Hi folks!

Here's the next episode in this series, which will take the slow burn for each couple and move it forward a bit.

Enjoy!

Moki

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Episode 5

Title: "A Little Help"

Genre: BoDin, CaraMed, slow burn romance, humor, angst, fluff, father/son, family vibes

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"Good job, kid!"

Din had just finished running Grogu through a quick set of maneuvers in Mando'a and couldn't be prouder of how his son had done. The Mandalorian walked over, bending down on one knee to get closer to eye level as he praised the boy. Grogu purred at his father, his ears perking in happiness and pride.

While he often spoke to his son in the language of their clan, Din hadn't yet used it as part of their training exercises. Deciding that it would be wise to have yet another form of communication, in addition to Basic and the sign language they used, he'd been drilling Grogu for emergencies as well as simple tactical maneuvers.

So far Grogu had learned to count to ten, as well as the Mando'a words for useful battle terms and phrases such as "jump", "hide", "left", "right", "duck", "watch behind", "run ahead" and a few others.

"That was great, Grogu. How about we eat lunch now, huh?"

Yes! Hungry! Grogu agreed, scampering off to make a beeline for the door of the cabin. Din followed behind with a chuckle at his son's deep love for food.

"When are you ever not hungry?" Din mumbled to himself, walking into the cabin behind his energetic and seemingly always hungry boy.

Grogu climbed the step stool which had been installed next to the kitchen sink especially for him, turning on the water to wash his hands. Din removed his gauntlets and gloves, then followed suit. He pulled out their lunch from the refrigeration unit, serving Grogu at the table and picking up his own plate to eat in private.

"I'm going to eat in my room, okay?"

Grogu nodded, already deep into his meal.

When they finished, Din cleaned up the dishes they had used, then told Grogu to go play in his room for a bit. It was already late spring on Nevarro. The days were getting a little warm to train during the afternoon hours, when the sun was at its zenith. While Din would have pushed himself in the heat, he wasn't willing to do that to his son.

Summer was long on their volcanic planet, with temperatures rising to uncomfortable levels when it was still technically the spring season. The molten lava fields contributed to creating nearly unbearable heat on many days of the year. Once the actual summer months hit, being outside during the hottest part of the day was only recommended for short amounts of time, if at all.

Din was often amused by the irony that there had been a real fear of freezing to death while suffering from the nano-droid poisoning only a couple of months ago, while now he had to worry about whether they would overheat. Nevarro certainly had her peculiarities when it came to weather.

The Mandalorian and his son kept busy indoors for a couple of hours, Grogu playing with some of his toys and Din adjusting various components in his armor. Once the sun ducked behind the hills beyond the lava flats, which were only a few miles from their land, Din called Grogu out from his room.

"Come on, kid, let's do a few more training maneuvers before dinner. Tomorrow you're back at school so we've only got a little more time."

Grogu happily followed his father outside again. He didn't mind the heat that much and loved training with his dad.

"All right, buddy, I want to try something new."

Grogu cocked his head in question.

"I've seen how you fight bad guys, the way you toss them and their weapons, but I've never felt it myself. So, I want you to take this away from me and then knock me down," Din held up the stick he had fashioned to look like a blaster for the purposes of their training exercises.

Grogu frowned, no longer looking as excited as he had when they returned to the clearing outside the cabin, which acted as a mini training field.

"Come on, kid, take it away from me. Then push me down, just like I've seen you do before." Din held up the fake weapon again and motioned for Grogu to push him.

But instead of lifting a tri-fingered claw to wield his powers, the boy clasped his hands together, shaking his head in stubborn refusal of Din's request.

"Why not, kid?"

No hurt Dad. Grogu signed.

"Grogu, it's okay, you're not going to hurt me. We're just training."

Hurt bad guys. NO hurt Dad.

"This is what we have to do, kid. I need to know exactly what you're capable of so we can build on that. I also need to know what it feels like so I can help you hone that skill. Your instincts are great, we both know that, but with my training you can get even better. You know the Force, but I know combat. When we combine those things together, you'll be able to handle a lot when you grow up."

The boy didn't move an inch and Din fought the urge to sigh. It wasn't like Grogu to refuse to follow an order. But one thing Din had learned from the incident with the datapad was that if Grogu was upset about something, Din needed to take it seriously, go slow, and figure out what the issue was.

Din knelt in front of his son, speaking softly.

"What's wrong, kid? I promise you're not going to hurt me. You've seen me train with different people on Mandalore. You've also seen me wrestle with Uncle Med, and he's pinned me down a lot. And you've seen me spar with Cara, too. It's all part of training. We get knocked down, but we get back up and we try again. That's how we build our strength and learn new skills."

No hurt Dad. Grogu was adamant, going so far as to cross his arms and stomp his foot in denial.

"All right, buddy. We'll do something else." Din went back to some earlier drills, ones he knew Grogu liked. While he worked with his son, he also started coming up with a plan to try and overcome Grogu's reticence.

He just needed a little help from a friend.

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A few days later, father and son landed on Mandalore. Din was in between missions for the New Republic and had been asked to do his first job as Mandalore's official beroya. His plans for the special training he wanted to do with Grogu were put on hold while he concentrated on the new mission.

After they landed and Din had put their bags in the beroya's quarters, they went to meet Bo and the married couple who had requested help.

"Who am I hunting?" Din asked once the introductions were over, and everyone was seated at the conference table.

The couple looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Both men were part of the Nite Owls but had become separated from their clan for a few years. They'd been left stranded after a battle, when the rest of the fleet had to make a hasty exit from the sector. Their superiors assumed that the two had perished in the skirmish when they'd gone missing. Left on their own, the couple had stayed together, making their way to another port. When it became clear they wouldn't easily find their clan, they'd managed to find work and settled down on a nearby moon.

But upon hearing that Lady Kryze had returned to Mandalore, the two had immediately made their way back to their home world. Once there, they had pledged to follow their new Mand'alor and rejoined the Nite Owls.

Bo smiled, smoothly stepping in to clear up the confusion.

"It's not a hunt, Din. Not exactly. Xeth and Grafan are trying to find Grafan's sister.

While it was rare, it wasn't the first time Din had been tasked with such a mission. In the past, the missing people were often family members or lovers of the same crime bosses who hired him to find those who had stolen from them. In that world it wasn't unheard of for warring kingpins to arrange for kidnappings to seize power.

"Oh," Din said, turning to the men. "I apologize. It's been a while since I've done anything but a typical hunt, or a rescue mission into enemy territory."

Xeth smiled. "It's quite all right." Noting his husband was still looking uncomfortable at the idea of his sister being "hunted", Xeth reached for Grafan's hand across the table. "It's okay, riduur."

"Din is our best beroya," Bo added reassuringly. "If anyone can find your sister, it's him."

Grafan finally relaxed, nodding and patting the hand resting on his. "I'm fine, Xeth. Thank you, my lady. And thank you, beroya, for agreeing to help."

"Of course, I'm here to serve," Din nodded his head at the man.

After that, the conversation went well, and Din was able to gather information on the missing woman. She'd left well before the Purge, choosing to seek a new life off world. It was a decision that had saved her life. Getting details such as her name, occupation, and last whereabouts, Din was fairly certain it was going to be an easy job. The woman wasn't in any danger as far as her brother knew. They'd simply lost track of her in the vastness of the galaxy after the confusion and terror of Mandalore's destruction. They just needed someone with the skill to pinpoint her location. Din wouldn't even need to bring her in, all he needed to do was locate the woman and give her a message from her brother so the two could communicate again. Bo had offered Grafan's sister a place on Mandalore if she wanted to join her family on their home planet.

When the meeting was over, Din and Bo walked away together, Grogu riding in the Mand'alor's arms. The child had demanded to be picked up by the princess as soon as everyone else had left the conference room. She idly rubbed his ears as they strolled along, making the boy purr happily.

"It sounds like an easy enough job," Din remarked. "We'll leave in the morning, and I'll keep all of you updated on what I find."

"Sunds good. I told you the bounty hunting for Mandalore would be easy. We haven't discussed the details of your fees, but of course we will pay whatever your standard rates are."

"That's not necessary. I won't be asking for payment for any work I do for Mandalore."

"Din, I'm not going to allow you to do this for free."

"Mandalore is my home, these are my people. When I hunted for the covert, I brought back whatever spare earnings I could to help support my clan and the foundlings. Consider these jobs my way of supporting our clan."

Bo looked ready to argue further so Din stopped walking and turned to her. She stopped as well, still scratching Grogu's ears with a pensive frown.

"I do quite well with my work for the New Republic," Din explained. "I've been given land on Nevarro, as well as the beroya's quarters here, which means I have no costs for quartering. You never let me pay for fuel if I stock up my tanks here. Chief Magistrate Karga also refuses to let me pay for fuel on Nevarro. These things keep my overall expenses low, much lower than when I was hunting before."

He paused, putting a fist to his chest, and bowing his head. "Lady Kryze, please allow me the honor of contributing to my people."

Bo sighed in resignation. How could she possibly say no to such a heartfelt request?

"All right," she conceded. "But I am reserving the right to renegotiate should these jobs for Mandalore take up more of your time, become more dangerous, or both. Deal?"

"Deal," Din nodded.

Grogu, who'd only been paying partial attention to the grownups' conversation, looked up at Bo with a questioning coo. She peered down to see him signing at her.

"What's that, buddy?"

"He's asking if we can see the underground falls. He really liked it down there when we visited it before."

"Of course. Do you like to watch the fish?"

Yes! Grogu signed, hopping excitedly in Bo's arms.

Din watched in contentment while his son snuggled with Bo as they headed toward the subterranean gardens. It made the father's heart happy to see how much Grogu enjoyed spending time with their leader. The two had formed a strong bond after Bo had come to Din's rescue when he'd been captured by the cyborg. A bond that had strengthened after she answered Grogu's call when Din had been poisoned by the nano-droids.

The subterranean waterfall and river were fed by underground streams that ran just below Mandalore's glassy surface. The opening in the rock walls gave peeks of the trinitite spires that jutted up from the ground above. During the day, the sunlight reflected off the emerald spikes, creating a beautiful view. At night, the stars could be seen through the opening, mirrored in the small pools.

Din had only seen the falls during the day but had heard of their beauty at night and was pleased to see that it would be dusk soon. They arrived in time to see the last rays of the sun glinting into the waterfall, creating rainbows across the entire cavern.

"I've never seen it like this before." Bo was looking around at the beauty before her, a wide smile of wonder crossing her face.

"You've never been here at sunset, either?"

"No, I've only been here during daylight hours. I've never seen it at sunset or at night for that matter."

"I would've thought you'd come down here often."

She sighed and Din thought he detected a touch of sadness in her voice when she answered. "I've been so busy running Mandalore that I'm afraid I haven't often had a chance to explore her beautiful scenery."

Din wanted to ask Bo if anything was wrong, but also didn't want to pry. Luckily, the child provided a welcome distraction for them both. Grogu hopped out of Bo's arms to wander near the river's edge where tiny pools had been created by various rock formations. The little one looked into the water, cooing in delight when he saw all the aquatic life.

"I know I came here before, but it was just after the battle where we took down the Imps' base. I wasn't exactly in the mood to look around." Din said, taking the time to observe the stunning views.

"Well, that was a pretty rough day, so no one would blame you for that."

"Was this always here?" Din asked as he continued to study the cavern.

"Not exactly. We had underground rivers obviously, which fed into the Living Waters much farther below the surface. But this," she gestured around them, "was caused by the fusion bombs, just as they created the trinitite spires on the surface."

"Beauty from destruction."

"Indeed."

As they ventured farther into the grotto, Din noticed a large rock with a flat surface. It was somewhat tucked away from the main walking trail by the falls, but still close enough to keep an eye on Grogu as the child continued his exploration of the pools. Solar lamps had been placed along the trail and each had started to glow softly as the cavern grew darker.

Din indicated the rock with a sweeping gesture, making Bo smile when she saw another glimpse of the gallant Mandalorian knight she was coming to know so well. The one who'd first shown himself on the deck of the langskib, when he'd bowed his head with his fist on his heart and sworn to serve her. The one who could joke with her, while still being a gentleman.

"My lady," Din bowed slightly, inviting her to sit, his tone teasing but not mocking.

Noting Din's good mood and the fact they were alone, Bo decided it was finally time to get to the bottom of a particular question she'd had for a while. She chose to address it in a similar manner, returning his bow.

"Why, thank you, my lord."

Din looked at her, his helmet dropping to the side in confusion. Sure, he'd been teasing her, but only slightly. After all, she was technically Lady Kryze. He didn't understand why she was apparently making up a title for him.

Bo saw the uncertainty in his stance and realized that Karga must not have had a chance to speak to Din about his new rank.

"High Magistrate Karga made you landed gentry on Nevarro, correct?"

"Yes," Din replied. She could hear the puzzlement in his voice.

"You realize that comes with a title, right?"

"No."

"Well, it does. You are officially Lord Djarin now. Karga even had it put into Nevarro's charter. It's required to name any titled landholders when updating a planet's intergalactic records for trade routes."

"I had no idea," Din confessed. "I don't need the title though. I'm just Din Djarin, I don't wish to be called anything else."

Bo nodded in understanding. "And now you know a bit of what it's like to be born into a royal family. I never asked for my title, either. There were even times in my life when I wished I could give it up."

When Din looked ready to protest his new rank, she continued. "Whether you like it or not, Din, you now have a title beyond just Mandalorian, beroya, and father. Though I doubt Chief Magistrate Karga expects anything from you, at least nothing beyond what you would do anyway."

"I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"If the people of Nevarro found themselves in trouble, would you not help?"

Before he could answer, Bo shook her head. "Never mind, I know the answer to that. You would risk your life for Karga and his people without question. I know this because I've already seen you do it."

"Of course I would, but that doesn't mean…"

"But that's exactly what it means to have a royal title, Din. In fact, perhaps you need to stop thinking about it as a title and see it as a duty. For those who have honor, such as yourself, it is a duty they will never hesitate to carry out. The title itself means nothing without the respect of the people who gave it to you. Your friend wanted you to have this. More than that, he felt that you had earned it. And the people of Nevarro respect you for the help you gave them. When you hear the title, always remember the people you serve. They are all that matter."

"I didn't do anything that others wouldn't do," Din argued.

"That's not necessarily true. Karga asked for help from the New Republic, and none answered the call, except for one man who then sought you out. No one wanted to help, but you did. And that is what it means to be a leader, Din. It's why, deep down, I was always certain that had you ever wanted to take up the mantle that came with acquiring the Darksaber, you would have ruled our people well. Never forget that technically you were our Mand'alor for a while, Din Djarin."

Din snorted. "Because I carried a sword on my belt."

"A sword you won in battle, laying claim to it, regardless of if you wanted to or not."

"But I was never meant to lead. All of that happened because I was just trying to save an innocent child who didn't deserve to be used by an evil man."

"And that's exactly why I know you would make a great leader. You are willing to fight for those who can't fight for themselves. You also have the ability to compel others to help as well, even when they may not want to do it. I've seen you speak to our people on two occasions now. First, you got a reluctant group of your own clansmen to help the people of Nevarro. Then you convinced my Nite Owls, and me I might add, that the Darksaber should be returned to me. None of those are small things and are more than worthy of earning the right to lead a race of warriors."

After Bo's speech, Din grew quiet and thoughtful. Sensing his reluctance to continue discussing the subject, Bo decided to let it go for the moment. There was something he wasn't mentioning, something else about the title that was bothering him. A reason that went deeper than just a reluctance to be seen as a leader. But if he didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't force him to do so.

"Grogu," Bo said to the little one, joining him near the pools. "How would you like to try some uj'alayi cake? I hear the cooks have finally traded for all the right ingredients and will be making it in the main kitchen this evening."

Grogu looked up at the mention of food. Cake? he asked, looking at his father.

Din huffed in amusement as he got up and walked over to his son and Bo. He picked up Grogu and turned to the princess.

"Did they really figure out how to make actual uj'alayi cake? I haven't had that in years. Every time I visited the covert in between hunts, they never could get all the ingredients. And then of course I was on my own for so long I never even thought about it."

"Yes, they figured it out and I've heard it's supposed to be fantastic."

Cake! Cake! Grogu signed, making both adults laugh as they followed the wishes of the smallest member of their little group and headed out of the cavern.

They left the falls and arrived at the communal kitchen a short while later. Din looked around, noticing how much it had expanded since the last time he'd stopped there for a meal. Now that he had his own quarters, Din found it easier to make their meals there. So, it had been a while since he'd seen the main kitchen area.

"This is impressive," Din remarked, then shook his head with a chuckle. "I guess I should stop being surprised every time I come back to find another part of Mandalore that has been either restored or created from scratch."

"Don't worry about that. I live here, and I'm often astonished by what our people have been able to accomplish in such a short time. It's still a far cry from what it used to be, and from what I want it to be in the future, but Mandalore is coming back into her own."

Grogu suddenly squeaked excitedly, jumping onto Din's shoulder. Din looked up to see his son signing one word over and over again.

Uncle! Uncle! Uncle!

Bo smiled at the little one's antics, seeing who had caught Grogu's attention.

"Let me guess, that sign means 'Uncle', right?"

"Yep," Din said as he spotted a familiar set of armor coming through the crowd.

"Hey Grogu, how's my favorite nephew?" Med laughed when the little one hopped from Din's shoulder and onto his own. He pulled the boy down into the crook of his elbow and tickled him behind his ears until Grogu was laughing and kicking his feet, pushing Med's hand away.

Once the tickling stopped and he had thoroughly greeted his uncle, the child looked over at Din, reminding his dad that there was something important that they couldn't forget about.

Cake?

Med chuckled. He'd learned some of the boy's sign language and knew what Grogu was asking. "Oh, I see how it is. Here I thought you came to see me but what you really wanted was some uj'alayi cake. Well, I can't blame you. I think everyone came out tonight for the treat."

Bo looked around with a nod. "It does seem more crowded than usual." She frowned thoughtfully. "I hope this won't make it too difficult for Children of the Watch to enjoy the meal."

"No fear on that, our people have been working hard on the partitions. They've even added a few more in anticipation of the bigger crowds expected this evening."

"Partitions?" Din asked.

"I keep forgetting you haven't been around recently to see the latest updates," Bo said. "Since it's been getting more crowded in some of the heavily used places, such as the communal kitchen and dining area, the Armorer and I discussed options to help Children of the Watch eat without having to wander around looking for a private space or returning all the way back to their quarters."

As she spoke, Bo led the way toward a new part of the dining area which hadn't been there the last time Din visited. A connected row of small booths had been erected, each one with a thick curtain that could be tied securely from the inside, allowing a person to remove their helmet and eat in privacy.

"What do you think, Djar?" Med asked, walking up to the first cubicle, and opening the curtain, so Din could see the bench and table inside.

"At first, I wanted to have the doors made from sturdier material, but the Armorer insisted curtains would be fine," Bo explained to Din.

"It's better this way," Med remarked with a nod. "This allows people to talk to each other more easily while they eat."

"I agree," Din said, ducking inside the enclosure next to Med and putting Grogu down on the table so the boy could see the booth as well. "This is a good idea. I'm surprised that we never thought of this in the covert."

Med shrugged. "We had no reason to change what worked. But now, with so many people in one place, changes needed to be made."

Grogu squeaked loudly, bringing the adults back to the subject at hand yet again. Why did they keep focusing on other things when there was cake to be eaten?

"Okay, okay, kid," Din chuckled. "We'll get you some cake."

"We better move, brother, the line was getting long, and I don't want them to run out before we get there." Med scooped up the child, who was bouncing on his toes in his excitement.

"I'm sure they made plenty," Bo assured. She was about to follow the two men when one of her people came up, reporting that the Mand'alor was needed for an urgent issue.

"I'll catch up with you later," she gestured for them to keep going. "Go, enjoy the cake."

Med said goodbye and Grogu waved from his uncle's arms. As his brother and son walked away, Din paused to nod at Bo before they both turned to go their separate ways.

Din was thoughtful as he followed Med and Grogu into the dining area. He wasn't sure, but he thought he had detected something in Bo's tone, in the way her eyes got hard when the messenger told her she was needed. It made Din wonder if there was something happening behind the scenes that he wasn't aware of. Being the leader of a planet that was barely getting back on its feet after near complete destruction, had to have its tough moments. Maker knew being a bounty hunter had hard moments as well. But he hoped if Bo needed help, she wouldn't hesitate to ask him for it.

After getting their cake, they returned to the eating area. Grogu ate his in Din's alcove, while Med enjoyed his in the neighboring partition. Once Med finished and put his helmet back on, Grogu hopped under the curtain to sit with his uncle and eat the last few bites of cake Med hadn't finished, while Din took off his helmet to eat his own cake.

Watching his nephew scarf down every last bite of cake on his plate, knowing the child had already finished a large piece of his own, Med shook his head.

"Brother, how is it possible that your son is able to eat more than both of us put together when he's about a tenth of our size?"

Din gave a short laugh. "That's a mystery I've been trying to solve pretty much since I found him, when he swallowed a live frog that was almost as big as he was."

The brothers chatted through their meal, happy to have the opportunity to catch up while enjoying what had been a rare treat when they were boys.

After a while, Din decided it was as good a time as any to ask Med something. Aware that they could be heard, if not seen, he worded his query carefully.

"So, brother, have you been using that… gift I gave you?"

If Med wasn't ready to reveal that he'd started playing guitar and singing again, Din wasn't about to do it for him.

Med was silent for several long moments, making Din wonder if the medic had heard him. Finally, his brother's voice came through the curtain, quieter than usual.

"Yes…. a little."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"Thank you again for… the gift."

"Of course. I hope someday you'll let me be there when you use it."

"I will. I promise, brother. Someday soon. I just need a little more time. It was a long while."

Med didn't just mean he'd gone a long while without playing his music. He was also referring to how long he'd been without his clan, without his family. Din understood that feeling all too well, traveling alone as he had for years. But while Din grew used to being alone due to his occupation, Med had not. His brother thrived on being a part of the clan and caring for their people. While Med hadn't been entirely alone after the events on Nevarro, he had been the only Mandalorian on the small planet where he'd been taken after his rescue.

Med didn't talk a lot about those years he'd been on his own. The medic was beyond grateful to the people who had taken him away and saved his life, but it had also been a hard time for him.

Just as he'd done when they were children, Din's younger brother hid his pain with humor, deflecting with jokes and burying himself in taking care of others. Din hoped that someday his brother would open up about what happened. If not to him, then at least to someone he trusted.

"Well, no pressure," Din said, "but I can't wait for the day you're ready to share that part of your life again. I also can't wait for my son to experience it, too."

"Thank you, brother. I look forward to that as well." Med replied quietly.

They went back to talking about lighter subjects until Din finished his cake. Once he was done, and the last bites were again given to Grogu, they left the booths, allowing the spaces to be used by others. Med said goodbye to his brother and nephew, heading to the medbay to check on some patients.

As Din and Grogu walked through the dining area, Bo came up to them. "Did you enjoy the cake, little one?" she asked the boy who was riding on Din's vambrace.

Grogu nodded enthusiastically. Yes! Cake good!

"And what about you?" Din asked. "Did you get to eat any?"

"I did. My people brought me a slice while I was in my meeting. It was delicious. Though I have to admit, now that I've had your mother's spice cake, I think I may like that even better. But don't tell anyone, or I may get booted out as Mand'alor."

Din was happy to see her mood had improved. It made him think that perhaps he'd only imagined what he thought he had detected from her earlier.

"Your secret is safe with me, my lady," he said with a smile Bo could hear.

"Why thank you… Din."

Bo caught herself before calling Din "my lord." She had been raised in a royal household where titles were a part of life. Now that she knew Din had earned one, she would be hard pressed not to use it, but she would respect his wishes.

At least until she could get to the bottom of why he wanted to avoid it.

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Mando'a translations:

Beroya: bounty hunter

Riduur: partner, spouse, husband, wife

uj'alayi cake: Mandalorian dessert. A flat, dense, and sticky cake made using crushed nuts, dried fruits, and a sweet, spiced syrup known as uj'ayl.