The Sweetest Taste

Chapter 53 - Bacon

The hot morning sun had already done its best to dry up the rain that had fallen overnight. Leaving a humidity which seemed to cling to the air and make the day feel even hotter before it had even really begun.

"Patu!"

Lysa shifted her face against her pillow, the slightest of frowns forming between her eyebrows.

"Patu! Mi-tah! Mi-tah!"

Rousing slightly from her sleep, Lysa heard a low groan from somewhere in front of her. And felt an arm, which had been resting around her middle, draw itself back.

Blinking her eyes open, she was met with a face which, only last night, she had never imagined she would get to see, as long as she lived.

And yet here he was...

Din Djarin.

Lying on his side, facing her (with the sheets having been pulled up over both their bodies sometime in the early hours).

But his muscular upper half and handsome face were now visible. Bathed in morning sunlight.

Din looked as perfect as Lysa had ever imagined he would be. With short, dark, unkempt hair, and a smattering of facial hair that ran from his chin, over his upper lip and, all the way up to his ears. His nose was long and angular and his eyebrows heavy, as though the burden of a thousand souls weighed on him.

But his eyes were what Lysa adored about him the most.

Watching now, as he peeled them open. Revealing them in all their glory.

For a moment, in the light of the morning, she saw Din's immediate expression become one of worry and apprehension, before it shifted into something far more warm as she smiled back at him gently.

But neither adult had the chance to bask in their moment, as they felt a sudden presence bounce its way up onto the bed and scurry up towards them.

Lysa turned her face to see Grogu's head pop up around Din's broad shoulder comically. The small child letting out a little shriek as he did so.

And Lysa couldn't help but laugh, as, with eyes fixed to Lysa, he started to clamber eagerly over his father. With Din letting out an 'oof' as Grogu's tiny legs collided with his ribs.

Din let out a huff, grasping Grogu around the middle and holding his wriggling form to his chest as he sat up a little and came to lie on his back.

But Grogu's eyes were still locked onto Lysa happily. Visibly ecstatic to see her. As though he had absolutely not expected to wake up and find her here, sharing a bed with his daddy this morning.

So often, Din was up before Grogu. And likely usually distracted by his father's presence, Grogu had not seen the pair wake up together since that very first night they had spent here together on this bed, on that occasion, fully clothed.

"Kid..." Din muttered in a warning voice, as Lysa smiled up at the pair of them.

"Mi-tah!" croaked Grogu again, blissfully reaching out his arms eagerly towards Lysa.

And Lysa couldn't help but smile as she carefully pulled herself up into a sitting position, holding the sheet over her bare breasts as she did so. Before reaching out and taking Grogu from his father.

"Good morning," she said, propping him up against her knees as she took both his tiny hands in each of her own and bouncing him a little against her legs which he seemed to enjoy.

Grogu beamed back at her for a long moment, before the small child visibly did a double-take as his eyes fell to his father. Noticing finally that there was something different about the Mandalorian this morning.

"Have you only just noticed?" asked Lysa in a laughing voice, as Grogu widened his already huge eyes, staring at his father in awe.

"Patu!" cried Grogu, as Din gave a huff, reaching down to the side of the bed, picking up his helmet. Although Lysa couldn't help but notice the smirk that seemed to quirk at his lips as he slipped the visor back over his face once more.

At this, Lysa gave a playful pout, which she noticed Din tilt his head in a look of faux-warning at.

She knew the sacrifice Din had made in revealing his face to her last night.

Going against everything she knew that his Creed stood for.

But it had been a gesture of love. The final barrier now gone, leaving only love, and warmth, and family.

What was it Din had said? That Lysa was part of his clan.

His family. Along with Grogu.

And Lysa knew now that no matter what happened from here on in, she would always be Din's.

Her love for him, boundless.

Aching.

Perfect in its entirety.

The words he had spoken to her in the Mandalorian tongue had been beautiful and so filled with devotion for her, that Lysa knew that there was nothing she could say that would match them as long as she lived.

But she was determined now to show Din and Grogu just how loved they were by her in return...each and every day from now...until the very end of existence itself.

"You both want some breakfast?" she asked with a smile, rubbing her knuckles up the side of Grogu's cheek affectionately, drawing his large eyes back to her. "I still have some powdered eggs in the conservator. And I managed to get my hands on some puffer bacon yesterday at the market."

At her side Din gave a hum of approval.

"Mmmmm, I don't know how long it's been since I've had bacon," he mused, stretching his muscular arms out above his helmet-covered head. "You must have paid a lot of credits for that all the way out here."

But Lysa merely raised both eyebrows, avoiding his eye, her focus on bouncing a chirping Grogu against her knee. "Nope," she replied with an easy smirk. "You've just got to know the right people. And give them the first pick of the fresh sweet-mallow cakes every now and again."

At this, Lysa heard Din let out a protective-sounding huff of air through his nose.

"Just be careful," he muttered matter-of-factly, his visored-gaze fixed on the ceiling. "Doing deals with some of those traders might not be such a good idea."

But Lysa merely gave a scolding tut Din's way. "I'm always careful," she said, wrinkling her nose teasingly.

But Din just turned his head, offering her a long hard stare in return through his visor, causing her to laugh.

"Ok, ok, maybe I'm careful most of the time," she said, giving him a playful nudge with her elbow. "But at least now I've got a big, strong Mandalorian keeping an eye out for me."

"So I'm just the muscles?" asked Din in a faux-grumpy tone, which caused Lysa to laugh, as Grogu gazed at her in open-mouthed awe.

"Mmmhhhmmm," Lysa replied, raising a single eyebrow teasingly as she did so. "And that's why I need to keep you well fed with puffer pig bacon and eggs now isn't it?"

Din gave another resigned hum as he rested his helmet-covered head back against the pillows behind his head and clasped his hands together over his chest. But this time, he didn't argue.

Lysa smiled, as she eyed him.

"And besides, I don't really mind doing some underhand deals with the stall-holders..." she continued, turning to Din now, and pressing a single kiss to his broad, bare shoulder, murmuring the rest of the words into his warm skin.

"...'cause I think you might both be pretty worth it."

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