Chapter Text
Paz was pissed. Honestly, at this point Paz was so far beyond pissed that he had somehow circled back around to a state of extreme calm. It was almost surreal, almost meditative in a way, like standing in the eye of a storm.
It was only a few days after the attack on the covert. The heavy infantryman had managed to actually survive the ambush with relatively few injuries, even after he'd done his best to cause as much damage to the Imperial forces as he could to draw their ire from the rest of the tribe. His ship, however, had not been so lucky in the aftermath of his own escape from Nevarro. It was left battered, scorched, and leaking not only fuel but several other unidentifiable, though Paz assumed very important, liquids. It had endured a handful of jumps, each causing something within the ship to screech horribly (he really hoped it wasn't the hull) and the control panel to spark, before he was forced to land or risk exploding mid-jump. He was now on some no-name planet hoping, probably in vain, to find someone capable enough to fix the damage. If he was being honest with himself though, upon seeing the state of the ship after landing, it would probably be a miracle if the old girl flew again.
So now he found himself standing at the service counter of the only hanger in this kriffing, backwater town while the few mechanics this planet had to offer huddled in the back of the shop, too afraid of the massive Mandalorian to show themselves. Normally, the heavy gunner would find some amusement out of this whole scenario, but he was tired, sore and desperately wanted to get back in the air to hopefully track down whatever remained of the covert. So, all-in-all Paz was pissed and only getting more so the longer he stood waiting.
With an agitated snarl, he was just about to round the desk and go looking for one of the terrified workers when he heard a new voice over the panicked whispers from the back room.
“Wha-what in the name of… What are y’all doin’?”
This voice didn’t sound scared, just… confused? That accent was interesting though, and not one Paz could remember ever hearing before. Words seemed to flow together into a lazy drawl, while some letters seemed to be missing entirely.
“Shut up!”
“Now don't go gettin' uppity with me, Marvis. I was just askin’ a question…”
“There's a bounty hunter out there… massive bloke. We don't wan-”
“Wait a hot minute,” the new voice sounded affronted, raising in volume even as the others tried to shush him. “Are ya tellin’ me there’s a customer out there and none of ya have even greeted ‘im?”
There was a beat of silence in which Paz found himself trying to stifle a bout of laughter. Whoever this person was now had the Mandalorian’s interest if they valued manners, of all things, over their own safety.
“Y’all are just rude ,” the voice hissed out in a huff.
The Mandalorian did let out a chuckle at that, certainly entertained at this new turn of events. He also found himself wondering how someone could put that kind of inflection on an innocent word like 'rude' to make it sound like a curse. Well, this should prove interesting at least.
A moment later Paz heard footsteps approaching, along with the terrified murmurs of 'get back here', 'are you insane', 'he'll kill you' from the others cowering in the back. A door off to the right, nearly hidden behind a few crates of miscellaneous parts, opened and figure stepped into view.
And, honestly, Paz wasn't sure what he had been expecting but it wasn't a slim, nearly scrawny, male human with light brown hair, a few days' worth of scruff on his face, and pale green eyes. The man wasn't short by any means (probably an inch taller than Din) but compared to the impressive form of the Mandalorian, you could be forgiven for thinking that. Still, the guy had a fire in those green eyes, a fire that dulled just a bit when they landed on Paz. The man froze mid-step, pausing in an instant to stare up at the infantryman, taken aback by the sheer size of this 'customer'.
"Uh, hi there," the mechanic gave a small wave in greeting after shaking off his surprise, still looking a bit nervous but making the effort to at least push past it. "I- uh. I apologize fer the wait. I'm Jon, by the way. Wha-, um, what can do fer ya?"
Paz blinked down at the mechanic like he was some rare, new species. To be fair, Jon might just be something entirely new and undiscovered. The Mandalorian was so used to dealing with a rough, rowdy crowd of mercenaries and criminals that to meet someone with manners and a chipper attitude was so incredibly infrequent it left him feeling out of his element. It didn't help that Jon was… well, the word 'cute' came to mind.
"My ship needs repairs," Paz was able to force out after clearing his throat uncomfortably.
He was thankful for his helmet in this moment. Feeling the slight rush of heat to his face after realizing that Jon had been waiting patiently for his response, and Paz had just been staring at him like some love-sick school girl.
"Well, you came to the right place," the brunette laughed, and Paz refused to acknowledge that the sound did things to his stomach. "Let me just grab a couple of things then ya can show me what ya got."
It took them a better part of two hours to make it back to where Paz had been forced to set down outside of the town. The journey had not passed in nervous silence like he had predicted, but rather, Jon had held an impressive, nearly one-sided conversation the entire time. The mechanic didn't seem to take offense to the fact that Paz had not given his name during their initial greetings, and didn't seem to be fazed at all that the Mando only offered the occasional grunt in lieu of a reply.
At one point, Jon did trail off with a muttered apology looking a little ashamed. The mechanic explained that he tended to ramble and fell silent afterwards. Paz had surprised himself when he had automatically responded with a quick 'it's fine' but was immediately blessed with a bright, wide-eyed look of awe from the smaller male, like no one had ever given him permission to keep talking before. The rest of the trek Paz spent listening to the mechanic's continued chattering still a little stunned by the whole encounter.
Jon stopped talking when they got close to the ship and he was able to take in the extent of the damage. They paused a few meters away and the brunette let out a low whistle as he took in the sight.
"Holy-," the mechanic breathed out then whipped his head sharply towards the Mandalorian at his side, eyes roaming over the large figure.
It took Paz far too long to grasp that Jon was looking him over for injuries and, okay, if his heart could please stop beating like that, that would be great…
"Well, whatever happened at least ya got out of it in one piece, right? Come on, let's take a look and see what I got to work with."
The mechanic moved towards the gunship and Paz brought up the rear, trying hopelessly to quell the feeling of affection that was blooming in his chest towards the smaller man.
It didn't matter , he kept trying to think, he'll fix my ship then I'll be on my way… never to see him again.
And, fuck , if that didn't hurt to think about.
As it turned out, the damage wasn't as bad as Paz that thought it would be according to Jon.
"Now, don't get me wrong or nothin'. You're gonna be grounded for at least a day or two while I fix the fuel lines and replace that stabilizer… there's also the question of where that lubricant is leaking from… but it looks worse than it is," had been the cheerful response when Paz had asked for the final verdict after it seemed Jon was done accessing the ship.
After agreeing on a price, one that seemed a little too low for the amount of work being done, but Paz wasn't going to look a gift tauntaun in the mouth, Jon scribbled down a list of materials and they headed back into town. The mechanic offered to show the Mandalorian to an inn so he could get settled, but the offer was immediately turned down in favor of helping the smaller man collect his tools and supplies. Afterall, cute mechanic or no, Paz was in a hurry.
After it became clear that the Mandalorian wasn't interested in causing trouble the other mechanics finally showed themselves but by then the damage to whatever respect the heavy gunner might have had towards them had been done. Paz went as far as to completely ignore their very presence entirely, making no move to respond to any questions or attempts at conversation that didn't come directly from Jon. The smaller man merely rolled his eyes at the Mandalorian's antics, clearly amused and already comfortable in the larger man's company now.
Jon was obviously good at his job too. Paz couldn't help but think that his talents were being wasted in that tiny hanger because nearly a day later, the little terror in grease stained clothes had managed to patch his way through the majority of the ship. He'd stripped out any parts that sparked or looked too far gone to salvage, replaced the broken fuel line, rewired half of the control panel, and had even been successful in finding out where that pesky lubricant leak was coming from. He'd also given the hull a once over and found no real damage to speak of (Paz breathed a sigh of relief at the news). The only thing left was to fix the stabilizer, which Jon had explained would probably be the most difficult thing to replace.
"I saved the best fer last," he had joked after crawling out from under the ship, covered in oil and soot.
Okay, so maybe Paz was just a little in awe of this tiny spitfire of a man. It was totally not a crush or anything, because he was a grown man. Grown men did not get crushes on random mechanics they had just met, right? Right.
Jon turned towards his tool bag and paused, glancing around the small clearing, evidently looking for something.
"What," the blue armored Mandalorian asked, shifting a little closer to the mechanic.
"One o' my tools is missin'. I must 'ave left it back at the shop. No biggie, I'll just run back real quick and grab it, then hopefully we can get this girl in the air," Jon shot Paz a quick smile and a wink (that did not have Paz's mind going to a bad place) before dusting himself off and jogging back towards town, leaving the heavy infantryman alone with his thoughts.
It was nearing the five-hour mark before Paz started to worry. Well, he was already worried, but it was more for his own sanity than for the safety of his new companion. He kept replaying the last day over and over in his head. Trying to pinpoint the exact moment that he had developed… whatever this attraction was towards the mechanic. And maybe 'attraction' wasn't the right word though. True, the brunette was easy on the eyes, but Paz found he actually enjoyed having the man's company, so perhaps this wasn't just him needing a quick lay? Kriff, he was bad at this, and his thoughts only seemed to be going in circles.
He had been able to pass some of the time by cleaning and maintaining his armory, but with the steadily approaching dusk, the Mandalorian was getting antsy. Jon should have been back by now…
Finally, with a heavy sigh, he loaded up his gear and started back towards the hanger. It wasn't that he didn't trust Jon, he was surprised to discover he actually did trust the man quite a bit (it helped that Jon didn't seem to have a mean bone in his body), but something just didn't feel right about this whole thing. Deciding to air on the side of caution, the Mandalorian set out to locate his wayward mechanic.
He was glad he did go looking for the man in the end. He heard shouting and the sounds of a scuffle before he ever set foot inside the shop. Moving towards the doorway with as much stealth he could muster from his larger frame, Paz took point and listened. He could easily pick out Jon's voice, and from the sounds of it, he was having it out with the other mechanics.
"What in the hell are y'all thinkin'?! Wantin' to turn Mando in to the Imps? Really, the Imps?! Yer insane! I ain't gonna be a part of this-"
"The Imperials are offering good credits for any information about Mandalorians in this sector, Jon. Imagine what they'd pay if we handed one over personally to them!"
"Are ya even listenin' to yer'self Marvis-"
"Where is he? You don't want the credits? Fine! All you have to do is tell us where to find his ship."
There was a moment of silence after that. When Jon finally answered Paz could barely hear him from his spot near the door, but there was no mistaking the clear growl and defiance in his mechanic's voice.
"I ain't tellin' you anythin'. I'd rather die than help the Imps-"
Jon's voice was cut off by a yelp and a sound of something solid falling to the ground.
"Restrain him. If he gets loose, he'll run back to that Mandalorian and spill everything to him!"
Paz had heard enough. So, these mechanics thought they could just hand him over to the Imperials that easily? With a growl, Paz made a final check of his gear and pulled out his blaster. It was time to get his errant mechanic back and get off this dust ball of a planet.
He made a point of not thinking over the fact that his brain had dubbed Jon 'his mechanic'.
The fight, if you could even call it that, did not take long. In fact, the moment Paz stepped out of the shadow of the doorway, radiating barely restrained rage, all but one of the mechanics had tossed down whatever improvised weapons they had held and threw their hands up in surrender. Their leader, a chubby human with yellowing teeth, had sneered at the Mandalorian but was dealt with quickly enough with a solid right hook. The man went down hard and Paz turned towards the only other figure in the room without firing a single shot.
Jon lay sprawled on the ground, face down in a tangled heap of his own limbs. What little of his face that was visible was covered in blood, the back of his head sporting a nasty looking gash that was still leaking lazily. Checking him over Paz found that Jon was, thankfully, still breathing just knocked unconscious but the amount of blood was concerning. As was the dark bruise blossoming over one of his eyes when Paz gently turned the man over to access the rest of his injuries. Without a second thought, the Mandalorian scooped him into his arms and made his way towards the door. He paused a moment at the exit, glancing back at the would-be bounty hunters and their still comatose ringleader.
"If you follow me I will kill you… slowly," he snarled out, then stomped out of the hanger.
He was still seething as he advanced towards his ship. Angry at those aspiring bounty hunters for thinking they could best a Mandalorian and angry at himself for allowing Jon to go back into town alone. Angry at the man in his arms for, somehow, crawling his way under Paz's armor and making a home there. How in the name of Mandalore had this tiny mechanic wormed his way into his heart in less than a day?! This couldn't be healthy… there was something seriously wrong with Paz's brain…
That anger immediately fizzled out when he heard a groan from where the smaller man lay in his arms, causing the large Mandalorian to slow to a stop and glance down at his companion. Jon grimaced and with another grunt of pain finally pried his eyes open… and immediately slammed them closed again not 3 seconds later.
"So openin' my eyes after gettin' knocked upside the head wasn't my best idea. Good to know."
Paz snorted.
"And trying to take on 5 people hellbent on handing me over to the Imps was?"
"Never said I was smart," was the mumbled deadpan response, the Mandalorian snorted again despite himself but started moving towards the ship's ramp.
Once inside, Paz sat Jon down on the table in the area that passed for the ship's kitchen and turned to pull out the medical supplies. Luckily, he still had a good amount of bacta left. He just hoped it would be enough to heal the gash on the back of the mechanic's head. He really didn't want to have to try stitching his scalp back together if it wasn't. Once he had everything set out next to his 'patient' he started carefully cleaning away the still damp blood matting the brunette's hair.
A silence fell over the two men as Paz worked. Jon had finally managed to keep his eyes open for more than a few seconds but flinched away from any light reflecting off the Mando's helmet. A quick check of his pupils confirmed one of Paz's suspicions.
"You have a concussion."
"Yeah, I figur'd… What happe'd to the others," the reply was slurred more heavily now, the adrenaline from the earlier events must have been wearing off.
Pair that with a head wound and the heavy gunner was impressed that the man could still hold a conversation much less remain conscious.
"They didn't even try to put up a fight," Paz allowed his pout to filter into his voice when he replied, trying to keep the mood light.
The amused smirk he got was worth the slight blow to his pride.
"They ain't trained hunters. Why the stars they thought they'd be able to best a Mandalorian is beyond me. I blame Marvis, he's always comin' up with these foolhardy plans. Don't think things through."
"Pretty sure Marvis was the one I punched. I'm not apologizing for that by the way. You need a better job."
"I ain't gonna make you apologize for nothin'. Marvis had it comin'. I'm just sorry I missed seein' it… Ya know anyone hirin'?"
That had Paz pausing and turning his head to meet the other's eyes through the helmet's visor. Jon stared right back without a hint of the earlier playfulness. This man was serious…
"Maybe. Do you have any reservations with traveling the galaxy with a possibly wanted criminal?"
Jon rolled his eyes at that, even when it caused him to grimace in pain.
"I could use a mechanic on my crew but if you travel with me you should know we might run into the Imperials again. You might even be added to their wanted list, Jon."
"Ya know just what to say to make a guy swoon, don't ya Mando? If the Imps want ya then you can't be all that bad. Why are they after ya? If ya don't mind me askin'?"
Paz found his heart beating just a little faster at that playful reply. W-was Jon flirting with him or was his mind just playing tricks on him?
Trying to distract himself from the flood of thoughts, bad thoughts , he started telling the story of what had happened with his covert. Starting at the discovery of that small, green child Din had adopted then the tribes' rescue of their brother and his foundling from the clutches of the hunter guild. Finally ending with the Imp attack and his own escape from Nevarro. Jon stayed respectfully quiet through the tale, a marvel really since the man didn't seem to have an off switch when it came to talking. The only time he made a noise was to give a sympathetic hum when the Mandalorian described how he had no idea how many from the covert had managed to survive Moff Gideon's ambush.
Finally, finished patching the mechanic up Paz stepped back to examine his work. The brunette now donned a crown of bandages wrapped securely around his head to keep the open wound free of infection, and coupled with the rapidly darkening black eye, the poor man looked like he had been on the wrong side of a cantina brawl. Some of his worry must have shown in his body language, because a moment later Jon tried giving him a reassuring grin.
"Don't ya worry none, believe me, I've had worse. I'll be able to get that stabilizer installed as soon as this bacta sets… and the room stops spinning… then we'll be out o' here. I'll help ya find yer tribe, I promise."
A tilt of Paz's helm, then…
"What do you mean 'you've had worse'?"
"Down boy," Jon chuckled, sliding off the kitchen table to test his legs. When his knees didn't buckle under his own weight he gave a satisfied nod.
"I ain't sayin' that I make a habit of startin' fights, but I am a mechanic. I work with heavy machinery and idiots on a daily basis. Shit tends to happen."
The Mando grunted at that and watched as the mechanic made towards the ramp exit using the wall for support. The man glanced over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at the Mandalorian.
"Ya gonna help me fix yer ship or just stand there?"
Paz sighed.
"Fine. You're resting afterwards though."
"Aye, aye Cap 'in."
"… it's Paz."
"Aye, aye Cap 'in Paz."
Paz sighed again.