rylee.

The Mandalorian and you had a simple relationship. You were to care for and watch over his son when he couldn't, which happened to be quite often due to his demanding lifestyle. In return he housed you, fed you, and provided you with protection when necessary. Nothing more, nothing less, right? That was the way the rugged bounty hunter saw things, but you on the other hand felt differently. Something about his stone-cold demeanor drew you in. He was strong and brave, intimidating, and feared, and all of those characteristics stirred something deep within you. 

But to him, you were only the Child's caretaker. Nothing more, nothing less.

You rolled over on your cot to face the wall, your eyes still blurred from sleep. Groggily you felt around the folds of your sheets until you grasped a small rock with one pointy end that you had collected from a planet you had long since left. You and the bounty hunter traveled so often that all the planets and systems had begun to blur together. You never paid much attention to where you were anyway. You could be on the most beautiful planet, covered with white sands and clear seas, yet you would still be more entranced by the mysterious Mandalorian. 

You scratched another line into the wall and counted how many were there. You had been traveling with the Mandalorian for 124 days, give or take a cycle as you had only started keeping track a few weeks after you boarded the Razorcrest. It looked as if you were a prisoner counting the days they spent locked away, but really you were tracking how long it was taking for the Mandalorian to finally see you. Not just with his eyes, but deeper than that. To you, it seemed like your infatuation was painfully obvious, but maybe the warrior was oblivious, or just completely ignoring you. It was probably the latter.

You sat upright in bed as your vision cleared the rest of the way and caught a glimpse of the Mandalorian putting on his chest plate.

"Sorry," You muttered, immediately placing your hand over your eyes.

Seeing Mando without his armor might as well have been seeing him naked. And seeing him without his helmet would probably end in your untimely demise. 

You liked to think he wouldn't kill you, but sometimes you really weren't sure. 

"It's okay," His deep and muffled voice replied, watching as you sheepishly removed your hands from your eyes.

You could hear the child cooing over in Din's half of the room so you climbed out of bed to go fetch him. You hummed a soft and sweet good morning to the baby before sweeping him up into your arms and planting a kiss on his wrinkled forehead.

"Where are we headed?" You asked as you bounced the child in your arms, earning you a fit of soft giggles from him.

"Tatooine." Mando bluntly answered.

As usual, he wasn't much for words.

"And we'll arrive today?" You guessed, pointing the baby in the direction of its father who he was making grabby hands at.

"We should land in an hour or so. We're meeting a friend of mine at her hangar."

Your brain got stuck on the word 'her'. You didn't even think the Mandalorian had friends, especially not lady friends. You swallowed your jealousy and handed the baby to the man.

"Spend some time with him while I get dressed. I'll be up to make breakfast in a second." You told him, watching as he took the baby with a gentleness that did not match his hardened exterior.

When you finished getting dressed, you climbed up the ladder into the upper quarters. You were immediately blinded by the light of the bright suns of Tatooine as you exited the darkness of the lower bunks.

"That was quick." You muttered, squinting as your eyes adjusted to the light.

You strapped in for the landing, clutching the child close to your chest as the turbulence rattled the ship's interior. You and the Mandalorian both let out your usual sigh of relief when you thankfully made another safe landing.

"Alright, she's waiting," Din said, referring to his lady friend that you were painfully jealous of.

"Maybe the baby and I should just stay here, you know how Tatooine is." You said, looking into the Mandalorian's expressionless visor.

You didn't know if your heart could handle being around Mando and the mystery woman.

"Nothing will happen if I'm with you two." He replied lowly, motioning with his arm for you to follow.

You unwilling trailed behind the man, the small green child clung to your hip. The rear door of the ship opened with a great hiss, a pool of hot golden light following in its wake. The Child gurgled and shielded its large dark eyes with a small three-fingered hand, taken aback by the sudden rush of sunlight. 

"I thought that hunk of junk looked familiar," A raspy female voice greeted, her body merely a black silhouette against the scorching desert suns.

"Hello, Peli." The Mandalorian replied. 

Mando may have appeared stoic to most, but you'd been around him enough to been to notice the slight queues in his voice. When he found something funny, there was a certain waver to his gravelly tone, and it was present in this moment.

When your eyes finally adjusted to the light you were met with the sight of a short woman who was more hair than height. She had a head of wild, curly hair and was clad in a tattered jumpsuit. She wasn't at all what you were expecting, but the mischievous glint in her eyes was strangely comforting. You felt as if she were an old friend to you.

"Did you finally get hitched, Mando?" She asked, looking you up and down as if she were examining your worth. 

Your face grew hotter than what it already was in the blistering Tatooine heat as the man beside you cleared his throat.

Suddenly, you felt uncomfortable in your tattered, olive-colored overalls. You sure didn't look like a worthy bride.

"She is the Child's caretaker." He answered, his gaze still locked on Peli.

Your chest panged at his words and you held onto the Child tighter, tucking his small green head beneath your chin.

"Well, that's your loss. She's one fine specimen." The woman with the unruly hair replied as she flashed you a lopsided grin.

"May I see him?" She beamed at the baby clutched in your arms and the blush that was rapidly spreading across your face went unnoticed to her. 

You looked down at the Child and watched as he gazed at Peli with admiration, the two had seemingly met before.

"Of course," You hummed, descending the ramp so you could safely hand the Child over.

You watched as she hummed and fawned over the baby while you felt the Mandalorian's unnerving presence looming over your shoulder. His broad shadow that was cast across the dusty ground showed his arms folded over his armored chest.

"We stopped by hoping you could provide us some information-" 

"You never just want to come to visit me, there always has to be something in it for you." Peli huffed.

You quietly analyzed the relationship between the two. Lucky for you they weren't old flames, but they were close with one another. Why didn't Mando and you joke like this? How much longer were you going to have to sit next to him in the co-pilot's seat in deafening silence? You decided that if you got a moment alone with Peli, you'd ask how the two of them got so close. Maybe she'd be able to help you.

"What do you know about Mos Pelgo?" The bounty hunter asked, earning a puzzled expression from the older woman.

"Destroyed in battle." She bluntly replied, bouncing the baby up and down in her arms. 

"No, that's not right." The Mandalorian mumbled.

"Koresh said Mos Pelgo, right?" He turned toward you for support.

"If I recall correctly, yes." You said, now equally puzzled.

Now you worried that your run-in with the gangster Gor Koresh had been for nothing. What if the three of you almost died all for a dead end?

"R5," Peli called, summoning forth a rusted red and white droid.

"Pull up a map of Tatooine for me, will you?"

The droid hummed and whirred as it went to work at an achingly slow pace. 

"Can you go any faster you useless pile of bolts?" She groaned. 

Before the four of you appeared a flickering hologram of a map of Tatooine. 

"Now, can you find me Mos Pelgo?"

The droid let out another series of beeps before getting to work again, slightly faster this time.

"I don't see it." Mando frustrated announced as you stared at the blank spot on the map.

"Mos Pelgo was turned to dust, I'm not sure if you'll find what you're looking for there," Peli explained before looking skeptically towards you and the Mandalorian.

"We still have to try." You said, looking down at the baby in Peli's arms.

"For him."

"What sort of trouble are you two looking for anyway?" 

"A source told me I could find another Mandalorian there. Hopefully, they can lead me to others like the Child."

"And by a source he means gangster." You said under your breath, earning a hearty chuckle from the mechanic.

"At least he has someone with at least a lick of sense around now. I don't know what he thinks he's doing running and being in cahoots with gangsters. He has a responsibility now!" She waved the baby around in Mando's line of sight.

You smiled to yourself, happy to finally have some recognition for all the help you gave to The Mandalorian. If it weren't for you he probably wouldn't be able to keep his head on his shoulders.

"I have a land speeder you two can borrow, but if anything happens to it this time I swear, Mando I will have your-"

"I will bring it back in one piece." The man silenced, already walking towards the speeder.

You looked at the lone bike with dismay. It was going to be awkward to have to share one, especially for that long of a trip.

"I hate to ask for too much, Peli, but do you happen to have a second speeder?" You shyly requested with your hands clasped together in front of you.

"Nope, not since Mando here wrecked the last one." 

"You should be fine, I don't think he bites unless you tick him off." She teased with a wink.

You let out and nervous laugh and took hold of the Child as she handed him over to you. You tenderly put him into his pouch before tying it to the back of the speeder.

The Mandalorian had already boarded the bike and started the engine, it purred and sputtered like a sickly loth cat. Despite the worrying amount of noise the speeder made, you sat down on the back end of the vehicle, making sure to keep your distance from the bounty hunter in front of you.

"You're going to want to get closer than that, sweetheart. Don't need anyone flying off now do we?" Peli joked.

You hesitantly inched forward, wrapping your arms around Mando's waist for extra support. His beskar armor was cool against your skin, a stark contrast to the desert suns that had been beating down on you.

"Are you alright?" He asked, peering over his shoulder at you.

You nodded and forced a smile in reply. When the Mandalorian finally looked away, you caught a glimpse of Peli's smug expression.

"If you two make it back by dinner, we're having bantha!" She shouted over the deafening hum of the speeder.

Your stomach was too knotted to even think of eating.

It was a long and uncomfortable ride to Mos Pelgo. Though you and the Mandalorian weren't having the greatest time, the Child seemed thrilled. He grinned into the wind as his long green ears fluttered behind him. At least someone was content. 

While the child babbled beside you, you spent the trip hoping Mos Pelgo had what you were looking for. You wanted a win for Mando, he'd been trying so hard to find anyone who could help get the Child home, but he was only coming up with loose ends.

"Do you see that?" You shouted, pointing off into the distance at an outline of a town.

Din applied a heavier push to the gas pedal and sent you flying straight for the small village of Mos Pelgo. When he finally got closer he slowed down, noticing that the loud rumble of the engine was attracting unwanted attention. Every resident of the town was stood outside their small hut glaring and covered in soot and ash. That sight was enough to tell you that Mos Pelgo was a mining colony, but what would a Mandalorian want with a mining colony?

"Stop here," You instructed, tapping Din's shoulder as you neared an abandoned-looking cantina.

The speeder came to a steady halt and Din cut the engine, engulfing the three of you in silence. 

"I guess this is a good place to start?" You shrugged as you slipped off the seat and dusted the sand off the front of your overalls.

"We'll find out." The Mandalorian said, a hint of doubt in his steely voice.

You retrieved the Child from the speeder and wore the sack he was stored in across your front. He babbled nonsense at you and then proceeded to point at his mouth, letting you know he was hungry. 

"We'll see if they have anything for you here, okay?" You cooed, scratching the baby's wrinkled head.

The Mandalorian led the way into the cantina, up three creaking wooden steps, and through a set of swinging doors that hadn't had their hinges oiled in far too long. The interior of the bar looked just as dead as the rest of Mos Pelgo. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust and sand and the furniture was tattered and worn. Not to mention that the floorboards moaned beneath you as if they would give out at any moment.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" You called out, keeping close to Mando.

A door in one of the far back and dark corners of the bar swung open and a large and burly creature sauntered out.

"Can I help you, folks?" He asked as he saddled up behind the bar.

"We have a few questions for you actually, but first, do you have any bone broth for the little one?" You questioned, giving the man a hopeful smile.

"I do, now what questions do you have for me?"

You looked to the Mandalorian while the bartender prepared the broth for the baby, causing the armored man to clear his throat.

"Do you know of any Mandalorians who live here? Anyone who looks like me?"

The man eyed Din as he slid you the broth for the Child. Both you and your partner held your breath and hoped for an even slightly helpful answer.

"You must be thinking of the Marshal." The bartender replied as you shifted through your sack looking for credits.

"You've got a little mouth to feed, it's on the house." He added with a dismissing wave of his hand.

Before you could thank him for his kindness, Din shot another question.

"Your marshal wears Mandalorian armor?" 

You resisted the urge to smack Din on the arm. He never slowed down to just be thankful, he never really thought. This is normally where trouble began.

The creaking cantina doors that you had entered through earlier groaned open once again as a great beam of sunlight filled the room and illuminated the dust that floated through the hot, thick air.

"Well speak of the devil," The barman spoke before raising his hand to give a blunt salute.

You and Din both pivoted around to face the man who had sauntered into the bar, clad head to toe in battered Mandalorian armor. He sat down in a wooden chair, back slouched and knees spread like he owned the place. He radiated the energy of someone important and for a moment you thought that maybe the ghost town of Mos Pelgo wasn't a dead end after all. That was until the Marshal did something shocking. You watched out of the corner of your eye as Din's hand settled upon the blaster holstered to his thigh, but you used your free hand to push it away.

The Marshal had removed his helmet and it was sat on the table, tinted visor glinting in the sunlight. 

"Take it off," The bounty hunter said bluntly, still grasping his weapon even after you attempted to push him away.

"Or I will." 

With your eyes wide as saucers, you quickly sat the Child down out of harm's way and stood yourself between the two men. You wouldn't let Din be this reckless and kill off your only lead. The two of you had been searching far and wide for another Mandalorian for far too long. Yes, this man wasn't exactly a Mandalorian, but for now, he was all you had.

"Mando, don't." You ordered, looking into the darkness of his helmet and estimating where his eyes might lay.

You hated having to do this, to restrain him from protecting his culture. It was unfair that this Marshal could walk around as he did without facing the persecution Din faced and without devoting his life to Mandalorian culture. 

As you stood between the two men who now had their weapons drawn you thought of all the things you'd seen the bounty hunter go through, all because of his faith. The endless names and taunting, the rowdy bar fights that ended in dented beskar and bloodied knuckles. You wanted him to be able to let it all out, but you couldn't sacrifice this.

"Please don't fight." You said shakily, looking to your left at the Marshal.

The man's eyes were narrowed and strands of silver hair hung over his forehead. He was brazen and handsome as he awaited the Mandalorian's next move. The Marshal bit his cheek and followed your orders, lowering his blaster to his side.

"Drop it," You said, pointing your eyes down to the dirty floor below you.

"Please."

The Marshal raised his hands in defeat as he crouched down to the ground and carefully sat down his weapon. You kept your eyes locked on him as he rose back up with a cocky, lopsided grin.

"You aren't excluded from this, Mando." You huffed, not even having to look over your shoulder to know that Din still had his weapon raised.

Even through his modulator, you heard his quiet grunt of annoyance as he discarded his blaster.

"We don't want any trouble, sir-" You began before the Marshal outstretched his hand to you. 

"It's no problem at all, young lady." He said before taking your hand into a firm grip.

You meekly shook back and blushed furiously when he lifted your hand to his mouth and planted a kiss. Before you could get too stuck on wondering where the hell you were, the Marshal provided a formal introduction.

"I'm Cobb Vanth, the Marshal of this little town you've found yourselves at."

You gave him a nervous smile and gestured towards yourself.

"I'm Y/N and that's Mando." You said, remembering not giving away the bounty hunter's real name.

"And who's that little fella?" Vanth questioned, pointing towards the Child who was peering at him from his carrier.

"He doesn't have a name," Din answered, moving forward to stand beside you like an overprotective shadow.

"He's actually why we're here." You added before giving a kind wave to the baby to let him know you hadn't forgotten about him. He was getting to the age where he required lots of attention and would get quite fussy if you didn't play with him or hold him often.

"Well, I hate to interrupt you darlin', but I have to ask your friend here what all the fuss is with my armor?" The Marshal asked, his arms now inquisitively folded across his chest.

"The armor your wearing is Mandalorian. You're not supposed to wear it if you're not part of the creed." Mando explained.

You could tell he was trying his best to remain calm.

"How do you know I'm not part of the creed?" Vanth prodded, quirking a dark brow.

"Mandalorians never remove their helmets in front of anyone."

The cantina was covered in the blanket of a heavy and uncomfortable hush. You could tell that beneath the Marshal's tough exterior, he truly did feel guilty.

Before he could reply to Din, a faint rumble sounded off in the distance. You and the Mandalorian exchanged puzzled glances before the entire room began to shake. Bottles behind the bar began to fall off the shelf and shatter as you ran to fetch the Child who was cowering in the corner.

"What the hell is that?" You shouted, looking to the Marshal for an answer.

He motioned for you and Din to follow him outside and wearily you did so. The residents of Mos Pelgo were rushing to get inside and salvage whatever they could as a massive lump beneath the sand came rushing toward the village. You held the baby closer to your chest as the mass beneath the ground burst out and reared it's scaly head before it swallowed an unsuspecting bantha whole.

All fell quiet once the creature burrowed deeper into the ground and sped away, leaving destruction in its wake.

"Care to tell us what that was?" Mando said, not a hint of fear in his voice.

"Krayt dragon," Vanth replied nonchalantly, obviously this wasn't a once in a lifetime occurrence.

"And I tell you what, Mando; if you can help me get rid of that damn thing, I'll give you my armor."

The Marshal stood with one hand on his hip and the other outstretched, waiting for the Mandalorian's grasp.

"Do we have a deal?" 

"Deal," Din said, firmly shaking the other man's hand.

It seemed now that asking Vanth about the Child had become an afterthought and you did not agree to fight a massive monster who could swallow farm animals whole.

The Marshal offered you and the Mandalorian a place to stay for the night, but first, the three of you would devise a plan on how to deal with the dragon. 

You were back in the Cantina which now brimmed with customers. Though you were squared away in a booth in the back corner, you could still feel the wary stares of the locals burning into the nape of your neck. You just kept feeding the baby and minding your own business, hoping they'd all just leave you alone.

"Are you alright?" Din asked, noticing your anxious demeanor.

"I'm fine. I can just tell not everyone is as welcoming as the Marshal." You replied as you spooned more broth into the Child's mouth.

"I'm sure a few stories of how you pulled a blaster on their leader have already gotten around."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking." He apologized, quietly watching you care for the baby.

"You rarely ever do." You teased, nudging his leg beneath the table.

"Sorry you two, duty called." Vanth huffed as he settled into the booth beside you.

You tensed up as your bare shoulder brushed against his own and his knee pushed into your thigh. 

"Are we ready to talk business, or are we thinking drinks first? I could really use something to take the edge off."

"We don't really do that sort of thing." You explained, trying your best to kindly decline.

"I have a backroom Mando can use," The Marshal continued to offer.

Din declined and the Marshal knew better than to push him any further. Now you were the only one left to persuade.

"Come on, live a little Miss Y/N!"

You looked to Din for reassurance to which he outstretched his arms to take the baby.

"Alright, I guess," You said before following an enthusiastic Vanth over to the bar.

The Marshal signaled to the bartender for two drinks as the two of you saddled up onto your stools. You looked nervously down at the tabled below you, counting every scratch in the wood.

"I hate to pry, but what exactly is the relationship between you and the Mandalorian?" Vanth asked.

"I help take care of the Child and in return, he gives me a place to stay. He got me out of a pretty nasty situation." You said in reply, choosing to keep some parts of your story a secret.

"I guess you could say he saved me, but it's nothing more than a business relationship if that's what you're asking."

The Marshal chuckled at your answer as he slid you your drink.

"It sounds like you're quite fond of him if you ask me." He teased, a handsome smile plastered on his bearded face.

"No, it's not like that." 

Instead of you sounding carefree, your voice was solemn and soft. It was a weak try at trying to convince the Marshal that you weren't in love with your partner, but it would have to do.

You sheepishly looked down at the short glass of electric blue liquid before you and hoped it wouldn't hit you like a sack of bricks.

"On the count of three-" He began before you stopped him.

"Wait!" You laughed, a nervous blush spreading across your face. 

"We don't have all night, darlin'." Vanth hummed, grinning when you finally got past your nerves and picked up your glass.

On three you tipped back your head and swallowed the bitter liquid. You held back a gag and wrinkled your nose as Vanth stared back at you unfazed.

"Good girl," He praised, giving an unexpected but not unwanted squeeze to your thigh.

Everyone was really staring at you now. You weren't just a stranger who wandered into town anymore, you were the girl on the Marshal's hip.

One shot soon turned into one too many and Vanth brought you back to the booth with you clinging onto his arm like a giggly mess.

"Alright, let's get to work, shall we?" Vanth said once he got you settled into the booth.

"Hi, Din." You giggled, smiling at him while the Marshal spread his plan across the table.

"How much did you drink, Y/N?" The bounty hunter asked, his voice oozing a disapproving tone.

"I have no idea," You slurred, jerking your head in the direction of the silver-haired man beside you.

"However much he gave me."

The heavily armored man let out a sigh, but the baby in his arms had the entire opposite reaction to your state. The Child found how drunk you were to be amusing.

"Sorry, I didn't expect her to react like this." Vanth sincerely replied as he fixed your disheveled hair.

"Are you gonna be okay, sweetheart?" He asked, brushing your disheveled hair away from your face.

You simply nodded in reply, not a care in the world. You hadn't felt this stress-free in a while and you were going to enjoy it while it lasted.

The crowd inside the cantina began to dwindle as it grew later in the night. The clientele within it would have to wake up with the sun, so staying out all night was not something the people of Mos Pelgo did often.

The Child had begun to drift off in your arms as you looked down at him contently despite your drunken stupor. Your blurred vision made him look more like a painting on a canvas rather than a real-life child.

"Well, I think we're about done here." Vanth said, looking down at the scroll of paper on the table with an expression of satisfaction.

"I should get these two to bed. We'll meet back up tomorrow." Din replied before inching his way out of the booth.

"Come on, Y/N."

The Marshal assisted you out of the booth in his usual gentlemanly manner.

"Thank you for the drinks," You slurred, pouting as the Mandalorian removed the baby from your grasp.

"I-I'll see you tomorrow?" 

Din now had a firm but gentle grasp on your wrist as he tugged you towards the exit.

"Yes ma'am, I'll have a hangover cure waiting," Cobb replied with a lopsided grin.

"Hangover?" You worriedly muttered as the Mandalorian tugged you out the swinging cantina doors.

You followed an arm's length behind Din as he led you back to your shelter for the night. If you were sober you would have easily kept up, but it felt as if you had weights strapped to your boots and the sands of Tatooine weren't aiding you in any way.

"Keep up, it's dark out. I don't want to be out here if that dragon comes back." The Mandalorian muttered, his voice a humming metallic whir in the quiet desert air.

When you finally made it to the small hut, you staggered through the door and fell heavily down onto your cot. You laid in the dark and stared up at the ceiling as Din put the Child to bed and lit a few candles to light up the darkness of the room.

"You weren't like yourself tonight." He said quietly, his broad back turned to you as he fussed with lighting another candle.

"What?" You grunted, holding yourself upright in bed by your elbows. 

"The way you acted today was unlike you. Honestly, it was irresponsible."

The gears in your brain turned as you strung together every word of his sentence into something coherent to your drunken mind. 

"What do you mean unlike me?" You scoffed, now sitting upright with your legs folded beneath you.

"You're acting like you know me."

"Of course I know you, Y/N. I've been carting you across the galaxy for months now." The Mandalorian replied, turning to face you now that he had finished his battle with the lamp.

"Exactly! We've been stuck in your hunk of junk traveling through space for so long and you haven't even tried to get to know me." You shot back, your voice raising itself an octave. 

The combination of the alcohol and your now unbottled emotions made you feel hot and sickly. It was the kind of discomfort where out of the blue your clothes felt like they were going to swallow you whole or your boots felt like they were laced too tight. You were a ticking time bomb and everything was bound to set you off.

"So what? You think the Marshal knows you better?" 

"That's what this is about? You're jealous?" You snapped, your jaw practically hanging to the floor out of shock. 

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife as the bounty hunter hovered above your cot. You could feel his glare, even if it was obscured by his helmet. The liquid courage that was coursing through you urged you to challenge him further, but deep down you knew that you might as well be playing with fire. 

"Go to bed. It's late and I don't want you waking the Child." He said flatly before extinguishing the lamps he had put on just minutes earlier.

You dramatically fell back onto the bed, the force of your body causing the springs in the mattress to creak beneath you. Scowling up at the ceiling, you counted the wood panels above your head and listened to the quiet thud of the Mandalorian stripping off his boots before crawling into bed. 

If there hadn't already been a rift between you two before, there was now.

You awoke to bright sunlight leaking in through the narrow windows of the hut. In the pool of honeyed sunlight, the Child babbled from within his cradle. To your left, Mando laid in bed, the slow rise and fall of his chest suggesting that he was still asleep. You pondered over how he managed to sleep with all his armor on before remembering the argument the two of you had gotten into the night before. The events leading up to it were foggy, but sadly that had managed to stick with you. This is why you never drank, you weren't fond of having to piece your life back together the next morning. You forced yourself out of bed, trying to ignore the pounding in your head, and walked over to where the baby was.

"Good morning, little one." You hummed.

The Child beamed back up at you with wide, dark eyes and your heart fluttered at his admiring gaze. He was only a baby of course, but his kindness was enough to mend your wounds from the night before.

Behind you, the Mandalorian stirred in his bed. 

"Hello," You heard him mutter sleepily.

"Did the Child wake you?"

"No, it was that damn sun." You replied, squinting into the light.

You were much more used to the darkness of your quarters in the Razorcrest. Some curtains in the hut would've been favorable. It probably would've made the space a little more welcoming too. You hadn't noticed it in the pitch dark of the night before, but the room itself was quite sad. You were stood upon dirt floors and surrounded by blank, beige walls.

"Listen, I'm sorry about-"

You didn't know if now was the right time to apologize, but maybe there would never be a 'right time'. 

"Don't apologize. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. You were drunk and all I did was provoke you. I should be the sorry one." Mando cut you off, now stood behind you with a gloved hand awkwardly placed on your shoulder as the two of you hovered over the Child.

"I guess we should go find the Marshal. He's probably waiting for us." You said, looking over your shoulder at the masked man behind you.

You had placed a band-aid on the situation, now it was time to carry on. More important things hung in the balance than you having butterflies for the faceless bounty hunter you shadowed behind.

You had a dragon to kill.

You had come to a crossroads in your training as a padawan. You were no longer a youngling, but still a student beneath your master, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You were one of the eldest padawans which you never minded, you liked putting on the role of big sister, but it was hard to still be a padawan when in your head you felt much more grown. If it hadn't been for you older brother Anakin being the star of the show when the two of you arrived at the temple many years ago, maybe you would've been a Jedi Knight by now. You loved your brother dearly, but you had always lived in his shadow. His grand title of "Chosen One" loomed above you like dark cloud while he wore it on his head like a crown. It wasn't until three years ago that he outgrew his Master and earned a padawan of his own. It soon became your time to be Master Kenobi's student. Now, every day you woke up with the sun and trained, just as you had watched your big brother do when you were young. It was rewarding, but it soon became old news. You had begun to feel like a grown woman trying to sleep in her childhood bed. You had the mind of a Knight, but your skills just weren't there yet. If you were your brother, you'd throw a fit about not being good enough, but you were patient and devoted to learning. Your Master admired this trait in you. You and your brother were like night and day to him. Anakin was the sun, firey and opinionated, while you were the moon, quiet and wise beyond your years.

You awoke to your friend and your brother's padawan, Ahsoka Tano, shaking you awake. The younger Togruta hung above you in bed, her striped montrals and padawan beads brushing against your groggy face. "I'm awake, I'm awake" You laughed, sitting up in bed. Ahsoka plopped down at the foot of your bed, watching you with cat-like curiousity. "Are you going to get out of bed?" She asked. You stretched your arms up over your head and glanced at the flickering analog clock that sat on your nightstand. The time was nearly obscured by all the things you had crowded on the table. Copies of Jedi texts, spare saber parts, jewelry, and pictures of you and your friends and family. "I have a few minuets to spare." You shrugged, falling back against your sea of pillows with a quiet thud. "You weren't up all night fantasizing about your Master again were you?" The younger teased, which earned her a swat on the leg from you. "Ahsoka!" You gasped, now blushing furiously. She was the first person to catch onto your little crush on your master, and now she teased you relentlessly for it. "You know I'd never tell, I'm just playing with you." A tender look swam in her blue eyes, she always meant any word she said. Ahsoka was the most loyal friend you could ever ask for. "I was actually up all night studying." You replied, finally forcing yourself out of bed. "I wanted to make sure I had all my information straight for the presentation for the younglings today." You caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror as you walked past and wrinkled your nose. Your hair stuck up in ever single direction and your eyes remained puffy from sleep. Perhaps you had underestimated the amount of time you'd need to get ready this morning. "I'm sure you'll do just fine, you have me after all." Ahsoka sang, batting her eyes in your direction. "I just really need to prove myself. I'm getting old you know." You said as you retrieved a fresh pair of clothes from the closet. "You're only eighteen, Y/N." The togruta folded her legs beneath herself on the corner of your mattress. "Your starting to sound more and more like Master Kenobi every day. I think you're around him too much." You let out an airy chuckle as you changed out of your pajamas. "Yes, but Anakin was so much farther ahead of me when he was my age. I'm afraid Obi-Wan will start to lose faith in me." "Don't be silly, Y/N." Ahsoka sighed, now stood behind you. In the mirror before you two she could be seen, barely, considering she was a head shorter than you, with her hands placed tenderly on your shoulders. "Can I do your hair?" You watched the clock tick by as your friend separated out your strands of hair and twisted them into an intricate up-do. For someone with no hair, she was quite good at doing it. "Done with three minuets to spare. We better go find our masters."

The pair of you met your masters just in time as they appeared in the lift the moment you hit the button to summon it up. "There you are, Y/N." Master Kenobi said, Anakin stood smugly by his side. "You were almost late." Anakin added before Obi-Wan gave him a swift kick in the ankle. Your brother let out a hiss as you and his padawan enter into the now cramped lift. You were stood in front of your master, your back nearly press flush against his chest, and you could feel Ahsoka's knowing stare burning into the left side of your head. "Did you do something different with your hair?" Master Kenobi asked, his Couscanti drawl lingering in your chest and making your face burn red. "Ahsoka did it for me." You replied. The girl could be seen beaming from out of the corner of your eye as the doors of the lift slid open. Your quickly stepped out and filled your lungs with air, you could hardly breathe in there. "Would you relax?" Ahsoka laughed once the two of you got ahead of your masters. "Sorry," You stuttered, rubbing your hands up and down the length of your arms in attempt to rub away the goosebumps the mere sound of his voice had given you. "You are so head over heels." "Wrong way you two," You heard Anakin call out. You turned around on your heel to see that you had missed your turn toward the nursery. While you blushed with embarrassment Ahsoka dragged your frozen form down the right hallway. "He probably thinks I'm such a fool-" "Please for the love of Stars get out of your head." The togruta muttered as she set you down in front of the nursery door. "There you are," Master Kenobi said, poking his head out of the door. You let out a yelp, his appearance had caught you by surprise. "Are you feeling well, Y/N?" His blue eyes shifted towards Ahsoka with his brow furrowed in worry. "I just turned the wrong way coming here." You answered for yourself. "Silly girl," Obi-Wan sighed, ushering you and your friend into the dimly lit classroom. The children were sat in a circle, immersed in the blue glow of the hologram in the center of the room. A map of Coruscant and the planets that surrounded it flickered before their small and intrigued faces. "Master Kenobi!" One of the younglings babbled excitedly. Obi-Wan pressed his finger to his lips with a soft smile. "Listen carefully to Master Yoda, young one." "You're kind of a celebrity, aren't you?" Ahsoka teased, gently nudging Master Kenobi's shoulder. "Oh, he's always a big hit with the younglings." You quietly laughed. "Do you remember the other day at the library?" You asked your master. He smiled fondly at the memory and your heart fluttered at the way his eyes crinkled at the sides when he grinned "We were trying to find texts on the Coruscant system for today's lesson and some younglings also happened to be there learning how to use the data pads. Needless to say it ended in them all hanging onto Master Kenobi's cloak." Ahsoka and Anakin laughed while your master just shook his head and grinned. "Master Kenobi, would you like to introduce the padawans?" Master Yoda said, summoning Obi-Wan in front of the group of students. You admired him bathed in hologram stars and surrounded by planets. Just like you, they orbited around him. Without him there they'd be lost, he was their beacon, their guiding force.

You and Ahsoka's presentation on the Coruscant system was well received by the younglings. At the end of it you were bombarded with all sorts of questions and excited remarks. Now you were sat in a chair, not made for someone your size, watching the children intently color and label a map of the system they had just learned about. Your master soon pulled up a chair beside you, it looked even smaller beneath him. "Is something funny?" He playfully asked, watching as you snickered at the seat dwarfed under him. "Oh, nothing at all!" "Do you want a coloring page?" You teased, gesturing toward the stack in the middle of the table. "Not for me, but it seems Ahsoka and Anakin have already helped themselves." You looked across the room to see your brother and Ahsoka both hunched over a shared coloring page shading in all the various planets. "Does mine look alright, Master Kenobi?" One of the younglings, a small green Twi'Lek girl, asked. "It looks very nice! What do you think, Y/N?" Your master said. "That is lovely, Amida!" You gushed. "Everyone's looks so wonderful. I'm very proud of all of you."

Master Yoda had given you and Ahsoka free reign over his lesson so it was up to the two of you to plan all of the activities. Next was a game of what you had named Planet Tag. Each youngling was assigned a planet and if they were tagged by another student, they'd have to say a fact about that planet. There were two other extra planets left, so Ashoka and Anakin took it up to themselves to also play, but after a while they grew tired. "Want to switch out?" Anakin panted, slyly nudging Obi-Wan's shoulder. "Why don't Ahsoka and Y/N play?" He suggested, stroking his beard. "I'm beat, Master Kenobi." The togruta huffed. "Come on! It will be fun!" You said, tugging him towards the center of the room by his wrist. "I don't know, Padawan-" "Did you not listen to my presentation?" You gasped. "Do you not know your planets, Master Kenobi?" He sighed and stood up from his too small chair. "Well, now I must since you've challenged me." He said before teasingly narrowing his eyes at you. The two of you joined the children in their game and Obi-Wan kept getting tagged. He was tagged so many times that he started to run out of facts to say. "You've already said that one, Master Kenobi!" The younglings giggled. "Well then I guess the game is done." You announced, looking out at the small crowd of worn out children in front of you.

You ended the class by reading a story. All the younglings gathered in front of you on the carpet, all surrounding your Master who was sat in the center of them. It didn't take long until the younglings grew sleepy, some fell asleep with their heads in Obi-Wan's lap, other's leaned up against him while they snored softly. In the very back row even Anakin and Ahsoka could be seen nodding off, leaned up against each other's backs for support. "I think that's enough of that." You said, watching as Obi-Wan smiled fondly down at the youngling asleep in his lap. "Very good job, Y/N." Master Kenobi quietly congratulated as he stroked the head of the sleeping wookie in his lap. "Thank you, Master." You replied. After a long moment of quiet, Obi-Wan spoke again. "I remember when you and your brother were younglings." He said with a fond laugh. "You've grown up a lot since then. I'm very proud of you, Y/N." Yet again your master had you blushing, you were thankful that the lights of the classroom had since dimmed. "Get some rest, young one." "I can't fall asleep in here." You laughed with a shake of your head. Obi-Wan stealthily stood up and tip toed his way over the sleeping children curled up on the floor until he finally made his way to you and sat down on the floor again beside you. "Sleep," He repeated, patting his shoulder. You hesitantly rested your head against him, letting the warm smell of his skin and his robes lull you to sleep.

You met Dan a month into his sobriety. Throughout those first few months, you tried your best to be patient and helpful even though you couldn't really understand what he was going through. You were a lot younger than him and lacked experience in the world of drinking away your feelings. You had only ever gotten drunk a few times and out of those few times it was illegally and at some wild high school party. You didn't even like getting drunk, you just wanted to fit in.

When Dan drank, he drank with a much darker purpose than just wanting to fit in. He drank to drown all his demons and all his shine and he did it with cheap whiskey. Not that it worked, he was still haunted by what had happened to him at the Overlook, but it at least dulled the pain. Dan's father was also an alcoholic and even though he died when Dan was young, he still managed to go down the same dark path. Dan didn't just get sober for himself, he got sober for his father who never got to. Deep down he knew that Jack Torrance was a good man and that monsters always favored good men. Even though you couldn't understand what Dan was going through to its full extent, you vowed to stick with him no matter what. Now, the two of you were celebrating one year of his sobriety.

With the help of Dan's best friend, Billy, and the rest of their support group, you were able to throw your boyfriend a surprise party. "What do you think, Danny?" You asked as you leaned your head against the man's shoulder. The two of you were stood off to the side, quietly watching the rest of the group members eat and chat among themselves. "It was very thoughtful of you, baby girl," Dan replied before placing a kiss onto the crown of your head. "I couldn't have done this without you, you know that?" You blushed and shook your head. "I didn't have anything to do with it, you made yourself better. I just threw you a party." You laughed, running your hand down his chest. "Are you kidding? If I didn't have you around I wouldn't be able to keep my head on my shoulders." Dan replied. Your phone chimed in your hand, grabbing your attention away from Dan. "I think it's time for cake!" You cheered, pulling him back towards the rest of the group by his hand. Dan was having a great day. Not only was he a year sober, but he was also surrounded by the people who meant the most to him. The day could be sealed up like a present with a big red bow and left at that, but he did have a little something else in mind.

The two of you had been a couple for a while now and had a great sex life. It was far from vanilla, but there were a few things the two of you hadn't tried, one of those things being you giving him head. You were fairly inexperienced when you met Dan, but you were willing to try anything. The one thing you had steered clear from to put it plain and simple was sucking him off. You were terrified that you'd do it all wrong and that sex with him would be awkward forever. Dan told you that you had nothing to fear and that you were one of the best lays he had ever had, but you were still so shy. 

Earlier that morning you had promised to do anything to make today special and Dan knew exactly what he wanted.

"Do you like your cake?" You asked, snuggling deeper into Dan's lap. 

"Yes, ma'am." He replied, swiping his thumb across your lip to collect a bit of icing.

"That's great! I tried to follow your mom's recipe to a T."

Dan half-listened as you rambled on about how you couldn't believe he had his mother's old recipe book lying around. He was more focused on your mouth and tongue wrapped around your icing coated fork.

"Babe," He stated softly as he shifted his eyes around the room.

"Could we go?" 

You pouted, which only drove him wilder, and caressed his shoulder.

"Is something wrong, Danny?" You innocently asked.

"Everything is perfect, babe, I promise. I just had something in mind for us tonight and-"

"Oh fuck." Dan thought.

He was popping a boner in front of his entire support group. You shifted on his lap and your face fell when you finally felt what he was talking about.

"Danny!" You snickered, covering your mouth as you laughed.

"Shh, can we just get out of here?" He pleaded, desperate to take you back to his apartment.

"Billy, we have to go home. Can you clean up for me please?" You asked, standing up from Danny's lap.

"No problem, I'll catch you two later," Billy said.

You were already headed out the door with Dan following you out like a drooling mess when Billy called out to him.

"Congrats, Dan!" He added, but his friend was already running for the door.

You and Dan had successfully made it back to his apartment with no one catching what was happening in his pants, thank god. 

"You okay?" You asked, still giggling about the whole situation.

"Uh-huh," He grunted before nearly throwing himself on top of you to kiss you.

"That dress works wonders." He said between kisses before shoving his hand straight up said dress.

"God, do I just want to tear it right off of you."

"Danny!" You stammered, pushing your body as close to his as you could get.

"Can you do something for me, pumpkin?" Dan asked, his breath fanning down your neck.

"Anything for you." You whispered, your breath getting caught in your throat as he kissed your neck.

"Can you give me head?"

The dreaded H word. He could see the nervousness in your eyes and he felt the way your muscles tensed against him.

"I don't want to ruin your day-"

"You won't, I trust you." He cut off, pulling you towards the bed before you could even continue your protest.

Dan sat down on the edge of the bed and you crawled on top of him, planting a hickey onto his neck. Your fingers fumbled with the buttons of his flannel before you finally pushed it off his shoulders and went for the t-shirt underneath. You sat back to admire your work once you got him completely topless, grinding against him as you did so. 

"You're perfect." You said hoarsely, rocking yourself even harder against his lap.

"Fuck," Dan groaned as his head fell off to the side.

"Get down on your knees." He ordered, pushing you down into the floor.

You unzipped his pants and let him shake them down around his ankles while you gawked at his bulge. 

"You're sure about this?" You faltered, hesitantly palming him through his boxers.

"Hun, I'm going to bust already if you don't put that pretty little mouth of yours to work soon," Dan growled.

You were used to him being bossy in the bedroom, but this was a little different. He needed you so bad. You liked that.

You tugged off his underwear and let his cock spring out against his stomach.

"Jesus, Danny," You groaned, licking a long stripe up his length.

He moaned as one of his hands gripped the sheets and the other grabbed a handful of your hair.

"Just like that, princess." He encouraged.

You got enough confidence to take everything in your mouth which was quite the challenge. You were already choking and he hadn't even started pushing you down yet. You bobbed your head and slowly worked in a bit of tongue to swirl around which drove him wild. You peered up for a moment to see Dan with his head completely tilted back and jaw went slack. He was a moaning mess at your touch. When he noticed you had stopped, he forced your head back down.

"Almost there. Keep it up, baby." Dan huffed as he tangled his hand further into your hair.

"Such a good girl."

You had gotten a bit teary-eyed, not in a bad way, as his length hit the back of your throat. As much as you liked playing princess and not having to lift a finger in the bedroom, you didn't mind this in the least. You felt like an idiot for waiting so long. You liked making Danny feel good and not the mention that the view from down there was pretty damn great.

"Ah, fuck!" Dan moaned as he came straight into your mouth without warning.

You were caught a little off guard, but you maintained your cool and swallowed. You wiped the corner of your mouth as you shakily stood back up.

"Are you alive up there?" You teased, knees still trembling below you and threatening to cave in.

"All I know is that's the closest I've ever been to heaven." He chuckled, wiping sweat from his brow.

You crept up into bed beside him and tucked yourself beneath his strong arm. 

"Baby, you're better than the best whiskey money can buy." 

Dan rolled over and pinned you to the bed with a kiss as his hands fumbled with the zipper on the back of your dress.

"I think I'm going to have to return the favor." His words fanned against your skin as his lips skimmed the slope between your neck and shoulder.

"It's your day, what do you want to do?" You asked as you held his face in your hands.

Dan Torrance was passionate about his job at the local retirement home. It was there that he discovered he enjoyed helping people. It also gave him a way to use his shine for good and because of that, he earned the nickname Doctor Sleep from the patients. For the first time in a while, Dan felt purpose, he felt needed. He didn't think anything could make his job better, but that was before you showed up to be the new receptionist. You were one of the youngest employees and had just graduated high school. You were sweet and polite and maybe one of the most beautiful girls Dan had ever seen, but he couldn't say a word to you. He knew that you were all too young for him and worried that you'd turn your nose up at him if he even said a word to you. But what if he could speak to you without showing his face? Dan tried to use his shine at a minimum, but this situation seemed like an exception.

Dan peered around the corner and into the main entryway where you sat at your desk with Azzie the cat in your lap, peacefully stroking his white fur. It was a slow day at the home with very few visitors so you figured it called for a break. "Who's a good kitty?" You cooed, throwing the cat over your shoulder like a rag doll. Azzie caught a glimpse of Dan in the doorway and skirted off to your dismay. Dan slunk around the corner as he quietly cursed the cat for nearly blowing his cover. He realized that it was now or never, he had to say something. He swallowed hard and then deeply concentrated, letting himself enter your mind. "Hey," You lifted up your head, expecting to see a guest at the door, but no one was there. "Hello?" You called out, scanning the space around you. "Please don't freak out-" The same voice said, causing you to now stand up from your seat. "What the hell?" "My name is, Dan. You don't really know me, but-" "Where are you exactly?" You questioned, stood in the middle of the room as stumped as could be. "In your head I guess?" Dan poorly explained. "I'm losing it aren't I?"  "You're not crazy, I promise." You pinched yourself, feeling as if you were trapped in some weird dream, but you could still feel the sting of pain. "If you're in my head, can you see my memories?" You tested. "If I tried, yeah." "Say something no one would know about me."

Dan obliged and began his trek down the long hallway of your mind. The last time he had done this was long ago, but he found it funny how everyone's mind looked so different. Your mind was a massive library with towering shelves made of polished oak, your memories were written in leather-bound diaries that smelt like dust with a hint of your perfume. Dan picked up one of the diaries and flipped the pages in search of your most specific memory. "In middle school, everyone made fun of you for still having stuffed animals at the foot of your bed. It hurt you a lot, but you couldn't bear to get rid of them and you still have them now."  You swallowed the golf ball-sized lump in your throat as you anxiously twiddled your fingers. "Where did I start to hide them when my friends came over?" You asked. Dan was quiet for a moment as he scanned the cream-colored page for an answer. "You pulled back the paneling in your closet and shoved them back there." He replied. "Your mom pitched a fit when she found out that you had torn up your closet, but when she discovered why she felt sorry for you."

You used the heel of your hand to wipe a stray tear as you let out a dry laugh. You hadn't thought about that in so long. You could picture your stuffed animals at the foot of your bed back in your apartment, you really did still have them. "How can you do this?" You puzzled, sitting back down in your chair. "I always called it the shining. It's like being a psychic."  "Are you a ghost?" You innocently asked, earning a chuckle from Dan. "Not since the last time I checked." He wittily replied. "Can you see me?" You further questioned. Dan paused and carefully thought out his next move. You didn't know who he was so technically he could say whatever he wanted. "I see a very beautiful girl behind a desk."  You felt your face heat up as you smiled softly down at the floor. You didn't even know who this man was, why was he making you feel this way? "I-I should get  back to work." You stammered. "Will you talk to me again sometime? It's nice having some company around here, it gets too quiet." "Of course," Dan replied as he smiled to himself.

After a few months of talking, Dan realized why his shine had been attracted to you in the first place; you were lonely. He could already sense this about you, but he saw the full extent of your loneliness when he caught you crying one night. "You okay?" He asked, in his mind, he was projected at the foot of your bed. "Yeah," You sniffed, aggressively rubbing at your eyes which only smeared your makeup worse. "You don't look fine."  "I don't want to talk about it. It's embarrassing." "Y/N, you know you can trust me. My job is to be here for you and I can't do that if you don't tell me what's going on."  "I just feel really alone." You simply put it. "All I have is you. Everyone else I've ever known is out doing something with their lives or has just left me behind. This is gonna sound selfish, but nothing feels like enough anymore." "That's not selfish, Y/N. I know how you feel." Dan solemnly replied. Suddenly, a wave of guilt struck him deep. He had been there for you all of this time, but not psychically there. He felt like a coward because he was watching you break down and fall apart when he could probably walk to your apartment and fully be there for you. "What time do you go to work today?" "I almost forgot!" You groaned, turning your head to glance at the alarm clock on your nightstand. "I've got to be ready in an hour. I should really get going." "Alright, have a good day. Don't be afraid to reach out if you need me." Dan added. "Um, before you go-" You quickly said. "I love you." Dan froze in shock at the words that left your mouth. You had said the three words he had been dying to say to you. "I love you too, Y/N."

You had managed to collect yourself after your pity party and successfully made it to work. Your chest was filled with butterflies after the earlier events you had with Dan. You couldn't believe that you had said you loved him. You had never even seen his face before, but your affection for him was growing harder to hold back. Truthfully; you didn't regret a thing. You spent the first few hours of your shift smiling to yourself and organizing paperwork and suddenly you found yourself on cloud nine. He said I love you back! Maybe you weren't so alone after all. While you swooned over your somewhat secret admirer, Dan paced back and forth down the hall with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Earlier that day he had built up the courage to reveal his identity to you, but that courage got watered down with the passing hours.  "What do you think I should do, Azzie?" Dan asked, crouching down to rub the head of the cat that had been weaving between his legs. The cat purred in reply and stared up at Dan with striking blue eyes. "I bet you're telling me not to be such a coward, huh?" He chuckled as he came up out of his crouched position. "Let's go woo the girl, kitty."

"How's work?" You heard Dan's voice say. You made note of how he sounded a lot less echoey than he normally did, but you brushed it off and figured that it must've been some sort of telekinetic interference that you wouldn't understand. "It's fine." You sighed. "I'm feeling a lot better after talking to you. You were right about-" You lifted your head to look forward as a man's shadow cast itself across your desk. "Hi! how can I help you?" You kindly asked, admiring the handsome smile on his weathered face. You'd seen him around before and recognized him as one of the nurses. You figured he just needed some paperwork or something like that. "It's a lot easier to talk to you in your head." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Dan?" You nearly choked as you shot up out of your chair. "In the flesh." He grinned. You ran out from behind your desk and wrapped him up in a tight hug that nearly knocked him off his feet. "I can't believe it's you!" You exclaimed as you tucked your head beneath his chin. "You've been here with me all this time?" "Yes, and I wish I could make it all up to you. I feel like I've been playing you." Dan explained as he sunk deep into your touch.  He hadn't been hugged in so long, it felt even better than he remembered. "You have nothing to make up for. I just want to know why you kept yourself from me for so long." You said.

You were still holding onto him as if he'd disappear if you let go. He was so warm and soft and he smelt like nice aftershave.  "Let's just say I didn't expect this reaction," Dan replied as you slipped out of his arms and sat on the edge of your desk. Once you got situated, you pulled him over by his hands so he was stood in front of you. "I thought I would come off as some creep because I'm so much older than you. The last thing I would want is to scare you away." "Well, you already scared me pretty bad you started talking to me in my head!" You giggled. "Why would I be bothered by the fact that you're older than me?" You knew what point he was trying to get at, but you wanted to hear it come from his own mouth.  Dan was furiously blushing at this point as his blue eyes shifted to the linoleum floor beneath him. "Doesn't this drive the point home?" He nervously replied as he held up his bouquet of flowers. "You wanted to give these to me because..?" You drawled out, fighting back your smile. "Because I love you." Dan grinned, setting the flowers down beside your thigh. "I love you too, Danny." You hummed, contently smiling up at him.  "Are you free for dinner tonight?" He asked as you held your flowers flush against your chest. "Yes!" You exclaimed as you pulled him into a hug again. "I can't wait!" "Neither can I," Dan replied, hesitantly stroking your face with the back of his hand. "Kiss me?" You softly asked, looking up at him with those sweet, wide eyes. "How could I say no to that?"

You giggled as he pressed his lips against yours and cradled your jaw in his rough hands. You followed suit and wrapped your arms around his neck.  The kiss came to an end after a loud crash cut through the air and the two of you looked over to see nearly everything pushed off of your desk, including the flowers, with Azzie stood in the middle of it all looking as guilty as ever. "Azzie!" Dan scolded, kneeling down to retrieve your fallen paperwork and flowers. "I think Azzie is telling us to get back to work." You teased, resting your hand on the small of Dan's back. "I can take it from here, you should head back before you get in trouble." "I'll pick you up at six o'clock?" Dan said, looking up at you from the mess on the floor. "Perfect." You answered before placing a kiss on his stubbly cheek.