just a quick little drabble i came up with to celebrate mother's day <3; 1.6k+ words
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"You're too overprotective."
The sentence slipped out without him thinking. He really didn't mean to say it, but he did. You had just taken the Child from him after he attempted again to have Grogu attach the wires with their correct colors in the wall of the Razor Crest. He knew you wouldn't like it, but the ship was practically falling apart at the seams and he needed it to be fixed quickly. He couldn't keep the ship in this forest forever. The planet seemed vacant, but who knew what was lurking in the shadows.
He wanted to argue that you'd already taught Grogu his colors so this really wouldn't be that much of a challenge for him now, but his aggravation made him snap just a little bit harsher.
As the words left his lips, altered by the modulator on his helmet, you turned ever-so-slowly, eyebrows raising as you looked straight at the visor of the Mandalorian's helmet. "I'm overprotective?"
Although he felt like winning this fight wouldn't be possible for him, he stood his ground. "Yes."
You scoffed. "Really, Din? I'm the protective one?"
"Yes. You won't even let the kid help me!" '
"He's a baby," you reminded him, "and last time I let you use him, what happened?"
He sighed. "He was fine---"
You placed one hand on your hip. Grogu was against your other one, holding onto your fist in fistfuls. He was looking at Din in a way that made him think he probably wasn't going to take his side. Figures, Din thought. Grogu definitely favored you. "What happened, Din?"
"He got shocked. But---"
"He got shocked!" you repeated. "Isn't that enough to not want him near those wires again? He's a smart kid, Din, but he's still a baby. I know you expect a lot out of him and that's really good, but please think rationally about this. It's our job to protect him."
"I do protect him. I wouldn't let anything happen to him."
"Okay," you said, "then please don't put our kid in a position where he could be electrocuted. Okay?"
Grogu babbled, almost like he was saying "I told you so" to Din. He probably was. He took your side no matter what. Din sighed.
You grinned. "Dinner's almost done. You hungry?"
"I guess."
"I'll make you a plate then," you said. With the kid on your hip, you turned away and left the room.
Later that night, when dinner was finished and you were cleaning up the baby, Din was seated back on a crate, lifting his helmet periodically to sip his tea. You made sure neither you nor Grogu would be able to see, ensuring his privacy. Grogu giggled loudly from your lap where you poked lightly at his sides, tickling him until his eyes squeezed shut and he grabbed your fingers with the entirety of his hands.
"You're so silly, baby," you said, nuzzling your face against his.
Din turned his head back to look at the two of you. He watched you lift the kid in the air, your face pressed against his cheek, pressing a kiss there. The kid wrapped his arms around your head, gripped your hair in his hands, and laughed gleefully as you kissed him again and again on the cheek.
His heart warmed; there was something so amazing about how you'd adapted to raising the kid. You did it without a second thought. He needed parents, and you knew that you and Din could be those for him. You were so selfless, giving up the life you knew to take care of a kid that wasn't yours. You treated him like he was. If it wasn't for the fact that the kid looked so different, some might expect that he was really yours.
Watching you and the Child was so distracting. It was so distracting that he almost didn't notice the sounds outside of the ship until Grogu lifted his head a little in concern.
Then Din was on his feet, dropping the cup of tea to the ground with a clatter. He rushed across the ship to you and grabbed your arm. You laid the baby on your chest, gently pushing his head to rest on your shoulder. He pulled out his blaster.
"What do you think it is?" you whispered.
"I don't know," he said. "Stay here."
"Din!" you hissed as he opened the hatch. The ship opened with a hiss. He stepped out slowly, weapon raised. You knew that he would be careful, but it still made your heart squeeze in your chest and your throat tighten. "Din, please come back."
He ignored you. He stepped all the way to the bottom of the hatch and glanced around slowly. You and the Child remained silent and still.
In a flash, a figure darted on board the Razor Crest. It moved so quickly that you couldn't even comprehend it, but Din did. He moved faster than you'd ever seen him move. He darted up the ramp and back on board, firing his blaster wildly.
"Get to the cockpit," he said, "now!"
You turned quickly on your heels and ran to the ladder. Holding the baby in the crook of your arm, you used the other hand and both your feet to quickly move yourself up the rungs. You turned your head to see Din rapidly firing at the creature that was darting around the ship. He managed to corner it, and from where you and the Child could see it from halfway up the ladder, the Child reached.
"Gah!" he babbled, closing his hands and opening them again.
The creature stilled in the corner. It circled around itself and you saw a tiny dog-like creature made of ice. Your hands relaxed as it whimpered and buried its face in its paws.
"What is it?" you asked.
"A Vulptex," Din sighed. He put his blaster away. "Must've wandered over here from one of the caves deep in the mountain."
Grogu screeched with joy. You stepped off the ladder and placed him down on the floor, keeping both of his hands in yours. "I think he wants to pet him."
"Well, don't---" Din stepped toward both of you, hand out. "I don't know if it'll bite him."
You raised your eyebrows at him. "I think it's just a pup."
"You don't know that," he said. "Besides, pups may still bite. Just stay back, got it?"
You obeyed, keeping your lips sealed tightly as you did. After taking two slow steps forward, Din knelt in front of the creature and held his hand out. The Vulptex looked untrusting at first, but after a couple of sniffs in Din's direction and a shaky flick of its tail, it trusted him enough to poke his palm with its nose. Din chuckled quietly and scratched the bottom of his chin.
Grogu took a step forward. He whined.
"No, Grogu," Din said sternly. He turned and held up a finger. "No. I said no."
The Child stepped backwards, pressing against you with a low whimper of disappointment.
"Wandered away from home, didn't you, boy?" He scratched it again and then stood up. "I think he just got a little scared. Didn't expect to have company near his habitat. Don't worry. We'll be gone before too long. Go on --- get back where you came from."
The Vulptex listened. With a soft calling sound, it scurried away, back to the icy frost of the forest.
Din closed the hatch and turned around. You stared at him with your hand on your hip. He paused, noticing how your eyebrow was raised. "What now?"
"What now?" you asked. "Din Djarin."
"What'd I do? You didn't want me to let it go?"
"That isn't it," you said.
"Then what---"
"I'm too overprotective?" you asked. You picked Grogu up and walked across the ship to Din.
He rolled his eyes underneath the helmet. "So what if I am?"
"So what if you are?" you asked, reaching up on your tiptoes to touch your forehead to his. "I think it's sweet how much you love us. But Din --- please let your son experience new things."
He laughed softly. "New things outside of electrical work."
"Precisely," you said with a smile. "You can be overprotective all you want. But you have to let him learn and experience things, too."
"What makes you so sure I was protecting him? I could have been protecting the fox," he said.
"Valid point," you said, looking down at the green baby that was currently squirming in your arms. "This kid might've devoured it if given the chance."
"See?"
"Still," you said, "I think he might've just wanted to pet it."
"Next time, pal," Din promised, holding out his finger for Grogu to hold. "Next time when we find a less... menacing looking animal, maybe."
"Din," you laughed.
"What? This is our son we're talking about. It's our job to protect him." He pulled his hand away from Grogu's to stroke your cheek. You fought the urge to roll your eyes at him as he walked around you. "We'd better head to bed, princess. We need rest if we are going to be climbing into the walls ourselves to take a look at the electric work."
He disappeared up the ladder, into the cockpit, where he was probably settling in for the night.
"Well, baby," you said, shrugging, "I guess this just shows you how much your Mama and Papa love you. Huh?"
He cooed and nuzzled his face against your shoulder, and you knew that he understood. He hugged you closely, digging his claws into your skin just to make sure he wasn't separated. You kissed him on the top of the head and his eyes began to grow heavy, but he didn't let go of you. You smiled.
It was easy for you to imagine that he would always be a mama's boy.