Eighteen months later
"...Six, seven, eight, nine, ten! Ready or not here I come!" Din opened his eyes and surveyed the small backyard, pulling an exaggerated look of concentration for the four year old who was most certainly peeking at him from whatever hiding place he'd chosen this time. If he listened close enough he could probably hear the muffled giggles. "I wonder where he could be…" Din wandered slowly around the grassy area for a few minutes, making a show of looking behind the bushes and underneath the slide of the playhouse. Eventually he stopped in the middle of the yard and placed his hands on his hips. "He's not here. I think I've lost him," he lamented loudly. Suddenly he heard it- a single laugh that was quickly cut off, coming from behind him near the deck. He spun and crouch-ran toward the steps, ducking behind them just in time to snatch a wiggling mass of little boy into his arms before he could make a run for it. Infectious giggles turned to delighted squeals as he corralled Grogu against his chest, blowing a raspberry against his neck that drew out a shriek of laughter.
Little hands pushed gently against his face, and he turned his head slightly to avoid a finger in the eye. "Papa! Beard itchy!" He barely got the words out between his chortles and Din felt himself smile so widely his cheeks hurt. The sound of the doorbell came from inside the house, and after brushing his stubbly chin against his son's cheek one more time just for good measure he leaned down to place Grogu back on the ground.
"I think I hear Auntie Cara," he declared. The child was off in a flash, darting up the steps and into the house while Din followed behind at a slower pace. It was amazing how much life could change in such a short amount of time. For almost fifteen years a one-bedroom apartment, a job that helped him feel like he was making a difference, and time to work on his motorcycle had been enough to keep him content. But now that he had Grogu, he couldn't deny that he'd found a piece to his soul he hadn't realized was missing. For every mess he had to clean up or sleepless night spent pacing the hallway or three-nager (one of his customers at the shop had introduced him to that term) tantrum, there were a dozen more happy memories that made the frustrations and exhaustion more than worth it.
He reached the entryway to see his Good friend Cara Dune kneeling on the floor in front of his son listening as he jabbered on about the animals they had seen at the zoo the week before while expertly hiding an unfamiliar teal bakery box behind her back. Her shoulder-length black hair was pulled back on one side in her usual fashion, but he couldn't help but wonder how she wasn't sweating to death in her dark wash jeans and three-quarter sleeve black shirt. They might not be breaking any heat records yet but summer was still making itself known with temps in the low 90s for the better part of a week.
"That sounds awesome, kiddo," she finally replied when he paused for a breath. She pulled the box from behind her back and held it out to him, and Din knew without a doubt that the kid's eyes were as round as saucers. "Can you be a big help and take these to the kitchen for me?" He nodded enthusiastically and was off again, disappearing around the corner with the box while Cara pushed to her feet with a small grunt. She turned a sardonic grimace to Din. "I'm getting too old for this, Djar."
"how do you think I feel?" he quipped. She opened her mouth to fire off a snarky comment but he quickly shut her up with a cocked brow and a finger lifted in warning. She raised her hands in submission then slapped him on the shoulder as he turned to follow Grogu into the kitchen to check on their dinner. In reality she was only about five years younger than him, and he was far from the oldest member of their organization when he still worked full-time for Karga. Even though he loved his work, Din had made the hard but necessary decision to step back from it after taking in Grogu and took a more steady job at a nearby auto shop so he could devote his time to the kid. Cara had followed him out only a few months later after catching a bullet below her vest that narrowly missed her spine; paralysis had been avoided but the shot had still done a number on the nerves in her back. Now she was the owner of a private security company in the same town where he lived, where she could satisfy her drive to protect people while inserting as much chaos into his life as she could manage.
She followed close behind him then bee-lined straight for his fridge while he peeked at the pan of enchiladas bubbling away in the oven. He turned the heat off and pulled out the dish. "Sure, make yourself at home," he grumbled good-naturedly when he turned to find Cara perched on the island counter, slurping down a bottle of flavored sparkling water- hist last one, if he wasn't mistaken.
"Thanks, don't mind if I do." She toasted him with her bottle then laughed when Din rolled his eyes at her, turning his back on her to pull three plates down from the cabinet.
"See if I invite you over for dinner ever again." She stuck her tongue out at him as he peeked around the corner to where Grogu was sprawled out on the floor of the living room, scribbling away in the thick coloring book Peli, Din's boss at the garage, had gotten him for his last birthday. "Dinner's ready, kiddo." He grabbed the baking dish with a hot pad while his son scrambled to his feet and rushed to the dining room, pulling himself up onto his chair with ease. He'd decided several months ago that he didn't need a booster seat anymore and so far had only had one mess. Din nodded his head toward the fridge as he passed Cara. "Make yourself useful and grab the salsa and Kool-Aid from the fridge." She threw him a two fingered salute and for once did what he asked without rebuttal, even grabbing two glasses and the bakery box in the process. Grogu's eyes lit up when Din set a half-full cup of the violently red drink next to his plate. The artificial food dye probably wasn't the best for the kid, but Din reasoned that once in a while wouldn't hurt. At least this way he wouldn't be fighting the caffeine-induced insomnia that soda would cause, and it would still be light enough after dinner that he could run off the sugar high outside.
"So, school starts on Monday, right?" Cara asked as she dumped a generous amount of salsa over her food.
"Yeah. I didn't realize how nervous I'd be about it. I hope he does okay." Din picked at his food and watched his son inhale his supper, red sauce already smeared around his mouth. He'd done his best to socialize the kid and get him used to being around other people but he was still painfully shy around anyone he didn't know, often sticking to Din's side like glue. His own quiet, wallflower-ish personality probably didn't help matters any, if he was completely honest. He'd always been a 'listen first, make conversation later' type of person- which made the crew of friends he'd somehow wound up with all the more unlikely to the outside observer.
In any case, it was one thing when he left Grogu for a day or two with someone they both knew on the rare occasion Karga offered him an easy domestic assignment, but the thought of leaving him alone all day with veritable strangers caused a new kind of unease to knot in his gut.
"Hey, relax Din." Cara's voice, now much softer, dragged him from his thoughts. "The first day's a little rough for everyone, but he'll be fine. You've done a good job with him." Din felt the tips of his ears burn at her praise. He distracted himself by studying the teal box sitting on the table and the delicious-looking cookies packaged inside. They looked like some sort of raspberry and white chocolate concoction- something Cara knew he had a weakness for- and holding the lid closed was a round sticker with what looked like an exotic flower on it.
"Where did you get these?""
"A new bakery opened up downtown." She gave the box a glare without any real heat behind it. "Right around the corner from the office, and of course they have the world's best cinnamon rolls. Fennec brought in some earlier in the week for a meeting with a client, and it will probably be a small miracle if I don't gain twenty pounds in the next month."
"That good?" Cara nodded dramatically with a look bordering on accusation for not believing her. As much as Din wanted to snitch a cookie now and test to see if her assertion was correct, especially since he was a decent cook but a terrible baker, he was finally making progress with Grogu understanding that sweets were for after the meal and he didn't want to jeopardize it by tempting the kid.
Conversation shifted to their respective jobs, Cara describing a particularly uptight client who insisted on an absurd amount of security for a comparatively small event. It made Din glad he'd passed on Cara's offer to be her partner when she started her firm. It was for the best, really; even stoic, ex-SWAT sniper Fennec Shand possessed more people skills than he did.
They finished their meal and together the three of them cleared the table and packed up the leftovers, Din insistent that Cara take some for her and Fennec in exchange for the dessert. He hung back to finish tidying the kitchen while Grogu dragged her outside, each with a cookie in hand, to see the play house he'd put together since she was over last. Once satisfied he grabbed a cookie for himself and followed them. He nibbled on it as he went and nearly groaned at how delicious it was. Cara wasn't kidding when she said they were good. Soft, rich but not too sweet with just the right amount of tartness from the raspberries. Good thing this bakery was on the other side of town or he might have the same problem of too-frequent trips.
He stood on the deck and watched Cara push Grogu on his swing, smiling at his demand for 'higher' with each push. He let go of the chain just long enough to wave at Din, who waved back before crossing the yard to join them. After several more minutes on the swing and one more game of hide-and-seek, Cara took her leave but not before extracting a promise from Din to make it to Boba's for their weekly get-together on Monday night.
Once he saw her car pull away from the curb he wrangled Grogu inside for a bath. He'd gone the entire day without any screen time, so once he was clean and changed into his pajamas Din relented to his request for his current favorite movie, Finding Nemo. After watching it five times in two weeks Din could probably quote the entire thing- the kid almost could too- but it was a cute movie and Grogu liked all the bright colors of the reef. He even knew the names of almost all the species of fish.
Din expected him to crash by the halfway point, but he managed to stay awake for the whole thing, though his eyes were drifting closed and he let loose a giant yawn as the credits rolled. Din shut off the TV and carried him down the hall to his room, shoving aside the pile of stuffed animals in his bed to slip him under his frog-patterned sheets.
He straightened the blankets around him. "Night, kiddo. Sweet dreams."
"Night, Papa." One arm still clutching his favorite cat toy close to his chest he looped the other around Din's neck. He pulled the kid close, savoring the willing display of trust and affection. He pulled back slightly and pressed his forehead lightly to Grogu's.
"I love you buddy."
"Love you too." He gave Din a tired pat on the cheek then sank down onto his pillow, his eyes fluttering shut instantly. After adjusting his blankets one last time Din stood, flipped the light off, and slipped from the room, pulling the door shut behind him.