Chapter Text
When Grogu came bursting through the front door after school, Din knew immediately that something had happened.
Not something bad.
Quite the opposite.
Good news had a very particular sound.
It sounded like little boots pounding across the floor.
Like excited giggles.
Like a backpack being abandoned somewhere that was definitely not where it belonged.
“Dad! Dad! Dad!”
Din looked up from the kitchen table where he was sorting invoices with a sigh.
“I’m right here.”
Grogu practically skidded into the room.
His ears were standing straight up.
His smile was enormous.
“I got invited!”
Din smiled despite himself.
“Invited to what?”
“A sleepover!”
Din blinked.
“A…what?”
“A sleepover!” Grogu repeated, as though that explained everything.
“At Megan’s house! Me and her and Tommy and Lysa and Ben are all gonna stay up really late and watch movies and eat snacks and play games and sleep there!”
Din stared.
A sleepover.
His eight-year-old.
Sleeping somewhere else.
Without him.
His first instinct was immediate.
Absolutely not.
His second instinct was to remind himself that overprotective fathers were supposed to at least pretend to consider things before saying no.
“Oh.”
Grogu bounced on the balls of his feet.
“Can I? Please?”
Din leaned back in his chair.
“Let’s…talk about it.”
⸻
Dinner that night turned into negotiations.
Grogu could hardly sit still.
“It’ll be so much fun!”
“I’m sure it will.”
“We’re gonna build a blanket fort.”
“Sounds nice.”
“And watch scary movies.”
Din raised an eyebrow.
“No, you aren’t.”
Grogu wilted.
“…Not really scary.”
“Good.”
“And we’ll eat popcorn.”
“Okay.”
“And candy.”
“In moderation.”
“And stay up until midnight.”
Din nearly choked on his drink.
“No.”
Grogu frowned.
“But that’s the whole point!”
“The whole point is spending time with your friends.”
“And staying up late.”
Din sighed.
“We’ll discuss the bedtime.”
Grogu grinned.
That wasn’t a no.
He knew he was making progress.
Din, meanwhile, was mentally listing every reason this was a terrible idea.
This was Grogu.
The kid who still wanted to be tucked in every single night.
The kid who insisted on a lullaby.
The kid who needed Mr. Bantha tucked under one arm and his favorite blanket wrapped around the other.
The kid who called, “Dad?” after Din closed the bedroom door.
Every.
Single.
Night.
Just to make sure he was still there.
The kid who, more nights than Din liked to admit, still woke from nightmares crying so hard he could barely breathe.
The kid Din gathered into his arms without hesitation.
The kid he rocked.
Shushed.
Held.
Until the terror passed.
That kid.
Din loved that kid more than life itself.
He would move heaven and earth for him.
But sending that kid to a sleepover?
It sounded like a recipe for tears.
And a holo call at two in the morning.
“Daddy…I’m scared.”
Din rubbed a hand over his face.
“Buddy.”
Grogu looked up hopefully.
“Let’s think about the pros and cons.”
Grogu groaned dramatically.
“Daaaad.”
“You’ve never slept anywhere without me before.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“What if you get homesick?”
“I won’t.”
“What if you have a nightmare?”
“I won’t.”
“What if you can’t sleep?”
“I will.”
“What if—”
“Dad.”
Grogu folded his arms.
“I’m not a baby anymore.”
Din’s heart gave an involuntary squeeze.
“I’m big now.”
Din looked at him for a long moment.
Then sighed.
“…Okay.”
Grogu’s mouth fell open.
“Really?”
“Really.”
He pointed a finger.
“But.”
Grogu nodded so enthusiastically Din wondered if his head might fall off.
“You take Mr. Bantha.”
“I was gonna.”
“And your blanket.”
“I know.”
“And if you want me to come get you…”
Din leaned forward.
“…I don’t care if it’s midnight.”
“…or one in the morning.”
“…or three.”
“You call.”
“I’ll be there.”
Grogu smiled.
“I won’t need you.”
Din smiled back.
“I hope not.”
⸻
The evening arrived.
Din packed an overnight bag with far more care than was probably necessary.
Extra pajamas.
Extra socks.
Toothbrush.
Medicine.
Favorite blanket.
Stuffed bantha.
Three emergency snacks.
“You packed snacks?”
Grogu asked.
“You never know.”
“Dad…”
“What?”
“They have food.”
“I know.”
“But what if—”
“They run out?”
Din hesitated.
“…Exactly.”
Grogu laughed.
Sometimes his dad was ridiculous.
⸻
Dropping him off was harder than Din expected.
Grogu barely looked back.
“Bye, Dad!”
“Love you.”
“Love you too!”
Then he disappeared inside with his friends.
Din stood there for another ten seconds.
Just in case.
Nothing happened.
He finally got back in the truck.
“…He’ll be fine.”
He repeated that to himself several times on the drive home.
⸻
He lasted almost four hours.
It was only 10 PM.
The holo chimed.
Din answered before it could ring twice.
Grogu’s face appeared.
His eyes were red.
His lip trembled.
“Daddy…”
Din was already grabbing his keys.
“What’s wrong?”
“I…”
Grogu tried to be brave.
“I wanna come home.”
Din’s heart broke.
“Are okay?”
A tiny nod.
“I tried.”
“I know.”
“I really tried.”
“I know you did.”
Another sniffle.
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh, buddy.”
Din was already out the door.
“You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”
“I’ll be there in ten.”
⸻
It took eight.
Grogu was waiting on the porch with Megan’s mom.
The second he saw Din’s truck…
He ran.
Straight into his father.
The impact made Din take a step backward.
Then Grogu wrapped himself around him with every ounce of strength his little body possessed.
“I’m sorry.”
Din scooped him up.
“For what?”
“I couldn’t do it.”
Din held him tighter.
“Yeah, you could.”
Grogu looked confused.
“You tried.”
“I got scared.”
“I know.”
“You stayed as long as you could.”
“I wanted to stay.”
“I know.”
Din kissed the top of his head.
“And I’m proud of you.”
Grogu blinked.
“You are?”
“You were brave enough to try something new.”
He adjusted Grogu on his hip.
“And you were brave enough to call me when you realized you needed help.”
Grogu rested his head on Din’s shoulder.
“I still needed my daddy.”
Din smiled softly.
“Turns out…”
He rubbed slow circles across Grogu’s back.
“…that’s okay.”
The ride home was quiet.
Grogu fell asleep halfway there.
Still clutching Mr. Bantha.
Still wrapped in his blanket.
Still his little boy.
Din carried him inside.
Changed him into pajamas without waking him.
Tucked him into bed.
Then, before he could stand—
Tiny fingers caught his sleeve.
“Daddy?”
“I’m here.”
“Can you…”
Grogu yawned.
“…sing?”
Din laughed quietly.
“I thought you were too big for lullabies.”
Grogu’s sleepy eyes opened just enough to look at him.
“I changed my mind.”
Din smiled.
“Good.”
He sat beside the bed.
Sang softly.
Waited until Grogu was completely asleep.
Then brushed one last hand over his hair.
Eight years old.
Convinced he was growing up.
Convinced he didn’t need his dad anymore.
Din knew better.
Growing up wasn’t something that happened all at once.
It happened one brave little step at a time.
Sometimes that step was spending four hours at your first sleepover.
Sometimes that step was admitting you weren’t ready yet.
And sometimes…
Sometimes the bravest thing an eight-year-old could do…
Was call his daddy and ask to come home.
Din turned off the bedroom light.
“Goodnight, baby.”
He smiled to himself as he quietly closed the door.
No matter how big Grogu thought he was…
He would always have a place to come home to.
Always.