Under the Helmet ~ (The Mandalorian x Male OC)

Chapter 4: The Bounty

"So who are we after?", Daedalus said, mouth full of food he had brought back from Nevarro.
The Mandalorian was quite surprised that groceries were the thing that drew Daedalus from his cage. He didn't think the kid was devoted to the hunt enough to actually pawn his own belongings to feed the two.
"It's...risky," Mando finally replied. "I'm not sure I want a rookie tagging along.
Swallowing a large bite, Daedalus responded, "Aw, come on Mando. Why do you even care if I get hurt. You're probably itching to take me back to Coruscant by now."
The Mandalorian pondered his statement for a second. Why wasn't he so desperate to take Daedalus back? Perhaps he enjoyed the company, or maybe something else.
Daedalus didn't give him the chance to respond. "Aren't you going to eat?" he queried.
"Can't. At least not in front of you," Mando replied.
"I figure it's the same reason you can't tell me your name?"
"It's the Mandalorian Creed. You can't take off your helmet in front of anyone. Using your real name isn't technically against the Creed, but it's a different level of vulnerability that your typical Mandalorian doesn't show."
Daedalus scoffed. "That's honestly really sad. You think saying your name is being vulnerable. What did you think when I told you mine then?"
The Mandalorian shook his head and took a tray of food to his private quarters. Daedalus grabbed his own assortment and headed towards his temporary quarters.
"Have fun in there," Daedalus teased as Mando closed to door to eat his food in peace.

———

The two slept the night in orbit of Korriban, the planet their bounty lived on. Daedalus woke after the Mandalorian, and found him preparing himself for the collection.
"What's the plan, Mando?" Daedalus asked.
"You stay put, I'll get the bounty," he replied harshly.
"Come on, I can hold my own. Who are you after anyways?"
"An ex-Imperial Inquisitor," Mando stated plainly.
Daedalus's eyes widened. "An Iquisitor?! Seriously?!"
"Yes. It's been years since they were in service, and they all dispersed after the fall of the Empire. I'd be surprised if they even still have a lightsaber," the Mandalorian retorted.
Daedalus was both amazed and frightened. Mando appeared to have complete confidence in his ability to take down the bounty, a confidence that could also be described as cocky. He didn't want Mando to go alone, he feared what would happen if the Inquisitor killed him.
"I can help. Please?" Daedalus asked, trying his best at making puppy eyes to the bounty hunter.
"No, you're staying here, and that's final," the Mandalorian snapped at him.
At this Mando grabbed his beskar staff and exited the ship, leaving Daedalus alone. He had faith that the Mandalorian could hold his own in a fight, but a Force wielder isn't a foe you want to underestimate.
Determined to help, he headed to the weapon's bay, hoping to find something to aide Mando in his quest. The bounty was wanted alive, so Daedalus needed something strong enough to disarm the bounty, but not kill them. Finding nothing worthy of his time, he began rummaging through the drawers under the gun racks. In one of the drawers, he found a metal chest, locked with a cryptic padlock. Grabbing a gun from the rack above him, he shot the lock, causing it to break. Daedalus opened the chest slowly, and found a...hilt? He fumbled with it, until he accidentally pressed a button on the edge, which ignite the lightsaber. The blade that emerged was a searing black. Daedalus had never heard of a black lightsaber. He didn't have time to question it, though. He clipped the lightsaber to his belt and grabbed a blaster pistol off the wall.
It was time to prove his worth.

———

If he was being honest, the Mandalorian was a little scared. He had faced Force wielders in the past, but never in a terrain such as Korriban. Standing hundreds of feet tall on either side of him were statues, possibly tombs, of past Force users. It was eerie, to say the least. The puck indicated the bounty was nearby, and Mando was on edge. He had his blasters away, and gripped his spear tightly with both hands. He knew his target was around.
"Come out with your hands up, we can handle this peacefully!" Mando yelled into the nothingness.
The wind blew sand and small rocks all around, making visibility low. A laughter suddenly rang out, coming from all directions.
"You'll die braver than most," a shrill, female voice said.
Mando circled around, locating the source of the voice. About 50 feet up, a figure stood on the knee of one of the statues. The Mandalorian drew his blaster and fired, and two red blades emerged from the dust, deflecting his shoots with ease. The laughter resumed, and the figure jumped from the statue, red blades spinning in rapid succession. Mando continued to fire, each shot being deflected. A single blaster bolts ricocheted back and hit the Mandalorian's helmet. He stumbled back and drew his spear, ready to fight. Instead of initiating in combat, the Inquisitor holstered her lightsaber and stuck out her arm. Mando knew what was coming. He immediately felt his neck begin to tighten.
"What fancy armor," the Inquisitor remarked, "It will make a good souvenir of your antics."
His neck tightened further, and as soon as he started to feel his consciousness begin to fade, she dropped him.
"How cute, you brought a friend," she said, facing the opposite direction.
Mando's heart dropped. Daedalus. There was no way he could best an Inquisitor.
The Mandalorian yelled out, "Daedalus, don—"
The Inquisitor began choking him again, this time, lifting him clean off the ground.
Ahead of the Inquisitor, blaster bolts came piercing through the dust storm, all of which were flawlessly redirected. The blaster fire stopped.
The Mandalorian feared a stray bolt had hit Daedalus, but that's when he heard the trill of the Darksaber igniting.

———

Daedalus's worst fears had come true. He saw the Inquisitor had bested Mando. All attempts to cause a distraction had failed, and now he was left with only one option. Fight. Igniting the lightsaber, he began sprinting at his foe. She laughed, her single red blade  aimed right at him. The lightsabers clashed together with an electronic pulse. They held position for a while, both looking for a leg up in the tussle. Daedalus noticed the Inquisitor was holding the Mandalorian up with her right hand. He spun around backwards and sparred the offense presented by the Inquisitor.
At this time, the Mandalorian had managed to unclip his blaster and send a few shots towards the Inquisitor, which distracted the Inquisitor enough to allow Daedalus to cleanly cut off her right hand. She growled, and wheeled around and Force pushed him back into the base of a statue. The Inqusitor began advancing towards him slowly, igniting the second blade of her lightsaber. Regrettably, he had accidentally dropped his lightsaber in his fall. He reached for it, but the Inquisitor used the Force to send it flying in the opposite direction.
"Your battle is pointless, weakling," she said, "Now prepare to meet your Maker." She lifted her saber above her head, and Daedalus closed his eyes, ready for the final blow.
But it never came.
He opened his eyes to find the Inquisitor falling before him, Beskar staff driven through her chest. The Mandalorian had saved him, barely. Mando trudged over to the statue where Daedalus had been thrown, and plopped down.
"I'm sorry for making you kill the bounty," Daedalus said with a frown. "And I'm sorry I didn't stay in the ship."
The Mandalorian sighed. "I would be dead if you had." He placed his hand on Daedalus's shoulder. "Not bad kid."
Daedalus smiled and looked down. "Why do you have a lightsaber?"
"I'd be easier if you didn't know, but I owe you. I'll explain back on the Crest."
Mando forced himself up, and extended his hand to help his companion up. Daedalus grasped it tightly and pulled himself up, perhaps a little too hard. He placed his hand on the cold Beskar off Mando's chest piece to keep himself from falling over.
The Mandalorian chucked, and asked," You good?"
Daedalus looked up at the Mandalorian. He hadn't noticed how much taller he was before.
"I, yeah, I'm fine, thanks Mando," he replied, scanning Mando's dark visor for some sort of human expression.
"It's Din, by the way."
Daedalus blushed, knowing how much the hunter must trust him at this point. He stood their awkwardly for a moment before he realized his hand was still on Din's chest.
"Oh, uhh, wow, thanks?" Daedalus said, flustered. He was confused at his current emotions. Did he have feelings for the Mandalorian? He hadn't even thought about it before, but their brief moment of intimacy was stuck on replay.
He retrieved the lightsaber from where the Inquisitor had thrown it, and also took the Inquisitor's lightsaber. Perhaps it would make a lightsaber of his own in the future.