw his son. Grogu cooed louder, small arms reaching out for him until Din was able to snatch him up and hold him tightly to his armour.

The familiar scent and feeling of the child had Din closing his eyes in pure bliss, feeling officially whole again. Grogu seemed just as pleased, purring loudly and stuffing his head into the crook of Din's neck.

He never really wanted this to end, because he knew deep down he'd have to do this all over again. Let the child go, say his tear-filled goodbyes and then leave and pretend everything was okay. Cause he had to be the brave one here, he was The Mandalorian.

But he opened his eyes, viewing the reality surrounding him. Din couldn't help but notice how Luke was respectfully staring down at the floor, refusing to look upon his face without his permission. Din didn't see the need for him to do that, since the Jedi had already seen his face, but he appreciated the manners.

Din stood, still holding the child in his arms because he suddenly had the overwhelming urge to thank Luke. Grogu was fine, breathing, and looked happy and healthy. The child had new clothes on, a tiny robe that didn't drown him like the old sack he wore. His eyes were still bright, smile wide, his bright personality not even slightly dimmed.

"He looks happy, here." Luke raised a brow, surprised to hear Din speak to him at the moment. But a smile slowly appeared across his face, half-hidden from where he was still staring down at the ground.

"He understands that he has freedom here, that The Force accepts him and isn't against him," Luke speaks with admiration.

Din still doesn't quite understand The Force. Fett had taken Cara and him back to Nevarro once Grogu had left with Luke, and Din found himself immediately digging through books and lore about the Jedi's and their past. There were a lot of chapters about the so-called 'Force' but he couldn't really wrap his head around it. He's seen Grogu do things he can never explain, things he still feels he was dreaming about when he first saw them. Seeing Luke through the security cameras on the Empire ship, he grew as curious as ever to figure out what The Force truly was.

But no books can explain it well enough, so he just gives Luke a long look before returning his gaze to Grogu cradled in his arms.

"Thank you for letting me see him, I didn't think I'd see this day so soon." Din continued with his thank you towards the Jedi, his feet taking him slowly towards Luke until he stood in front of him. Now all he could see was the feathery blonde hair on the top of the man's head.

"You may have read about the Jedi order, but I plan to rewrite all that...I don't expect you to completely abandon this child." Din appreciated Luke's assurance, even though he still didn't understand some of what Luke was talking about, but he was more agitated at the way he couldn't look the Jedi in the eyes.

"You can look at me, you know. I mean-my face." Din felt awkward saying that, he never thought those words would leave his lips and he didn't quite know how to word such a bold statement.

Luke hesitated, and a beat of silence cast over the both of them. All that could be heard was Grogu's soft purring from Din's arms. But then Luke moved, stepping back the smallest bit to look up and catch Din's eyes with his.

Din didn't understand the feeling that washed over him, maybe it was fear, anxiety, or just the shock of this Jedi looking at him without his helmet on once again.

All he could do was smile at Luke, and Luke smiled back with a twinkle in his blue eyes.

"I think you and I should talk."

Luke's words had Din's mouth turning into a tight line, hands shifting Grogu in his arms the slightest bit. The child gurgled and tried to run his little clawed hands over his beard but failed and only reached his cape to tug on.

"Grogu has his breakfast awaiting him in the kitchen, R2 will watch over him while I take you to my library." Din didn't like the idea of Grogu being left with the droid, but he had to remind himself that this was a safe place, and Grogu looked as happy as ever here. Plus, an extreme amount of trust has washed upon Din since Luke allowed him to stay the night.

Din nodded and juggled Grogu and his helmet in his arms as he was guided to the kitchen where a homemade baby seat was made from one of the chairs. Grogu fit perfectly in it and hungrily mewled when R2 entered. Din couldn't help but lightly pinch at the child's large ears that hung along his head, staring fondly at Grogu one last time before setting his helmet back upon his head.

Luke was waiting patiently a few feet away, still in that stance with one bare hand clasping a gloved hand in front of him. Once he noticed Din's attention drawn to him, he gave him a nod before turning and moving across the house, Din at his heels.

He could only stare at the way Luke's robe drug across the ground along the hallway, his thoughts running wild with what was to come. Was this his goodbye? Was he going to finally be told what he dreaded to hear for too long?

Luke turned sharply, and Din had to stop so he wouldn't step on the robe as it swept around roughly from the Jedi's movement. Once he looked up, he could see Luke walking into a library filled floor to ceiling with books and artifacts. It was beautiful, something not even the schools in Nevarro had.

He's glad Luke couldn't see his face this time, because his mouth was hung opened and eyes glazed over in astonishment as he looked upon the room.

"I know, it's a lot." Luke chuckled as he immediately grabbed a book from one of the shelves. He was already turning the pages as he grabbed a seat at the large table in the middle of the room. There was another seat across from him, and Din saw that as an invitation to occupy it.

There was a silence that blanketed the room, just the sound of turning pages. Din could faintly hear the giggling of the child from the kitchen and the rapid beeps from the droid. He focused on that, trying to stay patient.

"What do you know about Jedi?" Luke asked abruptly, his voice was soft and comforting though, not at all judgemental. He seemed genuinely curious with that faint smile still stuck upon his face. He was doing that thing where his eyes travelled along with Din's armour, searching for something The Mandalorian didn't understand.

Din shrugged, tapping his gloved fingers along the wood of the tabletop.

"That they've almost gone extinct, most people see them as characters out of fairytales." Ahsoka's voice echoed throughout his mind as he spoke, the way her eyes glazed over like a dark cloud had swept over them as she mumbled "there aren't many Jedi left."

Luke nodded, fingers curling along the page he had stopped at.

"Anything else?"

Din didn't want to get upset, but he was getting impatient with the man in front of him. Why all these questions? What were his answers going to lead to? His mind kept wandering back to Grogu, wanting nothing more than to be back on the Razor Crest when everything was a little easier.

He can't believe he's saying his days on the Razor Crest were easier.

"As I said, your kind is seen as a fairytale now. Everything I've heard has been over-exaggerated stories from children." He looked away from Luke, staring off into the bookshelf beside him. He wanted to show his disinterest in this conversation, and he couldn't simply show that with a facial expression.

But suddenly, the book was slid towards him. Luke pressed it against his forearm that was settled on the table. Din stared down upon the pages, seeing stuff that frankly looked like gibberish to him. There were diagrams, swords, suns, moons, planets. It was overwhelming to look at.

"Confusing, isn't it?" Luke took the words right out of Din's mouth, and all he could do was nod along.

"I want to change that. I want these rules less specific, less...drastic." Luke had that spark in his eyes again, determination shining among them.

"The Jedi follows rules, that's their life. Everything is black and white, the lines aren't faded. If you break a rule, there are drastic consequences, if you follow one, you feel less and less like yourself." Din listened to every word Luke spoke, completely forgetting about the book in front of him.

"I want to rewrite these rules, for future Jedi across the universe. And I can start all that with Grogu." It was unexpected to hear Grogu's name, and Din cocked his head to the side as Luke reached to tap at the book for emphasis.

"And you."

That made Din stiffen, and hell, if his helmet was off he'd be showing Luke the most confused expression. All of a sudden his armour felt too hot for his body.

"Sorry?"

Luke chuckled, dragging the book back towards him and closing it up with a soft "thwack." He placed his elbows on the table, hand and glove entwined.

"You and Grogu—your bond...it's something I saw in myself with my sister and friends. Family. I know many Jedi run away from this, the feeling of a bond, of love and fear and anger. My father had all the same feelings and became one of the dark sides strongest, but there was still good deep inside him. That's why I'm here today."

Din couldn't help but see the way Luke consciously started rubbing his bare thumb across the top of his gloved hand. The Jedi didn't notice how The Mandalorians gaze shifted, thank god for the tinted visor.

"I felt your bond as soon as Grogu called me from the seeing stone. I knew the time had come."

Din seemed to find himself speechless a lot with this Jedi and how he spoke. There was so much mystery about him, all Din wanted to do was crack the man opened to look inside and see what damage laid underneath.

"Plus," Luke paused and his eyes trailed down to Din's waistline that was under the table. It made him squirm underneath the beskar. "You hold a weapon very close to my own, but I noticed you don't keep it with you."

The Darksaber, that was why Luke looked down there. Din couldn't help but blush underneath the helmet, feeling a little foolish.

"I don't feel the need to keep it by my side, it's not mine." Din shrugged, trying to act like he was expecting the topic of the sword to come. Frankly, he forgot all about the weapon and it was still stuffed in the new pre-empire ship he was given to by Cara. That woman can get her hands on anything these days because of her new promotion.

"Not yours?" Luke raised a brow, leaning back on the chair.

"A Mandalorian named Bo-Katan owns this sword, had been tracking it for a while to get it out of Moff Gideon's hands." Din didn't give Luke the details, still finding the story Gideon gave him as weak and unrealistic. Why would the story matter? Why would beating Gideon matter? He yielded to Bo-Katan and she still stared at the Saber as if it would cause her to burst into flames if she dared to touch it without putting up a fight first.

"I'm not too familiar with the Darksaber, but I understand it's history vaguely and enough to know that you are very well the owner of that Saber." Din couldn't help but roll his eyes as Luke stared at him intensely. Trying to convince him wasn't going to work. He had enough weapons amongst his armour, strapped into his belt, and slung over his shoulder. He doesn't need a Saber added to that long list.

All it will do is add a larger target on his back. He had to deal with that enough when he had the child.

It seemed Luke could sense his distaste for the weapon because the blonde just smirked and shifted his gaze down to the top of the table where the closed book laid.

"You don't seem to have a connection with it yet, but whether you like it or not that Saber is yours won in battle. Letting it collect dust in the back of your ship will abuse its true power." As Luke spoke he stood and walked towards the door to the library, a bare hand reaching forward to open the door, and the gloved one moving his robe out of the way to press against the cylindrical object hung on his belt.

His Lightsaber.

"I didn't understand my own saber until I started training. I learned to respect it and it's capabilities. You will too, with your own."

"But you're a Jedi," Din spoke immediately after Luke's speech, not wasting a second to remind the man that they were completely different. Din was a Mandalorian, a bounty hunter, not some Jedi Knight or leader of any kind. He didn't want that weight on his shoulders.

But Luke only smiled, similarly to how he did while he sat across from Din just a few seconds ago. He seemed amused at something, and it was beginning to be annoying.

Nothing was said afterwards though, no retort against Din's words. The Jedi just disappeared down the hallway with that smirk still plastered on his face, the robe sweeping behind him.

Once Luke was gone, the books upon books that lined the shelves called to Din. He hasn't seen anything like them, and his curiosity got the better of him. But surely Luke would've kicked him out of the room if he didn't want him in there, so he let that thought stay stuck in the front of his mind as he got up and gathered books to plop on the table to read.

Maybe these books that were actually owned by a Jedi, could teach him who he was leaving his child with.

+

It was a whole day later when Luke finally approached him again about his training. Most of Luke's time had been filled with training Grogu, doing small things like trying to move a spoon across the room or to practise meditation to focus his energy. At least that's what he explained to Din as he watched from the sidelines.

In that one day of training and just observing, Din realized how amazing Luke was with Grogu, and the child adored the Jedi. They were a great team, something that reminded Din of the many trips around the galaxy with Grogu by his side, how right it felt, how much chemistry they had.

Overall, Luke and Grogu had a connection. Like a team, a clan. Just like Din and Grogu were.

Din doesn't acknowledge that he uses his and Grogu's relationship in the past tense.

"It's your turn," Luke says as Din feeds Grogu a spoonful of eggs. He cocks his helmet at the man, not understanding mostly because he was still a bit drowsy from sleep. He wasn't used to sleeping in a nice warm bed most nights, and instead of getting enough sleep, he finds himself yearning for his cockpit on the Razor Crest.

"My turn?" He parrots back at Luke, scooping up so more eggs and watching as the child grips at the spoon and takes an unnecessarily large bite.

"Grogu needs rest from all the work he's been doing, and the child looks up to you and learns way better once watching his father," Luke smirks in amusement as Grogu squeals. The child was upset Din was taking his time to scoop up another round of eggs.

"Unfortunately I can't move things with my mind," Din answers, making Luke chuckle with the warmest smile. Din notices and relishes in it.

"No, you cannot. But you can move, fight, dodge. Grogu needs to learn these things at some point in his life, or else he won't survive." Luke makes a good point, Din has been the child's protector for too long. Now that Grogu can have proper training, maybe soon he can learn to protect himself. It would take a large weight off the Mandalorian's shoulders.

"And you're willing to fight with me?" Din asks, not being able to deny the excitement that bubbles inside of him. Ever since Moff Gideon's ship, Din has been infatuated with Luke's powers and skills. The way he moves is elegant but murderous, swift but harsh. No Dark Trooper left behind, just crumpled metal under the Jedi's feet.

"Yes." Luke smiles, ready for the challenge.

And Grogu only squeals louder, slapping his tiny hands along the table to get his father's attention. There are never enough eggs.

+

"I read some of your books," Din speaks as he stands on the training mat, hands clasping his staff of pure beskar. He missed the feeling of it in his hands, the weight of it. It made him hungry for a fight and here was a Jedi in front of him, ready for it.

Luke stands across from him, holding a simple metal staff that looked just as heavy. He didn't have his robe on, but a more fitted beige outfit that hugged his waist. Din couldn't help but notice.

"And what did you learn?" Luke asks as he shifts the staff in his hands, moving it back and forth from left and right to test the weight. He never looked down, eyes glued to Din's visor.

"That you're fast with your fights, calculated." Din starts, spinning the staff in his hands smoothly. It makes a whirring sound in the air, cutting through it sharply and then making a muffled smacking sound once the butt of it hits the mat.

Luke just looks at him, impressed, but waiting for him to continue. So he does.

"You use your mind when you fight, not just to move things but to feel things. You feel the blows and the movements, not just see them." Din explains, moving into a fighting stance. The beskar is up off the ground, spear angled towards the Jedi.

"And what about a Mandalorian? Do you not do the same thing?" Luke asks a good question, something that Din has never thought about before.

He thinks for a second, feels the weight of his heels along with the mat, the smoothness of the beskar along with his gloves. He realizes that he's never really felt anything before. Every planet he's stepped foot on was another mission to fulfill, and he was already looking towards the finishing line, staring at the beacon that guided him to the next bounty that will give him his next bundle of credits.

There was no time for feeling his surroundings, but here he is, for the first time, feeling.

"Feelings get in the way, they're an obstacle for us. We can't win if we feel." Luke nods at Din's words, breaking his gaze towards him to stare off at the sidelines where Grogu and R2 sat.

Grogu was settled on Din's disabled jetpack, using it as a seat as he stared off towards the two of them with curiosity shining in those deep black eyes. His large ears perked up once he saw their attention was on him, his small mouth moving into a smile as he giggled.

"You have feelings for the little one, and here you are, alive." Luke talked a lot, and Din learned patience was one of his biggest weaknesses for the couple of days that he has been on this planet. He was supposed to be learning from Luke's words, but all he could feel was the beskar in his hands, how he wished to see it cut through the air once more as it did during his fight with Gideon.

"Let's just say I'm a pro at using my feelings as a weapon now," Din answers, trying to egg the Jedi on as he swung the staff through the air, moving it swiftly between his hands as it spun.

It was an invitation well-received because Luke smiled with amusement before he moved into his fighting stance.

Both of them bounced on their heels, spears out, waiting to see who will go for the first strike. It was of course Din, his patience growing thin and snapping in two once Luke gave him another one of his prize-winning smiles.

He lunged forward and in the blink of an eye Luke had dodged him, now standing beside him and softly touching the head of the spear across Din's helmet. It was such a shock that Din couldn't help but stumble back and yelp.

"Dead," Luke says simply, stepping away with no emotion across his face. It just angered the Mandalorian more.

"You take too long," Din says bluntly, not knowing what else to reply with since he obviously lost.

"And you move with too much purpose, I can feel the determination flowing through you. Stop allowing your eyes to guide you, feel." Luke moved back into position as he spoke, and Grogu squealed from the sidelines. Din could only hope that translated to 'go dad, you can do it!'

Din rolled his shoulders, letting out a huff before focusing his attention completely on the Jedi in front of him. He watched, and thats all he did, gripping his spear tightly as he glared at every inch of Luke. Waiting for him.

Luke suddenly moved, spear spinning and attempting to jab at Din's side. He moved swiftly, dodging Luke's blow and spinning to attempt to be behind the Jedi. But Luke caught up with his movements easily, twisting with Din until his spear clanged against the beskar, the contact caused rough vibrations to flow through the shaft of the spears, causing Din's grip to tighten at the feeling.

They fought against each other's hold, spears sliding against one another.

"I can feel you thinking. Too much thought in your actions can lead you to lose the Darksaber." Luke spoke through gritted teeth, and Din almost scoffed. He knew the blonde wouldn't give up on that weapon.

"It's not mine to fight with." Din growled, moving his spear so it allowed for Luke's to slide against his to the point where he could easily manipulate it backwards, pushing the Jedi back. Luke stumbled backwards along the mat, and Din couldn't help but smile behind his helmet.

"You keep ignoring what's in your possession, what power you truly hold." Luke flew himself forward, dodging Din's swings until he kicked his leg out towards Din's heal, attempting to knock him flat on the ground. It almost worked, Din stumbling backwards but turning it into a spin as he kept the head of his spear pointed towards Luke.

"Do you really want the Darksaber to be placed into someone else's hands? Someone like Moff Gideon? Someone who will use it to destroy towns, take over villages? Planets?" Luke's voice grew louder with every word, their spears clanging together as they moved across the mat. Sweat was starting to build up along Din's back, dripping along his spine.

"It never should have been mine, it was for Bo-Katan, to restore Mandalore. It was a mistake that I got it, I was only trying to protect the child!" Din yelled back, using the spear to swipe at Luke's leg, but all Luke did was jump and stand on the spear. It got caught under his feet, and that was enough for Din to grow stuck and for the Jedi's own spear to tap at the Mandalorian's helmet once again.

"Dead." Luke announced, stepping away. He was covered in sweat, his pale skin glistening in the light, blonde bangs damp and lathered along his forehead.

"If you care so much about this Darksaber, why don't you take it from me? You aren't a Mandalorian, the story behind it doesn't matter to you." Din huffed, trying to catch his breath. He adjusted the gloves on his hands, them slipping off because of the sweat that coated the skin underneath.

Luke shook his head, stepping forward with the spear moved up to point at Din once again. He recovered fast, ready for another fight.

"It's because I believe in you. You have been able to protect one of the most wanted young Jedi's across the universe. This child has it's full trust in you, and that's not just because you give it food and a cot to sleep in. It's because you know how to protect it, like a father would for it's own child. You're strong, determined, powerful, but you don't want to use it along with something that could make you unstoppable." Luke lunged before Din could process what he said, both of them spinning across the mat, the room echoing with the sound of their weapons connecting.

Their spears once again stayed glued together, fighting for dominance as they both stared into each others eyes. Luke glaring harshly into the helmet, almost like he was trying desperately to see Din's through the darkness of the visor.

Din was surprised when Luke leaned forward, his chin dangerously close to where their spears were connected between their chests. Din could hear his breath, and if the Jedi was any closer it would've fogged up the sensors along his helmet.

"Are you afraid of what you could be capable of with that Saber?" Luke almost whispered that, but Din heard it loud and clear. He didn't know why, but it made him mad to hear the Jedi say that. Din was not afraid, Mandalorian's don't get scared of their power, they yearn for it.

Din growled, pushing harshly against the spears to try and get Luke to stumble backward like before. But he felt Luke's spear shift under his weight and the Jedi's knee jolt upwards to drive itself into his gut. It immediately made Din crumble, hitting his knees roughly against the mat.

Now, all the Mandalorian could do was stare up at the Jedi, Luke looking down upon him as sweat dropped down his forehead, shaping itself along his cheekbone and hanging across his jawline. He was huffing loudly, teeth clenched, spear falling from his hands.

"Dead." He whispered before walking off and out of the room.

+

Din didn't speak to Luke the next day, nor did he stay in the house. He was occupying his time in his new ship. Fixing things that didn't need to be fixed, organizing things that were fine where they were, uselessly flipping switches. He knew he was running from the words the Jedi had spoken to him, but he had never been face to face with something like that before.

"Are you afraid of what you could be capable of with that Saber?" The words played back in his mind, taunting him no matter what he cleaned and fixed. Luke's face is a hologram in his mind, the way he stared down at him, the way the sweat glided down his cheeks and dipped in his collarbones. But more importantly, the thing that stuck out the most, was the determination and belief that shone in his eyes.

He believed in Din, for some reason that the Mandalorian couldn't grasp. The Jedi had just met him and has already put his full trust into who he was. Even though the Mandalorian and Jedi's past were rocky, Luke had determination for him as a family or clan member would.

Din must've been moving on auto-pilot, because he was now standing in the cockpit with one hand settled on the back of his seat, staring at the corner where the Darksaber was laid carelessly. It shone in the light, the metal so clean and smooth that if he moved closer he knew he would see his reflection across it. It was a beautiful weapon, but just looking at it made his stomach flip.

"Do you want the Darksaber to be placed into someone else's hands?" Luke's voice echoed once again, bouncing across the inside of his helmet with no escape.

"Someone like Moff Gideon?"

He shook his head, pushing himself off the chair and taking one full stride forward until he was able to snatch the Saber up from the ground. It was heavier than the spear of pure beskar, so many bumps and lines that he could feel through his gloves. The answer to Luke's question was simple: no, he didn't want Gideon to ever hold this sword in his hands again. The only contact this Saber should have with the Empire is straight through their flesh to kill them.

He didn't dare allow the laser blade to open, instead, he observed it for as long as he could until he could hear a soft gurgle and squeal from the back of the ship.

Instead of placing the Saber back where it was forgotten, he hooked it along his utility belt where it hung heavily and bounced across his thigh as he walked towards the sound.

It was Grogu, the little green child shuffling slowly up the ramp with a rock in his hands. Once Din stepped onto the ramp, the child's ears perked up and he gave the Mandalorian a small tooth-filled smile, immediately moving his arms up to be held.

"How do you move so fast?" Din chuckled lightly, tugging softly at Grogu's ears which sent the child into a short fit of laughter.

The moment was short-lived, though, because the droid was rolling across the ground, beeping frantically. Din wouldn't be surprised if the droid was supposed to be watching the child and Grogu had managed to slip away.

"Guess you're not programmed to be a babysitter droid, huh?" Din said flatly, moving the rest of the way off the ramp so it could lift upwards. He watched as the metal turned and creaked loudly, slowly but surely the ramp closing with a soft hissing sound. Grogu tilted his head, curious.

"I thought this was your next training day, kid?" He asked as they made their way through the brush, it was heavy with greenery but beautiful as the light shone along with the leaves.

Of course, Grogu only answered by purring, large eyes blinking up at Din and a small three-fingered hand attempting to tap at the edge of his helmet.

Din was amused for only a second before he was suddenly flying upwards and staring at Grogu upside down. The droid was squealing and rolling around in circles, quickly dashing off behind the trees. He could feel his helmet slide down along his head dangerously, but it still stayed glued in place as he frantically looked around.

He didn't know if it was the blood rushing to his head, or if he was actually staring at two furry creatures laughing and chattering to one another as they jumped for joy near his head. They completed ignored Grogu, the child sitting with that same curious expression across his face and that stupid rock still held in his hands. The droid could've at least taken Grogu with it.

Din sighed loudly, not really in the mood for a fight. He must be off his game since he's been without a proper fight for a good month now. Training with Luke didn't count.

"Listen..." He spoke, but the creatures were advancing on him quickly, both poking and prodding at his armour and pulling at his cape that dangled above his head. They were pulling way too hard, and he could hear the material of the cape start to rip.

"Hey, that's enough!" He yelled, quickly moving one hand up to grip at his blaster that was still settled inside its holster. But before he could put pressure on the trigger, a figure appeared from the brush, dark robe sweeping across the ground.

Luke.

"Hey, hey, hey!" He yelled, immediately gaining the two creatures' attention. They seemed to immediately react, both moving forward to where Luke stood. Din was surprised when they patted Luke's legs, the Jedi kneeling to hug them.

"Friend." Luke pointed towards Din and then repeated the word as he moved his finger towards Grogu who was preening at the attention. The creatures exchanged a look with one another, and Luke watched patiently before they both nodded and stumbled towards the brush behind Din.

He should've prepared for it to come, but he still squawked when the rope along his ankle released him. But the blow to his head never came, and he opened his eyes to see that he was settled on his side, Luke's gloved hand extended towards him. The Jedi must've used his weird Force powers to soften his fall.

"I apologize that you met this way," Luke spoke as Din got up and brushed off the shrubs and dirt from his armour and cape. Once dusted off, he swept Grogu off the ground and used the end of his cape to get off some of the leaves stuck to the child's robe.

"What are they?" He asked bluntly, moving to stand beside Luke to watch as the two creatures climbed down from the tree Din had been tangled in. They wobbled towards them, looking less excited now that they had to let go of their fresh catch.

"Ewok's," Luke answered. He smiled down at the two, kneeling to their level. He moved his gloved hand up once again, two fingers extending and pointing towards the small rock that Grogu still held in his hands. Din was surprised when the rock swiftly started to levitate out of Grogu's grip, it slowly moving down towards the Ewok's, allowing one of them to grab it with an excited shout.

The little magic trick seemed to cheer them up quickly, and they lunged towards Luke to give him one last hug before they rushed back off into the brush. It was then that the droid appeared once again, whirring and beeping curiously.

"They're such an amazing species, so curious. Once you amuse them enough, they become your friend easily." Luke was staring off into the bushes where they had disappeared as he spoke, and all Din could do was watch him. He was still recovering from the sudden rush of adrenaline.

"Was I their next meal?" Din couldn't help but ask as they started to walk again, R2D2 now moving beside Luke.

Luke laughed, shrugging. "Probably."

After that encounter, it didn't take long for Luke to notice that Din was carrying the Darksaber. The Jedi's eyes had shifted towards his belt once they had gotten back to the house, a small smile appearing across his face. Din couldn't help but feel uncomfortable under the stare, knowing that this was what Luke had been wanting.

Once known that it was now apart of Din's armour, Luke didn't waste time talking about it before bed. They had eaten soup, R2 attempting to feed Grogu as Luke and Din sat across from one another. Din only lifted the helmet briefly to drink from the cup, not daring to take it off to eat in front of anyone yet. During the whole meal, Luke would shift his eyes across Din, almost like he was trying to map out every part of his armour with his stare.

So once dinner was over, Din was more than happy to head to bed early. His skin itching at the permanent memory of Luke's eyes scraping their way along his body. But as soon as he reached the hallway he felt a hand on his arm, delicately stopping him in his tracks.

"I made you uncomfortable," Luke said, pointing out the obvious. But Din just simply shrugged like he usually did.

"I apologize, but I felt a change in you, a step in a path you haven't chosen before. I felt it as soon as I saw you hanging from that tree. As soon as I saw that Saber hanging from your belt, I understood." Luke babbled, his hand still settled along Din's arm.

"A change?" Din asked, cocking his head at Luke's words.

"I know you've been fighting with yourself ever since yielding that sword-"

"I only decided that the Saber was better to be with me than laying on the floor of my ship." Din quickly interrupted, not meaning to sound nor look rude as he pulled away from Luke's grasp. He was tired, and he wanted to be in the safety of his room where he could take off his helmet and rest.

"I'm sorry," Luke said simply, face falling with his hand still lightly extended from where it was grasping Din's arm. "But tomorrow, I'd like to start where we left off, but more moving and less talking."

Din didn't know if he agreed just because he felt bad for the Jedi, or because he wanted to get back into training.

+

They were back where they had left off, standing across from one another with spears settled in their hands. Luke said the Sabers would be used soon enough, but he wanted to pace themselves. Din didn't mind one bit, enjoying just simple feeling of the Darksaber's weight on his belt.

"Remember to feel," Luke spoke, already moving into position. Din mirrored the Jedi's actions, nodding along to the words he spoke. He allowed himself to close his eyes for just a few seconds, to feel that spear gripped in his hands, the floor beneath his feet, the air surrounding him.

He was very surprised when suddenly his hands were up, the spear clinking loudly with Luke's, eyes opened to stare at the Jedi. He didn't even see him coming, but still, Din could feel a disturbance in front of him. It amazed him, sending him into overdrive as he pushed back harshly against the other's spear, making Luke stumble but easily catch himself.

They fought on foot for a couple more seconds, spears bashing loudly against one another and echoing throughout the house. They both attempted to get behind one another, but their opponent was too fast, easily following their movements.

It was only when Luke allowed Din's spear to push back harshly against his, the Jedi's back bending backwards just enough for him to fall on his knees. But it wasn't out of mercy, instead, he slashed away Din's weapon and whipped his spear down across the Mandalorian's legs, making him stumble backwards.

Luke didn't hesitate to get on top of Din, legs locked across Din's middle. Din was fast to keep the beskar in front of him, and now they were once again battling for dominance, spears sliding against one another, their breaths heavy.

Din bucked his hips up, angling them to the right which caught Luke off guard enough for the Jedi to tumble onto his back. Din didn't wait for him to get up, instead doing the same thing that Luke had done, locking his thighs along Luke's middle and throwing his spear down which immediately made contact with Luke's.

The vibration of metal against metal echoed throughout both their arms, Luke was sweating once again, teeth clenched as droplets slipped along his eyelids and cheeks. Both their arms were shaking as they put all their muscle through their weapons, trying to defeat their counterpart.

Luke used his legs this time, they barely worked against Din's armour as he attempted to knee the man in the back. But it shifted Din across his stomach enough for him to twist around along the man's thighs, his spear coming out to smack at Din's helmet and send the Mandalorian to fall on his back.

Luke let out a yell, Din easily catching his blow with his spear once again. But Luke had the high ground, he could feel Din start to succumb to his strength, his arms moving above his helmet with the spear still grasped in his hands. Luke was able to push the beskar staff into the ground, his head now centimetres away from Din's as they exchanged heavy breaths.

He couldn't help it, the fight had gone very well, the sweat felt good against his skin, well-earned. Din had done so well, able to knock him off his guard more than enough times that he never expected. Luke felt the need to lower his forehead against Din's helmet with content flowing through him. He stared into the black void of the visor to search for any hint of eyes, the metal cool against his forehead, soothing.

Luke was smiling, huffing loudly with his hands still over Din's head, pinning the man's arms above it. But he immediately noticed the way Din stiffened under his hold, so much that Luke immediately released his arms and sat up, but still sat along Din's stomach.

The Mandalorian just laid there, helmet turned up towards the ceiling. This was one of those times where Luke desperately wanted to know the other man's facial expression.

But after a deep pause, Din was moving up into a sitting position, forcing Luke to slide off his body and sit in front of him. Luke was frantically searching across Din's helmet as if one part of it would give him a clue to what was going through the man's head. But all he saw was metal.

"Din?" Luke whispered, but it was as if his voice was a queue for Din to get up. The Mandalorian had grabbed his spear and with quick and long strides had exited the room. He didn't even look back.

All Luke did was stay seated, trying to calm his breathing that was still harsh from the fight. He wiped roughly at his forehead to get his wet bangs out of his face, all of a sudden his whole body feeling numb.

What had he done? It was the one question that levitated in the front of his mind as he stared off into where Din had vanished.

He knew the answer was in his library, somewhere amongst the shelves upon shelves of information.

+

It was an honest mistake. He didn't know what that meant in Mandalore.

He was being friendly, resting his head after a well-fought battle. Congratulating him.

Luke wasn't in love with him.

Luke didn't know he was kissing him.

That was what Din told himself, at least. He stayed up all night staring at the ceiling, helmet settled on his chest as his hands smoothed themselves over its sides. He knew that Luke didn't know such action was something as intimate as a kiss, but no matter how many times Din replayed that thought in his mind, deep down he still felt his heart flutter.

There was something inside of him, it was taking his heart and squeezing it every time he looked at Luke. It weighed his tongue to the bottom of his mouth whenever he wanted to speak to the Jedi. It's something he has never felt before, and it scared him.

But after that fight, it became clear that this was something that needed to be suppressed and flushed out of his system before he dares to go near Luke again. Because this parasite of feelings could get him killed, could get Grogu killed, and that was something he simply couldn't risk.

So as soon as light peered into his room from his window, Din was up and packing. It was just for a little bit, a few days, maybe a week, maybe two. He didn't know, but he needed distance from this Jedi.

Goodbyes to Grogu wouldn't be possible, but he knew he'd see the child again. Goodbye felt too permanent, and he risked bumping into Luke or that stupid droid of his.

So he rushed off to his ship, forcing himself to never look back. He was too scared he'd cave-in to whatever he was feeling inside, that's how much it was consuming him.

"Din." He cursed under his breath, hands forming into fists at his sides. He kept his back to Luke, trying to calm his breathing.

"Din," Luke spoke again, and Din swore if that Jedi said his name again he would fall to his knees in defeat. "I'm sorry...truly. I-I didn't know the consequences of that gesture. I felt a connection with you after our fight, something I felt the need to share with you. But not like that, never like that."

So Luke knew, he must've done his research after Din had stormed off. Still, it didn't change the path Din was planning to take. But, he had to admit he was relieved the Jedi cared enough to search into why he was disturbed.

"After you left I did as much research as I could, I don't have many books on your kind and planet, but I found enough to connect the dots." Luke was walking up the ramp as he spoke, he could hear the sounds of his boots clicking against the metal as he grew closer. Din tried not to stiffen, not wanting to scare Luke off even more.

"I'm sorry, Din...I'm so sorry." He sounded near tears, and it was such a profound emotion so taboo for a Jedi that it forced Din to turn around to look at Luke.

There was a pause of silence between the two, both just staring at one another. One showing his emotions, the other hiding behind a helmet.

"You don't need to apologize," Din spoke carefully, breaking Luke's gaze to look around them. No Grogu, no R2, he came alone.

Luke looked mildly offended at his answer, though. Shaking his head before Din could even finish.

"I do because I overstepped your boundaries and made you uncomfortable-"

"Luke," Din interrupted, snapping his head back to stare at the blonde. "You didn't mean it, we can move on from this."

"Than why are you leaving?" Luke asked, barely letting Din finish. Din noticed the Jedi didn't dare step any closer to him, acting as if there was a forcefield around the Mandalorian.

"I got a call from friends on Nevarro. I owe them a lot for their help in keeping Grogu alive, so whenever they need me I need to be there." Din was lying, there was no call from Cara or Greef. The two of them didn't even know he was coming.

But it seemed to work for Luke because the Jedi's face softened as he took a step back. He still looked extremely conflicted, but he hid it well.

"I'll be back." Din made sure to say, rolling his shoulders back and lifting his chin to show how sincere he was. Luke only nodded, a faded look in his eyes as he made his way off the ramp.

"Please..." Luke was about to say more, but his voice broke off. He just stood staring at Din from off the ramp, shoulders closing in on themselves, eyes unfocused.

"And I'll come back with more books on Mandalore. We can go through them together." Din felt he couldn't leave without getting some kind of smile from Luke, and those words seemed to be enough to get at least a tight and half-hearted smirk from the Jedi.

So, he left. After placing the coordinates for Nevarro into the system, he let out a large sigh before allowing the ship to lift off the ground and fly off. He wondered if Luke was still watching him with that same look upon his face.

+

He could hear excited laughter coming from outside the ship doors before he even opened them. It made him chuckle, the ramp slowly opening to reveal Greef and Mythrol standing near the entrance to the town where Din had landed. Greef was the only one pleased, of course.

"Mando!" Greef yelled, throwing his arms up in excitement as Din stepped down the ramp and onto the sand. It was a hot day in Nevarro, and the sun beamed down harshly against his visor.

He should feel like he's home, this little town has been the closest to it since he watched the Razor Crest get blown to pieces. But he doesn't feel whole, even when Cara Dune waltzes her way along the street with the fondest smile across her face.

"And to think...I was sure I wouldn't be able to see your face for a long time after Gideon's capture, but here you are." There's a hint of curiosity in her welcome, but Din only hugs her and lets her guide him to the nearest bar.

Greef follows, but not before yelling orders around to some of the mechanic droids, telling them to look over the ship. Mythrol gladly stays behind to supervise. That poor blue bastard still shits his garments at the sight of Mando. It will never not be amusing.

"How's my ship treating you?" Cara asks, grabbing ahold of some liquor at the bar with only a shared nod with the bartender.

Din settles himself at one of the booths, allowing himself to take-in the familiar atmosphere of the bar and the constant bustle of people before he answers.

"Flys smoothly, lands smoothly, takes off smoothly." Din lists, exaggerating every word with a nod to his head. Cara chuckles and nods, satisfied.

"I thought for sure the only way you'd come back would be because of that ship getting into some kind of dogfight. But it doesn't look like it's got a scratch on it." She purses her lips, looking away from him in thought.

"Looks a bit too spotless, knowing your usual activities." She points out with a tilt to her head. She has a glint in her eyes, the one where there are so much more questions to ask. She even looks like she's about to burst one out, her mouth opening.

But Din is saved by Greef settling himself beside him on the booth. The man lets out a loud and rough breath, shaking his head in disbelief once he takes a glass that Cara poured.

"When you came back right after that fight with Gideon...damn it looked like you had seen a ghost, or at least something was haunting you. I thought for sure when you asked Cara for a ship to borrow, that I wouldn't be seeing you for a long time." Greef chuckled, shaking his head once more before sipping on his drink.

"But I'm interested of course, did you find the child? Is it safe?" Greef looked a lot more serious now, tapping his fingers along his glass as he stared intensely at Din. Cara looked just as interested, her eyes narrowing as she leaned closer.

"He's in good hands." Din answers and his mind can't help but flash to Luke's face right before he had left. The shine of unshed tears across his eyes, the stiffness in his form. He wreaked of pure guilt.

"From what I saw on that ship, I believe you," Cara mumbled, turning her gaze down to her glass.

"Can you trust this...Skywalker?" Greef asked, and it was weird to hear part of Luke's name out loud, and with such curiosity and doubt.

It sounds extremely naive, but Din had gotten to know Luke so much during their time on Endor together. The man wasn't just some name, but he had a face to it, a personality, a smile. So when someone doesn't know him, he has to remind himself that they've never spent time with Luke as much as he has.

Din shook his head, blinking hard underneath his helmet. God, he came to this entirely different planet to forget about Luke. But instead, the Jedi is all he can think about.

"I've got a place for you to stay if that's what you were planning to do." Cara changes the subject, and it's like she can read the discomfort he feels. Din is grateful, and he nods with a soft thank you.

To be honest, he fully expected Greef to keep poking and prodding at his life, the journey, and the child's new Jedi path. But instead, they talked about Nevarro, how the town had grown even more since Mando's last visit, and how Gideon was rotting in custody.

It got to the point when it got dark out, the sun no longer reflecting harshly against Din's helmet. He had barely noticed, so intrigued by his two friends and their new stories even though it hadn't even been that long. Their lives changed quickly, every day was new and exciting.

"Look, I'd love to chat more but I still have work tomorrow." Cara ends the conversation regretfully, but Din could feel the stress of the day and the amount of travelling he had done weighing on his shoulders. He needed a bed and time out of his armour.

"Ah alright, but tomorrow we'll start where we left off, yea?" Greef pointed at Mando expectantly, raising his brows playfully before getting up and giving Cara a goodbye wink as he disappeared out the door.

Cara shook her head with pure amusement, getting up herself. Din followed and let her guide him out to the street. They walked side by side, passing food stands and houses. There were still people out, but the streets were less crowded compared to when Din first landed.

"So what brings you here?" Cara asks after a minute of them basking in the silence. She side-eyes him from where she walked beside him, but Din wouldn't dare meet her gaze, nor even turn his helmet in her direction to satisfy her.

"Does there need to be a reason?" Din asks, dodging the question. He squares his shoulders, waiting for her next move.

"There's always a reason," Cara says simply, shrugging. And that was the end of their conversation, both of them walking in silence until Cara stopped and turned towards a door. Once she opened it, Din knew it was her home. The place was covered with memories from her time on her home planet, things she's never shown before.

"I've got a cot in the back for you, even comes with a nightlight." She gives him a playful wink as she walks towards the kitchen. Din moves towards the back of the house, and he couldn't help but sigh when he saw the bed. His muscles ached to lay down.

"Tomorrow morning," Cara says from where she's washing her hands off on a towel. "You're telling me why you're here."

She keeps looking at him, wrapping the towel along her knuckles, blinking slowly at him with determination. Din didn't know what to say, all he wanted now was for the sand beneath him to swallow him up.

"You're always running away from something, Mando." She mumbles, giving him one last long stare before walking upstairs to where Din can only assume her room was.

Din couldn't help but smack the front of his helmet along the doorframe, digging the forehead of his helmet against it. 

Before he could even get a wink of sleep, he'd need to come up with a good explanation as to why he was here. But Din knew no matter what, Cara Dune would find a way to snake her way into his mind and dig out the real answer.

+

It seems that Cara gave Din the whole day to think over his answer. She had only left him with a note on her kitchen table that she had gone to do her duties for the day. Din expected her to not waste any time to confront him, that she would be bombarding him with questions before he could get out of bed. But Din was surprised when he awoke to an empty house.

It was a full day of him sitting around, playing darts in the living room and cleaning his armour and weapons. It was boring, but god did he ever need a boring day. Time even went fast, and before he knew it Cara was entering with Greef at her heels. She had her hands full of food from the vendors along the streets, and she smiled gratefully when Din helped settle them onto her countertop.

"What's the occasion?" Din asked as he inspected the expensive fruits, meats, and vegetables that took up half the counter.

"You're the occasion," Cara answered with a shrug as if it wasn't a big deal, and Greef agreed by patting Din's shoulder with a smile.

"We're happy to see you back and to know the kid is safe and in good hands. We thought it would be nice to have a proper dinner for a change. A celebration." Din couldn't help but feel the warmth of gratitude fill him. Although, there were still demons inside of him, ones he hid from his friends. But they had their demons too, he knew that.

They can forget about them for one meal.

And that's exactly what they did, no words were spoken about war, bounty's, guns and explosions, not even about Grogu or Jedi's and Mandalorian's. They just cooked, set the table, and talked about what they were like when they were kids. Din watched as his friends ate, pondering if he should just say fuck it and take his helmet off. But only Cara had seen his face, and Greef had not. He didn't feel like ruining the friendly conversation by showing his face for them to gawk at.

"I should get going, I need to check in with Mythrol about some coordinates he got for me." Greef let out a grunt as he got up from his chair, grabbing his plate and setting it beside the sink. Cara and Din still sat in their chairs, shaking Greefs hand before he left out into the streets.

It was just them now, and Cara leaned forward against the table, settling her elbows on either side of her empty plate. She looked up at Din with raised brows, and that's when he knew it was time.

"Why are you here, Mando?" She mumbled, eyes softening. It was like she was trying to look right through the beskar enveloping Din, trying to see what was going on inside his head.

He let Cara search him with her eyes for a few beats of silence, his body relaxed against his chair.

"Word has gotten around that I have the Darksaber..." he trailed off, folding his arms in front of him with a long sigh. "I've been jumping around different planets for too long. I needed to see some familiar faces that I could trust."

Cara raised a brow at him but didn't object to his answer. Din thought that was a win on his part, but slowly he could see the doubt that radiated off his friend.

"To be honest," Cara sighed as she played with the side of her plate. "I don't believe you."

It was blunt but a simple answer that Din knew he would get. He couldn't lie to Cara, she was too good. Hell, she deals with criminals lying every day, helmet on and off.

"But you've got your own battles, and as long as whatever this is that you're running from doesn't hurt this town, I'll let it go." Cara sounded sincere, nodding her head sternly at him before getting up off the chair to grab at her plate. Din had a full plate of food, most of it growing cold. He'd eat once she went to bed, in the peace of his own room.

Cara had left him alone after that, and Din couldn't help but think about her last words spoken to him as he sat on the side of his cot and ate his food.

He was not running from someone or something. He realized. At first, he thought it was Luke he was running away from. Din thought the Jedi's eyes were haunting him in his nightmares. But now he's realizing it's not even close to a haunting, it's a dream, it's his mind yearning to see those eyes again, in front of him.

Din was running away from his feelings. Those feelings were what was eating him alive, making his heart stutter, his stomach twist.

Was it love? He wasn't sure, but it wasn't like anything he felt before. Maybe trust? Respect? Fondness? All of the above? He could ask himself these questions all night long until his brain combusted.

What he knew for sure though, was that he couldn't run away any longer.

+

"Please stay safe out there, Mando," Cara said as she pulled away from their hug. Din nodded, Greef pulling him into a hug as well with a pat on the back and a "say hi to the kid for me" whispered into his ear. He patted Greef on the back in return, showing he would give Grogu his message.

He stepped back, allowing himself to give his friends one last look before he walked up the ramp and into his ship. They both looked sad to see him go, but Cara in particular had a proud smile across her face. She knew she changed his mind, and Din wished he had the balls to thank her.

He couldn't admit he lied though, not yet at least. There were too many things to figure out, too many things to uncover and face. Maybe after this, he'll come back to Nevarro, buy her a drink, and tell her his story.

He waved goodbye, them both waving back and slowly disappearing as the ramp closed. Din was basked in the silence and darkness of the ship, making him sigh before he made his way to the cockpit to start everything up.

He put in the coordinates to Endor, one finger hovering over the ignition before pressing down roughly against it. He was off.

+

Din was antsy, and he had never been so impatient in his life. He forced himself to keep the ship at a steady speed as he broke through the clouds and into the canopy of trees. It was a tricky landing, but slowly he landed with only one jolt from the hydraulics as they hit the ground. He was immediately out of his chair and pressing the ramps button.

He was more than surprised to see Luke Skywalker already waiting for him, one arm cradling Grogu and his other arm stretched out with his hand pressed against the top of R2D2's dome head.

"How did you know I was here?" Din couldn't help but ask as he descended the ramp, he chuckled lightly when Grogu squeaked with his tiny arms stretched out. Din happily lifted the child out of the crook of Luke's arm, immediately pressing Grogu into his chest.

"I could feel you coming," Luke answered simply, those eyes that Din dreamt about looking just as mysterious and powerful in front of him. They left a new snapshot in his mind, something he knew would appear during tonight's sleep.

"And his training?" Din asked as they started to walk towards the house, they made sure to walk slowly, basking in the light and the wind that brushed against their cheeks and armour.

"He's better at control. Grogu understands that there needs to be a purpose in all his actions. And he's doing amazing, learning fast." Din couldn't help but give Grogu a quick tickle along the child's stomach, making him squeal happily. He was proud of the little womp rat.

"But you," Luke spoke with a finger shaking its way towards him, "you are behind on your training now. It looks like we'll have to work overtime."

Din only chuckled with a nod, he didn't mind that one bit.

And overtime was definitely what Din would describe what he did for the next couple of days. Luke worked him till he was a sweaty mess on the floor. But there was progress, so much so that Luke had moved them to outside of the house in the trees where there were more obstacles. They used the trees, bushes, and rocks to their advantage and it left them with bruises that they could only tease each other about later on in the day.

Grogu watched their every step, learning from Din and Luke's movements. The child of course still couldn't fight, but he learned to control, to use his surroundings, to recognize his emotions.

"I think throwing that rock at me was considered cheating." Din chuckled out as he brushed off the dirt from where the rock had hit his helmet. Luke could only let out a loud laugh, moving forward to press a finger into Din's chest plate.

"You have a helmet on, I don't. Plus, have any of the opponents in your life played by the rules?" The Jedi had a good point, but Din wasn't going to tell him that. All he did was shake his head and shove at Luke's shoulder playfully. He made his way over to Grogu who was smiling fondly at the both of them, large eyes shifting between the two.

But as Din started to walk towards the house as soon as he picked Grogu up, Luke's voice stopped him.

"Going so soon?" He asked, and Din turned around curiously.

"There's a pond down the pathway, one I found wandering while you were gone." Din didn't understand what Luke was going with, but he walked towards the Jedi anyway.

"I'm not really up for swimming," Din said flatly, tapping at one of the metal plates on his thigh. That made Luke snort and shake his head.

"I just need the company. Your kid needs a good wash anyway and I did enough babysitting while you were gone." Luke replied playfully, already moving down the pathway he spoke about. Din hated how right he was, but also didn't mind that they were doing something else other than pretending to fight one another to death.

Maybe now, he could focus on the feelings that were swarming around inside of him.

He followed Luke silently, only nodding along to some of Grogu's babbles and purrs. It wasn't a long walk, and soon enough he was breaking out of some bushes to come face to face with a fair-sized pond. He was amazed at how pure blue it was, the smallest waterfall was running down on the other side. It was so peaceful, something that looked to be untouched by the Empire, by anyone.

Din's breath hitched as Luke started to undress, first the shirt coming off, then the pants. He was bare-chested now, with only his underwear on. Din thought the blonde was just going to dive right in but was surprised when he turned to face him.

"Can I have him?" He asked, eyes shifting down to Grogu who cooed as his ears perked up at the eyes on him.

"Yea," Din said awkwardly, and he was about to hand Grogu to Luke but stopped when Luke suddenly reached down and grabbed at his robe. Din watched with Grogu still in his arms as the Jedi made a little sling for Grogu to sit in. He had wrapped it over his shoulder, the sling settled along his chest. It was a smart idea, and Din happily handed Grogu over once he was done.

The child was extremely excited, flapping his arms playfully as Luke slipped off his little robe and settled him inside the sling. Grogu fit perfectly, and the child snuggled in with a purr.

"He was used to me carrying him around in a bag I had found. I guess I should do this now," Din said, watching as Luke chuckled and dipped his feet into the pond. He seemed to hiss at the cold, but only for a few seconds before he slowly slipped in. The water went up to his waist, barely getting the sling wet.

And then he was swimming, moving around the pond and making sure to dip Grogu into the water. The child was thriving, loud and childish squeals mixing with Luke's fond laugh. It was a sight that made Din's heart do that thing again, and he welcomed it.

He allowed himself to sit down along the side of the pond, sitting cross-legged and settling his spear beside Luke's. Grogu was now being rinsed, Luke petting at his large ears and under his chin. Din had never seen the child so calm before, so at peace.

The atmosphere and the sight before him gave the Mandalorian enough courage to slip off his gloves, settling them down in his lap. The air felt nice against his bare palms, and he couldn't help but sigh in relief once he dipped his hands into the pond. It wasn't too cold, just right.

Luke let out a particularly loud laugh, Din looking up from washing his hands to see that the child was tugging at his wet bangs. Those tiny fingers twisted their way into the blonde locks, trying to bring them down to where he sat in Luke's robe on his chest.

Din was almost scared at his sudden desire to jump in with them, to wrap himself around them both. But he could barely take off his helmet or gloves without thinking twice about it, there was no way.

"He's curious about your hair since I don't look like I have much of it," Din replied jokingly, speaking louder overtop of the splashes.

"I knew someone just like him when I was younger," Luke said, swimming closer to Din. He still kept his distance, letting Din have his personal space even though he didn't need it.

"You did?" Din perked up at that, immediately intrigued. He's heard of one Jedi named Yoda before, but that was all. He wondered if Luke knew more or maybe a whole species.

"Yes, his name was Yoda. I was his padawan. He died not long after he trained me, though." Din couldn't help but drop his shoulders in disappointment, it seems Ahsoka and Luke knew the same Jedi. Was Grogu the last of his kind?

"I'm sorry for only telling you this now. I've been so caught up in training, I haven't really told you about the life I lived before this." Luke looked down at the water sadly, smiling the smallest bit when Grogu patted at his face.

"Looks like we need to sit down and have a proper chat," Din said as he shook off the remaining water from his hands so he could slip on the gloves again. He watched Luke's expression carefully, though.

But when the Jedi didn't immediately answer him, he quickly added. "Only if you want to."

Luke looked up finally, smiling at Din with bright eyes that had a hint of the water reflecting inside of them.

"I would like that," Luke replied.

But then, in the blink of an eye and only a gasp from Luke and a squeal from Grogu, they were suddenly both pulled under the water.

Din was up on his feet immediately, but his body was stiff with fear and confusion. He didn't know what to do, and he felt helpless as he desperately scanned his eyes across the pond to find any source of life or ripple in the water. His sensors showed no heat signatures, and his heart dropped into his gut.

There was no time to wait, and he didn't think twice as he threw off his boots, gloves, and started un-clasping his armour. They were losing air fast, and every second counted.

But as he got off the last of his armour, suddenly Grogu shot up and out of the water like a rocket. He moved fast throughout the air with a scream leaving his small mouth, ears folded in across his face in fear. Grogu was too fast to catch, but Din didn't hesitate to jump in once the child landed in the water again.

Luke must've used his Force powers to shoot Grogu up and out of the water and away from danger. It made Din's chest tighten with anxiety, and he quickly settled Grogu down beside his discarded armour. All Din had on was his underclothes and helmet, but he knew there was still something that kept him from diving into the water.

His helmet. It could risk getting flooded with water, the scanners malfunctioning. Din couldn't risk it and frankly, he didn't care one bit. His hands were already reaching for the helmet seconds after he settled Grogu down, slipping it off to settle on the ground beside the child. Grogu seemed to enjoy that, his little body immediately hugging itself against the helmet.

Din grabbed his spear, starring down into the water that still showed no sign of Luke. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He needed to feel, focus, stay calm.

Din dove into the pond, not looking back as his mind yelled "Luke, Luke, Luke" repeatedly inside his head. He squinted through the water, eyes widening when he saw Luke struggling against a tentacle that was wrapped tightly against his ankle. The Jedi was clawing at the water, desperately trying to move towards the surface.

The spear slashed through the water, not moving as fast as Din wished when it hit the creature's tentacle. But it still loosened its grip, Luke kicking violently against it with still no luck. Din hit it again, and again, and one last time before the monster broke off and let out a roar that vibrated the water around them. Din didn't care to fight it any longer, immediately circling his arms around Luke's waist to tug him up and out of the water.

They flopped onto land like fish out of water, bellies flat against the grass, both gasping for air. Din recovered first, his head spinning as he roughly pointed the spear towards the water again, scanning the pond with wide eyes and heavy breaths. He had no idea what this creature was capable of and if it could just march onto land and eat them alive. Or move to the surface to snatch them back under with one whip of its tentacle. But the water was still, silent, the only sound being the small waterfall on the other side.

That gave Din enough sanity to let his guard down. He threw the spear on the other side of Luke, hands moving the blonde so he was pressed into his chest. Luke was breathing, eyes half-closed and soft coughs passing his wet lips. Din didn't know what to do and only gave the Jedi his comfort as his hands rubbed against his biceps.

"...Grogu..." of course Luke's first thought was the child, and he tried to lift his body to look around but Din tightened his grip along his arms to keep him still. He was too weak to protest.

"He's fine, he's just beside you." Grogu was soaking wet and holding his clothes in his hands like a blanket. But at the attention, the child moved on wobbly feet towards them, naked, but still grasping his clothes to keep him warm.

Din didn't know what Grogu was doing, he assumed the child was going to move towards Luke's chest to press into it or attempt to crawl into Din's lap. But instead, the little one shuffled his way towards Luke's feet.

But then it clicked once Din could see the angry red marks along Luke's right ankle. Bruises were already forming, some blood drawing from his wound as well. Grogu had settled his little hand against it, making Luke hissed and pull away, sitting up on shaky arms.

Din still held his hands against Luke's arms. Worried Luke would collapse again.

"No...Grogu...." Luke huffed out, trying to pull his ankle into himself. The child was not happy at all at the protest, a small frown appearing across his face.

"He wants to heal you," Din said. He couldn't help but wince just looking at Luke's ankle all swollen and bruised, it looked broken.

"That takes too much energy out of him, he hasn't trained enough. He could be out for days." That was the longest sentence Luke could spill out, his lungs protesting as he wheezed out the words.

"Can you heal yourself?" Din asked, letting Luke fall back into his chest and lull his head to the side, cheek pressed just under Din's collarbone.

"I...need to focus on my breathing...first. My energy...is already drained." Luke coughed, trying to bury himself more into Din's chest. Din wished he could take off his underclothes, open up his rib cage and stuff Luke and Grogu inside it so they stayed safe and warm forever.

It was such a strong desire, Din couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief while he dipped down to press his cheek into Luke's soaking wet hair.

This was the most contact they've ever had. There was no training, no miss-communication. It was just them sitting pressed against one another beside a deadly monster-infested pond with Grogu now settled at their hips.

"Can you walk?" Din asked voice muffled against Luke's hair. He didn't want to stay here any longer, in case his worries about the creature coming back for revenge turned out to be true.

Luke didn't answer, only shaking his head with a rough wheeze. That was all the information Din needed, and he went to work by scooping Grogu up and settling the child back into the sling that was still wrapped around Luke's chest. The child snuggled his way in, wide eyes staring up towards Luke with concern shining amongst them.

He then started to pick Luke up, moving to be at Luke's side before he moved one arm under the blonde's shoulders and the other behind his knees.

"Your...helmet." Luke weakly moved his arm out to grab it, fingers just ghosting over the tip of the metal before he swooped his hand inside of it to curl it into his chest with Grogu. Din admired that the Jedi still had a thought for him and his creed, even though he was barely conscious, soaked head to toe, and with a mangled ankle.

He walked them towards the house, not even a little strain in the Mandalorian's step as he walked up the pathway, dodging roots, branches, and rocks. He's carried way more weight than this, and Luke was more forgiving with the way he softly held a hand up to curl into the front of Din's undershirt.

The droid was already squealing out of the house, it's dome head turning back and forth furiously as it's front light changed colours. He didn't need to understand it to know that it was alarmed.

"They're fine, I've got stuff down the path near the pond that I need to get. I'll take care of them." Din nodded his head back to where he came from and surprisingly the droid didn't even hesitate to speed off into the brush.

"I'm taking you to your room, don't pass out yet," Din said as he shouldered the door opened and shuffled inside. Luke laughed breathlessly, blue eyes looking more alert as he blinked up towards Din. Grogu on the other hand was already asleep along Luke's chest, soft sighs leaving his mouth with one tiny hand settled on Din's helmet.

"I'm fine, Din." He mumbled, but he didn't even sound so sure himself as they walked down the hallway. Din remembered where the look would disappear for the night, the door not being too far down from his room. He shouldered through it again, letting the back of the door softly hit the wall as he rushed to get Luke laid out on the blankets.

Luke was still holding his helmet and Grogu on his chest. He was staring up at Din with curious eyes that danced across his face, taking in every dip, freckle, and hair.

Din just stared right back, feeling the tickle of discomfort at the back of his mind. But he also felt that new feeling grow, dominating everything else.

"Once R2D2 gets back I'll send him in to look over the both of you." Luke didn't reply to Din's words, still laid down with his eyes dancing across Din's face like it was the stars. He was mapping it out, memorizing it.

"I'm sorry for staring." Din could barely hear Luke, his voice so soft. But he smiled, assuring the blonde that it didn't matter. He knew he chose to take off the helmet, and he'd do it again to save them.

"It's okay..." Din spoke at the same volume, daring to move his hand forward to press against Luke's hand that was still placed across his helmet. It was a beautiful moment, something Din wished he could freeze in time so it could last forever. His son sleeping peacefully in front of him, Luke's hand in his.

"We definitely need to talk," Luke mumbled, eyes hardening in determination. But there was no regret, anger, or fear lingering in them, he was up for the challenges ahead. Din had to agree.

+

Luke had healed quickly once he had a good night's sleep. Before the sun rose in the sky he was already walking fine, smiling and giving Din a nod when he came into the kitchen as Din fed Grogu his breakfast.

Din was back to wearing his armour, clothing all clean and dried out from when he dove into the pond. He had slept naked in his bed, sheets wrapped tightly around him like he was trapped in a cocoon. It was a hard night for him, his mind flashing images of Luke's eyes and how they stared into his own.

He even had a nightmare of the Mandalorian's from his home planet charging into Luke's house, forcing him to give up his armour because he didn't deserve it anymore. It made him wake up in a cold sweat, and after that he had his eyes wide opened and staring up into the ceiling.

So, he was tired and felt heavy and slow with his movements. But safe again with his helmet and armour back on, it still gave him that sense of security no matter how much he tried to deny it.

"Today I'm giving you and Grogu a day off from training," Luke said as he sipped at his drink. Grogu's ears perked at his name, and he tried to reach out to grip at Luke's robe.

"Grogu is still a little weak from the situation yesterday. He's getting better but I just want to be sure..." Luke trailed off, setting his drink down to stare into Din's visor.

"And I'd like to have that chat." Luke's words sent a shiver down Din's spine, he wasn't quite sure if the reaction was nervousness or excitement. He'd find out.

Din had waited impatiently for Grogu and Luke to finish up eating. But knew immediately when Luke was ready to chat when the blonde set his dishes aside and started to walk towards the door leading to outside. Din moved his gloved hand out to lightly pinch at Grogu's cheek, whispering a "be good" before getting up and following Luke outside and into the pathway.

They were walking in the direction of the pond again, but Din didn't object, he was more curious as to what Luke was planning.

"I didn't check the pond for danger after I had found it." Luke blurted out as they walked at a steady pace. The Jedi wasn't meeting Din's eyes, but there wasn't any need to. There was a sense of peace radiating between the two of them, just each other's presence left them feeling at ease with their surroundings.

"I didn't feel anything dangerous about it. I saw it's beauty and jumped right in without thinking of the consequences." Din nodded but knew Luke's speech had something to do with the Force that he still didn't fully understand. The books in Luke's library did help him, but it wasn't enough to allow him to have a comfortable conversation.

"It's similar to what I did with Grogu and you." Din had faltered in his step at the sound of his son's name and Luke only acknowledged it by stopping and turning his eyes up to meet his gaze.

"I'm not following..." Din replied with confusion in his tone. Luke was trying to sound all poetic but Din was a man who got straight to the point and would rather people do the same to him. That was just the bounty hunter traits he picked up along the way.

"I saw your potential, I felt it as soon as Grogu sent me the message through the seeing stone. I felt your connection, the pain you both went through, the sacrifices you made to even be able to place the child on that stone. All I knew was that you had a bond unable to be broken and that you both were fighters. That's it. I took the risk to find you on that ship and take Grogu in, not knowing if there would be consequences."

"Do you not trust me? Us?" Din didn't want to feel offended but he couldn't help it, it made his chest clench at the words Luke said. But he had to look at it from the Jedi's perspective. How could he put immediate trust into strangers who were the most wanted in the galaxy? Din was a Mandalorian that had a bounty hunting job on the side. He wasn't someone to trust.

"I do now, more than ever. I see you both as my friends...maybe even now as something more." Luke broke his gaze again, and Din was as stiff as a board in front of him.

"My point to all this...is that I dive into too many things with no thought about my future. I see the potential, the beauty, how it makes me feel right at that moment and I run with it. The moment I felt Grogu's presence and your bond in the Force...I felt euphoric. I still do now, especially after seeing you come back for your son not once but twice."

Luke snickered and looked up into the trees, and Din watched him as his thoughts flooded into his mind. He wondered if that was what he kept seeing swim in Luke's eyes all this time. It was pure bliss and peace.

"You put your full trust into things as soon as you see it," Din says, and Luke nods with a soft frown across his face. It wasn't enough to defuse the sparks in his eyes, but enough to notice.

"And I," Din paused as he took a step towards Luke, the blonde noticed and looked down. They were close enough that if either reached out, they'd be touching. "I can't trust anything or anyone...it was something I learned as a foundling."

Luke nodded in understanding but let out a small light-hearted chuckle, realizing something.

"We are total opposites." Luke shook his head and bit at his lip, and Din tried hard not to turn his helmet too much to show that he was staring.

"I disagree, I think we are a lot more similar than we think." Din was the one that continued walking again, Luke following him only a step behind.

"We are both still trying to figure out where we stand in life. With my creed, and your order...with my armour and your sword." His words made Luke ponder, and they didn't speak until they reached the pond.

Seeing the water again made Din's body stiffen, his hand couldn't help but hover over his blaster that was settled on his hip. He even shuffled closer to Luke, prepared to shove the Jedi back if a large tentacle decided to wrap itself around the blonde.

"I meant what I said on Moff Gideon's ship." Luke started tugging at his own shirt and that immediately made Din's head spin. Was this man crazy?

"I will protect Grogu with my life, and I want you by my side." He had his shirt off and was now only in his pants. Din was already standing in front of Luke, blocking him from jumping into the pond.

"Yes okay, I'll be by your side. You don't need to jump into a deadly tentacle-infested pond to convince me." Din moved to settle a firm hand on Luke's chest, his other hand clenched into a fist at his side. He looked fearless, but he didn't know what to do against the Jedi. He wasn't going to shoot Luke or use his spear against him, and he won't even think about using the saber.

And Luke knew that, because he lightly grabbed at Din's gloved hand with his own, slowly pushing it away from his chest. They held hands for a couple of seconds, Luke rubbing his thumb against the top of Din's hand.

That touch was enough distraction, it had sent Din into a daze and he could do nothing but blink as Luke dodged his body and dove into the pond.

"Dank farrik!" Din yelped as Luke disappeared under the water. His blaster was already drawn and pointed at the water, he hated that he didn't bring his spear with him.

He frantically moved the blaster back and forth across the pond, his breathing heavy with stress. Din didn't want to do this all over again and was ready to give Luke another broken ankle if the monster didn't get to it again first.

Suddenly there were dark figures under the water that the helmets sensors caught and ripples that started near the waterfall at the back. There was a muffled screeching noise, the sound sending chills down Din's spine.

He started to take off his armour, preparing to do it all over again for the Jedi no matter how much he loathed the situation. But then Luke's head submerged from the middle of the pond, a smile across his face as he calmly swam over.

"What the hell were you doing?!" Din growled out, shoving his blaster back into its holster before he helped Luke up and out of the water. Din stared down at the water, seeing nothing.

"It's some kind of blixii."

"A what?"

Luke's reply caught Din off-guard and he stepped back to take a good look at the Jedi. Did he hit his head while down there? Did the oxygen gets cut off to his brain for too long?

"Blixii, similar to Rathtars. Much kinder though, but they get territorial and scared easily. When I was down in the water the first time it grabbed me, I took a good look at it. I knew I had to come back and check it out." Luke combed his hair back with his fingers, that stupid grin still plastered on his face. Din was amazed.

"And...?" Din asked, grabbing at Luke's discarded clothes to shove them into the blonde's chest.

"And, it was trapped. That's why it was showing aggression, the Ewoks set up a dame to catch fish. I guess they didn't realize what they caught instead." Luke hugged the bundle of clothes to his chest, smiling down at the pond. Din couldn't help but kneel and look deeper into the water.

"You were right about putting too much trust into things," Din mumbled, squinting at his own reflection that looked back at him. His helmet was dirty and needed a good clean, maybe now that the pond was less dangerous he could do so.

"I think there is a positive now, we have a place to swim." Luke shrugged and sat beside Din's kneeling form. He sighed loudly and leaned back on his hands, chin up into the sky with his eyes closed.

His skin was glowing, and Din couldn't help but stare.

"Do you think this will work? My plans for the new Jedi order?" Luke asked, eyes still closed.

"I think you can't trust as many people as you think. You're powerful, people will take advantage of that. You can't think everyone is as forgiving as me or the Blexit." Din sat himself down cross-legged, elbows rested on his knees. He never stopped looking at Luke.

"Blixii." Luke corrected, chuckling. It lasted only a few seconds before they were back in silence, the only sound being the ripple of the water as it softly crashed against the rocks and ground in front of them.

"And my lack of doubt...that could affect the future I'm trying to create?" Luke continued, blinking his eyes opened, staring up at the sky for a beat of silence until he looked down to look into Din's visor. It sounded stupid said out-loud, but that's exactly what Din meant.

"Yes," Din answered simply with a nod to his head.

"Well, I guess I will need you by my side to be the devil's advocate." There was that shine in Luke's eyes again, the one that sent shivers down Din's spine and made that feeling infest his body.

Luke was leaning forward, their shoulders now touching. Din could hear his shallow breathing, could see the way the water dripped from his bangs and landed onto his nose. It was beautiful, hypnotizing.

Luke leaned forward again, now his nose was ghosting over the front of Din's helmet. Lips parted, eyes hooded.

"I don't want to scare you away again," Luke whispered, searching throughout Din's visor as if that would give him an answer.

"I wasn't scared..." Din mumbled, but his voice trailed off as Luke grew close enough to press his nose into the front of his helmet. He didn't dare move his forehead towards him though.

"It's okay to be scared, Din." It was those words that caused Din's leap of faith. He pressed the forehead of his helmet into Luke's wet one, finally connecting them. It was a breath of fresh air, a burst of lightning inside him that revived something deep inside of him he never knew he had. Din was suddenly hungry for more.

He moved a gloved hand to the back of Luke's neck, rubbing his thumb along the Jedi's skin, playing with his hair. Luke had cautiously moved his hand up as well, the gloved one still holding himself up as his bare one traced its way down the dips in the front of Din's helmet.

"I have never felt this way before." Luke almost whimpered, the tips of his fingers tracing themselves along the lines in the helmet. Din moved his hand to the back of Luke's arm, cupping his elbow.

"I felt it as soon as I saw you on Gideon's ship...when we met eyes. I-I could see my future with you." Din sighed, pressing harder against Luke's forehead just for a couple more seconds before he released the Jedi and leaned back.

Luke looked upset, but Din kept his hand on him, softly dragging it down Luke's arm until they were holding hands.

"You're the only person that has seen my face more than once...the first time on the ship, the second time when I reunited with Grogu, the third when you got dragged down into the pond." Luke knew how important that was, and now here they were kissing the Mandalorian way. He was hooked.

"Are we...in love?" Luke asked. It sounded childish, but it was a question that stumped Din as well. Were they? Maybe. He couldn't really compare these feelings to anything else, it was something new to him, and new to Luke as well.

Whatever it was, he was determined to find out. He wanted more touching, more conversations like this, more training sessions that ended in laughter, more time together with Grogu by their side.

"I think we could be," Din said, squeezing at Luke's hand enough to make the Jedi smile fondly.

They sat by the pond till it got dark, telling each other about their lives, their dreams, their struggles.

Din had told Luke about how his parents died, how he became a Mandalorian. The creed, his bounty hunter stories, the people he met while protecting Grogu.

And Luke told Din about his father, why one hand was gloved. He told him about his sister and her husband Han, their child Ben. The rebellion, the fall of the Empire.

They could've stayed out until the light returned.

+

They spent more and more time together, doing exactly what Din wished to do. They trained outdoors, using spears and knives. They did hikes along the water and throughout the trees, Din had even let Luke have a ride on his jet pack by grabbing the Jedi's waist and flying up past the trees and into the sky. Luke was laughing the whole time, resting his head against his shoulder. Grogu had his turn next, of course.

But time had run out. Not all good things last because the universe was a messed up place, divided by good and bad and people in the middle.

They were out training, using spears as Grogu practised his distraction meditation on one of the rocks. It was quiet, the only sounds being the dirt scuffing under their feet and the echo of the spears connecting. But suddenly Luke had shoved his hand forward, using the Force to throw Din back so hard that he slammed into a tree. His jet pack easily softened the blow, but he was still in shock laid out on the ground.

It was so fast, in the blink of an eye someone came rushing out into the clearing with a blaster pointed towards Luke. But the Jedi had elbowed the man in the face, sending him flying backwards and harshly hitting the ground.

It wasn't over yet though, because two more people came rushing out. One had grabbed Luke from behind, another using a stun gun to zap into Luke's stomach. It made the Jedi scream in pain, and that was enough to send Din up and on his feet.

He made sure to stand between Grogu and the attackers, blaster up and already shooting at the person who's back was towards him. They fell hard and fast, but the other had Luke in front of them, and they used that to their advantage.

"Don't move, or he's dead." It was a woman, Din had noticed now that he was more alert. She had purple skin with long hair as dark as night. She held a knife to Luke's throat, the Jedi still wincing in pain at the blow to his stomach.

"You kill him and I kill you, and then I'll find who sent you and kill them too." Din tightened his grip on the blaster, finger hovering over the trigger. He didn't dare shoot, it was too much of a risk.

The woman scoffed, but Luke was back in action as he easily twisted out of her grip. He moved her hand awkwardly with him, making her screech in pain with the blade falling from her grip and into his. Luke was now shuffling to stand beside Din, both glaring at the woman.

"Who sent you?" Luke asked, looking back only a second to check and make sure Grogu was okay. The child was still settled on the rock, wide awake and looking nervous with his little hands fondling the front of his robe.

But the woman only laughed, it was loud and shocking. But it was only a distraction as two more people came rushing out from the bushes. One going for Din, the other going for Grogu.

Luke had dove towards the child, getting at him first and falling to the ground. He had curled his whole body around Grogu, concentrated all his strength on keeping the child safe.

Nothing happened though, but there was a shock of buzz and a crackle coming from behind him. He turned to look, eyes wide as he stared at Din with the Darksaber sparking in his hands. It was a beautiful and terrifying sight.

"You want this?" Din asked, turning the sword in his grip as if he was inspecting it. The three attackers stared in wonder and fear at it, already taking two steps back before meeting each other's eyes. Luke thought they would run into the bushes, but instead, they just grabbed their blasters and started shooting.

But Din dodged every single one, blasts ricocheting off the saber. He swiped forward, scaring the attackers enough to cause them to finally admit defeat and run into the bushes.

Din didn't care to chase them, more focusing on Luke and Grogu. The child gurgled and whimpered, arms reaching up to Din so he could pick him up out of Luke's arms. The saber was back on Din's belt, forgotten.

Luke could only stare with a soft smile across his face. He couldn't help it, even though there was still a shock of pain every time he moved from the stun gun that hit him, he still couldn't help but be fond. Din was ready.

"What?" Din asked, noticing the long string of silence and the smirk across Luke's face.

"You're ready," Luke said, getting up with the slightest wince before moving forward to place his gloved hand against Din's chest plate. He leaned forward, welcoming Din's touch as the Mandalorian curled his arm around his waist and pulled him in. Grogu purred at the feeling of being sandwiched between the two of them.

"Right now we need to focus on leaving this planet." Din's voice sounded determined and serious, ready for another fight. Luke had to lean back, his brows knitting together.

"Leave? And go where?" Luke asked, frustrated.

"Anywhere, it doesn't matter. We just need to get out of here. They know where we are."

"And who are they?" Luke asked, stepping away from Din's grip to walk off towards the bushes. He stared off into them, wondering where they had gone. He couldn't feel them any longer, and that meant they weren't a threat and were far enough away.

"I'm not sure. Could be lots of things, there's a list of reasons to go after me and the child now, I'm sure you've got people after you as well." Din was walking past Luke and down the path towards the house. Luke was forced to follow, still curious.

"But I made sure to stay hidden, I didn't even tell my sister where I had gone. You didn't tell anyone either."

"Luke, they found a way and that's all that matters. I have the Darksaber now, people may be wanting to challenge me for it, Gideon still wants Grogu so his followers could be ordered to find and recapture him."

They got to the house, the droid now rolling outside and making several beeping noises. It looked panicked, and Luke patted it on its dome head to calm it.

"Gather your stuff, we're going in my ship. If you hid the X-Wing away it will stay here and we can find a way to come back for it." Din was on autopilot and in bounty hunter mode, setting Grogu down on the floor of the living area to walk off down the hallway. Luke followed, telling R2 to stay with the child.

The Mandalorian was fast, Luke could only reach him once Din was already inside his room. His gloved hand flying out to grip at the armoured shoulder to force Din to turn around.

"What about Grogu's training? Your training?" Luke was breathing heavily, eyes frantic as they searched Din's helmet that gave him no answers once again.

"You said I was ready. I'm showing you how ready I am." Din stepped away, breaking their gaze to grab at the small things he left behind in the room. He only had a few changes of clothes, and he was already walking towards the door when Luke finally replied to him.

"Grogu isn't," Luke spoke, voice breaking. He built this home and swore this was where he would stay. He'd rather fight for his home, but he also knew Din was right. They weren't safe here anymore, too many people were looking for them.

Din had settled his clothes down on the dresser beside him, walking towards Luke with squared shoulders and a straight back. He towered over Luke, but he didn't at all look menacing. Luke could feel how the man still swooned for him.

"Luke," Din's hands came up and settled on each side of Luke's face, cupping his jaw. "Grogu will learn and become an amazing Jedi no matter where we are in this universe. As long as we stay by his side, he'll do amazing."

Luke couldn't help but tear up at the word "we" that passed through Din's helmet. It was a beautiful word, something that Luke never thought would affiliate with him. He was a lone wolf no matter how much his sister and Han helped him through his journeys. He fought by himself, he had to teach by himself.

But here was Din Djarin, apart of his team. Turning 'me' into 'us.'

"Where will we go?" Luke asked once the words settled in the air. He moved his own hands up to press against Din's that were still settled across his cheeks, his thumbs softly rubbing along the leather.

"There's a town on Tatooine that I visited with Grogu, on maps it says it doesn't exist. It's a perfect place to stay, to hide until things die out."

Luke's brows shot into his hairline, fingers digging into Din's hands. Din noticed his surprise at the name, the Mandalorian stepping forward until their foreheads were pressed together. The coolness of Din's helmet was refreshing.

"Tatooine is where I'm from...or where my Uncle had raised me. I Uhm, I haven't been there in a while." Luke sighed, closing his eyes to let this moment sink into his memories.

"We're going to a town called Mos Pelgo, that ring a bell?" Din asked, moving back just the smallest bit to tilt his head towards Luke. No, the town didn't sound familiar, but Luke was a farm boy living in the middle of nowhere. There were many things he didn't know about back then.

The Jedi just shook his head, letting Din move his hands off his face to gather up his things again. But Din didn't dare leave the room yet, waiting for Luke to grab his hand so he could guide him down the hallway.

"Do you need to grab anything?" Din asked as they stopped at Luke's bedroom door. The Jedi pondered, wondering what he was leaving behind on this planet. He had learned a long time ago to not have too many important things because of how frequently he had moved from moon to moon and planet to planet. But Endor he had stayed the longest on, and he had grown attached to certain items that laid around the house.

But this was something he needed to let go of. This house, the things inside it. Maybe one day he would go back to it, especially since his X-Wing was still hidden in a cave a few miles down the forest.

"No," Luke replied simply, and that was all Din needed before they quickly grabbed Grogu to rush onto Din's ship. R2D2 rolled beside Luke, questioning beeps and hisses passing through it as they walked.

"We have to go R2, you'll understand soon." Luke tried to calm the droid with his words, but R2 was a stubborn machine that didn't like drastic changes like these. Luke could only pat its head and guide it onto the ship, reassuring it quietly.

+

It was a bit of a longer trip, but they made it just as one of the two suns rose at its highest peak. It was just as hot as both Din and Luke remembered from their separate experiences on the planet.

Din had a direct location to Mos Pelgo and had settled the ship just outside of it. Once the ramp was down, he was amazed by how much the town had flourished since the last time he had been there. The livestock was plentiful, people had set up their vendors along the streets with no worries about their supplies getting swallowed up by the krayt dragon.

He had helped put this town back on its feet, and he felt a sense of pride hit him at that realization.

Luke stood beside him, staring in awe at the small town in front of him. It was one of the smallest he has ever seen, and he's been to his fair share of towns, cities, moons and planets. It was secluded, Din was right about that.

It was safe, that was obvious.

They had kept R2D2 on the ship to watch over Grogu. Both of them walking into the town and feeling welcomed with the soft smiles and polite nods that were given to them.

Din had immediately lead them to the bar in town, the one where he had met Marshal Cobb Vanth. The bartender recognized him immediately, nodding his head before walking off and out of the bar.

"They seem to recognize you...what did you do while you were here?" Luke asked as they sat down at one of the tables.

"It's a long story." Din had sighed out, but he wasn't unhappy, only nervous and impatient to know if he was still welcomed by the one man that mattered. This was the only place he knew would keep them safe for a long time, and he hoped Cobb still respected him even after having to give up his armour.

But he was thinking stupidly, the Mandalorian had helped them kill a fricken krayt dragon. But there was still that doubt in him, again, something he always had with him as a bounty hunter.

The bartender returned, and there was Cobb right behind him. The man looked healthy and happy but different with no armour around him. He showed no emotion as he walked towards the both of them, stopping abruptly at the other side of the table.

He just stared at Luke and Din, and it was beginning to be pretty uncomfortable until his face suddenly broke out into the widest smile.

"Mandalorian, I thought I would never see you again!" Cobb chuckled out loudly, moving around the table to slap a hand down across Din's shoulder, setting his other hand out for Din to grab and firmly shake.

"I apologize for dropping in so suddenly, but we need a place to lay low for a bit." Din nodded towards Luke. Cobb turned his attention to Luke now, his smile faltering the smallest bit. He still looked friendly, but unsure of the stranger that sat beside Din.

"Of course, you're welcome here any time," Cobb replied, breaking his gaze away from Luke to place his full attention on Din again.

"Where's the little green one?" Cobb asked, taking a seat across from them. He leaned back, one hand scratching at his beard in curiosity.

"He's on my ship, we'd also need room for him too."

"And the droid." Luke quickly added to Din's request, making the Mandalorian turn his helmet to glance at him. Luke couldn't help the small sneer that appeared on his face. He couldn't see Din's facial expressions, but he could definitely imagine them.

"And who might you be?" Cobb asked with a raised brow. The man was intrigued by how a lone Mandalorian with only a green creature as his companion suddenly came along with a human and droid as his friends.

"I'm uh, Luke..." Cobb didn't look satisfied, brow still raised in question. Luke panicked, knowing he couldn't use his last name and risk the man knowing about his past with the rebellion. Tatooine was still crawling with spies.

This was a place they needed to stay, their only haven until things blew over. Skywalker was a name he needed to keep secret for now, but this man, Cobb Vanth, was giving him an impatient stare and he panicked.

"Luke Djarin."

It took everything in Din not to snap his head towards Luke, but he did sit up straighter in his chair. The name rung in his ears and sent heat down his chest and into his heart. What a wonderful name, it suited him.

"Huh," Cobb said, nodding his head before getting up out of his chair. He had told them both to follow him, all three of them walking down the street a few homes down until Cobb stopped at a tiny one at the very edge of town.

"One of the villagers used to live here, they passed a while back so we used this as a storage house. But not much is in it anymore since most of our vendors can sit out in the streets now. This will be your home until you feel safe enough to leave." Cobb opened the door and allowed Din and Luke to walk in.

"There's only two rooms but plenty of space for a cot in the living area. Please, feel free to hop by the vendors and get yourselves food." Cobb was leaning against the front door, watching Luke and Din as they walked around the house, peeking into the rooms.

"This is more than enough, thank you, Marshal," Din said, moving forward to shake Cobb's hand again.

"It's what you deserve after all you've done for us. We can't thank you enough, Mando." Din and Cobb shared a nod before Cobb left and closed the door behind him.

It was just the two of them in the empty house, silence blanketing over the atmosphere. They were absorbing the space they stood in, realizing this was going to be home for a little while.

"You gonna tell me what-" Luke broke the silence, but couldn't finish his question because the air was taken right out of him as he was backed up into the wall, his back hitting it roughly. Din had moved his hands underneath Luke's thighs, pushing the blonde up until Luke got the hint and wrapped his legs around the Mandalorian's waist.

They were both breathing heavily, Luke's hands reaching out to press along either side of Din's helmet. The Jedi was very confused but didn't mind their position one bit.

"Luke Djarin?" Din asked, leaning forward and moving one hand off Luke's thigh to press against the blonde's neck.

"Luke Djarin." Din spoke again but it wasn't a question this time, his breath slowing as he pressed his forehead to Luke's.

"You like it? Kinda can't use my last name right now...mind if I borrow yours for a bit?" Luke chuckled and pressed his lips to Din's visor.

"Take it," Din whispered, and Luke's heart stuttered.

"I would love to," Luke whispered back, watching his breath fog up the front of Din's visor. He wanted to take it off, but he wouldn't dare.

"Is that a yes?"

There was a pause, Dins head cocked to the side, awaiting an answer. Luke couldn't believe his ears.

"Are you asking me to marry you, Mandalorian?" Luke asked with a chuckle, circling his arms around Din's neck to pull them ever so closer.

"After hearing you say it out loud...I never wanted anything more." Luke swallowed at Din's words, his whole body buzzing with adrenaline and feelings.

"And you figured all that out just on our walk over here?" Luke snorted, playing with Din's cape.

"I think I knew it as soon as we met on that ship," Din mumbled. But it was so true, Luke saw his future standing in front of him when Din and Grogu met his eyes in the cockpit of Gideon's ship. Flashes of happiness, adventure, and love.

"Yes." Luke's voice broke, bottom lip wobbling before he released his legs from Din's waist to hug the man as tightly as he could. Din had lifted him off the floor the slightest bit, causing the Jedi to be on the tips of his toes as they held each other as tightly as they could handle. Din had laughed, the sound so refreshing to Luke's ears.

So he was Luke Djarin-Skywalker now? That wasn't how he thought his day would go, but he was more than happy with it.

"I think we should get Grogu now, R2 will blow a circuit if he has to babysit longer than we told him to." Luke hated to change the subject, but they both knew Grogu was starving, and the vendors smelt delicious.

They knew this moment would simply only be paused. When Grogu was settled in bed and R2 turned off for the night, they'd resume.

+

"I never asked you how you knew my name." Din blurted out as they laid on their backs on the bed. Grogu was just placed in his bed, the child passing out as soon as he had his good fill of meats from the vendors. R2 was in the room with him, just in case things happened and he needed to be alert. Other than that, they were alone and staring up at the ceiling.

"What do you mean?" Luke asked, shifting his head to stare at the side of Din's helmet.

"Din Djarin," Din turned to look at him. "That's the first thing you said to me when I came into your home on Endor."

Luke thought for a moment, it wasn't that long ago but it felt like he and Din knew each other forever. But yes, he can recall saying that to the Mandalorian as soon as he caught him snooping in the hallway. He knew that was something no one was supposed to know, but Luke had his ways.

"The Armorer," Luke answered simply, and Din had lifted his head to stare at him. His actions made Luke guess that he was surprised.

"She's alive?" Din asked, and that was what made Luke's brows shoot up. He didn't realize she was thought to be dead.

"Yes. I had met her in a city on Nevarro. The cities name I can't recall, but I had been searching for her ever since I had envisioned you by Grogu's side. I heard she was one of the last remaining Mandalorian's in Nevarro, and that she knew of you." Luke sat up, moving forward to settle himself closer to Din with his head on his chest.

It wasn't the comfiest with the metal breastplates in the way, but the coolness was soothing compared to the heat surrounding them. Again, one of the many things he hated about Tatooine.

He felt Din's gloved hand run through his hair, and he breathed out a long sigh.

"She was the one that gave me my signet," Din mumbled, and Luke recalled seeing the symbol on one of Din's plates on his biceps. Din had vaguely talked about it at the pond when they had their long chat. But he didn't realize it was made by the Mandalorian he had gotten the information about Din from.

"She knew I was the Jedi looking for you before I could even say who I was." Luke traced his finger down the metal on Din's chest as he spoke. "She told me the Mandalorian I was looking for was named Din Djarin and that your location was unknown to her."

Din didn't answer Luke. He was simply processing the information given to him, he was happy the Armorer was alive and well and still somewhere in Nevarro.

Luke turned to look at him, pressing his other cheek to Din's chest as he blinked up at the helmet. They just stared at each other, no words spoken, no words needed.

"Do you really want to marry me?" Luke asked, voice barely above a whisper as if he was unsure he could even speak.

Din just stared at him, only acknowledging the Jedi by moving his hand to run through Luke's hair again.

"You heard about my past, my father, my plans for the future. Are you ready to be by my side through all of that?" Luke asked even though the Jedi didn't want to hear the answer. This was another rare occurrence where he felt doubt inside of him.

No answer again. Just staring. Luke had started to think either the Mandalorian had fallen asleep or he was trying to find a way to let the Jedi down easily.

But then Din moved his hands to his helmet, slowly pulling it off and setting it down beside him on the bed.

Now Luke was staring at Din, not just The Mandalorian, but Din Djarin.

And this felt different compared to the other three times he's vaguely seen this man's face. This time it was for him and only him.

Luke messily sat up from where he was slumped against Din's chest, staring wide-eyed at the beautiful man in front of him.

Din only smiled, brown eyes shining.

"I'm with you till the end, Luke Djarin."

At that Luke lunged forward, sealing the deal with a hard kiss. It was sloppy but slowly turned sweet, both their lips moulding together as if it was always meant to be.

The kiss turned harder, and soon Luke was being flipped over with Din's now ungloved hand sliding down his pants.

"Mhm," Luke bit his lip to stay quiet, digging his nails into Din's bicep plates. The sensation of his lover's hand enveloped around his dick sent harsh shivers down his spine.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to do this," Din growled out before kissing Luke again, Luke whining into Din's mouth as his pace around his dick grew faster.

"Please, too many clothes." Luke was able to mumble out between heated kisses, and Din couldn't agree more. They parted for as long as they could, Din quickly unclasping his plates and armour and settling them lightly on the ground beside the bed. He threw his shirt over his head once he had kicked off his pants, and once he could see again his mouth watered at the sight before him.

Luke was naked, back laid out on the bed with his legs spread. His back was arched, hair already tangled and getting damp along his forehead. The day's sun already gave him a thin tan across his arms and chest, it was a sight Din would have frozen in his mind forever.

They collapsed against one another again, kissing as if it was their last day on this planet as their hands gripped and squeezed at any bare skin they could get to.

"I want you..." Luke's voice broke off into a gasp as Din's hand reached out to pull his thigh up, the other moving down to graze at his hole. It was a feeling so taboo but amazing, causing the blonde's back to arch far off the bed with a cry leaving his lips.

"I know, I know," Din answered Luke's prayers, two fingers moving to his lips to spit and lather them up before he moved them back down to softly insert them inside.

It was tight, but it felt so good. Luke was squirming and pulling at Din's hair with short gasps leaving him, chest heaving fast.

"Relax, cmon," Din spoke ever-so softly, leaning down to kiss and suck at Luke's neck and collarbones. Once Luke was loose enough, he shimmied another finger in.

"Din." Luke's knees jerked up higher against his chest, one ankle hooking itself against Din's lower back. It looked like he wasn't going to last, and Din needed to be inside the Jedi.

He scissored his fingers, satisfied with the looseness enough to pull his digits out and quickly wipe them across the sheets.

Luke had moved so he was leaning on his elbows against the bed, watching as Din lined himself up with his hole. His mouth slowly opened, getting wider and wider till his eyes rolled back into his head. Din was in the same state, overwhelmed with the tightness as he pushed in inch by inch.

He stopped for a second, leaning forward so both his hands were fisted in the sheets on either side of Luke's head. Luke's knees were shaking, eyes shut tightly with his mouth hung open.

"Hey," Din whispered, leaning down to kiss Luke's sweaty forehead. Luke opened his eyes, blinking up at Din.

Din smiled, kissing first at Luke's nose, then down to his lips. It made the Jedi smile, tears swimming in his eyes.

"You okay?" Din asked, kissing at Luke's jaw next. He shifted the smallest bit to test the waters, and it made them both groan.

"Move...god please move." Luke's hands quickly moved to Din's back, digging in as Din started to move a little faster. It wasn't long before they were at a steady pace, Din pressed down across Luke's chest as his hips jerked in fast pivots into Luke.

Luke had both his hands fisted in Din's brown hair, head tilted back so far he could see the headboard. He started to shake, the feelings that came rocketing down upon him sent him into overdrive. It was too much.

Din had stopped abruptly, and it caused Luke's eyes to shoot opened in surprise at the sudden change. The Mandalorian was sitting up, breathing heavily as he looked around the room in amazement.

Everything was floating, his helmet and armour twisting around the air around his head and over the bed. The bedside table and lamp were hovering together over the floor, shaking. The wood frame on the bed started to crack under the Force, and Din's breath got caught in his throat.

"Luke." Din leaned down again, making Luke moan loudly at the feeling. The Jedi had always been able to control his powers, but these feelings were just too overwhelming. There was physical and mental all wrapped into one, the love of his life buried deep inside of him for the first time. Din's face on full display only for him. They were going to get married.

"Luke, look at me." Luke didn't realize he closed his eyes again, and he opened them again to see Din's face inches from his with one hand against his face.

"I'm right here..." Din trailed off, breaking their gaze for a second to think before he was back to staring into Luke's wide gaze. "Focus on all the things you're feeling at this very moment, one by one."

Din was using Luke's advice, and the Jedi would've felt proud if he wasn't heavily breathing with his legs spread out wide along this bed. But he listened, relaxing his body and noticing what he felt, what was good, what was exciting, what made him happy, what made him nervous.

"Remember to feel," Din whispered, pressing his bare forehead against Luke's own.

Slowly things started to land with soft thuds against the ground. The helmet tumbling off the bed and onto the floor. Lastly came the lamp, it gracefully setting itself back down onto the table.

Luke was in control again.

"Okay..." Din looked around, nodding to himself. They were okay.

"Please don't stop...I'm-I'm sorry." Luke whimpered, one hand coming up to scratch at Din's beard. Din didn't need to be told twice, and slowly he started to move again.

It was cautious at first, and once Din was sure Luke was not up in the clouds somewhere, he started to piston his hips harshly into the blonde.

It was fast and hard, them both trying to be as quiet as they could be as their climax crawled up their spines. Luke came first with a whimper, both hands twisting into Din's neck and thighs shaking violently. Din moaned at the sight, hands grabbing the back of Luke's knees to fold the Jedi in half and slam into him three more times before he came with a shout.

Din slumped into the bed beside Luke, softly slipping out of the blonde with a grunt. Luke was breathing calmly now, licking at his lips as he stared up at the ceiling.

"I've never felt that way before." Luke huffed out. It was kind of scary how easily he lost control in Din's arms, but he didn't beat himself up too much. It was their first time, it had to be overwhelming for both of them.

"That makes two of us." Din chuckled out, moving onto his side to place a hand on Luke's sweaty chest. He stared at the Jedi's face, no filter over top of him from the helmet, just him, naked and in bed beside him. His.

"Hopefully this will get easier the more we do it..." Luke let out a short laugh at Din's words, shoving the Mandalorian down to kiss him silly.

They did that for the rest of the night, kissing and feeling until they fell asleep in each other's arms.

+

"You sure this Blix isn't back?" Din asked as he searched the water surrounding them.

"Blixii." Luke corrected, moving his hands on either side of Din's face to turn his attention back towards him. They shared a smile, and then a kiss.

They were in the middle of the pond, the one where Luke and Grogu had bathed in before getting pulled under by the tentacle creature. The same pond where Luke told Din that his father was Darth Vader. The same pond where Din told Luke about his parent's death.

They were back for Luke's X-Wing after months of staying away from Endor, hidden safely in the small town of Mos Pelgo. They had made a home there with Grogu and R2, made friends and even had a routine.

Luke had still trained Grogu almost every day. It definitely had to be more secretive, Din had found an abandoned mudhorn cave a few miles off the town and that was where Luke trained Grogu as much as he could, as well as Din.

They had started using their Sabers to practise, now that Din was comfortable with using the weapon. The laser swords illuminated the entire cave, sending Grogu into giggles of amazement whenever they fought. Din had grown to be almost as good as Luke at sword fighting, and Grogu was able to lift an entire Boulder without losing his energy. It was progress, they were becoming unstoppable.

Overall, Mos Pelgo had become a place they both never thought they would get attached to. It at first was just a refuge from the world around them, but now it was a home.

But once they realized no one was coming for them, they knew they should venture back to Endor to see the damage. Grogu and R2 had stayed behind with Cobb while they travelled back.

Luke's home had been ransacked, torn upside down. They were being looked for at some point, but whoever was searching for them was obviously very disappointed. Most of Luke's Jedi books had been burned, some surviving enough for him to store away in his X-Wing that had thankfully survived and was still tucked away in the cave he left it in.

But they couldn't leave simply after that. Luke giving Din a look before grabbing his gloved hand with his own to pull the Mandalorian down the familiar pathway.

Din was hesitant at first, only because of the monster he knew had once lived under those waters. But Luke was undressed and already jumping in fully naked, taunting him as he swam to the centre of the pond.

So Din followed with a chuckle, quickly stripping off his armour and helmet to set them aside. He kicked off his pants and threw off his shirt, raising his brows at Luke once before he dove in. He stayed underwater until he reached the Jedi's pale legs, submerging himself right in front of Luke. Of course, the Jedi had already sensed him. Luke had leaned forward before Din could even realize what was happening, stealing a kiss.

And now here they were, pressed against each other as they floated in the middle of the pond they found when they were just strangers to one another. Now married, a clan of three.