Okay, she said.
Din shook his head. His ship, the Razer Crest, finally came into view as they stepped into a large clearing. He heard Rapunzel gasp beside him. Tension he wasn't aware of loosened. His shoulders relaxed. It almost felt like coming home, which it might as well been.
One of the only homes he's known anyhow.
He watched as she gazed up at the ship. He couldn't help the smile or the pride when her eyes widened with wonder and excitement. It was dampened by the thought of separation. They talked about it, but still unconsciously stuck together.
Din never wanted someone around before. Why now?
When he thought about it, they had a natural companionship. She asked endless questions but never forced the answers. The times of long silence were comfortable, not tense or awkward. He- he just plainly enjoyed being around her. And he didn't remember a time recently that he enjoyed much of anything when it came to other people.
Rapunzel came back to his side. Her big green eyes went from him to the ship, expectantly. Her body almost vibrated with excitement.
Din held in a chuckle and activated the side door. It buzzed with a low hum as it descended till it touched the ground with a dull thump.
She barely waited for it to touch the ground before she raced up the ramp.
Rapunzel had a hard time processing so much at one time, but she still took it all in. It didn't all registered and she was sure to have missed things. She hoped she had time to look things over again and again till she saw everything.
The ship, The Razer Crest, he called it. It stood high in the air, almost surpassing the treetops. The two colossal engines rose on either side of the ship's body. The dull metal caught the sun and highlighted the obvious patches and scraps. It spoke of stories and danger. She hummed with barely contained excitement at the thought of boarding.
A real spaceship!
She never thought she'd see the day. If Mother had her way, she never would've. Her smile dimmed. She pushed away that unsettling thought. Mother wasn't here. Just Rapunzel and its time she got to make decisions for herself. She got to decide the path her life takes, not Mother. And she-
She wanted excitement. She wanted to meet people, all types of people. Eat all types of food. See the stars and strange worlds and creatures. She wanted to live. Really live. And she had a feeling she could have all that, and more, with Din. She wondered when her dreams changed…
"This is the main ramp." Din said, jarring her out of her thoughts. "There's a larger one at the back."
She nodded. The cold of the metal ramp seeped through her feet. Her heart beat in her throat. She followed Din into the ship.
It was a beast of gleaming metal and efficiency.
Her eyes bounced everywhere. Taking in everything. Doors were scattered on every wall, with two hatches in the ceiling. The rough metal webbing of the floor prickled under her feet. The smell of oil, leather, and iron caused bumps to erupt all over her arms. The smell reminded her of Din.
Pascal scurried off my shoulder and latched onto a net full of seemingly random things. His color changed rapidly till he settled on a color similar to that of the ship walls. A cool gray. He puffed out his chest, proud of his new coloring.
Din pointed to the door on the left. "My bunk." He moved his finger, pointing out areas as he labeled them. "The ladder is to the cockpit and storage. Vac tube, refresher, weapons rake, more storage, hatch to the guts of the Crest- for maintenance." His arm fell with his voice.
The silence lasted for a split second before she squealed. Her pan clutched to her chest. "This is amazing! I've never seen anything like it."
Din couldn't help the surge of happiness at her exclaim. It took a moment to realize his lips were curved in a soft smile. He dropped it and cleared his throat. "I have to change and dry off. I'll be up in the pit if you need anything." He didn't wait for a response before he snagged a jumpsuit and a towel from the crate near his bunk. His boots clunked loudly as he climbed the ladder to the pit, closing it behind him.
The first thing he did was take off his helmet, followed by activating the ship's defenses.
Din rubbed the towel over his face and hair with a sigh. Sleeping in the helmet wasn't unfamiliar, but it was uncomfortable. Especially with the damp in the air. He had more experience with the overwhelming heat of places like Tatooine. The heavy humidity of Corona fatigued him more then he'd like to admit.
Din stared out the window, at the shadowing mammoth of trees, as he stripped naked, briskly rubbing the towel over his skin. He made sure to dry thoroughly in all the normal creases as Rapunzel's warning about the damp ran in his head.
He stilled as the memory played. His dick rested limp in one hand as the other moved the towel over the crease of his hip and behind his balls. He remembered how her damp dress clung to her and his dick stirred in his hand. He squeezed it briefly.
Din muttered Mandalorian curses as he pulled his hand away with a look of disgust. Like she'd ever want him.
The towel dropped to the ground. He pulled the jumpsuit up his legs and fastened it. His hands quick with harsh movements. A light flashed on the dash as a low trill filled the ship. Something, or more likely someone, breached the perimeter.
He didn't even think, just reacted on hard won instinct. His butt landed in the pilot seat. His fingers going through the old motions of take off. The ramps closed and the engines engaged. The ship rose and spun.
A muffled squeak and thunk echoed from below. Rapunzel. Damn. He set it to hover briefly.
Din got a glance out the window as he stood. The busted guard droid stared up at the ship. It's hands clinched in tight fists. Sharp knocking on the hatch pulled his attention. He looked away from the droid and rushed to the hatch.
"Can I come up?" Rapunzel asked. Her voice muffled by the layers of metal.
Din halted. His helmet. Shit. He quickly donned it, rattled. He's never almost forgotten his helmet before. His hands trembled as he opened the hatch. "Sorry. I didn't think. That droid breached the ship's perimeter, so I got us in the sky." He offered a hand.
She used it to pull herself the rest of the way out of the hatch. She rushed to the window. Bent at the waist as she leaned over the dash. "We almost missed it." She breathed. Her eyes fixated on the night sky.
He followed her gaze out the window. Thousands, if not more, thin paper lanterns floated through the air around them. Din sat in the pilot seat and started the process of leaving Corona's atmosphere.
The ship cut through the lanterns. They spun away softly. The wind pulled them back and forth, almost like dancing. The ship held their silent admiration.
"It's so much… more from here." Rapunzel said. Her eyes never left the sky, even as the lanterns thinned out as they rose higher in the air.
"I'll make sure you're here to see it next year." Din vowed as they entered space. The stars almost underwhelming in light of the lanterns. "I didn't mean to take that from you." Din stunned himself with the commitment he just made. But what was a year? Maybe, at the least, it could be a small break in the cold loneliness.
She shot him a smile. "Dreams change." She paused. A new shyness caused her shoulders to rise a bit. "This-" She looked out the window at the deep black of space. "This is more then anything I ever could have hoped for."
Din turned and set the navigation to the neighboring plant. Amusement made his lips turn up. And to think he planned for Corona to be a simple pitstop.
"Where are we going?"
"Rona."
Mother Gothel stood in the shadows and watched as her flower disappeared. The guard stood there in the clearing. It's head back as it watched too, til finally the ship vanished from view.
She knew the time for watching had ended. Her gaze flickered down to the two aging spots on the back of her hand.
Gothel was outraged that she had to endure the sight of her flower galavanting off with that- that man. But she needed a plan. She needed to break the connection keeping them together, then she needed to break her flower so she'd never leave again.
She stepped out into the clearing, just behind the guard. A plan forming. A seductive smile curved her red lips. "Guard" Her voice almost purred.
It turned to face her.
"I think it's time we talk."
And we left the planet!
We're still pre-The Mandalorian series, but I promise we will get there.
Thank to all the new followers and for all the reviews! You guys make my writer's heart so happy.