The Sweetest Taste

Chapter 28 - Bickering

Not even an hour later Din and Lysa strolled side by side through the looming Nevarro city-gates.

It had turned into a hot day, the sun now high in the sky above them as they walked.

Grogu was as usual, in his dome-shaped pram, hovering on Din's other side, taking in the sights of the city laid out before him.

They had arrived here in Lysa's speeder, with Din sat up on the back, keeping an eye out for Crix or any more of his men as they went.

But to the Mandalorian's dismay, the lava flat were nothing but peaceful.

If Lysa were not with him of course, Din would not have hesitated to hunt Crix down himself, almost relishing the torture he could put the thug through if caught.

But right now, his priority was Lysa and keeping her safe. And he knew that after all she had been through, at her side was where he needed to be.

And that was exactly where he was now, lingering close to her, one gloved hand poised on his blaster, ready for any trouble.

His other hand however, swung at his side, close to Lysa's.

Din was almost certain he could feel the brush of her fingers every so often. But he didn't quite have the courage to look down to check.

Over the crook of Lysa's other arm was her large woven basket which she had brought to carry anything she might need.

But the trio had barely passed a few feet through the city gates, before he noticed Lysa already veering off towards one of the small stalls on the very edge of the bazaar, over to their right.

"Nhm-hm," Din murmured suddenly, as Lysa turned back to him at the sound. "No."

The masked Mandalorian gave a stern shake of his head, placing a hand to her back and steering her back toward the centre of the cobbled path.

He knew exactly where she wanted to go, but Din was not having that. He could see immediately that the marketplace was busy with late morning crowds and filled with all sorts of characters Din would rather Lysa not mix with.

He was not going to risk her here when there could be any number of thugs around that were loyal to Crix.

But Lysa gazed up at him, her green eyes big and goading.

"Can't I just pick up a few things for dinner?" she said. The slightest of frowns grazing her brow. "You have nothing but bone broth in your conservator."

Behind his beskar, Din pursed his lips.

"I like bone broth," he retorted easily.

But Lysa rolled her eyes at his words, taking a step closer to him as they walked, and nudging him in the side with her elbow.

"Oh c'mon, making dinner is the least I can do," she said, staring up at him, as they strolled side by side. "Without you...well I don't know what I'd do, and I just want to say thank you. I can just grab a couple of things, it won't take more than five minutes..."

But Din gave a huff, keeping his eyes fixed ahead of him as he walked.

"This was just a quick trip to your apartment, pick up clothes, and then leave," he said in a gruff tone. "It's not a shopping trip."

Had anyone been walking close by, they would have heard their bickering and likened them to an old married couple.

"Well I can't just sit around all day doing nothing," Lysa said in an exasperated voice, before her lips twitched up into a smirk, nudging his hip with her own. "C'mon Din Djarin....you're already my chaperone-"

"To your home, that was the deal..." he retorted with a firm nod.

But Lysa just licked her lips, pausing for a moment.

"Well..." she began in a warm and teasing voice, suddenly rounding on Din. Moving in front of him and blocking his path, causing him to stop in his tracks. "...what if I paid you?"

Din gave a bemused frown at this, staring down at her. "What?"

"You're a bounty hunter and I want to hire you," Lysa said simply, taking a sudden step into him teasingly.

Beneath his beskar helmet, Din couldn't help but smirk. Enjoying the repertoire between them.

He wet his bottom lip slowly with his tongue, before he replied.

"Me and Grogu are pretty selective about the jobs we take these days," he said with a grin, as he gazed down at her. Her face was a mere breath away from his. Her green eyes shining up at him playfully.

Lysa opened her mouth to speak before suddenly closing it again. Her smile widening as she wrinkled her nose, quite obviously enjoying their interaction.

But she tilted her head after a moment, her face softening slightly.

"Please," she said with a small sigh, her voice now sounding honest and gentle. "I just....I need a distraction, that's all. Five minutes that's all it'll take."

Din stared down at her, at this close proximity. And despite the sleep she had had, against his chest in the early hours, he could see behind her eyes, how tired and drained she looked.

The years that she had been with Crix obviously taking its toll on her, along with the fact that he was still out there somewhere.

Ok, maybe he understood now that a short trip through the bazaar might help keep her mind off that fact for just a little while.

The masked Mandalorian cocked his head at her for a short moment, sucking on his teeth before letting out a relenting huff.

"Fine, but for the record there's nothing wrong with bone broth," he replied, grasping her upper arm gently and playfully turning her on the spot.

Lysa's smile widened brightly.

And as Din's hand dropped to his side, he felt Lysa's fingers squeeze around his for the very briefest of seconds, before she let go of them again.

Behind his mask, Din couldn't help the grin that plastered itself over his face.

"No," she said lighty, falling into step with him once more. "But there is something wrong with that chunk of bread I saw on the side of your counter top this morning. It was as hard as a rock! You cannot feed that to Grogu."

The small child who had been floating along beside them easily, turned to the two adults at the sound of his own name.

But Din gave an easy shrug at her comment.

"I bought it from a seller here at the market, just yesterday," he said casually, knowing that he was happily riling Lysa up.

"Let me guess," she said raising both eyebrows and pursing her lips. "Merrik's stall? The Ithorian? You know he grinds stones into the flour to bulk it out?"

Lysa made a face.

"That's why it tastes like gravel," she finished, as they came to stop at a stall selling vegetables that Din couldn't say he'd ever seen before in this star system, let alone this planet.

Din smirked at her comment. "I thought it tasted fine," he said, giving another shrug, which caused Lysa to shoot him a look, turning to him and placing a hand to her slender hip.

"I'll make you bread and then you can tell me which is better," she said smoothly, before turning away once more.

And at that Din couldn't help but continue to grin as he watched her move across the front of the stall...

...following close behind her as she went.

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I love writing these cute slow burn chapters. What do you all think of the fic so far? Do you like it?