If someone was to call him a fool in the moment, Boba would not reject the notion.
He was not omnipotent, he was simply human and humans, unfortunately, made many mistakes throughout their life.
Even the ones reborn in the burning of the Dune sea, screaming to the suns as they pulled themselves free with blood and fluids coating their bodies.
…Huh, sounded a lot like a normal birth when you thought about it, not that Boba had a normal birth to begin with.
Din’s subdrop was as much on his shoulders as it was on Din himself and looking back on it, Boba realized that his anger had spoken where his understanding should have been.
They hadn’t spoken about the armor and its position in their relationship, especially in this part of the relationship and to have Din kneel in front of a full court in his armor, even for cauterizing a wound, was in bad taste.
Especially without a longer, in depth conversation.
Likewise, Din should have alerted him to the issue when his mind started swallow him up. He should have called out red for Boba to hear but a part of Boba was terrified that Din had and he had simply missed it.
He didn’t think so.
There was a reason he had kept his hand on the back of Din’s neck throughout the entire process but the maybe, the maybe haunted Boba, left him sleepless as Din soft breath puffed into his neck where he was curled into Boba.
They would need a long and serious conversation about it for sure.
Maybe several.
The armor and Din’s comfort in and out of it was…
Well, Boba wouldn’t pretend to understand it, he had seen people sworn to codes, to creeds, to religions but he had never been one for it himself.
Maybe the harsh life he had lead, the life without his father but he had never come to swear the resol’nare. He was too young while his father was alive and when he was old enough it just… never happened.
He met other mandalorians of course, warriors like his father but…
By the time Boba could swear it, Mandalore seemed like such a bitter concept with a duchess so sworn to her pacifist ideals that she’d stay out of an intergalactic war while departing the culture of Mandalore to the pale imitation of the Republic.
He sometimes wondered, how things would have been if a united Mandalore had been in shape, for either the CIS or the Republic.
Wondered how a united Mandalore would take to the clone armies.
He knew there were conflicted opinions about them, both on the New Mandalorians and the truer mandalorians side.
Not that it mattered.
Now it was just all a load of hypothetical with a glassed planet outside of the dome cities.
It was strange to think sometimes, that Boba, despite never really calling himself mandalorian, perhaps knew more of and experienced more of the culture than the foundlings and younglings of mandalorians now.
A strange and painful thought if he was honest.
Huffing out a breath, Boba pressed his lips to the feathered hair of Din’s head, focusing on the small twitches of the others body, indicating Din was waking slowly.
It took time, not surprising considering Din cried himself to sleep during a subdrop but finally, clinging to Boba, Din made a low noise and lifted his head enough to blink crusty eyes at the other. His cheek was lined from sleeping against Boba’s chest, his hair was a mess from Boba running his fingers through it and he looked like he’d rather be asleep again.
The two stared at each other before Boba reached out and gently ran his fingertips over Din’s cheek. “Mesh’la.” He whispered, smiling slightly at the flush that provoked. Din was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
Din, reluctantly from the looks of it, sat up in bed, rubbing at his eyes to remove the crust from it and then focused sleepily at him. “What happened?” He mumbled, blinking his large eyes slowly at him.
Sighing, Boba sat up, stretching enough to crack his back before focusing on Din again, lips pulling taunt. “We were both stupid, that’s what,” He grumbled, reaching out to stroke Din’s curly hair into a semblance of order when the other winced. “You went into a subdrop Din.”
Din blinked at him, leaning into the touch as Boba watched him closely.
From the looks of it, Din didn’t seem to be in a subdrop still but Boba would keep his eye on him.
More than that, Din just seemed confused. “Like… when you had a domdrop?” He questioned slowly, reminding Boba of his own.
“Same thing, yes, emotions, adrenaline and darker thoughts tangling up. But mine came from how you reacted to the spanking admittedly. Yours however came from a lack of communication.” Boba stated seriously, pulling Din into his side to cuddle him.
That had Din glancing to where their armors were settled, the shelves for the helmets and the stands for the rest. “Oh…” He licked his lips.
Boba hummed, pressing a kiss to a bare, tanned shoulder as he rubbed slowly at the other side. “Mmn, so, first of, if you ever start feeling like you did yesterday, whatever we’re doing, be it pleasure, punishment or play, you tell me. You give me a red, you karking hit me if you have to,” He stated seriously, cupping Din’s chin to turn the other to face him. “You understand me?” Boba stated, voice demanding.
“But,” Din started, protesting with a small furrow between his brows.
“No,” Boba cut in, squeezing Din by the trim waist. “This is serious Din, subdrops aren’t healthy, they happen, yes but they can be migrated and even aborted. You had a major subdrop, you lost it and that’s on both you and me. Me for not making sure you knew that you could stop it all and not communicating properly with you and you for not speaking up,” He sighed against Din’s shoulder, rubbing slowly as he felt the tension of the others body. “…What was one of the first things I promised you Din, when we started this?” Boba questioned quietly.
Swallowing, shifting a bit, Din bit his lip before answering. “Safety. You… you promised me safety.” He answered dutifully.
Brushing his fingers over a large bruise on Din’s side, Boba hummed. “Yes. And that’s the most important thing. What happened yesterday wasn’t safe. What would have happened if you continued? If I hadn’t heard you?” He peered at Din.
Din opened his mouth then closed it, his expression turning uncertain before mortified and then sad, clearly recognizing what Boba meant.
Boba nodded seriously. “You would have continued until you had a fit in front of the court. I know that you’re getting more used to it Din but… its clear you still need the separation of the armor from who you are out there without it.” A layer of safety for Din, to give him time to rediscover his footing and his mind now that he wasn’t sure of his creed.
And maybe also a physical protection if Boba was honest.
Sooner or later, Bo-Katan was going to come looking for Din, Boba knew that, especially since Din was stationary here even if he sometimes flee off of into space on a hunt now and then or to visit Grogu at Skywalker’s little space.
As Princess, Bo-Katan wouldn’t look twice at Din.
Might have some unsavory words for Boba but he cared about her opinion as much as he did of bantha dung.
And Din needed more time.
Maybe one day, removing his helmet and kneeling at Boba’s feet in his armor would be a thing he could do but right now?
Din wasn’t ready and Boba had overstepped and practically trampled on Din’s boundaries. “For the future Din, promise me, if there’s something that upsets you, especially in regards to our relationship, talk to me,” Boba begged practically. “Gedetir.” He wasn’t above actually begging.
It seemed to work as Din swayed into him, pressing his face to Boba’s shoulder. “Elek buir’ika,” He whispered, nuzzling slowly before pressing a kiss to a scarred section of Boba’s shoulder. “But… just so you know… it wasn’t being in front of everyone that made… well that happen.” He whispered against the skin.
Breathing out, pressing his hand to the back of the others neck, Boba paused at the confession
“Oh?” He whispered back, prodding for more.
Din hummed a bit, nuzzling slowly before nodding. “I… the lack of touch, warm skin contact. I felt… stuck in my own head in the dark. And you were wearing your gloves…” He trailed off.
Boba held his breath for a moment before pressing a soft kiss to Din’s temple. “Good, good boy Din, thank you for telling me, that’s… that’s prudent information.” His mind raced a bit before nuzzling Din slowly. “My sweetest Princess.” He murmured, chuckling at the warm flush he could feel in the others cheek against his skin.