Chapter Text
(Din POV)
Despite still being on paternity leave, every now and then Din got called in for something that absolutely required the Mand’alors’ input.
Today had been such a day and Din was relieved to be going home in time to share a late lunch with his Clan.
Paz walked with him, since his presence as a Clan leader was no longer required after the main meeting adjourned. Being a lovestruck uncle, he wanted to see the kits before heading home to his own Riduur.
They conversed casually as they reached the door to the Royal residential chambers, and Din punched in the private key code.
As soon as the door wooshed open, he froze in his tracks. There was the sound of many voices coming from the main living area and it didn’t sound like the guards or Mand’cyar’tomade.
Was Luke having some kind of party?
He was sure he would have at least told him if that had been the case.
Curiosity and suspicion eating at him, he strode forward in the direction of the noise.
When he rounded the corner in the living room, he stopped in his tracks.
Nothing could have prepared him for the sight he stumbled across.
Force ghosts.
Dozens of them! All milling around and chattering excitedly as if it were the most natural thing ever.
He sagged against the doorframe in helpless dismay. That was when Paz approached him cautiously from behind.
“Uhh, Vod? Are you ok? What’s going on?”
Din just shook his head, words failing him at that moment. The Force ghosts happily continued with their little soirée as if he wasn’t even there and he was loathe to draw attention to himself, but at the same time, very much wanted an explanation.
Taking a breath, he stepped forward into the space. “Luke?!” He called out, only then seeming to be noticed by the invisible audience.
A burst of annoyance escaped him. Dammit, could he not come home and just enjoy some alone time with his family??
“Luke! Who are all these people in my living room??!”
Beside him, Paz stiffened up and looked about nervously as if he too might become able to see them if he tried hard enough.
Usually, Din sympathised with him. He knew full well what it was like to be involuntarily thrown headfirst into a bog of creepy Jetii shit and feeling completely out of one’s depth, not wanting anything to do with it.
Right now, however, he had more pressing things to worry about than his brothers’ sensitivities.
Luke chose that moment to emerge from the kitchen and beamed at him, seeming totally unaware of how bizarre and unwanted this situation was.
“Din!” He cried excitedly. “Isn’t this great?! The Jedi order surprised me with a visit! They wanted to come see the kits and give them their blessing! They are very strong in the Force and have caused quite a stir for the Jedi!”
’Great’ wasn’t exactly the word Din would have used. However, he could see that it had made his Riduur happy and didn’t want to spoil his pleasure, even if he himself was not amused.
The floating crib had followed him in and all three girls were sitting up, eyes wide and ears standing to attention on their little heads. Looking as if they had seen a ghost, he thought wryly.
On spying Din, they started making their little squeaking mewls and holding their tiny hands out for him.
With a soft smile, Luke moved the crib closer to him and Din rushed to take them into his arms, needing the comfort of their presence as much as they needed his.
“They missed their Buir today,” Luke told him as a series of “awwww!” echoed around the room.
He had to bite his tongue to hold back the snarky comment that threatened to come up regarding the onlookers.
Instead, he took a steadying breath through his nose, very thankful he had not yet taken his helmet off.
“Luke,” he began carefully. “Don’t you think we should continue this conversation later?”
Looking down at the girls he held against his chest, he added “and don’t you think this is all a bit…overwhelming for our several week old kits?”
“Oh, not at all!” Luke replied cheerfully. “They have been having a wonderful time playing with the Jedi. Little Ra-Nea has even been giggling as she has tried to swat at them.
They seem to enjoy all these glowing blue people around. Like they are surrounded by big sparkly toys. I can feel their awe and wonder in the Force.”
Din grit his teeth as his leverage for politely getting all the ‘glowing blue people’ to leave slipped away.
He sighed. “Where is Grogu?”
“In his high chair in the kitchen,” Luke smiled. “Father and Master Yoda are watching him and supervising his pre-lunch snacks.”
A loud shudder made them both look round at Paz, who had drawn his shoulders together, his whole body screaming discomfort.
“Ok, all this Force ghost talk is giving me the creeps. Paz out!” He abruptly turned on his heel and left.
They both watched him for a moment, Din wishing for the first time that he had the freedom to follow him.
That feeling was only subtle and fleeting. It dissipated instantly when he looked down at his starry-eyed kits who were still mewing at him as if he had been gone for days instead of hours.
Nothing would actually make him want to stay away from his family a second longer than he had to - not even a room full of dead Jetii.
With a sigh, he turned back round and kept his eyes on the girls as he said “Welcome Masters. I…would be lying if a said I was in any way prepared for this, but I thank you for your blessings toward my children.”
The Jedi murmured good-naturedly in response and Luke stepped forward, eyes dancing.
“Let me introduce you to the most recent Jedi Council members. You know Master Yoda and Obi Wan, of course. This here is Master Mace Windu. Oh and Masters Kit Fisto and Plo Koon…”
He indicated a bald humanoid man, a green Nautolan, and a Kel Dor Jedi in turn.
Turning and looking around, he spied two more who had come forward, two females: one a tall slender Torgruta woman with Lekku much longer than Ashoka’s, the other short and green - yet another member of Grogu’s mysterious species.
“Here are Masters Shaak Ti and Yaddle.”
Din’s attention lingered on the latter for a moment, fascinated to see another like their foundling son.
Meanwhile, Luke was looking round for more council members.
“Hmm, there were others here but they seem to be flitting in and out. That’s ok, I can always introduce you later. Oh! There’s a few important people left who you should meet!”
He gestured to a man with long brown hair and a matching beard, who had been talking to Obi Wan. “This is Master Qui Gon Jinn. He was Obi Wan’s Master and also the one who scouted my father.”
The man nodded his head politely and Din repeated the gesture, not sure he was capable of doing anything else.
He wondered how this genteel looking Master felt about being the one to bring the padawan who became Darth Vader into the fold.
Next, Luke pointed out a tall, thin severe looking woman with long grey hair tied back in a bun.
“This is Jocasta, who was in charge of the Great Library in the Jedi Temple. Oh! And this is Master Fey!”
A serene young woman in light coloured robes drifted over and smiled softly at him and the kits in his arms. Her loose blonde hair tumbled over her back and shoulders like a waterfall.
“She is a bit of an anomaly even amongst the Jedi!” Luke started to explain, his ears and tail springing up animatedly.
“Master Fey was so attuned to the Force that she followed it wherever it took her and became a wandering Jedi sage. In return, the Force gifted her with immortality until she sacrificed her life to save the other Jedi she was with on a dangerous mission.”
Before Din could wrap his head around this information, Luke continued. “Great news! She has recognised the same inclination in our Beru, so when she comes of age, if she chooses to follow that path, Master Fey has offered to be her teacher!”
Din absolutely did not have the mental energy to deal with that. He suppressed a sigh as he rubbed his temples. “Um…great…forgive me, I’m a little too tired to take this all in right now. Do you mind if I take the girls up to our room and lay down for a bit?”
“Oh.” Luke cocked his head in concern. “Sure, go ahead. I have a few more people to talk to and then Grogu and I can join you shortly.”
Releasing a breath of relief to be excused, Din mumbled a quiet goodbye to the Jedi and carried the girls upstairs.
After laying them down in their cat bed inside their nest, he shed his helmet and armour then laid down beside them.
He had barely had time to fully relax when yet another voice piped up from somewhere to his left. “Mind if I join you?”
Din did not need to look to know it was Anakin. Still, he cracked an eye open and considered telling him to leave him in peace, but the expression on his face gave him pause.
The man looked like a kicked Tooka; his ears sticking out to the side, and a visible troubled unease behind his sad blue eyes that were so much like his Riduur’s.
“Alright” Din conceded gruffly. “But I’m not in a very social mood so don’t expect me to be all chatty.”
Those ears instantly perked up. “Thank you! Thank you!” He floated into the nest and sat down beside him.
“It was getting a bit much for me down there too. I’ve already spoken to every Jedi to take responsibility for my actions and try to do what I can to earn their forgiveness - but imagine being at a party with a whole bunch of people who died because of you. Some of them I killed myself.”
It was hard not to be at least a little curious at that. Din opened his eyes again and looked round at him. “That does not sound pleasant. Which ones did you kill?”
Anakin hung his head in shame. “Mace Windu, Shaak Ti and Jocasta were the main ones out of the lot you just met. Obviously there were more.
I technically didn’t kill Obi Wan. He dissipated into the Force before I could deliver the killing blow.”
“Dank farrick…” Din muttered, unsure what else he could possibly say. Then he remembered something.
“What about that Qui Gon Jinn? Did you kill him too?”
“No,” Anakin shook his head. “He died when I was a child, otherwise he would have been my Master instead of Obi Wan.”
Frowning, Din thought about that for a moment, feeling drawn in despite his previous stance on not getting into a conversation.
“So, hang on…he died not long after scouting you?”
Anakin nodded. “He was killed by Darth Sidious’s previous apprentice, Darth Maul. Luke knows the full story, if you’re interested. Basically, he made Obi Wan promise to train me before succumbing to his wounds.”
This whole thing was getting into the ‘more mental energy than he currently possessed’ zone, so Din hummed politely then fell silent again.
For once, Anakin was content to follow his lead and shut up. He stroked his ghostly transparent hand over the kits’ fuzzy little heads and they all batted sleepily at it, making Din smile.
When Luke came in not long afterwards with their freshly delivered lunch in a carry bag and Grogu on his hip, he did a double-take.
“It’s great to see you two getting on so well, but I didn’t expect you to be nesting together.”
Anakin raised his chin defiantly. “Why wouldn’t we? Din is my favourite son-in-law. I’d nest with him and my grandkits any day.”
Maybe it was the absurdity of the situation, indeed the whole affair since stepping through the front door - but Din found himself laughing harder than he thought possible after finding his home overrun with Force ghosts.