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If Din Djarin had been asked whether he was an attractive man, he would have stared at the person asking like they’d suffered a head injury.
Attractive?
He was forty-six years old.
Perpetually tired.
Covered in scars.
Usually bruised somewhere.
His back hurt more often than it didn’t.
He had a mortgage.
A son.
A mountain of bills.
A ship that seemed personally offended by the concept of remaining operational.
Who had time to think about being attractive?
Apparently…
Everyone else.
⸻
It started at the market.
Din was comparing prices on fruit while mentally calculating whether they could afford Grogu’s current obsession with those little sweet pastries from the bakery.
A woman walked up beside him.
“I’ve seen you around.”
Din looked up politely.
“Okay.”
She waited.
He waited.
“…I’m Tessa.”
“I’m Din.”
Another silence.
“You have a beautiful son.”
“I know.”
“…He’s lucky.”
Din smiled faintly.
“I’m the lucky one.”
She laughed.
“I was actually wondering if maybe sometime—”
“Dad!”
Grogu came barreling around the corner carrying a bag almost as big as he was.
“Look! Cara let me buy candy!”
“One bag.”
“I know.”
Din took the heavy bag from him automatically.
The woman smiled.
“Well… maybe I’ll see you around.”
Din nodded politely.
“Probably.”
She walked away.
Grogu watched her leave.
Then looked up at Din.
“…What did she want?”
Din shrugged.
“I don’t know.”
⸻
Grogu wasn’t convinced.
⸻
A week later…
The hardware store.
A young mechanic helping Din load replacement parts into the speeder.
“You’re really strong.”
“I carry engine blocks.”
“I noticed.”
Din nodded.
“They’re heavy.”
“…Yes.”
She smiled.
“So… are you seeing anyone?”
Din frowned.
“I’m seeing Greef tomorrow.”
She blinked.
“For… work.”
“Oh.”
“Did you need him?”
“…No.”
She sighed and walked away.
Din watched her leave.
“…Nice girl.”
Grogu pinched the bridge of his nose exactly the way Cara did.
⸻
Then there was the café.
The bakery.
The market.
The supply depot.
The school pickup line.
Everywhere.
It became a pattern.
Women smiled.
Lingered.
Started conversations.
Touched his arm.
Complimented him.
Din remained blissfully unaware.
Grogu, however…
Was keeping score.
⸻
One afternoon they were leaving school when Grogu finally exploded.
“They keep LOOKING at you.”
Din glanced behind himself.
“Who?”
“The ladies!”
“…What ladies?”
“The pretty ones!”
Din looked around.
“I don’t…”
Grogu threw his hands into the air.
“Dad!”
“What?”
“They keep talking to you!”
“They’re being friendly.”
“No they’re not!”
“They’re… not?”
“They LIKE you!”
Din stopped walking.
“…Oh.”
He thought about that.
For several seconds.
“Huh.”
Then he started walking again.
Grogu hurried after him.
“That’s all you have to say?”
“What else would I say?”
“I don’t know!”
⸻
That evening, Grogu was strangely quiet.
Dinner.
Bath.
Movie.
Nothing.
Finally, while Din was loading the dishwasher, Grogu asked very quietly,
“…Dad?”
“Yeah, buddy?”
“…Are they trying to steal you?”
Din turned around immediately.
“…What?”
“The ladies.”
Grogu stared down at the floor.
“They’re always smiling at you.”
A pause.
“And talking to you.”
Another pause.
“And they always look disappointed when I come over.”
Din’s heart sank.
“Oh.”
Grogu’s ears drooped.
“…Are they gonna take you away?”
Din crossed the kitchen in three steps.
He knelt in front of his son.
“Hey.”
Grogu finally looked up.
“Come here.”
Grogu stepped forward automatically.
Din rested his hands gently on his shoulders.
“Nobody is stealing me.”
“…Promise?”
“I promise.”
“What if somebody really wants to?”
Din smiled softly.
“It doesn’t work that way.”
Grogu frowned.
“It doesn’t?”
“No.”
Din brushed a hand over one green ear.
“I decide who I spend my life with.”
Grogu nodded slowly.
“And right now…”
Din poked him gently in the chest.
“My favorite person in the whole galaxy lives in this house.”
A tiny smile appeared.
“…Really?”
“Really.”
“So… they’re not taking my daddy?”
Din actually laughed.
“No.”
Grogu wrapped his arms around him.
“Good.”
Din hugged him back immediately.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
⸻
Unfortunately…
Mayfeld overheard the entire conversation.
He was dropping off a package.
He stood in the doorway absolutely wheezing with laughter.
“Oh…”
He grabbed the doorframe.
“Oh that’s priceless.”
Din looked over.
“What?”
“The kid thinks women are trying to kidnap you.”
“They’re not.”
“No kidding.”
Mayfeld wiped tears from his eyes.
“And you’re still completely oblivious.”
“I am not oblivious.”
“Oh really?”
He started counting on his fingers.
“The mechanic.”
“I needed spark plugs.”
“The baker.”
“I bought bread.”
“The teacher.”
“She had questions.”
“The waitress.”
“She brought my food.”
Mayfeld laughed harder with every answer.
“The woman at the market?”
“…She sold vegetables.”
Cara walked in just in time to hear that.
She looked at Mayfeld.
“Still?”
Mayfeld nodded so hard he nearly fell over.
“He genuinely has no idea.”
Cara looked at Din.
“…She asked if you wanted to have dinner.”
“I was already buying dinner.”
Cara covered her face.
“Stars help us.”
Greef wandered in a moment later.
“What’d I miss?”
Mayfeld pointed dramatically at Din.
“Our fearless Mandalorian can identify seventeen different blaster models from a hundred meters away…”
“…but couldn’t spot flirting if someone tattooed ‘I LIKE YOU’ across their forehead.”
Even Paz, normally a man of few words, let out a deep chuckle.
“It is… impressive.”
Din looked around the room.
“What?”
Everyone groaned.
Grogu climbed into Din’s lap on the couch, wrapping both arms possessively around his middle.
“My daddy.”
Din smiled, automatically wrapping an arm around him.
“Yep.”
Grogu looked triumphantly at the adults.
“See?”
Mayfeld laughed so hard he nearly dropped his drink.
“You know what?”
“What?” Din asked.
“The funniest part?”
“What?”
“The kid has absolutely nothing to worry about.”
Din frowned.
“Why?”
Mayfeld grinned.
“Because at this rate, you’ll accidentally reject every woman in the galaxy without ever realizing they were asking.”
The room erupted into laughter.
Even Din found himself smiling.
“I still don’t understand what’s funny.”
“I know,” Cara said, shaking her head with a grin.
“…That’s exactly why it’s funny.”