SeveredStomach: I noticed that Boba was doing most of the heavy lifting at the moment. I wanna see Paz doing something for Din, either he notices something because he’s known Din longer, or he just happens to catch on first.
Eyeing the stew thoughtfully, Paz looked around the empty kitchen warily for a few seconds before reaching up hesitantly and removing his helmet to set on the counter, quickly sticking the ladle down into the stew, lifting it and pouring sauce and vegetable bits onto his tasting spoon.
He blew on it, reluctantly, knowing better than to stick the hot food into his mouth before finally tasting it, thoughtfully tasting the sauce as he put the spoon down and putting his helmet back on, his tense shoulders relaxing down as the HUD came up.
Even now, despite their covert being destroyed, being without his helmet was… discomforting to Paz and he knew Din felt the same, even if he was getting better about being exposed to Boba and Fennec.
But those two were different.
They were aliit now, allowed, Paz was just… slow. Struggling to adapt and there was no way he’d expose himself to any random asshole coming into the kitchen.
Thankfully none of the three of them blamed him, they were almost horribly understanding to Paz insecurities.
‘Then again, Din likely thinks the same about us and our treatment of him.’ Paz thought dryly, casting his mind back to when the other had fallen asleep against Boba’s knee in the karking throne room.
They had been so worried, Paz only barely managing to wait until the throne room emptied out before he picked up Din and carried him to Boba’s room. Boba still had to be the one to remove the helmet, Paz freezing up at the idea of doing it but…
Well, Din had simply been asleep as a proper check had told them, as confusing as that had been.
A bit of research, Din still sleeping, had given them the answers they needed.
It was that karking dumping thing again, apparently Paz cake had given the other dumping, causing Din to become so tired his body had shut down and he had fallen asleep this time. Fennec had outright printed out the dumping syndrome information for both Boba and Paz to keep an eye on, to know what to look for in the future.
The list wasn’t… pretty.
The list of symptoms were going to be hell on Din for sure if they didn’t regulate his intake. It also depressed Paz a bit to realize that several of the traditional recipes he had learned wouldn’t be so easy to feed Din, seeing as grease, fat and sugar could kick him into dumping syndrome.
It was actually why he was down in the kitchen, revising some of the old recipes, grateful that at least the medication Boba had gotten Din made it possible for the other to eat spices, as most mandalorian cuisine leaned heavily on hot dishes.
It meant that he wouldn’t have to cut that out of the dishes and Din would be able to eat at least partly what he was used to, even if Din generally survived on a diet of shitty rations and dehydrated stuff while on a hunt.
Still, while in the palace, Paz was determined to spoil the other.
Which meant reworking a few of the recipes from the Vizsla clan vast cookbook, a few which Paz suspected had come from other planets if he was honest, seeing as they contained ingredients sometimes only found on one planet and it was not Mandalore.
A sound echoed down the hall of the kitchen, a loud step and Paz tensed before he relaxed, glancing curiously at the door. Someone knew he was there and knew he was liable to pull a blaster on whoever showed up.
So, four possible suspect, the chef Boba hired, seeing as he already pulled a gun on her once for startling him and therefore she had started making deliberate noises in case he was there, Fennec, Boba or Din, as all three knew he was there at the moment.
Unconsciously, his lips twitched into a smile when Din stepped inside in his only his undersuit and helmet, the silver helmet looking about before the other padded over to him. “You’re making inglar?” Din questioned, pleasure in his voice.
Nodding, stirring slowly, Paz added another pinch of salt to the stew. “Yeah, figured you’d appreciate something hardy, since you’re heading out tomorrow.” Paz explained, forcing himself to not tense up when the bounty hunter leaned against his arm. The contact wasn’t unwelcome, just unexpected and he didn’t want Din to pull away.
“That’s kind of you, thank you.” Din hummed out, his vocoder crackling slightly.
He got a small snort and Paz continued stirring slowly. “Seeing how I messed you up yesterday, you deserved something hardy that wouldn’t fuck you up.” He couldn’t help but state wryly, smiling more when Din let out a soft chuckle.
“In all our defenses, we had no idea that would happen.” Din stated in a slightly cheerful tone, as if he hadn’t been upset as all hells the day before when he was informed. Not that he had stated as much but all three of them had gotten good at reading Din’s body language.
Instead of answering, Paz just curled his arm around the other in a one armed hug to his side, trying not to flush at the feeling of Din leaning into his chest. “Well, anyhow,” He cleared his throat, staring into the green tinted stew. “Your hunt tomorrow, wanted you well feed before you ran of into the desert. That’s where you’re going, right?” Tilting his head to glance at Din, Paz let his arm linger around him, seeing that Din wasn’t tense or moving away.
As he was watching him, he got to see Din nod. “Yes, Boba’s target skedaddled into the Jundland wastes, idiocy if I ever heard one. Either the tuskens are gonna get her or the heat will, if I don’t find her.” He snorted slightly.
Letting out a sharp snort of his own as he turned his faze to the pot on the stove, Paz simply nodded, enjoying the warmth of the other’s body. If there was anything Paz had come to learn, it was that Tatooine was hot as hell and that he was lucky to access as much water as he could to keep hydrated, all thanks to Boba. “Well, Boba does want the moron alive, but you know tusken signs, so if needed, you could barter with them.” He stated a tad dryly, breath hitching slightly as a low, warm chuckle came from beside him.
Honestly, if this was a year ago… he couldn’t imagine this.
But by Manda’s glass, he was happy he had it.
Aliit = Clan, family.