The Word "Two"

One

It's a cold night in the ship. You're on the road with Din, who is driving and talking to the baby while you wake up from a nap. As you open your eyes you let your mind collect and process your surroundings for a moment. There's a beautiful view of space from the window in front of Din. Gorgeous stars freckle the dark void of space. Other than that, not much to note.

You and Din are both tired of the stars. Traveling from planet to planet can be nice and rewarding, but the journey to each one was just monotonous. Din is used to this but even so, he still wishes he could have a bit of variety in his life besides bounty hunting and fending off people sent to take the child.

"Good morning, how was your sleep?" He asks, glancing back at you once he notices that you shifted awake. "Oh, good I guess. I had a dream so lovely I forgot it wasn't real." You respond, rubbing your eyes and lifting yourself off of the makeshift bed that he made for you out of extra blankets. You slept on the metal floor for so long and your back started to hurt, but it definitely beat sleeping on the ground. Plus, the rumble and vibrations of the ship are soothing.

You look over to the other side of the cockpit and notice that Grogu's carriage is closed, most likely meaning he's napping. "Ah, he finally got to sleep!" You gladly whisper. "Oh yeah, he's knocked out cold. I thought he'd never settle down after the whole incident today." Din replies, chuckling softly and steering around an asteroid. You were confused by the word "incident" for a split moment before you remembered the moments leading up to the present.

Din, Grogu, and you were traversing a small settlement just outside Coruscant. You agreed to help Din take care of the baby while he took on jobs, under the premise that he would split his rewards with you. It took him a few weeks to trust you, but now that he does, he actually enjoys your company. On Coruscant, the settlement children played nicely with Grogu, however one kid did not understand boundaries and tried stealing one of his toys, which was a silver pendant in the shape of a tear drop. Grogu cried desperately for you to take it back from the other kid, and even though you were not feeling confrontational, you tried your hardest to get that kid to give it back. Gentle persuasion, intimidation, reverse psychology, every psychological method you could think of, and the kid just would not give it back.

So of course, for 50 year old Grogu, this was absolutely a travesty. But luckily the pendant wasn't expensive. He just loved it cause it was pretty and fun to play with. You and Din both promised him you'd make or find another one for him to play with. This idea satisfied his need for the pendant, but he still was overwhelmed and needed to cry. He fought sleep for a while, but after laying down and letting the stimulation of the ship calm his vestibular need, he drifted right off.

Now, being back on the ship, you finally got the rest you needed from all of the day's activities. Din is driving around looking for places to lodge for a couple days. You notice by his posture that he seems pretty tired, probably from driving. "Do you want me to take over?" You ask, laying a gentle hand on his armored shoulder. "Oh no, im okay! We'll be there soon anyway, but i would absolutely love some conversation to keep me company." He responds, laying his hand on top of yours.

This makes your face feel warmer, because even though you both had a mutual agreement that your time together was purely transactional, the idea of that rule being ignored and him giving you affection kind of made you feel...safe? Secure? Something like that. Either way, you couldn't help but admit that sometimes when he showed you affection, you found yourself feeling lighter.

"How do we want to replace Grogu's favorite pendant?" You ask, sitting down in the chair next to Din. Din sighs humorously. "I'm...not sure. I might pay a jeweler to make something, or let him pick from a vendor." He suggests passively. You nod and grin as you look out the same window that Din had been focused on for hours. You take a minute of silence to look at the stars and think about how boring they are. "The sky is clear. Thats a good thing i guess." He sighs, glancing over at you. You chuckle and nod. "It gets so tiring, doesn't it? Same stars, same space, same...darkness. Every single day." You mention. Din nods. "It gets so boring," he complains. "I dare say i wish i wasnt a bounty hunter so that i could stop traveling for money."

You completely empathize with him, as you never really wanted to travel to live. But, Din and Grogu kinda made every pit stop and adventure meaningful. There was never a dull moment with those two. Even so, you wish you could have the same moments in one place instead of everywhere else. In about a week, itll have been the one year anniversary you have spent "working" with Din. You put the air quotes in your head as you think about it, only because if you had it your way, this would be forever. Asking Din to do anything seems impossible within itself, but you just couldn't help but think "what would happen if i didnt ask?"

So thats when you decide to pop the question.

"Din? Can I ask something...personal, i guess?" You ask, biting back the anxiety on your tongue so that you could choose the right words and not give your true feelings away too soon. Din straightens his posture after noticing he had been slumped over the control panel for the last hour, then clears his throat. "Sure, everything alright?"

You take a deep breath, tapping a bare spot on the panel with your fingers. You get slightly more nervous now that you put yourself on the spot, but your impulse acted fast. "Yeah, everything is great. I just wonder, when you say you're tired of the same thing every day...do you mean it?" You ask. You hoped this would be a good lead in to a fulfilling conversation. Din tilts his head to the side, and makes a humming sound to represent thinking. "I guess sometimes i do, sometimes i dont. The stars are nothing special, we see them every day. It makes me burnt out on stars and bright lights. But then i remember, theres two reasons why i have to see them every day, and it makes it more tolerable." He explains. The use of the word two shocks you, but you don't want to ruin the already comfortable atmosphere with questions or prodding.

A moment of silence fills the air and you start to get uncomfortable again. Din can feel the tension as well. He reaches into a pocket on his person and holds out a closed fist towards you. You give him a look of confusion, waiting for him to explain. "I forgot your portion of the job earlier." He said, still keeping his eyes on the space in front of him. You hold out your hand, and he lays a few credits out on your palm. "I know it's not much but that's half of what i got. You deserve way more for taking care of Grogu though." He mentions, acknowledging you for your hard work by patting your shoulder lightly.

He glances back to the window in front of him and gives a slight "oh!" to signify your arrival. You land on a desolate, dry land that seems like a desert. There are three moons in the sky and theyre orange, purple, and yellow. It must be dusk as there's barely anyone around for miles. Or maybe its just abandoned.

"I thought we were looking for lodging?" You ask, looking around at the lack of surroundings. Din laughs and shuts down the ship. "Why look for it when we have it right here?" He asks in response. You tilt your head in concern, crossing your arms and looking up at him as he stands up to check on the baby. "What? It's more cost efficient!" He pleads. Youre still not convinced that he hasn't given up, so you give him a stern look that says "that's not true, now is it?"

"Fine...I kinda wanted somewhere more off the grid. Plus, I don't have much for a hotel." He caves in and explains. Your face lights up as you start to understand, but youre not angry with him. You can't be, he's been so kind to you since you met.

Now you just wish you could ask about the word two.