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As soon as the saloon doors open and you hear the room go quiet, you know who’s walked in. You look up from your work to meet the infamous brown eyes that peer out from above his black bandana. He tips his wide-brimmed hat in your direction and you smile before you look back down at the glass you’re cleaning.
Din’s bootsteps get closer as the chatter of the saloon continues. Only when he stops do you glance back up again. His brown eyes are bright as ever as he stands right across from you.
“Welcome back, handsome.” You set the glass aside and offer Din your hand. He takes it and presses your knuckles against his bandana in the best kiss he can manage. The skin that surrounds his eyes is wrinkled in a smile. “We weren’t expectin’ you back so soon.”
Din takes his place at his usual stool and shrugs. “The job was quicker than I thought.”
You take the cleaned glass and grab your oldest whiskey. “ Mmm , I got a feelin’ you’re just damn good at what you do.” Din chuckles as you hand him the filled glass. His gloved fingers brush against yours. “So, the first place you decided to go after your job was here?”
“It gets cold when I’m away from my sunshine for too long.” You beam at him as he lifts the glass in his hand. “Plus, you make the best damn whiskey around.”
You laugh and rest your elbows upon the bar. Your corset tightens with the movement and you don’t miss the way Din’s gaze flickers over you. “I don’t make the whiskey, y’know.”
“It ain’t about the taste.” Din maneuvers the glass underneath his bandana and sips. “It’s about the experience.”
“Yeah?” Your lips continue to tug upwards in a charmed and amused smile. “The experience or the view, Mr. Brown Eyes?”
Din sets the drink down and looks away from you. His chest inflates with a breath he holds before he responds. “I’m… mighty sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.”
“Oh, handsome, please .” You give his hand a swat before you straighten yourself again. “It ain’t nothin’ but a compliment comin’ from you.” You reach for another glass and start to scrub it. “So tell me, Mr. Brown Eyes.” You pause and glance at him. “Is the view good?”
The corners of Din’s eyes wrinkle again. “There ain’t a word good enough for it, sunshine.”
You lift the glass and peer through it to check for smudges. The image of Din is distorted through it in a way that makes you chuckle. “I reckon you’ve seen a lot of nature in your adventures. Surely there’s been a sunset or somethin’ that’s a little better.”
Din gives in to your teasing with ease. “I’ve always loved the stars, ma’am—but the sun burns even brighter than ‘em.”
You grin at him as you set the glass aside. “Well, that’s an honor comin’ from you, handsome.”
Din’s about to say more when another patron sits at one of the barstools. You watch as he looks in the man’s direction with a furrow in his brow. His relaxed posture becomes tense, ready. You drop your work and attend to the man with your best customer service smile.
“Welcome, sir,” you greet. “What can I get started for you?”
“Bourbon, on the rocks.” The man gives you a look that makes you fight a frown as you instead manage a nod. Before you can turn and do your work, he grasps your wrist to keep you in place and adds on. “Thanks, sweetheart.”
Within seconds, his hand is torn away from you. You’re surprised to see Din standing at the man’s side with his wrist held so tight in his gloved hand that it makes the man wince. “You ask before you touch someone.” Din’s voice is low, dangerous. It makes you shiver. “You keep disrespectin’ her or anyone else like that, and I’ll make sure you can’t grab nothin’ ever again. Understand?”
The man offers a few desperate nods. “Understood, Mr. Djarin.”
Din returns their nod and lets them go. He tips his hat before he sits back down at his stool and sips his drink. You get the man what he wants and serve it with a smile, but he doesn’t stay. He takes his drink with haste and sits at the table farthest away from Din. You chuckle and stand in front of the infamous man yourself with a raise of your brow. His brown eyes focus on his glass as he speaks. “Sorry, sunshine. I know you can defend yourself.”
You shrug and cross your arms. “It’s nice to get a lil’ help sometimes.” You gesture with your gaze to the man in the corner. “I think you helped more people than just myself, too.”
“Yeah, but… I should’ve asked.” Din’s guilty brown gaze falls to his glass as he swirls his whiskey. “In case you wanted to tell him off yourself.”
You smile at Din and whip your hand towel to catch his gaze again. “I’m startin’ to think you just wanted to see me tell him off.”
Din’s eyes wrinkle in yet another hidden smile. “I’m sure it’s quite a sight.”
You release a playful scoff and consider the holster strapped to your thigh underneath your skirt. “You’d be surprised, Mr. Brown Eyes.”
Din raises his brow at you as he draws another sip of his drink. “I happen to like surprises.”
“Yeah?” Your gaze snaps up to the doors of the saloon as they open wide and reveal a sight that makes the entire room go silent. Standing at the threshold is a man whose face remains hidden underneath the shadow of the widest-brimmed hat you’ve ever seen. He’s got a blue bandana tied around his neck and a holster set on each hip. When he raises his head, you see his infamous bloodshot red eyes that tells you exactly who you’re looking at. “Looks like today is your lucky day.”
Din’s gaze had followed yours, and now he stands from his stool in a cool and steady movement to face the man who remains in the threshold. The newcomer grins around the toothpick balanced between his lips and speaks in a low rumble. “I’ll be damned. If it ain’t Din ‘Brown Eyes’ Djarin himself.”
You watch Din’s gloved hand flex over his holster, though he makes no move for the weapon inside it. He offers his response in a threatening tone. “Cad Bane.”
Bane chuckles and crosses his arms as he leans his shoulder against the doorframe. “This oughtta’ make for an even more excitin’ afternoon than I thought.”
“Hey!” You raise your voice at Bane with a hostile furrow in your brow. “If you wanna cause issues, do it outside my establishment.” You try and fail to hide your scowl from him. “We don’t want your filth in here.”
Bane continues to grin as his gaze flickers between you and Din. He speaks to the other bounty hunter as if you’ve just said nothing at all. “Here to claim the bounty for yourself, I see.”
Your heart thickens like molasses in your throat at his words. Din tenses and shifts his weight in front of you. “What bounty?”
Bane releases a curt laugh and tips his hat. “They call you the best bounty hunter this side o’ the river, yet you don’t even know what’s sittin’ right behind you.”
“ Who .” Din’s quick to correct Bane with a flex of his gloved hands. “And you’re mistaken.”
“Unlike you, Brown Eyes , I don’t make mistakes in my work.” Bane gestures to you and where you’ve since taken an iron-like grip on the empty glass in your hand. “You broke the first rule of our kind.” Bane sneers in your direction. “You never trust nobody .”
Din glances back at you and you meet his brown eyes with a widened gaze. You give your head a small shake, a plea for him to let you explain yourself. Din nods; he trusts you more than Bane.
But the bounty hunter continues his attempt to turn Din against you. “This bounty’s been out for years, but she’s tough to find.” Bane gestures with his chin to Din. “You ever spoken with the owner of the railroad?” His red eyes turn back to you. “He’s just a daddy who misses his pretty little lady.”
The restraint within you snaps and the glass is flying out of your hand before you can stop it. Bane lifts a single hand and keeps the rest of his body still as he catches it with ease. He lets out a low laugh and considers the item in his hand.
“Now, that wasn’t very ladylike, missy.”
You bristle and point an accusatory finger towards him. “My father misses nothin’ but the money people steal from him!”
Bane stands up straight again. “Well, it’s clear he still wants you taken care of.” He throws the glass to the floor and lets it shatter. “Dead or alive.”
You tense and ready your hand near your skirt to reach for your concealed weapons. Before you can act, Din does. He moves to stand completely in front of you—despite the fact he doesn’t know what the hell is going on, or even what the full truth is.
Bane scoffs at Din’s act. “This ain’t your fight, Djarin.” He points to you. “And you ain’t claimin’ my prize.”
Din’s gloved fingers flutter over his holster. “I’m not claimin’ anything.” He tilts his head. “Except for the fact that you need to get the hell out of here.”
Bane sneers and steps forward, a movement that allows the other patrons to escape before things get ugly. “I’d be careful where I was sticking my nose if I were you.”
“You know why I haven’t spoken with the railroad owner?” Din continues as he disregards Bane’s warning. “Because I know he’s nothin’ but a criminal who thrives from cheap labor. To work for him would be to disrespect myself.” Din steals a glance at you over his shoulder. “No offense, sunshine.”
You shrug with an amused smile, despite the tension in the room. “None taken.” Not a single word he’d said is wrong.
Din turns back to Bane and gestures to you with his head. “She’s not hurtin’ nobody, and there’s plenty of other jobs for you to take.” Din’s hand gets even closer to his holster. “I suggest you move along.”
Bane’s eyes narrow. “You know better than to threaten me.”
Din shrugs. “You don’t earn the title I’ve been given by playin’ it safe.”
The hostility in Bane’s expression turns to sly amusement as his hands hover over both his holsters. “Well, if my reputation as the quickest draw precedes me, then I guess I can understand exactly what you’re sayin’.”
Your chest inflates with a heavy breath at the tension in the room. A shootout in the saloon would cause damage you can’t afford to repair, but there’s nothing you can do about that now—and it’s the least of your worries. Bane’s words aren’t a bluff, which means you could be watching Din take a lethal shot on your behalf. You want to speak to tell Din to let you go, to keep himself safe, but Bane draws before you can get the words out.
Bane’s first shot towards Din is a warning, one that knocks the gun from the bounty hunter’s hand. You know the second one from his other holster is coming, but like you hinted to Din before, you’ve got surprises of your own. One of those is the fact you might just be a quicker draw than Bane himself. You reach under your skirt and unholster your gun to deliver a shot that throws Bane’s aim off. Rather than getting the bullet through Din’s chest, it grazes his shoulder, and Bane curses loudly and cradles a now-injured hand.
You clear the bar in one leap to face Din, who’s since fallen back against the bar at the force of the blow against his shoulder. He grips the wound with one gloved hand to keep the blood contained. “Hey,” you breathe, one hand holding his good shoulder and the other wrapping around his wrist, “you okay?”
Din nods, his brown eyes somehow calm as they peer at you over his bandana. “It’s just a flesh wound.” His gaze looks beyond you and grows alert. “He ain’t finished yet.”
Before you can turn to face Bane, he takes you by the shoulder and shoves you to the floor. You move fast in an attempt to get back on your feet when you turn to watch Din throw his fist against Bane’s cheek. The man just laughs before he takes a hold of the side of Din’s head and slams it against the bar. His hat falls off and reveals a muss of brown hair that quickly becomes encrusted with blood from the blow he’s suffered. Din still manages to retaliate with another punch to the cheek and an uppercut. Bane stumbles back and you kick out your leg to trip him up.
But the skilled fighter is ready for it, and you’re rusty from being out of action for so long. He sends his boot into your side from where you’re still kneeled on the floor. It knocks the air from your lungs as you struggle to get back up again. Meanwhile, you watch as Din approaches Bane with a fury you’ve only heard about in stories. He takes a blade from his boot and swings at Bane to scratch the tip of it along each of his cheeks. Before Din can bring it down into Bane’s chest, his wrist is seized by a tight grip. Bane twists Din’s hand to make him groan with pain and drop the blade to the floor before he pursues his ruthless counterattack.
Bane’s managed to slip on a pair of brass knuckles that he throws against Din’s cheek. Din stumbles in surprise at the power of the blow and is left defenseless when Bane grabs his shoulder and knees him hard in the stomach. The action knocks the air from him just as Bane had done to you and gives him the freedom to hold Din by the throat and pin him against the bar. You’re still struggling to catch your breath as you watch Bane sneer at the bounty hunter.
“Ain’t so powerful now, are you, Djarin?” Bane releases a mirthless chuckle and lifts his free hand towards Din’s face. “You ain’t no hero or a goddamn legend. You’re just a man who’s too cowardly to show his own face.” Bane grips Din’s bandana. “Let’s see what happens when we take that away.”
You cry out in protest, to no avail. Bane tears the bandana into shreds as he rips it off Din’s face. It reveals the full face of a man who’s somehow even more handsome than you’d imagined, but also puts his reason for concealing himself on full display: a long scar that stretches from cheek-to-cheek. Your chest aches at the way Din’s eyes have doubled in size, his jaw hardened as Bane laughs at him.
“Someone didn’t want to admit that they lost a fight.” Bane takes his own blade off his belt. “I’ll make that evidence of two fights lost.”
You surprise Bane with the strength you’ve already earned back by standing on your feet and drawing your gun from your holster yet again. You cock it to earn Bane’s attention. “Walk away while you still can, Bane.” Your finger tightens against the trigger.
Bane lifts an eyebrow at you and chuckles. “You’re bold, little lady. I’ll give you that.”
Your gaze flickers to Din’s as you meet his eyes, and you make a point to only look there. You make your intentions clear. “And you’re a fool.”
Din seizes Bane’s grip on his throat with both hands and pulls down hard to snap Bane’s wrist. The man yells from the pain, but he’s shown no mercy. Din’s reached back to take what once was his glass of whiskey from the bar and smashes it against Bane’s head. His hat flies off and leaves him vulnerable as he falls back against a table. Din punches once, then twice, then three times to leave Bane’s nose and mouth tainted with the sickly red stain of blood.
You tear off a piece of your skirt and run over to Din to stop him. Your hands hold the arm he’s thrown back for another punch and keep it in place. Din’s brown gaze meets yours and you watch as the hostility melts away to favor his softness towards you. “That’s enough,” you say, releasing his arm and reaching to tie the fabric of your skirt around his face. It becomes a temporary replacement for his torn bandana, one that makes the golden flecks in his brown eyes glow at you like never before.
“How sweet.” The hiss from Bane fails to hide his pain from the beating he’s taken. “The runaway thinks the hunter’s got a heart, after all.”
In one smooth movement, you take Din’s fallen blade from the floor and run it through Bane’s chest. The man lets out a gurgling choke as you lift the blade and lean over him. “Let’s see who’s the one without a heart now.” Bane’s bloodshot eyes flutter closed as he falls limp upon the table. You meet Din’s gaze that’s doubled in size at you. You shrug and wipe the blade off on Bane’s clothes before handing it back to him. “I told you you’d be surprised, handsome.”
Din chuckles and shakes his head at you. “I was ready to just take your word for it, sunshine.” The wrinkles around his eyes disappear as he tilts his head at you. He lifts a gloved hand to your chin and tilts it up at him. “You’ve got a scratch on your cheek.”
You can’t stop the laugh that escapes you as you gesture to his bleeding shoulder. “A scratch ain’t nothin’ compared to what you’ve got.” You sigh and look around the empty saloon. “C’mon, I’m closin’ shop for the day. Let me take you back to my place and get you fixed up.”
Din’s gaze follows yours around the saloon. “I should help you clean up this mess.”
You smile at him. “Tomorrow.” You gesture to his shoulder again. “That can’t sit open for much longer.”
“Well, the least I can do…” Din pauses and exhales as he takes Bane’s limp form and tosses it over his non-injured shoulder, “is take out the trash.”
You chuckle and walk over to where Din’s hat is still on the ground by the bar. You pick it up and set it in place over Din’s mussed hair. “Sure, handsome.” The last thing you do is set Din’s blaster back in his holster for him before you guide him out of the saloon. You lock it up and walk with Din down the dusty road to make your first stop at the morgue. Once you’ve started towards your home, you release a sigh and walk close enough to Din’s side for his arm to brush against yours. “I owe you an explanation and an apology.”
Din looks over at you. “I think an apology is the last thing I need, sunshine.”
You cross your arms and set your jaw. “I didn’t tell you who I am.”
“If I were you, I would’ve done the same thing.” You look over at Din in surprise. His brown gaze is full of understanding as he continues to look at you. “At the end of the day, I’m a bounty hunter, just like Bane.”
You shake your head. “No. You’re nothin’ like Bane.” A touch of your hand upon his arm asks for permission to take it, and Din doesn’t hesitate in offering it to you—no matter what the others passing through the town might think when they see him. “You’re respectful and honorable in not just your work, but all your interactions.”
“Still, sunshine.” Din’s eyes wrinkle in a smile as he looks at you. “I ain’t upset about you not tellin’ me.”
You return his smile as you exhale a sigh of relief. “All right.” You keep yourself close to his side. “But I’ll still tell you everythin’.”
Din nods at you. “If you’re comfortable with it, and you really want to.” Din grits his teeth as he lifts the hand of his injured shoulder to cover one of yours on his arm. “I’ll listen to every word.”
Your chest fills with warmth that rivals the sun that’s beating down on you. The walk to your home isn’t too far from the saloon, for the sake of simplicity if anything else, and soon you’ve unlocked the door and gotten Din to take a seat at your table. You rush for your bag of medical supplies and stand over Din’s place in the chair. He’s since taken his hat off and set it upon the table.
“Need any help?” Din’s question is soft as he watches you go for the wound on his shoulder first.
“I can do it, handsome.” Your gaze meets his and you shift your weight. “But I may need to get access to the wound directly.”
Din nods in discernment. “No problem, sunshine.” He’s quick in peeling off the layers on his upper half, starting with his gloves and stopping only when his upper half is bare to give you proper access to the wound. You allow your gaze a quick study of his warm skin before you focus on the angry redness on his shoulder. Din watches you with eager eyes to glow over his makeshift bandana. “So, where’d you learn to do all this?”
You smile as you continue your work. “Well, it all started with my father.” Din’s soft gaze soothes you as you go on. “The more his railroad grew, the more he was targeted by robbers. He needed someone to fight them off.” You steal a quick glance at Din. “He chose me.”
Din’s brow furrows. “That’s a lot of responsibility.”
You scoff and go back to your work. “Yeah, it was. And it was unpaid.”
The movement is gentle as Din reaches for your wrist to stop you for a moment. Your gaze meets his again as he faces you with severity. “You mean to tell me he made you put your life on the line for his business and didn’t give you a single piece of it?”
You shrug, nonchalant. “Like I said before, the only thing he could possibly miss is the money people have stolen from him.” Din releases your wrist to let you keep going. “If he put a bounty on me, it’s probably because he wants his fighter back to keep the robbers away.”
Din tilts his head at you. “But Bane said ‘dead or alive.’ Why would your father want you killed?”
“Because if he can’t have me and my skills,” your voice gets low, “no one can.”
Din remains silent for a long moment as you finish off his treatment with a gauze you wrap around his shoulder. When he speaks, you can tell the moment was spent attempting to gain some kind of composure. “On a completely unrelated note… where does your father live?” You laugh and give his uninjured shoulder a playful shove. Din chuckles with you. “Seriously, sunshine, I’m glad you haven’t let that get to you. You share your light with everyone you meet.” You watch Din’s eyes wrinkle with yet another smile. “It’s amazin’.”
You don’t stop yourself from lifting your hand to brush through Din’s mussed hair. His eyes flutter at the movement in a way that makes your smile widen. “I’m not always as ‘sunny’ with others as I am with you, handsome.”
Din’s gaze meets yours with an unprecedented warmth. “I guess that makes two of us.” He reaches up to take your hand from his hair and set it on his cheek. “Y’know… I think I’ve got some nasty bruises on my face that could use some treatment.”
You search his eyes with a furrowed brow. “Are you sure you’re okay with that?” Din nods and you take a deep breath to prepare the two of you. With gentle hands, you reach around his head to loosen the torn piece of your skirt. You lower it and can’t help the way your gaze melts at the sight of him. The corners of his lips are tugged up into a sweet smile as he watches you observe him. When you finally find the words to say, your voice is soft and full of meaning. “I always knew ‘handsome’ was the perfect name for you.”
Din’s cheeks go pink as he reveals a bashful yet stunning smile. “That’s… very kind of you to say.”
You smile with him, your gaze enraptured by the sight of him in front of you. Din’s gaze flutters to your lips and yours does the same to his. You gravitate to each other with ease, and before you know it, your lips are pressed upon the sweet warmth of his. The affection he offers devours you even in the softest of gestures, his hands cupping your face with a gentleness that’s unexpected from a man of his reputation. You melt into him as you hold his face in return to keep him as close as possible before you’re both forced to pull away for air and sweet smiles. “Well, that was a long time comin’.”
Din chuckles and brushes his nose against yours. “Then I guess we should make up for all that lost time, shouldn’t we, sunshine?”
You stop him only for a moment. “You’ve still got bruises that need attention, handsome.”
Din shrugs and smiles against your lips. “We’ll take care of ‘em later.” You’re unable to disagree the moment his mouth meets yours in another affectionate display—the first of many you’ll get to share with the once mysterious man who now holds your heart in his safe and capable hands.