Mistakes are inevitable.
Whether the mistake you make be some sort of life-changing notion, or if it's just making the decision to sit on the cold metal floor of your already freezing room until you fall asleep leaning against your stiff bed frame and wake up to your back feeling like absolute shit, it's a mistake you're going to have to live with.
And that's life.
"Oh fuck," I mutter under my breath in a low whine, peeling my eyes open as I try to stretch my aching legs out. The metal flooring scrapes against the skin of my legs and I wince in pain, forcing my limbs back into their initial position to avoid the rough scraping feeling. "Fuck, my back hurts."
Din soon walks into our shared room, stripped completely of his usual beskar armor—everything but his shiny helmet, of course. He still hasn't found any comfort in showing his face to Grogu as he had before everything fell apart for a good two years. I mean, it's only a matter of time before he shows his face to the kid again, or maybe not. Maybe a Jedi will come around to collect Grogu for training before Din ever gets the chance to show the kid his face again.
Speaking of Jedi, if I remember correctly, Din had been setting up the navigation system so we could be on our way to Tython before I passed out on the floor to take a quick nap (if I could even call what I just took a nap). I can only assume that I had been out long enough for him to get everything set up since he was down here instead of up in the cockpit.
"What happened to you?" he asks, sliding his helmet off before looking over at me. I sigh and straighten myself out on the mattress, stretching my arms and legs out in peaceful bliss. My limbs and bones pull against each other in a tight draw before they relax completely.
"Fell asleep on the floor," I mutter, finally falling limp against the mattress. He chuckles and slides over to me, the dip of the mattress making me roll onto my side to face him. He sets one of his hands on my hip and pulls me in even closer, smiling softly as I lean forward to press a gentle kiss on his exposed collarbone. "I have a feeling carrying Poe on my shoulders wasn't the best idea in the book."
"I was a little surprised to see that you let him climb on your shoulders like that," he says, winking while sliding his hand up to squeeze my sore shoulder. I roll my eyes and shrug.
"Yeah, that was a little unexpected for my old, brittle bones. Ni aalar shuk'yc," I joke in Mando'a, rolling onto my back to face the low set ceiling above us. He chuckles and shakes his head, making me look over at him and wonder what he was laughing about. "What?"
"Nothing, nothing. It's just sometimes I forget how different your accent in Mando'a is," he says, smiling sweetly at me. I perk a brow, still wondering what the actual meaning of his simple statement is. "I just mean, your accent is different compared to what I grew up around in the covert."
"You've never mentioned that before," I say, feeling a little embarrassed at the thought of me speaking the language completely wrong the entire time I've known him. It seems to click in his mind what I'm silently thinking about because his eyes immediately widen and his sweet smile drops from his face.
"No, no, no—I didn't mean anything bad by it. It's a nice difference," he says in an attempt to reassure me. He rests a hand on my stomach and taps his fingers against my skin. "You know, I don't think you've ever told me how you learned Mando'a."
I take a deep breath, praying to the Maker that I don't embarrass myself any further.
"The data libraries I used to hide out in had a bunch of books scribed in Mando'a. That's how I initially learned the language, but I didn't really learn how to pronounce anything until I found a few audio links set up within certain parts of the books. There wasn't enough to really understand the exact pronunciation of every word, but there was enough to understand the basics," I explain, already assuming that I sound like an absolute idiot. "And that's probably why my accent sounds weird."
"I think your accent sounds cute," he says, smiling softly at me as he scoots a little closer to my side.
"Sure you do," I hum, rolling my eyes as a small smile creeps over my face.
He slowly leans down and gently presses a line of light kisses down the edge of my smooth jaw. I quietly giggle, feeling his patchy scruff scratch against my skin as his soft lips trail across my neck and collarbone.
"When's the last time you let me take care of you, mesh'la?" he whispers, slowly trailing back up so he can look me in the eye. His warm brown eyes meet mine and his gaze is full of a kindled heat, the warmth continuously growing with every second that passes. I sit up slightly and kiss him, wrapping my fingers around the thin collar of his shirt to draw him down as my back presses against the mattress again.
"Well, when's the last time you let me take care of you?" I echo, perking a slight brow. He shyly smiles and a light rush of pink floods into his face. I've always found it to be so adorable when he gets flustered like this. I smirk slightly, sinking further into the mattress as he props himself back up onto his elbow so he can look down at my face.
He looks down at his hands and starts to fidget with them, irritatingly rubbing the pad of his thumb into the palm of his hand. I perk a slight brow, carefully eyeing his nervous gesture. He pushes himself up into a proper sitting position and I follow in suit, matching his posture with ease.
He continues to fidget with his hands, looking as if he were about to rub a hole into the palm of his hand. I slowly grab onto both of his hands, keeping them from harmfully fidgeting with each other. I've always noticed that he's become so accustomed to performing his nervous gesture with his gloves on that when he does it without them on, he rarely realizes that he's practically burning his skin.
"Everything okay?" I ask, quirking my head to the side as I keep my eyes on him.
"Let's get married," he rushes out, giving both my hands a gentle squeeze. I furrow my brows as a confused smile pulls at the corner of my mouth.
"What?" I ask, not really understanding what he was trying to imply. I grab his left hand with my own and lift both of our hands up into the air between us to show off the metal bands we're both wearing. "I thought we decided to do that a while ago?"
"We did, but I was wondering if maybe you'd recite the Mandalorian marriage vows with me?" he says, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders while his free hand sheepishly rubs at the back of his neck. "I know that a lot of my own Creed and tradition has been thrown out the window, but I want to at least keep this part intact."
I smile and nod my head, understanding the reasoning behind his simple request. The way of the Mandalore and the creed he had sworn and honored throughout his life had been practically destroyed when Bo-Katan told him the truth of what his covert really was. It's perfectly understandable that he wants to keep this part sacred, in a sense.
Plus, I really want to recite the Mandalorian vows with him.
"I thought you'd never ask," I tease, smiling while sending him a quick wink. He smiles a little more, squeezing my hands a little more. He straightens his shoulders out and clears his throat once.
"Repeat after me," he says, taking a deep breath afterward. I let out a small chuckle and nod my head. "Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome."
"Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome," I repeat, gently squeezing his hands.
"Mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde," he continues before meeting my eyes.
"Mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde," I finish reciting. He smiles wide and leans forward, pressing his lips to mine. One of his arms wraps around my waist while his free hand gently cradles my cheek. I slowly guide him back and straddle his hips, sinking comfortably in his lap as my arms rest atop his shoulders. "I love you."
"I love you too," he whispers, stealing another quick kiss to my lips.
"Din Djarin, I don't think you understand how much I really love you," I whisper back, leaning my forehead against his. Tears prick my eyes at the thought of Kes losing Shara; it had been out of the blue and just purely unexpected. And with the way Din and I work, out of the blue and purely unexpected happens to be one of the most common factors that we have to face every single day.
Losing each other is amongst the strongest possibilities out there.
Hell, it's already happened once.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath, taking in the clear scent of his usual self. A mix of fine leather, beskar, and the faint lingering scent of ozone from the thousands of blaster bolts he had undoubtedly shot. I've always found that scent comforting and relaxing, one of the few things that can really calm me down. It's the only thing in the galaxy that can make me met in seconds.
"I would tear a hole in the galaxy just to find you," I say, pulling him in a little closer.
"You won't have to tear a hole in the galaxy," he says, shaking his head as his arms wrap around my waist. "Because I'll always be right here, by your side."
"Let's keep it that way," I say, a light chuckle in tow before I kiss him again. I pull away and pull him into a tight hug. "I don't want to lose you again."
"I know, cyar'ika," he says, squeezing me a little tighter. "You're not going to lose me again, I promise."
Mistakes are inevitable.
Whether the mistake you make be some sort of life-changing notion, or if it's just making a promise you can't keep, it's a mistake you're going to have to live with.
And that's life.
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Word count: 1802
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Translations:
Ni aalar shuk'yc: I feel broken down
Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome, mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde: We are one when together, we are one when parted, we will share all, we will raise warriors
Mesh'la: Beautiful
Cyar'ika: Darling, beloved, sweetheart
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Note: Hey guys! I've got some nice ol' fluff for y'all today. Also, finals have been kicking my ASS AHHHH- Anyway, how are y'all doing? I hope all is well and I'll see you next chapter!