Work Text:
Admittedly, Luke Skywalker is not in a very good mood.
"Didn't I just get rid of these kriffing assholes?" He mutters to himself, slicing his saber through the throng of blaster bolts, tossing some Stormtroopers to the side with a flick of his wrist.
"We overthrew the Empire like, 5 years ago." He grouses, "- can we please stop with all this remnant nonsense?"
None of the Stormtroopers answer him, predictably. He lets out a deep sigh as he reaches his destination and frowns at the heavy doors in front of him.
"Couldn't they just make this easy for once?" He says, and Artoo trills in his ear. "-Yeah, yeah."
His head tilts as he considers the door and decides how to open it. He could either rip it off, or he could cut it open with his saber. The former would be quicker, but the latter would be less scary.
He lights up the saber and decides to take the long way. The metal hisses as the blade cuts through, and not for the first time, he thinks that he really could've used the saber to help with his chores on the farm.
The sudden ache over Owen and Beru surprises him, and he has to disengage the saber and take a breath.
I am one with the Force he thinks, and it is one with me.
The frustrated, annoyed mood he was in vanishes as he meditates for a moment, and interestingly, the Force flowing through him has something to say. Luke considers the door again once he opens his eyes, and is now curious. He continues what he was doing and then takes a step back, pulling the metal out of the door.
The blaster fire starts immediately. He sighs, but now that the Force is pulling him toward something, nothing's going to stop him.
He deflects the bolts easily as he steps through the door before reaching his hand out and yanking all the blasters out of the bewildered troopers' grips, and crushing them.
"Take a step further," one of them says, suddenly holding a vibroknife to one of the children Luke's come to rescue "-and-"
"Really." Luke says, deeply unimpressed, as he simply just yanks that away too, and shoves all the troopers to one side of the wall, while the children cower.
"Don't you guys know by now you're on the losing side?" Luke asks, looking at all their dilapidated armour, "-cut your losses. Artoo, can you tell the guys I've got ‘em?"
Luke just stands there, threateningly until the rest of the Rebels- uh. Hmm. Not Rebels anymore, are they? The rest of his team comes rolling into the room, some of them headed to take the troopers, others to go check on the children.
Luke powers down the saber once they bustle in, and goes to look for whatever the Force was telling him to find. He walks through the throng of children smiling as they all relax, laughing a bit when a couple of them come barreling up to him.
"I knew you were real!" One of them says, purple eyes shining up at him, before they turn to their sibling (Luke is making an assumption based on how they look nearly identical,) "-I told you Luke Skywalker would save us!"
Something churns in Luke's gut as he thinks of all the people he couldn't save.
"It wasn't just me." Luke hums, crouching down, "-the galaxy is full of brave and strong people who are even braver and stronger than I am. No one can do anything alone. Remember that." Luke straightens up as he continues around the room, until he feels it.
He approaches where they were all seemingly sleeping, and he takes care to keep his anger balanced as he walks over to some even smaller children. When he approaches a crib, the Force sings.
"Hello there," Luke says, reaching into it. The baby blinks at him with big brown eyes. "-The Force is strong with you, little one." he murmurs, settling the baby in his arms. Luke hasn't felt this certain in a long time.
"Unbelievable." Iella says, as she comes up beside him and sighs. "-Well, Luke, we've ID'd most of the kids."
"That's good," Luke says, "-what about him?"
"No." Iella sighs, "-no, we weren't expecting a baby, but-"
"I'll take him." Luke says, pulling him into his cloak. "-You know where to find me if you find his parents."
The Force tells Luke they won't. Iella looks at him skeptically, but knows better than to argue.
"Say hi to Wedge for me," Luke grins and Iella reddens.
"Skywalker-" she says, warningly.
"What?" Luke grins and she shakes her head.
"The Jedi thing fools me every now and again," she says, "-but you're still the same meddling Luke Skywalker afterall."
Luke huffs.
"After everything the both of you have done, and been through Iella," he says, softly, "-don't you think you both deserve some happiness?"
"You first." She says, instead and turns away.
Luke sighs, but then looks down at the baby.
"Well, kid." Luke says, "-I guess we better figure out what we're going to do."
-
"He's lovely, Luke." Shara says, holding the baby, while Kes brings in an old bottle of Poe's. "What's his name?"
Luke quickly realized he was ill-equipped for caring for an infant. However, he does know some parents, so after a quick jump into hyperspace he knocked on Shara and Kes' door, hoping they might have a few pointers. There's no way in hells that Luke is ready to tell Leia about the baby.
"He doesn't have one." Luke says, darkly, as Shara hands him back and quickly shows Luke how to feed him properly. In spite of the resurfacing anger, he can't help but smile softly at the spike of happiness in the Force when the baby starts to eat. He feels…. Well he doesn't know how he feels exactly, as he looks down. It's something he's never felt before.
"What do you mean he doesn't have one?" Kes asks, settling into the couch, reaching over to ruffle their toddler Poe's hair as he comes racing into the room with a starfighter.
"The Second Empire-"
"First Order" Shara corrects. (She's New Republic Intelligence)
"Whatever. Same thing." Luke huffs, "-whoever they are gave him a serial number. FN something or other."
Luke supposes he'll have to think of a name, but. So far he's been hoping that the Force will show him one.
"F-N?" Poe repeats, now curiously blinking at the baby, "-Finn?"
Luke laughs.
"Thanks Poe," he says, as his head tilts, considering. "-How about Finn, kiddo." The baby burps in seeming agreement.
"Can he play?" Poe asks.
"Not quite yet kiddo, he's too little."
"Hmm. Can you tell Ben to come and play more?" Poe asks.
"I'll try." Luke says, and knows that Shara catches his wince.
"How about a snack, buddy?" Kes says, standing and Poe lights up and races off.
"You haven't told Leia about this?"
"Shara, it literally just happened."
She sighs.
"So what're you going to do with him?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, if they can't find his parents."
"He's strong in the Force." Luke says, "-it's my duty to look after him."
"Luke Skywalker." Shara repeats, incredulously, "-you're not thinking of keeping him?"
"Why not?"
Shara gestures at him.
"Have you ever taken care of a baby?"
"Yeah." Luke says, and shrugs when Shara raises a brow, "-I baby sat Ben."
"With his nanny droid around."
"I used to babysit on Tatooine." Luke insists, which isn't a lie. The kids were older, though.
"Hmm."
"I blew up the Death Star." Luke adds. "-Can't be harder than that."
Shara rolls her eyes.
"You can't keep using that."
"Why not?"
"Seriously though, Luke," she says, "-even if you had all the time in the world to devote to him, you're always off doing… stuff. What then?"
"I'll figure it out." Luke insists. "-He's meant to be with me, Shara."
"Well," she says, "-who am I to argue with the Force."
-
Luke hates to admit it, but. If there's any being wise enough in the Galaxy to argue with the Force, it's Shara Bey.
The first time Luke has Finn strapped to him while he clears out a post of Stormtroopers, and Finn gives away their position by crying, he thinks she might have had a point.
But still, the Force is telling him that Finn is his youngling, so there.
Luke sits in his hut on Ossus, exhausted as Finn's finally asleep when Artoo rolls in.
"Are you speaking to me now?" Luke huffs. Luke forgot to change his oil ‘cause the baby was making him tired one time and-
Artoo lights up and projects Leia's face.
Kriff.
"Luke Skywalker." She says, and Luke glares at Artoo, "-why the hell do I have to find out from Shara Bey that you have a baby?!"
"He's not a baby." Luke says, "Well, yes he is. But he's my youngling."
"What does that mean, Luke."
"Well, babies strong in the Force were taken to live in the Creche in the Jedi Temple-"
"Yes. With multiple Jedi looking after them. In a Temple that had a nursery. While poor Finn only has you and a hut."
Luke scoffs.
"She told you his name?"
"Why wouldn't she?"
"Leia, look, I know it's a big undertaking-"
"A big undertaking! Luke." She says, "-if you wanted more time with a kid, Ben is right here."
"It's not that, Leia. The Force-"
"You have to stop blaming everything on the Force."
"I'm not blaming, I'm-"
"Luke." Leia says, in her conciliatory tone that she uses on unruly politicians. Luke crosses his arms. "-Be reasonable for a second. Why can't you leave Finn with someone who's able to take care of him 24/7 who isn't constantly getting into violent skirmishes and then when he's a little older and there's more than just you in the order, take him back to train him."
"He belongs with me." Luke insists.
"Think about it, would you?" Leia sighs.
Luke turns off the transmission.
-
The thing is, Luke does think about it. Thinks about it when Finn wakes up 5 times in the night. Thinks about it when he won't stop fussing, even though Luke can't figure out what's wrong. Thinks about it when he can't change his diaper right away when they're in the middle of hyperspace. Is acutely aware of it as he swings his light saber careful not to jostle Finn as he's strapped to Luke's chest.
But every single feeling he has is screaming at him not to be separated. Not for the first time, Luke wonders if it's the Force telling him this, or it's the scar of losing his first student. Just when he thought that maybe, just maybe he wasn't alone anymore… anyway, that was for the best. It's not fair of him to put that on… anyone. Even if he's feeling it.
Ironically, he comes face to face with the hurt again sooner than he expected.
"How come," Luke grits to Finn as he repels blaster fire and races through the town, "-when I try to sing you don't fall asleep, but the sound of blaster fire is apparently soothing?"
He's not even in the baby sling that Luke usually has him in. This was supposed to be just intelligence gathering. The Force tells Luke to stop short and turn down an alley, so he obeys.
He skids to a halt when he sees who he's come face to face with.
"Mandalorian." Luke greets, surprised. "Hi Grogu."
Grogu is perched on his shoulder and tilts his ears in curiousity as he takes in Finn.
"Skywalker." The Mandalorian says, terse. "-What are you doing here?"
"What are you?" Luke huffs.
"It's none of your business."
Grogu's ears tilt and shows him Teva's briefing.
"We're after the same faction, then-"
"Grogu." The Mandalorian says, "-we're not supposed to tell-"
"I blew up the Death Star." Luke says.
The helmet turns to him.
"Congratulations. What does that have anything to do with-?"
The Force screams.
"Hold him for me?" Luke says, suddenly.
"Hold-?"
Luke thrusts Finn at the Mandalorian before igniting his lightsaber, as he races back towards the faction.
He makes pretty quick work of them, when he's not worried about the baby. He spins to stop the blaster fire coming at him, but is beaten to it when the Mandalorian strides in and blasts them one handedly- Finn in his other arm.
Luke smiles gratefully once everything is under control, even if he's miffed that the Mandalorian seemingly is better at fighting with a baby than he is.
"Thank you, Mandalorian, I-" he begins, reaching out to take Finn back.
"So this is your Foundling?" He interrupts,
"Youngling." Luke corrects. "-He uh. The First Order kidnapped him, separated him from his people. I'm taking care of him now."
"Hmm." The Mandalorian says, still holding him. Finn starts crying then, and Luke reaches out again.
"Here-"
"Quite the set of lungs," the Mandalorian says, appreciatively, and Luke gapes at him as he lifts Finn up to pat his back and settle him, "-you will make a very fine warrior."
Grogu's ears tilt.
"How did you do that so quickly?" Luke says, and the helmet tips up to look at him.
"Taking care of Foundlings is a very high honour. It is the Way."
"I babysat a couple times when I was a teenager. But usually kids. Don't have a lot of experience with babies. I was… occupied when my nephew was born." Luke admits, trying to reconcile the Mandalorian with the man rocking his son gently.
"So Jedi don't know everything." The Mandalorian muses, "- what happened to being the authority on everything?"
Luke bristles.
"We've spoken like, two sentences before right now."
"Tano is very sure of herself," he says,
"Well, that's Ahsoka for you." Luke huffs. "I know there's a ton of banthashit I don't know."
"You said on the Star destroyer that Grogu had to be trained, and yet he's here."
Ok, what is this conversation?
"I didn't say he had to be trained. I said if he wanted to use his power he had to be trained. And he's here because he chose to be." Luke says, "-can I have my youngling back please?"
"Is he like you and Grogu?"
"Strong in the Force? Yes."
"You're going to train him now?"
"When he's older, yeah." Luke sighs and purses his lips. "-People keep telling me that I should leave him with someone else. But he's in my care, and-"
"Of course you shouldn't leave him." The Mandalorian says, "-How else will he become a warrior?" Finn grips onto the Mandalorian's glove. "- a very strong one, by the feel of it."
"Yes." Luke says, "-he will."
The helmet tilts up at him.
"C'mon Skywalker. I have some things that might be of use to you."
"What?"
"I have some things that you can use. Are Jedi hard of hearing because you just do your telepathy thing and don't use your ears?"
"I can hear fine." Luke says, "-can I have my youngling back now?"
The Mandalorian hands him over and an ease passes over Luke when he has Finn back in his arms.
"I'll send you my coordinates."
"Um, ok?" Luke says, which is how he finds himself, holding onto Finn, Artoo rolling behind them as he stands in the Mandalorian's house, bewildered.
"You can sit down." The Mandalorian says, as he starts rummaging through things.
Luke sits down at the kitchen table and Grogu hops up beside him and starts cooing at Finn, who smiles at him.
"Oh my gods!" Luke exclaims and the Mandalorian comes skidding out of the closet he was in, blaster drawn.
"What?"
"I've just… never seen him smile before." Luke admits, shame starting to curl through him as he's suddenly struck by the thought that he's not cut out for this, after all. "-Maybe I should leave him with someone."
"Well, he's young." The Mandalorian says, reholstering the blaster. "-And from my experience Jedi aren't particularly funny."
Luke snorts and looks up at him.
"Your foundling needs to be with his clan." The Mandalorian says. "-This is the Way."
"In the old days, younglings all stayed in the creche," Luke sighs, "-with people dedicated to taking care of them. Not being dragged around the Galaxy by a single Jedi who's never taken care of a baby before."
"I thought you blew up the Death Star."
Luke looks up at him.
"What the hells does that have to do with-?"
"I don't know, Skywalker, what does it have to do with anything?"
Luke huffs.
"That's true."
"-And it's not the Old Days anymore," the Mandalorian says, flatly, "-that much is certain, even to me."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means, I would've thought you had way too much spotchka if you ever told me that one day I'd be working for the New Republic, and not just skulking around the Galaxy, trying to provide for my covert." he shrugs. Luke finds that the armour heightens the effect. "-But my covert doesn't need me anymore. So. Now I have to figure out what does."
Luke raises a brow, considering him.
"So it's actually Mandalorians that know everything?"
"This is the Way." He says and Luke laughs brightly.
"It wasn't a joke," the modulated voice says, but Luke somehow can tell that it was. "-there it is."
The Mandalorian strides across his little house and picks up a remote and presses it. A hover pram suddenly appears in front of him.
"Take this." He says, "-it'll make it a lot easier to fight with your foundling."
"Youngling," Luke corrects, automatically. "-I can't take this."
"Yes you can. I can start repaying my debt to you."
"Debt. What debt?"
"Saving my life. Sending him back to me."
"It's not the Jedi way to hold debts, especially saving lives. It's what we're for." Luke says, "-and I just told you, he chose."
"Consider it a thank you, then. Or a gift, for him."
Luke looks down at Finn, blinking up at him. Luke sighs and admits defeat.
"I'm impressed you found Ossus by the way," Luke says, looking up.
"I'm a bounty hunter."
"I'm aware." Luke says, amused. "Thank you… Mandalorian."
"Mando's fine."
"Luke's fine."
The helmet tilts a bit.
"If ever need anything else for the foundling." He says, "-you know where to find me."
"Thank you." Luke says, and stands. "I'm, um. Thank you, too."
"I told you, it's the Mandalorian way to take care of-"
"No, not for." Luke huffs and looks over at Grogu, running a thumb along his ear. "- thank you for taking care of Grogu so well. And you saved him first."
It's nice, Luke thinks, once he leaves with the pram, to have gotten closure. He meant what he said, he's glad to see Grogu content and settled. He's a little melancholy when Artoo navigates them away; he'll probably never see Grogu again.
Obviously, he was wrong.
A few weeks later, Finn cries and cries and cries and then goes to sleep only to start crying when he wakes up again except when he wants to eat. Luke has no idea what's wrong. Faced with the prospect of Shara's or Leia's insistence that he's in over his head, he calls the Mandalorian, because he's sleep deprived and he can't think of anything else.
"Skywalker?"
"Is it normal for them to cry for 48 hours?" Luke says, over the comlink, pacing, "he hasn't stopped and I don't know what's wrong and-"
"You can't just talk to him through the Force thing?"
"It doesn't work like that!"
"What's the point of it then?" Mando says, "-we'll be right there."
"We'll-?" Luke questions, but then the comlink drops off.
He's true to his word, and Luke carries a still screaming Finn out as the N-1 (Luke knows Jedi should not be envious but. It's an N-1!) lands.
"You look awful." Mando greets.
"Thank you." Luke says, annoyed.
"I didn't know Jedi could look ruffled." Mando says, before reaching for Finn. "-Ssh, ssh. What's wrong, kid?"
Grogu's ears tilt as he looks down from Din's shoulder. Luke follows him into the hut and crosses his arms as Mando paces around the hut for a bit, bouncing Finn on his hip before putting him back into the pram. Like Luke hasn't been doing that.
Mando pulls off his gloves and Luke blinks.
"He's probably just colicky." He says, "-it's not exactly normal but it's fine."
"It's fine?"
"Where are your bottles?"
"Uh, what do you mean, it's fine?
"Babies just get colicky, Skywalker. He'll grow out of it."
Luke drags a hand down his face.
"This is harder than the Death Star."
"Of course it is." Mando says, then, "-go get some sleep. We'll watch him."
"Why are you doing this?" Luke says, rubbing his eyes, thinking of the absurdity of this whole situation. His ex-student's adoptive father coming to look after Luke's youngling.
"This is the Way." Mando says, predictably.
Luke can't sleep, not in the hut, not so close to Finn screaming in the Force. He heads out into Ossus' tranquility and sighs.
He meditates a bit, letting the Force flow through him, letting his frustration and worry get carried away. He can't quite let go of the resignation.
He does manage to sleep though, for at least a few hours, because Ossus' sun is setting when he wakes. He makes his way back to a quiet hut.
The Mandalorian is sitting at Luke's table, cleaning his blaster as Finn sleeps in his pram.
Grogu is munching on something as he watches him, intently.
"You look better." Mando says, helmet tilting up. "-Did you sleep?"
"Yes." Luke says quietly, making his way over. "It's dinner time. I'll make us something to eat."
"I can't-"
"I'll take mine in another room." Luke says and turns away, cursing himself as he feels the jealousy start to intensify. He tries to banish it as he cooks, let it go into the Force, but it's not working.
"Do you need any help?" Mando asks, coming in after awhile; and he can probably cook better than Luke can too.
"What, because I'm incompetent?"
"Skywalker what are you-"
"Well, seems like they both prefer you." Luke blurts, bitterly, thinking to himself that he's turning into a lousy Jedi.
The Mandalorian is back to the strong silent act.
"You know your fancy saber twirling?"
"What?"
"You were just naturally good at it, then? You didn't have to train?"
"No." Luke says, slowly, "-I did."
"Same thing. I've had lots of training."
"Hmm." Luke says, deflating, feeling Mando's gaze pinning him down.
"You're different than I thought you were." Mando says suddenly and Luke turns back to the stove.
"I get that a lot," he sighs "- and you didn't even know I blew up the Death Star."
The modulated laugh shouldn't be as satisfying as it is.
"Thanks for coming." Luke says, as Mando and Grogu climb back into the N-1.
"You don't need to thank me." Mando says, sounding annoyed. "- I'll keep doing it. You took care of my foundling. I'm returning the favour."
"This is the Way." Luke says, crossing his arms, eying the line of the ship.
"Exactly." Mando says, and Luke feels… something as he watches them leave the atmosphere.
-
Luke gets used to the colic, after awhile, and so does Finn, apparently, because he eventually does stop.
However, even though Luke isn't constantly sleep deprived anymore, doesn't mean he's still not worried. He tries to will himself to relax and meditate more, because maybe Finn's picking up on it through the Force too.
He packs Finn in the blue pack and goes leaping through the foliage, and by the end of it, they're both tired and happy. Luke sits in his hut with Finn asleep in his arms and knows that all the sleepless nights have been a very small price to pay for this quiet contentedness.
The pram does turn out to be extremely useful during a firefight, especially when it can close, and Luke wonders if he should send Mando a thank-you holo or if that's somehow against the Way.
The question is solved for him though, when he's in the middle of capturing a Remnant weapons store when a bunch of Storm troopers drop to the ground and broad beskar clad shoulders come strutting through the wreckage.
"Fancy seeing you here." Luke huffs, deflecting a blaster bolt before powering down his saber. "-Hello Grogu."
"Why doesn't Teva just tell me you're coming?" Mando grouses, before going over to the pram and opening it, holding his finger out for Finn to grasp onto.
"He told me. You hang up on him too quickly." Luke says, needling him. In fact, Teva said "Mando might show up", but Luke wasn't holding his breath or anything.
"I told you, very strong." Mando says, ignoring the jab as Finn's still holding onto him. "-has he started on solids yet?"
"Uh."
Somehow Luke knows that Mando rolls his eyes.
"Why haven't you called me again."
"Is it so outlandish that I haven't needed to?"
"Yes." Mando says, crossing his arms and Luke crosses his.
"Maybe I called someone else."
"Did you?" The helmet tilts. Luke tries to centre himself.
"You Jedi are so big on helping others but you won't accept it, is that it?"
"If you're so worried about my youngling…. You know the comlink works both ways."
Bantha shit. Did Luke just fucking tell Mando to call him?
"You should be starting him on solid foods." Mando says, and then Artoo rolls in with a call from Teva. Luke doesn't know what is coming over him.
-
If anything, Mando insisting that Luke call him makes Luke just not want to call him. But. He's still not talking to Leia who's still insisting that Finn should be in a Coruscant nursery, and he can't talk to anyone in her spy network either. So he doesn't have anyone else to call when Finn starts to crawl.
"He's just so fast," Luke gripes, holding his hand out to stop Finn from getting under the couch again. "-I didn't want to use the Force but-"
"Serves you right." Mando huffs.
"Excuse me?" Luke says
"You taught Grogu how to leap." Mando says, evenly, and even without any context, Luke laughs a bit.
"Yeah, ok." He hums. "-Is this the right age?"
"Is what?"
"Is he crawling on time, or is this late?"
"Nothing's late, Skywalker." Mando huffs, "-I thought you Jedi were all about things being meant to be. Finn will grow as he's meant to."
"My Jedi training didn't include anything about how to take care of younglings, in case you haven't noticed."
Luke's been wondering about this. Neither Ben or Yoda have appeared to him, not since he found Finn. Maybe they're getting back at him for giving them such a hard time.
So, he keeps calling Mando. He spends an inordinate amount of time one day, trying to get Finn to babble for him, like he did for Luke that morning.
"Maybe it was a vision in the Force." Mando says, over the comlink, dryly, as Luke shakes a rattle at Finn.
Luke bristles and glares at the projection.
"I swear, Mando-"
"Is that the only toy the kid's got?" Mando says, then. "-No wonder he doesn't want to talk to you. We'll be over soon."
The comlink blinks out.
"What?" Luke says.
"Ba ba ba!" Finn says.
Luke huffs.
Mando is true to his word, and Luke has his hands on his hips as Mando unpacks toy after toy from his satchel.
"You're spoiling him." Luke says, gut twisting as he thinks of his own toy starships,
"Jedi don't seem like very much fun," Mando says, dryly "-I'm making up for it."
"Oh and Mandalorians are a barrel of laughs?" Luke asks, as Finn grabs a stuffed bantha and shakes it around. Luke can't help but smile softly at him.
"Grogu and I had a lot of fun when you were here, didn't we kid?" Luke asks, turning to him and the ears tilt as Grogu remembers leaping through the tree stalks.
"See?" Luke says, waving at hand at him.
The helmet tilts.
"I'll have to take your word for it."
"Hmm." Luke crosses his arms, "-well, thank you for the toys-"
"When is he learning to swim?"
"Swim?" Luke repeats, "- why are you-?"
"-it's an important life skill. He's big enough now."
"He doesn't need to learn to swim. He's a baby-"
"Exactly why he should learn."
"Mando, I don't even know how to swim."
"What?"
"I grew up on Tattooine."
"You know," Mando says after a long moment, "-that explains a lot. But you're not on Tatooine now."
"I don't need to learn."
"What if your X-Wing crash lands in a-"
"I'm too good of a pilot for that to happen."
"What if someone else is piloting?" Mando says, and Luke is kinda surprised he doesn't argue Luke's piloting prowress.
"Then I'll just use the Force to propel myself out."
"You're scared."
Luke bristles.
"I am not."
"Prove it and let me teach you both."
"You." Luke repeats, "-you're going to have to get out of the armour."
"No, I can seal the helmet."
"You're going to teach us in the armour?!"
"Yes." Mando says and Luke really doesn't know why he goes along with it, as he wades into the pond he taught Grogu on. Grogu sits on the same rock he did before, ears tilting in amusement as he watches Mando take off the cloak but wades out to meet them.
"This is ridiculous." Luke says, through gritted teeth, even as he holds Finn, clad in only some shorts he picked up during the rebellion.
"I thought you blew up the Death Star?"
Luke glares at him.
"Swimming can't be scarier than-"
"I am not scared." Luke huffs.
"Alright." Mando shrugs. "-Anyway, lets get the kid floating and then you can try."
He holds out his hands for Finn and then that's when Luke realises he's taken off his gloves. Luke looks at the large callused hands and centers himself in the force.
"Hey, Kid," Mando says, as he takes him, and Luke centers himself for a different reason now, watching Mando lower Finn to the water, supporting his head, "-what do you think, can you float?"
Luke watches in astonishment as after a minute or two, Finn does know how to float.
"He's not using the Force." Luke says, forgetting to be sour.
"Babies have inherent instincts on swimming." Mando says, matter of fact. "-It's only when we get older we lose it. Trick is to start them early."
"Mando." Luke says, hands on his hips, "-why the kriff didn't you tell me that?!"
Mando hums as he paces around in the water, moving Finn through it. Finn's force signature is very happy. Luke loses a bit of his annoyance.
"Because," Mando says, helmet tilting up, "-I find making you Jedi become a bit less serene very amusing."
Luke scoffs.
The lesson continues, and Mando gives Luke some lessons on how to keep Finn's lessons going. Luke only has a minor heart attack when Mando lets him go to float by himself.
"Your turn." Mando says, as Finn starts to get fussy.
"He's tired," Luke says, reaching for him.
"I know." Mando says, "-you stay here, I'm going to put him in the pram."
"I outrank you!" Luke says, incredulously, "-you don't get to give me orders!"
"No you don't. The Rebellion's over, Skywalker, and you're a Jedi now."
"Well, I would have."
"No, I'm a contractor. Only answer to the person who hired me. Would've been then too."
"Oh please." Luke snips, as he follows him out of the pond. "Contractors still had to-" Luke says, about to make a comparison with Han-
Kriff.
Mando wraps Finn in a towel and puts him back in the pram and then turns to Luke.
"Did you have fun arguing for no reason? Now you're just going to have to get back into the pond."
"I did, as a matter of fact." Luke says, crossing his arms. The helmet tilts a bit, "-and you said Jedi weren't any fun."
"I've been wrong before." Mando says, after a moment, clearing his throat. "-Get back in."
Luke narrows his eyes.
"Please."
"Why does it matter to you if I know how to swim?"
"How are you supposed to teach Finn if you don't know yourself?"
Luke hates to admit he has a point. He trudges back into the water.
"What now?" He says and Mando huffs.
"I thought Jedi were all about peace and cooperation."
"I'm cooperating."
Mando actually laughs.
"...Mostly."
"Gonna do the same thing I did with Finn. Help you float, Skywalker."
"How're going to know if I'm cheating?" Luke deflects, crouching down, going to lean back in the water, heart racing.
"Grogu will."
Luke laughs shakily, and feels Mando's hands under him as he leans back in the water.
"There." Mando says, suddenly quiet, as Luke's feet come out from under him.
"This is weird." Luke says, trying to keep himself still as he lets the water carry him.
"-you do this in the Force."
"I know what the Force is going to do." Luke says, "-I don't know what the water is."
"I'm going to let go now." Mando says but then huffs, "-don't stiffen up. Let the water flow under you."
"Was that your impression of me?"
"What, no good?"
"Not at all." Luke breathes, as the heat of Mando's hands disappear from under him.
"Not as hard as blowing up the Death Star afterall." Mando says, soft. Luke struggles to hear him as his heartbeat roars in his ears as he bobs in the water. It's truly not a totally different feeling to floating in the Force. He's not quite sure he likes it though.
"Yeah, yeah," Luke says, flailing a bit as he stands, trying to get his feet back under him.
Mando starts laughing then, hard.
"Oh, kriff off." Luke says, sourly, but then can't help it as he starts to chuckle along, shaking his head.
"Maybe this is absurd." Mando says, "-but lets do it a few more times. And then we can try more than just floating."
"-Or I can just fake it." Luke says, even though he gets the feeling they both know he won't.
It's actually fine right up until Mando tries to teach him to back stroke.
"Straight up, like this." He corrects, bare hand encircling Luke's wrist, "-move your shoulder." his hand presses down on it. "-Better."
"They're both getting hungry." Luke says, standing more gracefully this time, still feeling Mando's hand on his skin. "- I think that's enough for the day."
"Fine." Mando says, and Luke is almost surprised. "-Can I?" He asks, suddenly, and then lightly traces one of the thin silvery scars trailing down Luke's arm.
"Uh. The Emperor." Luke says, almost surprised at himself for answering honestly, but not quite.
"Of course." Mando says, subdued, and Luke would've asked what the hell is that supposed to mean, except he sounds… resigned? "-I'm cooking this time. You get dried off."
"Why do you think you get to order me around!" Luke exclaims, relieved at being able to argue.
"Fine. I'm cooking. Get dried off if you want."
Luke huffs and rolls his eyes, following him out of the water.
"What about you?"
"I'll dry off while I cook. Stay outside. Um. Please."
"Of course."
Luke drags both hands down his face after he's shrugged his robes back on.
"Bebeble."
Luke looks up at Grogu and smiles, genuinely.
"That, Grogu, is the best idea I've heard all day."
Luke finally feels the tension bleed out of him after he's put Grogu into the blue pack and strapped Finn to his front, feeling free as he leaps through the trees like they used to. He's using the excuse that the wind is drying his hair. In reality, there's something churning through him that he's trying to release out into the Force. He's afraid of what's going to happen if he can't.
Mando has his cape back on one they get back to the ground, exhilarated.
"How is swimming scary-"
"I wasn't-"
"And that's not?"
"I trust in the Force." Luke says, "-I don't trust in water, as a matter of fact."
"Hmm." Mando says, subdued, "-I suppose I can't argue with that."
Luke eyes the stiff set to his shoulders.
"Mando, what's-"
"Food's ready, come on."
Luke doesn't argue either.
-
"Mando." Luke picks up the comm, surprised as he looks at Finn on his blanket on the floor, playing with some of the toys Mando brought him. "-If you're calling about another lesson plan we're-"
"I need you and Finn to come to Mandalore." He interrupts, and Luke frowns.
"Why?"
"To settle a dispute." Mando says, evenly, "-aren't Jedi supposed to be peace keepers? Intermediaries? Kryze says that Jedi have been to Mandalore as negotiators before."
"Well I mean before the Clone Wars, yes." Luke says, "-you sound skeptical."
"It's just all I've ever known you to do is argue, so."
Luke snorts.
"Then why are you calling me?"
"Kryze can't reach Tano and she thinks the Jedi are our best option. I think they should just fight it out."
"So I'm second string?" Luke hums.
"-And you blew up the Death Star."
Luke laughs at this.
"We'll be there as soon as we can."
The devastation on Mandalore makes Luke's gut churn as he flies over it, even if they're rebuilding. It reminds him of all the other times he's walked through the ruins wrought by the Empire and sighs, pushing the melancholy away.
He jumps out of the X-Wing and is in the middle of getting Artoo out when he's approached by Mando, Grogu and a few armoured women.
"Master Jedi." Says Bo-Katan Kryze, who Luke's only ever seen on the Holonet and in Intelligence briefings. "It's an honour to finally meet you."
If Luke was speaking to Leia at the moment, he could've extolled the virtues of the New Republic. But, then again, Jedi are neutral.
"The Honour is all mine, Lady Kryze." Luke says, and Mando snorts. Luke ignores him. "Please let me know how I can help."
It's a straightforward mediation between two clans. Luke doesn't do much other than allow both sides to air out their grievances and then rephrase each of their concerns, which allows them to come to a compromise. (Luke privately thinks that Mando was right and they should've just fought it out.) Kryze thanks him and tells him that he reminds her of Ben, who was apparently on Mandalore a few times. Not for the first time, Luke wonders what, exactly, is the use of Ben appearing to him in the Force if he doesn't actually tell him anything?
"He was my master." Luke says and she stops in her tracks.
"He survived the purge?"
"Yes." Luke says. It's an odd thing to feel grief for something you were born after, odd to mourn people you never knew. It's his inheritance though, and he feels it every time he feels like he's straying from the path of the Force, wishing he had someone to walk along it with.
"He came here first as a Padawan."
"Really?" Luke says. She narrows her eyes at him and Luke wonders why she's giving him that look.
"He became… a good friend to my sister. Not unlike your friendship with Djarin, I suppose."
"I-" to Luke, that sounds like an accusation. Of what exactly, he doesn't know.
"Ah, Din Grogu." She says, suddenly, as Grogu toddles up to them, "-I hope you are not avoiding your lessons."
"No, he's come for me," Luke says, holding his arm out for Grogu to hop into. Mando is watching Finn, and apparently sent Grogu to check to see how things were going.
"Thank you, Master Skywalker." Kryze says, "-be careful."
Luke decides he doesn't want to know about what.
"You're done playing serene peace keeper, then?" Mando says, as Luke walks into the quarters he has on Mandalore. Luke hasn't worked up the courage to ask why Mando doesn't live here with the rest of his people. He senses well, tension. But also, Luke thinks he recognises something else; Striving to belong somewhere your whole life, but once the door is finally open to you, you find you can't quite go through it. He's not quite sure how he knows this about Mando, but he does.
"Is that what you were laughing about earlier?"
"I mean, I fell for it the first time too," he shrugs, "-come eat."
"How was he?" Luke asks, tapping Finn on the nose. He gurgles when he sees Luke, teething on something.
"A fine young warrior." Mando says, as Luke gratefully eats the soup. He puts the spoon down as he thinks of something.
"Lady Kryze called Grogu ‘Din Grogu'." He says, "- he takes your name when he becomes your apprentice?"
"Yes." Mando says, "-how did you know that was my name?"
"You think I didn't do my homework on the being who found my hidden Jedi enclave?"
"I guess." he says,
"What was your apprentice name?" Luke asks, curious. He feels like he knows so little actual fact about this man. But so much else something whispers and he shuts that down.
"I, uh. Didn't have one." Mando says, shifting in his seat. "-I was a foundling. I grew up in the fighting corps. I didn't… have a clan or a Master. I just.. swore the creed."
"Oh." Luke says and things suddenly make a bit more sense. "Well, Din," Luke says, wryly, "-let me tell you from first hand experience," (Luke grins internally at the morbid pun), "-sometimes having a family name isn't all its cracked up to be."
"I'll take your word for it." Din says, and Luke watches the helmet tilts as he watches Grogu eat. "- while you're here. Grogu had a nightmare last night, did he tell you?"
The ears go back as Grogu ignores him and Luke laughs at the tiny anger directed at Din.
"Now, now, Grogu." Luke chastises, half heartedly. "- you should have told me. You should probably meditate for a bit. You've been through a lot." Luke pauses, "-if you ever need help, remember I'm just a comm away and I can come and guide you through it."
"He's not your responsibility anymore." Din says, crossing his arms.
"-And Finn's yours?" Luke counters.
Din concedes the point.
-
"Ok, Finn." Luke says, encouragingly, "- get the block."
They're sitting on the floor of Luke's hut and Finn is across the room. He's been throwing things in his sleep, the last of which bonked Luke on the head. Luke hopes that maybe if he starts lifting things with the Force conscious, he won't do it unconscious, or something. He honestly has no idea how the old creche masters used to deal with this, but Ben and Yoda are still making themselves scarce.
"Focus on it, kiddo," he says, as Finn makes grabby hands for it, and starts to crawl.
"Ah, ah." Luke says, gently holding him back. "-Use the Force."
If Luke didn't know any better, he'd think Finn looks extremely annoyed.
"You can do it, kid." Luke says, and then Finn pushes himself up.
"Holy Kriff!" Luke says, euphoric as Finn tries to take one step but then immediately crumples down. He starts crying.
"Oh, kiddo, you did great!" Luke says, rushing over, abandoning the block. He pulls him up into his arms and starts bouncing him. "-There, there. You almost had it. What a talented guy, wait until we tell-"
Luke balks as Finn rubs his eyes with his fat baby hands.
Kriffing shit. Karking bantha shit.
-
"Skywalker? Skywalker!"
Luke blinks and realises that he'd been tuning Cal out.
"Kriff, Cal, sorry, what were you-"
"Not important, Skywalker," Cal says, and the red brow raises underneath the not-so-red hair. "-You've been off the whole time we've been here."
Luke looks over across the clearing where Merrin is entertaining Finn.
"I just have a lot on my mind, Cal, that's all."
Cal exhales.
"Yeah, I suppose you would." He says. The silence they fall into isn't entirely amicable. Luke can't help but feel a bit resentful. It's him tasked with rebuilding the Order. It was him tasked with taking down the Emperor. It's him who has to piece together the old ways, when there's still a walking talking being who was there. Ahsoka at least, left before the purge. But they've agreed to disagree, so Luke won't bring it up. Well, that bit of it, anyway.
"How do you reconcile it?" Luke asks.
"Reconcile what?"
"Merrin."
"She renounced being a Night Sister, Luke, she's not-"
"No, not that." Luke says, knowing he's about to give himself away. "- being… attached to her. Your kids."
Maybe that's part of why Luke's so resentful. Luke has lost his family to become a Jedi. Cal's gained one. "-Jedi aren't supposed to-"
"I know, Luke." Cal sighs.
"Then how can you still call yourself a Jedi?"
"Think that's not up to me, Grand Master."
"Kriff off, Kestis." Luke says, "-what Order is there to expel you from anyway?"
"I would do anything for them," Call sighs, finally, "-and that includes knowing that one day, I'm going to have to let them go. I think you've already done that, haven't you? For your old Padawan?"
Luke purses his lips.
"- and the Old Ways…" Cal trails off, "- we were attached to the Order. Loyal to our fellow Jedi. Had strength in numbers, our collective numbers, where we weren't attached to any one person. But what good did any of that do us in the end?"
Cal sounds bitter, and Luke supposes he has every right to be.
"To me, the essence of being a Jedi is helping as many people as we can. And that's what I still try to do. And if one day? I have to help many people and the only way to do that is let one of them go? Well. I hope I still have the strength to do so."
"Hmm." Luke says, letting Cal's words wash over him.
"He's strong in the Force." Cal says, after a long moment.
"I know." Luke sighs. "-He keeps hitting me with toys when he's asleep."
Cal laughs.
"Our youngest was like that, Luke, what you need to do is-"
-
"Leia?" Luke asks, urgently into the comm. They still haven't spoken, so this must be something dire.
"Wedge and Iella are getting married," she says, succinctly, "-I told them you'd officiate."
"What, that's great!" Luke says, ignoring the emotional whiplash and thinking of the last time he saw Iella. That's when he got Finn. Almost 10 standard months ago. He's just so big now. "-Of course I will."
"Good." Leia says and Luke waits for the credit to drop. It's not like Leia to break first when they're arguing.
"I'm sorry, Luke." She says, finally, "-I shouldn't've been pushing so hard against your… kriff, what do you call them?"
"Youngling." Luke laughs, bewildered. "-I, um. Thank you Leia. I appreciate it."
"I'm worried about you." She says, "-you're giving away every bit of yourself to this."
"It's my calling, Leia, the Force-"
"I know, I know." Leia huffs. "-But isn't it about balance too?"
"Yeah." Luke laughs, "-yeah it is."
"Don't lose yourself to being what you think the perfect Jedi is, Luke. A perfect Jedi didn't save the galaxy."
Luke purses his lips and hates that she has a point.
"Anyway," she says, "- I can't imagine you with a baby."
"What? Why not?"
"Because I could barely handle it and I had Han and the nanny droids, that's why!"
Luke ignores the feeling swirling around in his gut in favour of listening to her wax on about baby care.
"When I had Ben, I had to make sure I took some time for myself and you never do that even without a baby…"
Luke hums and listens to her detail her routine with Ben and thinks that the nanny droids made things way more complicated than they needed to be.
"How have you been finding it?" she asks,
"Finding what?"
"Taking care of a baby." she says, flatly. "Obviously."
"Well, it's not as easy as blowing up the Death Star," Luke jokes and is proud of himself when Leia laughs, "-but I think I'm doing ok."
"Does… the Force help?"
"Not as much as I'd hoped." Luke says, glaring around the room, wondering if his two absent Masters will design to show themselves, "-but I had other help."
"What?" Leia asks, "-from who? Shara says you dropped in on her but she hasn't heard from you since."
"Someone I helped out once." Luke says, holding his breath, "-you haven't met them."
"Hmm." Leia says, "-now what the kriff is all this about Mandalore-"
-
"You didn't call." Luke says, as the N-1 touches down. Luke felt Grogu enter the atmosphere. Luke felt Din enter.
"We were in the system," Din says, as he stands to lift Grogu out of his seat, "-Decided to drop in."
Din hops out and Luke wonders when he started calling him Din.
"Well," Luke sighs, "-c'mon in then."
Luke sets Finn down on his blanket and Grogu scuttles over beside him, and Luke's stomach twists as he watches them coo at eachother.
"Here, kid." Din says, crouching down, handing Finn another teether, "-figured you'd need a new one. You're getting big and strong."
He has a satisfied tilt to his shoulders as he stands back up.
"You're still spoiling him." Luke says. "-Do you want some tea?"
"Sure." Din says, settling at the kitchen table.
Luke has no idea what to say to him.
"So." Din says, finally, "-heard from Teva lately?"
"No." Luke says, "-but I expect I will soon, some friends of ours are getting married."
"Couple of Rebels?"
"Yep."
Din nods.
"Congratulations to them." Din says, genuine.
"Huh. You didn't strike me as the sentimental type, Din." Luke says and watches the shoulders get an angry tilt to them.
"Marriage is about clan." Din says, evenly, "- adding to it or creating one of your own; it's a foundation to support and nurture your children, a way for foundlings to-"
"I know, I know, Din, I'm sorry, I-" Luke trails off. Should have known? Should've known what, though.
"Luke." Din says, and Luke stills. He thinks that's the first time Din's said his name. "- clan is what I've been meaning… I need to talk to you about."
"Why." Luke says, blood dropping to his feet.
Din scoffs through the modulator.
"Really, Master Jedi, you're going to- Luke!"
Luke turns in the direction the helmet is looking and can't help but grin and watch as Finn wobbles to his feet.
"You can do it, kiddo!" Luke enthuses, emotional quagmire dissipating momentarily.
"Don't help him."
"Me?!"
Finn takes one step. Din and Luke cheer as he takes another. He starts flailing his arms and suddenly Din is across the room in two strides, scooping him up. Grogu scurries up to his shoulder.
"You're walking!" Din says, proudly, "-ahead of your first standard year, too. Has he done it before?"
Din turns to Luke, Finn on his hip, Grogu perched on his shoulder and Luke wishes that he could disappear into the Force like Ben and Yoda.
"No." Luke says, and the rest of the sentence feels like it's clawing to get out of his throat, "-he almost did. And I was glad he didn't because you and Grogu weren't here to see."
Din stares at him for a good long time before he puts Finn down gently.
"Grogu, can you watch him for a second? I need to talk to Luke."
"What do you need to talk to me about?" Luke says, evenly.
"I thought Jedi were wise and all knowing." Din says, hands on his hips.
"- And I thought Mandalorians were bull headed and bad tempered." He snips, and tilts his head to the side as he pretends to think, "- Oh wait."
"I just told you!"
"And I don't know why you'd talk to me about clan."
"For the love of-" the modulated huff is very loud. "Are we just going to go on like this?"
"Like what."
"Pretending like we're not."
"We're not…?"
"We're not clan. All four of us." Din says and Luke reiterates his wish to disappear into the Force.
"Din, Jedi can't have-"
"If you say attachments Skywalker, I swear to-"
"Well, we can't!"
"Clan is different. You protected younglings didn't you?"
"Yeah."
"So they could grow up strong and well rounded and be the best Jedi they could be?"
"Yes." Luke says, lengthening the word's syllables.
"Sounds like Clan. Sounds like what we're trying to do for the boys."
Leia would've been able to argue her way out of that. Luke can't.
"Well, OK." Luke says, defeated, honestly not able to argue this, "-we're Clan then."
"Good." Din says, and then takes his helmet off.
"Uh, what-"
A single determined stride later and Din is right in Luke's space. Kissing him.
Luke's lips part in surprise, even as his heart races, leaning into the hard chest plate as-
"Din, we can't-" Luke says, pushing him off, but unable to bring himself to take a further than a single step back.
"Are you going to tell me Jedi can't love?" Din says, shoulders drooping a bit, but still looking determined.
"No. I-"
"-Because even if you couldn't. That doesn't stop me from loving you."
Luke doesn't gape at him, but it's a near thing.
"Being a Jedi comes first." Luke says, slowly. "It'll always come first."
"I know. I'm not asking you to give up your beliefs, Luke." Din says, taking a half step back into Luke's space, "- I'm just asking you to embrace mine too."
Luke looks up into the big brown eyes, determined as they plead.
"It's too late anyway," Luke says, finally, "-I don't think I could stop loving you now if I tried."
Luke tried to stop it. Tried to push it down, release it into the Force. But Din Djarin is a stubborn man. And the look of joy on Din's handsome face certainly is something.
"Harder than blowing up the Death Star?" He asks, tentatively putting his hands on Luke's hips.
Luke snorts and leans in for another kiss, hearing their kids giggle in the other room.
"Yeah." Luke says, "- it's pretty impossible."
Din grins wide before he pulls Luke up to his lips.
"You know," Din says, tilting their foreheads together, "-the first Mand'alor was a Jedi and a Mandalorian." he says, and nods towards their children.
Luke looks over at them, so full of love he thinks he could drown in it. So much for Din teaching him to swim. He leans into Din's side, settling in between beskar and man.
"I guess…" Luke murmurs, content, "-This is the Way."