Unmasked Love | The Mandalorian

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Sleeping in space has always been such an interesting concept to me.

 When you're among the stars, in the middle of complete darkness, time almost seems irrelevant. Some sort of sun doesn't rise from the east to wake you up and a peering moon doesn't contrast against the dark hues of the night. You can't feel how cold the night becomes after the sun has slipped away, nor do you get to feel the morning sun warm your sheets up as it creeps through the curtain of your room. 

Time is almost irrelevant when you're floating through the galaxy. 

So why the fuck does it feel like I was woken up at three in the kriffing morning?

It was late- or I suppose you could say that it was early- whichever you prefer to call it. Regardless of the time in space, I was tired as shit and up on my feet anyway. The kid had been crying earlier and I guess I was the only one that heard him because here I am, cradling him in one arm as I tried to rock him back to sleep. He had been happily cooing at me, slowly blinking as he started to lull back to sleep. 

I keep rocking him in the dark cockpit, my own eyes drooping down a bit from how tired I was. My body was barely staying awake on its own, but my mind was still rushing from the thought of what Mando had said earlier in the night. I look down at the kid, continuing to rock him back to sleep. 

"I hope you know that Din really loves you, kiddo," I whisper, smiling softly as his eyes slowly fluttered shut. I slowly lift him up and rest his head on my chest, swaying with him in my arms as I started to hum a quiet tone. It almost felt like I was trying to draw myself to sleep as well, which isn't necessarily good since I was standing with the kid in my arms.

I slowly sit down in the pilot's seat, making sure not to jostle the kid around too much. I take in a deep breath and let it out in a slow sigh, knowing that I had to do something to keep myself awake for just a little longer. I just had to make sure that the kid actually went back to sleep before I did myself. 

"Quand il me prend dans ses bras, qu'il me parle tout bas, je vois la vie en rose," I sing quietly, my voice coming out in a breathy whisper as it fills the cockpit. 

I scoot towards the edge of the seat while leaning my back against the padded backing, making sure that the kid was lying flat on my chest in a comfortable position. I'll probably end up waking up with a tight back and a crick in my neck thanks to the way I was sitting, but as long as he's comfortable and safe, I'm perfectly content with my own discomfort.

"Il me dit des mots d'amour, des mots de tous les jours, et ca m'fait quelque chose," I continue, slowly closing my eyes as I stopped my consistent rocking. My fingers gently graze his large ears, soothing him a bit more. 

The child coos before nuzzling against my chest a little more. I take in another deep breath, trying to stay awake for a little longer. The words Mando had said earlier in the night were slipping from my mind as I continued to sing. 

"Il est entre dans mon cœur, une part de bonheur, dont je connais la cause. C'est lui pour moi, moi pour lui dans la vie. Il me l'a dit, l'a jure, pour la vie," I sing quietly, feeling myself start to slip away just like the kid. "Et des que je l'apercois, alors je sens en moi, mon cœur qui bat," I finish, letting one more breath out before slipping away into the darkness.
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"What am I supposed to do with you two?" a deep voice mutters, the voice modulator almost messing with the pitch. "Come on, kid, I've gotta get you and her to bed now."

My arms are gently peeled away from the small child that had been sleeping soundly on my chest. He's lifted away from me and I let out a small whine as the cold recycled air of the ship pierces my once warm skin. I slowly open my eyes and try to sit up properly, but a hand on my shoulder keeps me from getting up all the way.