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It’s been six new moons since she last saw Din Djarin, but there hasn’t been any time for Bo Katan to be apathetic– she has a planet to rebuild and a people to lead. She didn’t quite have a council yet, but she had her team of the Armorer, Koska, and Axe to keep her organized… and as her first line of defense. It’s not that she is in any danger from her people, but it’s the immense amount of love and support the Mandalorian people have for her. They would line up at her office every morning and offer her advice and assistance all hours of the day. After a couple of overwhelming days of non-stop visits to her office, Bo appointed Axe as her second in command, and to wait outside to watch for visitors. When she originally asked him for the help, he chuckled and agreed, only if she never called him ‘her secretary.’ With the support of her people, it was almost instantly she found herself busy all hours of the day; directing teams to build housing and shelters, sending out spec ops teams to explore more of the planet, collaborating with the Armorer to make sure everyone had a fresh set of armor. There was so much to do, and they had endless time. Her planet was a phoenix rising from the ashes and breathing new life into its people everyday. During the day she couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride of what has happened over the last six new moons. But it was when she turned in for the night that other feelings would catch up to her.
It always hit her the hardest once she got into bed, the feeling that something was haunting her, something missing. Or sometimes it was an empty pit in her stomach, or almost a presence floating in front of her that she wanted to reach out and grab it, whatever it was. She hated being alone, hated it. She was spoiled during her time with Din, spending endless hours on her ship enjoying each other’s company and exploring the galaxy together. She even became comfortable enough to sit in silence with him, playfully flirting with him when she had the chance. They were never intimate, but these nights she craved his presence more than ever. His stoic but protective personality always made her feel so secure and safe, she could comfortably keep her guard down. It was also his broad shoulders, strong arms and hands, dominating presence she was obsessed with. She only once saw him without his helmet, and at a distance she couldn’t keep her eyes off him. Every night before bed she replays the mental image she has of him– tousled, dark brown hair, strong jawline, kind eyes. Oh, how badly she wanted to see his face again.
It’s an early morning and Bo is in her makeshift office, sipping a cup of caf and scanning through holonet channels. She scans through the channels looking for any news or rumors of this ‘New Republic’, and maybe, hopefully, stumbles across a mention of a beskar-clad bounty hunter, or a sighting of a vintage N1 starfighter. Her expectations were low, and to no surprise, nothing came up, so she let out a sigh. She looks out the window and wonders why she even bothers to get her hopes up, and takes another sip of her caf. A few minutes pass and there’s a knock on her office door. Axe opens the door with a nervous smile on his face, “Lady Kryze, there is someone here to see you.” Bo looks at the clock in her office, and raises an eyebrow at Axe.
“It’s a little early to be having guests…” She replied. And there he was in the doorway, Din Djarin of Concordia, Child of the Watch, Clan Mudhorn, beskar armor and all.
“Hello Lady Kryze.” Din bows his head with his fist on his armored chest. “It’s been a few moons.” Speechless, Bo Katan looks at Din in disbelief, then to Axe, giving him an intense look of ‘ get out of the room, now!’ Axe awkwardly smiles, shrugs and closes the door behind him.
“Hello Din Djarin… it has been six new moons to be exact…” Bo replies, standing up from her desk, walking closer to make sure he is really there. Taking a good look at him, she crosses her arms across her armored chest. “What brings you back to Mandalore?”
“I wanted to ask you, in person, if you would like to join me on a trip to Tatoonie.” Din replies, with his arms awkwardly at his sides. He feels oddly intimidated by her presence, or was he feeling shy?
Bo took a moment before saying anything. Her reply of silence fills the room as she paces around Din with a skeptical look, almost sizing him up. “You want me… to join you on a trip to… Tatooine…” She answers, arms still crossed and looking him up and down. “Huh…why?”
Din clears his throat out of nerves and stands up straight. “Would you be interested in attending the Boonta Eve festival with me on Tatooine? I.. I.. thought it would be a fun thing for us to do together.” She could hear a nervous smile in his voice. “It’s been a while…”
Bo scoffs, still in disbelief that Din is in her office, after six new moons and complete radio silence. What was she going to do, be an ass and say no? She lets out a laugh and clasps her hands together. “Sure, Din Djarin.” She smiles annoyingly. “I’ll go with you to Tatooine. But we’re taking my ship.”
~~~
The flight to Tatoonie felt like forever, even traveling through hyperspace. Out of habit, Din and Bo sat at their assumed positions on her ship. As her co-pilot, he knew what to do to get her prepared for take off, and Bo couldn’t help but feel that sense of security she'd been missing. After spending so many hours on her ship together, it felt normal, but also, not. The awkwardness between them was so thick, it could be cut with a saber. Bo caught herself wanting to say something to break the silence, but the words would get caught in her throat. She would glance back at him, see his expressionless silver helmet, and turn forward to watch the light of hyperspeed. ‘ What could possibly be going on in that empty head of his? ’ Bo thought to herself. ‘Does he feel this awkward too? Does he feel anything? How can he just show up, without warning, and think he can make things better by taking me on a trip to an outer rim planet like Tatooine? Honestly?’ Bo’s hands gripped the ship’s helm tighter and subconsciously started to bite her lower lip– A bad stress habit she recently accumulated.
“Hey Bo…” Din spoke in a lower tone, which snapped Bo out of her trance. He startled her enough that she jumped a little in her chair and turned towards him, glaring. “Uh, Bo, your lip, it’s bleeding.”
‘ Not again… ’ she thought, tasting the metallic taste in her mouth. Bo raised her hand to wipe her lip with the back of her glove, but Din stood up and quickly walked over to her. Standing over her, he pulled out some of the scarf-like neck seal around his neck and leaned in close to her, wiping her blooded lip clean. “There you go.” he whispered. Bo looked up at him, seeing her reflection in his helmet. She could hear heavy breathing from under his helmet, his chest following the same rhythm. Even with the helmet on, Bo knew they were locking eyes. She asked herself for a split second, ‘ Is he feeling what I’m feeling? ’
“Thanks Din.” She responded, touching her lip with her thumb to see if the cut was still bleeding. She started to blush and turned her face away from him, pretending to read the ship’s comms screen. “Did you have something to tell me?”
“Oh, yes.” Din stood up and walked back to his chair on the bridge and sat down. “I just wanted to say thank you for coming and I’m excited to spend time with you.”
Bo smiled at him and turned away. That empty pit feeling started to burn in her stomach again. ‘ How can he act like everything is fine? Six new moons pass and I’m supposed to act like everything is fine? ’ Bo sighed. “Thank you Din. I am excited too” She said flatly. “We should be approaching Tatooine very soon.”
~~~
Tatooine is a desert planet with a landscape that only comes in the shades of tan or brown. But on their descent into Mos Eisley spaceport, the sprawling festival came into view. Large, brightly colored ribbons and flags were placed on top of buildings and tents, waving in the air. Large crowds of locals were meandering around and dancing, holding streamers on sticks. Vendor booths were lined along the road into Mos Eisley, selling libations to locals of all species. As her ship was landing, Din watched Bo look at the window. He could tell her eyes were sparkling in awe, with a small smile on her lips.
“Welcome to Mos Eisley, Bo.” Din spoke with a smile in his voice. Bo glanced over to him, giving him a nod and a smirk as an approval. He stood up from his co-pilot station and walked over to her, placing his hands on the back of her chair. “I have a lot planned for us today. I was thinking we can explore the grounds, catch a Pod Race, and then take it from there? Boonta Eve is technically a Hutt religious holiday, but as you can tell, it’s more of a party these days.”
Bo looked up at him, nodded, and smiled as a response. She could feel a knot growing in her throat and tears started to well in her eyes. ‘ Why is he so damn sweet? Why is he doing this? ’ She turns away from him to not-so-subtly wipe her eyes. “Yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun.” Bo sniffs and swallows her emotions, then sits up straight as the ship touches down.
After a successful landing, Bo and Din made their way through the booths and market stalls browsing the different vendors. The energy was electric, and a bit overstimulating. Vendors were shouting different types of local delicacies, kids were running around, weaving in and out of the crowd, yelling and tooting on small horns. Jawas were selling bootleg parts on shady tarps. Someone was lighting off firecrackers and above, ships were flying in and landing at the local spaceport. It was a lot to process, coming from the somewhat-quiet everyday on Mandalore. For comfort, Bo stayed close to Din as they wandered their way to the Pod Racing track.
The bleachers were crowded, but the two were able to get to their seats and settled in. Shoulder to shoulder, Din lightly tapped his pauldron with her’s, and nodded in a friendly way. Bo half-smiled and looked out at the distant racers preparing their ships. Din could feel something was off with her, an odd tension that was nothing like what they had before. In the past they could comfortably sit for hours in silence with each other, but today it felt incredibly awkward. He felt that something was wrong, but chose not to say anything, worried it would cause more unnecessary tension. He noticed a young couple making their way down the bleacher’s aisle, hand in hand, and picking a seat right in front of them. They both sat closely, with the young man’s arm around the young woman’s waist. He flirtily was whispering in her ear, kissing her neck, and she was giggling in response. The two then touched their foreheads and went in for a passionate kiss. Din, with front row seats to this young romance, could feel himself blushing under his helmet. He turned to Bo to see her expression, but was taken aback. Bo was very aware of this moment of young love right before her eyes, and saw her biting her lip again. Little tears started to pool in her eyes. Her hands were gripping her thighs.
“Bo, are you alright?” Din asked. Bo looked at him with tears crawling down her face. His heart dropped.
“No Din. I’m sorry, I can’t do this right now.” She responded, putting her helmet over her face to hide her tears. She stood up and walked to the end of the bleachers to a clearing, and used her jetpack to fly into the sky.
“Shit!” Din swore under his helmet. He pushed himself through the crowd to chase after her.
“Hey!” A local in the bleachers yelled. “Damn Mandalorians! No jetpacks!” Din didn’t give a womp rat’s ass. He launched into the sky to follow her back to her ship.
~~~
Din cautiously entered the ship, quietly turning the corner to see Bo sitting at the ship’s helm. Sitting in her chair, her boots were on the seat, one arm wrapped around her knees, the other hand wiping away tears from her eyes. The Pod Race has started, but even over the roar of the ships, he knew she could hear him. Din stood there, motionless, not sure what to do in this situation. Bo could see his reflection in the ship’s window, but she didn’t bother to move.
“Din Djarin, sometimes I wonder if meeting you was a blessing or a curse.” Bo said in a quiet voice.
“Bo,” Din replied, walking towards her, hand extended. “Let's talk.”
“Let’s talk ?” Bo scoffed. “Let’s. Talk ?” She raised her voice and aggressively placed her feet on the ground. Still seated, she turns her chair around to face him. You can tell she was crying heavily by the puffiness forming under her eyes. She places her hands on her knees and glares at Din. “Six new moons come and go, and now you want to talk ?”
“Bo, I…” Din quietly responded. He stood in place. In other situations he would be ready to fight, but he knew in this situation, he was in for a beating.
“Don’t ‘ Bo ’ me Din Djarin. From everything we’ve been through together, and one day, just like that, you’re gone? And six new moons pass, and I hear nothing from you. And now you’re back? Acting like everything is okay?” Bo stands up and begins to pace around the room.
“Din, I’ve been through a lot of shit in my life. And you know this! My life was hell during the Clone Wars. My father died. My older sister died. My people, murdered. My fucking planet, bombed to nothing. I had nothing to live for. I lived my life, going through the motions, taking up odd jobs to maybe feel something. Then one day, a bold and confident Mandalorian turns my life upside down.” Bo wipes her nose with the back of her hand. She’s breathing heavy, shoulders rising and falling quickly as she paces the bridge of the ship. Din continued to stand motionless, watching her.
“When I first met you, you made me feel something. Something that could maybe be something real. But I was scared of that feeling, so I pushed that feeling so deep down, hoping I would forget about it. Time passes and one morning you show up to my throne, asking for help. Maybe this time it would be different, so I went with you on your little adventure, saving your ass multiple times. But being around you again, I became addicted to you. And that feeling came back stronger than before. We spent so many hours on this ship together, and then you joined me to save Mandalore, and OUR people? Like? How could I not fall for you? I’ve BEEN falling for you!” Bo looked at Din for a reaction, but his expressionless helmet mirrored back at her. She started to sob.
“And one night You tell me… YOU TELL ME!” She yelled, slamming her fists on the ship’s dashboard. “That you would serve me! And will serve me until my song is written! You basically confess your feelings to me, and then, you leave?! Just like that. No goodbye, NOTHING. You’re gone like you were never there!” Bo screamed out of frustration.
“I.. I.. can explain” Din spoke quietly, holding his hands up in surrender. Bo growled and pushed him away.
“Din. Everyone in my life has left me. And with your vow, I swore you would be different and stay, for me. For us. But you left, like everyone else did. And I’m just supposed to, move on?” Bo’s breathing was heavy, getting caught between cries. “And I am getting too old, too tired to start over. I don’t want to start over. And in the middle of rebuilding Mandalore, after SIX NEW MOONS and no communication, you show up and want to go on a random trip together?! How am I supposed to feel? What am I supposed to feel?” Bo slouches down onto the floor, placing the back of her head against the ship’s dashboard. She’s tired and weeping.
Din stood there watching her on the floor. He feels himself shaking out of shame, out of guilt. His skin is equally hot and cold, sweating down to his palms. He gets down on his knees and sits next to her, bonking his helmet on the ship’s dashboard on his way down. Bo lets out a small laugh, but hides it as a cough.
“Bo. I am sorry.” Din’s voice cracks. He speaks in a quiet voice with his head lowered. “For almost all of my life I’ve been alone. Yes, I have my clan, but I’ve always been a loner. And then one day I was saved by a Mandalorian in blue armor, and I wasn’t alone anymore. But after our fight for Mandalore, I woke up in the middle of the night, scared, confused, lost. My entire life has been turned upside down and I retreated back to the only thing I knew– being alone. I left because I was scared. It wasn’t right, I knew it. Six new moons passed on Mandalore, and during the day I would run from my past, but every night I thought of you. How wrong I was to leave you. How wrong it was for me to hurt you.” Din inhaled sharply and let out a heavy sigh. He pushed himself out from under the ship’s dashboard so she could see his helmet shine in the golden light of the sunset.
For the first time truly in front of Bo, he lifted off his helmet. His brown hair, tousled. His dark brown eyes misty with tears streaming down his cheeks. “You are my partner, my companion. And what I said that night, my vow to you, I meant that. I am still in love with your honor, loyalty, and character. I will serve you Lady Bo Katan Kryze. Your song is not yet written and I will serve you until it is. I don’t ever want to be away from you again. I learned my lesson being away from you, and I will be with you until our songs are both written… I love you."
Bo sat there speechless and breathless. Her body, exhausted from her emotional breakdown, but also stunned to see Din Djarin, helmetless in front of her. After all they’ve gone through, having him bathe in the Living Waters, redeeming himself to be accepted back into his clan, all of that didn’t matter anymore. His undying love for her was more important than anything else. He sat there mirroring her, heavy breathing. She could tell he was a bit uncomfortable without his helmet, but sharing this intimate moment was everything to her. Bo crawls over to him, placing herself next to him on the floor. The suns outside are setting, filling the ship’s bridge with warm pink light. His dark eyes sparkle in the light, reminding her of pools of golden honey. She takes off her gloves and leans herself over him. With her thumb, she wipes away the tears on his cheek, and then uses the back of her fingers to trace along his strong jawline.
“Oh Din.” Bo whispers to him as she brushes his hair back. “I love you too.” She pulls him in for a kiss. Time stops and it feels like forever, but this time it’s welcomed. Din’s shoulders sink as he places his hand on her cheek. Hearts racing and breaths deepen, Bo crawls on top of Din’s lap, straddling him, passionately kissing in the light of the binary sunset. They breathe into each other, kissing and feeling the warmth of each other. A quiet whimper escapes from Bo’s chest, a release, and Din pulls her in closer, then pulling her down on top of him. Nothing in the universe matters but this moment. Din pulls away to catch his breath and looks into Bo’s eyes. He tucks her hair behind her ear and kisses her cheek, her ear, then down to her neck.
“Bo,” Din says between soft kisses down her neck, “I have one more surprise for you, if you’re up to it.” Bo squirms in his arms and pulls away to look at him with loving eyes. “I want to take you somewhere special. Just us alone.”
“I’d love that.” She responds, placing her forehead on his. The two share a moment as the suns finally set beyond the horizon.
~~~
“What is this place?” Bo asked as she pushed aside a tapestry and ducked through a small doorway. Holding his hand, she followed Din into the dark space, which opened up to a large circular hanger bay. Ship and droid parts were scattered around the hanger bay, but sitting in the middle was a blanket, a small basket, and some low lit hand-held lanterns. Suspicious, Bo scanned the area for any threats, one hand on her blaster just in case.
“Don’t worry Bo, we’re safe here.” Din chuckled. “An old friend let me have this space for the night and it’s all ours.” He guided Bo to the blanket and sat down. With the basket between them, he pulled out two glasses and a bottle of Coruscante wine. She smiled with a look of familiarity and almost as if Din read her mind, “Yep.” He responded. “From Greef Karga. I wanted to save it for a special occasion.” He opened the bottle and poured them both a glass. Din took one more look around and carefully took off his helmet and placed it between them. “It’s just you and me.” He said, giving her a confident wink.
The two clinked glasses and just as Bo was about to take a sip of her drink, a fast, fiery something shot into the sky. She gasped and out of habit reached for her blaster. The fiery something exploded into a large firework above them, with silver sparkles raining down. Din laughed and leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek. Another firecracker flew into the sky, and then another. Before they knew it the entire sky was filled with colorful fireworks, crackling above them. Music could be heard in the distance, along with locals clapping and celebrating. Bo was in complete awe, her heart was so full and turned to Din with the biggest smile.
“Bo,” Din says as he leans over to grab Bo’s hand. “This is why I wanted to take you to Tatoonie. I wanted to share this moment with you. Take this as a new beginning.” He stands up and pulls Bo up with him as well. Their eyes meet and she couldn’t help but melt into his arms. Din held her close, swaying slowly to the beat of distance music. He whispers in her ear oh so softly. “I’ll never leave you again Lady Bo Katan Kryze. I am yours forever. Call me your lover, partner, companion, or husband. Whatever I will be for you, I promise I will live alongside you until both our songs have been written.”
The two kiss, swaying together under the sparking sky, with a silhouette of a new moon rising in the distance.