found. | Din Djarin

Fifteen

After an evening spent mostly apart with me so obviously and painfully keeping my distance I pointed him to one of the spare rooms that was set up from the last time everyone stayed here before coming to my own. 

I'm struggling to sleep, dwelling on my thoughts when there's a shy knock on the door.

Groggy and unbothered to move I use the force to slide the door open and shouldn't be surprised when I see Din standing there considering he's the only other person within miles, but I am.

"Din?" I yawn and sit up, not realising how my short nightgown slides up my thigh until he turns his head away, and I make no effort to fix it until I see the child in his arms.

"Sorry I- the kid wanted you," he stammers at the sight of me. "Did I wake you up?"

"I was having trouble sleeping anyways," I assure him and he slowly walks over, the sight of him walking towards my bed in the low light making me aware of just how much skin I have exposed. Nothing horribly immodest, but under his gaze I may as well be completely bare.

"Would you mind taking the kid?"

"Not at all," I assure him and he passes the kid to me, who smiles the moment he's in my arms. My padawan. "Come on kid, time to sleep."

But the moment Din goes to leave the kid reaches out, and we both jump when the door slides back across and I can't help but let out a nervous laugh.

"That one wasn't me," I say and swallow "Guess he wants you to stay."

"Really kid?" Din sighs and the child looks between us innocently while he shifts awkwardly. "I can take him back to bed with me if you want?"

The kid makes a noise of disapproval and Din tilts his head in annoyance, the tension from earlier still lingering between us.

"It's alright," I assure him. "There's enough room for both of us."

"Are you sure?" Din hesitates with uncertainty in his voice, after earlier when I so suddenly brushed him off I can't blame him.

My voice is weak "It wouldn't be the first time."

And we both think back to that night on Trask, and something tells me it will be far from the last.

Still he's hesitant "Kyra-"

"Come to bed," I coax, knowing how dangerously close we are to crossing that line but with the kid here we should be safe.

I watch as he removes his gauntlets, followed by his shoulder guards, and I can see how truly broad he is beneath them, then his belt with the ammunition joins them on my dresser. He reaches down to remove his heavy boots before slowly sinking down beside me, the only armour he wears being his breastplate and helmet.

The kid looks from Din to I and only then happily lies down right in-between us. Din pulls the blanket over us and it's clear neither of us will be sleeping, unlike the child who dozes off quickly.

"He's difficult," Din sighs but I can fear the fondness in his voice. "He's never been like this, not wanting to be apart from either of us."

A soft smile comes to my face. "I was the same with my parents. They loved each other, but they never married. From a young age I was so used to them being apart, so afraid of one of them leaving for good. I never understood why my father was gone so often, so I'd drag him and my mother into the same room as me, just so I knew neither of them would leave. It made me feel safe."

"You were close with your parents," he observes and while my smile is sad, it's also sweet.

"I was. My mother was Duchess of Mandalore and was always busy ruling but my father, I was his little girl. I loved him more than anyone," I say and my eyes settle on the child. "For a Jedi, attachment is meant to be forbidden but we're still human. My father, he may have been able to control his attachment when it came to my mother, but I was his own flesh and blood. Vader had killed my mother, so when he came for me he had nothing left to lose. He died to save me."