cassie

Din Djarin x AFAB!Reader

Summary: A freezing storm leaves you and Mando trapped aboard the Razor Crest, where warmth, quiet moments, and unexpected tenderness bring you closer together.

Content Warnings: Romantic tension, mutual attraction, forced proximity, physical affection, emotional intimacy, hypothermia/cold exposure, caretaking, and soft Mando.

Translation: Dala = Woman /// Cyar'ika = Darling, Sweetheart

Word count: ~ 1.8k

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The night was cold, the wind whistling through the air as it battered against the ship. The hull rattled beneath the force, creaking as the freezing pressure filled the small space. The temperature inside had dropped well below freezing, and the ship's heating system wasn't doing much to help.

So Mando had taken it upon himself to try and fix it.

Judging by the clanging and annoyed grunts coming from the cockpit, it wasn't going particularly well.

As much as you wanted to help, your limbs were so cold they seemed to creak every time you moved. Instead, you sat on a blanket on the floor, leaning against the wall of the hull.

It was the only blanket you had.

So, naturally, you decided to steal one of Mando's.

You were sure he wouldn't mind.

You wrapped it tightly around yourself and snuggled against the cold wall, trying to find some comfort beneath the thick fabric. Slowly, you inhaled, attempting to calm yourself from the growing fear that you might actually die from hypothermia.

Then you caught his scent.

Gunpowder. Metal. Something faintly woody.

The smell filled your senses, and with it came an unexpected sense of comfort. Just the thought of him seemed to bring a little warmth to your body.

A loud sigh followed by a metallic crash came from the cockpit.Seconds later, Mando appeared, sliding down the ladder into the hull. You could tell he was pissed even with his back turned to you. 

He spun around.

Then stopped.

His helmet tilted toward you.

You sat on the floor, wrapped in his blanket, looking far too small against the cold metal wall. For a moment, he simply stared. Mixed feelings seemed to swim through his mind. His head turned toward his cot, where Grogu slept peacefully, completely unaffected by the cold. Lucky bastard.

Mando looked back at you. A sigh escaped through his helmet, echoing softly throughout the hull. He walked toward you, his movements surprisingly gentle. When he crouched down in front of you, he reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from your face.

You instinctively leaned into his hand. His fingers were warm through the glove. Something in him seemed to snap. Something foreign. Something he wasn't used to.

Without saying a word, he hesitantly wrapped one arm beneath your legs and the other behind your head. He lifted you carefully and carried you toward his cot, holding you as though you were something fragile. He gently placed you down.

Then he pulled his blanket tightly around your figure, tucking it beneath you and adjusting the pillow behind your head. He brushed another stray strand of hair from your face and tucked it behind your ear. His gloved finger lingered briefly against your cheekbone.

Then he stood to his full height. He looked at you for a moment. He seemed as though he wanted to say something. Instead, he turned around and closed the sliding metal door. Leaving you and Grogu in his cot, warm and safely away from the cold.

Mando walked toward the food crates with his usual grace and precision. He pulled one of the crates out and sat down, rummaging through the food cartons for something to eat. He eventually settled on a ration pack. He opened the seal before lifting his helmet from his head, making sure his back was facing you. It was dark enough that it wouldn't have mattered anyway. He placed the helmet quietly on the cold metal floor and ate his rations.

You woke in an unfamiliar place.

For a few seconds, you simply stared at the ceiling, trying to figure out where you were. The space was warm. Not unpleasantly warm. Just... comfortable.

You shifted around for a few seconds, trying to gather your bearings. Then you heard soft snores coming from above you. Curiously, you sat up and reached out your hand. Your fingers bumped against a small hammock hanging above you.

Grogu.

You immediately knew where you were. Mando's cot. Warmth filled your chest at the small but sweet gesture he'd made. He had carried you here. He had put you in his space. You couldn't help but smile at the thought. His cot was as warm and cosy as you'd expected. Mando was always radiating heat, like some kind of walking heat pack. You had always envied it. Mostly because you were almost always cold. It was why you found yourself seeking him out whenever you could, using his warmth as an excuse to sit a little closer. You were never quite sure whether he minded. He didn't exactly portray many emotions behind that blank T-visor.

You pushed yourself upright and scooted toward the door. Pressing the button, you watched as it slid open. The light from the hull made you squint. You rubbed your eyes before hopping down. The cold metal floor immediately numbed your feet. You pulled them back and winced at the sharp sting of the cold. Curling your legs beneath you, you crossed them and rubbed your feet in an attempt to bring some warmth back. 

Mando came sliding down the ladder from the cockpit. His boots hit the floor with a heavy thump. He turned. The second he saw you sitting in his cot, rubbing your feet, he immediately sprang into action. He rummaged through several duffle bags before finally finding a pair of clean black socks. He held them out to you.

"Take these. They'll help with the cold."

His voice was rugged with exhaustion, but softer than usual.

You nodded quickly and took them from him. You pulled the socks over your feet and flexed your toes once they were on. The warmth from the duffle bag, combined with the heat from his gloved hands, slowly spread through your feet and up toward your ankles. The contrast between his warmth and the freezing air around you was comforting. Suddenly, the ship shuddered.

You flinched. Mando noticed.

He hesitated before reaching out and placing his gloved hand gently against your forearm. You relaxed beneath his touch. Your eyes slowly travelled up his armoured frame until they reached his T-visor. You smiled softly in thanks. You barely noticed, but it seemed as though he shivered.

Not from the cold.

He gently withdrew his hand once he realised how long the two of you had been looking at each other. Or rather, looking into each other's eyes. Or visors. He slowly turned away and walked toward the food station.

"Are you hungry, cyar'ika?" he asked almost in a whisper, as though he didn't quite trust his own voice.

"A bit. Yes, thank you," you replied softly.

You rose from your sitting position and carefully climbed out of the cot. The cold immediately began seeping through the soles of your feet.

While Mando went through the ration packs, searching for something decent for you to eat, you grabbed one of the stacked crates from the corner and placed it in front of the cot. You sat down and stretched your legs out in front of you. Mando walked toward you holding the opened ration pack. He handed it to you. You took it from his grasp and began eating. Mando, meanwhile, seemed determined to keep himself busy. Anything to distract his mind from you. He eventually settled on cleaning his weapons.

A while later, after spending time lounging around in the warmer areas of the ship, you found yourself sitting in the cockpit with Mando. He was still fiddling with the heating system. You sat in the left-hand seat, two blankets wrapped tightly around your body and your feet tucked beneath you. Mando was kneeling on the floor, leaning slightly forward so he could see into the open panel where he was working on the heating system.

He sighed heavily.

Then dropped his tool a little harder than necessary onto the metal floor. The sound rang throughout the small cockpit. He leaned back onto his heels and hung his head in frustration. You crossed your arms over your knees and rested your head against your elbow, sighing softly as you slouched into your arms. Your eyes wandered toward the large cockpit window. Outside, the wind whipped through the trees. Frost covered the glass, and the branches bent beneath the weight of the blinding white snow. Mando turned his head toward you.

He hesitated.

He considered asking for your help. He knew you were freezing and probably didn't want to move. He knew your bones hurt from the cold. But he also knew you. If he asked, you'd help him anyway.

"Dala."

His raspy voice broke through your thoughts. You tilted your head toward him and smiled slightly, waiting for him to continue.

"Can you help me for a second?"

You nodded enthusiastically and climbed out of the chair, leaving the blankets behind. You crouched beside him.

Mando slowly picked up the metal tool he'd dropped and handed it to you. You shifted it in your hand, immediately feeling the cold bite into your fingers.

"I need you to get your hand in that space and connect the green wire to the input on the board."

He pointed toward the opening, explaining what you needed to do. But you were only half listening. The cold metal floor was biting into your knees.

And Mando was warm. Unbelievably warm.

It was as though he radiated heat from every inch of his armour. Your left arm absorbed some of it. Without thinking, you leaned slightly toward him, taking advantage of whatever warmth you could get. You hoped he wouldn't notice. You weren't sure why you were so aware of how close you were to him. It was probably the closest you'd ever been. At least, as far as you could remember. You didn't notice that Mando had stopped talking. His helmet tilted toward you.

"Are you hurt?"

His voice was soft, the modulator crackling gently, almost as though he were afraid of startling you. You snapped out of your daze and immediately straightened.

"All good."

The answer came out far too quickly. Mando continued looking at you.

"You were leaning to one side. Thought you were hurt."

He gave you a quick once-over, checking for any obvious injuries. You tried to gather your thoughts and remember what he'd been saying before you'd drifted off.

Right.

The wire.

You reached into the narrow space. Thankfully, your arm was just small enough to fit.

There it was.

The green wire was frazzled and hanging loose from the board. It must have come loose sometime during one of the last rotations. You twisted your body as you reached deeper, using the metal tool to grab the wire. Unfortunately, you twisted a little too far. Your backside bumped into Mando's folded legs.

"Sorry," you whispered quickly.

You managed to grab the wire and guide it toward the board. It took a few attempts. Finally—

Click.

The connection held. The entire ship suddenly went black. A quiet beep came from the dashboard.

You froze.

Then you began shimmying backward, pulling your arm out of the opening. Mando was already leaning toward the controls. He flicked several switches. The ship hummed back to life. The lights flickered on. You sat back on your heels and watched him.

"You did it, cyar'ika."

There was something almost like joy in his voice.

"Good job."

You smiled brightly. You carefully climbed to your feet. For a moment, Mando stood completely still. You couldn't tell what he was thinking. He looked almost as though he were contemplating something. A hug, perhaps. But before either of you could do anything, you walked back toward your seat. You grabbed your two blankets and wrapped yourself in them again. Mando watched you for a moment. Then he turned back toward the heating system.

And for once, neither of you said anything.

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