I'll Do The Same { Din Djarin x OC}

Chapter Twenty Eight: Mission

author's note: thank you so so much for all the love on the last few chapters!! updates may be a little slower since i start college classes on tuesday... but this story and my beloved readers mean too much for me to abandon this story!! 

cw//: there is a very small, BRIEF conversation on sex(no actual smut)

 . . . . 

There was blood coating her hands, painting red streaks down her forearms and disappearing inside the fabric of her shirt. Just ahead of her, figure illuminated by the open window, a man stood hunched over, his arms dragging at his sides. Gold eyes stared back at her from the dark, piercing as sharp as a dagger.

Thell shot up, scrambling backwards against the sheets until she hit something warm. The form groaned, and Thell darted away, kicking her feet under the blankets. She could barely breathe, the breath from her throat hot and heavy as she pushed herself away. There was dampness on her arms and face, sweat mixed with tears. The form beside her moved, and a hand clasped down on her wrist, making Thell shriek.

"Thell, stop."

She hadn't realized she had been hitting him until he spoke, and Thell unfurled her fists, drawing them away from his chest. Din's voice was calm, like coming home, and she blinked slowly, adjusting to the dim light from the single candle at her bedside. She could just make out Din's face, dark hair pushed up against one side from his pillow, his brown eyes half lidded. But his brows were creased, his lips drawn into a frown. Seeing him again, after only seeing his face for less than an hour before, made her heart swell.

"You okay?" He asked softly, adjusting the hand on her arm to smooth his thumb over the inside of her wrist. Lip trembling, she leaned back, trying to put distance between them. She had promised to not let anyone hurt him again, and here she was, attacking him in her sleep.

"S-sorry," she sobbed, running a shaky hand through her hair as she readjusted her pillow. She sensed him trying to reach for her again, and instead of turning away, Thell crushed herself to him. She heard the way his breath hitched as she curled into his chest, fingers furled into his shirt as she pressed her forehead into his collarbone. Drawing her legs up, her knees brushed his thighs from under the blankets. She didn't cry, too shaken from the image to do anything but breathe in Din's scent, feel his heartbeat against her shaking hands. He hesitated for a long moment before wrapping his arms over her, tangling one hand into her hair and scrunching it gently. Din was still shy, despite having removed his armor and helmet in front of her. He still moved slowly, as if unsure of his own movements.

She reached up slowly, finding his hair and running her hand through it, hearing him let out a low, content sigh. Thell peeked out from his chest, meeting the endearing brown eyes that had already been looking her way.

"How long is this going to last?" She whispered.

His hand ran down the back of her head, knuckles just lightly scraping over her cheek. "I don't know... But I'm not letting you go until they do."

"... And after?"

"Then, too."

The next time she woke up, Thell was cold. Out of pure instinct, she reached her hand across the bed, trying to find Din. She had practically passed out after the nightmare, too exhausted from the events of that previous day to stay awake any longer. But the only thing her fingers touched were the cold sheets of the opposite side of the bed. Shocked, Thell's eyes shot open, and she threw herself up, tossing the blankets past her legs. There was an indent in the bed where Din had slept beside her, but other than that, he had vanished.

She could feel her breathing pick up, the worry that was coming over her. Had he left her and already gone to rescue the kid on his own before she had woken up? Dim sunlight was already pouring into the room from the open window, cascading the walls and floor in gold. The sun was just rising. Her armor was lying on the floor where she had left it the night before, the painted Beskar shining beautifully in the morning light.