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Luke is not a fan of the Halloween attraction that claims the lot just outside of town every year. It's nothing personal. He isn't really a fan of Halloween in general, finding it too contrived; too unbelievable. But there was no way in hell he was losing the title of Best Uncle when he had no one else to compete with.
(Lando and Chewie don't count.)
Ben is barely five, but he's fully capable of holding a grudge.
The kid's got the combined spite and pettiness of both Luke's twin sister and their father. It explains why, despite Ben's actual terror of all things Halloween, he's standing his ground and demanding to go into the Haunted Corn Maze.
"Apparently," Han says to Luke while Ben enters into negotiations with Leia, "some asshole kid in his class said he'd be chicken otherwise."
"So, we're beating up a kid is what I'm hearing," Anakin drawls, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets and scowling. He's always a little sulky when Padme is on a business trip, but he's also a fan of neither the existence of Halloween or Han. The fact that he loves his grandson so much as to endure both is exactly the reason he's shifting his feet in grim discomfort. It probably doesn't help that he's agreeing with Han on something either.
"Dad," Luke deadpans.
Leia too, in a more scolding tone, tacked on before asking, "Could you go in with Ben?"
Anakin doesn't quite pale, but it's a near thing. While Luke's never bought into the spirit of Halloween, Anakin's dislike of the holiday goes in the completely opposite end of the spectrum. It's where Luke suspects Ben gets it from.
"Me?" Anakin asks, sounding a touch shrill, "Why not Han?"
"Han's only just been allowed back," Leia reminds, "if he punches one of the scare actors again, I'm pretty sure Fett will ban him forever."
"That was one time," Han protests, and just like that, whatever blink-and-you'll-miss-it solidarity he had with Anakin dissolves, and the world is right as it was.
That is, until Ben piques, "Grandpa you gotta come with me, you're not afraid of anything!"
And really, far be it for Anakin to deny that kind of honest and pure hero worship. Not that it stops him from looking over his shoulder and shooting Luke the largest, widest, bluest pleading eyes.
In conclusion, this is how Luke finds himself walking through the Haunted Corn Maze with a grown man and a kid, both of whom are pretending not to be terrified.
In their defense, if they both weren't clinging to him so tightly that he can feel the minutest tremble in his left leg (where Ben is clinging) and his right shoulder (where Anakin is clinging), Luke might've believed otherwise. As it is, he just finds it hilariously ridiculous even with the knowledge that he's essentially being used as a human shield.
Gamely, however, he doesn't let them in on the fact that he knows, and manfully makes his way through the maze. He tries to keep the jerk of his body to a minimum for every surprise that leaps through the dark.
He mostly succeeds.
"Sunshine," Anakin hisses in reprimand when Luke can't quite stop his shoulders from shaking with laughter.
They manage to get through the majority of the labyrinth without much incident despite Anakin's paranoid hissing in Luke's ear, and the very vine-like hold Ben has on Luke's leg.
The jump scares are decent, Luke thinks, even if it's mostly the work of poor lighting and the ominous music being filtered through hidden speakers. He finds himself laughing when he gets caught off guard by the sudden cackle of a witch and a plastic bat flung his way, a sentiment neither Ben nor Anakin share as they shriek.
Luke's still laughing even over Anakin's whining that the shock of having something crash into him -- and cling to his other leg -- doesn't quite register until Ben is scolding, "Hey, get off! He's my uncle! Get your own!"
"Hey," Luke soothes, stooping to get eye-level with new attachment he's picked up despite both Ben, and Anakin's protests about extra cargo.
("There's only so much human shield to go around, Sunshine," Anakin complains.)
"Are you lost, young one?"
The lighting inside the labyrinth is poor by design, but Luke can make out a green frog beanie and a pair of big brown eyes. In the flashes of fake lightning, he can see the poor kid tremble. Kindergarten teacher instincts kicking in, he softens further, "It's okay, hey. I'm Luke."
The kid lets go of him just enough to sign hello before he finger-spells his name.
"Grogu," Luke repeats, and for a fleeting moment, the kid seems to brighten.
But then the music gets loud, and the labyrinth goes pitch black, and he doesn't know who's screaming in terror, but he feels three different pair of hands grab him for comfort.
Ben's the bigger of the two kids, but he bursts into tears from the shock of it. Grogu, on the other hand, faced with Ben's upset, turns consoling and pats the other boy's cheeks. In another language, he cooes, and through his hiccups, Ben calms.
"Good job, Grogu," Luke says, gently tugging one of the ears of Grogu's beanie.
The kid grins a little, watching Luke wrap an arm around Ben.
"Do you wanna get out of here?"
"N-no, no," Ben protests, furiously cleaning up his stray tears. "I got it, I'm fine." And grudginly, he adds to Grogu, "Thanks."
There's a cackle, another recorded witch screed. Another hale of plastic bats. Again, there are screams, but its much the same as when they first entered the Haunted Corn Maze.
Luke's almost relieved for the return to normality.
After waiting for his three companions to settle from the latest round of scare tactics, Luke raises from his crouch with Grogu in his arms. Ben immediately claims his free hand and doesn't raise any more concerns about Grogu joining them beyond whispering that, "We can't just leave him here." Anakin doesn't seem to mind either way, gripping Luke's shoulder and directing him ahead with a hissed decree that they "absolutely need to get out of this hell hole."
"I'm sure Boba will appreciate your reactions to this year's effort," Luke remarks to Anakin's grumbling.
They almost make it out of the labyrinth without any other surprises beyond the dread that clings tighter around them as they approach the exit when a chainsaw wielding masked man appears to block their path. His prescence is huge, practically blocking the doorway, shadows at his back.
Luke's never gotten why people would be attracted to the horror movie monsters that make up some of Halloween's most identifible characters, but he gets it with this guy.
He's not even sure who the man is supposed to be besides a chainsaw wielding maniac in a black mask.
(He's pretty sure the chainsaw he's carrying around is real, holy shit.)
The chainsaw isn't raised, but the man exudes menace, confident and untouchable. He prowls forward with a certainty that he is the better monster among other monsters, and Luke's never believed the hype unless he's gotten a taste of it himself.
(He may, or may not, also have a thing for the tree trucks that make up this guy's thighs. But that's neither here nor there. Luke Skywalker is a simple gay man with very simple tastes in other men.)
Shaken from his thoughts with the reminder of his dad and nephew's disturbed yells, Luke's surprised further to find Grogu wants to be put down. Now.
Unlike Han, Luke's aware that the scare actors won't hurt any of the people wandering around the maze, but still, he's reluctant to let Grogu go. If only because he has enough self-awareness to realize letting a kid wander around a Haunted Corn Maze isn't exactly safe, responsible behaviour. Especially given how terrified the kid was when Luke had found him.
However, as the chainsaw wielding man approaches, he hesitates. Through the modulated voice of his mask, he says, "Grogu?"
"Buir," the kid replies, practically inconsolable with joy as he waves his arms.
His squirming has Luke putting him down regardless of his reservations, and the kid immediately barrels towards the masked man. Luke would be more alarmed had the man not cast aside his (very real) chainsaw and dropped to one knee to scoop him up in his (leather clad, god bless) arms.
"How'd you get out here? I thought Fett was watching you."
Grogu speaks in that language again, his hands forming signs as he goes. H-A-N, Luke catches.
"Great," the man, Buir, mutters before standing to his full height once more, child in one arm, and the chainsaw he set aside earlier hefted onto his other shoulder. There's a physical pause as they all seem to realize that this wasn't how the end of the Haunted Corn Maze is supposed to go, but Buir must also realize it doesn't matter.
Ben's so terrified he hasn't moved since the masked man's appearence.
Luke's pretty sure Buir can see Anakin's white knuckles from the other side of the room.
"Well, c'mon. End of the road," Buir prompts, voice low. Turning away from them and towards the exit, the doorway seems to light up, and just like that, the attraction ends. The Halloween one, at least.
The exit is muchless dressed up than the entrace had been, but even in the afternoon light, Buir is as eye catching as he was in the Haunted Corn Maze.
He's shiner than Luke expected him to be. The lighting inside not doing him, or the sheer width and length of him, justice. Despite that, however, Buir is softer too. He listens attentively as Grogu babbles about his day. Luke catches his name, and when Buir looks up at him, Luke throws his friendliest smile. Unfortunately, he can't see what Buir's response to it is thanks to the mask.
Grogu doesn't seem perturbed and grins widely. Pausing to look back at Luke and waves, a sentiment Luke is helpless to return.
After turning back to face each other, Grogu listens very seriously to whatever Buir is telling him, and sighs as Buir brings their foreheads together. It doesn't take long before Buir approaches them again, Grogu still in his arms.
Luke can practically feel Anakin and Ben, recovering on a bench behind him, stiffen.
Buir notices and pauses in his approach. Luke hastens to say, "Don't worry about them, these things freak them out."
Still hesitant, Buir nods. "'Suppose that's the point."
"Exactly," Luke responds his somewhat forced levity dying on his tongue as Buir reaches behind his head to undo his mask, revealing a mess of dark brown hair, dark brown eyes and a neatly trimmed mustache. (Oh.)
Voice softer than he expected, though no less gravel rough without the modulator to disguise it, Buir flashes him a slight smile. "Luke, right?"
Dumbly, he nods.
"Thanks for taking care of Grogu. I didn't realize he got away from his babysitter."
"N-no problem," Luke manages, and adds, "Anytime, Buir."
Anakin chokes.
Buir flushes, expression going slightly pained. "Sorry?"
"Buir," Luke repeats, gesturing to Grogu, "that's what he called you, right?"
He exchanges a look with the kid who doesn't seem to think there's problem before Buir takes a fortifying breath and says, "Buir is Mando'a for daddy"
If Luke's hair could catch fire and burn off his face, it would have. "Oh my god, I didn't mean -- even though you definitely could be mistaken as -- Not that I would call you that unless you're -- I mean --"
At least Anakin thinks he's funny.
Buir - masked guy - just looks embarassed to be seen with him. Fantastic, story of Luke's life. "Din," he eventually offers, "Din is fine."
"Yes, you are," Luke says before throwing himself into the nearest volcano.
He's pretty sure Anakin is going to pull a muscle with how much he's laughing. From the look on Ben's face, the kid doesn't know whether he's more afraid of the Haunted Corn Maze, or his grandfather.
"Don't know what's scarier, Sunshine" Anakin says, none the wiser, "that maze or this encounter."
Luke grimaces, "Thanks Dad."
Shifting on his feet, Din clears his throat and says, "About that encounter. Do you...want to get some kettlecorn, or something? I'm taking my break now."
Before Luke can shake off the shock, Anakin whoops in the background, "Nope, its scarier that that worked."