chapter 33: the revelation •••
The Crest is barely puttering along by the time the lava fields of Nevarro come into view. You sit in the cockpit with Din, the baby babbling happily on your lap as he looks through the transparisteel. You giggle softly at his enthusiasm, brushing a hand over one of his ears repetitively as he reaches a hand out. The other presses against your stomach, a new habit of his. You assume he can guess whatever's been going on with you, and this is his best attempt at comforting you.
"Are you excited to see our friends again, little one?" you ask him in a soft voice, getting the baby to look at you as he coos loudly in response. You laugh, pressing a kiss to his wrinkly forehead as his eyes glow brighter. "Me too."
"Hey," Din starts to say, turning his helmet around in his chair to look at the two of you, "don't have too much fun without me back there."
"You hear that, ad'ika?" you question, sharing a gaze full of amusement with the baby. "Sounds like someone's jealous."
The baby snorts and looks over at his father, who also scoffs as he returns his attention to landing the rickety Crest. The descent is bumpy, but Din manages to land just outside the city, right in the same place where you'd first met him. The thought makes your smile grow larger as you stand up with the baby in your arms. As Din stands up, though, you can tell he's looking rather longingly at your son. You offer the baby to him and he eagerly takes him from you. The baby coos and nestles into his father's shoulder, warming your chest as you lead the way down to the hull.
When Din opens the hatch, the ramp falters. He sighs, muttering a curse underneath his breath that makes you nudge his shoulder. His helmet turns to look at you, tilting in a questioning manner as you raise your brow at him. "Not in front of the little one," you chastise him softly, making him chuckle and use his free hand to support your lower back as you continue forward on the broken ramp.
Your cheeks nearly hurt from your smile as you spot Cara and Karga already waiting for you just beyond the ship. Din lifts his hand from your back to instead take one of your hands, helping you to sit down on the edge of the ramp and jump down to the ground. Din follows right after, joining you at your side as you approach your friends.
"Looks like someone could use some repairs," Karga calls out, a fond smile on his face. You chuckle and raise your brow as Din tilts his helmet to agree. They shake hands once the distance between you has been closed.
"How's my credit around here?" Din questions playfully, offering the same handshake to Cara as Karga takes your hand and leaves a chaste kiss on the back of it.
"I think something could be arranged," Karga answers, watching as you and Cara share a quick yet meaningful embrace. "Isn't that right, Marshal?"
Cara looks down at the baby in Din's arm and smiles, brushing her hand along his ear before she looks back up at Din. "I'm sure we can work somethin' out," Cara says with a chuckle.
"I'll get my best people on it," Karga assures Din, leaning back to call out to a few nearby mechanics. "Hey, fellas! Let's fix this couple's ship! I want it good as new." He turns back to you, smiling a little more as he faces you directly. "So, Marshal Dune here told me you two officially tied the knot a while ago." You share a glance with Din, unable to keep yourself from smiling as you nod and look back at Karga. "Well, congratulations. I can't say I didn't see that coming." He pauses when the baby coos, looking down at him with a sparkling gaze. "And you, come here, little one!"
Karga laughs as he gently takes the baby from Din's arm. You're happy to see Din give him freely to his old friend, any past skepticism having been left behind as Karga now looks upon the child not unlike he's his own family.
"Have they been taking good care of you, huh?" Karga asks the baby, looking pointedly at Din afterwards. "Have you been takin' good care o' him?" He nods towards you. "I know she has." The baby then coos up at Karga, causing him to widen his eyes. "Yeah? Yeah! He said 'yeah!' Oh, yeah."
Din tilts his helmet at Cara, who does the same back before the three of you continue after Karga and the baby. Your hand finds Din's as you walk close together, looking upon the city that you once dreaded and now is full of life. There's vibrant colors thrown all around, the market nearly bursting at the seams as you make your way through the main arch. You gaze upon it with awe, giving Din's hand a squeeze before you look over at Cara.
"It's beautiful here," you insist, still smiling as you meet her gaze.
"Yeah, it looks like you two have been busy," Din adds, squeezing your hand back as he glances around for himself.
"I myself have been steeped in clerical work," Karga responds, looking back at the three of you. "Marshal Dune here is to be thanked for cleaning up the town."
Cara shrugs off the compliment, instead looking over at the two of you with slight concern. "Your ship's not lookin' too good," she insists.
"We had a run-in with the New Republic," Din answers, his tone nearly embarrassed as he swings his arm that's holding yours. You smile, recognizing the shy gesture.
"They should leave the Outer Rim alone," Karga mutters. "If the Empire couldn't settle it, what makes them think they can?" Karga stops as he walks up the steps to a building, one that looks familiar though you can't put your finger on it. "Here we are." He starts to press a few buttons on the control panel, causing you to look over at Din. He's stopped rather abruptly in his tracks, looking at the building without a tilt to his helmet.
"I'm surprised to see this place is still standing," Din remarks, attempting a joke—though you can hear the strain in his voice.
That's when you realize what it is: the cantina where Din almost died, and you had to leave him.
Your grip on his hand tightens as soon as you fall upon the realization, and your heart starts to ache at the way he squeezes it back. Still, you both watch as Karga and Cara head inside, Cara turning around to look at you both with an optimistic smile. "Just wait 'til you see inside," she says, turning back around and walking in.
You don't follow just yet, instead looking up at Din as you bring your free hand to his cuirass. "Din," you call for him lowly, watching as his visor turns to you, "are you okay with going inside?"
Din looks from you to the cantina for a moment, meeting your gaze again with a nod. "Yeah. I'll be fine, cyar'ika."
Your brow furrows. "Are you sure?"
"I'm certain. I'm... sure they've transformed this place into something great."
You smile at his positivity, squeezing his hand one more time before you both finally follow Cara and Karga inside. When you enter, you can hear a protocol droid speaking about the geography of the galaxy, making your brow lift as you stand alongside your friends. You and Din seem to realize what it is at the same time as you observe the long stretches of desks filled with children.
"A school?" Din asks almost breathlessly, looking over at Cara with disbelief.
"Things have changed a lot around here," Cara remarks, smiling over at the two of you.
"We'll leave the little one here so we can talk business," Karga says, starting to make his way across the room with the baby.
"Wait," Din pleads, dropping your hand for a moment to walk forward. "Wherever we go, he goes."
"Mando, please," Karga insists, looking upon Din with a serious gaze. "Where we're going, you don't wanna take a child. Trust me."
A pit forms in your stomach at that. You look at Cara, who returns your glance with a hint of darkness. You lean over to whisper to her. "What's going on?"
"We'll explain it all to you," Cara assures you, also keeping her voice low as Din joins you back at your side. You wrap both your arms around his in an attempt to bring him comfort, looking at him just to see his visor staring ahead at the sight of Karga setting the baby in his own desk. "He'll be fine here," Cara speaks more loudly this time, looking over at Din as she gives him a nod. "You have my word."
Din, knowing he can trust Cara's word, visibly relaxes, still looking after the baby as he pulls you closer into his side. You brush your thumbs over the clothed part of his arm, knowing how deep his attachment to the baby runs—and vice versa. Leaving him anywhere that isn't with you two or with a few people he knows he can trust is as dangerous as leaving him out in the open.
Karga walks back towards you, waving his arm as he heads for the doorway. "C'mon," he directs, leading the way out. Cara follows, but Din lingers. You gently tug his arm, getting his visor to look at you again.
"He'll be just fine, riduur," you say with a gentle smile. "I promise."
Din nods at you, taking a soft breath as he lets you guide him out of the school. You follow Karga and Cara through the town again, eventually heading inside yet another building with them. This one's unrecognizable from your time spent on Nevarro before, appearing as some sort of administrative place as you walk through the door frame.
"There's no registration on the ship," a Mythrol is saying as he looks down at a datapad behind a desk, "but I'm pretty sure it belongs to..." He trails off when he looks up and sees Din entering at your side. There's a fear in his eyes that's nearly tangible, causing you to look at Din with confusion.
"I believe you two have met," Karga says, confusing you even more as you look back to the Mythrol. A puff of mist appears from his gills, his mouth falling open as he stares upon your husband in shock. Your brow furrows now as you look at Din again, letting one of your arms fall from his as the other slips into his gloved hand.
"I'm surprised to see you here," Din says, nodding at the Mythrol.
"Right back at ya'," the Mythrol responds, attempting to remain casual.
"Who's this?" you ask Din, keeping your voice low. He doesn't get a chance to answer you just yet.
"Mythrol here's taken care of my books since he was a pollywog," Karga explains. "But then he disappeared one day after a bit of 'creative accounting.'"
"Magistrate Karga was generous enough to let me work off my debt," Mythrol gushes, his voice wavering with his nerves as he speaks. "Thank you, by the way."
"Three hundred and fifty years, but who's counting?" Karga mutters, looking sharply at the Mythrol.
"Well, if he runs off on you again, let me know," Din remarks, tilting his helmet in a threatening manner. Realization sets in for you. This must've been a bounty he brought in.
"Let me assure you, I do not wanna spend anymore time in carbonite," Mythrol insists, chuckling a bit—but mostly with fear. "Still can't see outta' my left eye."
"You froze him in carbonite?" you question, looking at Din with wide eyes.
"It was part of the job, rid'ika," Din insists, finally returning your look. "You've seen the freezer on the ship."
"Yeah, but still!" you exclaim, letting your slight amusement show as you smile at him. Din shakes his head, trying to hold back his own chuckle.
"Can we talk business?" Cara interjects, walking over to a desk that's behind you.
"We're only here for repairs," Din states firmly, "and to see a doctor."
Cara furrows her brow. "A doctor?" She looks between the two of you. "What is it?"
"It's nothing, really," you respond, feeling slightly embarrassed as you give Din's hand a squeeze. He returns one to you in comfort. "I was just feeling a little sick with everything that's been going on. It's more for peace of mind."
Cara nods. "I see. Well, we'll make sure you see the best we have." You nod in gratitude, giving her a small smile.
"It'll take a while, though, for the repairs and the appointment," Karga adds, looking over at your husband with desperation. "And we could really use Mando's help."
"Help how?" Din questions. "I was planning on going with her."
Cara releases a breath and leans forward, lighting up a hologram on the table. "This is Nevarro," she says, gesturing to the figures in the blue and green light. "We're here. This entire area's a green zone. Completely safe." She then taps to zoom in to another area, which is lined with red light. "But over on this side is the problem."
"It's an old Imperial base," Karga explains.
"It's where all those troops came from when we defeated Moff Gideon," Cara adds.
"This base has been here since the Imperial expansion," Karga continues. "It's got a skeleton crew, but for some reason, it hasn't been abandoned. There's a lot o' heavy weaponry in that place the black market would love to dismantle and get their hands on."
"And you wanna mop up the last of the Imperial force before they do," Din nearly scoffs.
"Mando, I just want them off my planet," Karga asserts. "If we could take out that one last base, Nevarro would be completely safe. We could be a trade anchor for the entire sector."
"And the planet would finally be free," Cara finishes.
Din remains silent for a few moments, looking between your companions before he releases a breath. "Let us talk it over for a minute," he finally answers, gesturing to you with his helmet.
"Sure," Cara agrees, nodding with a soft smile. You return the look, letting Din lead you to just outside the building as he takes both your hands in his.
"Are you sure you're okay with going alone?" Din asks, his modulated voice as soft as you're used to hearing it whenever it's just the two of you.
"I'll be fine on my own, Din," you assure him just as softly, giving his hands a squeeze. "I promise."
Din's visor still looks you up and down, his helmet tilting a bit as he brings you even closer to him. "If you want me there with you, cyar'ika, I will be. Karga and Cara can handle this on their own."
"No, Din, I'll be fine," you nearly laugh. "You go and help them. I'll stay here and once I'm done with the appointment, I'll stay with the baby."
Din sighs, nodding at you. "Okay." He then presses his helmet to your forehead, drawing your hands closer to his cuirass. "I'm sure everything will be all right, ner kar'ta."
"You better not pull a krayt dragon on me this time, Mando," you tease, freeing one hand to cup the ridge of his helmet.
"No crazy stunts this time around, cyare. Not when you're not there to see them."
You scoff playfully. "Show-off."
Din chuckles, using one of his hands to brush a few wisps of hair out of your face. "I love you, riduur."
You smile at his affectionate words. "I love you too, Din. Be safe, all right?"
Din nods. "I promise I will this time." You believe his words, walking with him back inside as he approaches Karga and Cara with a sigh. "What are we looking at?"
They go on to brief him about their entire plan, while you simply stand aside and listen to it. Nothing sounds incredibly dangerous, which takes even more of the stress off you. Still, you wish you could go along, but you know you need to follow along with what you and Din agreed upon and see a doctor. Staying sick while also staying on the Crest is good for no one, especially with Corvus in such close reach.
Once they've finished, Cara pulls you aside, letting you say goodbye to your husband and other companions before she guides you to the medcenter. You fill her in on what's going on, and she listens attentively with concern as she walks alongside you. It's only when you head inside that you notice her eyes glowing with a different kind of light, her hand gently patting your shoulder as she tilts her head at you.
"Whatever you need, we'll be here for you," Cara says gently. "All right?" You nod, confused by what she means but unable to question her as she turns to a medical droid who's standing at a desk in the front. "Hey, MB-03, I need you to run some tests on our guest here. Make sure she's as comfortable as can be."
"It would be my pleasure, Marshal Dune," MB-03 remarks, the light blue of their metallic build glinting in the light as they walk out from around the desk. "I'll take care of her myself."
"We'll be back soon," Cara assures you, giving you a nod and a smile before she leaves. You sigh, nervously wrapping your arms around yourself as you follow MB-03 to a room towards the back. You would never tell Din, but you've never been fond of medical facilities, due to an accident you'd had when you were younger. You didn't want to hold him back, though, and you knew you could handle this on your own. Your companions needed his help.
"Please, come in," MB-03 requests once she's opened the sliding door of a room down the hall. You nod, silently obeying as you walk into the all-white room. There's a table in the middle where you can lay down, scanning technologies filling the space around it along with a few screens. You look to the droid for guidance, who points you towards the table. "You can lay down right there."
You make your way over to the table, sitting atop it and laying down as she's instructed. MB-03 stands over you for a moment, causing your fingers to fiddle with each other anxiously as you stare up at her glowing eyes. I can see why Din still gets freaked out by droids sometimes.
"Where have you been feeling discomfort?" MB-03 asks, pulling up a hologram on their arm.
"My stomach," you inform the droid. "I don't think it's anything, really, I just... got sick a few times after eating, once when our ship crashed and the other time on a boat. And I cramped up a few times last night."
The droid presses a few buttons on their arm. She says nothing for the moment, making you swallow hard before she speaks. "Is that all?" When you nod, she lets the hologram fade, instead making her way over to one of the scanners. "We'll focus the scan on that area, then. All you need to do is stay still for a while. The scan takes some time in order to be extra thorough."
You nod again, watching as she carries the scanner to hover over you. It shines with a green light that spans from the tops of your thighs to the middle of your chest, making sure the entire abdominal area is well-covered. Your hands ball up into fists at your sides, and you close your eyes as you think of happy things.
The first thing to come to mind is Din's smile. You nearly laugh yourself at the memory of his laughter, especially the night he tried to teach you Tusken. It's rare for him to be so light-hearted in the midst of everything you're going through with the child, and getting to see him have those moments means the entire galaxy and more to you.
Then, the baby comes to mind. You beam just at the thought of his soft coos, especially when he's snuck his way into your shared compartment and he's released soft snores between your and Din's chests. Like you talked about with Din the night before, he feels so much like a son to you, and you never expected to be able to fit into the motherly role so easily—so easily that you'll find it hard to have to snap out of it when you bring him to the Jedi on Corvus.
Finally, you think of your family together. All the moments you got to share not just during your relaxation on Sorgan, but also in the cramped space of the Crest, always staying close and keeping each other safe. You never knew how much you wanted a family until you had one again. You've been running for so many years on your own, trying to find a new purpose after the destruction of your home. Now, you've come to find a brand new home of your own, its foundation resting in the man to whom you've vowed yourself and the child you both protect.
It makes your eyes water as you try to blink the joyful tears away, taking a deep breath to steady yourself. You close your eyes in a further attempt to relax, eventually letting the white light exchange for black as you seek the rest you've been missing out on too much over the last few days.
When you come to again, you realize a pillow's been placed under your head and a warm blanket's been thrown over you. You sit up slowly, looking around as you try to figure out how long you've been asleep. MB-03's standing at one of the screens, and she turns around as she hears your rustling.
"Ah, you're awake," she greets, walking over to a floating table where she's placed a small bite to eat and a cup of water. "Here."
"How long was I out for?" you question, furrowing your brow as you glance at the droid.
"Only an hour," MB-03 answers. "Please, eat. Your scan's been complete and the results are almost ready."
You do as she says, taking cautious bites of the food she's provided you with and separating them with sips of water. After you swallow a few, you look at the droid with confusion. "You know, I thought all this technology might be a little bit faster."
"This is our highest quality scan," MB-03 informs you. "It takes longer to process in order to catch everything it sees."
You simply nod at her words, finishing off your food and gulping down the rest of your water. With a sigh, you shift on the table so that your legs are swinging off the side of it, your head tilting to the side once you see a green light flash on MB-03's screen. She swipes her finger across the hologram, noting a few things before she powers down the screen. The droid turns to you and comes a few steps closer.
"It seems that congratulations are in order," MB-03 tells you.
You smile in a relieved manner at her. "Does that nothing's wrong with me?"
"No," the droid responds. "You are with child."
You raise an eyebrow in confusion. "Actually, I'm not currently with the..." you trail off, thinking over her words for a moment until your eyes go so wide you're half-afraid they'll jump right out of your head. Suddenly, you connect everything together—every symptom, every action, every feeling. You look at the droid with your jaw practically on the floor. "I'm... I'm pregnant?"
"Yes," MB-03 confirms. You let out a struggled breath in disbelief, your gaze falling to your hands on your lap that have started to shake. "Again, congratulations."
You shake your head a few times, starting to smile to yourself as the truth sets in. Your clan will soon be growing to four, and all of your and Din's fears about no longer being parents can be put to rest. It's much sooner than you expected and not ideal for your life in the Crest, but you can't stop to think about that right now. Instead, you keep thinking about the smile that you love so much lighting up the room the moment you share the news with him, telling him of the life you've created together and will get to raise together—the life to which you'll be able to give everything you and Din have always wanted: a family, a home, and security.
A bubbling laugh escapes you as you fold your hands over your mouth, already watching the room blur around you as tears of shared joy and disbelief fill your eyes. MB-03 comes closer, this time offering a tissue to you. "I assume you weren't aware of this."
You take it from her and shake your head, blotting your eyes as your shaking hand balls the material into your fist. "No, I... we had no idea."
MB-03 turns around to start resettling the room. "You're about ten weeks along."
You nearly gasp as you stare at the droid. "Ten weeks?" You think back and try to pinpoint the origin. You assume it must've been one of your last nights on Sorgan before you returned to your quest within the Crest. "I... wow." You're still in shock, laughing a few times as you slide off the table. "Well, uh—thank you so much."
"It was my pleasure," MB-03 insists, guiding you out of the room and back to the front of the medcenter. You start to make your way out on your own, everything around you feeling like it's going in slow motion as you try to process what you've just been told. A soft smile's been permanently etched on your features as your hands rest subconsciously over your stomach, tears of joy still collecting in your eyes as you walk out into the Nevarro town.
When you look down at your stomach, you realize what the child's been doing all along. With his powers, he could probably sense the growing life in you—and he's been trying to tell you and express his happiness about it. The thought only makes you tear up more, causing you to laugh out a joyful sob that you try to keep suppressed for the sake of not making a fool of yourself in public.
You plan on telling Din as soon as possible, wanting him to share this joy with you, but it's him who finds you first. You hear him before you see him, looking up when the roaring of his Rising Phoenix comes into hearing. You smile wide when he lands, but the urgent way he rushes over to you—along with the absence of Karga and Cara—causes it to falter.
"Thank the Maker," Din breathes when he closes the distance between you, his hands grabbing you by the shoulders. "I thought you two were..." Din trails off, tilting his helmet as he observes the tears in your eyes. He moves his gloved hands to hold your face as his thumbs brush away any stray tears. "What is it, cyar'ika? Did something happen?" His voice is nearly breathless with fear when he continues. "Did he take the baby?"
"Did he—what?" you echo with confusion. "What are you talking about, Din?"
Din sighs with relief quickly, keeping you close as he explains himself. "Riduur, Moff Gideon is still alive." Your heart that'd been soaring in your chest suddenly sinks into your stomach, a horrible feeling consuming you as you can feel your expression fall even more. "Three days ago, he got a message from the facility saying they need more blood from the kid. They're gonna try to take him again."
You shake your head, wrapping your hands around Din's wrists. "No." Your gaze falls to Din's cuirass. There's no way you can tell him the news now; with the knowledge that Moff Gideon's alive and is coming after your son again, you can't possibly add the stress of another child who needs protecting to Din's mind. You decide to keep it to yourself for now, looking back up to his visor with concern. "He's not here, is here?"
"Not as far as I can tell. But when I saw you crying, I was afraid they'd already gotten him."
You shake your head. "No, I just—I was coming from the medcenter."
Now, it's Din's voice that's full of concern. "Is everything okay?"
You nod, your eyes nearly beginning to fill with tears again as you smile a bit. "Everything is fine, Din—perfect." Din releases a large breath of relief as he brushes his gloved thumbs over your cheeks. "I'll fill you in later. For now, we have to get our son out of here."
"You're right." Din takes you by the hand and starts to run with you towards the school, thankfully being very familiar with the way as you get there in record time. You stay outside while Din goes in, taking the child from his desk and hurrying out. You notice the baby's got a silver-wrapped stack of blue cookies with him, making you raise an eyebrow as he simply coos at you. "Let's head back to the Crest."
You start to run alongside him again, raising your brow as you look over at him. "Do you think she's ready yet?"
Din tilts his helmet. "I sure hope so."
You grit your teeth, letting your feet take you as fast as they can to the hangar. Thankfully, a fully refurbished Crest comes into view, her silhouette as relieving as ever. You and Din speed ahead as Din opens the hatch using his vambrace, satisfied to see it working as smoothly as ever.
"Shab'lek!" Fuck yeah! Din exclaims with relief, and you don't bother to elbow him this time as you make your way into the Crest. The three of you get to the cockpit in record time, where Din sets the baby down in one seat and straps him in tight. You do the same in the other seat, watching as Din works the controls with ease. "Hang on, everyone. This could get interesting."
"Din," you warn, raising your brow as he gets the Crest into the air. "What do you mean?"
"The others are in a tight spot," Din informs you, and when he turns the ship, you can see the TIE fighters in the distance. "We've got to help them."
"Then do what you do best, riduur."
You can sense Din's smirk as he answers. "Oh, I'll show off for you, rid'ika."
You chuckle until he jerks the ship up in a quick motion, making you hold on tight to whatever you can as the Crest zooms through the air. You're not piloting her, but you can feel how smooth she glides, causing Din's gloved fingers to flutter happily on the joystick as he makes his way towards the TIEs. He flips over them to approach them from behind, causing your stomach—and your baby, much to your horror—to go along with the ship. You close your eyes for a moment to focus on not getting sick again.
Din gets one, letting the Crest zoom forward before he pulls the ship up. Your back flattens against the seat as you hear the child giggling excitedly beside you, and you look to see him raising his little arms and cookies in the air as if he's on some sort of amusement ride. You giggle and shake your head, facing forward again as Din takes out another TIE. The child hollers in joy again as Din pulls back on the joystick, flipping the Crest back over so that you're facing the ground again. He then zooms ahead to approach the last fighter, letting the Crest spin a few times to dodge their bolts. You close your eyes, forcing yourself to take a few breaths as your medcenter snack from earlier tries to make its reappearance.
"Din!" you exclaim as the TIE comes closer.
"I know, cyar'ika, I'm sorry—just hang on!" Din's tone is curt yet sincere thanks to his focus, his fingers soon flexing on the joystick as he fires at the fighter. It bursts into flames, leaving the path clear as the Crest soars through open air.
You smile and shake your head, amazed at Din's advanced piloting skills—no matter how sick they might make you feel. You can see the small figures of Cara and Karga celebrating on the ground below, making you smile wider as you watch Din turn around to look at your son.
"Not too bad, huh, kid?" Din asks your son, making you laugh until you look closer and realize you're not the one who's going to be sick. A small amount of blue-colored vomit spills from his tiny mouth, and he looks almost guiltily up at his father afterwards. "Oh boy." Din sighs as he turns to the dashboard again, extending his left hand out towards you to stop you when you try to get up.
"That was some impressive flying, Mando!" Karga exclaims through the intercom. Din looks around for something to help the child, but settles for the edge of his cape, leaning back to wipe at his mouth and his robes. "What do I owe ya'?"
The child whimpers a few times in a way that makes your heart sink—but watching the tender care of Din, especially with the knowledge of what's to come for him in such a fatherly role, makes you smile so wide your cheeks start to hurt. "With the repairs, let's call it even," Din responds to Karga, still working to clean up the child.
"Can I least buy you two a drink?" Karga asks.
You chuckle softly as Din fully faces the controls again. "Sorry, we have some... onboard maintenance we gotta take care of," Din answers, making you snort. "Then we gotta hit the road before Gideon catches wise."
"Well, good luck flying, my friends."
You smile as Din turns off the intercom, letting the Crest soar ahead as he gets you out of the atmosphere. Once you're back with the stars, he sets the coordinates for Corvus, sending you into hyperspace just moments later.
With a sigh, you unstrap yourself and stand from your seat, walking over to the child who's still whining and picking him up. "I'll clean him up," you assure Din, watching as he looks over at you. "Will we all have enough time to get some rest?"
"We should be able to," Din responds with a nod. "Should I meet you in bed, then?"
You nod, smiling as you turn to head down to the hull. The child nearly falls asleep in your arms—no doubt exhausted by the day spent in school, engaging in a TIE fighter attack, and getting sick—as you clean him up and get him into a swaddle of blankets. Once he's in his hammock, you wash the vomit out of his robe, setting it out to dry and heading back up to your compartment. By the time you walk inside, Din's already rid himself of his armor and left his shirt on the edge of the bed for you. You both remain in peaceful silence as you change, feeling as relieved as ever to fall not only into bed but also into his arms.
When Din has you close, he lets you hide your face in his neck, brushing his hands along your head and your back before he speaks softly. "So, what did the doctor say?" Din questions, his concern evident in his tone. "Is everything really okay?"
You smile to yourself, your eyes filling with tears yet again as you close them to keep them hidden away. With Corvus being your next stop, you decide to wait and tell him the truth once you've left the child with his people, wanting to use the news to brighten his spirits when he's left his son behind. "Everything's fine, Din."
"Okay. It's just... you looked very upset when I found you, rid'ika. I was afraid something was wrong."
You have to bite your lip to keep yourself from crying or telling him the news immediately. "No, nothing's wrong." You whisper the next words against his warm skin. "It's all perfect." Knowing you need to come up with an excuse for your earlier behavior, you rack your mind for something believable. "I just missed you."
Din presses a series of soft kisses to your head. "Oh, cyar'ika, I'm so sorry I couldn't go with you. Ni ceta."
"Don't apologize, Din, it's okay. It's just weird when we spend so much time together now, you know?"
"Trust me, ner kar'ta, I know." Din pulls you even closer, tilting your chin up with his hand for a moment to press a kiss to your lips. "Try to sleep, all right? We'll need all the energy we can get for Corvus."
You nod, smiling as you go in for one more kiss before you hide your face in his neck again. "I love you." Your voice wobbles as you say the words, thinking of how deep it truly all goes now as one of your hands subconsciously rests on your stomach.
"I love you too, rid'ika. Nuhoy." Sleep.
With a bursting heart and a warm chest, you find rest with the father of your current and future child—your clan of four, letting the joyful image of his smile upon hearing the news linger in your mind.
And little do you know that the beating of your heart falls in rhythm with the flickers of the tracking beacon that's hidden within your home, bringing Moff Gideon closer and closer to breaking up your family before it even has a chance to grow. •••