Under the Helmet ~ (The Mandalorian x Male OC)

Chapter 36: The Visit

WARNING: This chapter contains strong language.

Din rose bright and early to go see his old friends from the New Republic. He wasn't nearly as close to the team as Daedalus was now, but he thought that if they were going to work together on a future hunt, they should at least reconcile.
Lyra had decided to stay back on the ship, claiming she had to 'tidy up'. He was okay with that, as she had been acting oddly suspicious since their small disagreement over working with Daedalus.
He refueled his jetpack and flew to the location of Gayle, Verid, and Wally. Their ship was a Sentinel-class landing craft, a fairly large vessel for the small crew. The ramp lowered and Wally came running out. He wrapped his furry arms around the Mandalorian, lifting him off the ground in a tight hug.
"Ok, buddy, you can put me down now," Din wheezed.
The wookie set him down gently, and Gayle and Verid joined them outside shortly after.
"Long time no see, Mando," Verid stated with a nod. "You after the princess too?"
"Isn't every bounty hunter under the suns attempting something?", Din chortled.
"True," Gayle admitted. "Are you wanting to work with us or something?"
"I actually talked to Daedalus last night, and he says he's got it covered, but he said Lyra and I could
help on the next job."
Gayle looked surprised. "You talked to him?"
Din nodded. "Yeah."
"How's Lyra?", Verid questioned politely.
"She's good. We're good."
Wally let out a growl and tugged on the Mandalorian's arm, urging him to come inside. The group entered the ship, which had a heavily modified interior. The transports typically had a vastly open atmosphere in the lower deck, but dividers had been erected to divide the cargo bay into personal living quarters. Walking down the central hallway, they entered the break room, which had a large table running down the middle of the floor with swivel chairs welded into the floor.
"Some nice improvements you've made to this thing," Din commented as he took a seat at the table.
"Thanks, we did them ourselves," Verid bragged.
Gayle took a seat across from the Mandalorian. "So what brings you to our humble abode?"
"I just thought I could help you guys wrap up this mission, free of charge, then tag along with you guys on the next one," Din informed.
"Is that all?", Gayle asked suspiciously.
The Mandalorian was confused. "What else would it be?"
Wally wailed loudly, which sent Gayle and Verid into hysterical laughter.
"Can you guys...understand him?", Din wondered.
"He has a few select words and phrases that we understand. Just like names and stuff," Verid stated.
The Mandalorian was almost scared to ask. "So what did he say?"
"Daedalus," Gayle mumbled, placing a hand over her mouth.
Din blushed under the helmet. "So what if I was?"
A silence fell over the crew. He wasn't necessarily there for Daedalus, just to reconcile with his team before they jumped right into action again.
"I'm going to go make a sandwich," Gayle added, as she stood from her chair and made her way out of the room.
Din was starving too. He hadn't had dinner and had left without even thinking about eating. "Me too," he confessed, leaving Verid and Wally alone.
The Mandalorian joined Gayle in the kitchen, who was smearing marmalade onto a slice of bread.
"So what have you guys been up to?", he asked for no other reason than to break the awkward silence in the room.
"Just running around, catching bounties, you know," Gayle started. "How are things with Lyra?"
"She's..." Din wasn't sure what word to use. "Fine."
Gayle raised an eyebrow. "That bad?", she pondered, shoving her sandwich in her mouth.
"What do you mean that bad? We're fine," Din affirmed, slightly offended.
"It's just that I deep down I don't believe that you're here just to be friendly."
The Mandalorian scoffed. She wasn't entirely wrong, perhaps his slight reborn feelings for Daedalus were some factor in his visit, but that wasn't all of it. "So what are you saying?", he retorted, playing it stupid.
"Oh, please," she started, chewing vigorously. "If Wally figured it out, it's pretty obvious."
"I don't have feelings for Daedalus," he lied.
Gayle swallowed and looked deep into his visor. "But if Lyra weren't around..?" She squinted. "I think it'd be a little different story then, wouldn't it?"
Din was caught of guard by the blatant disrespect. "We're done here," he argued, leaving the kitchen and shortly after, the ship itself.
He flew back to Lyra's ship, pondering everything Gayle had said. That woman scared Din. She wasn't all that wrong with her accusations, but the audacity she possessed shocked him. Honestly, he didn't know what he would do with his feelings for Daedalus. The Foundling had obviously changed a lot since they had worked together last, as he had taken control of perhaps the largest bounty of his career with complete faith in himself. Was he even still a Foundling?
Din arrived back at the ship, and found Lyra lying on the couch on her holopad.
"Tired from tidying up so soon?", he teased.
She tilted her head and sat up on the sofa. "How was the zoo?", she asked, ignoring his remark.
The Mandalorian scoffed. "They're not a zoo. Sure they had a walking carpet but they're not a zoo."
Lyra chuckled. "You're right, a zoo has much smarter creatures."
"They're not bad people, they're just...", Din trailed off.
"Just what?"
"A little intimidating."
Lyra broke into hysterical laughter. "That funny farm? Intimidating?" She stood from the couch and began walking in a circle around him, trailing her fingers along his armor "Are you forgetting who you, who we, are?"
"And who are we exactly?"
Lyra leaned closer to his face. "The best fucking bounty hunters in the galaxy." She walked away from him and made her way to their weapon rack. "And if we're here for the princess," she grabbed a heavy assault rifle off the wall, "We're leaving with the princess."