Under the Helmet ~ (The Mandalorian x Male OC)

Chapter 51: The Recruit

The Mandalorians were awoken early in the morning to a knocking on the door. They couldn't even remember falling asleep in Rotella's room, but get here they were.
Daedalus quickly threw on a robe, and Din buried himself under the covers so no one would see his face. The Phoenix opened the door a sliver to find Rotella waiting outside. Upon seeing the princess, he swung the door open wide to let her in.
"Good morning!", she chided happily.
"Holy Maker, I'm so sorry we stayed in your room," Daedalus apologized.
She blew raspberry. "I'm next in line for the throne, I moved into my parents' old suite."
"Oh, good. I was scared you didn't have a place to sleep for a second."
The princess looked around the room. "Where's Mando?"
Din cleared his throat loudly to reveal his hiding spot under the blankets.
"What's up with him?", Rotella questioned.
Daedalus chuckled. "He follows some Mandalorian creed where he can't show his face to anyone," he informed.
"This is the way," Din muttered.
"Anyways, I was just stopping by to let you know that the coronation is tomorrow at noon. And Daedalus, I don't know if you plan to stick around but I have divorce papers..," she mentioned as she pulled a roll of papers from a satchel around her shoulders. "I know it's a little unexpected but our marriage isn't really necessary anymore."
The Phoenix took the papers. "Awesome, thanks. And we'll be there for your coronation, I wouldn't want to miss it for the world."
Rotella blushed. "Well, I'll let you two get on with your day, feel free to find me if you need anything," she chided. "See you guys around!"
The queen-to-be left the room, to which Din sat up from under the covers, taking a deep breath of fresh air. "So what's the plan for the day?", he wondered.
Daedalus took a seat on the end of the bed. "I want to go get my armor, maybe get a bite to eat at this one diner downtown? They have the best empanadas."
"Sounds good to me," the Mandalorian said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
Din slipped into his armor, and Daedalus found a marroon, paisley lace top with matching pants.
"You always dress up so nice, and I'm stuck wearing this armor," Din teased.
"Then don't wear it," the Phoenix stated plainly.
The Mandalorian cocked his head. "That definitely is not the way."
Daedalus rolled his eyes. "The way this, the way that. Shouldn't you do what makes you happy?". He placed a hand on the side of his helmet.
Din placed his own gloved hand over Daedalus's. "The Creed is a lifestyle, not just a harsh set of rules. Maybe someday you'll swear to it."
The Phoenix shook his head. "Doubtful. I feel like I've worn disguises more than I have my armor for most of my missions."
The Mandalorian wasn't going to push it. Even he thought some of the Creed's guidelines were a little harsh, and he wanted Daedalus to be happy.
"Suit yourself. Ready to go?"
"Yeah, my armor will be a nice incognito disguise for walking around the city."
The two linked arms and exited the bedroom, heading to the city outskirts. Din could've flown them out on his jetpack, but it was nice to get some time together.
They were now exiting the city, just passing the gate to the expanse of desert of Zygerria.
"What are we going to do after this?", Daedalus pried, breaking the silence.
Din looked over at him. "I'm not sure. Any ideas?"
The Phoenix sighed. "It would be nice to see Gayle, Verid, and Wally again, but I also really enjoy our own little missions. Maybe take some time off, use Lyra's money to pay off the bounty on your head and lay low for a while or something. Or keep hunting. As long as we do it together, I'm down," he said with a smile.
Din blushed under the helmet. He felt the same way. His time spent with Daedalus had softened him. He used to use his armor as a barrier, blocking out worldly distractions and emotions that he considered weaknesses at the time. Now, here he was taking time off and running around the galaxy to make his boyfriend happy.
"Agreed," was all he said.
As they crested the hill above the Razor Crest II, they saw another ship docked adjacent to theirs. It was an older ship, and as the two of them descended to the Crest, it's ramp lowered.
Din was on guard. He was aware that there were still some hunters looking to claim the bounty on his head, but no one had been active tracking him in a long time. He drew his blaster as a single figure exited the ship.
It was a Mandalorian.
Daedalus placed a hand on Din's arm. "Do you know them?"
"No," the Mandalorian mumbled. He holstered his blaster, but left it i clipped and easily accessible.
The stranger appeared to be unarmed. They wore full beskar armor, which was professionally painted purple and white with gold highlights.
"No need to be on guard, brethren. I come in peace," they exclaimed. The voice sounded female, but Din couldn't tell.
"What do you want?", he called, keeping his distance from the stranger.
"I am Ki'na, leader of the Children of the Watch," the female expressed. "We've been watching you two for a while now."
Daedalus took a step back. "What do you want?"
"I come hoping to initiate you into our ranks. Phoenix, your heroics on Zygerria have not gone unnoticed. We believe that you could unite the tribes of Mandalore and allow us to restore our reputation throughout the galaxy."
Din was appalled. He had heard of the Children of the Watch once before, as his previous covert had some distant relations to them. Bo Katan referred to them as religious zealots, if he remembered correctly.
"I'm not looking for an answer at this moment, but if you wish to join our ranks, we are currently based on Ithor," Ki'na spoke up. "I hope to hear from you again, Phoenix."
Daedalus went pale. "Thank you," he whimpered.
Just as fast as she had found them, Ki'na left.
The Phoenix said nothing and made his way to the Crest.
Din felt as though there was no reason for him to be upset, yet there he was picking up on some aggression in Daedalus's composure.
"Is everything okay?", the Mandalorian questioned.
The Phoenix sniffled and lowered the ramp to the ship. "I don't know."
"Hey," Din cooed, pulling his boyfriend in for a hug. "What's wrong?"
Daedalus shook his head. "I just...I figured this would be our time to really get to know each other, you know? We have absolutely no commitments after the coronation tomorrow, and now..," his voice broke.
"We don't have to join the Children of the Watch, it's okay."
"But you're the Mandalorian. It's where you belong. They have the same beliefs as you, and I can't hold you back from that."
There was some truth in Daedalus's words. In all reality, they didn't need to collect any more bounties for a while. They had more credits than they knew what to do with. Deep down, Din did want to join the Children of the Watch. It would be just like his days with the Tribe, but this time, it would mean something. Something bigger than just hoping between bounties.
But he didn't want to force Daedalus to do something he didn't want to. Splitting up was out of the picture, he wasn't doing that again.
The Phoenix pulled back and walked to his room, where he threw himself down onto his bed.
Din joined him in the bedroom and sat beside him. "Whatever we do, we'll do it together."

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Next chapter is the last of the season! Hope ur ready <3