Thell yawned and stretched her arms over her head, feeling the hammock sway beneath her. She swung one leg out, cocking her head to see Din near the sleeping pod.
It had been two weeks since they had been on Nevarro and fixed her vambraces. She had practically worn them all the time, sewed into one of her favorite dark tunics. It was a constant reminder of who her father had been, what he had fought for, and what Thell believed in now. And what she believed in was the intimidating Mandalorian dressed head to foot in impenetrable armor and the strange green baby with magic powers that lay at the other end of the cargo hold.
She wondered if it was still Din's mission to find where Grogu was supposed to go. Wherever that was, or finding a Jedi, it seemed impossible. It was why they had been floating in space for two weeks, dropping from planet to planet with just enough time to grab supplies before someone from the Empire spotted them.
It was exhausting, but Thell was glad for the quiet moments that the three of them shared. Eating dinner together aboard the Razor Crest, having Grogu sleep with her in the hammock, constantly holding Din's hand while they sat in the cockpit. Even when his hand wasn't in her's, it was gripping her elbow or resting lightly on her back. He was becoming more and more open with her, still slow with large advances, but gentle nonetheless. They had shared more stories about their lives, the things they held dear to their hearts, and Thell's own heart was full.
"So, what's the plan?" Thell asked from her hammock.
"What plan?"
"... The plan for the kid. Have you found anything out yet?"
She heard him sigh, his back still to her. "No. I'm thinking about going back to that Jedi I met, but I need to stop to do some repairs tonight, though. You and the kid can stretch your legs."
"Finally!" Thell threw herself back in the hammock, punching the air. It had been a while since they had stopped and stayed on a planet for more than a few hours.
. . . .
"Uh, Grogu, let go, bud."
"He's pretty adamant about it."
Thell frowned. "I know. But I don't want him choking on it... Din!"
She slapped his hand away, much to his amusement as he started laughing to himself when he tried to stop her. Thell reached past his legs, grabbing the stick from Grogu before he shoved it down his throat. She threw the Mandalorian a sly smirk before tossing the stick over her shoulder and far into the woods.
Trees surrounded them on all sides inside the enclave they had found on the forest planet. Din had a fire going, like usual, and their empty ration containers lay strewn beside it.
"You were shy.... Before." Din said suddenly.
Thell raised her head, cocking it in his direction. "Before what?"
"... This."
"Oh. I'm just quiet, I guess."
"You talk when you want to, though. Don't misjudge me, it isn't a bad thing. I like hearing you talk... But you were shyer with me. You talked about your family and your life, but you weren't as playful as you are now. You seem... free."
Thell smiled, resting her crossed arms over her knees. "I'm happy. And for the first time in a while, I feel like I can actually be myself... so yeah, I guess I was shy. For a while, I think it was just because I was nervous of what you would actually think of me. I didn't want you getting rid of me because I was desperate or annoying. Or clingy. Because trust me, I can get very clingy if I don't watch myself."
He huffed beside her, leaning forward to knock his shoulder into her lightly. "I'll keep an eye out for that."
"... But I'm okay now. I would have been okay before; I was just too scared."
"Of me?"
Thell shrugged. "Not really. You intimidated me more than anything. At that point, everyone intimidated me, but I knew if I wanted to survive, I would have to take a step into that fear. So, I did." She turned to face Din, looking directly into his visor. "And I'm really glad I did."
He stared back at her, and Thell blinked, letting her smile fade as she could only stare back at his visor. It hadn't really hit her, not until then, that she had never seen his face, not even a glimpse of his bare skin. She didn't know who was under the mask; she could only guess what he looked like from him telling her what color his hair and eyes were. But that was never enough to go off of. Her heart desperately wished to see him, to run her fingers over his face, to finally be able to kiss him. As much as she respected him, she hated the ways of the Creed and how his strict beliefs kept his face from her.
"Hey," he said softly to get her attention.
Thell shook her head, clearing her vision. "What?"
"What's wrong?"
"I..." Thell started. "I respect you, you know that? And I understand why you believe the things you do.... But Din. I've known you for months now, and yeah, I know we're still getting to really know each other. But we've risked our lives for each other, and for the kid. And... some days I don't even think about it; it doesn't even bother me. But some days... some days I just wish I could see your face."
He went still, like he had been frozen in carbonite, and Thell swallowed nervously.
"I... I swore the Creed, Thell."
"I know," she said quickly. "I know you did, and I really respect that. I'm not asking you to break the Creed. I just... wanted you to know. Because I think about it a lot, and I just wish I could know who's under that helmet of yours."
"Why?" He said, cocking his head. "Because you're aching to see how ugly I actually am?"
Thell gaped, staring back at him astounded, and rolling her eyes. "Yeah, sure, Din. Because I'm just a heartless person who enjoys relishing in the inconsiderate judgement of others." She leaned into him, trying to push him over but barely causing him to flinch. "I'm sure you aren't ugly. Whatever you look like under the mask, I'm sure I'll like you just the same. Your appearance doesn't determine that for me. I liked you because of your character, after all."
"Oh, yeah?" Din asked. "What if I told you I was really old?"
Thell scrunched her face up. "Not gonna get me with that one, chief. You're very active, and you don't act like an old person. I wouldn't say you're much older than me... right?"
Din shrugged. "Probably... Honestly, though, you may never want me to take off the helmet again once you see me."
Thell scoffed. "Din! C'mon! Take me seriously when I say that I won't be disappointed at all. I respect that it's your Creed, but... if you ever have any reason to take it off in front of me, and you want me to look, you just say the word. I'll respect you regardless, and I'll still like you. I swear."
Din looked at her for a moment before slinging an arm around her waist, tugging her right up against him so her thigh pressed to the Beskar attached to his leg. She laughed under her breath, resting her head on his shoulder as his hand moved up and down her back. They watched the stars in silence, letting the calmness of the planet wash over them.
When Thell was ready, she leaned back, looking directly at the Mandalorian.
"Can I ask you something, though?" She said quietly.
"Sure."
"Can you take off your glove?" When he didn't move or respond, Thell squeezed his arm. "It's not like you're showing your face. But if you really don't want to, you don't have to."
To her surprise, he leaned away, bringing the arm around his waist forward and holding his hand up in front of his face. Thell watched with eager, patient eyes as he slowly removed the glove, painstakingly going finger by finger before completely discarding it to his side.
Thell had never seen his actual flesh before, the soft golden brown skin and long fingers and calloused knuckles under the glove. She could barely move except to breathe softly as she stared at his hand, too overcome to react immediately.
Thell flinched as she felt contact on her face; she must have been crying without realizing it, and Din had reached forward with his other hand, running his thumb along where her tear had fallen. He had taken the glove off that hand too, his thumb surprisingly smooth against her face.
She finally looked into his visor and smiled, despite the tears. Cupping his hand with both of her's, she turned it downwards, kissing his open palm. She felt him tense under her gentle touch, like she had expected, so she waited before doing anything else. She wanted to show him just how much she cared, even if she wasn't sure herself how to act in situations like this. Din seemed new to it all as well, so that comforted some of the anxiety in her heart.
When he didn't move away, Thell raised his hand to her mouth, kissing each of his knuckles before pressing his hand into her cheek again. He let his palm flatten against her face, gently cupping her cheek.
"Din?" Thell whispered. "Was that okay?"
"Yeah." His voice was strained, the modulator in the helmet crackling.
"Are you sure?" Thell asked. "I didn't want to make you uncomfortable or anything. I don't really know what to do in situations like this, I'm just learning as I go and I didn't-"
"Thell."
Thell blinked. He had never sounded so serious before. "... What?"
"I would like to kiss you."
"W-what?"
Thell couldn't believe what she was hearing. Yes, she had wanted to kiss him too, despite never having seen his face, but she hadn't expected the same from him.
"I-I've never..." Din stuttered. "Done it before. I've never had the chance."
Thell blinked rapidly, running her hands through her hair with shaking fingers. She felt honored, being his first. But it still boggled her as to why... they had really only known each other four months, after all.
"I... I haven't either."
He bent forward. "Is that okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, it's fine," Thell replied. "I... I want to. If you're okay with it. I won't open my eyes or anything. You have my word."
He gazed at her for a long moment, his bare hand rising to caress her hair.
"Kriff. You're the kindest person I've ever met, Thell... go ahead and close your eyes, kar'ta."
She did, and it was a long few seconds before she heard anything else, a small click and hiss as Din finally removed his helmet. One hand rose to her face, running his fingers along her cheek before she sensed him scooting closer. She could feel his ragged breath billow across her face, feel his nose just slightly brush her's.
Thell's chest shook. "Are you-are you going to do anything?... you're making me a bit anxious-"
"I'm nervous." His unmodulated voice was deeper than she had imagined, so much richer than before.
If her eyes had been open, Thell would have given him a knowing look. Din Djarin, Mandalorian and feared bounty hunter, was nervous. Of kissing her.
"If it makes you feel any better... I'm nervous, too. I haven't, uh, kissed anyone before, Din. But I think it just comes naturally... that's what I've heard, at least. Just go as slow as you need to. We can figure it out, I'm sure of it."
"Just swear to me you won't laugh if I mess up."
Thell smirked. "You're tempting me... but I won't... wait."
"What is it?"
"This isn't... breaking the Creed, is it?"
To her relief, Din chuckled. "No. Only if you actually saw my face."
"Okay... good."
He practically crashed into her, hands furled into the hair at the base of her neck and tugging her forward. It surprised Thell, jumping slightly where she sat before letting her hands rest against his chest, moving up past his clavicles. His lips were melting against her like honey, sucking the very breath from her lungs. His mouth was softer than she had ever imagined, and she felt the scratch of facial hair along his upper lip and jaw when he kissed her.
Just when she felt like she couldn't breathe, Din pulled away with a loud smack, just leaving his mouth brushing her's. He was panting wildly against her face, one hand tangled in her hair and the other pressed flat against her lower back.
"S-sorry. You... You okay?" He breathed, his natural voice raspy in Thell's ears. "T-that wasn't too much?"
She shook her head, pressing her forehead to his and nearly crying because she was hearing his real voice so much and so close. "No, it was good. I'm okay."
"You sure?"
Thell nodded, hands against his chest. "Absolutely. Just try it a little slower next time."
"I could kiss you for the rest of my life, you know," Din whispered.
Thell smiled, feeling her cheeks burn with color. "I wouldn't mind that."
He chuckled under his breath, one hand moving to hold her face. When he kissed her again, Thell swore she saw stars, and for mere moments it felt like she was floating while Din figured out exactly how to kiss her. She hadn't kissed anyone either, so it was a combined effort, but she realized it was soon coming naturally to her, just like she had been told. The initial awkwardness over, Din slowed down, his hands sliding up to cup her cheeks, pressing small kisses to her lips and tilting his head at different angles. Thell let her hands wander to the nape of his neck, where soft hair curled at his collar and tickled her fingers. The way Din was kissing her now was different, a good difference. It had caused goosebumps to break out along her arms and her heart was thumping in her chest. But he was gentle through it all, leaning away when they both needed to breathe and softly starting all over again. Time vanished and she could only gently hold the back of his head, kissing him back with just as much tenderness as he was showing her.
When Din finally pulled away for the last time, his nose brushed her face as he pressed more kisses across her cheeks, just lightly along her jaw and chin before kissing her once more on the mouth. She was sure she looked funny, hair tangled and cheeks flushed, but he never said anything. He was getting braver, she noticed, his initial fear and self consciousness of never having kissed anyone completely vanished. He kissed one spot under her jaw, making her giggle uncontrollably and squirm in his hold. She felt him smile against her neck, the slight scratch of stubble on his face.
"Didn't know you were ticklish there," Din murmured, kissing her again.
"You didn't tell me you had facial hair," Thell whispered.
"Touché."
He kissed the spot under her jaw again, and Thell squeaked, pushing against his neck.
"Din Djarin, you're just asking to get punched!" She exclaimed, squeezing her eyes tight so she wasn't tempted to look at him when he laughed, although she truly wanted to. She wanted to know if his eyes got crinkles or his nose scrunched up when he laughed. She had tasted him, felt his lips on hers and his skin and hair under her fingers, yet never once actually seen his own eyes. His brown eyes.
Maybe one day, she whispered to her aching heart. One day he would let her, on his own accord.
"Thell," Din said suddenly, the lack of the helmet not being able to hide the way his voice shook. "Keep your eyes closed."
She scrunched her brows, concerned. "What? What's going on?"
She heard the small hiss of the helmet being slid back on, and the way his hand grabbed her's and shoved her to her feet. Thell swayed as she kept her eyes closed, bracing herself against the Mandalorian's arm. The next moment, she heard Grogu whining, and his noises became louder as he was shoved into her arms.
"Okay, you can look," Din said quietly, the modulator messing with his voice again. Thell hadn't realized just how much she admired his natural voice.
Upon opening her eyes, Din was standing right over her, hands gripping her shoulders like iron. Everything about him had changed in just a few seconds; his tense posture, his ragged breath, the steel grip on her shoulders.
"Din-"
"You have to run."
Thell blinked, staring back into the visor, dumbfounded. "W-what? What's happening?"
She could hear it now, a gentle humming somewhere above them , growing louder with every passing second.
Wind suddenly blasted against them on all sides, causing them to stumble and Thell felt like she was looking directly into the sun when she tilted her face to the sky. Somewhere far above them, just below the clouds, was a massive ship, clouded in darkness like a burning shadow. Lights shone on all sides, all around the forest, and directly on them.
Grogu cried against her cloak, burying his face into her chest and gripping tight. Panic raced up Thell's veins, causing her to hyperventilate. But Din was right there, shaking her back down to earth and looking at her. She wanted to kiss him again, to rip off that blasted helmet he hid so much behind and tell him just how much he meant to her.
But he was dragging her below the trees and talking to her, yelling at her above the wind and the sound of the ship coming closer.
"You have to go, now!"
Thell breathed heavily, looking at him with her mouth open. "I-I can't leave you. What's going on, Din?"
"It's the Empire. They're here for him." His visor tilted towards Grogu, wrapped deep in Thell's cloak.
"Then let's go!" Thell yelled. "We need to get back to the ship!"
"I can't!" He responded, dropping her shoulders as he slumped forward. "I have to hold them off."
She knew what it meant. He was going on without her, giving her time to get back to the ship or something. It would give her time to escape, to get Grogu as far from this place as possible.
Thell shook her head, taking a shaky step back. His hand pulled her back, just close enough to where she could hear him.
"Do you trust me?" When he asked it again, Thell finally nodded. "Good. Then you need to leave, and go. Get as far from here as you can. Don't wait at the ship for me."
Thell trembled. "Don't wait? If it's the Empire, they'll kill you, Din. Do you have any idea how much I care about you? I'm not leaving you!"
His hand came up to cup her head, gently running his thumb along her hair. "If I had all the time in the world, I would tell you everything about how you've made me feel these past four months. It's made me crazy and I thought I would never feel this way for someone. But I do. And if you care about me at all, you'll leave."
"But, Din," Thell pressed, pushing against his arm. "I can fight, or we can leave together. We'll make it back!"
"No, we won't."
"But... I need you!" Thell begged, tears streaming down her face like rivers.
"You'll be okay, just go, Thell. Please."
"He needs you!" Thell sobbed, her eyes flickering to the baby in her arms, and she swore she saw Din break under the mask. Despite the chaos and danger that was right above them, she was glad he at least got this moment, reaching out gently to rub one of Grogu's ears. It was a long, wavering moment before he spoke again, his iron grip having turned gentle.
"You need each other. You'll protect each other," he breathed in deeply, his chest trembling. "Protect him, Thell. Please."
"Din-"
"Please, Thell," he begged, his voice breaking under the modulator.
She could only stare up at him, the memories of their first meeting in her Bespin home filtering through her mind. How lonely and scared they had both been, and not even realizing it. And how whole she had felt once she had come to know Din and his story. They were more alike than she had realized, and she was really only truly getting to know him.
Her heart ached with the unspoken words and gestures that were left between them, the things she wanted to share with him, the kisses, the hugs.
He seemed to sense her stalling, and cupped the back of her head, pushing her forward to press the lip of the Beskar helmet to her forehead. Thell sobbed, closing her eyes when she felt Grogu even reach up between them, cupping his three-fingered hand on the metal. He seemed to understand, whining softly.
Shots exploded somewhere behind them, causing the ground to quake under their feet, and Din finally released her.
"I'll see you soon, okay?" He said, pushing her towards the woods.
She squeezed his hand, just one last time, before she finally let go. She had just turned, about to run off into the darkness of the woods. But she paused, despite the turmoil churning in her heart.
She swiveled back to Din, just a few yards away.
"Din!" She called, catching his attention.
His eyeline caught her's. "What are you still doing here? Go, Thell!"
She didn't know why she did it. She just knew she had to, if she was never going to see him again.
"Ni kar'tayl gar darasuum!" Thell shouted, letting the smile grow on her face and the relief burst like a bubble in her chest.
She knew it was the equivalent to an I love you from one person to another, but it meant something else in Mando'a. So it made her wonder what exactly it meant to Din. Whatever its meaning, she meant it wholeheartedly.
Regardless, he had taught her several words and phrases in Mando'a over the months, and she had grown up hearing Darand trying to learn the language himself.
But no. She hadn't learned it from that.
She had learned it from seeing the engraving on the inside of her left vambrace, the one that was fresh and hot when Din had handed them back to her in the forge. Like he had engraved it right then and there, just for her to see on a whim.
He stood, as still as a statue or someone stuck in carbonite. But if he was going to respond, he would never get the chance. Because the ship above them rang with a loud bellow, and a shot fired right in between them, causing the ground to shake and explode under Thell's feet and throw her backwards into the darkness of the woods. All she could see were the flashing colors of fire and sparks around her, the smell of smoke stinging her nose as she stumbled to her feet, holding Grogu close as she looked over her shoulder for the last time before plummeting further into the darkening wood.