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Din sighed as he flicked the last switch above his head and finally put the Crest on autopilot. He slowly swivelled around in his chair to check on the Child and then released the built up tension in his shoulders when he saw he was safe.
That was a close call - they almost didn't make it out in time. They had taken too many risks lately and the Imps had got a bit too close for comfort. Now Din was a couple hundred credits down but at least they were mostly unscathed.
Din may be a bit cut, bruised and sore but at least the Child was safe. He was more than safe, there wasn't a scratch on him. Din had taken the brunt of the blaster fire and the explosion. The Child had even found it funny when Din got his revenge on the Stormtroopers. He'd giggled and blew raspberries at them as their heads bounced off the ground.
Now it seemed as though the excitement had finally caught up with him as his little head kept bobbing and he struggled to keep his eyes open. Din stared fondly at him for a moment, not ready to force his aching body out of his chair just yet.
Another sigh later and he was up, gently scooping the dozing baby up with him.
"Nap time," he softly mumbled to the Child as he peeked through half-lidded eyes and tilted his head in curiosity.
He slowly but gingerly climbed down the ladder and made his way to his bunk. All the while carefully cradling the Child to his shoulder.
He was so exhausted; he didn't even bother removing his armour or his boots and barely even stopped to place the baby in his hammock before flopping down on the rack beneath. If he managed to get at least 4 hours sleep then Din would call that a win. He willed his sore muscles to relax and his eyes slipped close shortly after. He was dead to the world.
Din's peace didn't last too long, however, as about 20 minutes later he felt something drop from above him and hit his unprotected side. He startled awake and reached for his blaster before realising it was the baby that had awoken him.
Din sighed and carefully picked the Child up and placed him back on his own bed, making sure to tuck his blanket back around him this time in a vain attempt to keep him in place, before flopping back down again on his own bed.
'Let's try this again,' Din thought to himself.
He was so tired that it didn't take long for him to fall back into a deep sleep. His fatigue outweighed the uncomfortable feeling of his Beskar digging into places that he'd probably regret when he woke up.
Thud! It happened again. The Child cooed as he jumped down from the makeshift hammock above Din's rack. He eyed the area with interest. He'd seen it many times before but his childlike curiosity made it seem like it was the very first time.
He had one goal in mind but it was thwarted the moment it came into fruition when a gentle gloved hand wrapped around his small body and plucked him from the bigger bed. He was plonked back in his hammock unceremoniously and he whined in frustration but it got no response from the Mandalorian. He was once again asleep.
The Child slowly looked over the edge of the hammock and observed the man below him for a moment before continuing with his original goal. He swung one leg over, followed by the other whilst clinging on with his tiny clawed hands. He dangled there for a minute before letting go. The Child, along with his blanket, fell down onto the bottom bunk just beside Din's legs. He waited for a beat, held his breath and watched for any reaction from the sleeping man.
The Mandalorian didn't stir this time so the Child got brave and quickly crawled over to Din's side and nestled himself up against one of the only places the armour didn't cover him.
Din shifted in his sleep and the Child froze, expecting to be put back into his own bed but instead cooed in delight when Din just sighed and rested his hand on his back. The baby took this as an invitation and snuggled in closer.
"Sweet dreams," Din mumbled.