Work Text:
The classroom buzzed with excited voices.
Colorful posters covered the walls. Tiny desks sat in neat rows. Construction-paper rockets, flowers, and handprint art hung from the ceiling, swaying gently whenever someone ran past.
It was Parent Career Day.
Third-grade students bounced in their seats, eager to introduce their parents.
“My mom’s a nurse!”
“My dad fixes speeders!”
“My mommy flies cargo ships!”
“My papa’s a firefighter!”
Grogu listened carefully to every presentation.
Nurse.
Pilot.
Mechanic.
Teacher.
Store owner.
Those all made sense.
He was taking notes.
He was presenting the next day, and wanted to be prepared.
That evening, while Din cooked dinner, Grogu sat at the table working on his Career Day report.
Tongue sticking out in concentration.
Little pencil moving furiously.
Every so often he’d erase something.
Rewrite it.
Smile proudly.
Din looked over once.
“Need any help?”
“Nope!”
“You sure?”
“It’s a surprise!”
Din chuckled.
“Alright.”
He went back to stirring the stew.
⸻
The next morning, Din stood outside Grogu’s classroom feeling…
Conspicuous.
Every other parent looked wonderfully normal.
A mother in medical scrubs.
A father in a mechanic’s coveralls.
Someone in an office suit.
A firefighter still wearing boots.
And then…
There was him.
Head to toe in beskar.
Helmet gleaming beneath the classroom lights.
Cape hanging neatly behind him.
Blaster secured safely.
He towered over most of the other parents.
Several children stared openly.
One whispered…
“…Is he a real Mandalorian?”
Another gasped.
“Whoa…”
Din resisted the urge to sink into the floor.
He’d faced krayt dragons with less discomfort than thirty curious third-graders.
The teacher smiled warmly.
“Welcome, Mr. Djarin.”
He inclined his helmet.
“Thank you.”
Grogu practically vibrated with excitement.
When it was finally their turn, the teacher beamed.
“Alright, class. Next up is Grogu and his father.”
Grogu grabbed Din’s hand and proudly pulled him to the front.
The little boy stood as straight as he possibly could.
He unfolded his slightly wrinkled paper.
Cleared his throat dramatically.
The teacher smiled.
“Go ahead, Grogu.”
He looked out at his classmates.
“This is my daddy.”
He pointed proudly up at Din.
“His name is Din Djarin.”
The teacher prompted the class.
“What do we say?”
In perfect unison…
“Hi, Mr. Djarin!”
Din gave an awkward little wave.
“…Hello.”
Grogu continued reading.
“My daddy wears shiny armor.”
Several kids nodded enthusiastically.
“He flies a really cool ship.”
Someone whispered, “Awesome…”
“He catches bad guys.”
More impressed murmurs.
Din smiled behind the helmet.
Reasonable enough.
Then Grogu read the next line.
“…His job is protecting me.”
Din froze.
…Wait.
What?
Grogu continued, completely oblivious to the emotional devastation he’d just inflicted.
“He makes sure I’m safe.”
“He always comes when I need him.”
“He keeps monsters away.”
“He carries me when I’m tired.”
“He gives the best hugs.”
“He tucks me into bed.”
“He sings to me when I have bad dreams.”
Din’s throat tightened.
The classroom had become very, very quiet.
Grogu looked up from his paper with the biggest smile.
“My daddy protects me every day.”
“And that’s the most important job.”
Din was suddenly very grateful nobody could see his face beneath the helmet.
Because his eyes had gone suspiciously wet.
Grogu finished reading.
“So that’s why I picked my daddy.”
“The end.”
The classroom erupted into applause.
Grogu beamed.
Din just stood there for a second, trying very hard to remember how breathing worked.
The teacher smiled warmly.
“Thank you, Grogu.”
Then she looked toward Din.
“Mr. Djarin? Would you like to tell us a little about your job?”
Din looked down at Grogu.
The little boy looked up at him with complete confidence.
As though he’d just stated the most obvious fact in the galaxy.
Din let out a quiet laugh.
“…Well…”
He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
“Umm…”
“I guess…”
He looked around the room.
“I guess all of that is true.”
A few parents smiled.
“So yes…”
“I protect Grogu.”
He looked down at his son again.
“…That’s the most important part.”
Grogu’s grin somehow got even bigger.
Din continued.
“But I also work for the New Republic.”
“I’m what’s called a bounty hunter.”
Several hands shot into the air immediately.
The teacher laughed.
“Oh dear.”
Din sighed good-naturedly.
“…Go ahead.”
A little girl raised her hand.
“Do you fight pirates?”
“Sometimes.”
Another child.
“Have you ever fought monsters?”
“…Yes.”
“Were you scared?”
“…Very.”
That seemed to surprise them.
“You get scared?”
Din nodded once.
“Being brave doesn’t mean you aren’t scared.”
“It means doing the right thing anyway.”
Another hand.
“What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever done?”
Din didn’t even have to think.
“I became his dad.”
He rested a gloved hand gently on Grogu’s shoulder.
The room collectively melted.
Even the teacher dabbed discreetly at one eye.
Grogu reached over and wrapped both little arms around Din’s leg.
Din looked down.
“…Love you, buddy.”
Grogu squeezed tighter.
“Love you too, Daddy.”
Din decided, as thirty children stared up at them with enormous smiles…
Career Day had gone far better than he’d expected.
Though he made a mental note that next year…
He and Grogu were definitely discussing the report beforehand.