Chapter Text
1: Love Again
“Din! Stand still, would you?”
“Mom-“
“You’ve got food on your face!” Peli licked her thumb and tried to use it to wipe Din’s cheek, only for him to groan and push her hands away.
“Mom! I’m not a kid anymore!”
“Then you shouldn’t have food on your face!” Peli complained, pushing past his hands and wiping the food away before going back to tugging on Din’s pauldron. Din rolled his eyes.
“Do we have to do this every time? I’m 28, I can dress myself.”
“I’m just making sure it’s tight enoug-”
“Mom.” Din grabbed Peli by the shoulders, making her jump and look down. With a soft smile, he lowered himself to meet her eyes. “I’m gonna be fine. It’s just a bounty, same as always. And Boba found me this armour to keep me safe. It’s beskar, it’s impenetrable.”
“I know…” Peli whispered, forcing a smile as she scanned over the busted-up armour, maroon in colour. “I know.”
“Who knows, maybe I’ll earn enough to buy some parts for Axel.” Din forced a smile, turning to where the white-ringed droid sat inactive in the corner of the hangar. Peli sighed.
“Din, I miss him too, but we can’t hold onto hope forever. He’s an old droid now, he ain’t powered up in years. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, but what happened wasn’t your fault.”
“I should have known better than to bring Toro back with me.” Din argued. “Fennec was too big of a bounty to be safe. I shouldn’t have trusted him. You were right when you warned me, but I didn’t listen, and you almost-“
“I didn’t. You and Axel saved me.” Peli lifted Din’s chin up. “And Toro’s gone, the boys took him in Beggar’s Canyon.”
“I’ll fix him, Mom, I promise.” Din whispered, leaning forward and pressing his forehead to Peli’s, in a way he had seen Boba do with Fennec. He hated how weak her bubble of safety had gotten. “And I’ll be fine. I’ll be back by second sundown.”
“I age ten years every time you leave, you know that? And you’re always late home.” Peli joked, pulling away. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the cancer got me by the time you come back.”
“Don’t say that…” Din whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “You know I hate it when you joke about it…” He smiled fondly anyways, and turned to leave, making his way to the Hangar door. As he passed Trusty and Cinder, he addressed them and pointed to Peli. “Look after her, alright? And make sure she takes her medication.” The droids nodded and chirped in affirmation, both of them running to Peli’s side. She smiled down at them before turning back to Din.
“I love you.”
“Love you too, Mom.” Din blushed as he pushed his way through the hangar door. He sighed when he saw Boba there waiting for him, leaning against his speeder with his helmet tucked under his arm.
“Love you, Mom.” Boba mocked. Din kicked him in the shin.
“Shut up, she’ll hear you.”
“It’s cute.” Boba chuckled, watching Din clamber onto his speeder. “So, I take it you didn’t tell her?”
“Keep your voice down, are you kidding?” Din hissed. “She’s mad enough that I’m going after a ‘small bounty’. She’d have a heart attack if I told her.”
“And yet she’d still kill us all before it killed her.” The older man chuckled, settling himself on his own speeder. Din frowned, looking around and he put on his goggles.
“Where’s Cobb? I thought he wanted in on this.”
“He said, and I quote: ‘I’ll meet you on the outskirts of Mos Eisley with Fennec, I don’t much fancy being tortured by Peli for information.’ Unquote.”
Din nodded in understanding. It would look pretty odd if Cobb happened to be in Mos Eisley for no reason, given that Mos Pelgo was 8 hours away by speeder.
“You know the rendezvous point?”
“Got it right here.” Boba tapped his vambrace, activating a hologram of a map of the area, with a red dot where Din assumed Cobb and Fennec were waiting. He nodded, and Boba deactivated the hologram before pulling on his helmet.
“Alright. Let’s go.”
After meeting up with Cobb and Fennec on the outskirts, the four of them continued across the dune sea until they reached Bib fortuna’s, once Jabba the Hutts. The dismounted their speeders behind the rocks, before coming together to make sure they all understood the plan.
That was how Din found himself with his hands cuffed in front of him, being dragged into the palace by Cobb and Boba, who then tossed down on the floor in front of Fortuna and a huge gathering of people in the room.
“What is this?” The large twi-lek asked in huttese, looking to Boba for answers. “I thought you were dead.” The bounty hunter played on Jabba’s previous trust, and therefore Bib Fortuna’s trust in him also.
“I have a negotiation.” Boba scowled, ignoring Bib’s other comment as he grabbed Din by the hair and pulled him up to his knees. “He is the slave of Kuja won by Peli Motto.”
“Motto…” Fortuna recalled dragging the child before Kuja, being told to dispose of him, only for that woman to speak up. Kuja had been furious when she had won him, but the bounty he’d put on her came back to bite him, and he’d been killed. Since then, Bib had worked for Jabba, and since Jabba had died, he worked for himself.
“At long last…” Bib leaned forward, taking Din’s jaw in one hand. The man scowled, brown eyes filled with rage. Thatpissed Fortuna off, and he backhanded the man, his rings tearing at the skin on his face, but he didn’t dare give him the satisfaction of crying out. Bib turned back to Boba. “What is your negotiation?”
“I don’t negotiate with… such company.” Boba turned his helmet slight, indicating to the people in the room.
“But we’ll be willing to take him back with us. His force abilities have been most entertaining.” Cobb added. Bib’s eyes grew wide at that.
“Get out.” He spat, turning to his party-goers. “Out!”
The crowd dispersed quickly, leaving the palace and giving Fennec her sign to prepare for her role from where she was lingering outside. Inside, when only the guards were left, Din struggled for show, only for Boba to hold him still by grabbing his cape.
“What are your terms?” Bib Fortuna asked, only to be interrupted by the sound of a body being tossed down the stairs. The two closest guards looked at each other, before deciding to check it out. Their bodies followed the first down the stairs, followed by Fennec.
“Hey, boys.”
That was when it hit Bib Fortuna what was really going on.
“Stop them!”
Without hesitation, Din threw his cuffed hands out in front of him, lifting Fortuna into the air. The twi-lek reached blindly for his neck, trying to fight a hold that wasn’t there. Blaster-fire blared around Din, from both Bib’s guards and his friends, but he didn’t dare lose focus. The bolts ricocheted off Din’s armour as he channeled his emotions, like he’d done years ago, and the Force channelled back.
Din saw Peli as a young girl, alone and scared, sold from her father who didn’t care about her, to a slaver who neglected her, to slaver who degraded her, to a slaver abused and hurt her, to a slaver who finally cared enough for her to free her once his time was up;
He saw Oto, who deserved so much more than the short amount of time he had. He saw Peli take him possessively from his uncaring Father. He saw the boy running around the Hangar, around the marketplace, around Peli’s living area, and he saw him fall. He saw Peli, screaming for a healer as she ran through the marketplace, finally finding Cobb;
He saw Cobb, who’d spent more of his life as a slave than not. He saw him fight for his freedom, fight for other people’s freedom. He saw him steal a case of crystals, saw him collapse in the desert, saw him choose the armour in a Jawa sandcrawler over everything else, saw him return to his town to free them;
He saw himself, his parents, the droids, the fire, the war. He saw himself as a slave: the punishments, the fear, the humiliation. He saw the poker table, saw Kuja, saw Peli. He saw her saving him, raising him so he could be here in this moment, to do this for them; for all of them;
To end slavery for good, so no-one would have to go through what they had to.
The anger fuelled him, coated him, embraced him. But he pushed it away. He was doing this as a kindness, as a service to those who will now never have to live through Bib Fortuna’s reign. He wasn’t doing this out of revenge, he reminded himself. He couldn’t fall down that dark path. He couldn’t do that to Peli.
A blaster bolt skimmed the front of Din’s neck, making him cry out and almost drop Fortuna, but he kept his hold, willing the Force to bend to his will. It responded, tightening around Fortuna’s neck, causing the twi-lek to squirm, his chokes turning to squeals.
Din felt blood trickle from his nose, from the wounds Bib had inflicted on him earlier, but he ignored it. The weapons fire stopped, Din sensed that only his friends remained. Boba’s voice cut through the storm he’d built around himself.
“Will you do the honours?”
Din didn’t hesitate; his hand suddenly clenched into a fist, snapping the Twi-lek’s neck as though it were merely a twig. Din collapsed before Bib did, hitting the floor hard with a cry.
“Din!” The first to react was Cobb, who dropped to his knees beside Din and pulled him upright, picking at the lock on the cuffs. “Din, you with us, partner?”
“Dibs on not breaking the news to Peli that we killed Din.” Boba joked, but Cobb didn’t find it funny. Din, however, did; He burst into laughter, his body shaking with each sound as he doubled over on himself, the cuffs sliding to the floor. Cobb watched in concern, while Boba and Fennec watched on in amusement.
“You good, Din?”
“I’m so fucking dead…” Din chuckled, picking himself up off the floor with help from Cobb, before turning to Boba and bowing dramatically. “Your majesty. King of Tatooine. Your throne awaits. All Cobb and I ask for our services is-“
“The end of all slavery on Tatooine. Of course. I did promise.”
“And you always deliver, if I remember rightly.” Din smiled. Boba chuckled, sitting himself upon the throne.
“Of course. And, your share of credits, as promised, 1,000,000 credits each.” The bounty hunter reached into his satchel and tossed a bag of credits at Din and Cobb. Din held the bag tight in his hands, unable to help the mad grin on his face as he opened the bag.
He could help Peli so much with the bars that clinked together in the bag. He could pay for treatment, not just medication but actual treatment and have more than enough left over to stay home to look after her. He’d no longer have to bounty hunt to pay for medication, and Peli wouldn’t have to work in the Hangar while she recovered. He could go back to fixing the ships.
“You’d better run home to your buir, adika, before she starts to worry.”
“Yeah, no, I plan to.” Din happily sealed the bag and slipped it into his satchel. “Good luck with everything.”
“Wish Miss Motto my best.” Cobb smiled, then shook his head. “Actually, don’t. Don’t want her to know I was in on it.”
“She’s going to know anyway, that was the deal. I help you take down Bib Fortuna to end of slavery, and I won’t lie to Peli.” Din reminded them. “Don’t worry, she won’t kill you. Maybe maim you a little-”
“Get lost, Djarin!” Boba chuckled. Din grinned, clutching his satchel, and rushed out of the Palace, Boba’s Palace, to his speeder.
“Mom?” Din couldn’t hide his smile as he entered the hangar. He tossed a bag of spare parts that he’d picked up on his way home next to where Axel sat deactivated before venturing further inside, looking for Peli. “Mom, I’m home.”
The lack of response filled Din with dread, as it always did when Peli didn’t respond the first time he called. More often than not, she was asleep, or in the living area, unable to hear from there. Trusty and Cinder were nowhere to be seen.
“Mom!”
“I’m awake!”
Din turned in surprise to find Peli sitting up on the floor behind a pile of crates. Immediately, his protective instincts kicked in and he vaulted over the crates, helping Peli up by holding one hand and keeping his other hand on her back.
“Mom, what the kriff are you doing sleeping on the floor like that?”
“I’m fine, quit your-” Peli froze when she saw Din’s face. “Your face.”
“I’m fine-“
“Nu uh! Zip it and sit your ass down, Din Motto Djarin!” Peli growled, practically pushing him down onto the crates. “You said you’d be fine!”
“And I am-”
“Stop grinning like that, you little shit. You used the force, your nose is all bloodied. What the hell did you do this time?” The mechanic grabbed Din’s jaw, tilting his head to inspect the wounds. Din couldn’t stop smiling.
“Something huge, Mom.”
“Got bloody scratches all over you…”
“You know you said you’d still love me if I killed someone?”
“...I also said not to kill people, Din.” Din’s grin didn’t fade. Peli sighed, stepping back. “Who’d you kill?”
“Bib Fortuna.”
The hangar was completely silent as Peli took the news in. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again, crossing her arms and glancing over Din’s injuries again, before meeting his eyes.
“You mean to tell me that you killed the King of Tatooine?” She asked carefully. Din responded with a shrug.
“I mean, Cobb and Fennec and Boba helped. Boba’s taken over the throne-“
“Boba?! Boba was in on this?! And Cobb?!” Peli cried, waving her hands in exasperation before pointing at Din. “You’re so grounded, young man! I’m gonna kill-”
“Boba’s banning slavery.” Din blurted, his eyes burning as his smile grew wider. Peli faltered.
“What…?”
“I agreed to help him if he promised to ban slavery.” Din whispered, his throat tight with emotion. “We’re gonna put an end to it, Mom… No more kids will go through what we did, no-one will be branded again.”
“Oh, Din…” Peli sat besides Din on the crates and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him as he allowed the tears to fall. Choking back a sob of relief, he brought his arms up to hug Peli back, desperately reaching for the bubble of safety that had grown noticeably weaker.
“I got paid, too… We can afford that treatment, you can be okay…” Din croaked, holding her tighter. “Y-you can be okay, a-and I can stay home and help out here, and-“
“Din…” Peli whispered, pulling away. “We both know it's too late for that.”
“But we can try!”
“Din, sweetheart…” Peli took Din’s tear-stained face in her hands, searching him with her own eyes burning. “We can try, but the healer said the probability of it working this far along is less than 7%. You have to accept that one day, I’m going to join the force, and I don’t want you to keep seeing it as a bad thing.”
“But-“
“But we’ll try.” Peli smiled sadly before hugging him again. “And when it happens, I need you to know I’m so proud of you. You showed me how to love again when I thought it wasn’t possible, you taught me so much about myself, and it’s been an absolute blessing to be your Mom.”
“...Does that mean I’m not grounded?”
“Not a kriffing chance, you’re grounded until one of the sun explodes.”
- One Year Later -
“I think I know what’s wrong with Axel.” Din announced as he entered the hangar, dropping a bag of parts by the droid in question. He knelt down besides it, grabbed a tool and set to work, removing the front panel and poking around with the wires.
“So, this woman told me that one of her droids got traumatised by something that happened in her shop. It’s called Cyberostasis. It was unable to come back online until she’d deleted memory-files of the event, but her droid was more advanced. I think if I can bypass the protective reflex that caused Axel to shut down, I can bring him back online.”
Din focused on his work, ignoring everything else going on around him. He didn’t hear anyone come up behind him until a hand fell on his shoulder. With a jump, Din turned to see Trusty at one side of him, and Cinder on the other, watching him work on their fallen brother. He smiled, petting their caps.
“At least someone was listening to me. I think I almost got it.” Din told them, moving back to the jumble of wires. After a few pokes and prods with his tools, Axel jumped up with a whir, shaking his head and looking around. Din laughed.
“Hey, buddy!”
The droid chattered excitedly, throwing itself at Din, who hugged him as best he could, before he moved to hug his brother. Din laughed, tears burning in his eyes when the inevitable happened. Axel pulled away and looked around for his master, ducking inside the office and the living area before coming out and looking at Din with a curious head-tilt.
“Axel…” Din whispered, kneeling in front of him. “Peli… Mom… she’s not coming back…”
Axel turned to the Trusty and Cinder, who chattered sadly to him, before hanging his head. Din pet his cap comfortingly.
“She wasn’t in pain. She just… went to sleep, and didn’t get up again. I was with her when it happened… I sensed it, and made sure she was okay, made sure she was comfortable. Held her hand. And… She just… didn’t feel safe anymore… She didn’t feel anything…” Din sniffled, wiping his eyes. “She said to tell you she loves you, if I ever got you working again.”
Axel chirped at Din, butting him in the forehead with his cap. Din recognised this as the forehead touch he used to do with Peli, after he’d seen Boba do it with Fennec. He choked back a sob.
“She’s okay. She’s with Oto now, and my parents. They’ll look after her until I can join them. She’s safe there.” Din forced a smile.
And if Din didn’t know any better, he could have sworn he felt that familiar bubble of safety around him, just for a moment.
