Chapter Text
He looked at Luke, who opened his eyes with a smirk on his face. “You need to make your decision now, Master Skywalker. I need to reopen the gate.”
Luke swallowed thickly, glancing back at Din. He was far enough away that he hadn’t heard Obi-Wan, and Luke was grateful. Before he could say anything, Luke saw Boba and Cobb approach the three of them, Boba’s hand on Cobb’s back.
“I am grateful you are ok,” Boba said, smiling at Luke. He glanced up at Din. “Nice shot, Din. One in a million.”
“Thank you,” Din said, smiling back. He came to stand next to Luke, looking at the two of them. “Where did you end up?”
“Boba...he, saved me. He pulled me into a side room and kept the door sealed,” Cobb breathed, his voice shaky. “I wouldn’t have made it if he hadn’t saved me.”
“I was surprised when I didn’t see you in the middle of the action,” Luke joked, grinning at Boba. “That was kind of you; keeping him away from the fighting.”
Boba shrugged, his hand still on Cobb’s back. The touch didn’t escape Luke’s notice, and he grinned again. “He doesn’t understand our world, I was just trying to be helpful.”
“You are a good man, Boba Fett. Anyone would be lucky to have you.” Luke meant what he said, and he stared into Boba’s eyes to ensure he knew it as well.
“And that’s not you; I know, Luke.” He pulled Luke into his arms. “I just want you happy. I'm glad that you found that. You both deserve nothing but happiness in your lives.”
“Thank you, Boba. For being my friend, for coming here to help me...for everything,” Luke whispered, hugging Boba tight. Boba released him and looked up at Din. He reached his hand out and Din clasped it, shaking it firmly.
“Take care of him.”
“I will.” Din put his arm around Luke’s shoulders before turning to Cobb. “Cobb, listen-”
“No, it’s fine. Boba explained it to me.” He shrugged, stepping closer to Boba’s side. “He’s right, you both deserve to be happy.”
Obi-Wan smiled kindly at the group, before walking toward the rest of the Jedi. He began giving them instructions on cleaning up the mess now that all the troopers were down.
“I can sense that we will not be alone much longer, my friends. I will open the gate and together we need to get all of the troopers, the Emperor’s body, and all of us through the gate.” Obi-Wan clapped his hands together and the Jedi that came with him started moving as a unit.
“Boba, those men are...hovering!” Cobb’s eyes were trained on Jedi. Boba smirked and put his arm around Cobb’s shoulders.
“I have lots to explain, Cobb. Come on, let’s leave them be.” Boba steered Cobb away from the Jedi, situating him at one of the few tables that had remained intact.
Luke and Din shared a glance at each other, smiling. Luke started to shuffle Din off to the side of the ballroom so they could talk, but stopped as Ahsoka approached Obi-Wan.
“You are Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, yes?” Ahsoka asked, putting her hand out. He took it, shaking it with a smile on his face. “My name is Ahsoka Tano. I, um, I have a proposition for you.”
Luke looked at her as she tugged Obi-Wan closer to where Luke and Din were. She smiled at them, before turning back to Obi-Wan. “I know that the Republic needs more Jedi; and I also know that Luke doesn’t want to go back.” She glanced at Luke with an almost apologetic look. “I would like to take his place.”
Luke’s mouth dropped open as he stared at her. Obi-Wan smiled at Ahsoka, grasping her hand tighter. “This is a tremendous offer, child. Are you sure?”
“If I'm too much trouble, or I'm not as good as you need me to be, I can always come back, right?”
Obi-Wan nodded. “Now that I know how to open the gate, I’m sure I could bring you back.” He looked at Luke, glancing at Din for a moment. “Is this what you want, Luke? Do you want to remain here?”
Din looked at Luke. “It’s your call. Whatever you decide, I’ll be here.”
Luke nodded to him before turning back to Obi-Wan. “Give us a few minutes?”
“That’s about all you have, I’m afraid.” Obi-Wan turned to Ahsoka. “Are you ready to learn, child? We need to make a gate back home; and I'm ready to teach you how.”
“Me? You want me to do it?”
He nodded, smiling kindly at her. “With my guidance, yes.”
Luke steered Din away, heading to the balcony that they had occupied before the entire evening went to hell. Once they were outside, Luke threw his arms around Din, holding him tight. Din responded by putting his arms around Luke’s back.
“I’m so glad you are ok,” Luke breathed, his face in Din’s neck. “You scared me for a minute.”
“I scared you? Are you kidding? I’ve never seen you in action before, other than on TV, Luke.” Din pulled back, his hands going to Luke’s face. “You are amazing, do you know that? The things you can do? I can’t even put into words what it was like watching you.”
Luke’s cheeks reddened as he smiled. “Thank you. I guess we can talk about that later, right?”
Din’s face became serious, and he leaned forward and kissed Luke softly. He pulled back and rested his forehead on Luke’s. “I know I asked you not to leave me earlier, but I don’t want you to feel pressured into anything-”
“I need to go back, Din.”
Din’s heart started beating fast as he nodded. “I understand.”
“Do you?”
“You want to go home. That's fair.”
“No, that’s not it. Look at me, please?” Din lifted his head as he slid his hands down to Luke’s back, staring into Luke’s wet eyes. “I need to go back and make sure everything is ok on Chandrila . I have a responsibility.” He put his hands on Din’s neck again. “I’m coming back. It's not my home anymore.”
Din’s eyes grew as Luke spoke, his hands tightening on Luke’s jacket. “You are coming back?”
Luke smirked at him. “I’m difficult. I don’t know any of the foods here-” Din chuckled. “-your customs are strange to me. I don’t have a job or an income, and the clothes I have are either yours or what you bought me. I have a droid who’s a pain in the ass, and is definitely not going to want to stay in Chandrila without me.” Luke pressed himself up against Din. “Do you want me? Can I come back to you?” Luke whispered, his mouth close to Din’s.
Din closed the distance, his mouth on Luke’s. “Go back and do what you have to do. I’ll wait forever for you, Luke.”
~~
“Be good, ok? It’s a kid’s cartoon for Christ’s sake. Don’t swear or anything.” Din hugged Ahsoka tightly. The gate was open and the other four Jedi had already walked through. Obi-Wan, Luke and Ahsoka were ready, but they were saying their goodbyes.
Luke had been shocked when Boba had come up stating that Cobb was going to go back with them. His arm was still around Cobb’s shoulders, and the man kept staring at Boba like he’d hung the moon. Luke stifled a laugh, but nodded, watching them both walk through the gate. Ahsoka had built it beautifully; it was stable for the moment, and they were almost ready to close it.
“Eh, if it’s really a kid’s cartoon they’ll bleep me.” Ahsoka laughed, hugging Din tight before stepping back. “Go home and give Grogu a hug and a kiss for me?”
“I will. I’ll watch out for you on TV. Finally getting to be a star.”
Ahsoka grinned, stepping to the side. Obi-Wan reached out and clasped Din’s forearm in his. “Thank you, Din, for helping Luke when he got here. The kindness you showed him is unusual for your world, as I’m told. We all are thankful that you found each other.” Din smiled at the man, nodding. “I’ll have him back to you as quick as possible.”
“Thank you, Obi-Wan.” Din smiled again as Obi-Wan turned and walked through the gate.
“Artoo is going to be pissed,” Luke mused, putting his arms around Din’s neck. “You won’t be able to understand him, but tell him I'll be right back, ok? Tell Grogu also?”
“Both of them know you wouldn’t just leave them.” Din buried his face in Luke’s neck. “Be safe, Luke.”
“I’ll be back before you know it.”
~~
“It’s an amazing thing, honestly,” Luke said, glancing around the garden in front of the capital building. “I can see it, feel that I am a part of this world, but I know it’s fake. It's a creation.”
Obi-Wan nodded, folding his hands under the arms of his robe. “I can understand that. It is my home; it is real to me. Though others may not see it as such.”
“How is Ahsoka doing?” Luke asked, changing the subject. He wasn’t sure how much he should say – that he hadn’t already – about their world, considering everyone in Din’s world would be watching it.
They came to a bench, and Luke sat down looking up at Obi-Wan until he sat down as well. “She is learning very quickly. You did a wonderful job in her training.”
“She’s a natural. I only taught her more control. I'm honestly amazed at how much she was controlling it already by the time she came to me.” Luke smiled at his old master.
“Always did have a good eye for the students.” Obi-Wan chuckled a little. “Well, Master Skywalker. The Emperor is gone, and we’ve tracked down many of the remaining Imperial cells and destroyed them.”
Luke nodded. “It’s time for me to go home, Obi-Wan.”
The old man nodded, smiling. “I hope I will see you again, Luke. I will miss our chats.”
“As will I. I want to make sure there are no other Force sensitive people there; and if there are? I’ll need to train them.”
“Plus, you have a very special man waiting for you.”
Luke blushed, glancing down at his hands. “I do.”
“Go say your goodbyes. I’ll send you back when you are ready.”
Luke stood up, nodding before rushing into the temple next to the capital building. He stopped to see Ahsoka first, who hugged him and practically pushed him back out the door.
“Go! He’s been waiting for you for weeks now!”
“Time works differently here, Ahsoka. I bet it’s only been a week at the most for him.” Luke rolled his eyes, but smiled at her. “Keep Obi-Wan company, will you?”
She grinned. “I promise.”
Next, Luke visited Boba and Cobb. They had moved back to Boba’s home town, setting up residence where he and Luke were supposed to have lived. Cobb was taking to this new world amazingly well, though he still had a lot to learn.
“Ok, tell me again what this is?” Cobb pointed to an object in the kitchen. Luke was leaning against the counter.
“It’s a caf maker.”
“And that’s like coffee?” Cobb looked hopefully at Luke.
“Not at all.” Luke grinned.
Cobb groaned, putting his hands on his head. “I’m never going to get this.”
“ Yes, you are; it takes time.” Boba walked into the kitchen, kissing Cobb lightly on the forehead. Turning to face Luke, he smiled. “Are you leaving?”
“I am. I just wanted to say goodbye.” Luke put his hand out to Cobb, who shook it gently. Boba brought Luke in for a hug, before quickly releasing him. “I hope you both will be very happy here.”
Cobb looked at Boba, smiling as he put his arm around Boba’s back. Luke smiled at the display, knowing that Boba was happy; content. It warmed his heart as he made his way back to Obi-Wan that his friends were well taken care of.
“Are you ready?” Obi-Wan asked, his arms already in the air.
Luke nodded. “Thank you, Obi-Wan. I’m sure we will meet again.”
“As am I, Master Skywalker.”
~~
“Are we going out to eat tonight?” Grogu asked, flipping the page on his comic book.
Din looked up from his book – that he wasn’t really reading – to look at his son. “Do you want to go out?”
Grogu shrugged. He’d been quieter since Luke had left; upset that he hadn’t been able to say goodbye, and worried that he wouldn’t come back. Din and Grogu had watched the new episode of Luke’s show on Saturday morning – Din paid extra to watch it on Hulu. The episode had been mostly a summation of what had happened on the series ender, and what had transpired the week that Luke was in New York. It had ended with Boba Fett leaving to rescue Luke. They had both been disappointed, but it had made sense.
It was Friday night, and the show was going to be on in two hours. The two of them were killing time waiting for it to start.
“I don’t want to miss the show,” Grogu said quietly, putting his comic book down. “So, maybe we shouldn’t go out.”
“Ok, buddy. What do you want me to order for dinner then?” Din got out his phone, setting his book down.
“Pizza? The kind that Luke likes?”
Din sighed. Every night for the last week they had ordered only the foods that Luke had liked. In the short time that he had been with them, they found items that he truly enjoyed. Grogu was hopeful that Luke would show up in the middle of dinner, and be thrilled that they were eating something he liked.
“Sure, kid. We can do that. Pepperoni and black olive it is.” Din quickly made the order, before setting his phone down. “Luke will be back, you know.”
Grogu nodded, coming over to sit next to Din. Din put his arm around him, kissing his head. “I know. Luke wouldn’t just leave like that unless he was coming back.”
Din heard loud beeping from the kitchen, and Grogu got up and ran in to get R2. The droid had been a constant reminder of Luke, and just a couple days ago had figured out a way to make sure Din and Grogu understood him.
“Artoo says I’m right.” Grogu smiled, bringing the droid into the living room with them. R2 beeped again and Din glanced on the phone, reading the text of his words.
Din chuckled. “I know, Artoo. He’ll be back. We just need to give him time.”
This time when R2 beeped, Grogu handed Din the phone. “I can’t say that word.”
Din laughed as he read R2’s colorful way of saying that Luke better be back soon. “I agree entirely, Artoo.”
The evening was quiet; once the pizza arrived, they ate in virtual silence, except for Artoo beeping every now and then. Once it was almost time for the show to start, they crowded the TV and turned it on to the correct channel.
With bated breath, they watched the intro – making sure that Artoo was propped up so that his camera could catch the show as well – and waited for the show to start.
It opened on the scene of the Jedi coming through the gate with the stormtroopers suspended in the air using the Force. A voice over gave details of a mighty fight in ‘another world’, and that their mission to locate Luke and rescue him had been successful.
The scene shifted to that of Luke, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka tracking down one Imperial base after another. Both Luke and Obi-Wan continued to teach Ahsoka, and she was learning quickly. She practically glowed when she used the Force, stopping troopers from getting to them easily.
There was a brief scene showing Boba Fett and Cobb in a garden, Luke talking to both of them. There was a smile on Luke’s face as Boba and Cobb held hands.
The final scene of the show was Luke saying his goodbyes.
Din watched the show with tears in his eyes, missing Luke so much it hurt. He watched as Luke said goodbye to Ahsoka, Boba and Cobb – but he couldn’t tell what they were saying. There was music playing over top of the scenes, as though it were a climax of a movie.
At the end of the show, before the credits rolled, a simple text came up over a black screen that had Din’s heart racing.
We say goodbye to our fearless Jedi, Luke Skywalker
And welcome the newest member of the Order, Ahsoka Tano.
Ahsoka will take up Luke’s fight against Imperial forces
Learning the ways of the Jedi
And bringing peace to the galaxy.
“It’s still strange to watch myself on TV.” Din’s head spun around to see Luke sitting on the red chair behind them. R2 beeped loudly as Din and Grogu got up and rushed over to him. Din pulled him out of the chair, hugging him tightly as Grogu attached himself to Luke’s stomach.
Din sat down in the red chair, pulling Luke and Grogu onto his lap. He put one arm around them both, pulling them closer. Luke put an arm around Din’s shoulder, snuggling tightly.
“Are you back to stay, Luke?” Grogu asked snuggling in Luke’s lap and hugging him tighter.
Luke glanced down at Din and smiled. “Yes. I’m home to stay.”