Not the Jedi Way

Hurt

The next day Luke left for a mission. He went to check out a situation about left behind clones. It was late at night, Grogu was already asleep when Din heard something like a crash and went into attack mode going to check it out, only to find Luke laying on the floor. "Luke!" He hurried to his side and kneeled next to him.

The Jedi looked up at him his voice was coarse. "Sorry, I hope I didn't wake Grogu-" He was cut off by his own coughing.

"Are you okay? You should worry about yourself, plus you know he's a deep sleeper. Come on let me help fix you up." Din carefully picked him up not noticing his blue eyes staring at him until Luke touched his helmet, trying to remember the feeling of the other's skin. Din looked at him confused.

The Jedi felt himself blush and just smiled. "Sorry, it's the blood loss." He joked.

Din got even more worried and laid him down on a bed in their first aid room. "I'll need to take your robe off is that okay?"

"Do you have to?"

"Yes, it looks like you've got shot in. I have to take a look at that, why?"

"I don't-" He wasn't sure how to formulate his words. "I don't like the way my body looks." He hesitated, feeling the other's worry before speaking up again. "Okay, do it." He looked to the side.

Din carefully removed the other's robe, seeing all the wounds that he has endured and all the old scars, especially deep lightning-like ones. He felt horrible knowing what the Jedi must have been through but pulled himself together knowing as well that the other probably wouldn't want his pity and began patching him up.

Luke eventually just watched everything he was doing while feeling himself getting lightheaded and about to pass out until the Mandalorian started disinfecting his wounds. He flinched in pain. "Ah- kr- that hurts."

"Sorry, gotta clean it. What even happened to you to get you this beat up? I thought you were supposed to be a master Jedi."

"Hey! I had a bad enough day without you sassing me. I got overwhelmed and-" He took a deep breath. "I would prefer not to talk about it, yet, Sorry."

"Hey, it's fine, no pressure." Mando smiled and started gently cleaning the scratches on his face. "You should be more careful though, next time let me come with you."

"Sure" Luke couldn't help but smile feeling the other's coarse hands caress his skin. He felt warmth come over him watching how careful he bandaged him. "Thank you."

Din just stared at him. Thinking about what would've happened if he had been late or already asleep. He and Grogu were his family, no matter how hard he had tried to avoid it he had gotten attached to his kid's teacher.

"Are you alright?" Luke carefully caressed the other's cheek or where it would be. He could feel his eyes stare through him. "I'm fine Din I promise. I had worse." He pulled off the clove from his cybernetic hand. "See?  You can't get rid of me that easily." Luke chuckled leaning his head against Dins, not knowing the significance of that gesture. But still feeling genuinely connected to him this way.

Din didn't mind and felt himself smile. "Just be more careful next time, please. Grogu needs you. You're his family." You're my family.

"I promise." Luke closed his eyes and just enjoyed this moment and their closeness. "He's my family too. You are my family as well. Can't escape the big Skywalker found family, once you're in."

Din was taken aback, not negatively. Hearing the other saying that filled his stomach with that warm fuzzy feeling and chuckle at his last remark. "Thank you."

"There's nothing to thank me for, I should thank you for not being freaked out by me."

"Freaked out?"

"It's been a while since I've been this open with someone. Normally it's- I'm too much for people and they leave. I can breathe around you, and feel. You see me, really see me. Thank you." Luke let his thumb run over the edges of the other's helmet.

"I-" Din didn't know what to say and just placed his hand on the back of the other's head his fingers getting tangled in his hair.

They stayed like that for a while. "Luke?" Din wanted to hold him close. He wanted to know what it felt like.

"Yes?" Luke looked at him through his eyelashes. He felt lightheaded not because of the blood loss but because they were so close, that he could see his breath on the other's helmet. He hoped Din would kiss him or make a move.

Din wanted to but he knew he shouldn't. Luke was too important to the galaxy and he already had so much on his plate adding this would be unfair to him. He would be fine watching him from afar, being friends.

"I've got to go to Mandalore soon. You know cause of the whole dark Saber thing and apparently being king now."

"Oh-" Luke sat up clearly disappointed. "Right, if you need help packing let me know." He got up. "I think I should go and rest some more. Good night, Din." Luke left to go into his room sitting on his bed. You are too much. You're always too much.

Din felt bad but knew this was the right thing to do. There's nothing that he could do except bury his feeling for him.

For the next few days, Luke went into what Din called professional mode, being calm and collected, and distant. No big smiles, chuckles, anything, just one small polite smile.

Thinking he made him uncomfortable Din decided to leave early. So one morning Luke woke up to Din putting his things on his ship.

"Wait you're leaving already?"  Luke looked at him and Din couldn't tell what he was thinking. His eyes were filled with emotions but nothing he could pinpoint.

"Yeah, I was asked to come earlier. I already said goodbye to Grogu. I'll come and visit you two when everything is set up on Mandalore."

"I-" Luke wanted to reach out but pulled his hand back. His face changed back to the polite emotionless facade "Okay, have a safe trip."

"Goodbye, Luke, take care of yourself." Din got in his ship to head out.

The Jedi was just left standing there watching after the ship.