Under the Helmet ~ (The Mandalorian x Male OC)

Chapter 23: The Price

Din woke up to the sound of an incoming transmission from the cockpit. He gently peeled Daedalus off his chest and threw his helmet and a robe on and made his way to the cockpit. Answering the call, he was met by the kind face of Greef Karga.
"Karga, how's it going?", the Mandalorian opened.
Greef appeared anxious. He was looking around, making sure he was alone. "I wish I had time for small talk, Mando. Something...bad's happened," he paused. "Are you in a robe?"
"What's wrong?", Din replied, ignoring the question.
"There's a bounty on your head."
"That's happened before. How much?"
"100 thousand credits."
The Mandalorian audibly gasped. "Who's sponsoring it?"
"The entire guild here on Nevarro. It started as a bet, but then they got talking and they've gotten sick of you taking all the big targets. I hate to be the one to tell you this, friend. I'll do my best to call them down, but until then I'd keep moving," Karga warned.
Din nodded. "I understand. Thanks for the wa—"
Blaster fire sounded from the other side of the transmission, and the signal cut out.
The Mandalorian sighed. This was an unexpected turn of events, but he knew what he had to do.

———

Daedalus woke up to Din tapping him on the forehead to wake up.
"What? What's going on?", he asked.
He hadn't even noticed his boyfriend had gotten up and already gotten his armor on.
"We have to talk," the Mandalorian responded.
Daedalus sat up in bed, wrapping the sheets around his bare skin. "Is something wrong?"
"Get dressed," Din ordered.
The Foundling looked around, and noticed all of his belongings had been moved from the bedroom. "Are you...leaving me?"
Din sighed. "I'll explain everything, just get dressed at meet me outside."
"No! I'm not leaving. I'm not."
"It's not safe for you with me. Please."
"I don't care. We're a team. We're more than a team."
The Mandalorian turned to face him. "There's a bounty on my head, and bounty hunters from all reaches of the galaxy are going to be after me. If they find out you're traveling with me, you'll never have a normal life again."
"I don't want a normal life. I want to be with you," Daedalus bleated, reaching for his boyfriend's hand.
Din swatted his hand away. "I'm sorry."
The Mandalorian grabbed Daedalus and threw him over his shoulder.
"What are you doing?! Put me down!"
Din carried Daedalus and threw him down outside the ship.
"You can't do this!", the Foundling screamed, running back to the boarding ramp.
The Mandalorian drew his blaster. "I don't want to leave you like this, but I have no choice. Please forgive me." He began to raise the boarding ramp. "I'm sorry."
Daedalus collapsed as the ramp closed. He knew he couldn't change Din's mind. Tears formed in his eyes. The ship began the take off procedures, and just as quickly as it had started, he was gone.
Looking around, he noticed Din had set up a decent little camp for him. A tent, a fire already going, plenty of food, even his sniper rifle. Even with all these supplies, what he did was still uncalled for. They worked together. Even if there was a huge bounty on his head, they could overcome it together. Daedalus thought it was very clear he didn't want a normal life. Especially if it involved being alone.

———

Din didn't know what to do. He felt awful for leaving Daedalus behind, but he loved him, and couldn't destroy any chance the Foundling had at living life freely without the eyes of the guild and the galaxy on him.
Not knowing what else to do, he decided to head to Tatooine, hoping to strike a deal with his old friend Boba Fett. He landed just outside the palace, almost the exact place where he had been with Daedalus just a few weeks before. Arming himself to the highest capacity, he made his way out of the Crest and entered the heavy metal blast doors of the palace. Inside, the usual hubbub could be heard. Drunk partiers, the cantina band, and the distinct grunt of Gamorrean's. As he entered the main ballroom, the crowd fell silent.
"Mando," Boba Fett called from the throne. "You have some real balls showing up here with the price on your head.
Din walked to the base of throne, where Boba sat, surrounded by sultry dancers and enough liquor to drunken an entire civilization. "I wasn't sure where else to go, I was hoping we could strike a deal?"
"And what exactly did you have in mind?"
"Perhaps my ship and labor in exchange for protection?", Din offered. He didn't want to live out his days working for the crime lord, but at this point he was unsure what else to do.
Boba sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid nothing you could offer is worth the sum on your head. Now get out of here before I decide to collect the bounty myself."
A wretched cry could be heard from across the room, followed by blaster fire in Din's direction. The Mandalorian drew his blaster and fired in the direction of the shot, hitting his attacker in the chest. There was a moment of silence before the whole bar burst into complete chaos. Din was being attacked from all sides by desperate drunkards. With no other option, he fired his whistling birds, which cleared out the assailants closest to him. He took this opening and rushed for the exit. Blaster fire and various drinks being thrown at him followed him all the way back to his ship. Boarding, he fired at the attackers to keep them from entering the ship. Once the ramp had closed, he rushed to the cockpit, taking off immediately. He entered open space, and noticed three ships leaving behind him, arguably a few of the drunkards from the bar. Instead of entering hyperspace, he pulled up on the controls to confront the enemy ships. Before one could even fire, Din fired a torpedo and exploded it. The other two accelerated their attack, charging him from both directions. The Mandalorian dipped the Razor Crest II down towards the planet, allowing his attackers to follow him. He converted all power to the rear shields and weapons system. As the ships chased him, he stopped abruptly. One ship flew passed him, and he fired on it, destroying it with ease. The other anticipated the fake out, and flew off in the other direction. The Mandalorian decided to let it go, and entered hyperspace.
It had been a long day, and all he wanted was to lay down with Daedalus and go to sleep. But he couldn't. The Foundling didn't deserve to be targeted as he was. If the news of the price on his head had reached Tatooine, it wasn't long until the whole galaxy knew. He needed a planet where he knew people who could protect him. He wished the covert was still around, as they would protect him with ease. No one would dare attack a squad of Mandalorians, no matter the price on their heads. He considered Bo Katan, but based off of their last few interactions, that wouldn't end very well.
Perhaps Sorgan would do. He could park his ship at a pub and camp in the woods until the heat died down, then maybe settle into the village he had protected years ago.