Chapter Text
Din really wanted to hate Han Solo.
He had no idea how the man had survived this long in the galaxy without being shot dead between the eyes, but it was probably with the same energy and sheer luck that kept Migs Mayfield alive. The smuggler was pushy, irreverent, argumentative, and just plain annoying. He went out of his way to push all of Din’s buttons, from trying to catch him without his helmet, to standing behind him and pressing his greasy fingers into his armor to see if he could ‘leave fingerprints on beskar’. He spent far too much time in the ‘Fresher (conveniently right before it was Din’s turn), tried to fix his hair by using him as a mirror and kept putting his karking boots on their table all the damn time. That wasn’t even mentioning all the comments Din had to put up with, from his new nicknames (Chrome Dome was a new one for him) to snarky comments about his relationship with Luke that kept making the Jedi blush. Solo was more immature than Grogu and if not for how fond Luke was of the man, he would have tossed him into space on the second day.
But it was hard to hate the man when Luke beamed at the stupid bantha shit that came out of his mouth. He saw how Luke kept touching Solo--on the shoulder or the elbow-- as though to reassure himself that the other man was real. Solo also kept finding excuses to ruffle Luke’s hair or pat him on the back. He spent much of the first few days regaling his brother with light-hearted stories about their mutual friends and Luke laughed harder at each of them than he had in the entire month Din knew him. It was good to see Luke laugh, to see this lighthearted side of him, even if it pained Din because he wasn’t the one bringing it out.
It was hard not to take Luke’s sudden loss of attention personally. A year ago, a pre-Grogu Din would have resented Solo for interrupting their new and fragile relationship and would have probably lashed out, possibly destroying their fledgling relationship before it started. He could tell Grogu was taking the change hard--the angry looks the small child kept sending Solo were hilarious and if Din was a better parent he’d stop the baby from throwing things at the smuggler. He wasn’t and Luke usually stepped in with a sigh and the Force.
But the funny thing was Din wasn’t jealous. He knew how much Luke missed his brother-in-law. He had spent a month watching Luke quietly mourn his lost life and it was easy to see that Solo had also suffered from their years of separation. There was also nothing to be jealous of because Solo constantly talked about his family. It would probably strike most people as bragging when Solo talked about his amazing Senator wife and his very talented- in-the-Force son, if not for the sadness that lurked the other man’s eyes. Din could recognize it because he’d seen it in Luke...and in the mirror. They had all lost their families during supposed ‘peacetime’ and all three of them mourned, just in different ways.
Then was the fact that both men cared for Luke and were devoted to him. This became evident to Din on the afternoon of the third day of their journey to Bespin when Luke reluctantly pulled himself away from Han for Grogu’s Jedi lessons. As soon as the pair had slipped into meditation, the smuggler quietly cornered Din in the galley.
“You’ve been with him for a while, right?”
“A month and a bit,” Din confirmed with a sigh as he rinsed their dishes in the sink. “Why?”
“Something bad happened to the Kid,” Solo said bluntly, “that’s kriffed him up good.” There was an edge to his voice that made Din look up and gently put down the dish he was washing.
“A lot of bad things happened to him,” he said as he reached over for a towel to wipe his bare hands. “He hasn’t told me about most of them.”
“Artoo told us about the first few years he was out there by himself and it sounded rough but nothing he couldn’t handle. He’s been through a lot worse.” Solo leaned heavily against the conversator, looking worried and frustrated.
Din frowned. “He’s been personally wanted by every single bounty hunter in the galaxy for years, that would wear a man down.”
Solo--Han, Din tried to remind himself--shook his head. “He was enemy number 1 during the War too. Trust me, he’s been through worse. Did he tell you about his hand or his scars?”
“Just the scars,” Din said slowly. He hadn’t wanted to ask about Luke’s hand. He was a pilot so Din had assumed it was an accident, one he’d been lucky enough to walk away from mostly intact. He had almost asked when he saw Luke remove his black glove on Socorro but he had stopped when he saw his pained face as he stared at his prosthetic.
There was a lot about Luke Skywalker that Din didn’t know. But then, what did Luke know about him?
“Yeah well--he’s tough,” Han continued. “But something’s happened and it’s like... he’s different. Fragile almost. He’s lost too much weight and he was never that big to begin with. There’s also something different here,” Han waved his hand across his face in a vague way. “It’s wrong.”
Dank Farrik. Din had thought Luke had gained weight in the month they’d been together since he had been consistent with meals. He thought Luke looked better than when Din had found him but here was So--Han--telling him that it was still noticeable. “It’s been five years, right?” He said, trying to make up excuses. “It's been a long time and people change.”
“He shouldn’t have had to,” Han growled. “I should have listened to my gut and I never should have left him on Dagobah.”
That recrimination reminded Din of something Luke had said about Han weeks ago. “You know, he told me once that he was worried that you would hate him for leaving you behind.”
Han’s head jerked up and he glared at Din. “That nerfbrained Jedi. I’d never--look yeah I hated it whenever he ran off by himself--which he does a lot FYI, he’s a real flight risk--but he always came back. None of us could stop him, once he got an idea into his head. But when he disappeared after Cracken died and the bounties started adding up and he sent no word, we knew something was really wrong. Drove all of us nuts trying to find him and between that and the death threats--”
“You should probably talk to him about the death threats,” Din sighed.
“Are you crazy? Luke would flip. Besides, it was amateur hour with most of them and Leia’s a Jedi in all but name. She finally started wearing her damn lightsaber under her robes and the threats got easier to deal with.”
Din tried breathing through his nose. “Who’s threatening her?”
Han shrugged “Who isn’t? Crazy conspiracy theorists, Imperial loyalists, Alderaan anti-royalists. There was this one gal who thought she killed Luke because he was about to reveal that she was a Dathomirian witch who tried to cast a love spell on him.” Han shook his head. “Leia snapped that schutta like a twig.” There was a tiny smile of pride on his face before it quickly faded. “When she started to get threats against Ben, we decided enough was enough so I took him and left.” There was genuine anguish coloring Han’s face. The older man tried to hide it by looking away.
“But back to what you were saying...I don’t hate him, ok,” Han continued. “He’s my kid brother. I don’t even feel mad anymore, so don’t worry your little beskar off.”
“I’m not ‘worried’,” he lied, even as something inside of him settled.
Han crossed his arms. “Look, as much as I’m enjoying bearing my soul to a Mandalorian--which ha, never saw that coming-- do you know what happened to him or not?”
Din sighed. “I know something, but it’s not my place to say.” Just like how they were dancing around the identity of Luke's father, Luke was also procrastinating on telling Han about the strandcasts and the experiments on Ben and Leia’s blood. “It’s bad.” Din didn’t see a point in lying. “I don’t want to rush him but it’s also important. It would be better if we could contact his sister too so he doesn’t have to say it twice.”
Han smacked the back of his head lightly against the conservator. “I don’t know how we can do that quickly, Beskar Buddy. I haven’t communicated with Leia in weeks. I send her updates on Ben through Lando or our other friends but we haven’t seen each other in months.”
Beskar--what? Din wrinkled his nose. Kark, why did Solo have to make even this conversation annoying with the nicknames? “Why’d you even fake kidnap your kid in the first place?” It sounded needlessly complicated.
“Mostly it was to throw people off and to make it look like I’m not one of the vigilantes storming around the galaxy and blowing up the people the New Republic has a peace treaty with. We were already under official New Republic protection and it was making it impossible for me to sneak out with Shara and Wedge. I also wanted to take some heat off of her, so she’d have some sympathy votes as she tries to take back control of the Senate.” Han shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “I mean--ok it’s not a great plan. A big part of it was to give me time to go find Luke!”
“You found him.”
“I KNOW.”
Din tilted his head. “So what was the next step of your plan?”
Han just stared at Din with a blank look.
“Dank Farrik--you’re the reason why he throws himself into danger with no plan whatsoever,” Din realized with a groan. “You Rebels are so kriffing stupid!”
“HEY! I was never a Rebel! I was a mercenary, thank you very much.”
Yeah like Din believed that. “A shit one.”
“Just because the kid has been traumatized into liking towering dark men in helmets doesn’t give you the right to--”
“Han?”
Din and Han both flinched and turned around to see Luke and Grogu standing nearby giving them identical looks of concern. “We can hear you, you know,” Luke said quietly. “Kinda hard not to, when you’re both screaming your emotions into the Force.”
“Patoo!” Grogu glared at them both.
“Sorry kid,” Han looked genuinely sorry for once. “My fault, your boyfriend had nothing to do with it this time.”
“This time?” Din hissed.
Luke looked at them both with a nervous expression on his face. “Maybe it’s time we talked,” he said slowly. “I mean me and Han.”
Din winced. Damn Solo, dragging Luke into a conversation he didn’t seem ready for. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, kid. It can wait if you’re not up for it.”
Luke shook his head. “You’re worried--both of you. I don’t want that, now that we’re together.”
Din could see the younger man gathering his courage as he stood in front of him. The concerned look on his face was slowly melting into a determined one. Luke stood up tall and squared his shoulders and suddenly Din could see a glimpse of the General that he had seen on Socorro, the hero that constantly put his own needs aside for others. There was the Luke that could slice through 30 Dark Troopers effortlessly and the one that directed Din and Han into organized chaos. The Luke that Din both admired and feared for; the calm self-sacrificing Jedi Master. The man Din was falling in love with, enough so he would willingly put up with a di’kut like Solo.
“Can you watch him please?” Luke handed Grogu to Din, patting his little head.
“Maw?” Grogu looked worried and Din pulled him close.
“Do you need me?” He asked quietly.
“I think it’s best I talked to him alone,” Luke muttered. “But...after?”
Din lowered his head and waited for Luke to do the same. “Of course, cyar'ika.” They pressed together slowly, taking their time, even with Han beginning to pace anxiously nearby. He didn’t want to let Luke go but eventually the Jedi pulled away, his fingertips lingering on Din’s bare palms until the last possible second.
He stared at Luke until he disappeared with Han into their shared cabin. Then he sighed and turned to look at Grogu. “They’re gonna be a while so maybe we should make some dinner.”
“Maw.” Grogu looked dubious.
“I’ll let you lick the batter this time.”
“Buuuuu!”
Later when Luke and Han finally emerged from their cabin, red-faced with obvious tear tracks on their cheeks, Din had fried bantha steaks, roasted podpoppers, and the last of their pika cakes on the table, along with two mugs of Solo’s whiskey. Luke slid into Din’s arms and for the first time, Solo reached out and clasped Din hard on the shoulder in wordless thanks.
No, Din couldn’t hate Han Solo. He felt too sorry for him.
Cloud City, Bespin was more impressive than Din expected. He’d never been to a floating city before and hadn’t known what to expect. The massive structure gleamed perfectly in the late afternoon when they finally arrived a few days later and they were surrounded by wispy clouds and golden light. Grogu was entranced and cooed in his arms as they flew closer. He had expected the infamous tight security of Cloud City to stop them as soon as stepped into Bespin space. But they were politely ignored. Han directed Luke where to go and he piloted the Wayfinder passing the expensive-looking landing pads on the top of the city and towards the side entrance for miners and laborers at the bottom. Landing in the maintenance section of the City was Lando’s way of protecting Han from nosy concerned citizens and visitors since he was technically still a wanted man. With Luke and Grogu on board, it was even more important. As they made their way past antennas sticking out from the underbelly of the city, Din saw Luke shudder. A glance at Han showed the older man looked also unwell.
“You two ok?” Din muttered as he tightened his grip on Grogu.
Luke nodded as he nudged the ship closer. “We don’t have good memories of this place.”
“Sorry, kid,” Han said through clenched teeth. “But Lando’s the only one with political connections that can help us with the kids right now.”
Din was intrigued despite himself. “How is he helping?”
“So those kids the First Order kidnapped, some of them are old enough to remember their parents or their homeworlds but some are too young or too traumatized. Because Bespin is a neutral world, we use Lando’s cyborg assistant Lobot to run their blood through multiple galactic agencies both in the Rim and in the Core, trying to find their families.” Han sighed. “But there’s a lot of kids that are unlisted and we’re struggling to know what to do with them.”
Din’s people would take them in a heartbeat, if only he knew where the survivors were hiding. In fact, most Mandalorians would probably be sympathetic to Han’s cause (if not the man himself) and would provide good homes for the children. But he had to put that thought aside for now as Luke brought the Wayfinder into a maintenance hangar. They passed by several passenger shuttles and large mining equipment before the ship landed with a small bump.
The maintenance hangar was eerily empty and silent as they disembarked from the ship. Din assumed this Lando person had cleared the deck before their arrival but Luke and Grogu still wore their frequency jammers (which meant Luke was shirtless and wearing his poncho again). Before they left, Luke slid on his helmet with a sigh as Din helped secure Grogu to his back.
“You still haven’t explained where you got that,” Han muttered as he led them out of the hanger.
“One world-shattering surprise at a time,” Luke replied. His words sounded more cryptic and creeper than he probably meant with his helmet on and masking his real voice. Han frowned and shot a glance at Din. He shrugged.
The small group turned a corner and Din came to a sudden stop. Standing in front of a maintenance lift was a man in a tight yellow tunic, black pants, and a flowing black cape with red shimmersilk lining. Din’s hand instinctively drifted to his weapon before he realized the man was unarmed with his hands folded in front of him.
“Lando,” Han muttered to Din before he sped up. “You didn’t have to meet us down here, we were on our way up.”
“Are you kidding? I had to see for myself.” Lando stared at Din for a moment, before turning to look at Luke. “That’s you, isn’t it Luke? Don’t worry, I’ve turned off surveillance here and sent everyone away.”
Luke hesitated only slightly before removing his helmet again. “Good to see you again, Lando.” Din could tell the Jedi was trying to come off casual and failing miserably. His eyes gave away his nervousness and his body looked tense.
Lando frowned. “That’s all you got?” He said in a low voice. “ ‘Good to see you again?’ Really, Skywalker, after all, we’ve been through. That’s what you say, after years of making me watch this man age himself?” He pointed at Han.
Luke paled and Din found himself growing angry on his behalf. “Lando I’m so--”
“--I can’t believe I wore my good boots for you,” Lando said over Luke’s apology. “You think I look this good for Han?” Then he shocked Din by winking at Luke.
Grogu immediately growled. Din was confused--was Lando upset or joking?
“Good boots?! They look just like every other boot you own!” Han grumbled.
Din saw Luke relax, his shoulders drooping slightly and his face slowly breaking into a smile. “The cape is new. Looks good on you.”
Lando gave a toss of his shoulders to make the cape flap. “I thought we’d be matching in black but you’ve finally changed your look. I’m impressed, Luke, it's a bold choice, I don’t think I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing this much of you.” Lando’s grin was all teeth.
“For a second there I thought you had matured while I was gone,” Luke groaned.
Din couldn’t help it. His hands twitched on the butt of his blaster, just enough so that Han noticed and gave him a nasty grin. Damnit. He willed himself to move his hand away.
Lando missed their interaction entirely. “Come here, you.” He walked up and gave Luke a side embrace, trying his best to avoid the still growling Grogu. But the baby kicked his little leg at him through the birikad, making Lando jump back. Din had never been so proud of his son than at that moment.
“Grogu!” Luke sighed.
Lando side-eyed Grogu. “Your new friends are...charming. Is that from Tatooine?”
“Charming is not the word I’d choose,” Han muttered.
Din had done it. He’d found someone he hated more than Han Solo. His jaw was beginning to hurt from being clenched so hard.
Luke looked like he was about to burst out laughing--or crying. Din wasn’t sure. “If you’re talking about the poncho, yes.”
Lando smiled. “And the baby?”
“That’s my son,” Din growled, his tone ice cold.
Lando turned, his eyes flicking up and down Din quickly. “Ah the Mand’alor himself. It is an honor, your highness.” Then, Lando shut down Din’s brain because he gave him a small bow and a flirtatious grin on his way back up.
“His what?!” Han and Luke said simultaneously.
Din shook his head fiercely, trying to reboot. “N--no. No, I’m not the Mand’alor!” How did this man even know about the Darksaber?!
“The kriff is a Mand’alor?!” Han yelped.
Lando frowned. “Leia told me that Luke was traveling with the new owner of a sacred Mandalorian relic. The ownership of which makes him the leader of the Mandalorians.”
“WHAT?!” Han screeched.
“Wait--Leia knows about us?!” Luke yelped. He grabbed Lando’s sleeve and dragged his attention back. “How did she find out? Is she ok?!”
“Easy! She’s fine--ecstatic to hear you’re alright,” Lando reassured him. “Three weeks ago a New Republic Marshall named Cara Dune and a Mandalorian named Bo-Katan Kyrze contacted me for help negotiating the release of two wanted Imperials. They would only release the prisoners to Leia and they said you sent them to me.”
Of course. “You did tell her to pass along information to Leia using Cloud City,” Din reminded Luke. Nobody however had told Bo-Katan to mention the Darksaber to the New Republic. What was that crazy woman thinking?
“You knew he was traveling with this guy?!” Han looked furious.
“I tried to contact you, but you were out of contact range on Socorro!” Lando shook his head. “Once Wedge contacted me to say you were coming and that you had finally found Luke I put the rest together. But, nobody else knows,” he said before Luke or Din could speak up. “Only folks in the know are Lo, myself, and Leia. Your sister knows you’re alive and safe but that’s all I could send safely.”
Both Luke and Han let out twin sighs of relief. Grogu chirped and patted Luke’s head with his tiny hand.
“Lo?” Din asked.
“Lobot, my right-hand man,” Lando explained. “He’s trustworthy.”
“Can I talk to Leia?” Luke looked like he was holding his breath.
Lando hesitated. “We’ll see what we can do. Let's get you settled in first. You look dead on your feet and I can smell Han from here.”
“HEY.”
“Hush you, I have your usual room set up and I’m putting Luke next door. Just be careful when you step outside ok? I can’t clear every corridor all the time.”
“Please get him some clothes that fit, I can’t take his pirate look seriously,” Han pleaded as they started moving away.
“I like it.”
“You would, you slut.”
Din hesitated, watching the two men bicker at each other until he felt Luke’s hand touch his arm.
“I”m so sorry about him. Lando is harmless, I promise.” Luke slid his hand into Din’s gloved one and squeezed tightly.
Din was still struggling to process the last few minutes. He had been winked at, Luke flirted with and his son was still growling softly on Luke’s back. Din didn’t even know what feeling to process first. Rage probably. “If you say so,” he muttered as he let himself be led up into the heart of Cloud City.
The Cloud City room Lando gave them wasn’t just a room. It was an entire apartment, filled with elegant, expensive furniture, its small kitchenette, three bedrooms, and giant windows that provided them with expansive views of the sky outside. It was overwhelming in its luxury, from the soft silky sheets covering each bed to the huge bathtub in one of the two ‘freshers. Din had never stepped foot into a place this fancy before and he didn’t know what to do with himself. Staring too long at the clouds floating outside made Din nervous. The Wayfinder was parked hundreds of floors below him and there were no other obvious means of escape. He had no idea how big the complex was and every corridor they’d traveled in had been pre-cleared of people. It was like being trapped in a beautiful cage and it went against every instinct he had. Even the calmly lit colors of the room couldn’t shake his discomfort.
As Grogu toddled around and pressed his face against the glass windows, Din stood staring at a large bowl of fruit on the living area table. It was a massive silver bowl piled high with exotic fruits in all different colors. Din only recognized a pallie and some snowberries, the rest were completely unknown to him. They were piled so perfectly on top of each other that they looked like art instead of food.
Was he allowed to eat one? He was hungry but it didn’t feel right eating out of such a beautiful bowl. What if it wasn’t meant to be eaten?
“Din?”
He was startled and looked up. Luke was staring at him with a bemused smile on his face from the doorway to the living area. “Are you ok?” The Jedi was dressed in a fluffy white robe, tied closed with a gold sash and his feet were bare, although he still had his leather glove on his right hand.
“I’m fine. I thought you were going to take a shower?” A real shower, with real water. Luke had looked so excited for it when they’d first entered the apartment.
“I was...until I saw that Lando had put out five different types of soap,” Luke admitted. “It was overwhelming. Then I had trouble with the water because I had to figure out the settings and when I finally got that I realized I can’t take the frequency jammers off and I don’t think I should get them wet.” Luke flopped down onto a nearby couch and Din moved to join him. “So there went that idea.”
“Do you want help?” Din offered. “Maybe we could wrap something around you to protect the tech.”
“Later, maybe.” The Jedi frowned, wiggled a bit, then pulled a fancy pillow from behind his back. He tossed it to the floor with a sigh. “I just...I hate it here.” He shivered and hung his head. “That sounds so ungrateful to Lando but I’ve always felt weird in places like this. Like…”
“Like you don’t belong,” Din finished.
“Exactly,” Luke closed his eyes. “I have other issues with this place but there is that. I’ve never felt comfortable in fancy places like this. Even living in the Core was just...strange.”
Din felt himself nodding as he moved closer to Luke. “I didn’t know if I could eat the fruit,” Din admitted. “It looks too--”
“Expensive!” Luke nodded wildly.
“Right.”
“Like that would be hundreds of credits back home.”
Din nodded. “You only have that much food out to share with a whole clan.”
“I mean in the old days, you could use a fruit to propose marriage because they were so rare and expensive. I don’t even know what most of them are--oh are those pallies?” Luke reached out and grabbed one. “I’m eating it. If he didn’t want us to, it shouldn’t be there.”
Well if Luke was going to eat one…Din eyed the snowberries. But before he could grab one he heard Luke gasp.
“Wait! I got a great idea. Hold on.”
He watched with some amusement as Luke shot up in his fluffy robe and raced into the kitchenette. “What are you doing?”
“Hopefully I’m making you something. Something I’ve been craving for five damn years--YES!” Luke found what he was looking for in one of the cabinets. Whatever he was making, it required a saucepan. “I’m making some for Grogu too.”
“Buu?” Grogu came toddling back to Din, responding to his name with a happy grin. He picked up his son and placed a snowberry in his hand. “Try that one.”
Grogu gave the fruit a quick sniff before taking a large bite. Shimmering white juice dripped from his lip as he grinned. “Mmmm.”
Din shook his head. “You’re making a mess, ad.” Grogu just grinned at him and shoved more of the fruit into his mouth.
By the time Luke came back, they had moved on to testing some of the more strange-looking fruit in their bowl. Grogu had liked a large hot pink fruit but turned his nose at a green fruit. Din hadn’t tried any yet, still patiently waiting for Luke.
“Sorry. I wanted you to try this,” Luke said as he passed Din a mug of something brown and hot. “I already have a cooler one for Grogu.” He passed a smaller cup to the child, who took it eagerly.
“What is it?”
“It’s something that Lando taught me to make a long time ago,” Luke explained. He must have sensed Din’s face frowning because he continued in a rush, “Despite the shady origin, it’s non-alcoholic and quite good. It’s called ‘hot chocolate.’”
“Mmmm!” Grogu was looking at Din expectantly, with his slightly too big cup in his hands.
“Go ahead, ad’ika,” he said with a sigh. He trusted Luke even if he didn’t trust Lando.
The child took a small sip and immediately chirruped in happiness. His little feet wiggled on the couch as he drank more.
Luke beamed at Grogu before turning to sip his drink. He made a very unJedi like moan of happiness that made Din suddenly very interested. Now he had to try it.
But before he could move his hands to his helmet, he caught sight of something floating right by his left side. He watched as Luke floated his green scarf from his room, past Din’s head, and into his hands.
“I’m sure that’s an abuse of your abilities,” Din grumbled.
“Sure is,” Luke nodded happily. The younger man had a small hot chocolate mustache on his upper lip that suddenly made Luke look 10 years younger. Then when he tied the scarf around his eyes he had that vulnerable look again, the one that made Din swirl with affection and desire.
The sight of a happy Luke and Grogu was more of a luxury than anything Cloud City could provide. Din carefully removed his helmet and tucked it beside him before he picked up his mug. The hot chocolate smelled sweet and it was still very warm. He took a careful sip and was surprised by the drink’s complex taste. It wasn’t as overwhelmingly sweet as the blue milk pudding and it wasn’t bitter either. It was thick, creamy, and very much something he’d imagine Luke loving.
“I can tell why you like this,” he said diplomatically as he had another sip.
Luke chuckled. “But do you like it?”
“It’s growing on me,” Din admitted.
“Just like me?” Luke said it like he meant for it to be cheeky but Din could read between the lines by now.
“You’ve already grown on me,” Din said seriously. “I wouldn’t stay in this place for anyone else.”
“Oh.” There was a pause as Luke sipped his drink. “You couldn’t afford to stay in this place with anyone else.”
Din shook his head, even though he knew Luke couldn’t see him. “I wouldn’t want to for anyone else.”
Luke’s face softened, his lips turning upward in a shy smile.
“You ah..have some chocolate on your face,” Din said quietly as he put down his cup. He slipped off his gloves and put them next to his mug. “Right here.” He took the younger man’s face into his hands and he immediately stilled. “May I?”
“Yes,” Luke breathed, his lips slightly parting. Din leaned over and kissed him slowly. He tasted chocolate and realized he could get as addicted to the stuff if he got to do this every time they had it. At first Din was nervous. Despite their earlier kisses, he still felt awkward and hopelessly useless at it; his first kisses were chaste and inexperienced. But he felt Luke accept his inept kisses with enthusiasm and passion and he pressed back, opening his lips to let Din in, and soon his nervousness faded as he lost track of time. He let his hands move from Luke’s face to his long hair, carefully avoiding his green scarf. He tangled his fingers into the dark blond strands, enjoying the way it cascaded across his bare skin. Luke’s left hand came up to rest on Din’s back; a warm, steady weight pressed against him that he felt through his beskar. It was perfect. He only reluctantly came back to reality when he heard Grogu chirp, reminding them he was still in the room. Din forced himself to let go first, pulling away but letting his bare forehead rest against Luke.
“Sorry, ad’ika,” Din mumbled.
“He just wants more chocolate,” Luke whispered. “He can wait. I’ve wanted to do that for a while.”
“Your friends have shit timing,” Din agreed. “But you know how he gets when he wants something.”
Luke nodded. “True. Argh, I have the worst luck in the galaxy.” He slowly extracted himself from Din and used the Force to grab Grogu’s cup.
“I don’t think it’s a contest, but if it was, I would be a contender.” Din took the cup from Luke’s hand and walked towards the kitchen. He saw a saucepan of leftover chocolate and poured it into Grogu’s cup.
“You’d lose, trust me,” Luke said as he returned to the couch. “But for the record, I’m sorry about Lando...and Han. They’re both intense.”
“Buurrr!” Said Grogu as Din handed him back his cup. He was probably going to regret giving him so much sugar later.
“Is Lando like that with everyone, or just you,” Din grumbled. He should have guessed Luke would have a line of potential suitors that would welcome him back with open arms.
He felt Luke’s left hand slide into his own. “He flirts with everyone,” Luke admitted. “So if you play your cards right you could own all of this.” He waved his right hand at their decadent surroundings.
Din shook his head. “Not interested.” He pulled Luke’s hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles, watching with delight as Luke’s face lit up with a blush.
Din hesitated, wondering if he could tease Luke further. “But I can see why you ran away.”
Thankfully the joke landed. “I’m beginning to agree with you,” Luke chuckled.
“The Wayfinder is just downstairs.”
“But now that Leia knows you’re with me, there’s nowhere the two of us can hide.”
“She’s not gonna flirt with me, is she?”
“Stars no, we’re both disasters at flirting--and please don’t ask how I know.”
“I’d say you’re doing fine,” Din smirked. He let himself use his other hand to brush hair out of Luke’s face, letting the strands slip through his fingers again. With every touch, he could feel his anxiety fade. For a minute, it could be just the three of them, alone in an overpriced apartment, floating among the clouds.
The two of them settled into a comfortable silence, Din watching Grogu devour the rest of his chocolate and chortle happily to himself. He could tell Luke was talking to his son by the slight furrow of his eyebrows but it must have been nothing upsetting because the mood was peaceful. Without his helmet, Din could see the colors of the setting sun more clearly outside his window, the sky fading from blue to gorgeous orange and pink hues.
“Din? Can I ask you something?” Luke whispered after they’d sat in silence for a while.
“Hmm,” Din squeezed Luke’s hand.
“If I had taken Grogu from you, on Gideon’s ship...what would you have done?”
Din paused. It was a weighty question and one he hadn’t considered. “I don’t know,” he said slowly. “My task was to return him to a Jedi. With that done, I suppose I would have started to search for the survivors of the covert.” Guilt still gripped his chest at the thought of them. “But I don’t know what I would have done once I found them,” he admitted, more to himself than Luke. “I’ve changed.” How could he ever rejoin them, when his failure had caused so many to die? How could he come home after removing his buy'ce, letting Migs see his face, to save Grogu. Why would he, when he had learned of other Mandalorians showing their faces and living without fear of dishonor. The universe felt so different now that he was Grogu’s buir. Even if he hadn’t met Luke, there was no way he could go back to the way things were before.
He turned to look at Luke and squeezed his hand again, knowing the other man couldn’t really ‘see’ him. “But I don’t regret coming with you. I’m not going anywhere.” He knew he had to keep reassuring the other man. It was going to probably take a lifetime of repeated promises.
A lifetime--kark, when had he started to think like that? He pushed that thought away and focused on Luke instead.
Luke squeezed his hand. “I believe you,” he said slowly. “But I want to tell you a story.” He sat back against the cushions of the couch. “When I was 19,” he began, “our old farm droid finally died. It was my grandfather’s droid and nothing I could do could save it. Time had just run the old guy down. So my Uncle decided to buy some new droids from the Jawas the next time they swung by the farm. It was a big deal--we barely had enough money to scrape by and this was a huge investment. I was so eager, I thought if we got a decent enough droid, I could improve it, and then my Uncle and Aunt wouldn’t need my help for the next season. I always dreamed of leaving Tatooine, since I was old enough to understand that there was more to the universe than sand.”
Luke paused. Din saw Grogu start to crawl over to him and Luke opened his arms to let the little one snuggle into his lap.
“The day came,” Luke continued as he held Grogu, “and my Uncle picked out two droids. They were in better condition than most of the stuff the Jawas sold so that should have been a warning sign. But I wanted this to work out so I could eventually leave. I didn’t know it then, but those droids started me down a path I could have never dreamed of. Because you see, the droids were stolen by the Jawas and were owned by members of the Rebellion.” Luke looked up and met Din’s eyes, even though his blindfold. “They had information about the first Death Star stored in them and when the Empire came looking for them, my old life ended. Just because of an innocent choice my Uncle and I made.”
Din sucked in a breath. “Luke--”
“I couldn’t see the future then,” Luke continued, ignoring him. “So when I started having Force visions and realized that Jedi could use the Force to see things before they happened, I couldn’t help but think, ‘why didn’t I have this earlier? How many lives could I have saved with it?’ My Master warned me but I guess it never sunk in because I tried again and again. I left home because I thought I could alter someone else’s destiny but even if you change something, the future is still unknowable. When you live for the future, you stop existing in the present. I didn’t understand that. Not until I met both of you.” He smiled and Grogu patted his cheek.
It was the first time Luke was open about his visions and he couldn’t keep down the question that had bothered him for weeks. “You said you saw me in a vision,” Din said quietly. “Is that why you agreed to let us on your ship?”
Luke nodded and pulled Grogu close to him. “Partially. I had a vision of you, Leia, Han, and Chewie fighting the Sith.” He hesitated for a second. “Without me. So at first, I wanted nothing more than to get you someplace safe and away from my family. I told myself it was for your own good. But as the weeks went on I realized I didn’t want you to go and well... here we are.”
“Here we are,” Din repeated. Suddenly Luke’s behavior over the entire time he’d known him was starting to make more sense. Din knew he wouldn’t willingly face a Sith alone. He couldn’t imagine what good they would do without Luke by his side unless his sister was as powerful as him. But did Luke think he was going to die in the future? Did he think he would leave them? Din wished he could see Luke’s eyes, as it was impossible to truly read the other man without seeing his entire face. He wanted to reassure him, but there wasn’t much he could say. Except maybe the obvious.
“Did you see why we were fighting the Sith without you?” He asked. Luke shook his head. “Then I don’t see how you’re supposed to act on this.” He felt his frustration with the Force rise up again, fueled by the unfairness of it all.
“Mawwww,” Grogu said sadly. He turned and gave Din a serious look, almost as though he was following the entire conversation. Din reached over and let Grogu wrap his hand around one of his fingers.
“I don’t think I can,” Luke said slowly, “and I’ve accepted that. So after we contact Ashoka Tano, I’m going to go with Han and fight the First Order. I’ll keep an eye out for the Sith but I can’t stand by and let my friends put themselves at risk while I chase ghosts. That’s what I’m doing after this and you don’t have to join us. You should choose what’s best for you and Grogu and I’ll understand.”
But what if what was best for Grogu and Din wasn’t what was best for the rest of the galaxy? For Luke? Din felt overwhelmed for a moment as he thought about what Luke was offering him. His first instinct was to refuse--a Mandalorian did not back down from a challenge and they did not navel-gaze like Jedi seemed to do. But there was a reason for Luke’s comments; he could tell by the calm steady look of Luke’s hands. “Asking me this is important to you,” he noted.
“I’ve never really had a choice,” Luke agreed. “My birthright left me no real option but to become a Jedi. I’m not sure how many Jedi of the Old Order had a real choice too. But you should. Han told me there’s an uncharted planet where Ben, Poe Dameron, and some of the other children are staying. You could stay there with Grogu instead of following me. Or you could leave Grogu there and go find your Tribe. Maybe after all of this is over we could--”
“I’m coming with you,” Din interrupted. “To save those kids. If I leave you with Solo, you’ll only get yourselves killed. It’s my choice, not the Force or anyone else’s,” he clarified as Luke opened his mouth. “Stop overthinking everything.”
What came out of Luke’s mouth was a mixture of laughter and nervous relief. “I’ve always been told I don’t think enough,” he gasped.
Din shook his head, even as he reached out to tug at the sleeve of Luke’s robe, urging him closer to him. “Yet you were a General in the Rebellion.”
Luke gave him a sheepish grin and moved so he could tuck himself under Din’s arm. “Commander actually. The General promotion was mostly symbolic at the end.”
“This explains a lot.”
“Mawww!” Grogu agreed as he stretched out so he could lie on top of both of them.
Luke snorted. “Artoo likes to bring this up frequently, you’d get along great with him.”
“He’s a droid.”
He felt Luke shake his head. “You ever going to tell me what’s your thing with droids?”
“Yes,” Din said quietly. “Eventually.” He started to play with Luke’s hair again and he felt the other man sink further into him.
“Hmmm,” Luke mumbled happily. “That feels good.”
Good because Din wasn’t stopping. The longer he held Luke the more full he felt, with the hollowed part of him that had been carved out with his parents' deaths slowly filling in, drop by drop. Unlike Luke he had never been a man concerned with the future, his path always set and predetermined by other people; the kin he owed his life to and loved in his complicated way. Now, as he held his son and his love as they watched the sky darken outside, he realized that he wanted the freedom to choose. Luke had given him exactly what he needed. He was moving away from dogma and into something more freeform. The only problem was he was still in a cage with Luke, trapped by circumstances, by Creed, and by the Force. But he was aware of it now. The bars were outlined in his mind and he wanted more.
There was a slowly building fire deep inside of Din and somewhere, forgotten on a side table in the luxury apartment, the Darksaber shone.
The next day Din decided he was taking charge.
“Look, is there a way we can get Leia to Tython?” He crossed his arms and glared at the assembled group in front of him.
“Patoo!” Grogu added. He stood up to his full height next to Din and tried crossing his arms in a loose approximation of his buir. It took everything in Din’s power not to burst out laughing and ruin the image he had going.
Lando looked amused from his seat on Din and Luke’s living room couch. “I see where you’re going with this, but why would a sitting Senator visit Tython when there’s no one there.”
“Vacation?” The holographic form of Wedge Antilles asked. Lando had brought in the secure holo emitter that he used to contact The Scoundrels and placed it on their table.
“What about Byss? It’s nearby,” Shara Bey added, her voice slightly distorted by the distance between them.
“Didn’t the Empire have an outpost on Byss?” Han frowned in his seat. “I thought I remembered Leia saying something about that.”
Luke shook his head from where he was standing, which was between Din and Han. “The whole point of getting Leia to Tython is to have her connect with Ashoka Tano.” The Jedi folded his hands into the brand new light grey cloak Lando had brought him. It came with a loose off-white tunic and silver tabards, along with light-colored pants and brand new boots. The combination of a good night’s rest, new clothes, and finally water-washed hair made Luke look like a new person. Dressed in white, with the genuinely hopeful and earnest look on his face, he now resembled his alternate persona as a Rebellion legend. Din found himself staring at him and slightly losing his train of thought, too busy drinking up this happier, more whole version of Luke.
Reading his thoughts, Luke raised an eyebrow at Din, causing him to snap back to the present. He coughed. “...Luke’s right. Can’t we just forge her travel itinerary? We know how to block passive trackers now, we could hide her digital presence and move her that way.”
“I could build more jammers for her to use,” Luke added.
“What are we even hoping for by contacting Ahsoka Tano?” Han grumbled. “We were doing fine on our own before Lord Beskar here showed up.”
“I’m sure it is His Royal Highness Lord Beskar to you,” said Lando.
“Cut the chatter you two,” Luke sighed. “What we’re looking for is help. The Scoundrels were doing great, Han, but even you have to admit that a half dozen people--yes I’m counting you Artoo--isn’t enough to take the First Order down.”
“Maybe we’re overthinking this,” Shara pipped up from the office communicator. “Leia doesn’t need to talk to Tano, we just need to find a way to meet up with her to exchange information.”
“Tython isn’t the best place for a long meetup,” Din said. “The Empire is aware of the Jedi temple ruins and we were attacked there before.”
“Alright, then where?” Wedge asked.
“What we need is a location that we have total control over,” Luke mused.
“Look,” said Lando, “as much as I love all of you, it’s tough enough hiding Han from the public.”
“Agreed, we shouldn’t keep using Cloud City, it’s too predictable,” said Shara.
Din had an idea. Not his best one but the more he thought about it the more it made terrible sense. “What if our location was a ship.”
Luke turned to him. “I hope you don’t mean the Falcon or the Wayfinder.”
Din shook his head. “Since the lothcat is out of the bag regarding my status with the Darksaber, maybe it’s time I gave it back to its rightful owner.”
He saw the moment Luke got it. “Do those Mandalorians still have Gideon’s light cruiser?”
Din nodded. “I’d assume so. I’ve been thinking that we should talk to Bo-Katan about the orphans. She will know Mandalorians who will care for them and adopt them.”
“Wait--you want us to forge an alliance with Mandalore?” Han frowned.
“I think that makes perfect sense,” Lando smiled. “Mandalore is neutral and has been politically absent for decades. My only issue is, why would they want to help us?”
“My issue is, I thought Mandalore was glass!” Han shot back.
“The planet is, but the People are not,” said Shara.
“A true Mandalorian would never turn away a child in need,” Din explained with all the patience he could muster. “If that is the only help Kryze is willing to offer, it would be enough.”
“That’s good enough for me,” said Wedge.
“I think it’s worth a shot,” added Shara.
Han still looked unconvinced. “I don’t like the idea of bringing in more people.”
“Han, you know the kid is right. We need help,” Lando sighed.
“Maybe we should just focus on the first part, contacting Tano?” Luke added. “It’s gonna take some planning just to get to Tython.”
“Leave Tython to me. I can get you anywhere your little Jedi heart desires,” Han sighed. “And I suppose it would be nice to see my wife again before we start the second Galactic Civil War.”
“That’s the spirit!” Lando smacked Han’s back.
“Baaa!” Grogu cheered from Din’s feet.
“Then it’s settled,” said Din. “We’ll start with contacting the Senator and go from there.”
“Ok wait, who died and made him King?” Han grumbled.
“Technically, Grand Moff Gideon, if I’m understanding the story correctly,” said Lando.
“Whatever I don’t take orders from tin cans,” Han snarked. “Just let me know when you contact Leia, I need to go talk to Chewie to get an update on Ben.” Han stood up from the couch and marched out of their apartment in a huff.
“Meeting adjourned?” asked Wedge.
Luke sighed. “I guess so. Take care of yourselves, Wedge. Shara. We’ll see you soon.”
“May the Force be with you,” Shara said solemnly as they disconnected.
Lando also stood up from his seat. “It is a good plan, Manda’lor,” he said sincerely.
Din sighed. “It’s Din Djarin.” He might as well get back into the habit of using his given name.
“Lord Djarin?”
“Just...Din.”
“Well then, just Din,” Lando drawled as he pocketed his emitter, “I’ll just leave the two--the three of you-- of you to occupy yourselves. Lo and I have a Princess to contact.”
“I think that went well!” Luke said brightly once they were alone. He moved to stand next to Din and Grogu.
“I want to hate your friends but they make you too damn happy,” Din finally admitted, as he scooped Grogu into his arms.
“Bah!” Grogu added.
“I’m sure they’ll grow on you too,” Luke replied with a smile. He paused for a moment. “Do you think we’re going to be able to reach Ashoka in time?”
Din nodded. “We know she’s out there. There are lots of people in the galaxy that are still up for a fight. We just have to find them and convince them to help us.”
“Right. We’re not alone,” Luke muttered, his smile slightly fading. “No one is ever really gone.”
“No more worrying about the future,” Din reminded him. “One day at a time.”
“Just us,” Luke agreed. “Just now.” He reached up and put both hands against Din’s helmet and Din let himself be lowered into a kiss.
They had this and it was enough.