ash'ad | the mandalorian

BÓŃÚŚ: ńíghtmáré

A/N: I know this is weird..cause usually my author's notes are on the bottom...but I've decided to add my few one shots that I wrote onto this book again (the one shots are based off this book hehe) because I miss writing for Beth and Din, but I didn't wanna make a sequel because everything wrapped up so nicely ya know?

The next few are older ones so the writing might not be as good, but i've got some new ideas too so look out for those ;)

anyways...sorry for rambling

enjoy!!

~~~

Din's eyes snapped open as he heard the faint cries of his son echoing down the hallway. His pupils took a moment to adjust to the dark, quickly falling onto the woman who was wrapped in his arms as she breathed softly.

He sighed, still hearing the heartbreaking whines of his son and knowing he would have to get up. Slowly, he moved his arms away from Beth and stood next to the bed, replacing the covers to conserve the warmth. As he tucked them closely against her, she shifted at the loss of his body and rolling over to get comfortable. The action made Din freeze, fearing he had woken her but relaxed when she didn't move again.

She had become quite a deep sleeper in recent months, finally settling into their home and feeling safe enough to drop her guard. It helped that she had picked the side of the mattress that was pressed up against the wall, meaning Din acted as a barrier between her and the doorway.

He took one last moment to look at her sleeping figure, smiling softly before making his way through the open doorway and down the hall into Grogu's room. It was a short hall, and both bedroom doors were almost always open in case of an emergency, but they had decided it was important for him to have his own space. Not only to preserve their romantic relationship, but also to build some independence in the child.

When Din entered, he saw his ad'ika sitting up in bed, hugging his stuffed lightsaber close to his chest. It was handmade by Beth when they had first settled in on Kezra. She had used her free time between classes to study the Jedi religion extensively, finding lightsabers particularly fascinating. Of course, she decided very quickly that her son would never have one, seeing as he was too small and immobile. So, she settled for a stuffed one instead.

"Hey, buddy," Din whispered, catching the fussing child's attention.

He wasted no time reaching his tiny arms towards his buir, longing for his warmth. Din crossed the room with a sigh, scooping him up from under the blankets and holding him close to his chest. The child still suffered from nightmares from time to time, a habit his brain was still trying to break.

He quietly shooshed the baby and let him grip his finger, knowing it was a great comfort to him. They held hands for a moment, but then his head shoved deep into Din's neck, letting his whines muffle under the fabric. The Mandalorian sighed, feeling his tiny body trembling as it fought to dismiss his fear.

He lowered himself with a groan, sitting on the rug in front of his bed, and began to rock them back and forth. It was a tactic he used for when Beth had panic attacks, so he hoped it would give him the same sense of security.

Despite his best attempts, the child continued to cry and kept his head lowered in fear. Whatever he had dreamed about had completely spooked him to the point where nothing was seeming to work.

"Come on, ad'ika. Work with me here," Din pleaded quietly, desperate to get him back to sleep. But he didn't take, still mumbling to himself and whining loudly as his father rubbed his back.

"Din?" a soft voice called from the doorway. He silently cursed as his eyes lifted to see Beth. Her hair was disheveled and she was only wearing one of his shirts as she padded softly over to them.

"I was...trying to get him to sleep," he explained, a hint of embarrassment in his voice as she looked down at them. He was sure she was going to make fun of him, but her eyes only softened, and looked to her son.

"Oh dear, come here vorpan'ika (little green one)," she whispered, causing the baby to look up for the first time. She bent down and gently took him from Din, beginning to hum softly to him.

"What happened, did you have a nightmare?" She asked. The little boy nodded and mumbled an 'mhm' in her ear.

"Don't be afraid, ad'ika. Your buir and I will always protect you," she assured him, looking to her husband with a tired smile.

When the room fell quiet, she yawned, sending a chain reaction to Grogu and Din. With a light chuckle, she sat down on the floor and leaned into her husband, settling between his legs as she held the child close to her chest.

"He's been better this week. I think this is the first time in a few days," Beth cooed.

She watched as his beady eyes grew heavy, still humming encouragingly. But when he realized he was dozing off, he quickly opened them again, looking panicked until his gaze settled on his parents.

"Shh, udesii," she whispered as he began to fuss again. Her humming transitioned into quiet singing, making his eyes start to drop once more. Din sighed from behind her, still feeling inadequate for not having calmed him down sooner.

"If only I had a voice as soothing as yours, ner kar'ta (my heart)," he mused, resting his chin on her head and rubbing her arms.

The panicked whining of the child had disappeared as he finally let sleep overcome him, snoring lightly through his tiny nose.

"Then what use would I be?" She teased, looked back at him briefly before standing up with a soft groan.

"He's asleep, but I think he should stay in the hammock tonight" she advised, speaking of the sling above their bed for when he wanted to be close.

"Good idea" he grumbled, feeling his sleepiness come over him once again. He followed behind her swaying figure as she returned to the hallway, holding the child with care as she walked back into their bedroom.

She made her way over to the bed and shuffled across on her knees so she could reach the hammock. Carefully, she placed his little body inside, smiling at the plushy still tucked tightly under his arm. Her gaze finally turned back to Din who was already laying back in his spot, leaving the blanket open for her to join him.

The bed dipped under his weight, making it easier for her to drift into the middle of the bed as she laid down. Instinctively, he brought her close to his chest and kissed her forehead tenderly.

"Goodnight, cyare"

She hummed at his name for her, bringing her hand to rest on his chest as she began to fall asleep. The sun was already coming up at this point, causing a stream of light to peek through the curtains and into the room. She knew they wouldn't get out of bed for a few more hours, still encapsulated in their warm bed.

Then she heard it, the coos of the child coming from above them. Slowly, they both glanced up to see him smiling contently down at them.

"He's not going back to sleep, is he?" she asked rhetorically.

Din sighed heavily, "Nope"