𝐜𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐞'𝐬𝐞 - 𝘥𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘫𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯

Intemperate

intemperate • gn!reader
Mando's indulgence in liquid courage leads him to say things you never thought you'd hear—and will never forget.

—§—

"Mando." You lift the comlink to your mouth in a fierce motion as you spit the name into it. "Where the hell are you?"

No answer. You scoff and toss the commlink onto the nightstand that sits between your bed and Mando's. He had told you he was going out for a brief walk hours ago. He still hasn't returned.

You swing your legs off the edge of the bed and knead your hands together. You've become more and more concerned about Mando in the aftermath of reuniting with his old gang. In the moment, Mando was as calm and composed as ever, but now he's been acting more distant from you than ever. It hurts more than it should thanks to the way you feel about him, though Mando's very unaware of that—at least, to your knowledge.

The two of you decided to lay low at an inn on a backwater planet until you could figure out what to do moving forward. The child's sound asleep in his pram behind the curtain that functions as a closet, which relieves you. So long as the child remains at ease, you and Mando can focus on other things, if he ever decides to work with you the way you used to.

With a heavy sigh, you reach for the comlink again. "Mando." You utter his name through gritted teeth. "Come in."

Nothing. You curse under your breath and slam the comlink down onto the nightstand. You look over your shoulder to make sure the child's still sleeping. With him resting, you can't risk going out to find Mando. He's going to have to answer you through the comlink or turn up on his own.

Needing to keep yourself busy, you decide to get ready for bed, hoping for the best and that Mando will come back soon. You change your clothes and wash your face with water, hoping it'll somehow rinse all the worries from you. It doesn't. As annoyed as you may be with Mando for not answering, you're concerned, and all you want is for him to be okay. The thought of something happening to him makes you feel sick to your stomach.

You're sitting on the edge of your bed wasting away on these thoughts when the door to the room slides open. You leap up from the bed and reach for your blaster just to see Mando standing—no, swaying—in the doorway. With a breath of relief, you toss the blaster back onto your bed and cross your arms.

"Look who finally decided to show up," you scoff, stepping towards Mando as he crosses the threshold and lets the door slide shut behind him. Something about him seems off, but you can't pinpoint it just yet. "Don't you know how worried I was—and the kid, too?" The child had been a fuss to put to sleep without Mando around.

Mando doesn't respond. He tilts his helmet at you, as if he's studying you. His silence makes you even angrier.

"Damn it, Mando!" You uncross your arms and step up to Mando, giving his cuirass a shove. "Where the hell have you been?"

Mando's helmet straightens once he stabilizes himself, an action that takes much longer than it should. "M'sorry, cyar'ika," Mando responds, his voice slurred. You raise a puzzled eyebrow at him. "I got... carried away." He steps closer to you, resting his hands on your shoulders. "Missed you, though."

You look Mando up and down, searching for any injuries that could be causing him to act like this. When you don't find any, you let your panic take over. "What happened? Were there hunters? Are you hurt?"

"Hunters." Mando chuckles—something he almost never does. You furrow your brow at him. "No fights. Other challenges, though." Mando's chest puffs out in victory. "I won."

You're left to ask a single question with breathless disbelief. "Mando... are you drunk?"

Mando chuckles, the sound crackling through his modulator as he shrugs. "Might be." He pats your shoulders as he tilts his helmet again. "Kept down more than the others did."