Hi folks!
Here's the next episode, which will be holiday themed to befit the season. It's going to be three chapters long and I am committing right now to having all three up and this particular episode completed on or before December 24.
I wanted to say a quick, but huge THANK YOU to She-Elf23. She has been my sounding board for a few months now, once I felt brave enough to send her some bits and pieces of this series. I'd never done anything related to romance, especially of this scale, and I was nervous. She gave me such great feedback and so much encouragement that I felt able to post this story.
I also recently added cover art for this series. Here is the description of that beautiful image:
Cosplayers mando_argento as Din Djarin and jess_herrlein as Bo-Katan Kryze. Pic by signofotografia and used with the gracious permission of both cosplayers and the photographer. I am honored they allowed me to use this beautiful image for my story.
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Episode 2, Chapter 1
Number of chapters: 3
Title: "On This Winter's Night"
Genres: Din whump, sick!Din, angst, fluff, father/son, family/friendship, BoDin slow burn romance, humor, holiday
Song inspiration for episode title/some of story (especially chapters two and three): "Song for a Winter's Night" by Sarah McLachlan
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Din Djarin was in trouble.
Bo-Katan Kryze heard her commlink come to life and headed to it immediately. This particular unit was set up to communicate with one person only. Well, one person and his adorable son.
As she hit the button to accept the comm, a small figure appeared on the holo screen.
"Grogu! Is everything okay?"
The child gave a shake of his tiny green head, making Bo frown. She had only learned a little bit of the sign language Din was teaching the kid. But there were other ways to find out what had happened.
"Are you injured?"
Another head shake.
"Are you sick?"
Head shake.
"Is Dad there?"
The child nodded.
"Is Dad okay?"
Another head shake.
Bo stayed calm, assessing the situation, and gathering as much information as she could from the child.
"Is Dad injured?"
Nod.
"Is Dad awake?"
Head shake.
"Show me Dad," Bo asked.
Grogu turned the little holocamera, which had been chosen specifically for its size so that the child could handle it on his own if needed.
The screen scrambled as the camera moved, then landed on the image of a prone Din Djarin. The Mandalorian was laying on the floor of the small living space in the cabin he shared with his son on Nevarro.
"Oh no!" Bo said. "Don't worry, Grogu. I'm coming!"
Bo kept her eyes on the screen and as she watched, Grogu jumped off the table, landing square on his father's stomach. The Mandalorian leader winced in sympathy as Din popped up, groaning.
"Good job, kid," Din said with a strained voice. "But how about next time you jump next to me and not on top of me?"
Now that the training drill was over, Bo hid a grin behind her hand, struggling not to laugh as she spoke to her friend.
"Are you all right?"
Din moaned softly, rubbing his stomach before answering.
"We're still working on landing near me and not on me. Or at least landing on my armor and not... elsewhere."
"Oh, ouch. This has happened before?"
"A few times," Din admitted, still on the floor. "Let's just say the other day he landed somewhere a little… um… lower."
"Lower?"
Din just looked at her through the holovid, his head dipped significantly. She could imagine his eyebrows were raised under the helmet.
Then she got it.
"Oh, no! He didn't." She gasped, putting her hand back over her mouth.
"Oh yes, he did."
"I guess it's a good thing he's small," she pointed out helpfully.
"He's not that small," Din grumbled. Bo swore she heard the man's voice pitch higher with the remembered pain of that unfortunate landing.
Bo again had to fight not to laugh. Poor Din. He'd probably been talking in a higher octave for at least a day after that.
"Grogu," she said, and the little one looked at her on the screen. "You have to be careful if you ever want Dad to give you any little brothers or sisters someday."
"Brothers or sisters?" Din's helmet cocked sideways in question. "I don't think there are any more like his species around, and if there are I'm certainly not going to adopt… I mean I have my hands full with just him."
Bo stared at Din with her eyebrows raised. He knew she was teasing him, but he wasn't sure what she meant.
"It was a joke, Din."
"What?"
Then he got it.
"Oh!"
Bo laughed out loud, imagining the blush that must have been on the man's face behind the helmet. Even Grogu giggled. Din looked down at his son and pulled him onto his lap.
"Oh, you think that's funny? I doubt you even know what we're talking about, you're just laughing because Bo is."
"Don't underestimate him. I bet he knows more than you think he does. Don't forget, he's technically older than both of us are."
Din sighed. "That's what I'm afraid of."
He looked up at the Nite Owl, waggling a finger at her. "In that case, watch it with the crass jokes."
Bo chuckled, raising her hand in a mock salute. "Yes, sir."
"Well, at least he's learning," she continued. "You've definitely got a smart one there."
"True," Din said with a soft grunt as he got himself off the floor, picking up his son at the same time. He walked toward the hololink and put the child on the table so Bo could see them both.
"Good job with the drill, Grogu." Bo said. The boy nodded his thanks with a happy coo.
Din reached out and patted the child on the shoulder. "He's doing great. Thanks for helping out with all of this. You were our last contact of the day. We already called Greef, Marshal IG-11, even our friend Cara."
"Cara, that's the shock trooper you know, right?"
"Yeah, I wanted to give him contacts off-planet as well as people who are here on Nevarro."
"It's a good idea, training for emergencies, especially with different options of people he can call for help," she said with approval.
Din nodded. "I wanted to be sure he knows what to do if I'm not around for any reason. He already did a great job knowing to go to you when I got captured on Mandalore, but I want more options. I really don't want him jumping in the ship unless he absolutely needs to."
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Teaching Grogu how to use the holovid and commlink to call for help was only part of the training the Mandalorian was doing with his son.
Din and Grogu had been on a number of missions in the few months since they had made their home on Nevarro. Overall, the missions were fairly easy for a man with Din's training. But he was using each one to instruct his son everything he knew about being a Mandalorian, much as Din's own teacher had done with him when he'd been an apprentice.
At the cabin between missions, when Grogu came home from school, Din taught his son the ins and outs of Mandalorian culture. Including everything from dealing with armor to all Din had learned about their people's history. Din never quizzed the child and didn't expect Grogu to remember every single thing he told him. Rather, he was passing on information and letting his son absorb what he could. Din fully expected to have to repeat things many times for some of it to stick.
One of the first things Din taught Grogu was about his armor, demonstrating for the child how each piece of beskar attached to the underclothing and leathers worn specifically to hold it. He showed Grogu his vest with small sleeves where the cuirass and pauldrons attached. As well as the additional padding under the chest piece that allowed Din to move and bend so he could fight, while also offering protection below the beskar cuirass. He taught his son how all of it worked together, helping the child understand what the purpose of every piece of armor, padding and clothing was for.
Though Grogu was small and unable to lift the heaviest pieces of Din's armor, the father still showed him what he could. Din let the child remove smaller pieces, such as his gauntlets and vambraces, practicing how to unclip the attachments from his leather jacket and gloves. Though he never took it off, Din also explained the inner workings of his helmet. He described the different audio and visual options, and the fact that it could be pressurized to go underwater or for any other reason oxygen was needed.
Din wanted Grogu to be familiar with armor. Grogu was a Mandalorian now and though it was hard for Din to picture, he knew that someday his small son would likely wear a suit and helmet of his own if he chose to become a Child of the Watch like his father. Grogu already had his own small chain mail shirt and rondel, but Din still wanted him to know how a full suit of beskar functioned.
The Mandalorian also showed Grogu some of his weapons, having the boy help him clean and maintain his arsenal. He never let his child use any of them, thinking he was still too young for that, but he wanted Grogu to be familiar enough to stay safe.
As the weeks went by, Din continued his son's training. Once he felt Grogu was comfortable with the armor and weapons, he moved onto a new subject.
"I know you can use the Force to heal but I'm still going to teach you all that I know," Din said, starting the field medical training. "Mandalorians need to be able to take care of themselves, too. And since we know your powers won't work on yourself, you will need to know this someday. I've had to treat my own wounds many times. This knowledge is very valuable and part of why I'm still alive."
Grogu nodded solemnly. He had seen Din treat his own wounds, starting the very first night they were together. The boy squeaked to get his father's attention, raising his hand to use some of the simple signs they used to communicate.
I help?
The child waggled his fingers, clearly asking about his powers.
"Yes, you could help with your powers, but we don't want to use that all the time. We want to keep those for emergencies only. What if you've used them and you have no juice left for someone else? We need to know how to help ourselves, but also those we swear to protect."
Grogu nodded again, showing his understanding. Din felt pride as his boy continued to listen intently. The father kept these kinds of training sessions somewhat short, not wanting to overwhelm the kid. Again, it was the repetition that he felt would help it stick in the child's head over time.
Din reached into his supplies and pulled out a bacta spray applicator.
"This is bacta. You used this on me on Mandalore, which was a good instinct. But it needs to touch skin in order to help, so you have to put it on the wound. It doesn't have to be a lot, just a little spray will work if it's a small injury."
Din had gotten a smaller sprayer than the one he used himself, trying to find one that the child could use with his tiny hands. He wanted Grogu to be able to treat his own wounds if that ever became necessary. The father didn't like thinking about his son getting hurt, but he wasn't going to let that discomfort stop him from passing on the information to keep Grogu safe.
Barely a week later, Grogu got a real-life lesson in how to use a field cauterizer. But it wasn't to treat his own wounds.
They were on a mission when Din had taken on about ten fighters, some of them pretty good. He took them out but not before one managed to use a vicious blade. The knife sliced through his upper right thigh just behind his cuisse. It was too deep for bacta to handle and bled quite a bit, but luckily hadn't hit an artery. They escaped and got back to the N-1 and once Din was certain they hadn't been followed, he pulled a bag from the storage under the ship's fuselage.
"Okay, Grogu. Now you can use some of what you learned about field medicine. Want to help me?" Din lowered himself gingerly to the ground next to one of the N-1's landing struts. Grogu came forward eagerly, hand outstretched to heal.
"Thanks buddy, but that's not what I meant."
Grogu trilled a questioning coo and Din pointed to the supply bag that he'd set down next to him.
"Get out the field cauterizer I showed you last week. We're going to use this as a practical training drill."
Grogu did as he was asked, holding it up for his dad.
"Okay, bring it over here. Now you must use it only on the skin, which means you'll need to take off the armor piece since it's sort of in the way."
Grogu put down the tool. He had to tug a bit to get the cuisse off, but he finally did it, letting it drop to the ground next to Din's leg.
"Good job," Din said, knowing the piece was heavy for his son, though not impossible. "Now you can just pull the fabric apart since it's already torn. If it's stuck to the wound, you'll have to pull it out."
Grogu looked unsure and warbled at Din in worry.
"It's okay," Din assured him, nodding his permission.
The child carefully pulled the fabric out of the wound and Din clamped his mouth at the sting.
"Good job," Din's voice was tight, but he kept up with the instructions. "Now get the cauterizer and start on the outer edge of the wound. Pull the trigger and you'll see it start to burn the skin, which is good. That stops the bleeding and helps keep out infection."
Grogu did as he was told. He moved the instrument slowly, remembering how it worked from seeing it in action the first night he spent with Din. He'd tried to help then but hadn't been able to communicate his desire at the time, so he was happy to be able to help his father now.
"Yep, that's it," Din said in a strained voice, struggling to hide any sign of pain, not wanting to scare the child. But when Grogu hit a deeper part of the wound, the Mandalorian couldn't help the pained hiss he let out.
Grogu dropped the instrument immediately, squeaking in fear at having hurt his father.
"It's okay, buddy," Din reassured the frightened boy. "Sorry I scared you."
The child was wringing his hands, seemingly unwilling to go near his father again. Din sighed, speaking reassuringly but steadily.
"Buddy, I'm not going to lie to you, it does hurt. Mending wounds in the field can be messy, and painful. But you need to be brave and do it anyway. If someone is badly hurt, you may have to cause them pain to help them get better. It's hard but it has to be done. Just remember that being in pain is better than being dead. Right?"
Grogu nodded.
"Okay, let's do this. And don't worry about me, just keep doing your job. I promise I'll try not to be such a baby this time."
Encouraged, Grogu went back to work mending his father's wound.
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Not long after that mission, Bo came back to Nevarro. She and High Magistrate Greef Karga were finalizing the trade agreements between Nevarro and Mandalore. Whenever she came planetside, she always took advantage of the proximity of Din's home to visit her friend and his son. Something about the small cabin on its simple plot of land calmed her, as she imagined it must do for Din as well.
Bo had been to the Mandalorian's property a few times and noted how well Din was doing at turning the place into a home – as much as a former bounty hunter bachelor dad could, anyway.
On this day she was observing Din prepare dinner for Grogu. She had to keep her expressions in check as she watched the fully armored Mandalorian walking around his kitchen taking care of his son. He lifted the kid and put him into a chair that had been outfitted with a child's seat.
"Patu!"
Din turned at the sound from the boy.
"Yeah, buddy?"
Grogu pointed to the cabinets and signed something. Bo was learning some of the signs the two used to communicate but that one was new to her.
Din sighed, then got a package of blue cookies down from a shelf above the counter. He gave the boy one.
"No more until after dinner."
Grogu nodded, before chomping away at his snack with a happy coo.
Bo was trying really hard not to grin like an idiot, but Din was not making it easy. She didn't think she was the kind of woman whose heart would melt from the sight of a strong man taking care of his incredibly cute child. Apparently, she was wrong.
"I take it that word means 'Dad'?" she asked with a laugh in her voice.
Din was teaching Grogu Tusken sign language, with some variations created by Grogu and a few by Din. But the child still made his own vocalizations, some of which sounded very close to humanoid speech. Din was working to learn his son's spoken language and tried to understand the meaning behind the various noises the kid made.
"At this age I think pretty much everything means 'Dad'. Or maybe more accurately everything at this age means 'food'," Din said with a slight chuckle.
Din kept moving about, getting a simple meal prepared. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the looks Bo kept throwing his way. She couldn't stop smiling. Finally, Din couldn't ignore her smirks any longer.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"It's not nothing. I've been ignoring the looks, but it keeps happening. What's going on?" He didn't mean to sound annoyed, but somehow it came out that way and Bo held up her hands.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to offend. But you have to realize just how cute this is."
Din's stance softened and she heard pride in his voice when he looked down at Grogu. "Yeah, he gets that a lot." There was a slight chuckle at the end of the sentence.
"No, not just him. You."
Din's head snapped up and Bo swore she could feel his eyebrows shoot up as well. It was interesting how she was turning a lot of Din's movements into facial expressions in her head.
"Wha..?"
Bo pictured Din's mouth dropping in surprise when he failed to put the final consonant on the last word.
"I'm sorry, but the domesticity is just too adorable. Especially like that." She waved her hand in his direction.
Din looked down at himself, then back at her.
"Like what?"
"Fully armored." She sighed. "Din Djarin do you not own anything else to wear? I've never seen you in anything but armor."
"What about you?" Din put his hands on his hips, tipping his helmeted head sideways, making Bo imagine him with a quirky smile and eyebrows raised.
"Me?"
"I've never seen you in anything but armor."
Bo frowned thoughtfully, nodding her head, and conceding his point.
"Okay, fair enough. You're right. This is my uniform and therefore pretty much all I wear in public."
Din shrugged with his palms up. Everything about the motion said, "See?"
"But," she held up a hand, "I don't wear only armor when I'm in my own quarters, by myself."
"I'm guessing though that you wear that," she continued, flicking her hands at his armor, "even when you're here alone with your son."
Din was quiet, which was saying something for the usually taciturn Mandalorian. He realized she had a point.
"And I'm not talking about the helmet," Bo clarified. "I get it. That's on always, unless you're truly alone. But come on, do you really need your ammo belt and one, two.."
Bo paused as she looked around Din's body, searching for all the weaponry he had on him.
Din felt a strange flush come to his face. People observing him closely was nothing new. It came with the armor, especially after he'd upgraded to the pure, unpainted beskar. But it still felt odd to have Bo's eyes so obviously tracking over every inch of his body. He was grateful the helmet hid the burn he felt in his cheeks, and that the armor helped disguise the slight shift of weight he did in discomfort as he waited for her to finish her observations.
"..three knives, Din? Seriously? And both blasters? I'm surprised you're not wearing your jetpack while you make the poor kid some porridge."
Din looked at Grogu then, and his heart fell a little. Din had grown up with armored people, lived with them nearly his whole life. He hadn't known anything different except when he was much younger. Back then his home had been filled with warmth and the freedom to see the faces of those he loved.
One home had been comfortable, but he had lost it in war. The second home had been less comfortable, and he had also lost many of those people as well. His thoughts strayed briefly to the pile of helmets in the sewers below Nevarro. Those left behind after the firefight where he'd been saved by his covert. The day he'd chosen Grogu over everything else.
It made him wonder, which did he want for his son? Did training Grogu to be a Mandalorian mean that his home should be cold and foreboding? That his father wouldn't even relax enough in their own home to shed weapons and armor?
It wasn't like he never took it off, at least the body armor, in front of Grogu. The kid had been learning how to take care of the beskar. Din had shown him how to shine it and even how to check on some of the simpler circuitry. But Din always put it back on if Grogu was awake. The only time he let himself truly wind down was after the kid was asleep - and he'd double-checked the multiple alarm systems and proximity detectors he had set up on the property. They were still in a dangerous business and Din would never feel safe without those precautions in place.
But still, though the helmet was a hard-and-fast rule, the body armor was not. Every Mandalorian had their own style, different pieces they could choose to wear or not. In his covert and among the Children of the Watch, there were almost no two Mandalorians who looked the same. There were no rules that said one must always have vambraces or a cuirass on at all times. Some had gauntlets, while others didn't. Some chose to have their helmets outfitted with a rangefinder, while Din and at least one other person he'd known, went without it. Bo was right, it was true that Din didn't have to wear his body armor if he didn't want at all times. His Creed would not be broken, but Din hadn't felt comfortable going without it for a very long time.
Wearing his armor full-time had become a habit after so many years living and working in places that were inherently dangerous. Back then, Din would've felt more uncomfortable trying to sleep without his armor. There had even been more than a few times when sleeping in it had saved him when some unworthy being had tried to get the upper hand on him during his slumber. Always being on alert was trained into all Mandalorians, but for Din it went beyond that. He'd often had no one to rely on but himself, and always had to be sure it was safe before he could relax even the smallest amount.
As the silence stretched out, Bo watched Din watching his son and she knew where his mind had gone. Inwardly berating herself for giving the man any reason to doubt his skills as a father, she was quick to explain.
"Hey, don't do that. I'm not saying you've been doing anything wrong. You're a great dad, Din."
At this Grogu looked up, cooing in agreement.
"You're doing the best you can, and I realize that you were raised very differently. But maybe now that you have your own place you can relax a little? Not only for his sake but for your own."
Din was still studying Grogu, but the head tilt now suggested it was thoughtfully, rather than sadly.
"You've lived a tough life, Din. But you're in a place now where you're safe. Where he's safe. I worry sometimes that you never let your guard down. That can't be good for anyone."
Din finally shifted his gaze to her. His movement was slow, making her picture his eyes blinking softly at her.
"And you think changing my clothing will make that happen?" She heard the doubt and a touch of teasing in his voice. The eyebrows were back up again, she was sure of it, but this time with humor.
"Well, okay maybe not clothes, or not just clothes. I'll leave that up to you. I'm just trying to suggest that you relax a bit more. I know you're trying."
She paused, thinking. Din waited, patient as always, and a touch curious.
"What about Life Day?" she asked.
"What about it?"
"Are you going to celebrate it? It's your first one with your own home, after you adopted your son and formally became a family, and it is a family celebration."
"I hadn't thought about it."
"Then why not start there?"
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Din took Bo's advice to heart and started thinking about the upcoming Life Day celebrations. They still had nearly a week before the holiday. Various festivities were happening on Nevarro so Din decided to bring Grogu to some of them, such as the festival of lights in the plaza.
The Mandalorian had also taken some time to look up Life Day recipes. He'd continued to work on his cooking skills and found a few traditional dishes he felt he could accomplish. He thought about inviting Bo to join them since it had been her idea but wasn't sure if she'd want to be away from Mandalore.
Not every culture celebrated Life Day, it had started as a Wookie holiday but had now spread to many other planets. It just happened that the celebration would hit during the short winter on Nevarro. Not that it got all that cold, but at least the desert planet wouldn't be sweltering. Somehow that seemed appropriate to Din for a holiday that celebrated light in various forms, from strings of lights on trees to lighting candles. Din remembered the candles especially from celebrating when he was on Aq Vetina as a young child.
Unfortunately, Din wasn't able to start working on all his Life Day plans right away. The next morning Teva called with an urgent mission that had Din and Grogu lifting off in the N-1 not long after. Din always had their gear ready to go at nearly a moment's notice and was happy he could help. He put the Life Day plans on hold, ready to take time off after the mission as it didn't seem as though it would be a difficult one.
Teva had gotten a call from an informant about an Imperial remnant, just a few stormtroopers and one former lieutenant that were causing trouble in an otherwise peaceful town. They'd gotten themselves on the New Republic's radar, probably figuring they had nothing to worry about with the New Republic's resources spread so thin across the galaxy. They weren't counting on an independent contractor in the form of one Mandalorian and his young apprentice.
After a somewhat short trip, they jumped out of hyperspace, entering the planet's atmosphere. Din landed the ship and headed into the small town. It didn't take much questioning to find his quarry. The townspeople despised the former Imperials and had been only too happy to give up their location.
"Okay kid, you remember what I said?"
Yes. Hide. Grogu signed.
Good. Wait for my signal, Din signed back, wanting to stay silent now that they were outside where the Imps were hiding. The plan was for Din to detain the group then call in reinforcements.
The New Republic couldn't afford to waste time searching for possible remnants all over the galaxy. But once Din had the culprits in custody, they'd come quickly. Teva always dispatched a prison transport to the general area where he was sending Din. The crew of the transport knew of Din's work but never revealed his identity. When questioned by their superiors as to why they'd been able to find so many remnants recently, they always said they'd just gotten lucky. It was a testament to how busy the New Republic was that no one ever questioned any further than that.
Grogu waited outside in the alleyway as his father went inside the building. The child heard blaster fire, his head tipping as his ears twitched curiously but without fear. Even he could tell this would be an easy job for his father. A few minutes later, a stormtrooper came flying out the door, landing in a heap in front of the boy.
The man got up, looking around for a way to escape the attacking Mandalorian.
"Grogu!" Din called from inside the room, still scuffling with the other men.
Grogu held up his hand, and suddenly the trooper dropped back down unceremoniously on his armored rump. The man looked around in confusion, feeling like someone had thrown him down, but he didn't see anyone nearby.
"Nice try," Din said, walking outside and tossing a pair of handcuffs near the man's feet. "Now cuff yourself."
The guard looked up, glaring as well as one could from under a helmet. But Din knew that glare, helmet or not and he glared right back.
"Or I could do it for you."
Din left the threat hanging until the trooper sighed, reaching for the cuffs on the ground by him. He clicked them into place and Din hauled the man up to his feet, dragging him inside to wait with his partners.
"Good job, kid. Come inside and we'll wait these guys out."
Grogu hopped after his dad. They didn't have to wait long before the New Republic transport showed up and took away the troopers and their lieutenant.
"Great job as always, Mando," the prison transport officer grasped Din's forearm in gratitude.
Din nodded. "Happy to help."
"Teva sends his best. He was sorry he couldn't be here for this one, but he's got others to capture."
Din shrugged. "Not a problem. I'll contact him later."
"Sounds good. See you on the next job."
A few minutes later the prison ship lifted off and Din looked down at his son.
"What do you say, kid? Ready to head back home?"
Grogu nodded, reaching for Din to pick him up. The child often hopped or walked along with his father but sometimes liked to get a ride. Especially in a crowded location like the small town they had to traverse before getting back on their ship.
Din wove his way through the crowds with Grogu balanced on his left arm. Now that they had captured the quarry, he was able to take in more of the town's atmosphere. It appeared this planet also celebrated Life Day and they saw lights displayed in many of the local shop windows. The sun had set, and everything was bathed in a gentle glow from strings of lights that hung across the walkway running down the center of the town.
Grogu cooed excitedly at one of the windows, pointing to a tree draped in tiny twinkling lights. Presents wrapped in silver paper were stacked underneath as part of the festive display.
"You like that, buddy?" Din asked. "Maybe we'll get a tree when we get home." He had already been planning to get a small tree for the cabin and was happy that Grogu was excited to see this one.
The boy looked up at him. He pointed at the tree, then used one of the first, and most useful signs Din had first taught him. It basically asked for the sign of something he didn't know.
"The tree?" Din pointed and Grogu nodded.
Tree, Din signed.
Tree? Grogu signed back hesitantly.
"Yep, that's right." Tree.
Like tree. Have tree? Home?
"Sure, buddy. We can get a tree when we get home."
Din looked down with a smile under his helmet, watching as his son stared at the tree in wonder. This Life Day celebration was turning into a great idea. Anything that made his son that excited was definitely worth exploring. He had a feeling Grogu was going to enjoy the plans he had for the holiday season, even as simple as they were. Din wondered if the kid had ever celebrated Life Day. He wasn't sure if it was something Grogu had done during his time with the Jedi when he'd been younger, or while training with Skywalker.
Din suddenly grunted in surprise, holding Grogu steady as someone bumped into them forcefully.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I hope you're all right."
An older man who was much shorter than Din looked up at him, holding a hand to his chest in apology. His other hand was in his pocket, probably because of the cold air that was descending now that the sun was down.
"It's no trouble," Din said. Any anger he'd felt from the knock dissipated quickly, realizing the man hadn't jarred him or his son on purpose.
"It's these streets, so crowded for Life Day," the man said, shaking his head as he looked around at all the people struggling to get by.
"Yes, very crowded," Din agreed.
The man looked at Grogu and smiled kindly. "Your boy seems to love the tree."
Grogu had barely noticed the bump or the man. The child was still staring at the tree, completely entranced by the blinking lights. Din noticed that other children had started to gather around the window as well. The tree was drawing a crowd of children who loved the lights as much as Grogu did.
"Yes, he does." Din chuckled at his son's one-track mind.
"Well, I hope you have a nice Life Day," the man said, dipping his head in farewell as he walked away.
"Thank you, you as well."
Din pulled Grogu away from the tree, silencing the boy's squeaking protests with promises of getting their own tree once they got home. They boarded the ship and Din blasted out of the atmosphere. As was his usual habit, Grogu fell asleep almost as soon as they jumped into hyperspace.
Din decided to call Bo, which had become a habit of his own. If Din knew that his flight back to Nevarro coincided with a time of day the leader of Mandalore might be available, he called to check in to see how things were going on their home planet. It had become a way for the friends to catch up.
"Hello, Din," Bo answered almost immediately, smiling on the holovid. "I take it you finished another job?" She spoke quietly. They'd had enough of these calls for her to know that the child was probably asleep on his father's lap.
"Yep, on our way home now," Din confirmed just as quietly.
"That was a fast one, wasn't it?"
"It was, and very easy. Sometimes it's almost sad when they can't even put up much of a fight."
"I understand. Not nearly enough of a challenge that way, is it?"
"Not at all."
Bo felt like Din wanted to say something else, but was holding back for some reason.
"What is it, Din?"
Din cleared his throat, and she heard the hesitance in his voice. "I…uh… decided to take your advice and celebrate Life Day. I'm going to get a tree and a few things for Grogu. I also want to try to make some traditional recipes. I may even try one that my… mother used to make."
Bo kept her expression neutral but inside she felt surprised to hear Din talk of his family, the one he'd had before he was found by the Mandalorians. She knew the short version of his story, but he hadn't yet spoken of his birth family to her yet.
"That sounds like a great idea. I'm sure Grogu will love it."
"Me, too. Uh…" Din paused again. It was suddenly awkward, asking the leader of Mandalore, let alone a Princess to join him and his son for a simple Life Day celebration. No matter if they were good friends, she still had a much different life than he did, and it was times like these that reminded him of that.
"What is it, Din?" she asked again.
"Would you like to join us? It won't be anything fancy and I'm sure you probably have plans of your own, so don't worry if…"
"Actually, I don't have plans," she interrupted. "We're still getting established here so we haven't set up any large celebrations. Most people are planning to spend it with their own families and clans."
Din caught a note of melancholy in her voice. It occurred to him then that he didn't know much about Bo's background. She had told him about her father, and he knew she'd been raised in the palace on Mandalore. But she'd been alone, other than her Nite Owls, since he'd met her. She had lost her parents, but did she have any other family?
"Well in that case, we would be honored if you'd join us… that is, if you want."
"I'd love to, thank you," Bo said. Her voice was tinged with the formality of a Princess accepting an invitation. But Din also heard warmth in her voice, too. He suspected his friend was perhaps using her years of etiquette training to hide the gratefulness she felt from his offer.
"Great. I'll contact you again in a few days once I know exactly what we're doing."
"That sounds perfect. Talk to you then."
After the comm, Din yawned and stretched his neck. He felt more tired and a bit more sore than the job should have left him. He shook his head at himself.
Maybe having a cabin with a comfortable bed is making you soft, Din Djarin. Are you going to need a nap after every small job now?
The rest of the way back, Din fought sleep, wanting to stay awake since they were so close to home. By the time they broke through atmosphere into the dark night of Nevarro, it was nearly impossible for him to stay awake, and he couldn't wait to crawl into his bed.
"Come on, kid," Din said to his son, rousing the child from his slumber after they landed. "Let's get inside so we both can get some sleep."
Grogu squeaked and stretched, rubbing his eyes.
Home? He signed, looking out of the cockpit.
"Yep, we're…home." Din started to lift himself out of the seat of the N-1, surprised when he felt dizzy. He chuckled and shook his head at himself again.
"Kid, your dad is getting old. I can't believe how tired I am after that easy job."
Din climbed down the ladder on the ship, holding Grogu in one arm. When he got to the bottom, he hopped down as he usually did, but had to grip the last rung to stay upright when he felt his knees give way.
Suddenly Din did not feel well. His skin felt hot, and he was shaky, making him wonder if he'd picked up some kind of bug on the planet. It certainly wouldn't be the first time he'd come back from a hunt having acquired more than his quarry. The Mandalorian had built up quite an immune system thanks to traversing the galaxy from one end to the other and being exposed to all kinds of viruses. But the occasional one could still come out of nowhere and get him.
Din sighed, looking down at his son.
"Come on, buddy. I think I need to head straight to bed. Hopefully, whatever this is will work its way out of my system with some sleep and lots of fluids. I'd hate to ruin our first real Life Day together."
Din was walking slowly toward the cabin as he talked. Grogu looked up at his father worriedly when he noticed Din's steps falter as they got close to the front door.
"It's okay, kid. I'll be fine," he reassured the boy.
Din palmed the front door of the cabin open and Grogu hopped down as the door closed behind them.
The Mandalorian walked forward, intending to head to his room to lay down. But with each step, it felt like his body weighed more and more. The hallway to his room was a short one but it suddenly looked like it was ten times as far. He felt dizzy and grabbed for the wall as the room started to spin.
"Kid… I think…there's something… wrong."
Grogu squeaked in terror as he watched his father fall to the floor after uttering the last word. He ran up to Din's head, putting his claws on the helmet and cooing.
Dad? The boy signed in front of the T-visor. Dad okay?
Grogu pushed against Din's shoulder, then moved to pick up one of his gloved hands, which was limp in his tiny grasp.
The little one pinched his lips together, angry at himself for not being able to make the sounds like his father and others did. His dad had told him not every species spoke the same and not all learned to speak at the same age. But it still frustrated him, especially now when he wanted to get his father's attention.
"B..b..ba!" Grou said. He still hadn't perfected the hard consonant sounds. Sometimes he said "Ba" when he meant "Da", and the other way around. Though a few times he had managed to get out "Da" which he had noticed made his father happy.
Din didn't respond to Grogu's attempts to rouse him, but the child was relieved to hear his father breathing. Though he could also hear that the breaths were labored, not sounding like when his father was sleeping. In fact, it sounded like it was getting harder for Din to breathe with each passing second.
The boy wrung his hands. His father had told him that using his powers was for emergencies only and Din not being able to breathe certainly seemed to qualify. But he didn't want to disobey an order if it turned out to be nothing and his dad was just sleeping.
When he heard Din wheezing with effort, Grogu decided he'd accept his father's wrath if it turned out he was wrong. Lifting his hands, he put them on Din's neck and started concentrating to push out the healing energy.
Grogu had healed different wounds and illnesses before. He had knit together broken bones, mended torn muscle and tissue, even put together tiny blood vessels. But this was unlike anything he'd ever seen. He could feel something foreign marching its way across his father's body. Like a small army of…something. It was internal, attacking major organs, acting like an infection or a similar illness. It almost felt like the poison that had invaded their friend Greef's arm when he'd been scratched by those scary winged beasts.
Every time Grogu tried to stop whatever was attacking his father, the thing didn't back down. It weakened slightly but just came back again. In fact, if anything it seemed to be growing stronger and replicating at an alarming rate. Grogu kept fighting but the thing…or things in Din kept fighting back. Soon the child was exhausted and had to stop before he passed out. There was no point making himself lose consciousness if it didn't heal his father.
Grogu needed help.
The child ran to the holovid commlink Din had taught him how to use. He hit the button for the first person that came to mind, someone he knew would help because she had helped before when his dad had been in trouble. It didn't matter that there were others actually on the planet who might be able to get there sooner, like Greef and Marshal IG-11. Grogu was scared and she was the one person who would not only help his dad, but also help him not be afraid. She made him be brave when he was scared, and he needed that right now. He needed to be brave so he could help his dad.
Bo was getting ready to sleep when the commlink to Din beeped. Thinking Din had made his plans for Life Day fast, she smiled as she responded. She was surprised to find only Grogu on the holo. She wondered if she had missed a request from Din for another emergency drill, until she saw the child's face.
This was no drill.
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So sorry for that evil cliffie! I know I'm terrible but when I was editing this chapter, that just felt like the perfect spot to end it. But I swear the next installment is coming soon! And like I said, I promise that this entire episode will be finished on or before December 24.