He didn't know what time it was or how long he'd been asleep for, but the Mandalorian was in the garden. The Mandalorian had returned, and there were books on his bedside table that definitely weren't there before.

The nurses tried to stop him, saying you're too weak to be walking about and you'll just pass out again and what are you doing, you need that drip, you can't just take it out! And his eyes were dark and his hair was sticky and there were new scratches on his arms. But still, he tucked in his gown and went to go see the Mandalorian.

Jad'futi stood just inside during the entire conversation. It was comforting, even if Peri felt it was a bit unwarranted. I'm not a porcelain doll, he thought bitterly. I can take care of myself.A month and then some of living on the streets had taught him something at least.

But the conversation hadn't gone as well as he'd have liked. The Mandalorian - or, Mando, as he supposed he ought to call him - was pushy. Looking into private territory. Peri might've been a sad anxious man (as he was quite willing to admit) but he wouldn't go around talking about his feelings to save his own life.

Which... he supposed, said a lot about him.

Jad'futi followed him to the cafeteria.

"You really should eat in your room," he said. "I don't think Dr Avry wants you to-"

I don't care about what that Arkanian wants. "I'm sure it'll be fine. I won't have anything that'll hurt my recovery." I'm not scared of her.

"But if she finds out, I'm sure to be in trouble."

Then make sure she doesn't found out. "You'll be alright. I'll take the blame."

Peri was weak on his feet, and his legs felt like jelly, but that didn't stop his confident march to the cafeteria, or the dramatic way he pushed open the door. No heads turned. Good.

"Besides," Peri said, "I have the right to go wherever I please, as do all other patients."

"But you have to get permission to walk around, and-"

Peri pivoted on the spot. Jad'futi nearly bumped into him but managed to halt just in time. Peri placed a hand on the twi'lek's shoulder.

"Okay, then. Give me permission."

"What?"

"You're my nurse, so you can give me permission, yes?"

"W-Well, I-"

"You can."

"I suppose..."

"Good. Perfect."

Without another word, Peri turned back around sauntered to the counter. He only observed the Actual Food for a second before sadly averting his gaze to the soups.

"Wow, should I have the soup or the soup?" he sighed to himself. "They all look the same..."

"Couldn't agree more," said a new voice. Peri turned his head to stare at this person, and had to physically stop himself from recoiling.

"Sorry," the man sighed from his wheelchair, "I need to stop doing that."

The entire right side of his body was smothered in blistering red burns. The majority of his hair was gone, leaving only a quarter of his head with any hair at all.

"No, it's..." Peri swallowed, "Fine. It's fine. You're fine."

"You won't recognise me, but..."

The man held out a bandaged band, presumably for Peri to shake.

"I was one of the troopers," he said in a low voice.

Peri dropped the hand immediately. He stumbled backwards, only narrowly avoiding ramming into the person behind him.

"It's okay! It's okay!" the stormtrooper protested. "What, you think I'm in any sort of state to actually hurt you?"

"Could be a spy," Peri hissed. He turned to run, but the stormtrooper was quick, and the grip on his wrist was tighter than anything.

"Please, I'm sorry. I heard about everything that happened to you. I want to make amends."

Peri tried to tug his wrist away, but he was too frail and weak. The trooper was strong, even with the burns plaguing his body.

"I was there on the night the Mandalorian raided the facility."

"I don't care. Let go of me."

"Please, just let me talk. You know how we're made, right? How storm troopers are created?"

"I honestly don't give a shit. Let go."

Peri gave a great tug, and the trooper finally relented. The doctor fell to the floor with a loud thud.

Immediately, someone was holstering him up. Peri felt the touch of the lekku against the back of his head.

"I told you this would be a bad idea," Jad'futi sighed. "I'm taking you back to your room."

Peri grumbled under his breath. "Stupid confinements."

"I should never have let you leave. If Doctor Avry finds out about this..."

Once Peri was on his feet, Jad'futi immediately started dragging him towards the door.

"I can go wherever I please!" Peri protested.

"That's all well and good until you cause a scene!" the twi'lek hissed as he pushed open the doors.

"I wasn't causing a scene. You saw the trooper grab my wrist. He wasn't letting go."

Jad'futi stopped suddenly. Peri crossed his arms over his chest.

"Trooper?"

But before he could reply, a firm hand landed on his shoulder. He yelped.

"What are you doing out of bed?" came the familiar hiss of the arkanian.

"Doctor Avry!" Jad'futi squeaked.

Peri shoved the hand off his shoulder. He turned to face the doctor with a frown.

"I-"

"Where is your drip?!" she screeched. "Are you fucking insane?"

"I don't need it!"

There was a great yell, and before he even knew what was happening, he was on the floor. The right side of his face stung like a needle, and he gasped.

"You are a patient. You will listen to me. You are a doctor of science, not medicine. Do what you are told, and go back to your room."

But he remained, sprawled on the ground, one hand touching the side of his face. He felt faint lines running across the side from nails that slashed his cheek.

She had slapped him. Then and there, without a second thought.

The execrable command of the arkanians truly had not been done justice by textbooks and recounts. Peri wanted to believe it would be an isolated incident, but...

He watched her march away, heels clicking on the linoleum flooring. He watched until she disappeared around the corner.

When he finally removed his hand, he saw the blood. A minuscule amount, but presented quite clearly on his pale complexion.

"I'm so sorry," Jad'futi breathed. "I'm so- I never expected that she might. After everything that happened to you, before..."

Slowly, very slowly, Peri pulled himself to his feet. With one last glance at his palm and a deep breath, he began to walk in the direction of his hospital room.

By the time he arrived, his raging thoughts had quietened down. But he wasn't feeling much better. His cheek stung and the blood on his palm had begun to stick. Jad'futi followed close behind, but he was silent and brooding, much unlike how he'd been previously.

When Peri pushed open his door though, all thoughts of the previous event left his mind at the sight of the Mandalorian sitting quietly on his bed with the child in his lap.

"Oh," Peri gulped. "Hi."

Mando looked up, and though Peri couldn't see his expression, he could identify the recoil in his posture.

"What happened to your cheek?" Mando asked cautiously. Any lace of concern was dulled by the modulation, but nonetheless, Peri could feel it was there.

"...I tripped."

"Those are scratch marks."

"I'm fine."

The baby whined then grabbed at Mando's chest plate, attempting to climb further up.

Mando sighed. "He's hungry."

"He's a baby, babies are always hungry." Peri walked around to the other side of the bed. He hoisted himself up onto it, then rested his head on the pillow. He closed his eyes and exhaled.

His cheek still stung, and he knew it was bleeding, and that he'd need to clean it up. But he was suddenly overwhelmed with fatigue.

"Except," he continued, yawning, "When it's actually time to feed them... then they act like food is the worst thing in the galaxy."

"You have experience?"

Peri turned his head so that he was staring right at the Mandalorian. Jad'futi had already left the room.

"If you're asking if I have kids, the answer's no."

Mando only hummed. "You've babysat, then."

He hesitated. Mando had reassured him multiple times that it was okay, that everything was okay, that he didn't need to apologise anymore. But... still.

"...when the Imperials asked me, yes."

Mando's helmet looked up, and suddenly, they were both staring at each other.

"The kid wasn't the only one you've had to monitor, then."

Peri swallowed. A knot formed in his throat, and his hands started to feel very clammy.

"It's not like I was allowed to say no."

"Right. Of course. Sorry."

They delved into an uncomfortable silence. While the Mando averted his gaze, to pay attention to the child, Peri found he couldn't look away. There was something there he hadn't seen before - but he couldn't quite place a finger on it.

The Mandalorian...

Was not what he'd been expecting. Then again, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to expect. A silent, brooding man? Someone like the Moff, cold and calculating? Twice - twice - he had been threatened by the Mandalorian. A cold gun shoved in his face. He recalled staring down the barrel, feeling his entire body go rigid with fear and uncertainty.

But actually talking to him?

He wasn't cruel. He wasn't a monster. He was a father, and a friend, someone you could trust to look out for you.

He brought books as gifts. Things about science and biology. While a lot of it wasn't exactly his field, it still... it still...

It made him feel warm. Gave him a feeling he couldn't quite describe, couldn't put words to. And as he stared at the Mandalorian bouncing the child on his lap, that feeling only intensified.

If he didn't know any better, he might've called it the beginnings of, well, a crush. But he did know better, he'd liked people before - too many people, really, it was utterly ridiculous - and even if it was... it's not like that would work out anyway.

"I met someone," Peri found himself saying all of a sudden. Mando looked back at him, and some strange feeling shot through Peri's chest. "A stormtrooper."

Immediately, the Mandalorian's entire posture changed. He changed from relaxed to stiff and alert in a matter of seconds, and the child made a sad confused noise.

"He was in a wheelchair, and covered in burns." Peri hummed. "He said that he was there the night you took the child."

Though he couldn't see Mando's face, he could tell Mando knew what he was talking about.

"Was that you? The burns?" Peri asked.

He wasn't sure why he was curious. It's not like that damn trooper mattered. He was a bastard, like the rest of them - he got what was coming for him.

There was a long stretch of silence. Mando didn't move at all, and if Peri couldn't see the subtle rise and fall of his chest, he might've thought he just up and died.

Finally, after what felt like hours, there was a static noise coming from the modulator that Peri could only assume was a sharp intake of breath.

"Yes," Mando breathed. "That was me."

Peri thought, for a moment, that he heard the Mandalorian's voice crack. Like he was choked up, emotional. But then he shoved that thought away, because that would be ridiculous.

"You have some sort of fire blaster?" Peri cracked an uncertain smile. "That's pretty cool."

"...Yeah."

A sudden wave of exhaustion rushed over Peri. He closed his eyes for a moment, and if he wasn't acutely aware of Mando staring at him, he would've fallen asleep then and there.

So he forced them open, as heavy as they felt.

"I have a question," he said. He felt the urge to yawn, but stifled it.

"Ask away," Mando sighed.

"Why did you save me?"

Silence. Then, "I don't know."

Peri closed his eyes again. Only, this time, he didn't reopen them. "I see," he muttered.

"I was running from the Imperials when I found you. You were just outside the old Mandalorian covert..." He seemed to hesitate for a moment. "I had just suffered a major head injury. Maybe my concussion told me to do it."

Despite the implication, Peri smiled softly. "I'm glad you got a concussion, then."

Then, after realising how terrible that sounded, he quickly added, "Not that I'm glad you got injured. I'm sure it was..." he yawned, "terrible."

"Well, I nearly died."

Peri's eyes snapped open. He brought his gaze back up to the Mandalorian, who was still, for some reason, staring.

"What happened?" Peri asked. When Mando didn't immediately reply he feared for a moment that he overstepped his boundaries, but then Mando heaved a great sigh.

"Moff Gideon happened."

Peri pushed himself up from the bed with a start. He stared at Mando, bewildered, with his eyebrows furrowed. "Pardon?"

"He tried to blow me up."

"I- what?"

"I was firing the repeating web blaster at some troopers, and-"

"The what?"

"-Moff Gideon shot at it and it exploded and I was flung into the air and landed so that it made a sizeable dent in my skull."

"Right, sorry, but, you're alive? You had a run-in with Moff Gideon and lived to tell the tale?"

Some strange static came from the helmet. After a moment, Peri realised it was a huff of laughter. An odd sound coming from someone so stoic, yet, strangely... comforting.

"When I come to think of it it really wasn't that difficult."

"No, no. You don't understand."

Peri hoisted his legs over the edge of the bed so that he was sitting up properly.

"You don't understand," he repeated. "You're a Mandalorian, yes?"

"...Last time I checked, yes."

"The Moff, he-"

Peri's throat tightened. A million thoughts began racing through his mind. Should I tell him? Does he need to know? Is it really necessary? What would come of it? What if he gets mad? What if he's stupid enough to go after the Moff? What if-?

He shut his eyes tight. He took a deep breath. Then, tried again.

"The Moff has the dark saber."

Complete, utter, silence. A silence unlike any of the others. Suffocating. Cold. The static of the world around them amplified to the hundreds.

It was like there were never any sounds at all, and for a terrifying moment, Peri feared his hearing had gone completely. But then he heard the Mandalorian's shaky inhale, distant yelling from another hospital room, and a small sad coo from the child.

"I killed him," Mando muttered. "I killed him. It's fine."

Peri furrowed his eyebrows, averting his gaze to the floor. "You say that, but did you actually see him die?"

He looked back up at Mando. They stared at each other for a long moment.

"Many people have tried," Peri continued sadly. "And many thought they succeeded."

Mando shook his head. It was subtle, and if Peri hadn't been staring he would never have noticed.

"No," he breathed. "No. I killed him. His ship blew up, I saw- I saw-..." another shaky inhale, and an even shakier exhale. "I killed him."

Peri averted his eyes away from the Mandalorian and instead glared at his arms. They were so skinny. And so pale. Each scratch stood out like a saber in fog.

He tried to focus on the scratches. Count them. But he couldn't. Could barely get to double digits - not with the Mandalorian having an existential crisis in front of him.

He ran his finger over one of the scratches. It was an old one, he didn't remember where he's gotten it. He knew he had a habit of scratching himself in his sleep, but...

"He has to be dead."

That time, Peri could be sure he wasn't imagining it. The Mandalorian's voice was different. Emotional, choked. Like he was speaking from the back of his throat, as he tried to blink tears away.

It was amazing how much you picked up on when you couldn't see the other person's face.

"He needs- he needs to be dead. I can't have gone through all of that for nothing."

Slowly, Peri reached out his hand. He hesitated for a moment, glancing up at Mando to make sure he wasn't doing anything wrong. But Mando didn't make any moves to stop him, so Peri placed his feeble hand on Mando's gloved one.

He could feel the heat radiating through the glove. It was comforting, in a way. To feel that the Mandalorian was, in fact, a real person.

"Nothing happens for nothing," he said. "I don't know what happened, but... I-I can guess. The child is safer now. Right?"

"...Yes."

"So then it was for something. Even if- even if you lost more than you gained, at least you gained something. You'll get there in the end. I can promise you that."

The light reflected heavily off of Mando's beskar helmet, and as it moved, so did the light. It turned downwards, to look at his hand, then moved back up to meet Peri's eyes.

Then, all at once, Mando tugged his hand away and stood from his chair. It screeched against the floor, and the baby let out a small cry.

"You know nothing," said the Mandalorian. And he left.

Peri slumped back onto his bed. His cheek began to sting again. He raised his hand to touch the wound and winced when he brushed it harder than he thought he would.

"Stupid," he hissed to himself. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."

Everything in his life was stupid. Why did he even bother becoming a damn scientist? What did he really think would be in store-? Riches? Fame?

All he got was an inescapable contract with the Imperials and a shitton of anxiety.

"I would have to agree with that statement," said a female voice. "You're stupid."

Peri forced his eyes open. It was Dr Avry, standing in the doorway.

He thought, for a fleeting moment, that perhaps she'd come to apologise- but she only walked over to the drip with a foul frown. Peri sighed.

"Don't sigh. This is what you deserve."

She pierced the drip into his skin. He winced.

"Working for the Imperials. You thought I wouldn't find out? Pathetic."

Peri bit back an insult.

"Now, Peri Pershing..." the Arkanian was suddenly very close. She peered down over him, and for the first time Peri looked into her eyes.

Pure white. No pupils, nothing. Just a void of cold, dead white.

"Either you do what you are told, or your twi'lek friend will find out about your history."

This is blackmail, he wanted to say. I can report you for this, and you'll lose your title.

Instead, he bit his tongue, and nodded.

"Good," the arkanian hissed. "I'm glad we reached an understanding."

With the drip back in his system, and an overwhelmingly unnatural drowsiness taking hold of him, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. By the time he opened them again, the room was dark... and the Mandalorian was back in the chair.

He's been put under anaesthesia. Dr Avry must've slipped it in to his drip... for reasons he couldn't discern.

He felt dizzy. His head was light, and when he moved, the world spun. He scrunched his eyes tight, willing the feeling to go away.

But it didn't pass. He groaned, and tried to bring his hands up to his face, but found he was far too weak to do much of anything.

How long had he been out for? How strong was the anaesthesia?

It must've been hours. The world was dark, and the Mandalorian was asleep, along with the child.

Peri was... surprised. To see Mando return. After he stormed off earlier. he thought that he might not come back. But similar to the previous time... he did.

He kept coming back.

Why?

There was no way the man actually cared.

That's stupid.

But what other reason could there be?

Peri was just... an Imp. That's all he was and all he ever would be. So why? Why was the Mandalorian bothering at all?

What was to be gained, by staying? He knew Peri was going to make a full recovery, and, yet, he stayed anyway.

If Peri had been a spy... if he were anyone else...

He shook his head, not willing to allow his thoughts to linger on that train of thought.

His cheek began to sting. He brought a very weak hand up to it, running his finger along the lines where the arkanian had drawn blood. He couldn't feel the dry stickiness anymore, so someone had cleaned the wound and sprayed it.

It couldn't have been Dr Avry. So it must've been Jad'futi.

Peri thought about the twi'lek for a moment. Young, wide-eyed, a bright future laid out for him. Innocent.

Naíve.

Unafraid of making the first move and speaking his mind... but timid and shy around his superiors.

He was undeniably attractive. As all twi'leks tended to be, really, so it didn't come as much of a surprise.

Peri feared for him. Certain people, especially the Hutts... they take what they please and what they please usually consisted of beautiful twi'lek slaves. It was disgusting. The thought made bile rise to the back of Peri's throat, of someone being taken into captivity merely because of their beauty.

And then, the deeper he delved into that train of thought, the more his thoughts strayed to something he was trying to push away.

Realistically... he knew that his own experiences couldn't even begin to compare to the decades of slavery and prostitution twi'leks had been subjected to.

But...

Well. Perhaps it was best not to dwell.

The next two days were spent in his bed. The arkanian doctor no longer paid any visits. Jad'futi was the one to replace the drip and keep him company.

Peri had begun to regain his weight. Jad'futi was pleased about it, and Peri certainly felt better, especially if it meant he could have the drip taken out properly. He hated needles. That probably wasn't a good thing, given his chosen field, but... they made him queasy.

Or perhaps that was just the anaesthesia the arkanian doctor kept prescribing him.

On one hand, Peri was grateful for it. He'd never been a good sleeper, he had been permanently sleep-deprived since he was a teenager, and now, in his forties, he'd gotten the best rest he could even recall having. Ever.

But he didn't know why she was giving it to him. The second most likely scenario was to ensure he wouldn't cause trouble, which wouldn't surprise him in the least. The first most likely was that she just really didn't like the Imperials so she took the grudge out on him.

Which... though he hated to say it, was fair enough.

Perhaps she thought him a spy. She had every reason to believe that, try as he might to prove otherwise.

Or, perhaps, she was just living up to the arkanian expectation: be a dick.

It was like she was a walking stereotype. In the few times Peri found himself being allowed to walk about he always found her yelling at one person or another. It seemed that no one liked her. And he was relieved to see it. At least he wasn't alone in his suffering.

Even with explicit permission from Jad'futi, though, he still was always reluctant to walk around. He didn't much feel like being slapped again, feeling her nails dig into his skin.

There was a bandage on the left side of his face. It covered it up well, but everyone Peri met seemed to immediately know what had happened to him, and they all gave him solemn sympathetic nods. Or they'd shake their head and grimace, whispering to their friend about the poor bastard who crossed paths with Doctor Avry.

He couldn't help but wonder - how the everloving fuck did she even become a doctor in the first place?

Arkanians were susceptible to science professions. He knew this. But if she hated people that much, why did she decide to become a doctor?

Peri wouldn't be surprised if half of her physical patients ended up in the psych ward. Truthfully, Peri wouldn't be surprised if he ended up in the psych ward. Not necessarily because of her, but, perhaps she would be a contributing factor.

The Mandalorian was ever-present. And so was the child. They'd developed something of a routine. In the mornings, Peri would wake up in the morning for breakfast (soup), and the Mandalorian would be there. At noon, Mando would leave for lunch, while Peri ate his (more soup). Then finally, in the evening, Mando would put the child to sleep as Peri had dinner (which was, as a surprise to no one, soup).

One time, after the child was put to bed and Peri had finished his dinner, he asked if the child was eating enough.

At first Mando seemed to be taken aback.

"What?" he asked.

"The child. Surely you're not only feeding him once a day?"

"I feed him when he asks to be fed." His helmet tilted to the side as though he were confused. "Which is once a day."

Peri bit his lip. He mulled over his thoughts for a moment, not taking his eyes of the child who was situated in Mando's lap.

"How does he ask?"

"He... babbles? Gets my attention? Cries, sometimes?"

Slowly, Peri reached over to the child. He glanced up at Mando, asking for permission to touch him. Mando tensed for a moment, seemingly weighing his options, before nodding reluctantly.

So Peri grabbed the child around the torso and lifted him off of Mando's lap, slowly weighing him in his hands.

"He's very light," Peri hummed.

"He's small."

"Yes, but... newborns are heavier than this."

The Mandalorian shifted in his seat awkwardly. "Am I not feeding him enough?"

"Well..."

Peri placed the child on his lap, feeling around the small coat he was wearing. He didn't want to lift it up, in case that would be crossing a boundary that shouldn't be crossed.

"He's skinner than when I last had him. Which was about a month ago. I wouldn't say it's dangerous, but... I think you should feed him at least three times a day, whether he asks or not. He won't grow properly otherwise."

Peri handed the child back over. Mando took him and placed him gingerly back on his lap.

Peri sighed wistfully. "Other than that... he seems healthy. And happy." He brought his gaze up to the Mandalorian's visor, hoping he was looking into the man's eyes. "You take good care of him."

Suddenly, Peri's breath hitched. His chest felt tighter, and his eyes widened. He and Mando stared at each other, uninterrupted by any outside noises. It was like they all filtered out, or like the entire world had stopped.

Anxiety?

The door banged open, and the illusion was broken. There, in the doorway, stood a knee-height furry creature holding a crutch in her left paw and not wearing any clothes. Her chest heaved as she caught her breath before she dashed into the room and crawled under the bed, taking the crutch in with her.

"What-?"

"Don't ask questions!" she hissed, before going quiet. Peri and Mando shared a confused glance.

Then, a nurse burst into the room holding a small hospital gown. "Is- is she in here?" she wheezed.

"...What?"

"The... the short, furry... oh, nevermind." The nurse turned to leave with a huff.

As soon as the nurse's footsteps were no longer within earshot, the creature crawled out from under the bed. She turned to the two of them with her right paw on her hip and her left clutching the crutch.

"Sorry! They're forcing me to wear clothes. Can you believe them?"

"...Truly shocking," Peri remarked.

"I know. It's terrible. I'm Mio, by the way." She held out a small furry paw. Peri shook it reluctantly.

"You're a Mandalorian, yeah?" Mio turned to Mando with a grimace. "I can't imagine wearing that bucket on my head all the time. Terrible for the fur, you see. Doesn't your hair get knotted? I would gladly brush it for you someday."

She spoke at a hundred miles an hour, not even stopping for a breath. Peri wondered briefly if she would collapse, but instead, she kept rambling.

"Oh, you're the starved guy they brought in, right?" she turned back to Peri. "Damn, they really cleaned you up. When I first saw you I thought, oh, that hair looks like a rat's nest... and I really wanted to fix it for you, but they wouldn't let me close. Shame they cut it so short... you'd look nice with hair down to your shoulders, I reckon I could make that work for you. How long you staying, then?"

Peri gaped at her. He had to take a moment to catch up with the whirlwind of words being thrown at him. After a moment, he swallowed. "Um. I've only got a few days left."

"Ah." Mio shook her head. "Pity. I mean, not a pity, because you've recovered, obviously, but I'd like to spend some time with you! If you'd allow me. I'm trying to befriend everyone here, but they're all really reluctant for some reason. They keep telling me that I should slow down... I can't imagine what they mean by that. Do you?"

Peri shook his head. "Not... at all. Uh, truly."

"Right? It's ridiculous. Some people, I swear. I know I'm short and maybe I run my mouth off sometimes but that's no reason to treat me any differently! You agree, yes?"

"...Yep."

"Right?!"

In all his forty years, Peri had never met someone so unapologetically enthusiastic. He had a feeling the Mandalorian hadn't either, given his blatant silence and stiff posture.

"And- oh, goodness!"

Suddenly Mio was rounding on the child on Mando's lap. Immediately, the Mandalorian brought the kid up to his chest, his arms wrapped protectively around it.

"Oh, he's so ugly! I love him! So green, and bug-eyed. He reminds me of Master Yoda!"

Peri's heart dropped to his stomach.