Pale Rider

Mando/Din Djarin x Reader

Part 3

Part 1,Part 2

A/N: Part 3 is here lovlies! I’m sorry it took a while but there has been a lot going on in my life as of currently but I still wanted to make time for you guys so I hope you enjoy!

Summary: You’re a dangerous wanted fugitive with a hefty price on your head who escaped your home planet from persecution and picked up the job of being a bounty hunter. To keep yourself away from the eyes of those after you, you were currently hiding out in a small planet mostly ran by outlaws and bandits, that is until another certain bounty hunter lands on your trail.

Warnings: violence and language

The sun was starting to set on the planet casting a glow across the landscape. And what usually would have been a warm sight for you to gaze upon like the brushstrokes of a painting, was now cold and even hostile. You found yourself in a large spacious room, darkened by the night sky that could be seen from the large glass windows. Looking around, you had recognized the room from the few details that you could make out. You had been here before. There were only a few sounds that could be heard within your ability, divided between your breathing and the beating of your heart, and the sound of blasters going off in the distance. But as you listened closely, you heard the soft whimpers of children hidden in the shadows of the room, their voices laced with fear.

“Hello?” You called out, your eyes scanning over the direction from where those voices came. “Is anyone there? It’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you.” You held your hands out before you, desperate to reach for something in the hidden depths of the room in an attempt to find and help those frightful children, yet all you could feel was air between your fingers. The more your searched, the more you came to find nothing, just the stillness of the room and the contours hidden in it. You felt a sudden shift in the space behind you and in the air that hovered there, the appearance of a shadowed figure. You had sensed their presence the moment they stepped into the room, and it was someone that you were familiar with, someone you knew well. Turning around, you looked towards the little light that had slipped through the entrance of the area, noticing a cloaked figure standing at the doorway, his tall frame casting a shadow upon the floor.

“Y-you?” You squinted your eyes, making out what you could of the details of their face that was hidden underneath their hood. “Thank goodness you’re here.” You stepped up to them with a relieved expression, the small smile that had been on your lips shifting into a frown once you received a closer look at them. Their face had lost that kindness that you had once knew, and their eyes, you couldn’t seem to forget the appearance of their eyes. The warmth that was once filled within those orbs was now filled with something much more, a fire that was devoid of any form of comfort. You called out their name with furrowed brows, your voice laced with concern, but they did not mutter a single word in response. You knew the signs, yet you couldn’t believe it, you didn’t want to believe it. And then came that sharp sound you were much too familiar with as the glow of an object other than the dim lights outside casted the room in this haunting glow.

“So this is it then?” You shook your head at the figure with tears threatening to spill in your eyes. “Is this what it has come too?” You looked into their eyes, searching their depths for any sign of hope, only to see there wasn’t a single ounce of empathy in them. There was a pain slowly building in your chest, the feeling of every fiber in your being being ripped apart from the heartbreak. “Don’t make me do this. Please.” But the figure only moved towards you menacingly, holding their weapon out before them in an attempt to strike you down. And as you slowly reached towards your hip, that’s when you felt it, that searing hot pain that filled your side as a choked gasp escaped your throat. With widened eyes and gradual loss of feeling in your limbs, you looked up to your attacker with betrayal and written across your features, desperate to see anything, anything that could be a reminder of who they used to be. But you were met with none of that, only to see that there was not a single ounce of remorse behind their eyes. With choked gasps as you struggled to breathe, your eyes darted across their face before noticing a lone tear escape from their eye, slowly trailing down their cheek. And as you reached a hand out to wipe away their tear, as you had done many times before, the world around you blackened as you collapsed to the floor.

You jolted awake from your dream, the crying of the children and the sound of the weapon that had struck you echoing in your ears. Your face was wet with tears underneath your helmet as you breathed out in small pants, finding yourself back in the Mandalorian’s ship instead of the place of your nightmare. The pain was still there, that burning sensation that you had felt that exact night, as if you had been impaled just now. You squeezed your eyes shut against the feeling, concentrating on anything but it and forcing it to die down. To this day, you had no idea why it still flared up whenever you had that particular dream.

You glanced towards the Mandalorian, glaring at the back of his shiny ass helmet. “So. You gonna tell me who you’re taking me to or am I gonna find out when I get there.” You sighed, throwing your head back at the silence from the lack of his response and complete ignorance to your existence. “Right, I forgot. You don’t know how to formulate sentences, or words for that matter. I wonder how many of your bounties had died on the journey of their transportation just by being stuck with your very….lively presence. Bored to death, quite literally.”

You craned your head back, looking back to find the child and seeing him cuddled up in a makeshift bed, fast asleep. Pursing your lips in thought, you turned your head back around. You still pondered why a Mandalorian bounty hunter such as him would be in possession of a child, especially a child that was sensitive to the one thing you had come to forget. It had been so long since you had felt anything like that and you thought you would never come across it ever again. And the more you thought about it, the more you came to speculate that the only reason the bounty hunter had him would be that the child held value, value that would be sought out by those that had an agenda. One thing was for certain, you needed to find out more. Turning your head back around, you stared at the sleeping form of the youngling, quietly calling out to him. “Psst. Psst.”

The small green child sleepily opened his eyes, staring back at you with big brown orbs, muttering out a small blabber while tilting his head at you.

“Hello there little one.” You whispered with a kind smile.

“Hey.” The Mandalorian spoke up upon hearing your voice. “I thought I told you-”

“I’m not talking to you.” You cut him off before focusing on the child. “What does this pile of junk want with you? Is he selling you?”

“I said-wait what?”

The child muttered out a few noises that you could make out.

“Friend?” You quirked a brow. “Is he-is he your protector?”

Another babble of noncoherent words.

So the Mandalorian was protecting him. It had to be against those who were attempting to rebuild the empire, right?

“Wait, so the child is under your care?” You turned back to the Mandalorian to see him stare at you through his helmet briefly before speaking up.

“What business is it to you?”

“What business it is to me is frankly none of your business.” You rolled your eyes. You didn’t have to see his eyes to feel his glare. “Listen, tin man, I’m not going to hurt him if that’s what you’re thinking. You can ask him yourself if you don’t believe me, pretty sure the kid knows the difference between the good guys from the bad guys.”

The bounty hunter stared a moment longer in your direction before turning back around, focusing his attention on the controls in front of him and attempting to land the ship. Wait, had you already reached your destination? You watched as the Mandalorian got up from his seat and walked over to where you sat, crouching down to unshackle your ankles from the chair. “Whatever they are offering you, I’ll pay double.”

Silence.

“What is it that you want? Name your price and I can offer it to you, I have some influential friends. I can get you a much better ship if that’s what you are looking for. Hell, you could use a better ship.” You scoffed before letting out a wince from the way the Mandalorian grabbed you roughly by your arm and pulled you up. “Ow. Watch your grip will ya. Please tell me you don’t handle the poor child like he’s some sort of stuffed animal. Cause if you do, I feel sorry for him.”

“Walk.” The Mandalorian pushed you forward with his blaster pointed at your back.

“Is that really necessary?”

“Move.”

“Alright. Geez.” You rolled your eyes. You had half a mind to disarm him right then and there and flee for your life, but something told you that now was not the right time, that by fighting him once more would only give him more reason to go after you. With your eyes lowered in thought and your hands cuffed in front of you, you walked out the exit of his ship to find yourself in a familiar place, recognizing the same metallic buildings surrounded you. It was a place that you had seen many times before but had not visited in a long time. “Seriously? Coruscant? I’m guessing you want me to walk into that building there?” You turned around to face the bounty hunter with a raised brow, not knowing why you even bothered to talk to him at this point, as if he had anything to say to you.

The Mandalorian stared at you, his expression most likely identical to the helmet he wore. Blank. And for a moment you found yourself wondering what he looked like under that shiny bucket of his. “Move.” He spoke more firmly, using his blaster to push you forward.

“You really need to develop some social skills.”

The streets of Coruscant were bustling with life, with movement in every direction you looked. Speeders zoomed far over your head with a large whistling sound as you glanced around at the area before landing your eyes on a particular spot in the distance, a place that once held a large building of a great importance to you and many others before being burned down. The ends of your lips dropped at the sight, a heavy feeling now settling in your chest as you found yourself yearning for the time you once knew along with the faces that once warmed your every day each time you strolled those halls. You tore your eyes away from the skeleton of the place, returning your eyes to the front as the two of you headed over to the entrance of the building where two guards who stood at front blocked you from entering.

“What business do you have here?” One of the guards asked you, squinting his eyes at you and the Mandalorian in a poor attempt to see through the visors of your helmet.

“Tell the mayor I have his bounty.” The Mandalorian gestured to you with his gun.

Mayor? You scrunched your nose at the thought. What would a mayor have to do with you? You began to think back on when you might have upset a local mayor on one of your many little missions, but none came to mind. Your reputation was well known here, especially in the years before, and the more you thought about it, the more you hoped that you would not be recognized.

The guard gave the Mandalorian a look of consideration before finally stepping aside to let the two of you enter. “Follow me.”

You watched quietly as the metal doors slid open to reveal a decent sized and fashionable lounge, and immediately you were met with the cool air of the conditioned room and the sound of the soft jazz-like music playing in the background to liven up the area. The place was filled with a few local officials including a couple of security standing nearby to scan the area for any nearby threats. Great, this would be a bit of a hassle to get out of, you thought to yourself as you surveyed the area including all the exits. And it didn’t help that the Mandalorian had confiscated your blasters and your knives.

You could feel the gaze of those around you, their pupils tracing your armor as they stared curiously as to who the two new armored strangers could be, though their gaze lingered on the glint of the Mandalorian’s armor. The guard led the two of you into a separate room where in the center lay a boxy cushioned chair where a Rodian sat on top it, chatting away with another individual to his right.

“Ahem.” The guard cleared his throat, positioning himself upright at the mayor’s presence. “Sir. The Mandalorian has your bounty as requested.”

The Rodian stopped at the words of the guard, turning his head to face you with an amused sneer as he straightened out his robes, placing his teal fingers on the armrests of his chair while he leaned back.

“I see you have captured my bounty Mandalorian. I thank you.” The Rodian nodded his head in thanks before turning to one of his advisors, “Give him his credits.”

You slyly twisted your hand together uncomfortably, feeling the cool metal sliding around the skin of your wrists as you tried to break out of your cuffs in a poor and useless attempt, as if you could in any way tear through the metal. You let out a huff of irritation, your eyes following the other Rodian who was most likely his advisor, pull out a pouch of credits from his pocket before handing it over to the Mandalorian.

“You can count it to make sure.” The mayor gestured to the credits. “I assure you it’s all there.”

“So are you just gonna have me stand here or…” You cleared your throat, staring straight into the puzzled expression of the mayor.

“You’re a-you’re a girl?”

“Surprise.” You let out in a mocking tone.

“Impossible. You, mandalorian, you’ve brought me the wrong person.”

“Oh no,” You shook your head, “you’ve got the right person alright. Crik Madon is it? Yeah, I think I remember you now. I ran into your little "organization” back on Tatooine.“

The Rodian who you know came to recognize as Crik Madon, a small mayor of a small sector of Tatooine, sneered at your attitude. His tendril like green fingers clutched the arm rests of his chair before nodding to one of his guards who in turn jabbed you in the back of your knees, the force causing you to fall down to your knees. "Guard, remove her helmet. I want to see the face of the person that behind all this trouble.”

Your eyes widened, your breath trapped in your throat as the guard approached you, his gnarly hands reaching for your helmet in an impending manner. You tried to squirm away, refusing to let your identity be revealed, but the other guards held you back with their claws digging into your arms. The loose strands of your hair fell down to the front of your face from the bun you had put up and the darkness of the inside of your helmet was replaced with the lights of the room as you now found yourself squinting against them.

The Mandalorian had tilted his head ever so slightly at your appearance, his helmet masking the look of surprise that now sat on his face. You definitely weren’t what he had pictured. You were much more prettier than he had imagined, and something about you had set off this suspicion that you were a woman born into a high class.

“Impossible. You.” Crik pointed his finger at you, his large black eyes lost in thought. “I’ve seen you before.”

“I highly doubt that.” You gave a forced smile, yanking your arms away from the harsh grip of the guards.

“No. I know that face. You’re………y/n, you’re from Naboo aren’t you. Yes, and I believe you’re someone of importance. You’ve made quite the enemies with your little diplomatic missions. I wonder how much they’re willing to pay for you.”

Shit. You thought. Him knowing who you were was not a good thing.

“You gonna sell me off like one of your many slaves?” You spat, smirking at the look that he gave you. “Oh I know everything about your little trade. You know, I wonder what’ll happen if I make word of it. Like you said, I’m someone of importance.”

Crik sprung towards you in a fury, striking you across the face with the back of his hand. “You’ve got quite the tongue, though I must say I’m not surprised. I’m sure you’ve done many speeches in the past, senator.”

Senator? The mandalorian looked up at you from under his helmet, a quizzical look on his brow as he was questioning whether he heard that correctly. You, a senator of Naboo? Impossible. What in the worlds was a senator doing out being a bounty hunter?

“You won’t get away with this.” You spat out the blood from your mouth, the crimson color staining your lips.

“Oh?” Crik turned to face you after pacing about the room. “Last I heard. Your duties as senator have long been neglected. And besides,” he stepped closer to you, placing his slimy fingers under your chin to force your face towards him. “Pretty face like yours, I’m sure I can make quite the fortune off you.”

You clenched your jaw at his words, your nostrils flaring as you glared right into his insect-like eyes. “If you value your life, I suggest killing me off right now.”

Crik stared at you in anger for a moment longer, his eye twitching before nodding at one his guards and walking back to his seat. The guard who had led you into the room lifted up his baton before jabbing you violently in the ribs, knocking the air out of your lungs as you collapsed. You laid on your side in a pained mess, your hair matted against your face while every intake of air felt like knives slicing through your chest as your struggled to breathe.

“If you’re done counting your credits Mandalorian, you’re good to go.” Crik sat back in his chair, pleased with himself at seeing you in pain.

The Mandalorian had lifted his gaze from where you writhed on the floor, his hands just barely tightening around the pouch of credits that sat in his palm. “What’s gonna happen to her?”

“You know, it’s unlike a bounty hunter to ask questions.” Crik turned towards him. “But don’t worry. She’s in good hands. You can leave now.”

The Mandoalorian glanced once more in your direction before walking himself out, the sliding doors shutting behind him in a sharp low whistle.

You let out a choked cough, finally regaining your breath as you struggled to push yourself up despite having your hands bound together. You had to find a way to escape. It was now or never.

“Follow the Mandalorian.” Crik leaned over to whisper to one of his guards, his voice reaching your ears as you brought yourself up to a seated position. “Kill him and make sure no one else is on that ship and then destroy it.”

Your eyes widened at his orders, your thoughts now focused on the child as you watched the appointed guard leave the room with a blaster in hand. It was now or never y/n. You could take them all out now with brute force, but it would not be easy. And who’s to say you would succeed in time. You knew what you had to do. Squeezing your eyes shut in concentration, you focused on the one thing that you once knew, the one thing that was your life and purpose of being, the only thing that you had been out of touch with after the events. With your jaw clenched against the strain you were putting yourself through, a ringing started to form in your ears, a ringing that gradually started to form into vibrations that you were able to sense around you. Then there came the sound of the unclicking of a clasp and suddenly your hands were met with a solid cold metal object. Snapping your eyes open from the sensation, your looked down at your hands with relief to see the blaster that you had focused all your attention on, sitting perfectly between your palms. Huh, so you still got it.

“What the-” Crik looked at you in bewilderment, staring at the blaster that was now in your hands before turning to his guards to stop you only to be silenced with your blaster shooting straight through his chest.

The guards stared at their dead mayor in shock before taking out their weapons and pointing them at you with their teeth bared in anger. You dodged the red lasers of their blasters, rolling over to duck behind a pillar as their blasters went off, hitting the wall in front of you. You winced, hissing between your clenched teeth as one of the lasers had managed to graze your shoulder, leaving a tear in the fabric of your sleeve and a burned wound in it’s place. You pressed your back against the pillar, the blaster clenched firmly in your hands as you held it up to you, breathing in a deep breath before turning around just enough to get a good angle. With a few precise and quick pulls of the trigger, you killed off the rest of the guards. Scanning the room to make sure there was no one else of threat, you got up from your position before hurrying out the door.

Panting, you searched around for the Mandalorian only to see him turn the corner with the guard following close behind. Carefully, you sprinted up to them, lifting the blaster in your hands and shooting the guard right in the back. The Mandalorian swiftly turned at the sound of firing, his hand on his blaster as he watched the former guard fall limply to the floor only to reveal you standing right on the other side.

“Relax.” You stopped the man right as you caught him trying to slip his blaster out from its holster. “I’m not going to shoot you.”

“Did you….”

“Did I just save your ass? Yes.” You stepped over the dead guard to walk up to him, blowing the loose strands of your hair out of your face.

“That’s not what I-”

“Yeah sure. I didn’t do it for you. I did it for the kid.” You rolled your eyes before holding up your cuffed wrists. “Now would you mind returning the favor and getting these pesky things off?”

The Mandalorian stared blankly at you, and though you could not see his face beneath that obnoxious helmet of his, you knew exactly what was going through his thoughts.

“Look. If I wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead with your buddy there.”

You watched with a smirk on your blood coated lips as the Mandalorian pulled out the key from his pocket before unlocking the metal cuffs around your wrists.

You couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief, rubbing your wrists to relieve them after being restrained for so long. “Thanks.”

“How did you-” the helmeted man eyed the blaster in your hands that he was sure about not being on you since he had removed all your weapons before looking up towards where you had come from.

“Doesn’t matter.” You stretched out your arms before pressing the button on the wall to open the doors that led into the main room. “Now can we please go before someone notices the mess I left behind?”

You walked past the stunned Mandalorian with a scoff, throwing the blaster down near the dead guard before leaving the hallway. The Mandalorian stared at the corner that led into the room in which you were just held and down at the dead guard before following you out into the main room. To your luck, everyone was much too preoccupied at the moment with their drinks and the jazz band that had now played a newer and more upbeat tone, allowing the two of you to escape the premises without drawing much attention to yourselves. Once outside, you squinted your eyes against the sunlight after having spent your days under a helmet, bringing your hand up to block the sun’s rays from your face. You stopped for a second, turning around to stare back at the same place that had caught your attention not too long ago, that same heavy feeling creeping in your chest before you returned your thoughts to the events of the present as you followed the Mandalorian back to his ship, back to who knows what else would be in store for you.

Tag List: @flan058

Pale Rider

Mando/Din Djarin x Reader Part 2

A/N: Part 2 is here lovelies! I hope you all enjoy, and as always feedback and reblogs are much appreciated! Let me know if you would like to be added to the taglist! Have a beautiful day!

Summary: You’re a dangerous wanted fugitive with a hefty price on your head who escaped your home planet from persecution and picked up the job of being a bounty hunter. To keep yourself away from the eyes of those after you, you were currently hiding out in a small planet mostly ran by outlaws and bandits, that is until another certain bounty hunter lands on your trail.

Warnings: language and violence

Part 1

You had just left the cantina much quicker than you had wanted and your mind was racing with the thoughts of what had gone down just inside. Right when you had arrived on this planet in hopes of keeping low and staying away from the eyes of those who wanted your head, those thugs had managed to ruin your plans and exposed not only your presence but also what you were capable of, which caused your stay here to be at risk. You just hoped that your little fight didn’t reach anyone outside the cantina.

It was a hot day and the air was dry, and the aroma of spices, sweet fruits, and roasted nuts from the street vendors filled the air, perfect for the desert-like climate. You wished you could rip your helmet off, indulge in the exotic smells this market had to offer and enjoy some sunlight and breeze on your skin for once. But you had your regular getup on, or your bounty hunter uniform, as you like to call it. And though the pieces of armor provided you with secrecy and protection, adding some bulk to your frame to make yourself look more masculine to conceal your feminine features, it was also a bit of a cage, confining you from the natural perception of the world. The dusty wind blew against your frame when you had stepped out on the street, making you clutch your cloak closer to you and pray that the wind didn’t pick up on speed in fear of it snatching away the helmet and revealing your face for the whole town to see. You were making your way to the edge of the town where you had parked your ship on the outskirts, your boots kicking up the sand around you with each step you took while the hem of your cloak blew behind you. A few of the townsfolk had glanced in your direction, paying no mind before going back to their business. Their town always had outsiders crossing through to the point they had become accustomed to seeing a new face or a new helmet. And as long as you weren’t causing any trouble, they did not seem to pay much mind, if anything it was more curiosity towards the travelers.

You had been focused on the path in front of you, your back straight and your head held straight forward and avoiding any type of eye contact with anyone until this uneasy sense came that someone was following you. To avoid making it known, you stopped by the nearest vendor, glancing down at the fruit laid out on the table before ever so slightly turning your head to see a glint of metal shrouded just barely behind the mass of people that walked the streets. Your eyes widened behind your helmet. You could recognize that armor from anywhere. What was a Mandalorian doing all the way here? More importantly, why was he following you and who sent him?

You cursed under your breath at the sight, turning around and thinking of the different possible strategies. You couldn’t outrun him no, as much as you would like to avoid tangling with a Mandalorian you had heard so much about, you couldn’t just run away, he’d catch up with you somehow. No. You would have to fight him, at least keep him held back while you revised a new escape plan and disappeared into a new planet. You continued to mutter fowl words under your breath, your eyes darting around trying to search for an alleyway to disappear into. You finally caught sight of one just a couple feet away, gradually picking up your pace as you headed straight towards it, sensing the Mandalorian doing the same. Some muttering of the locals had erupted around you as you pushed past them before reaching the alley. With the sound of the sand crunching beneath the soles of your feet, you made a sharp turn right around the corner, pressing on the cloaking button on your belt that made your cloak camouflage with your surroundings. Your appearance shifted in a flurry of pixelated tones before matching the colors around you, allowing you to disappear into your background. You jumped up and grabbed the nearest ledge on the wall, using a window frame to hoist yourself up on it, pressing your back flat against the wall while your feet barely balanced on the beam.

The Mandalorian had turned the corner not long after before stopping abruptly at the emptiness of the area, the positioning of the buildings blocking some of the sun’s rays and casting a shadow over him. Your eyes caught the glint of his blaster held tightly in his hand as he edged closer with careful steps, staring out at the dead end of the alley. A small curse escaped under his breath through the helmet as he scanned over the area to figure where you might’ve gone. You followed the darkness of his visor right as it passed right over you, the action making your breath hitch in your throat. You knew your cloaking device made you invisible, but for a moment you swore you felt his helmet burning right through you. Your heart was pounding in your chest from what felt to be hours as he went further into the alley, looking out for any possible place you might be hiding. From how hard your heart was beating in your chest, you feared he would hear it as he passed by in front of you.

Oh come on. Now is no time to be a coward. Fry him. You thought with your eyes closed shut as you desperately struggled to grip the sandy wall behind you in order to keep yourself from falling over.

Carefully keeping your balance, you slipped your revolver blaster out of your holster, your palms sweating beneath the leather fabric that covered them as your fingers closed tightly around the grip, making sure to be as silent as possible as you pointed it at the back of his head. You could taste the salt on your lips from the few drops of sweat that fell down from your forehead as you lowered your aim to the small opening just below his helmet where the fabric of his cloak covered the back area of his neck. Just one shot. It would be simple. Just one shot and he would no longer be a problem for you to worry about.

No, this wasn’t right. You still had some dignity left in you and shooting a Mandalorian in the back would be a cowardly move. If anything, he deserved a fair fight. But despite that, deep down, a part of you was convinced to let him go free. He was a bounty hunter, doing his job just as you were. And from the stories you heard, sure he was merciless towards his enemies and an excellent fighter at that, but he never harmed those that were innocent.

With a clenched jaw, you slipped your blaster back in your holster. You didn’t have to heart to kill him. Damn your sentiment, it was the one thing that always kept you from achieving whatever it is you could want. Sure, you weren’t going to kill him, but you were willing to knock him out, maybe even tie him down somewhere and threaten him a little to get him to back off your trail. Taking in a deep and steady breath, you jumped off the ledge and tackled the Mandalorian from behind, knocking him down to the dirt before standing back up on your feet. Luckily, you managed to catch him off guard and from the way he reacted, you could tell he was trying to figure out what the hell had just happened as he scrambled back to his feet. You watched him hold his blaster straight out, twisting his body around and pointing it at every direction but you. If this situation wasn’t threatening on your safety, you would have found this to be quite amusing and your snicker would’ve gave you away and gotten you shot on the spot. You’d bet your credits he was confused as shit under that bucket.

You could just walk away and leave, get yourself a new disguise and he would never be able to find you. But a part of you deep down wanted to fight him, test his abilities even. A part of you even found this entertaining, an amusement that you had once been told would one day get you killed.

There was an uneasy silence amongst the bustle of the town, the breeze blowing through the crevices in the building in low whistles until you felt the heat of the sun’s rays against your back, lighting up the alleyway that was once in hidden in shadow.

Oh no.

Your skin went cold as you caught sight of the Mandalorian looking down at the sand, following his gaze to find your shadow on full display at your feet. Shit. You had forgotten that the cloak was only able to camouflage instead of wiping out your solid form and making you entirely invisible, thus making you susceptible to certain factors that gave you away, like light hitting against you or dust being thrown at you.

The Mandalorian stalled for a moment, processing what he was seeing before lifting his blaster and shooting straight at you. You had managed to jump out of the way just barely in time, but not soon enough as a sharp burning sensation cut through the side of your arm. You swung your fist at him, making sure to aim under his ribs and avoid his chestplate in order to hit soft tissue instead of solid Beskar. Your opponent let out a grunt in response much to your satisfaction, but it seemed as if luck was on his side as he grabbed your outstretched arm just in time before slamming you to the ground, knocking the wind out of you. You laid there on your back for a quick second, stunned and coughing from the twisting pain in your chest until a slight static sound caught your attention, looking down to see that your cloaking device was malfunctioning, leaving you entirely visible after a short series of pixelated glitches. Not only that, but the force in which he slammed you had managed to detach your chestplate, the piece of olive green painted metal now lying a few feet away from you, leaving you in just your tunic and the soft padded vest you had on top to separate the roughness of the metal from your clothes.

You muttered a small curse under your breath, pressing a firm hand to your torso as you tried to regain your breath, twisting your body around with a grunt in a struggle to get yourself up until a pair of brown leather boots placed themselves right beside your head. Turning your head towards the sky, you were met with his blaster pointed right at you, the dark hole of the barrel staring right into your soul

“I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold.”

“How about neither.” You snarked, your voice coming out in a low tone through your helmet’s speaker before swiftly propping up on your elbows and twisting yourself against the dirt, kicking his legs out from underneath him and making him fall. You tried to get up but failed as you were once again met with the rough sand as he grabbed the fabric of your tunic and slammed you down on the ground again, pressing his forearm against your chest in order to get you to stay down. The latter action made you widen your eyes in horror. You didn’t have your chestplate on and now there was nothing to conceal the flesh there. You noticed that this had confused the Mandalorian as well from the way he sat back for a moment and tilted his head.

“What the-you’re a-” He breathed out before getting cut off by the bottom of your boot slamming into his head and knocking him back.

You took this chance as a means to escape, twisting yourself around and pushing yourself up with your hands until another pair of hands yanked at your ankles, causing you to fall face first into the dirt. “Ow! son of a-” A pained grunt escaped your lips and you almost could’ve sworn your nose had been broken from the sharp pain that spread through the center of your face. The Mandalorian pulled at your legs, dragging you across the dirt while you thrashed around, feeling his knee press down on your back. Another grunt escaped between your clenched teeth, your breaths coming out in aggravated huffs as you tried to break yourself from his hold once you felt his hands wrap around your wrists and pull your arms back behind you. There was the sound of a click and a small beep, and the skin left exposed on your wrists underneath your sleeves were met with the feeling of cold metal as a pair of handcuffs locked itself around them.

Great, just great.

You rolled your eyes from underneath your helmet as you felt him grab you by your bicep and pull you up to your feet.

“Let go of me!” You huffed as he pushed you, squirming around in his grip while he refused to let go of your arm after the resistance you put up. You noticed that your voice was no longer distorted into a lower tone, which meant that the fall had somehow damaged the distorter you had set up in there, now causing you to sound like your normal self. Could your day get any worse?

“Cut it out.” You heard him order from behind you.

A scowl appeared on your lips as his grip around your bicep tightened, your eyes drifting to the ground and spotting your chestplate laying on the side up ahead. “Can I at least get my chestplate?” You let out a huff as you were only met with silence. “Oh come on. It took me a while to make that you know. Besides, I’m kinda bare right now and I feel naked without it so I really need it. I don’t know if you noticed back there but-”

“Quiet.” He cut you off, causing your nostrils to flare until you noticed him pick your chest armor off the ground, the slight action making a small smirk appear on your lips despite being handcuffed and taken in for your bounty. Of course, you weren’t to going to accept defeat that quick. You had to devise an escape plan quick and wait for the right opportune moment. Though now wasn’t it.

The watchful eyes of the locals were now trained on the shiny armor of your captor, their eyes following the two of you curiously as you went, the Mandalorian and his freshly caught bounty. You were glad you wore a helmet, relieved they couldn’t see the look of embarrassment written across your features.

It wasn’t long before you arrived at a vessel that was parked on the outskirts of town, what seemed to be most likely his ship.

“Wow. What a piece of junk.” You made a snide comment, looking up at the big junk of metal as he as opened the entrance to his ship before shoving you inside, causing you to glare at him through the visor of your helmet. “Hey, don’t manhandle me alright.”

“Keep moving.” You felt him push you forward with his hand on your back.

You took in your new surroundings, glancing around at the dullness of the interior with a distasteful look on your face. “Yikes. You could use some major redecorating, liven the place up a bit. No wonder you’re so grim.”

Silence.

“My point exactly.” You muttered under your breath.

“Sit down.” You felt him place his hand on your shoulder to try to push you down on the chair in his cockpit but you refused to budge.

“Can I at least put my armor back on?”

The Mandalorian stood quiet for a moment and you could almost feel him glaring at you through the slit in his helmet before turning you around and shoving you against the wall with your back facing him.

“Easy there will ya.” You hissed as he fumbled with the lock on the handcuffs. “Geez, is this how you treat all the ladies you bring in here?” A short second later, you felt the handcuffs around your wrist loosen up with a click after the sound of the beep went off.

“Any sudden moves and I shoot.” You heard him say beside your ear before stepping back

“Alright.” You lifted your hands up to your head, slowly turning around to see him standing a few feet away from you with his blaster pointed at you. “No need to be hasty, I’m just going to strap on my armor and that’s it.” You grabbed your chestplate that had been lying on the back of the chair before slinging the leather straps over your shoulder and fastening them, making sure that the metal covered the areas that needed protection. “Before you uh, handcuff me back up, would you mind letting me keep my arms in front of me. It’s kinda you know, uncomfortable having your hands tied behind you while you’re sitting in a chair.

There was another moment of silence, the lack of reply from the Mandalorian causing you to unconsciously shift on your feet before he finally stepped up to you and handcuffed your arms in front of you.

"Thank you for your consideration.” You smiled sarcastically even though he could not see a single inch of your expression.

“Sit down.” He directed in a monotone voice with his blaster still pointed at you, to which you plopped down on the seat in exaggeration.

You let out a scoff and a roll of your eyes as the Mandalorian lowered himself to the ground to tie your ankles to the bottom of the chair so you wouldn’t try to pull anything else. “You distrust me that much huh. Fair enough.” You leaned back in your set, twisting your body around and adjusting to make yourself comfortable as you watched him go over to his seat and start up the aircraft before taking off. You sniffled through the stuffiness in your nose, scrunching up your face from the smell of the blood that had dried up inside. Well it didn’t feel broken, and you have had broken noses before, though your body ached from your fight with the Mandalorian and the quarrel you had with the previous bounty you were after who just happened to be 8 feet tall and full of muscle. Let’s just say you didn’t like being tossed around like you were some stuffed animal. You were positive you had formed new bruises and reopened up the wounds you had just stitched earlier today from the way that some areas felt sore and tender.

“So uh….” You tried to make conversation while looking around for anything that just might help you break free and escape. You had to find a way out, one way or another, and it didn’t help that you were leaving the planet and your own ship behind. “Where we heading?” No answer. “You know, I’d like to know where I’m being sent and just who it is I am being sent off to.” Still no answer. Maybe, just maybe, if you annoyed him enough he might give up and set you free, that trick had worked once a long time ago. But sweet talking would definitely not work on him. “That’s some uh, pretty neat armor you got there. What is it, Beskar? So like how many hours do you spend polishing it?……………………….Okaayyyy then. I see you’re not much of a talker.” You nodded your head awkwardly before looking around again, edging a bit off your seat to get a better look at things.

“Quit moving around back there.”

“Oh. So you do talk, not much I presume. But you talk. I mean, you’ve gotta have said more than a few words in your lifetime, otherwise……….my goodness. Oh and by the way, you kinda messed up my gear, my voice distorter and my cloaking device are broken because of you and I believe I should receive some kind of compensation.” Ah yes more silence. You hated him already. I mean, you respected him, you’ll give him that. You just hated being with him, tied down to a chair with nothing but the sound of the aircraft and your own voice. A part of you even prayed that you would reach your destination quicker just so that you would not have to be stuck with him for who knows how long. And the fact that he wasn’t budging was pissing you off. There was one last thing you could do, one last trick. “Well then! If you don’t mind, I’d like to liven up this extremely dreadful atmosphere by singing some tunes. Maybe it’ll…..I don’t know……lift your spirits.” You cleared your throat before singing a tune you had once heard, making sure to be as exaggerated as possible.

“Aruba, Jamaica, oh I want to take you to
Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don’t we go
Oh I want to take you down to
Kokomo, we’ll get there fast and then we’ll take it slow
That’s where we want to go, way down in Kokomo……………

Tell everybody, I’m on my way!
New friends and new places to see!
With blue skies ahead, yes
I’m on my way!
And there’s nowhere else that I’d rather be!!!” You belted out before stopping at the sudden feeling of something touching your leg. “AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!” You jumped in your seat, your scream even startling the Mandalorian himself. “Yo! What the-” You looked down at your feet with a pale face to see what had grabbed you and being met with a pair of big brown eyes staring up at you, eyes belonging to a small green child with large pointy ears that reminded you of someone you once knew long before. “Oh. Hello there.”

“Grogu?” You heard the Mandalorian speak before turning his head around to face the small child that stood by your feet. “What are you doing there? Stay away from her. Go back to bed.”

The child tiled his head and let out a small blabber, his tiny fingers clutching around the fabric of your pants.

“He uh……he likes my singing.” You muttered out in sheer disbelief of there being a youngling aboard the ship, and not just any youngling. Something about him felt different, but you couldn’t quite figure it out.

“He what?” The Mandalorian now looked up to you. “You……understand him?”

“………Kind of?”

“Grogu. She’s dangerous. Go back to bed okay?”

The small child lowered his head in disappointment before waddling off as you watched him go with a softened and thoughtful look in your eyes. You tried to remember where you had seen him, if you had anyways. He reminded you so much of a mentor you once had, and you were saddened by the thought.

“What is he doing here?” You questioned before turning to stare at the back of the Mandalorian’s helmet, your reflection only staring back at you. “What purpose do you have with a youngling?” You leaned back in your seat when he provided no answer, the frown on your lips only deepening as you stared out at the stars that blanketed all around from the view outside the window. You had to find out why he had the child with him, whether it was for a bounty or whether he was just under his care, you did not know. And when you do, once you found an escape, you’d take him with you.

TagList:@flan058

Pale Rider

Mando x Reader Part 1

A/N: I was working on this story a long time ago and thought I’d start on it again. Hope y’all enjoy! Reblogs and feedback are much appreciated and let me know if you would like to be added to the tag list.

Summary: You’re a dangerous wanted fugitive with a hefty price on your head who escaped your home planet from persecution and picked up the job of being a bounty hunter. To keep yourself away from the eyes of those after you, you were currently hiding out in a small planet mostly ran by outlaws and bandits, that is until another certain bounty hunter lands on your trail.

Warnings: swearing and violence

Part 2

You were always the lone wolf, a ranger who wandered planets, a person without a destination. Your occupation was your own, you worked for yourself and no one else, and you preferred it that way. Due to your line of work, you lived plentiful off of bounties and even some quests that were offered to you. But most of it came from assassinations, which was one thing you never admitted to being proud of. You were an excellent marksman, if not one of the best, but your morals meant more than the money and caused you to be very selective over what hits you were willing to take, choosing to only go after the truly guilty ones. Because of this, you refused to be part of the Guild and turned down many requests in the past offering a great sum of money. You weren’t exactly very popular with the Guild since they considered you to be an undisciplined rogue who ignored the rules and had no right doing what you did, so you stayed on the low and made an effort to avoid running into any of their members.

Due to your distant past, you’ve felt that being invisible was better than being seen. Which is another reason why you did what you did and avoided as much interactions as possible. Knowing people and forming relationships was just a way to tie you down and keep you in a cage, an obligation and somewhat a burden. Acquaintances were fine but heavens forbid that formed into an actual relationship. People have expectations and you wanted none of it, not again at least. Not to mention you were severely betrayed by people you were supposed to trust. If there was another thing you were known for, it was for being a charmer, you knew just what words and tone to use to get yourself out of any situation. But you were also known for your ruthlessness. And if the time came where words did not work, your blasters did most of the talking. But ever since being on the run and escaping the planet you once called home, your life drastically changed and it had never been the same since.

You were sitting by yourself at a local cantina, at a table in the farthest and darkest corner of the tasteless place, away from the rest of its occupants. You had just finished tackling a bounty and it wasn’t an easy one, the bastard had left a few bruises and scrapes so you felt like winding down. Thankfully, you were lucky enough to come at a time where the place wasn’t so rowdy and filled with egotistical idiots making a mess and fighting each other for petty and immature reasons.

You had your head propped up lazily by your gloved hand as you stared down at your glass of liquor, swirling it around and watching the ice mix with the contents and clinking every time it hit the edge. You were starting to wonder why you even came here in the first place. You weren’t much of a drinker and you never liked the bitter taste but something about it made you always reach for a glass. In all honesty, you were just ready to go back to your ship and pass out on your bed. One thing was for certain and it was the fact that you were bored and exhausted beyond your mind. You tried to focus on the cantina music in the background, hoping it would help keep you awake while forcing to keep your eyes open. But the warmth of the cantina and your cloak that was draped around your shoulders, falling over your arms and torso to provide extra comfort, was not helping.

You rarely ever let your guard down like this and this was not a good thing. The place was already sketchy as it was with all the bandits and thugs that would come through.

A group of footsteps were heard approaching your table, each one in a different tempo than the rest, the sound making you snap yourself back into a conscious state. You straightened up against the leather seat once you caught sight of a thug walking up to you, followed by his pathetic little gang of 4.

Ugh, what now? You thought to yourself, rolling your eyes behind your helmet.

You watched carefully for a moment as one of his men made an unwanted advance towards one of the waitresses, grabbing her bottom and turning her around to try and force a kiss on her. The waitress shrieked at the act and squirmed in his grip, pushing away at his chest to escape. The thug laughed at her before loosening his grip, his reptile-like eyes following her as she freed herself from him with tears in her eyes, humiliated, before rushing off to the side in fear where the other workers were.

Why that little shit. You just got to this planet and you already had to deal with assholes.

The leader stopped at the edge of your table, glaring at you while his goons surrounded your booth, blocking off all forms of an exit. Slyly, you slipped your hand down underneath the table, gripping your blaster that sat at your hip with your finger hovering over the trigger, ready for any sign of attack.

“You’re in my seat.” The leader grunted at you with his burly arms crossed across his chest, a scowl on his face as he bared his yellowed, troll like teeth against his grimy scaley green skin.

During this exact moment, you thanked the maker you were wearing a mask so you wouldn’t have to smell the rancid stench coming off from him. The last thing you wanted was to puke in your own helmet. Who knows who long it had been since the asshole and his goons had bathed.

“Really?” You snarked, your voice distorted through your modulator to make you sound like a man, your voice low and gruff. You adjusted your cape so that it was not covering your arms anymore as you leaned back in the leather cushion, putting your free arm up on the back of the seat while kicking your feet up on the table. “I don’t see your name on it.”

The thug eyed your boots, his eye twitching as he watched the caked up dirt from your soles fall onto the table, the small action infuriating him even more. You were slightly amused at his reaction despite being irritated that he had disturbed your space. Who knew dirt on a table would so much as upset someone that probably hadn’t bathed in moons.

“Listen here you little brat.” The man slammed his clawed hands down on the table, causing everyone in the cantina to look over to see what was causing all the ruckus. “Move, or else I’ll break every little bone in your bounty hunter body before picking my teeth with it.”

His goons laughed at the statement, their laughs echoed against the stilled silence of the cantina as they enjoyed the opportunity to bully yet another person around, reveling in the moment and obviously getting off on this sort of attention. The ring leader stared you down with a smug smirk on his face, thinking he scared you shitless and that you might succumb to this sort of threat.

“………..no.” You let out, your voice matching the same stoicism in the details of your helmet.

The goons’ laughter died down from hearing your answer, each of them intently watching their boss’s face contort into anger and anticipating what his next move will be.

“That’s it!” The leader growled between gritted teeth before lunging out at you.

Swiftly, you grabbed his bulky arm with your left hand, twisting it to a certain angle and breaking his elbow, the move making him let out a pained scream. With your right hand you grabbed your blaster and shot him in the head in a quick blast of orange before tossing him to the floor. You glanced over to see that one of the goons had pulled out his blaster and blasted him before he could even pull the trigger at you. After watching their members fall down dead, the rest of the gang tried to charge you, their eyes flared and their teeth gritted in rage. You kicked the table over, making them back up while you jumped over it. One of the goons tried to grab you so you kneed him in the groin before grabbing his head and snapping it. You shot another one and while the last remaining one tried to run away you used your free hand to pull out your knife from your thigh strap and throw it at him, lodging it right in his knee and making him fall to the floor.

All eyes of the local civilians in the cantina were glued to you as you stepped over the bodies, casually walking over to the goon you threw your knife at. You stood there and tilted your head at him, recognizing him as the one who assaulted the woman while you watched him crawling on the ground, leaving a trail of blood on the floor from his wound as he went, unaware of your presence.

Pathetic.

A sigh escaped your lips as you crouched down next to him to grab his attention. The man took one look at you being so close and gasped in fear before struggling to move faster.

You wrapped your fingers around the hilt of your knife, twisting it in the flesh of his knee before yanking it out. The goon screamed at your action before his limbs finally gave away, laying there, trembling in pain.

No one dared to interfere you now. Not when you had taken out 4, soon to be 5 men twice your size.

“You shouldn’t have done that to the poor woman.” You spoke, now you were the one looking down at him.

The man turned to look at you, laughing while he did it and flashed his blood stained teeth. He glared up at you with a disgusting grin that made your stomach turn. “Aye, and I enjoyed every second of it.”

Your blood boiled at his remark, your knuckles turning white underneath your glove from gripping your blade.

How dare he.

He laughed again, knowing he got under your skin from the way you clenched your weapon and started breathing. The air around you at the moment was visibly tense as everyone lingered quietly in their seats, waiting to see what you would do next. You’ve had enough of him.

The man let out a hiss as you grabbed a fistful of his hair between your gloved fingers, lifting his head up so you could speak to him in his ear.

“And now you’ll die for it.” You whispered through clenched teeth before shoving your knife in his head.

Taking your knife back out of his skull, you wiped the blood off on his clothes before sticking it back in your strap while standing back up.

The occupants of the cantina looked away and returned to their food and conversations, not wanting to meet the visor of your helmet as if you could shoot lasers through it. They thought that the simple act of even looking in the direction of this strange outsider would be considered an offense after the way you took care of the local gang. Some of them even had disgust written on their faces from the way you handled the thugs while others had a faint hint of a smile that exhibited their relief.

You walked over to the owner of the cantina who stood behind the counter, his eyes glued to the glass he was wiping in his hands.

“You uh, you handled yourself pretty well over there.” The old man laughed uneasily, not seeming to meet your eyes as if he were afraid to offend you while he followed your movements, wondering what in the worlds you were about to do.

You didn’t respond to the statement as you fished into the pocket of your pants, pulling out some credits from the small suede pouch you had and placing them in front of him.

The owner looked at the credits laid out on the table for him, obviously confused from the way his brows knit together before looking up at you.

“But, but you already paid for your drink.”

“I know. It’s for the mess I made.” You gestured to the dead bodies that were still spread out on the ground.

The owner followed your gesture before looking back up you, relief painting his features once he realized you meant no harm. “Oh. But please sir, it’s not necessary. In fact, I should be the one thanking you. Ever since that gang showed up here in our small town, it’s been near chaos. Please, keep your credits. In fact…”

You watched him with a raised brow as he grabbed a pouch from his pocket and tried to hand you some credits. “Take this as well.”

You eyed the credits in his outstretched palm, pursing your lips before letting out a sigh. “I can’t take this. You didn’t hire me.”

“Please sir, take it. As a token of our gratitude. You saved our little town that I’m afraid no one cares about.”

“Yeah well you need it more than me.” You expressed. “I only accept credits for jobs I am hired to do.”

You kept your own pouch in your hand, nodding a farewell at the old man before making your way over to the waitress who was assaulted. You saw her hiding away in a corner, her small frame held in the arms of her friend as tears ran down her cheeks while her coworkers tried to comfort her.

The workers glanced up at you standing nearby before moving away, allowing you to approach closer. You stood there carefully, looking down at her fragile frame and gently placing a hand on her shoulder. The poor woman jerked in reaction before looking up you, her teary eyed filled with confusion.

“It’s okay.” You tried to say softly, hoping it would come out sounding compassionate but your helmet didn’t help much with how you conveyed your tone. Instead, your voice came out sounding less loud. “It’s alright.”

The young woman looked behind you, her eyes glancing at her attacker that was now dead before looking up at you with a weak smile. “Thank you.” She sniffled as she wiped her nose with a handkerchief. “Thank you for getting rid of them.”

“Here.” You held your hand out to her and placed some of your credits in her palm. “Take this. Buy yourself something, food or anything. Preferably something to protect yourself with…..and uh…..learn how to use it.”

The woman stood there in shock, staring down at the credits that now sat on the blue skin of her palm. She cracked a small smile, holding back more tears. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Keep your chin up.” You muttered, pressing your fingers delicately under her chin before she caught you by surprise by wrapping her arms around your torso. Your body tensed up at her reaction as you stood there, not really knowing how to react before giving her an awkward pat on the back. She pulled away from the hug and smiled timidly at you, her cheeks tinted as she placed a tender kiss to the side of your helmet. The action made you widen your eyes, feeling your cheeks heat up inside your helmet to the point where you swore they would melt through the metal.

You shook off the feeling and the nerves, nodding at her and saying a polite goodbye before walking out of the cantina, ready to go back to your ship and wash the sweat off your face and escape the presence of everyone. Due to your quick haste to get out, you failed to notice a shadow, a silhouette of a person hidden behind a suit of armor that sat at the back of the cantina tucked away in the other corner. Nor did you catch the glint of the metal helmet that sat on his head, of the Mandalorian that had been watching your every move ever since you stepped foot into the building.

Short Debts Make Long Friends - snippet from Ch. 7

“What are you doing?” he asks, confused.

“Going to sleep,” you answer matter-of-factly. 

“But – ”

“I promised to stop worrying about paying you back,“ you point out, "I didn’t promise to sleep on the bed. Sweet dreams.”

You snuggle down on the floor with your blanket and pillow, all smiles, and he suddenly realizes has he just walked straight into a trap of his own making.

Dank fucking ferrik karking damn it to hell.

“I’ll buy you the droid,” he offers, voice flat.

You pop straight up back from the pillow. “Huh?”

He shouldn’t have been so quick to put the helmet back on. It would be very nice to be able to close his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose. 

“Share the bed with me and I’ll buy you the droid.” He hears his own words play back in his head and cringes. 

“Back home that would be considered a form of prostitution,” you brightly observe.

His wince deepens into a grimace. Shit shit shit shit – 

Your nose wrinkles. “Do I still have to stop worrying about paying you back?”

“Yes!” he explodes. This was already a raw deal; who knows what you might trick him into doing next?

Short Debts Make Long Friends - Stories of Mando and Reader. Or, an overeducated, underpaid millennial finally gets to go on her first adventure.

Tags under cut - thanks to everyone who has helped with signal boosting!

@nildespirandum@caffiend-queen (hope springs eternal) @mareebird@scrumptious-finicky-illusion@mandindjarin@last-of-cheese@mariwinns16@coffeebeforewater@teehee-47@essence-stealer@multifandom-fangirl14

Short Debts Make Long Friends - Ch. 6 - “How Long Does It Take Someone to Fall Apart?”

You walk a few feet inside and slow to a halt, surveying the accommodations. The room is spartan, but similar enough to what you would expect in a motel at home. Chair, bathroom, nightstand, bed. 

It’s a small bed. 

Later, you tell yourself. You’ll bully him into taking the bed. Or guilt him into it. Something. He will be sleeping on that mattress tonight, even if it is the last thing you do. And it very well may be, considering the wide variety of ways to kill, maim, or detonate someone that he carries on his person at any given time.

The floor creaks as he sets your new backpack by the door. You mumble a thank you but don’t turn around, choosing to withdraw into yourself instead…deliberately stepping away from the battle of remaining focused and present. You aren’t giving up, you’re giving in, and right now you don’t have to exist any further beyond four walls, a floor, and a ceiling. 

The silvery ring of beskar briefly fills the silence as Mando slides the spear from behind his back, followed by a quiet thud as he props it up in the corner. He’s waiting for you to say something, do something. 

“Will you…will you be okay?” he finally asks. Given his earlier reticence, he seems oddly reluctant to leave.

“Yeah,” you reply, still facing the bed. “But I need a little while to not be.” Really, really not, you silently add.

He takes the hint and quietly lets himself out.

Short Debts Make Long Friends - Chapter Six

Fic summary: Stories of Mando and Reader. Or, an overeducated, underpaid millennial finally gets to go on her first adventure.

(Also, I base tags on reblogs - if you’d like me to take you off the list, please LMK.)

@mareebird@nildespirandum@caffiend-queen@mandindjarin@teehee-47@eylime@zuruik@reileth@thesmartbiscuit@essence-stealer@iwasbusybeingdead@tortor-mcgee@scrumptious-finicky-illusion@multifandom-fangirl4@mariwinns16