"Good morning Mr. Djarin, Grogu," Mara Jade cheerfully greeted them the next morning. "You're here early this morning."
"Yeah, sorry about that." He skimmed the room, noting with a small bit of relief that two children had already arrived even before them. "I was hoping to talk with you and Mr. Skywalker for a minute before class started."
She smiled brightly, easing his concern that he was interrupting with his request. "Of course. Let me go get Luke." Din knelt and gave Grogu his goodbye hug before sending him off to play with the other kids while Mara crossed the room to what looked like a supply closet and returned a moment later with her co-teacher.
"Good morning, Mr. Djarin. It's good to see you again." The two men shook hands, Skywalker's prosthetic covered today in a black leather glove. "Come by to see how Grogu is settling in?"
"Sort of." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Has he said anything… strange to either of you?"
The pair exchanged a confused look before Mara shrugged. "Depends on what you mean by strange. Can you be more specific?"
"He said something last night about being able to taste things when he hears a certain sound, or seeing colors that aren't there. I've had him for over a year and a half and I've never heard him talk like that. I just wanted to know if something happened since he's been here or if you knew what was happening to him."
Understanding dawned on the blond man's face, and he smiled gently. "I haven't heard him mention it, but I do know what's happening. It's called synesthesia; it's when the senses are fused together, to put it simply. A person can smell or taste things or, like you said, see colors that are associated with specific stimuli. As a matter of fact, Ahsoka, Mara and myself also have it." A sort of wistful look came to his eyes. "I've only known a few other people in my life who do."
Din blew out a long breath and scrubbed his hand through his hair, concern about making the strands look like a complete rat's nest the furthest thing from his mind as he digested the information. He'd always known the kid was special and that their connection was unique, but this was something different altogether. "Is there… anything I need to do for him? Anything I need to be concerned about?"
"It's hard to say. Synesthesia can affect people differently. Often it makes the person's memory sharper, since the brain remembers smells and tastes better than almost anything else. As Grogu gets older he may have memories of the past start to come back strongly or with more ease, which can be problematic if he's gone through any trauma- or it can make him more susceptible to PTSD in the future."
Din felt himself go cold at Skywalker's words. He didn't know anything about his son's life prior to his rescue or what trauma he underwent while in Gideon's "care". He'd always assumed Grogu was too young to have any real memories of any of it, but after last night's revelation that he remembered something of his mother he wasn't so sure. Nothing he'd learned while working for Karga had prepared him to handle something like this; out of his depth didn't begin to touch how he was feeling right now.
As if sensing his rising panic, Mara rested a reassuring hand on his arm, compassion shining in her eyes."Just be there for him. As he gets older and starts to understand what's happening more, remind him that it's nothing to be scared or embarrassed about. Continue to show him all the love and patience that you have been and he'll be just fine. For what it's worth he's been doing great here so far." There was nothing but sincerity in her voice, and it helped him know that she wasn't trying to give him a false sense of reassurance. "If you ever have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to ask. We're here to help."
Din nodded in appreciation. "Thank you; I'll keep that in mind." The clock on the wall caught his eye; he needed to head on or he'd be late to the shop. He excused himself and shook hands with the teachers once more before sending a wave across the room to his son on his way to the door. A steady flow of students filled the hall and several teachers stood at the doors to their classrooms to greet them, including Ahsoka Tano. Her sharp blue gaze caught his as he passed and she smiled in greeting which he returned with a nod. Luke's words about the three of them experiencing the same phenomenon surged to the fore of his mind, and he couldn't help but wonder what it had been like for them to deal with such a thing growing up- and what it meant for his own son. Logically, the best place for him was with people who understood the unique struggles his condition brought. Making his protective instincts listen to that logic, however, was another story entirely. Maybe it would help ease his worries to do some research on his own- starting tonight after the kid was in bed.
He hurried to his car and was just about to slide behind the wheel when the rumble of a motorcycle came from his right, and a second later a familiar 1980 Harley rolled down the street toward him. It pulled to a stop behind his car, and he lifted a hand in greeting to Boba as he removed his scuffed olive- green helmet. "What are you doing on this side of town?"
"Headed to the courthouse; a pair of siblings are testifying today in an abuse case and I volunteered to go along with them."
Din nodded knowingly, his heart aching for the victims. Boba was a long-time member of the local Bikers Against Child Abuse group that, among other things, escorted kids to court appointments in assault and abuse cases. Along with their shared interest in motorcycles that fact was one of the major things that had led to a friendship between the two men, considering Din's own background working for Greef Karga. One would never guess it to look at the man, but a pursuit of justice for the innocent was just as important to Boba Fett as it was to Din.
The seriousness suddenly vanished from his friend's expression and was replaced by a boyish mischief that never meant anything good. "Well, look who else is here." He tipped his head toward something- or rather someone- behind Din, and he turned to see Omera give Winta a hug goodbye before the girl skipped toward the school. Heat flared in his cheeks as she caught sight of the two men and, with a small wave, started across the grass toward them. "You going to invite your girlfriend to our get-together tonight?"
"She's not my- we're not-" Din huffed out a growl and peeked over his shoulder to make sure she was still out of earshot before grumbling, "She's not my girlfriend. We haven't even gone on a real date yet. Just… be cool, okay?"
"Whatever you say, lover boy." Din would have given Boba a solid punch for that comment if Omera hadn't chosen that moment to appear at his side, her smile instantly sending his pulse sky-rocketing.
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"No, not at all. Omera, this is my friend Boba Fett. Boba, this is Omera." The other man flashed her one of his more charming but borderline-flirtatious smiles as he leaned forward to shake her hand.
"Nice to meet you. Are you by chance related to Rex and Cody Fett? I think they co-own the army surplus store across town."
"Yep, two of my uncles- though you can throw a rock in about any direction around here and hit a Fett. And it's easy to tell since we pretty much all look the same." He angled a look at Din that usually meant no good before smiling at Omera again. "We're having a little get-together tonight- Djar and I and a few friends, if you'd like to join us."
Her smile turned bashful before falling away completely but to his relief- and admittedly a small bit of disappointment- she shook her head. "I wish I could but we're going to be out of town for the next couple days for a funeral. We're heading out as soon as Winta is done with school. But maybe next time."
"Well, we meet almost every Tuesday. And my little sister is going to be in town next week too." He gave Omera a quick but respectful once-over. "I think the two of you would hit it off great."
She laughed. "I look forward to it." A second later Boba glanced at his watch and quickly bid them farewell, his bike rumbling off down the road a moment later.
Once he was gone Din turned to her. "Funeral?"
"My husband's brother. He passed away in an accident last week, and his and Ramek's family lives on the other side of the state. We weren't incredibly close, but I still feel like we should be there for his parents."
"I'm sorry to hear that. That must be hard for all of you." He wasn't much of a hugger- except for his father and Grogu- but for some inexplicable reason he was hit with the sudden urge to pull her into his arms to soothe the hurt away. And before he could consider what kind of line that might cross he did just that, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her close. At first she stiffened in surprise but then quickly melted into his embrace, her hands coming to rest lightly on his back. The light jasmine scent of her hair teased his nose, and he closed his eyes for a moment and allowed himself to breathe in the scent of her.
Reality suddenly came crashing back in and his eyes flew open. He was moving much too fast. He'd fallen so hard for her that he'd assumed she reciprocated his feelings. And now he'd ruined everything with her. His arms fell away and he stepped back, putting a couple feet of space between them. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have-"
She cut him off with a shake of her head. "Don't apologize. I really didn't mind." Her face was as flushed as his felt, and the way she bit her lower lip between her teeth made his pulse flutter. She thumbed over her shoulder in the opposite direction. "I should probably get going." She moved a few steps away before throwing one last bone-melting smile in his direction. "I'll see you later Din." He offered a wave and a measly "have a safe trip" then watched as she strode away down the sidewalk, sagging against the fender of his car once she crossed the street at the end of the block and disappeared around the corner. His phone pinged a second later and his heart soared when he saw a text message- from her:
I can't wait for Friday.
Almost immediately after his phone lit up with a call from Peli Motto, effectively dousing his exuberance. He answered and he could barely say hello before she laid into him, demanding to know why he was late and blowing her usual smoke about him being lucky it was hard to find good help or else he'd be out on his ear. He took it all without rebuttal as he climbed behind the wheel and pulled out of the parking spot; they both knew she was all talk, and in reality he wasn't that late. He waited until she paused her rant to breathe before breaking in with an apology, an abridged explanation that he needed to stop by the school on the way in to talk to Grogu's teacher, and that he'd be there in five. That seemed to appease her, and after one more grumble she hung up.
He snuck a glance at Omera's text one more time and allowed himself to smile. Somehow he hadn't managed to make a complete fool of himself in her eyes, and even Peli's sour attitude couldn't steal his happiness that she still wanted to spend time with him. For so long he'd resigned himself to living without a partner, that something about him or his past would be too much for someone to love and accept.
He'd never been more glad to be wrong in his life.
He arrived at the garage a few minutes later, and Peli set him to work right away finishing Amilyn Holdo's car. As expected there wasn't anything seriously wrong with it; after a slight adjustment to the suspension and replacing the clips keeping part of the fender in place the Porsche was running like new. His boss called the county commissioner to let her know it was ready to go, only to come back to Din a minute later that they'd have to do a drop off to her office since she was in meetings all day. It was a nuisance, considering the other vehicles he had in the bay to work on, but at least she gave him the company credit card to order an Uber back to the garage.
As much as the woman irritated him with her highbrow ways, he couldn't complain about the chance to drive a vehicle that would never be remotely in his price range- except for the abominable lack of legroom. The handling was as smooth as butter and he could feel the power in the engine even at only 25 miles an hour. It took a lot of self-control to keep to the speed limit rather than turning onto one of the country roads and flooring it to see what the little car could do.
Smoke rising from road in front of him caught his eye, and his heart stalled in his chest as the car in front of him eased to the shoulder, giving him a clear view of the cause: four cars, one looking like it had rolled several times, sat scattered like ruined toys across both lanes of traffic on the bridge across the river that separated the residential areas from business district of town. A fifth had somehow punched through the barricade and now hung precariously from the side of the bridge. Din immediately swung the Porsche to the shoulder, grabbed his phone, and dialed 911 as he threw himself out the door.
"911, what's your emergency?"
"There's been an accident on the Nevarro River bridge. Four cars are on the road and there's a fifth through the barricade. It's going to go over any minute." As he spoke the car pitched forward, sliding another inch closer to plummeting into the river. Without waiting for the dispatcher to respond Din tossed the phone through the open window of the Porsche and raced toward the scene.
A few people milled about, looking dazed and disoriented. No one seemed to realize what was happening with the car. A horrible grinding rent the air as the vehicle slid another few inches. Din sprinted forward, throwing himself onto the back of the car and climbing onto the trunk. His weight helped balance it a bit, but it wasn't going to be enough to completely keep it from going over the edge. He caught sight of a person inside; it looked like a kid, maybe thirteen or so. He smacked his hand against the rear windshield, and wide, dark eyes swung in his direction. "Cover your head!" he shouted. Somehow the kid heard him and he ducked in the seat, covering the back of his head with his hands. Din let a curse fly that he wasn't wearing his coveralls, so instead he yanked off his shirt and wrapped it around his arm before ramming his elbow into the glass. The first blow cracked the shield but it held, and he struck it a second time, then a third until finally it exploded. He used the fabric to brush away what sharp pieces he could. "Kid, I'm here to help. It's going to be okay, but you have to come with me now."
The boy shook his head, his shoulder-length black hair sticking to his pale, tear-stained cheeks. "I'm not leaving my mom." Din peered past him to the woman in the driver's seat. She was slumped forward against the steering wheel's airbag, and he could tell from the unnatural angle of her neck that she was already dead. The car pitched again, metal groaning, and he fought to keep himself from slipping forward into the car.
"I'm sorry son. She's gone. I need you to come with me before we both go over." Before the words were fully out of his mouth the boy gave a cry and crawled toward the front of the car, trying to make it over the center console to get to the woman. The sudden shift of weight sent the back end shooting upward, and two pairs of hands grabbed onto Din's legs. Unfamiliar voices shouted at him to let go before he went over with the doomed vehicle, but every ounce of his training compelled him to do whatever it took to rescue the boy. His grip on the edge of the windshield frame suddenly slipped and he fell to the pavement, a red streak on gray metal the last thing he saw as the bumper popped up one last time then disappeared with a horrible screech.
"No!" He struggled against the hands attempting to hold him back, barely registering the warm wetness dripping his down forearm. He finally broke away and darted to the guardrail just in time to see the river, swift and muddy from the rains the day before, rush through the back windshield and the windows that had blown out from the impact. It took everything in him not to dive in and try to find the boy; a jump from this height meant serious injury or even death. Instead he sprinted to the end of the bridge and rushed down the bank, slipping and skidding on the gravel. He caught sight of movement next to where the car had gone under, and then a hand emerged from the brown water only to disappear a second later. Without hesitation he plunged into the river and struck out in the rough direction where the current would carry the boy.
The undertow tugged at his legs and he fought hard against the current trying to drag him further into the river.. He'd have to thank Greef Karga later for forcing them to include open-water swimming in their training regimen. About a hundred yards from the bridge he saw a flash of red near the surface of the water, and a second later the boy's head popped up only a few feet away from him. With one last powerful kick of his legs his fingers closed around the fabric of the kid's shirt and Din pulled him toward himself, hooking one arm across his chest and using the other and his feet to propel them toward a dead, washed-out tree laying halfway in the river a few yards away.
His feet hit bottom at almost the same time a large limb came within reach, and a minute later they were on dry ground again. Din's muscles burned, his heart hammering in his chest, but his bigger concern was the kid. He hadn't moved voluntarily once since Din had caught him, and now he could see that his chest wasn't moving. Din immediately flipped the kid onto his side and began pounding his back with the heel of his hand to force the water from his lungs.
"Come on; don't give up on me now," he muttered. He gave one more wallop on the boy's back and suddenly he coughed and began spitting up water. "That's it; get it all out." His whole body convulsed as it forced the river from his lungs. Eventually he drooped against the dirt and gravel, his eyes still closed but now his chest was moving at regular intervals. Din sagged onto the ground beside him, his arm throbbing and exhausted to his core.
It was then that he heard the sirens.