Hi folks!
Apologies for the long wait between updates. This chapter took a lot more work than I anticipated and is one of the longest chapters I've ever written. I didn't intend that to happen, I just knew exactly where I wanted it to begin and end. But I kept getting ideas for scenes to add and before I knew it, it had grown and grown into quite a beast.
So, I hope you enjoy it!
-Moki
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Episode 5
Title: "A Little Help"
Chapter 4
Genre: BoDin, CaraMed, slow burn romance, humor, angst, fluff, father/son, family vibes
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Back on Nevarro near Din's small training area, the bounty hunter slammed into the ground, stifling a groan as his helmet smacked against the hard-packed dirt. The drill area was filled with soft sand, specifically chosen by Din to help ensure Grogu was safe during their practices.
The only problem was that Grogu had thrown Din much farther, causing the Mandalorian to land in an area littered with large rocks and the occasional boulder. Din had already fallen against one of the larger stones and been very grateful for the beskar on his head. Judging by the sound he'd made when he landed that time, he would've had a concussion if he hadn't been in a helmet.
Din took a second to recover from getting the wind knocked out of him, relieved he hadn't allowed Bo to try working with Grogu first. Not that he thought she couldn't handle it, but he also didn't relish the idea of watching her get hurt. Training his apprentice was his duty and Grogu was also his son. If anyone was going to get bumps and bruises from the child learning to master his own strength, Din was determined it would be him.
Grogu was nervous, and that hesitation was wreaking havoc on his control. When they were on the job, Grogu didn't care about the people he used powers against, which ironically made it less dangerous than what they were attempting now.
The child looked down at his hands with a sad warble when he saw how hard his father had landed after his latest attempt at a controlled throw.
"Don't worry, kid. You didn't hurt him," Bo reassured the boy as Din pulled himself out of the dirt and walked back over to them.
"She's right, buddy. I'm fine. Mistakes happen when you're learning. It's all part of the process."
No. I bad. Hurt dad, the little one signed dejectedly.
Grogu had been excited to try emulating what he'd seen his father and their friend doing, but after throwing his dad farther than he intended – not just once but a few times – he was starting to get discouraged.
"Hey, it's okay." Din picked up his son and held him in a hug. He'd already helped Grogu to push through his disappointment a few times by simply encouraging him to try again. But now the kid needed something else from his dad. Apprentice or not, Grogu was still a child who could use physical comfort every once in a while.
Bo walked closer and rubbed the boy's back as Grogu tucked his head into Din's neck.
"Grogu, I swear this happens to all of us. I once shot my Teacher. I'm just lucky it was a training blaster on a stun setting, otherwise it would've been way worse."
"And kid, if you think that is bad, one time I accidentally stabbed your Uncle Med during a sparring match," Din added.
"You did?" Bo was surprised. Actual weapons weren't usually used when training, especially by younger people. "How old were you two?"
"No more than eleven, not long after we got rescued. We weren't supposed to have blades at all, but we both decided we wanted to fight like 'real Mandalorians' so we managed to snatch two from a batch the Armorer had just crafted. We weren't even in the training area, we ran off to hide from the Teachers and Trainers, which means I had to practically carry Med all the way back to the medbay."
"Was he badly hurt?"
"It wasn't serious, but there was a fair amount of blood, which scared both of us."
"I can imagine. I'm also guessing you two were in big trouble after that."
"We were."
Bo shook her head with a chuckle. She wanted to blame it on them being brothers, but she knew she would have done the same thing at their age if she'd been given half the chance. Being a princess didn't mean she was immune to the desire to want to be a true warrior. If anything, it made her feel like she always had something to prove, striving to show people she was more than just a princess.
"See? We've all done it," Din assured his son. "I tell you what, how about we take this back a step? Maybe you can just take some fake weapons away from me before we have you try tossing me again."
Din gently pulled Grogu away from his neck.
"Is that okay?"
Grogu nodded tentatively.
Bo stepped back as Din took his boy to the sands and got one of the fake weapons. When Din paused to give Grogu a few more encouraging words, the Mand'alor smiled to herself.
Though she'd been around Din and Grogu briefly when she'd stayed with the Children of the Watch, and seen them together on the sparring grounds, this was her first time observing the duo train since they'd defeated the Praetorian Guards together. And since Din had formally adopted Grogu as his own.
As she watched Din giving Grogu some simple instructions to better understand how one took a weapon away from an enemy – so that he could apply that to his Force-wielding abilities – Bo noticed the ease at which Din instructed his son.
Though she had found herself referring to Din as a Trainer, technically Din was now a Teacher, someone who had an apprentice and took them off-world to give them the experience they needed to become a full-fledged Mandalorian.
But Din could easily fit the role of a Trainer as well. It was a title for those who not only worked with foundlings and apprentices, but also lent their knowledge and skills to the rest of the clan. Who stood by the sparring field, walking amongst the foundlings, apprentices, and Teachers, watching to ensure everyone was learning what they needed, and staying safe.
Bo could see Din becoming a full-time Trainer on Mandalore someday, passing on his vast experience to another generation of Mandalorians. Not that she'd expect him to give up the job he had with the New Republic or stop traveling with his apprentice anytime soon. But maybe when Din was ready to settle down and the time came for him to hang up the mantel of beroya.
The longer Bo observed father and son, the more she could see that Din was a natural instructor. Knowing how to do something and how to teach it were two very different things. Din had an instinctive knack for deconstructing information and physical motions so that they could be understood and learned by someone else. Not everyone had that skill, but Din excelled at it, as evidenced by how well his small son was learning to be a Mandalorian.
Din's idea turned out to be a good one. Grogu immediately did better with the weapons, at first simply sliding them away from Din's reaching hands before the bounty hunter could grab them off the ground. When the child mastered that without incident, Din asked him to pull one out of his grip.
"Come on, buddy, it's okay. Just think of me as a bad guy. I've seen you do this a dozen times."
Grogu's ears drooped a bit as he raised a little claw toward Din. He closed his eyes briefly in concentration, but stopped and shook his head, clearly nervous now that he knew his powers would be aimed more directly at his father.
"Grogu, hey, look at me."
The boy peered at his dad and Bo had to fight the urge to run and pick up the child when she saw the lowered ears and sad brown eyes.
"Remember the ball? From the Razor Crest?"
Grogu's head turned sideways, and his ears perked up at the memories of his favorite toy. He cooed softly, recalling the little knob from the Crest's cockpit that became a beacon of light after so much time spent in darkness. After years of people trading him, poking at him, and barely feeding him, let alone interacting with him or offering him anything to play with.
Then Din had come into his life – at first glance, just another man in a helmet, wearing a cold mask that hid his identity. Yet from the moment Grogu had met the Mandalorian, the child had known the man wasn't like the ones in the dirty white helmets. Or the loud ones in the mismatched armor. Before he knew to call him father, Grogu had called Din a friend in his mind. Once he'd been rescued by the man in armor with the soft voice, Grogu had finally felt a desire to do something he hadn't in far too long, something that had been stolen away from him like everything and everyone in his life.
Play.
"This is just like that, okay?" Din said, holding out the mock wooden blaster. "Just take it from me like you did the ball, even after all the times I told you not to," he chuckled fondly at the memory of his little rebellious child who had snatched the ball, eaten frog eggs, and played with all the switches on the Crest's cockpit, blissfully ignoring Din's repeated requests to stop.
Bo's head went back and forth from one to the other as she watched the interchange between father and son. She didn't know anything about a ball, but she could see the immediate change in Grogu's attitude when Din mentioned it. It seemed the Teacher had found just the right thing to break through his apprentice's reluctance.
There was silence as Din held out the fake weapon, seemingly scared to move, lest it disrupt Grogu's concentration. As for the child, he closed his eyes and held out his hand again.
In a snap, the wooden blaster shot out of Din's fist and landed at Grogu's feet.
"Yes! Good job, kid!" Din ran over and picked up his son, unable to resist giving him another hug. Typically, Din offered words of encouragement, rather than physical affection when they trained. But he was proud of the kid and wasn't above giving him such attention on the training field now and then, especially when they were alone.
Bo had stayed out of the way, letting Din help Grogu through the difficulty. But now she walked forward with a smile for them both.
"Great job, little one. And great job to you as well, Teacher Din."
"He did all the work," Din protested, though he smiled to himself at the new title she'd given him. A title he found he didn't mind at all this time.
"I'd say you did a fair bit of work yourself."
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After Med helped Cara get the worst of the oil off, and they each did their best to ignore the odd feelings the incident had inexplicably brought out in both of them, Cara stepped away from the medic.
"I.. uh, think I'm going to shower and change into something that's not covered in oil."
"Good idea. I'll clean this up and see if I can't get to the bottom of that eruption," Med said, relieved by her suggestion. He needed a minute to get his thoughts pulled together.
Cara nodded at him briefly, before turning to walk carefully back to her bunk area, trying not to drip on anything. Med had cleaned most of the gunk off her, but she didn't want to leave a greasy trail through her ship. She went through the hatch that led to her bunk and fresher, closing it behind her with a touch of her elbow – one of the few places she wasn't covered in the sticky substance.
After an extra-long shower, necessitated by multiple washes to remove all the oil from her hair, the dropper finally felt clean again. Cara had just finished getting dressed when she heard a yell from deep inside her ship. Without stopping to think, Cara slapped the hatch open and ran toward the sound.
"Med?" she called as she got closer to the commotion. She could still hear the medic making noise and feared he might have been hit with another spray of oil. Or worse. Though he was covered in armor and had a helmet to protect his eyes, a starship harbored numerous other dangers. Malfunctioning weapons, for instance, created a threat that no amount of beskar could deflect.
"Here!" Med called back, and Cara changed direction to follow his voice.
Her ship wasn't large, but it had enough hidden corners that she hadn't known at first where he was. She ran to the same general area where the oil spill had occurred, finding it immaculate without a trace of the substance anywhere. But it was also empty, with no sign of the medic.
"Med?" Cara turned in a circle, confused. She'd been certain his call had come from this direction.
"Down here," came a quieter reply and she looked towards the floor to find a helmet staring up at her.
"What are you doing down there? No part of the hyperdrive is in the floors."
"While that is true, it turns out that wasn't the problem."
Cara frowned as she knelt to see into the tight space the fully armored man had somehow wedged himself into under the decking.
"First of all, Rosca, that was definitely the problem, considering I practically limped my way here without use of the hyperdrive. Second of all, how in all creation did you get your armored self down there?"
"Give me a hand up and I'll explain?" Cara shook her head with a sigh when a gloved hand popped up out of the deck, but she dutifully reached forward to help.
"Fine," she grumbled, but Med saw the barest hint of a smile. The former shock trooper gave a strong tug and Med found himself nearly propelled out of the hole in the floor. The maneuver caused him to stumble a bit when he got to his feet, not expecting the force of her pull, and the two ended up face to face. It was then Cara realized that though she was fully dressed, all the way down to her boots, she had run out of her bunk before putting her armor back on. It needed to be cleaned anyway, but without it she felt more… exposed somehow.
Especially finding herself mere inches from the Mandalorian medic, which forced her to have to look up at him. While Med wasn't quite as tall as Din, he was still taller than she was. Cara wasn't a tiny woman by any means, and throughout her life, she'd often felt large compared to many others – both males and females of various species. Med didn't make her feel that way at all, in fact, she felt almost… little around him. And the weird thing was, she didn't necessarily mind it.
The medic noticed Cara's missing armor, but that observation quickly moved to the back of his consciousness when he saw her hair was still wet. He could not understand why it affected him, but he found himself staring at her damp locks, watching as small droplets fell onto her shoulders, making dark spots in her short-sleeved shirt. Without her typical pauldrons and the protective collar, Cara seemed smaller than he remembered. On the other hand, he could now see more of her natural physique, noticing her strong shoulders and well-developed upper arms. She might technically be more petite than he was in stature, but she could still take him, of that he had zero doubt. For some odd reason that thought made Med smile to himself.
After several long moments, both became aware they'd been standing and staring for far longer than they should have, and each backed away quickly.
Cara looked down, tucking her hair behind her ear, suddenly self-conscious of the fact that it was still wet and unbraided. As with the armor, the missing braid made her feel unprotected. Her typical outfit, even the way she wore her hair, was her own version of armor, which made her wonder if maybe she was more like the Mandalorians than she'd thought.
"So… um… you were going to explain what you meant about the hyperdrive not being the problem?" Cara reminded her companion, breaking the silence.
Med cleared his throat, dropping his gaze as well.
What is wrong with me? Why do I keep staring at her hair?
"Right. That oil leak was annoying, but it actually did us a favor."
"How?"
"I started cleaning up the mess and followed the damaged line under the decking. I wanted to make sure there wasn't anything that could possibly cause a fire."
Cara nodded. She would've done the same thing.
"That's when I noticed this." He knelt and pointed to a bent joist under the decking. When Cara peered closely, she could see it had been more severely bent but had been straightened almost back to normal. No doubt, done by the agile hands of the medic.
"What did that have to do with the hyperdrive?" She was curious, not accusatory, wanting to know how he solved the mystery that eluded them for nearly two full days.
"That piece of the substructure was pushing against a pipe, which had slid over to pinch a hose."
Med paused, and Cara was certain he was smiling at her, knowing she would make the jump to the next conclusion.
"Let me guess, the hose was a coolant line for the hyperdrive?"
"You got it," he nodded.
"So, every time we fixed a leak and tightened another fitting…"
"It simply put more pressure on the line."
"Which just made the leak move to another location."
"Exactly. The oil wasn't even related to the hyperdrive malfunction, it was a separate issue. It was pure luck that line exploded when it did, or we might not have found the real problem for another day or so."
Cara broke into a wide grin. "Well, I'll be damned, Rosca. You actually did it."
"I didn't do it by myself. It was a team effort."
Before either of them could say anything else, they were disrupted by two distinct yet similar noises.
Cara's ship started beeping to signal that she had an incoming transmission. She'd set up different sounds for different types of calls and this one was an indicator of an emergency with her unit.
At the same time, Med's vambrace went off, signaling that the medic was needed in the medbay. He too had set up specific tones and this one was also an indication of an emergency. Not a life-threatening one, but still one that indicated he was needed as soon as he could get there.
"Kriff," Med said, looking down at his vambrace. "I hate to cut this short, Cara but…"
"Don't worry, I'm getting an emergency message from my unit, too. I better get up to the cockpit to answer them and then start prepping to take off."
Cara walked with Med back to the ramp.
"I'm sorry we both have to rush off," Med said. He'd been hoping to maybe have at least one more meal with Cara now that her ship was fixed. A meal where they could take it easy and not worry about rushing back to continue working.
"It's fine. Such is the life of a soldier, and a medic," Cara said with a shrug. She'd been hoping to have some time to relax, too.
They had reached the outer hatch and stopped to face each other.
"Well, I better go. The next time I speak to you, I expect I'll have to officially call you Doctor Rosca."
Med chuckled. "We'll see. I better run, too. Goodbye, Cara."
"Goodbye, Med," Cara reached out her hand and they quickly grasped forearms before Med trotted down the ramp and off toward the medbay.
Cara continued to the cockpit to answer the message and prepare for takeoff.
Neither of them knew it, but they both had the same thought at the same time as they parted ways.
I just spent the last two days working on a hyperdrive and that was the most fun I've had in a long time.
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On Din's private training grounds, the young Mandalorian apprentice was getting into a rhythm. Grogu had mastered pulling weapons away from Din, so the Teacher had allowed his son to try it with Bo – after the child and the Mand'alor had practically begged for the chance to work together.
"I honestly can't tell who's enjoying themselves more, you or him," Din said as Bo walked up after a few rounds where Grogu had successfully gotten the mock weapons away from her. For the moment, Din had decided to hold off trying anything involving actual people. He wanted Grogu to feel confident about his skills before they moved on to the next step.
"Oh, it's definitely me," Bo confirmed.
Din grabbed one of the full canteens he had brought outside with them and tossed it to Bo. She removed her helmet and started to take a sip. She was about to tell him to head back to the cabin, so he could be alone and get some water, when she looked over to find that Din had tipped his helmet up and was carefully drinking from a metal cup. The helmet was positioned just high enough that his chin was almost visible, though it was mostly concealed by his large, gloved hand encased in the beskar gauntlet. She politely averted her gaze, not wanting to take any chances. She knew Din would never risk breaking his Creed, but it still felt strange to stare.
Din had poured water into another small metal cup for Grogu, the size of the vessel easier for the boy to handle than the larger canteen. Bo couldn't hide her smile when she chanced a quick peek and noticed the two drinking together, their motions matched almost perfectly.
It was such a simple thing, Din drinking water, but Bo felt honored to witness it, knowing that not many had. She herself had never seen it before, not even during their previous travels. Bo was so preoccupied by watching her companions, she didn't drink as much as she would have normally. But when Din and Grogu were ready to train again, she put down her canteen, excited to get back to work.
They continued for a little while, before Din called a halt. He looked at his vambrace, typing in a few commands to bring up the chrono reading.
"It's about time for midday meal. Want to head in for a bit?"
Bo wasn't particularly hungry, but she took off her helmet and nodded. She didn't want Din or his son to go without their normal meal.
"Sure," she agreed, though reluctantly.
After lunch, Din decided to take things up a notch and asked Grogu to try and push him a little bit. The boy did as his father instructed, and only lost control of his powers once or twice. After one of the times Grogu's toss thew Din roughly into the dirt, the Mandalorian got up and shook his head. Bo didn't think the bounty hunter had gone down too hard, but she frowned at his odd posture. Then she heard a strange noise coming from the modulator. It sounded like Din was blowing air through his mouth, but it was sputtering through his lips.
"Din? Are you all right?"
Din stopped. He hadn't realized she could hear him.
"Uh…"
"Din?"
He sighed. "I'm fine. It's just…um…my hair is in my eyes."
Bo frowned in surprise. "Does that happen often?"
"Not really. I just haven't had a chance to cut my hair in a while and it's getting a little… out of hand."
"And does doing….that help?"
"Sometimes…" he admitted.
Having the option to always remove her helmet, and usually wearing a headband to keep her hair tucked out of the way, Bo had never encountered the problem Din was having. His hair must be a lot longer than she'd pictured in her mind. She remembered seeing the brief peek of the back of his head on the bridge of the cruiser when he'd given up Grogu to the Jedi. But as she hadn't been in the mood to think about much more than having just lost the Darksaber, she hadn't paid close attention. But with that one glance, she had always assumed that Din, like most soldiers and warriors, wore his hair buzzed or at the very least quite short. Now she wondered if she might've been mistaken.
Din's quiet admission made Bo laugh softly. She was feeling a little strange, as if suddenly everything was more amusing than it might usually be. Probably because she'd been having more fun training with Din and Grogu all day than she'd had in a long time.
"It's not funny," Din grumbled, though there wasn't a drop of irritation in his voice.
"Oh, yes, it is," Bo countered. "I'm now picturing a full-grown warrior trying desperately to blow hair out of his face without using his hands. There's nothing not funny about that."
"Forget it, I'll live." Din tried to go back to what he'd been doing. He was silent as he started setting up the training arena with more mock weapons, but Bo noticed out of the corner of her eye that he kept nodding his head sideways.
Bo was now picturing the same full-grown warrior tilting his head this way and that, in an attempt to get a lock of hair out of his eyes.
This just keeps getting funnier by the minute.
No matter how hard Bo tried to hold them in, small chuckles escaped anyway.
"Stop laughing." But she could hear humor in Din's voice even as he admonished her.
Bo put her hand over her mouth, doing her best to stop, but she just couldn't.
Finally, Din stood up straight and looked at her.
"Yes, it is," he sighed.
With that, Bo stopped trying to hold in her chuckles. Din wasn't quite as enthusiastic, but she heard a few low chortles come from the normally very stoic man. It was the most amusement she'd ever personally heard from him.
Finally, Bo caught her breath and wiped a few laugh-tears from her eyes.
"How about I put you out of your misery? I'm going to go over to the other side of those big boulders and I'm taking the womp rat with me. I promise we will stay out of your…ahem… hair …"
Bo paused to giggle a bit at her own pun.
"Good one," Din deadpanned.
"…for at least two full minutes so you can take off your helmet in peace and deal with your little problem."
She half-expected the proud Mandalorian to refuse her offer, but she saw him relax at the suggestion.
"Thank you," he said in relief.
Bo picked up Grogu, still chuckling as she walked away.
"Come on, kid. Let's give your dad a couple minutes."
Grogu chattered at her happily, thoroughly enjoying all the giggles.
Once Din had dealt with his issue (with a stern reminder to himself to trim his hair at the next earliest opportunity), they went back to work.
Grogu was feeling better and when it became clear the child had more control, Din allowed him to practice with Bo. Both the boy and the Mand'alor again had asked multiple times, and after a while he couldn't find any more excuses not to let them work together. There were a few mishaps, but none that went too badly. However, one did land Bo over on the other side of a large muddy patch of ground, caused by the pond receding now that the summer months were coming upon them.
"Wait, Bo, let me help you." Din gingerly walked through the slick mud, holding out his hand for the princess.
"No, I'm fine. You don't need to come and rescue me. I'm more than capable of walking through a little mud." She had pulled off her helmet, tucking it under her arm as she started carefully treading out of the mess.
"I know, it's just that this stuff is particularly slick. Here, hang on to me."
Bo wanted to protest, but Din was already next to her and reaching for her elbow. She tried to get her balance but his hand on her arm shifted her center of gravity. Bo started to slip, and Din attempted to catch her, but the movement threw his own balance off as well. In a flash, the two Mandalorians crashed into the mud in a heap of arms and legs. Grogu watched with wide eyes from the sidelines, his ears going up in surprise.
Din was mortified. He had only wanted to help and now they were both covered in mud. Bo stared at him, and he watched as a range of emotions swept across her features. First there was shock. Then more of a quiet surprise before her mouth turned down and her eyebrows furrowed. Seeing that, Din mentally prepared himself for the biggest verbal attack of his life, knowing he deserved it for his idiocy.
But then Bo did something he wasn't expecting. Her face scrunched up as if she was trying to hold something back and it only took a moment to figure out what that was when she suddenly burst out laughing. Not the little chuckles she'd had when his hair got in his eyes. No, these were full-on belly laughs.
It was Din's turn to be shocked. The Princess of Mandalore was currently covered in mud, entangled with him in a mass of limbs. Both of their armor was coated in slime that was now drying into a caked mess. Yet she was laughing like she was having the time of her life.
Din never thought of Bo as prudish, so he didn't think she'd be angry about the mess, not exactly. She was a warrior, obviously she got dirty and did what needed to be done in battle. But there was also a difference between enduring the grime of war, and having a kriffing di'kut drag you down into a lake of muck that could have been avoided.
Bo had every right to rail at him and he would have taken it like an adult. Fully deserving it for his error and for trying to force her to accept his help. But she didn't do any of that.
She just… laughed. And laughed. And then laughed some more.
Soon Bo could barely breathe, rolling further into the mud and holding her sides. From his spot high and dry away from the mess, Grogu giggled along with her.
Din could do no more than watch at first, sitting on the ground with his legs stretched in front of him, leaning back on his hands. He took a quick catalogue of what he was feeling right then. Shock, that came first. Then surprise at her grace for not tearing him a new one for what he'd done. Finally, something else settled into his chest. A warmth he couldn't identify, perhaps admiration, perhaps something else. But after it came one final emotion.
Mirth.
It started with a smile that curved his lips into his mustache under the beskar. Then the small smile widened into a huge grin as he watched Bo and Grogu. The child had joined the Mand'alor in laughter and was rolling on the ground, kicking his little legs in hysterics right along with Bo. Laughter was contagious and though the hardened bounty hunter was usually immune to such things, this time it infected him as well, getting under his skin like a disease.
Experiencing laughter wasn't beyond the realm of possibility for Din. In some ways, it was a natural progression for the bounty hunter. He'd been striving to balance his work and home life, ensuring he was the formidable warrior necessary to keep himself and his son safe on their missions. At the same time, working on not being as solemn when they were at home between their adventures. Much as Bo had advised him to do before Life Day.
When they were at the cabin, Din allowed himself to let his guard down occasionally and yes, had even been known to laugh from time to time. It may have been more of a hard chuckle, usually caused by his son's antics, but it had happened.
Now the Mandalorian felt that familiar chuckle rumble through his chest, growing into something he hadn't experienced in a while.
Bo and Grogu were still in fits of glee when the first soft bark of laughter burst its way out of the modulator. Both of Din's companions looked up in shock when they heard it. They paused, stared at each other, and stared back at him. Then they laughed harder. Which made Din laugh harder (at least his version of a hard laugh). Soon the entire group had collapsed on the ground. The adults literally rolling in the mud while the child rolled in the grass nearby.
When it was over and everyone had caught their breath, Din slowly got himself up out of the muck and offered a careful hand to Bo. The two warriors had grown quiet, knowing that what they'd just experienced wasn't likely to happen often. But they had enjoyed the amusement while it lasted, providing a nice tension relief for both of them.
Once free of the mud, Din and Bo brushed themselves off and went back to work. Luckily the muck dried quickly in the desert heat, falling away from their armor and clothes as they continued to train.
Din got so caught up in the activity that it took a while before he noticed something off about their Mand'alor.
Grogu had tossed Bo again, with absolute control and exactly where Din had asked him to (which was literally only two feet away). She got up, pulling off her helmet, her face pink as she wiped sweat out of her eyes and praised the boy for his growing prowess.
Bo tucked her hair into her headband, teasing Din about buying him one on her next trip to Nevarro's bazaar. Din was shocked by how much redder her skin had become since they'd taken their last break. He'd noticed it earlier but had written it off as exertion or even how much she had been laughing.
Laughing much more than I've ever heard her laugh before, Din thought to himself with a frown.
Now that he thought about it, Din concluded that something felt off about that as well. Just like the color of her skin. Bo hadn't been out of her helmet long enough to get sunburned as badly as she looked. Even the freckles on her face had darkened. She was getting much too overheated.
Bo put her helmet on again and got ready to go another round with Grogu, but Din held up a hand.
"Maybe we should end off. We don't usually train during this part of the day, because of the heat," Din said carefully.
"Oh, of course. We don't want to wear out your son."
"Actually, he's fine," Din reassured her, not wanting Bo to think that he'd push his son too far. "He's much better adapted to heat than either of us."
"Right. Sorry. It makes sense you'd be overheating; you've got so much more armor than I do."
"No…" Din cleared his throat. He didn't want to insult her, but he didn't want to be untruthful with her either. "I'm actually fine right now."
"Then why…?"
Even with her helmet back on, Din knew he'd just been hit with a glare to rival Nevarro's bright sun.
"Din Djarin, are you suggesting we take a break because you're worried about me? Don't you dare treat me like some wilting flower, beroya. I've been training my whole life and I…"
Din was startled at her sudden anger and held up his hands in a peace-keeping gesture. From his spot in the sands nearby, Grogu's ears went up in surprise at Bo's tone.
"No…uh… it's not that," Din reassured the princess. "We usually end off at this time of day and take another break until it cools off again. Actually, we should have done it earlier. I was just so caught up in what we were doing, I didn't think about it."
He heard her inhale as if ready to protest further but she grew silent instead, and he almost swore he saw her stagger slightly.
"Bo?"
She didn't answer and this time, he was positive – she was definitely swaying on her feet.
"Hey, come here." He took Bo's arm and guided her to sit on a large boulder near the pond.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Just give me a second. Maybe you're right, it is a little hot." She spoke quietly, her anger dissipating as quickly as it had flared up.
"Why don't you take off your helmet?" Din suggested gently.
"Why don't you take off yours," she replied in a new tone he hadn't heard from her before. It was sly and almost… silly. She was vacillating through different emotions, and it confused Din. He was fairly certain she was overheating but he'd never seen anyone have such a reaction to it before.
Din sighed and put his hands on his hips. "Because I'm not the one overheating."
"Fine, fine," Bo now sounded snippy. She pulled the helmet over her head, and Din could see she was even more flushed than before.
"Come on, let's get you inside."
He went to take her arm, but she brushed him off with an irritated gesture.
"I can make it on my own. It's not my first time training in a warm climate."
Not wanting her to exert herself by getting upset, Din backed off but stayed close, watching her with a trained eye. Bo started to walk then stopped for a moment, her body weaving a bit. She moved forward again, but barely made it two steps before all the color drained from her face as she stared at Din.
Din didn't like the way she was looking at him. Not one bit. If his instincts were right, she was about to…
"Bo!"
Just as Bo dropped, Din stepped forward and caught her on the way down, scooping her up into his arms.
"Yep, that's what I figured," he mumbled to himself.
As the Mandalorian began carrying the Mand'alor, he was struck by how tiny she felt. Though they'd both acknowledged that Bo was physically smaller than Din, he'd never thought of her as "small". Yet cradling her the way he was now, she felt petite, almost delicate.
Bo's world had gone black for a second before she felt strong arms wrap around her, then she heard a low voice, one that instantly made her feel safe.
"Hang on, I've got you."
She was being lifted. Eyes fluttering, Bo found herself looking into a beskar chest plate. She was shifted gently until her head was laid across Din's shoulder. She felt the warmth of the cowl around his neck, her forehead directly beneath the edge of his helmet, tucked under his chin. Things went dark again, though she was vaguely aware of him walking with her.
Grogu followed behind his dad, trilling worriedly as he looked up at the nearly unconscious Mand'alor.
"It's all right, buddy. She'll be okay. We just need to get inside and cool her off."
They'd sparred most of the day and during that time, Din had often observed Bo's strength. But at the moment, all he perceived was her frailty. It made the warrior suddenly feel very protective, and Din was certain if anyone came near Bo right then, or tried to threaten her in any way, he'd kill them. No questions asked. Just as he would if anyone did the same to his son.
What is going on with me? I've never felt this way about another sparring partner before.
When you grew up as part of a culture where even the children practiced combat on a daily basis, injuries were commonplace. Inevitable. It wasn't Din's first time ending a day of sparring with a partner who needed medical attention. He'd had to assist many a fallen comrade, male and female, to the medbay in their covert. Injuries resulting in unconsciousness weren't as common, the helmets prevented a lot of such shocks, but even that had happened a few times as well. Yet somehow right then, it felt different.
Din wondered briefly, if Cara or even Med were in the same position as Bo, would he feel like he did now? He supposed he might, but he wasn't sure. Din's instincts to protect the woman in his arms were bordering on brutal, almost feral. Much as he'd felt when rescuing Grogu from Moff Gideon. But for the life of him, he could not figure out why.
The warrior wasn't used to examining his feelings as much as he had that day. By the time Din got back to the cabin, he decided he was too confused and just let it drop. He needed to take care of Bo, not ruminate on what was going on inside his beskar-covered skull.
Din paused when he got to the cabin, debating whether to put Bo on the couch or the bed. He quickly chose the latter and walked into his room, depositing her gently on top of the blanket.
Bo was aware of being carried, then the bright sunlight giving way to near-darkness as they moved inside. She also noticed that interesting scent again, deciding that she liked it, and that it was definitely coming from Din. She lost track of her thoughts until she was placed on something soft.
The bed.
Bo wanted to ask why Din hadn't laid her on the couch, but she was still struggling to come back to full consciousness.
Grogu whined from the side of the bed and Din peered down to find his son looking at him with arms outstretched. Without a word, he lifted Grogu and put him on the blanket next to Bo.
Bo sick? the little one asked. I help? He held up a hand.
"No, it's okay pal, she just got too hot. She'll be fine."
Din sat down on the edge of the bed, placing a gloved hand on Bo's upper arm.
"Bo? Can you hear me?"
Bo's eyes opened sluggishly. Bits and pieces of the past several minutes came back to her, but none of it made sense yet.
"Din? What's going on?"
"I think you have heat exhaustion. Can you tell me what your symptoms are right now? That will help me know what we should do next."
"Just dizzy, headache and… uh oh."
Bo's hand flew to her mouth, and she sat up quickly, which caused her to groan and sway on the bed as a wave of dizziness hit her. Knowing full well that nausea was one of the main symptoms of heat exhaustion, Din had been expecting this reaction.
"Okay come on, let's get you to the fresher." He helped her up and across the hall but let her go in alone to do what needed to be done. She didn't need someone watching her while she emptied her stomach.
While Bo was in the fresher, Din took off his gauntlets and gloves, then went into the kitchen. He poured cool water in a glass and added some powder from a canister on the counter. Next, he filled a large canteen full of water and finally, wet down a towel in the sink. He was bringing everything back to the bedroom when Bo emerged from the fresher. She was still pale and shaking, leaning heavily against the doorway. Din quickly put down all the supplies and returned to guide her back to the bed.
"This is familiar," Bo mumbled ruefully. "Didn't I just help you down this hallway a couple of months ago?" she joked, referring to Din's recovery after the nano-droid poisoning.
"Yes, and now it's my turn to help you."
He sat her down on the edge of the mattress and handed her the glass.
"Here. Drink."
Bo didn't argue, taking the glass and gulping most of it down. She made a face at the taste, expecting to be given plain water.
"What was in that?"
"Electrolytes. I have some on hand for situations like this. I usually take them before I head out into the heat, and I should have had us both drink some earlier, but I forgot. I'm sorry."
"What about Grogu?" It warmed Din's heart that Bo worried about the child even in her current state.
"As I said, he's usually fine in the heat. At least better than us. Can you drink a little water, too?"
Bo nodded and he handed her the canteen. She took a few long drinks, emptying most of it.
"Good," Din said in approval. "Now we need to get the armor off. Just the beskar and the vest, that should allow you to cool down."
Bo nodded, reaching for her pauldrons. Din didn't interfere, only helping to set the armor pieces aside as she removed them.
"Okay if I take off the lower leg armor and the boots?" He didn't want her leaning over, knowing it might make her dizzy and nauseous, but he wasn't going to remove anything from her – not even her boots – without asking permission first.
She nodded once more, likely fearing that speaking too much would make her throw up again.
Din pulled off her knee armor then the shin guards and finally slipped the short boots off Bo's feet. He took off her socks as well, trying to remove as much as he could from her extremities to release the heat from her body.
"Can you take off your vest? Then you can rest, I promise. Almost done."
Bo's eyes were fluttering, and she reeled a little, but she started pulling off her vest. Without the armor attachments it came off easily and Din set it aside. That left her jacket, but it would still allow her skin to cool off. Especially now that she was out of the sun and there was no more metal to hold in the heat.
"Okay, lay down."
Bo shifted her weight and Din stood by, helping to lift her feet onto the bed.
"I'm going to put a damp towel on your neck, okay?"
Bo hummed in agreement. Even with the warning, she gasped slightly at the shock of the cool cloth touching her skin, relaxing a moment later as she felt the relief it offered.
"Now just rest," Din said in a low voice once she was settled. "I'll check on you in a little bit."
Bo's eyes were already closing as she drifted off to sleep.
Din gathered up Grogu and headed out of the bedroom, leaving the door open so he would hear if Bo called out for him.
He made sure Grogu got water, then drank some, too. They all needed time out of the sun and plenty of fluids. He even downed some of the electrolytes just to be sure he wouldn't suffer the same fate as his friend.
They'd all been having so much fun that they'd kept going at least an hour or more into the hottest part of the day. But as he thought about it, again Din had the nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right about Bo's reaction to the heat. As she'd said herself (though with a lot more venom) she was a warrior used to training in different climates. So why the odd symptoms?
Though they'd all gone past the normal time and trained well into the hottest part of the day, Din didn't feel all that overheated. Sure, he was warm and thirsty, but nowhere near as bad off as Bo. It didn't make sense to him that she would be so adversely affected by the heat. It was yet another mystery to add to the many he'd been dealt that afternoon.
Wanting to give Grogu something to eat, Din opened the refrigeration unit and pulled out the containers from their lunch earlier. He had sliced up cooked meat and bread, serving it with chopped vegetables and fruit as well, deciding that would be the easiest for all of them. Bo had insisted that he grab what he wanted and go to his room to eat, while she and Grogu fended for themselves in the kitchen.
Now, as Din looked into the containers, he was surprised to see how much food was still left.
"Grogu, did Bo eat lunch?"
Bo eat little. I eat more.
Din sighed as he served his son a snack. If Bo hadn't eaten much, then her body would definitely be weaker and less able to handle the effects of the heat. Come to think of it, Din remembered picking up the canteen he'd given Bo and found that it had almost been full. Which meant she hadn't had nearly enough water, either.
If Bo hadn't had enough food or water, and had then trained all afternoon, well into the hottest part of the day – that could explain her atypical reaction to heat sickness.
I'm such a buckethead, I should've known something was wrong. She was acting strange all day, and I didn't spot it. I'm going to have to keep a closer eye on her, Din decided with a worried sigh.
After Grogu finished his snack, he went to play in his room. Din pulled off pieces of his armor to clean the last of the dried muck from the fall in the mud earlier. He fetched Bo's armor as well, so that he could give it a cleaning once he was done with the worst of his own.
A couple of hours later, Din decided to get more liquid into his patient. He went to his small kitchen and poured water into a metal cup. He brought it back to the bed and shifted Bo until she was leaning against his shoulder.
"Bo, I want to get some more water into you. Drink this, okay?"
He tipped the cup to her lips, and she drank without protest, trusting Din even in her barely conscious state. The revelation didn't surprise him, considering he felt the same way about her, especially after all that had happened during the nano-droid poisoning.
Once the Mand'alor had finished drinking, he guided her back down to the bed again.
"Good, that's good. All right, get some more sleep."
She mumbled something unintelligible, then rolled over and was fully back asleep before he stood up.
Despite the somewhat seriousness of the situation, Din had to smile at the irony of Bo helping to care for him when he was freezing, while he now cared for her as she was overheated.
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Bo came to consciousness again, aware that time had passed, as the sunlight streaming through the cracks in the curtains wasn't quite as harsh. She had a vague perception of something being put to her mouth and turned her head aside, surprised by the unknown object that seemed to appear out of nowhere.
"Bo, come on, it's just soup. You usually like my cooking and Grogu already had some. He said it was good, right buddy?"
Grogu gave an affirmative coo.
Bo heard the exchange, not really understanding the words in her foggy state, but recognizing the intent. That plus her implicit trust in the man she leaned against made her accept the offered sustenance. The soup was warm, tasted wonderful, and her body instantly craved it. She gulped hungrily and Din nodded in approval.
"Good, that's good." He put her back down and once again she instantly rolled into the pillow. Not wanting her to get chilled now that she had cooled off, Din pulled the blanket up around her.
Din walked to the door of his room and paused to look back. He'd debated calling Med earlier but had finally decided against it. The Mand'alor wasn't sick, she just needed rest, water and some more nutrition in her body. Besides, he could see that she had already improved; her skin had returned to its normal color and her face was no longer pale and sweaty.
He thought again of how much Bo had helped him during the nano-droid poisoning. Med had been there too of course, but if it hadn't been for Bo leaping to Grogu's aid when the child had called, who knew what would have happened. Now it was Din's turn to help her, and he felt it was an honor to return the favor.
As Din brought the empty soup cup back to the kitchen, he recalled again how small Bo had felt in his arms when he'd carried her inside. Not a "smaller opponent". Small. As in light. Delicate.
Since the moment he'd met Bo, he'd always felt her strength. The first glimpse he'd had of the Mandalorian princess was of her hand reaching out to lift him out of the tank on that trawler. Not that she'd actually picked him up, but her hand had been rock-steady and given him the brace he needed to get himself out. He'd been close to losing consciousness after being forced under the water a few times. With no time to pressurize his helmet, water had gotten inside and made pressurization impossible until it dried again. He would've drowned without her help.
When he'd picked her up, Bo had been quiet and still, putting her full trust in him. In that moment, the safety of their Mand'alor had been quite literally in his arms. She'd let her guard down with him, and he couldn't help but wonder how many others she allowed to see her like that. Because something told him that if she'd had the same reaction in different company, she might have continued to fight until she could find a place to collapse alone, away from prying eyes. He knew it because it was exactly what he would have done if he'd been in a similar situation and out on a hunt.
Din kept up his vigil, checking on Bo periodically to ensure she was all right. While she wasn't in serious danger, he still felt that same pull he'd had with Grogu after the mudhorn incident. To keep checking to reassure himself she was safe.
The Mandalorian had even caught himself double-checking his proximity alerts and other security systems he'd set up around the cabin and on the borders of his property. No one would ever sneak up on him and right then, with an injured (albeit not seriously) friend in his care, he was making sure of that.
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After the sun finally set late on the long summer day, Din put in a holocall to Mandalore. Even if Bo woke up soon, he didn't want her to fly home after the day she'd had. Still, he needed to let her people know where she was, so they didn't worry.
The Armorer was Bo's second-in-command when it came to political matters, but as she was unavailable, Din asked to speak to her military second.
"Hello, beroya," Axe Woves greeted, his image coming into focus as he stepped closer to the holocamera.
While there'd been some initial tension between the two men when Din carried the Darksaber, once they had defeated Moff Gideon and taken back Mandalore, all of that had faded away. Bo depended on Axe to run all military aspects of their planet whenever she had to be away, and Din respected the way the other man helped their leader. As for Axe, he'd grown to respect the man who had brought their people together, who was now their lead beroya.
Without giving too many details, understanding that Bo probably wouldn't want anyone to know of her current condition, Din informed her second that she would be delayed in returning. He simply said that Bo had volunteered to help him train his apprentice and they would be working together for another day.
He was relieved when Axe didn't appear surprised, not asking for any further details. "Thanks for letting us know. Otherwise, we might have started up the tracking beacon on her ship and sent out search parties."
"A tracking beacon?" Din hadn't been aware of such a thing on her ship.
Axe nodded in confirmation. "Put there at my insistence. Our Mand'alor fought me on it at first, but finally relented when I pointed out I couldn't very well protect her if I didn't know where she was. We will only activate it in an emergency, though."
"It's a good idea," Din nodded in approval.
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Not long after the call with Axe, Din was planning to check in on Bo again when he looked up to see her standing in the hallway. She looked tired, but better.
"Hey," he said, standing up from the couch where he'd been watching Grogu play with some toys, while tinkering with the circuitry on his armor, cleaning out the last vestiges of the mud from the earlier incident.
"Hey," she replied with a wan smile, pushing herself away from the wall and walking toward the kitchen. Before Din could help, she settled herself into one of the chairs at the small table.
"How are you feeling?" he asked as he poured water into a cup. He handed it to her, and she drank it before answering.
"Better." She shook her head. "I don't know how you weren't affected by the heat. You're in even more armor than I am, and you never take off your helmet."
Din chose not to mention what he'd discovered about Bo not eating or drinking enough. Something told him both issues were related to stress, but he didn't want to pressure her into talking about the travails she faced as the leader of their planet. Not when she was weakened and tired. If she brought it up, he'd happily listen and offer what help and advice he could. But for the moment, he'd keep the topics simpler.
"My people… we're more adapted to hot weather," he finally said. And though it wasn't the full reason why he'd been less susceptible to the heat; it was a fact.
"Children of the Watch?" she asked as he took her empty cup and filled it again.
"No, my… original people."
"Oh." Bo felt something at the mention of his people. While she still hadn't heard his original language yet, he'd just given her another glimpse into where he came from.
Din had brought up the subject of his family thinking it would be the simpler one, but now he wondered if that was the best idea. Handing her the full cup of water, he quickly turned back to the stove and pulled the lid off the pot of soup he'd made earlier. It gave him an excuse to not meet her eyes when he spoke again.
"Our planet, where Med and I are from, is similar to Nevarro in some ways. Hot, dry, desert-like."
"No wonder," Bo said simply, not tired enough to miss that this was a delicate subject. She didn't pose any further questions and could almost feel it in the air when Din relaxed, apparently relieved that she wasn't going to ask for more details about his past.
"But don't feel bad," Din said as he came back to the table with a small bowl. "Grogu holds up even better than I do. Not as well with the dry heat, but with humid heat, he's really got me beat. I'm betting his people came from warm, swampy planets."
"That would explain his love for frogs and other amphibians as delicacies."
Din huffed a laugh.
"What's this?" Bo asked when he set the bowl in front of her.
"More of the soup I gave you earlier. You didn't eat a lot of it, so I figured you'd still be hungry."
"Earlier?"
"A couple hours ago."
She frowned, but it was a thoughtful one, not an angry one, as she began to eat from the steaming bowl.
"I have no recollection of that at all."
"I can't say I'm surprised; you were… out of it."
"Is that a nice way of saying that I was acting like a cross between a giggly drunk and a nasty one?"
Din smiled crookedly under his helmet, and she heard it in his voice when he spoke again.
"Something like that. I take it this has happened before?"
"Not for a long time, but yes."
Just as she had when he'd started talking about his original home, Din felt her tension about this particular subject and didn't push any farther.
"Well, I'm glad you're feeling better."
"Thank you. And thanks for… taking care of me."
"Of course, my lady," Din dipped his head briefly. "Now if you don't mind, I need to get Grogu to bed."
"To bed? How long was I out?" She looked toward the window and realized it was pitch black outside.
"Almost eight hours."
Her eyebrows went up and she looked around, as if remembering she had somewhere else to be.
"It's okay, I already talked to Axe. I let him know you were helping me train my apprentice and would be here another day. I didn't tell him anything else."
She sighed in relief.
"Thank you. I appreciate that."
Din nodded and turned to go get Grogu.
"I may head outside and sit on your porch for a bit while you do that," she said as he started to walk out of the kitchen.
Din bit back the urge to tell her to stay inside, finding that protective instinct rearing its head again. But he reminded himself that she was doing fine, was a trained warrior and there was nothing outside that could do her any harm.
"I'll join you once I'm done with him."
She nodded and went back to sipping her soup.
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Bo soon finished her meal, another delicious concoction from the Mandalorian that not many would suspect had also become a master chef in addition to being a master beroya.
She headed out and sat on the floor of the porch, enjoying the view of the stars. This far away from the city of Nevarro, the darkness almost matched the view from space. The sky was brimming with twinkling lights, making it sparkle in a way Bo hadn't often seen often from the ground of a planet.
Some time later, Bo heard Din's step behind her and spoke without turning around.
"Is he asleep?"
"Out like a light. I think we wore him out today."
"I doubt it. That apprentice of yours has a lot of energy for someone with such a small body."
Din chuckled. "Tell me about it."
He sat down on the edge of the porch next to her. There was only one chair, and it didn't feel right sitting in it while she sat on the ground.
"You have an amazing view," she remarked, still looking at the stars.
"It is beautiful. I don't often come out here at night to enjoy it. Usually just during the day when Grogu's playing by the pond."
"Well, you should. I know you work hard, but don't forget to relax when you get the chance."
"I feel like I should probably say the same thing to you."
Especially after what happened this afternoon, Din wanted to add, but he held his tongue.
She huffed small laugh. "Okay, fair enough. I'll take your advice if you take mine, deal?" She turned to him with one eyebrow raised.
"Deal," Din agreed with a nod.
Bo turned back to look at the sky, but Din's eyes stayed on her face, which lit up as she studied the stars, a small smile gracing her lips. After a few moments, Din became aware that he'd been staring and turned to look up at the sky before she caught him.
A few seconds later, Bo moved her head to look at Din from the corner of her eye. She couldn't see his face, but she saw the way his shoulders dropped when he took a deep breath, and how his head moved as he looked at the different constellations. He raised his face upwards to see something higher in the sky and she caught a glimpse of his chin. The cowl had shifted downward, giving her a peek of flesh near his neck.
The sight made her own skin flush, and she turned her eyes back to the sky, clearing her throat to cover the increased pounding of her heart. She had no clue why she was reacting that way. Din didn't show his skin often, but she'd seen his hands a couple of times when he'd been preparing food or washing up after a meal. And she'd gotten that partial glimpse of his chin earlier when he'd been drinking water. Not to mention of course the glimpse of the back of his head on the cruiser.
Perhaps it was because she'd never been very close to him when it had happened before. But now, his face was so near she could see the hint of a beard, making her wonder if that was always there, or if he just hadn't shaved recently. For some reason that thought made her blush harder, much like she had when they'd woken up after that freezing night a few months ago.
At the sound of Bo clearing her throat, Din slanted his eyes over to her but didn't move his head, giving the impression he was still studying the sky. It was one of the many benefits of wearing a helmet, the ability to make others think you weren't looking at them when you were. It allowed him to examine a quarry without their knowledge, and now he used it to study his companion.
Din noted the flush on Bo's cheeks and the wider smile. He didn't know what had caused the reaction but somehow it created a warmth on his own face, luckily hidden under the helmet. He could name that as yet another reason he was happy to have the beskar on his head. Though there was also a small part of him that wished it wasn't there at that moment.
Where did THAT thought come from?
They both went back to watching the sky, each trying to forget or ignore the feelings that were battling the stars for their attention.
Din looked at Bo again briefly, then rose to his feet.
"Be back in a second."
She nodded.
Din returned a few moments later with the blanket he usually kept on the couch for Grogu, who liked to snuggle with it when they sat after dinner.
"Here." He put it on her shoulders. "I thought you might be cold."
"I am, thanks. How did you know?"
Din shrugged. "It gets cold out here after the sun goes down. Deserts do that. It can get blazing hot during the day, but then get really cold at night. No humidity to hold in the heat."
The truth was that he'd seen her fold her arms slightly, rubbing her hands across her upper sleeves to try and warm herself. She probably didn't even realize she had done it, but Din had noticed. A bounty hunter learned to read small cues from the people he observed, usually to find a weakness to exploit. It wasn't often he was able to use that skill to simply give someone more comfort.
He sat down and Bo noticed him cross his arms, raising his shoulders slightly.
"Are you cold?" she asked.
"I'm fine."
"Din, don't be silly. Here."
Bo flicked the blanket and put her arm around him so that it lay across both of their backs. She pulled her arm to her side and inched in closer to him. It wasn't a big blanket and their pauldrons touched together lightly as they went back to watching the stars.
That day, the two warriors had manhandled each other and tossed each other to the ground, afterwards offering a hand to help the other up. Earlier in their friendship, Bo had pulled Din out of the Living Waters, and dragged him away from the cyborg's cage. She had also helped him stagger to his room when he suffered from the nano-droid poisoning, too weak to walk on his own. She had lain at his back to keep him warm during the frigid temperatures of Nevarro's freak winter storm. Din had offered Bo an arm and guided her from the mud they'd both fallen in earlier. Then carried her when the sun sickness took hold, hastened by lack of adequate food and water.
This was by no means the first time their bodies had occupied the same space. It wasn't even the first time they'd sat so close that their pauldrons touched. The same thing had happened when Din made his speech to convince his tribe to help the people of Nevarro when the planet had been attacked by pirates.
And yet, the gentle clink of their pauldrons seemed more intimate in that moment. An imposed nearness caused by the chill in the air and the size of the small blanket.
But neither of them minded the forced closeness.
In fact – though they weren't ready to admit it to themselves or each other – right then neither of them would have minded a smaller blanket.
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Hi folks!
I hope you enjoyed the latest update to this story. Pretty sure there will just be one more chapter to this one, but I'm already working on the next story so there is plenty of BoDin and CaraMed slow burn romance coming.
I had various bits of inspiration for a couple of scenes in this story. The scene where Din and Bo fall in mud was inspired by a video Katee Sackhoff posted a few months ago. She had been working in her yard during the rainy part of the winter and was just covered in mud. She was giggling and laughing as her husband literally hosed her off, having the time of her life. Not long after I saw that, I got an idea and before I knew it, the scene with Bo falling in the mud was born.
The final scene, where Din and Bo look at the stars, has been written for a very long time. But a couple of months ago, I heard a song that just felt perfect for that moment. Some of the lyrics don't fit, but the soft melody was perfect, as was the first line of the song: "Touch me in a way that makes me feel beautiful. Make me wanna stay here in your atmosphere, my dear.")
The song is called Feel Again by Lucy Clearwater.