Under the Helmet ~ (The Mandalorian x Male OC)

Chapter 6: The Fight

Daedalus wouldn't say he was using Din. He knew under all that armor there was some soft spot for people like him who needed help, so he decided to roll with it and possibly get some combat training out of it.
There were a lot of things going through his head. He didn't know why he ran back to Din, the last person he wanted to be around was a Mandalorian, but he knew he couldn't take on a group of Mandalorian murderers with his current skill set, so he needed training. For now, he would have to settle for part-time mechanic for the Razor Crest II. Din had respectfully asked him to perform a handful of tasks around the ship while he ran around collecting bounties and making credits. It infuriated Daedalus to the point where he felt the need to confront Din.
The Mandalorian had just returned from turning in a bounty, the fourth one since Daedalus had officially joined the crew. He was organizing the galley and thinking about Maker knows what. Daedalus used this as the perfect moment to strike.
Opening the drawer below the weapons bay, he pulled out the Darksaber and ignited it. Din jumped and turned to face him, quite surprised at the act.
"Train me," Daedalus demanded, "...or take me back to Coruscant."

———

Din was confused...again. His old guild buddies used to say women were hard to figure out, but Daedalus made a woman look infinitesimally simple. He had tried talking to his new crew mate about what had happened on Coruscant since taking him in, but he refused to bring it up. The optimistic, talkative Daedalus was gone, and a moody, distant doppelgänger had taken his place. His demand for training was really the first time he really spoke up for a few days. Din had no problem training Daedalus. In fact, he had been meaning to ever since he took him in. Partner to a bounty hunter was never a safe, so he needed to know at least basic self defense.
Acknowledging the aggravated maniac in front of him, Din replied, "That can be arranged, but put the saber down."
He didn't know what was going through Daedalus head, but he knew he at least wanted to try to figure it out. His feelings for Daedalus, whatever they were, were still there. He had got what he wanted by allowing him to join crew, but he felt the need to feel out the situation a little more.
At this point, Daedalus had retracted the blade and set it back down. Din was confused as to why he would go to the length of pulling a lightsaber on him.
Nonetheless, he agreed to take Daedalus to Sorgan to train his disgruntled passenger.

———

After his charade with the Darksaber, Din had agreed to train Daedalus on the planet Sorgan. The Mandalorian had set the ship down in the middle of a sizable prairie, an unfamiliar sight to Daedalus, who was used to crammed city streets and buildings as far as the eye could see.
Daedalus wasn't here for the sights, though. He was here to learn and train. Din was wielding his beskar staff, and gave the Darksaber to Daedalus to defend himself.
The Mandalorian swung his staff into a defense position. "This is the starting pose for many attacks and—"
Daedalus didn't want to waste time with talking, he wanted to fight. He charged Din in the middle of his sentence. The hunter deflected his attempted blow and knocked his opponent clean off his feet with a single blow to the back of the knees.
Daedalus was infuriated. He swung his lightsaber back in Din's direction. The swings developed into a full on spar, with the Mandalorian on defense. Daedalus felt good in his moment of lightsaber mastery. He couldn't see Din's face, but he knew he was struggling some. The two fought until they exited the clearing and entered a small forest. Daedalus swung his saber in the direction of his opponent, cutting down a handful of trees in the process. It was at this moment he realized his foe had disappeared. He turned around just in time to see Din slamming his elbow into his side. Daedalus collapsed, and could tell the Mandalorian felt instant remorse. He attempted to apologize, but Daedalus was too infuriated for conversation. He ignored Don's extended hand and steamed off into the woods.

———

Din missed when Daedalus was scared of him. The quivering thief he once found huddled in his ship had turned into an aggressive psychopath who only wanted to fight. To be honest, part of him feared his new crew mate. After their spar, Daedalus had stormed off into the woods. Din, wanting to know what was going on with him, used the thermal vision in his helmet to trace the footsteps left behind.
He found Daedalus whimpering on a fallen tree near a brook. It was a weird sight to see someone, who was minutes ago trying to kill you, so helpless. Din set himself down next to Daedalus.
"You have to tell me what's going on," Din begged.
Daedalus was shaking beside him. "I just..." He sniffled, "Can I ask you a question?"
The Mandalorian cocked his head. "Of course."
"Would you ever murder someone in cold blood?"
The question caught Din off guard. In the past he had done unspeakable things, but he had changed since then. He didn't get the same rush from combat as he did before. It was about survival now.
"No," he replied, looking over at Daedalus.
He nodded in response, looking down over the creek in front of them.
"My mother was murdered by Mandalorians," he finally mumbled.
Din was unsure how to react. He wanted to console his partner, but at the same time he understood how a Mandalorian helmet was probably the last thing he wanted to see right now.
"I'm sorry," Din responded, "Do yo want me to leave?"
Daedalus remained quiet for a minute, but finally whispered, "No."
With this, he rested his head onto the Mandalorian's shoulder. Din was dazed by the occurrence, but he accepted it.
They sat in silence for a long while, allowing the sun to set over the flora around them.
Finally, Daedalus spoke up, "If I'm being honest, I was using you. I wanted to learn to fight so I could avenge my mother. I still do want revenge, but I feel bad using you."
Din let out an internal sigh of relief. Daedalus was finally opening up to him. "Thank you for being honest," he replied. He didn't know what else to say. He felt slightly betrayed that after all they had been through already that Daedalus was planning on conning him yet again, but he couldn't be mad at the poor kid.
"You can take me back to Coruscant if you want," Daedalus blurted out.
Din's hopes sank. "Do you want to go back?" He feared the answer he may receive.
"No, but I understand if you can't trust me," he replied.
Din was happy to hear he wanted to stick around. "You can stay as long as you'd like."
Daedalus smiled and stood up from the log. "It's getting cold, we should head back before it gets too dark."
"Agreed," Din grunted, slightly cramped from sitting so long. He thanked the Maker for allowing this vulnerable moment between the two. They were an unlikely pair, but the bond they shared already was strong.
The two walked back to the ship, eagerly awaiting the next step in their friendship.