Unmasked Love | The Mandalorian

|21|

When I wake up, it's perfectly silent. The only sound that I could hear was the gentle breeze swimming through the dunes and the quiet rustle of sand slipping down the hills. It was quiet, it was cool, and it just absolutely peaceful. There was no jolted shaking, no buzzing blaster shots chasing after me, and no redundant screaming coming from afar. 

Maker, it felt good to wake up in a peaceful bliss for once in my damn life. 

I decide to keep my eyes closed, wanting to soak in the rare bliss. I found myself still resting against Mando's armored chest, but what was new was his muscular arms that were wrapped around my waist. His hold was tight yet comforting and his hands were shamelessly clasped together near my front, resting right on my stomach. One of his gloved thumbs was hooked onto one of my shirt buttons and I could feel the smooth leather of his gloves pressing against my skin. 

I take a deep breath, sinking into his comforting embrace a little more as we sat through the steady silence. If only I could be this way with him all the time. If only I could tell him that I wanted to be like this with him all the time. I mean, he's definitely shown that he cares for me, but in what way? And would his Creed ever allow something like this to happen?

Someone suddenly shifts around in the sand near us, breaking the peaceful silence. I could only assume that it was Toro since he was the only other one that was supposed to be around here unless a pair of Tuskens picked him off.

"Yo, Mando, Mae, let's go. Time to get up and at 'em," Toro calls out, clapping his hands once. I continue to keep my eyes closed, wanting to stay in the cuddly position with Mando for just a little longer. "Look at you two. You look like an old married couple. Sleeping on the job together and everything."

I keep a blank face, but I could still feel a small pink blush creeping over my olive-brown cheeks from what he had called us. An old married couple... huh. I think I could get used to hearing that. I continue to think the phrase over, my head starting to feel a little hazy as I distracted myself with the thought. 

The sudden drawing of a blaster almost makes me jolt, but I quickly calm down when I feel the smooth leather of Mando's glove rub against my skin. I somehow manage to stay still as I listen to Toro's ridiculous sound effects. It almost makes me laugh out loud, but Mando's deep voice stops me from laughing. 

"You done?" Mando asks in a low tone; his words vibrating through his chest. Of course, he's already awake. I mean, what did I expect? He's always been a light and alert sleeper. I could breathe wrong and he'd wake up to make sure that everything wasn't going to shit. "Mae, come on. It's time to get up," he whispers close to my eyes, squeezing my waist a couple of times before peeling his arms away from me. I slowly open my eyes, acting as if I were just waking up. 

"Alright, so what's the plan?" I ask, stretching my back out far enough for my hands to gently knock against the top of Mando's helmet. I quickly whip my hands away from his head, muttering a small 'sorry' before standing up and stepping away from him. 

"We're going to get on our speeders and drive as fast as we can towards that ridge," Mando answers, dusting his pants off as he speaks. 

Toro furrows his brow, looking a little confused as to what it was he just heard. On the other hand, I know that whatever Mando had in store was going to be good regardless. He's usually the one that makes the logical plans while I... I just make a lot of stupid moves that still somehow get the job done all the same. 

"I'm sorry, you want me to drive straight towards the ridge? She's going to snipe us right off of our bikes if we do that!" Toro exclaims, looking as if he wanted to throw his hands up to oppose the idea.