After breakfast, Din offers to help you with some of the morning chores. Despite the fact that he's still healing from his injuries, you decide to let him do a few things like sweep the back porch and check the crops for insects—nothing too strenuous.

He eventually joins you in the barn, where you're spreading hay on the ground. The goats seem to pique his interest and he curiously approaches their pen. Their bleats grow louder and more frantic upon the sight of a stranger.

"Relax. He's alright." You reassure them, grinning as you glance over your shoulder.

"Are they friendly?" He asks.

You brush your hands off on your pants. "For the most part. They're just skittish around strangers."

Walking over to the pen, you reach over the gate and offer your hand to the closest doe. She recognizes your scent and eagerly approaches to lick your fingers.

"Wanna try?" You ask, glancing over at Din.

He seems hesitant to answer, so you gently take his hand and guide it over the gate, your fingers brushing against rough callouses and raised stripes of scar tissue. There's no objection from him—he simply watches and waits.

The same doe who licked your fingers eyes Din's hand with an anxious glint in her gaze. She shifts her stance sideways to keep one of the kids from approaching.

"It's okay." You reassure her. "He won't hurt you."

She gives a skeptical snort and continues to inspect him from a distance. The kid behind her bleats impatiently and tries to squeeze past, thinking you have treats. That gives you an idea.

"Here. Hold this." You dig around in your pocket, then hand Din a rectangular brick the size of a fingernail.

"What is it?" He asks, turning it over in his palm.

"Compressed yernroot mixed with honey. They love it." You tell him. Your hand still lingers near his. "Offer it to them and see if they'll take it."

With your guidance, Din slowly lowers his hand back into the pen. The doe is instantly interested in the treat laying in his palm, but still appears too hesitant to approach. Her kid, however, could care less and rushes to steal the treat.

Din instinctively flinches away, not wanting to lose a finger. You lay your hand on his forearm before he fully pulls away.

"He's just excited. He won't bite you." You say, hoping to settle his nerves.

Din looks at you, then back at the treat. A few moments pass before he offers his hand to the kid.

The kid sniffs all over Din's hand, taking in the new scents before swiping the treat with his tongue and gobbling it down.

"Tickles, doesn't it?" You say, laughing a little.

He eventually manages a small chuckle and admits, "I've never done anything like this before."

"Really?"

"My last animal encounter was with a blurrg, and she nearly took my arm off at the shoulder."

"What's a blurrg?"

Din stifles a chuckle, reminiscing on memories of Arvala-7–particularly Kuiil's blurrg training. He obviously found it amusing that you didn't know what a blurrg was. Unless they've been to Arvala-7, who would?

"Think of it as a mouth on two legs." He says, unable to keep himself from smiling under his helmet.

You try to imagine what it would look like, but are unable to do so without snickering like a schoolboy.

"I see." You manage to say without laughing, watching with a grin as the others goat kids eagerly approach and lick Din's hand.

•
•
•

Later that evening, you decide to revisit Din's flightsuit after dinner. The tear in the side was nearly mended, though the stitching could use some work. Once you put your mind to it, sewing up the remainder of the tear only took fifteen minutes.

You sit back in your chair and admire your handiwork. While you liked seeing Din wear casual clothes around the house, knowing he was protected by his beskar armor put your mind at ease. Giving the flightsuit a good wash was the last thing to be done.

"Din?" You call. The door to your bedroom was cracked, so he should be able to hear you.

You hear shuffling in the hallway and not long after, Din's figure blocks out the light from the hall.

"You called?" He replies. He's standing directly outside your door, but is hesitant to come in.

You bite your lip and try not to think about the fact that this will be the first time in years that someone other than yourself has been in your room.

"I finished mending your flightsuit." Your anxiety is evident in your tone despite your best attempts to suppress it. "Would you like to see it?"

There's a short period of silence after the last word leaves your lips. It's so quiet, you can almost hear him breathing over the soft whir of the space heater in the corner. You stare at the shadow in the doorway, holding your breath while you wait for an answer.

"Yes." Din finally speaks, though he sounds uncertain of himself. "I have the kid with me. Is that alright?"

The answer comes easily. "Of course. Please, come in." You say softly, working your fingers into the fabric of your trousers.

Stop making such a fuss. This isn't a big deal.

Oh, but it was.

It may not be a big deal to the overtly cynical voice in your head, but it was a big deal to you. The last person to ever set foot in your room had been your ex, and you'd rather not remember him. You were starting over. Forget the past. Focus on the present.

The door creaks as Din nudges it open. He cautiously steps into the room, the child cradled in one arm. The soft light from the lantern on your desk casts a golden glow across his beskar helmet, highlighting certain areas and creating harsh shadows in others.

As he takes a moment to look around, you can feel the pressure building—as if it's tangible in the air. What would he think? What would he say?

"Seems cozy." Din says, turning his head to focus his gaze on you.

You force a nervous smile. "Thank you."

Maker, your throat feels like it's about to close in.

"Are you alright?"

Din's voice snaps you to attention yet again and you let out an uneasy chuckle.

"Yeah, I'm... I'm fine." You reassure him, though it isn't very effective. Instead, you divert his attention by sliding his flightsuit into view. "How does this look?"

Din steps closer to get a better look. The child coos softly from his position between Din's arm and chest.

"Better than anything I could manage." He says—and you know he means it.

Smiling, you neatly fold his flightsuit and set it aside. "You're too kind."

Din stiffens when he feels something brush against his leg. Looking down, he sees Banx pushing his head against his calf with a soft mrow. The child peers over Din's arm, intrigued by the appearance of another creature.

"Aww, did you feel left out?" You tease, stifling a laugh when Banx gives you a nasty look.

Din kneels down beside the loth cat, cradling the child in one arm so that his free hand can stroke behind Banx's ears. Eventually, he sits down and places the child in his lap.

You watch for a moment before you slip out of your chair and sit on the floor across from him. While you wanted to make sure that Banx didn't harm the child, you also just wanted to spend some time with Din.

"I want to thank you again for your hospitality." Din says after a few minutes have passed, still absentmindedly stroking Banx's head.

"Of course. It's my pleasure." You lift your head and smile gently at him, though the happiness begins to fade from your expression. "You're not thinking of leaving already, are you?"

He withdraws his hand and lays it on his knee. He watches the child interact with Banx, light illuminating his visor from the side.

It had almost been a week since his arrival and while you were glad that he was recovering, you weren't quite ready to let him go. You found comfort in his company. Caring for the injured and sick was your passion, but it drained you of everything you had. Caring for him didn't feel like a task or a chore. It didn't wear you out and leave you mentally exhausted—it did quite the opposite. For the first time in a long time, you felt invigorated. Happy.

"My flightsuit has been repaired and I am nearly healed." He murmurs, raising his hidden gaze to meet yours. There's a pause, perhaps of hesitation, before he continues. "There are other hunters after the child. If I stay too long, I may lead them here. Or worse, the Empire. It would be best if I left."

You sigh softly through your nose.

"I understand." Your voice is quiet, almost meek. You stare into the endless depths of his visor, searching for something—anything. "You've made me very happy, Din. I won't forget you."

Din doesn't speak, either by choice or because he can't find the right words.

There's only two feet between you and him, so you take a chance. You reach over and place your left hand over his right one. He intertwines his fingers with yours, watching steadily as you lay your other hand against the side of his helmet. The beskar is cool beneath your fingertips. You feel his left hand brush against yours as it reaches for the edge of his helmet and you freeze.

"Din—" You croak.

He gently squeezes your hand, a silent question that you already know the answer to. You watch—utterly enamored—as he lifts his helmet up until just his lips are visible. They're the only thing on your mind as he pulls you in and presses them against yours.

Your eyes widen upon feeling the sensation rush over you like a bolt of electricity, then close as you melt into him. He kisses you with the utmost care, soft lips caressing your own in gentle passion. His scruff tickles your nose and chin, though you hardly notice.

You wouldn't know that he thinks he's a clumsy kisser—that he's never had enough practice in his life to know what's good and what's bad. He goes in with his whole heart, trusting it to guide him. He doesn't know what he's doing, but then again... neither do you.

Several seconds pass before you finally break apart, panting softly from the exhilaration of it all. You catch one final glimpse of Din's lips before they disappear behind the shield of beskar once more. Already, you long to kiss them again. Heat rises to your cheeks, coloring them a soft shade of red.

That was...

"...amazing.." You whisper breathlessly, unintentionally finishing your thought out loud.

Din searches your expression for anything negative. When you look up at him, he averts his gaze and stares at the floor as if it is the most interesting thing in the room.

"Din." You softly call his name, trying to encourage him to meet your gaze. He gives your hand a squeeze, but stays silent. "Will you look at me? Please?"

There's an almost pleading tone to your voice that Din cannot ignore. He sighs heavily through the modulator, then raises his head so that his gaze meets yours.

"Do you feel the same way about me as I do about you?" You ask, the words spilling out faster than you can comprehend. If he said what you hoped he would say, his departure would hurt so much worse.

Din stares at you, his breath hitching in his throat. A soft coo from the child in his lap momentarily eases the tension.

"Yes." He answers with a trembling voice.

You feel your heart swell with happiness, although the moment is short-lived. Tears threaten to rise as you struggle to swallow the bitter pain of having to let him go. All you wanted was for him to love you and now that you had it, it was starting to slip through your fingers.

Were you just not meant to be happy?

"Let's make our final night memorable, then." You tell him. A few tears streak down your cheeks as you smile at him, your eyes betraying the agony that was eating you from the inside out.

Din nods, briefly glancing down at the child before returning his gaze to you. He leans forward and presses his helmet against your forehead. You close your eyes and release a shuddering breath, begging the universe to let you keep him for a while longer.

Please. All I ask is more time. I need more time.