Unmasked Love | The Mandalorian

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You know, I always thought that I had an idea of what love was going to feel like when it finally decided that it wanted to be a present emotion in my life. And I always thought I had an idea of what it felt like to be truly in love with someone. 

Of course, love had always been present in my life, just in different forms. 

There was love from my older brother Kes, who tried to protect me from the strong grasp of the Empire. There was love from Cara when she rescued me from the horrid Imperial life that I had been trapped in for the longest time. There was love from Greef, who kept my dark Imperial secret and kept me up on my feet until I could hold my own again. There was love from the kid who pushed me to be the best person I could be every single day. 

And there was love from the one and only Adriene Calypso that showed me that life wasn't just about surviving to simply see the next day. She showed me that it was about living each day of your life to the absolute fullest. 

I suppose you could say that before I saw all of these things as acts of love, my mind had been so set on a pretty picture that I had painted of what I thought love was going to be like. 

The whole telling the person how much you love them, that everything you have to offer them is completely unconditional in every way possible, and that you would do absolutely anything and everything for them no matter the circumstance. 

You know, all the cliche stuff you always hear about when you start talking about love. Of course, it can definitely pertain to all those traits and it can be very straightforward, but the thing is, it can also be sneaky and tricky if you're not careful about it. 

It seems to sneak up on you, especially when you least expect it. Sometimes you only realize that you have it when you're already deep in it. And I have to say, the moment you finally realize that it's been with you for the longest time without you even knowing it... now that's the best feeling in the world. A feeling that you never want to give up. 

Din's arms were currently wrapped tightly around my torso as we laid in bed together, the palms of his large hands pressed flat against the smooth skin of my back as he gently laid out on top of me. He was practically laying on top of my chest, his face gently tucked in the crook of my neck, and his soft lips grazing against my skin with every shallow breath he took. I smile softly, gently running my fingers through his soft brown curls, making sure not to wake him as he slept peacefully in my arms. 

I think it's been about an hour or so since I had initially woken up, but I hadn't dared to move an inch. There was just something about seeing him sleep peacefully and just actually seeing him in front of me... Let's just say that it was a moment I knew I couldn't pass up. It was a moment that I didn't want to pass up. 

I couldn't stop staring at his peaceful face when I had the chance. The way his long dark eyelashes fluttered every now and then as he slept, how relaxed and settled he looked, how his lips slightly parted as he comfortably snuggled his face into the crook of my neck. 

It was all perfect. 

He was perfect. 

And even though everything felt perfect and I was oh so desperate not to move, the kid had been cooing and call out to us for the past few minutes and I knew that I was going to have to get up sooner or later to make sure that he was okay and not dying. 

I slowly draw in a shallow breath and lean my head forward, pressing a light peck to the top of his head, letting his curls tickle my skin. I smile and let out a light chuckle, not wanting to move my chest too much in fear that I would wake him up. 

"So much for being a light sleeper," I whisper, a gentle smirk falling over my face and taking over the soft smile I had been wearing. 

"Shhh, I'm listening to your heartbeat," he whispers back, making my heart flutter and pick up, but I don't seem to flinch from the sound of his quiet baritone voice.