Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Alright, everybody!” Luke’s voice echoed through the megaphone, catching the enormous crowd's attention. Young and old, graying adults to toddlers on their parent's shoulders, turned to look at him. 

Smiling with a small wave, he declared, “First, I want to thank everyone for coming to the annual Naboo Pride Parade!” There was a small cheer and Luke paused until it died down. “Second, we also want to welcome the newcomers!” There was another, smaller cheer.  “That all being said, we do have some rules to follow so please listen up!”

He then went into explaining their trek through the city, what was to be expected of everyone walking, and safety procedures, including the locations of people that could help in case of an emergency. He also reminded them that there would be pictures taken, lifting the camera up around his neck to emphasize his point, and they might be posted online. If anyone wanted to hide their faces, masks would be provided at the starting point of the parade. 

After receiving yells of confirmation, he pointed to a group sitting off the side on their motorbikes, all in riot gear with their faces hidden behind their motorcycle helmets. 

“For those of you that are new or don’t know, every year since we began we have had Mandalorians travel along with us.” There were murmurs amongst the excited and delighted whooping. “I promise they aren’t like your normal biker gangs. They may have a bad rep in the media but they have always been nothing but welcoming and protective. Talk to some of the veterans! We have faced some issues in the past with hate groups and, sometimes, the authorities. They’ll tell you how many times the Mandalorians have stepped in to protect us!” 

There was a resounding call of ‘Oya!’ from the Mandalorians and some of them raised their arms up in a fist and shook them. 

“The Mandos will be riding around us,” Luke went on. “Making sure that there won’t be anyone to hurt or disturb our walk! If you feel unsafe for any reason, you can flag one down and they’ll help you right away!” There were exclamations of agreement and understanding along with another round of ‘Oya!’ from the Mandalorians. 

“Alright! That should be all! Let’s have a great Pride Parade!” Everyone hollered and excitedly waved their hands or flags. 

Turning off the megaphone, Luke descended from the platform of the float he was on. 

Leia and Han were there at the steps in bisexual colors. Leia’s was a bit more tasteful in a white off-the-sleeve dress with straps holding the dress up, the flounce hung around her shoulder with the bisexual flag proudly standing out, compared to Han’s black shirt with ‘I can’t think straight’ in bi-colors.

“Good job, Luke,” Han congratulated as he took one of Luke’s hands to guide him down the steps. Luke was grateful for it since it allowed him to lift the ends of his skirt and avoid tripping on his platform shoes 

“Thanks,” Luke said. “What you didn’t see is the panic I was fighting off the entire time.”

“Couldn’t even tell,” Han winked. 

When off the steps, he handed the megaphone to Leia, one of the event coordinators. “I don’t know why you always have me do that.” He pouted. “You even made me do it when I was still uncomfortable with showing my scars!”

“Because you have the face for it,” she answered. She pinched one of his cheeks and he quickly slapped it away. “And people know you because of your social media.” She shrugged with a chuckle. “Better to come from a celebrity than a politician.”

“I’m not a celebrity ,” Luke muttered while he dusted his black pants to make sure he didn’t have anything on them. 

His twin rolled her eyes. “Right, sorry. Influencer.” She then turned and started to walk away.

“I’m not that either!” Luke yelled after her as he and Han moved to catch up to her. “I am a photographer !”

Leia waved a dismissive hand. “Call it whatever you want, Lu! At the end of the day, you do influence people to buy, think, or act a certain way through your socials.”

Luke scoffed. “You do one or two brand photos and suddenly you’re an ‘influencer,’” he muttered, his nose scrunching in distaste. 

“It was more than one or two!” Leia called over her shoulder. 

Luke just stared at her, wondering how in the ever-loving world she heard him. Or perhaps she just knew what he was going to say, which was even scarier.

Han patted his shoulder sympathetically. “You know how she is, kid,” he said with a smirk.

Shaking himself and rolling his eyes, Luke huffed, “Don’t I know it. You never had to deal with her when we were kids.”

“I heard that!” Leia called back as Han laughed. 

“No,” he agreed. “But I did date her.”

Luke snickered while Leia abruptly stopped and glared at both of them. “The two of you are awful,” she announced as they closed the gap between them

“And yet you still hang out with us, your worshipfulness,” Han snipped. 

“Well someone has to keep you two out of trouble,” she snarked back.

Han made a face of mock offense. “‘Out of trouble?’” he repeated. “I’ll have you know that I don’t get into trouble, ever.” 

“Righhhtttt,” Luke snickered. “Like that time with Jabba-”

“I thought we agreed not to talk about that!” Han immediately cut in. 

“Talk about what?”

The three turned to see Lando and Chewie pushing their way through to them.

“Nothing,” Han immediately answered, jabbing Luke in the side with his elbow.

Petulantly, Luke stuck his tongue out at him. 

Lando cackled, throwing his head back. “Come on you two,” he chuckled as he stepped up to the trio. “Be nice.”

“He started it!” Han threw a thumb at Luke. 

Luke put a hand on his chest and mock-gasped. 

“Of course he did,” Lando continued to chuckle as he clapped a hand on Han’s shoulder and started to lead him away.

“Come on everyone!” he hollered over his shoulders. “You were taking too long so they sent Chewie and me to find you!”

“Surprise Dad didn’t follow,” Leia muttered as Luke passed her.

Luke snickered. “Definitely Mom’s doing.”

A corner of his twin’s mouth perked up at that.

Meeting up with everyone else, Luke was swept up into a crushing hug by his father. “Dad!”

“You did wonderful, Sunshine!” Anakin praised. When he pulled back, his grin was gleaming. It stands out more against his black shirt with ‘I love my children,’ with an abundance of hearts of the homosexual and bisexual flags. A gift he and Leia bought for their father. “You always do!”

Luke grinned back, feeling more tension leave his body at the praise. “Thanks,” he chuckled as he pulled down his crop top from where it rose when his father hugged him. “I thought for sure I was going to flub it.”

“Oh, Milla,” Padmé giggled. She gently pushed Anakin aside to kiss Luke’s cheek, mindful not to mess up his makeup. Unlike Anakin's, her smile was only enhanced by the shirt she wore, the white version of Anakin’s shirt but with the words ‘There is nothing wrong with my children.’ “You always think you will, but then you deliver speeches so wonderfully!”

“I agree,” Obi-Wan spoke up. Padmé stepped out of the way to allow him to come up. “You did spectacular,” he kissed Luke’s cheek.

All the fears he had about his speech leaked out of his chest and were replaced by warm relief. “Thank you all,” he replied, returning the kiss with a hug. 

“Rex, Cody, and Ahsoka left?” Leia inquired. 

“Yes,” Obi-Wan nodded. “Rex and Cody went to join the rest of the Mandalorians.”

“And Ahsoka will be at the entrance waiting for us after she cuts the ribbon for the parade to start,” Padmé added. 

There was a sudden roar of the crowd in the front that traveled through the crowd and past them to the back. 

Leia pulled out her phone from her pocket. “Right on time,” she grinned. 

The crowd then started to move, float motors going, and music filled the air. Flags started to wave with people laughing in excitement- so many people with so many colors to announce who they were. 

Like every year, it brought warm fondness to Luke’s heart and took his breath away- like sunshine that filled you on a cold, wet day. All these people here to support each other and bring comfort. To offer love, peace, and acceptance in a world that constantly judged them and to fight against a political and social system that tried to bring them down. Out of all the beautiful things in the world, Luke thought this was the most beautiful and the reason why he kept coming back year after year, no matter where he was in the world. 

He couldn’t help but bring his camera up and take a shot, to capture this organic moment before everyone started down the road. He wondered if he was going to post it on his social media or hold onto it like he normally did with the more human moments he captured.

“I guess this means you are starting to work now?”

Luke startled at the voice next to his ear. He swatted his sister away while she cackled when she backed away. 

“You want to head out before us, Sunshine?” Anakin asked, wrapping an arm around his wife. 

Luke bit his bottom lip. “Maybe, just a few moments?” he offered. “To catch the start of things?” 

“Go!” Lando laughed. “Take some good photos and maybe even record some things!” 

Glancing around at everyone for confirmation, he was greeted by the sight of all of them smiling encouragingly. 

Grinning, Luke nodded his thanks and gave everyone a quick hug. “I have my phone on me so I will find you all again!” he promised as he started to walk away. “And Chewie? Remember to take recordings with the drone!” 

“Most likely we’ll find you first!” Leia chortled. “You’re hard to miss!”

Laughing, Luke did a twirl to show off the sheer material of his skirt dyed in the colors of a rainbow. “Thanks!”

Weaving through the crowd, he took an assortment of pictures. Snapshots of the crowd, the floats, and, every once in a while, group or single photos (asked with permission, of course). Beautiful, laughing faces all around him- teens taking their own photos on their phones or dancing in the street, drag queens showing off their glamorous selves, elderly folks waving their flags as they with family and friends, families walking together with their kids yelling happily in support, and even those solitary individuals who are there just to be around people like them- whether because they haven’t fully come out themselves and need that sense of comfort or introverted. Flags waved alongside whatever song blared in the air, and, at some point, someone started blowing bubbles causing more songs of laughter. 

As he walked and took photos, many complimented him on his outfit, the black pants and crop top bringing out the rainbow-colored skirt. He was more than happy to share where he got them for those who asked. But many more people recognized him for who he was.

Most knew him through his social media. He had to put on his most polite face as they raved to him about how beautiful his work was. They were (amazing landscapes, working with models, photoshoots of himself that he did alone, and snatches of wildlife), but they weren’t the pieces that Luke was the proudest of. 

No, those were the ones he saved for his personal portfolio. Capturing the human element in life: the wonderful, the good, the bad, and the ugly. That’s what he wanted his work to show. But those didn’t sell as well as he would like. So he more often than not did other types of work to get by. The closest he had gotten was when his work was showcased in galleries but the people there always felt vapid, like they didn’t truly understand what he was going for.

He was pleasantly surprised, however, that others approached him about his philanthropy work that was tied with his family name- feeding and giving aid to the homeless in Naboo, helping the homeless LGBTQ+ kids all over the country, raising awareness about political and social issues faced in other countries, creating nonprofits and charities with his sister and mother to help with those problems, and many other deeds. Some even asked about his run-ins with law enforcement in other countries when he attended protests, either as a participant or a photographer. These at least warmed him on the inside like a warm breeze, letting him know that the effort he was putting into helping people wasn’t going unnoticed. They may only barely notice the artistic value of the things he showcased paired with the articles about whichever charity or nonprofit he was working with but it was something.

Perhaps the people that touched him the most were those nervous individuals who recognized him but were there to ask questions. About when he knew he was gay, about joining the LGBTQ+ community (which Luke was more than happy to hand out cards of resources he had prepared a long time ago for things like this), or sharing their own personal stories. 

He was caught up in it all, he didn’t realize his exact surroundings. Which is how he accidentally ran into someone. 

He was walking sideways, too focused on looking through the lens of his camera, and ran into a soft wall. 

Immediately realizing his mistake, he started apologizing, “Oh nuts! Sorry, sorry! I was just-”

His mouth halted when the leather-clad back- with a sling backpack over one shoulder- he spoke to turned around. 

The first thing he noticed was his reflection staring back at him from mirrored aviator sunglasses that sat on top of a beautiful aquiline nose. The next was the small mustache above thin and pouty lips- lips that Luke wouldn’t mind knowing what they felt like against his own. Quickly followed by the notice of a strong jaw that was highlighted by a scruffy beard and a mop of dark, thick curls that Luke wanted to run his fingers through. 

Overall, the man before him was gorgeous and looked like he stepped right out of Luke’s dreams.

The man tilted his head. “...Are you okay?”

The dulcet timbre of his voice- not too deep but still with a bit of a rasp- made Luke shiver and snapped him out of his stupor. 

His face getting warm, he managed to reply chokingly, “I’m fine.”

Ducking his face to hide his blush, he cleared his throat. But for the life of him, he couldn’t get his heart from thumping hard against his chest. 

When he was certain that his face wasn’t going to be entirely red, he lifted his head with his best (if awkward) smile. It then dropped- along with probably any color he had on his face- when he noticed the little toddler on the man’s hip. 

“Oh gosh,” he wheezed, eyes roaming over the kid. The little boy stared at him with big brown eyes full of interest. He had a cute button nose and his tiny mouth was pulled into a curious frown. On his head, he wore a green beanie- where he could see dark curls peeking out- with big floppy ears, and on top of that, he had large noise-canceling headphones. His skin tone was darker than the man’s tanned one but similar enough- and given the hair- that they had to be related. “I ran into you and- I didn’t hurt the little guy, did I!?”

The man looked down at the child who looked back up at him. Luke swore he saw the corners of the man’s lips twitch before he raised his head back at him. “He’s been through worse,” he replied. 

Luke found himself smiling at the joke. 

Taking in the rest of the man, Luke nearly swooned. He had only been thinking about the man’s face when he thought that the man had stepped out of his dreams, but seeing the rest of him only confirmed it. 

The man was broad-shouldered with a narrow waist and arms that Luke nearly reached out to feel. All muscle and firm but not bulging if the fitted leather jacket was anything to go by. He wore a gray henley with the top button undone. His jeans were well-worn and not too tight but showed off his thick thighs very nicely. The brown steel-toed boots and the leather strap from his bag finished off the entire look he was going for. To top off the look he wore silver studded earrings, one just a plain stud while the other one was a side profile of a skull of some kind- something with a large horn on the end of its snout. 

The thing that really caught Luke’s eyes though were the three circular pins on the bag’s strap. One is the bisexual flag, the other is the demisexual flag, and the last one is the demiromantic flag. 

Luke bit his bottom lip to stop himself from whimpering. Everything about the man was everything he wanted in terms of looks for a partner. And the man seemed nice, not at all bothered by the fact of Luke’s rudeness from accidentally running into him. He hoped he had enough brain function to not make a fool of himself. 

“MANDO!”

The man turned and Luke saw a burly woman with a birthmark under her right eye make her way towards them through the streaming crowd. She wore a blue jacket with braids on one side of her head that were threaded with colored ribbon in the colors of the lesbian flag. Pinned to her collar was a button that read ‘Just married- for 5 years.’

When the woman managed to get to them she grumbled, “Fuck, can you not make it so hard to find you?” 

“Cara, language,” the man- Mando- snapped. He didn’t even have to raise his voice but Luke recognized the seriousness in his tone. 

The woman flinched. “Right, sorry.”

She then looked at the toddler. “The kid’s good?” she asked, looking back at the man.

“Yeah,” he answered as he hoisted the child higher without even a grunt of effort. “He’s good unless he drinks more water.”

Cara smiled brightly. “Great! Let’s get back to the others. You were taking too long.”

“You moved,” Mando countered. 

The woman shrugged. “We just got swept in with the flow.”

The man huffed as he was about to step away.

Luke’s heart jumped to his throat. He almost reached out and snagged the man’s jacket wanting to get to know this handsome man better. But what did he have? He couldn’t think of why - what reason he would have to get the man to talk to him- but he desperately wanted to talk to this man.

As he debated if he should cut his losses or take his shot, the child Mando held hit his father’s shoulder. Catching the man’s attention, he then pointed at Luke. 

Mando turned back around and frowned with a tilt of his head as if he hadn’t expected Luke to still be there. 

Feeling his ears and the back of his neck start to heat up, he offered a small smile. 

The woman- Cara- then peeked from behind the man. Her eyes widened when she saw him. 

Luke gave her a little wave, steeling himself for the onslaught of effusion.

Instead, she breathed, “Holy shit.” 

She snapped her gaze at the man. “The fucking people you run into Mando, I swear to fuck!”

“Language,” he repeated firmly as he turned his body so he could look at both Cara and Luke. “And what do you mean?”

Cara looked at him as if he was some sort of fascinating creature. “Don’t tell me you don’t know who this is?” she waved a hand at Luke.

The man stared at Cara before he looked at Luke and then back at her. “A photographer?”

Luke had to bite his bottom lip to not laugh. Something tight in his chest unfurled, something he didn’t know was there until the man just confirmed he had no idea who Luke was. Luke wouldn’t say he was famous, famous (like most of his family) but people always knew of him wherever he went. To meet someone out there that didn’t know who he was, especially someone as attractive as the man before him, made him feel both grounded and breathless. 

Cara rolled her eyes. “You really need to get on social media more.” 

Mando just frowned. 

The child in his arms began to squirm to get down. His father acquiesced but before he could get ahold of him, he ran towards Luke. 

“Grogu!” Mando scolded as he ran after him. 

“No! It’s alright!” Luke assured as the little boy ducked behind him and under his skirt. 

The man stopped and stared at Luke, still frowning. As his hands clench and unclench at his side, he hesitantly asked, “Are... Are you sure?”

A sweet, warm, sticky feeling filled Luke’s chest at the man’s shyness. “I promise,” Luke assured. 

To prove his point, he did a little sidestep and pulled his skirt to the opposite side to reveal the boy, Grogu, but still under the safety of the fabric. The child hadn’t done anything but seemed fascinated with how the material flowed and its colors. 

Grogu snapped his head towards Luke with a big grin, showing off a small gap in his front teeth. He giggled pointing at the skirt and clapped his hands.

“You like it?” Luke asked. And then nearly wanted to smack himself because he remembered the noise-canceling headphones. 

Someone cleared their throat. “Here.”

Luke glanced up and his heart skipped a beat at how close the other man had gotten. The man knelt on one leg, not next to Luke but still near enough to not be in the way of anyone, and used both hands to indicate for Grogu to come to him. 

For his part, the little boy pouted and looked like he wanted to bury himself in Luke’s skirt, though he hadn’t yet grabbed the material. 

The man exasperatedly sighed. He then put both hands around his ears, curved like he was holding a ball, and then pulled them away. 

Grogu perked up immediately and raced toward his father, charging right into the man’s raised leg.

Mando then looked at Luke and waved a hand for him to come closer.

Heart beating fast, Luke did what he was told, keeping just enough distance to be polite, as the man gently pulled back one earphone. 

“Hi!” Luke greeted, keeping his voice pleasant and just loud enough to be heard. 

Grogu gave a little wave back with his broad smile. 

“Earlier,” Luke went on, “I asked if you liked my skirt. Do you like it?”

The child’s brown eyes brightened and he nodded eagerly. “Pah! Ah, Ah!” he giggled and clapped. 

Luke had no idea what that meant but his heart still melted at the boy’s delight. He wondered if the boy was non-verbal because he looked to be around four years old, so he should know some words, right? But that wasn’t his place to ask. Instead, he giggled. “I’m glad you like it!”

Only a second later that soft warmth morphed into a smoldering flame when Mando’s chuckled- deep and oh, so wonderful. 

Biting his bottom lip, a small idea formed. Luke kept his eyes firmly on Grogu as he inquired, “You want to see something really cool?”

The little boy looked to his father- who nodded his consent- before he nodded at Luke.

Taking a few steps back, gave a little bit of a twirl. The fabric fluttered around him, dipping up and down, and created a swirl of color. 

He heard Grogu clapping and laughing happily. 

When he stopped, head slightly dizzy, he held both ends of his skirt and did a little bow. 

Looking up, his breath caught at the pretty picture before him. Grogu bounced and clapped joyfully as his father held him around the waist and Mando with a soft smile as he watched Luke as well. It was more than he thought he would get when he wanted to perform like a peacock.

Grogu looked at Mando and pointed at Luke and then at himself. 

“We’ll see about getting you a skirt later, kid,” the man promised with a nod. And the solemnness in his voice made Luke believe that it wasn’t something he was saying to placate the child.

Luke bit the inside of his cheek to not whimper- or worse rush and kiss Mando. If the man already wasn’t attracted enough, he had to go and say that like it was nothing.

He jolted a little when he registered that there was more clapping around them. His face instantly heated up at the small crowd that formed to watch and he wished he had someplace to hide his face (such as a broad, leather shoulder).

Still, he put on a practiced, pleasant smile and waved at the people before they started walking off again. 

Silently cursing himself, he ducked his head to try and cool his face. He almost missed when there was a low whistle. 

Lifting his hot face, the heat flared again when he noticed Cara was still there. “Nice moves, Skywalker,” she smirked. 

Raising a fist to his mouth, he coughed to clear his throat. “T-Thanks!” He glanced at Grogu and Mando as the man hoisted the boy on again. He quickly looked back at Cara when Mando looked at him. “I-I thought Grogu would like it.”

Cara’s smirk widened and she raised an eyebrow. “He sure did love it,” she drawled. 

Luke pressed his lips together, knowing he was caught.

“Cara, leave him alone,” Mando reprimanded. 

The woman raised her hand and backed off but still smirked.

Mando turned to Luke. He did that little smile again and Luke swore it was going to give him a heart attack. “Thanks,” he said.

Swearing his face was going to combust, Luke smiled, “No problem.”

The two of them stared at one another. Luke struggled to come up with anything to say when Cara cleared her throat. 

The two of them turned to her and she announced, “We should probably head back to the others, Din.” 

The man- Din?- frowned before he sighed. “You’re right.”

The bitterness of this interaction ending felt heavy on his tongue, even more so with Cara’s interference. He tried to keep it off his face when Mando turned to him.

He hoisted his son higher and said, “It was nice to meet you...?”

“Luke!” He eagerly responded, desperate to let the man at least know his name. “Luke Skywalker.”

The man nodded. “Din,” he offered. And then looked at his son, giving him a gentle shake. “And you know this is Grogu.” 

Din Din Din Din resounded in Luke’s head. “Nice to meet both of you,” he said breathlessly.

Knowing this interaction was coming to a close and trying to prolong it, Luke held up his camera. “If you don’t mind, would you two like to take a picture together?”

Din didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to when he grimaced and Luke’s heart plummeted. 

“Ah, sorry,” Din shook his head. “But no thanks.” 

Luke nodded, fighting back his disappointment. He hoped maybe if he could at least get a picture, they might exchange numbers if Din wanted the photo. “Don’t worry,” he assured. “I completely understand.”

He heard Cara sigh heavily behind Din but she didn’t try to convince him to change his mind. 

Luke’s hope picked up a little when Din opened his mouth to speak again. But then Din halted and his head snapped down. 

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Whoever it was made his face harden. 

“Sorry,” he nodded to Luke. “I have to take this.”

Luke was slightly taken aback by his short and serious tone but nodded. 

Din nodded again before he stepped away into the crowd and disappeared. 

Luke couldn’t help but stare after the man, almost not believing how easily the man disappeared. Din had a presence about him that made others have to notice him but he blended in so easily with the crowd, that Luke couldn’t spot him if he tried. 

“Wow...”

He jumped when he heard a snicker. 

Snapping his gaze, his blush intensified anew when he noticed that Cara was still with him. 

Smirking, she tilted her head to where Din went off to. “I’ll put in a good word for you,” she winked. “But I have to ask, are you really?”

Luke frowned at her question and his eyebrows furrowed together. 

Her smirk widened and she pointed at his chest. 

Looking down, it took a moment to get what she was asking and he nearly choked when he did.

His camera’s strap was around his neck and, as always, there were a plethora of pins on it. A pin announcing his orientation as gay, some from his favorite childhood franchise ‘Star Wars,’ and a few inside joke buttons from friends and family. One of those was a pin Han and Lando conspired to get him with the words ‘Total Slut’ in red against a white background. 

And it was in a prominent location, proudly displayed, in front of a very handsome man and his child. 

Luke groaned, dropping his head into his hand, as he heard Cara start cackling. 

“Don’t worry,” she snickered.

Luke raised his head a little to look at her and she winked. “He won’t hold that against you.”

“Thanks,” Luke snarked. Honestly, if Din didn’t, that made him feel a little bit better.

Cara cackled again before she waved at him as she walked away. 

Sighing, Luke once again looked around the crowd one last time. His heart felt heavy though when he didn’t catch sight of Din or Grogu’s green beanie. 

Luke looked down at his camera but then shook his head, no longer feeling up to taking photos.

He pulled out his phone texting his family as he started to move with the crowd, wondering if he would ever see Din again or if he had missed a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

“It’s not funny, Leia, ” Luke snarled as he glared at his twin.

Leia just stood there, eyes bright with mirth, cheeks red, and her lips pressed together to stop from smiling- lips sucked in. 

“...It is,” she wheezed. “It really is.”

Luke threw his hands up in the air and stalked away, out of the shadow of the alleyway that Leia had pulled him into to spill his guts. 

The Pride Parade had gone off without incident. Their group had stayed even after the end to help clean up and so the committee that had set it up could talk briefly. It meant many people were now gone and traffic would be clear. 

Rather than the feeling of contentedness he usually felt at the end, it was tinged with disappointment. Throughout the rest of the walk, Luke had tried to find Din again but it was as if the man vanished like a ghost. It made Luke wonder if it had all been some sort of realistic dream- the man of his dreams with a baby in tow. 

He hadn’t really been subtle in his searching as he worked and walked with his family, so they picked up right away that something was on his mind. They tried to ask in the beginning but Luke waved them off, telling them that nothing was wrong and they should enjoy the walk. 

When it ended and everything settled, Leia had all but hauled him off to an alleyway for a private talk and Luke confessed what had happened with Din and Grogu.

Coming back to everyone- now including Rex and Cody with their helmets off-, they all looked at him with questions in their eyes.

“Everything alright?” Anakin asked. 

“Fine,” Luke answered. There was a snort behind him from Leia.

No one seemed to believe him though, all of them wearing dubious expressions. But thankfully no one pushed, even though he could see his Dad and Han at least wanted to. However, Luke knew that Leia would undoubtedly tell Han and then Han would tell Lando and Chewie which somehow would get back to the rest of the family. In the end, he would be relentlessly teased but he could spare himself a few days before then.

His family and friends were all gossips, he swore.

“Are we still on for going out tonight?” Luke asked, seeking to change the topic. Honestly, he wasn’t totally up for it but he wouldn’t put a damper on the fun.

“We were just talking about that,” Obi-Wan explained. “Lando says he has a place but wanted to wait until you and Leia returned.”

“And it is a great place from what I have heard!” Lando grinned. “It’s not like the normal places we usually go and party at. It is a bar and grill sort of place. But they stay open late, serve alcohol, have a good atmosphere, and are family-friendly.” 

Padmé raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like an all-in-one place.”

Pointed at her with a wink. “Yep! Also, it is an exclusive invite.”

“You always know the right people, you old dog.” Han laughed as he slapped his friend’s shoulder. 

“I like to make friends, you pirate,” Lando quipped back. “Not all of us make enemies.”

Han frowned as everyone laughed. 

“So what is the name of this place?” Leia asked. “Sounds very nice.”

“It’s called the Mudhorn .”

Luke could honestly say he never heard of such a place but Rex and Cody must have as they stiffened on their bikes.

“How did you get an invite?” Cody asked. It wasn’t a friendly jab; his tone was firm and almost harsh.

Luke was taken aback by it, not having heard it often unless he was in trouble as a kid. So was everyone else as they looked at the two brothers.

“Like I said,” Lando said cautiously. “I know someone that knows the place.”

“Dear,” Obi-Wan kept his tone even and pleasant, “is something wrong?”

Rather than answering, it was Rex who spoke next, still staring Lando down. “Alright, but who gave you the invite?”

Lando frowned, undoubtedly hating being interrogated. Still, he answered, “A man by the name of Cobb Vanth. I met him when I was doing some work in Tatooine.”

Rex and Cody instantly relaxed.

“Cody,” Obi-Wan said again, this time with a warning tone. He placed a hand on his husband’s shoulder. “Cody, what’s wrong?”

Cody and Rex shared a look before they nodded. 

“The Mudhorn ..,” Cody started, “it’s a Mandalorian covert.”

The information lit up Luke’s brain and he understood why they would be so defensive. 

“Wait,” Lando interjected. “Isn’t that like, safe houses for you guys?”

The brothers nodded.

“Yeah,” Rex answered. “But the Mudhorn is extra special...” He halted. He frowned as if in thought before he shook his head. “It’s also where our Mand’alor is.”

“Wait a minute,” Leia stepped forward. “Are you telling me your guys’ leader lives in Naboo?”

Rex and Cody shared another look before they nodded again. 

“He settled down here about three years ago,” Cody explained. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Padmé asked with a small frown, mimicking Leia’s. “I would have loved to talk to him about some stuff the Mandalorians could do for Naboo.”

“He hasn’t always been Mand’alor,” Rex answered. “He started the Mudhorn from the ground up when he first moved here. He became its Alor when he took in, apparently, his old covert that lost their home soon after. It wasn’t until a little over a year ago when he was named Mand’alor.”

“So is he the one that allowed Clan Fett to become Mandalorian again?” Ahsoka asked.

The brothers grinned. 

“Yes,” Cody nodded.

Luke smiled fondly. He remembered they were all at a family dinner at Cody and Obi-Wan’s when a group of Mandalorians rolled up to the house. It was a tense meeting but they had said that Clan Fett was welcome back into the Mandalorians. Cody and Rex’s shocked faces were a sight to see.

Luke didn’t fully understand because he thought his two uncles already were until they explained that, by right, they should be Mandalorians. But because of something one of their ancestors did, they were considered dar’manda - not Mandalorian. However, Clan Fett kept up their traditions and teachings of the Mandalorian ways even if they would never be considered one.

He had never seen Rex and Cody so delighted or heard how excited the rest of the Fett Clan was when they spread the news over the phone. From what Luke heard the Fetts had gathered the next day for a celebration and caused a hilarious ruckus.

“Is the Mudhorn where you go when you have your meetings?” Obi-Wan asked, drawing Luke out of his musings.

Cody nodded. “Yes,” Cody stated proudly. “Or just to hang out. It is a great and welcoming place.”

“Why haven’t we been invited before?” Anakin snipped. There wasn’t much heat to it though Luke could tell his father was a tad serious.

“Safety,” Cody replied easily. “The fewer people know about the place, the safer it is.”

“Not that we didn’t trust you,” Rex quickly added. “But it has become...” He frowned in thought.

“A place to escape?” Luke offered. “Like, a place you can go away even from family? Where you can go to escape your problems?”

The brothers slowly nodded. 

“Yeah,” Rex agreed, “something like that.”

“I can see why you would be protective of the place then,” Lando nodded. “We don’t have to go if it makes you feel uncomfortable for us to be there.”

They both shook their heads.

“No, it’s fine,” Rex assured. 

“We know Vanth,” Cody tagged on. “We just wanted to be sure your invite is from someone we trust.”

“You guys know Vanth?” Lando asked.

Both men shifted on their bikes. 

“We do,” Cody nodded. 

Lando’s smile shrunk. “...I have a bad feeling about this, but how?”

Cody and Rex shared a look, a silent communication. Rex shrugged before Cody sighed. 

“He’s married to one of our cousins,” Cody confessed.

“Oh, I know he is married,” Lando began, “but he never mentioned-”

“It’s Boba Fett,” Rex interjected.

“BOBA FETT!?” Han hollered. He pointed a finger at Lando. “You have been dealing with someone that is in cahoots with Boba Fett? ”

“I didn’t know!” Lando defended. “How was I to know when Vanth never mentioned his husband?”

Luke coughed to interrupt before Han went on a tirade. He couldn’t blame the other man though. Han had a bad run-in with Fett when he was still doing some dodgy jobs when they were younger. Leia, Chewie, Lando, and he had to save Han and, while Han had come out fine, Fett- last he heard- had been hospitalized. 

Luke felt so guilty over what happened that he and Leia tried to do a silent donation for Fett’s care, but the hospital said it was taken care of. And that was that, though the guilt was still heavy on his heart. 

So despite the wash of cold that came over him to know that Boba Fett was alive, he was glad. 

“We’re not going,” Han stated with a tone of finality.

“Now hold on-” Anakin squawked. 

“Han,” Leia scowled. “Just because this Vanth person will probably be there doesn’t mean Boba Fett will.”

“Well...”

Everyone turned to the brothers.

Rex shifted on his bike. “Boba Fett is there.” 

“God damn it,” Han swore. He started pacing. “No freakin’ way am I going to that place then!”

“Boba Fett has mellowed out,” Cody stated. “He stopped his bounty hunting life.”

Han spun. “That doesn’t mean that he hasn’t forgotten!” 

“If you really are so worried,” Rex folded his arms over his chest, “the safest place on the whole planet is the Mudhorn .”

Han frowned. “Why?”

“Boba Fett won’t do anything in the Mand’alor’s place,” Cody explained. “And not just because he is Mand’alor. There are rules at the Mudhorn no one breaks- especially Boba because he has a soft spot for the Mand’alor. They are like brothers even before Clan Fett was allowed to be Mandalorian again.”

“That only means your Big Boss will just hand me over easily!” Han snapped. 

Rex and Cody immediately stiffened.

“You take that back, Solo,” Cody ordered. “Right now.”

Luke stiffened and glanced between his uncles and his friend. Unfortunately, Han never had the full instinct for survival.

“Or what?” Han challenged.

“Or we will take you to a quiet area and teach you respect for insulting our Mand’alor,” Rex spat. “He is a man of honor. He would never break his own rules.” 

Han opened his mouth but Leia stepped in. “Enough!”

She pointed at Han. “Shut up,” she ordered. 

Han raised his hands and stepped back. “I’m sorry I want to save my own skin!”

“Quit being a Drama Queen,” Leia rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. “If Boba really wanted to hunt you down he would have. It’s not like you have been hiding these past few years.”

“She has a point,” Obi-Wan hummed. “And you never know how much Boba Fett has changed since that time.”

Han threw his hands up in the air. “Is no one on my side about this!?”

“More like we are giving the benefit of the doubt,” Ahsoka answered from her position leaning against one of their cars, arms folded. “Plus, I think we are all very curious about the place.”

Luke couldn’t deny that.

Han looked around. Chewie made a rumbling noise and signed something to him. With that, Han hung his head.

“Fine,” he huffed. He pointed at all of them. “But if we run into Fett and he tries to kill, I am blaming all of you!”

“Don’t worry,” Luke tried to assure him. “We will protect you.”

“Speak for yourself, Sunshine,” Anakin cackled. “I would pay good money to see that fight.” It was immediately followed by a slap on the arm by Padmé with her admonishing him.

Han looked pained. “I thought you would stop hating me, you know,” he waved at Luke and Leia, “since I am not dating either of your kids anymore?”

Anakin’s grin was a tad feral. “Is that what you thought?”

Han just sighed. 

“Alright,” Luke called to order. He grinned at everyone as he made his way to the car that he came in with his family. “Let’s get going! I’m starving!”

“Just follow us!” Cody called as everyone dispersed, Obi-Wan climbing on the back of his bike. “We’ll lead the way!”

Confirmation echoed through the air as everyone clambered into their respective cars. 

Leia and Luke took the back seat as their parents took the front.

“You think there'll be a fight tonight?” Padmé asked worriedly as Anakin started the car. “If Han and Boba Fett run into each other.”

“Nah,” Anakin shook his head. “It’ll be fine... I think.”

Luke and Leia shared a look and just rolled their eyes.

Whatever Luke had expected from the Mudhorn , it certainly wasn’t this.

Following Rex and Cody, they led them along the outskirts of Naboo. It was far away from the popular areas of the city, closer to the city limit. Naboo didn’t have many rundown areas, having always been about revitalization and repurposing, but all the buildings on this side of town were much older than the rest of the city. He wouldn’t say they were quite historical but they did offer that kind of feel. 

He felt like it was almost sequestered away from the city but still held the cleanliness and open gardens that Naboo was known for. There were more residential buildings than commercial but those that were the latter were all chic boutiques or locally owned places. 

Finally, the brothers led them to a cluster of buildings surrounded by homes and a community center. 

The buildings were all made of red brick with metal roofs that would allow water to run off them. With its utilitarian style and lack of plants, it should have stood out like a sore thumb. Yet it had an odd charm about it that made it blend in with the rest of the area. From their size and shape, they looked like they were once warehouses that had been converted into the Mandalorian covert Rex and Cody were talking to them about. 

There were certainly a plethora of motorcycles in the front of the main building which made parking a bit of a pain but they managed to find a spot.

Grouping together again in the parking lot, they made their way over to the bar. Luke noticed several men and women outside, smoking and drinking as they talked. The area they were on was the main entrance and perhaps served as the loading dock at one point but had since been converted to a patio. 

Luke felt a little nervous as they approached, wondering what their welcome would be like, when a man with silver hair and a beard stepped out from the building. He wore an honest to Force cowboy hat in the color of the rainbow and leather chaps over jeans and a vest over his flannel.

“Lando!” the man cried as he swaggered his way down the steps. 

“Cobb!” Lando laughed as they met in a hug. 

“How you doin’?” Cobb asked, pulling back with a hearty pat on the back, his voice adorned with a slight twang. “Missed seein’ you when I was walkin’ in the parade.”

“It was rather large,” Lando continued to laugh. “But how can you miss me?!” He then did a twirl, showing off his pansexual cape. 

“You see all the colors at the parade?” the older man chuckled, hands on his hips. “There were many colors in case you missed it.”

“You aren’t wrong,” Lando pointed with a wink.

Cobb peered around Lando with a raised eyebrow. “Who’s your entourage?” 

Lando went about introductions, leaving Han for last who shifted uncomfortably. 

“You know..,” Lando hemmed. He patted Han’s shoulder in comfort as he grinned at Cobb. “My friend here has a bit of a history with your husband.”

Cobb’s smirk widened as he raised an eyebrow, looking Han up and down. “Does he, now?”

Chuckling, Lando shook his head. “Not that kind I’m afraid.”

“Ah.” Cobb’s smirk lessened as he looked Han up and down with narrowed, scrutinizing eyes. “Yeah, you seem like someone he might have had an issue with.”

Luke pressed his lips together to stop from smiling as Han asked incredulously, “What is that supposed to mean?”

Cobb waved a hand. “Don’t worry, Boba ain’t gonna do anything. Especially here.” He motioned to the building. “He respects Djarin too much to break his rules.”

“Until he doesn’t,” Han muttered, earning a jab from Chewie.

Surprisingly, Cobb just threw his head back with a laugh. “You haven’t seen the two of them together,” he winked. “Brothers in all but name and blood.”

Turning away, he waved for them to follow. “Come on, party’s just startin’.”

Passing the Mandos at the door- with Cody and Rex offering a hearty “Su cuy'gar” as they did and receiving an equally heartfelt one back- Luke halted as he took in the place.

The place was set up at different levels: the entrance where the bar and a door to the kitchen were with some seating and an empty stage, a lower level where pool tables and darts were, a second level that partially overlooked two lower areas and had more tables, and a third level- though what it was Luke couldn’t say as they were under it. Every single area was crowded with people, mostly Mandalorians- some Luke recognized as Fetts- and moderately loud music. 

It was surprisingly well lit for a bar. The windows offered the best source of lighting but there were tastefully hung vintage light bulbs with the sporadic spotlight. It meshed with the industrial decorative cogs and tools hanging on the wall along with the leather seating.

The centerpiece, however, was the large metal skull that hung over the stage. An elongated face with empty eyes and horns growing out of either side of its head.

“The Mythosaur,” Obi-Wan’s voice said close to him, snapping him out of his stupor. 

Luke glanced at his uncle before the two of them followed to join the rest. 

“You know, I never been able to ask,” Luke mentioned, “but why is the Mythosaur the symbol for Mandalorians? Has Cody ever told you?”

Obi-Wan nodded with a grin. “Supposedly, during ancient times, Mandalorians hunted them. It became a symbol of their people because of the creature's strength, ferocity, and tenacity.”

“Huh.” Luke frowned and tilted his head. “I don’t remember anything about Mandalorians being mentioned on the information plaques when I saw that ginormous skeleton at the natural history museum when I was a kid.” Though that could just be him not remembering properly. But he felt like he would remember that.

His uncle smiled sadly. “They never asked and Mandalorians are very protective of their history.”

Luke grimaced and nodded in understanding.

Cobb led them up the stairs to the second level and to a bunch of tables that were pushed together for a large group. Luke was surprised how sprawling the area was, accommodating not only the normal restaurant seating but a small area of couches and recliners in one corner with bookcases along the wall of the designated area.

Focusing on where he was walking, Luke immediately recognized Cara amongst the people that Cobb led them towards, an arm around a dark-skinned woman with intricate braids and a small smirk. 

Cara noticed him too and her face lit up as she saluted. “Luke Skywalker!” She chuckled. “We meet again!”

Everyone but Leia sent him a confused look but Luke chose to ignore them in favor of taking a seat, resisting the urge to look around for Din and Grogu. He saw some of the people’s faces with Cara lit up in recognition but none of them said anything.

“Small world,” he chuckled while he took a seat across from them. 

Cara nodded. She then squeezed the person next to her. “This is Koska, my wife.”

“Nice to meet you,” Luke greeted, taking note of the Mythosaur symbol on the shoulder of her jacket and the matching ‘Just Married’ button as Cara’s. 

Koska extended her arm forward across the table. “Nice to meet you too,” she said when Luke gripped her hand in a very posh accent. He tried not to flinch as she squeezed tightly. 

The woman did a small eyebrow raise, as if impressed, before she leaned back in her seat and against Cara.

“More people than you told us about, Cobb!” a dark-skinned man with salt-and-pepper facial hair declared jovially from one end of the table. 

Cobb slapped a hand on Lando’s shoulder. “Lando here had more friends than I knew about!” he chuckled. “But I promise no more guests, Greef.”

Leia and Padmé seemed to recognize the name. Yet before they could say anything, Greef stood and started to head for the stairs. “I’ll see if they have more chairs in the back,” he called. “I’ll get Peli while I am at it!”

“Peli?” Luke asked. He leaned back in his seat to look at Cobb. “This is going to sound weird but I know someone named Peli-” Anakin and Leia groaned while Han and Chewie laughed- “but her full name is Peli Motto. Do you mean her or someone else?”

Cobb barked out a laugh. “Yep! That’s her, alright!” 

“Force,” Anakin cursed, “I thought she never left Tatooine!” 

“She never would miss a chance to party,” the Asian woman across from him quipped, a small- barely-there- smirk on her lips. “And she knows Mandalorians party pretty hard,” she added before taking a sip of her wine. 

“If you mean ‘party,’” Leia sighed, rubbing her forehead, “as ‘gambling’ then I can totally see her doing that.”

The other woman tilted her head in acquiescence before taking another sip.

“So how do you all know Peli?” Cobb asked, picking up his beer stein.

“I’m from Tatooine,” Anakin answered. “And I still have a step-brother there.”

“And he sent us to Uncle Owen’s as punishment for the summers when we were in high school!” Luke yelled from his end.

Anakin rolled his eyes as Padmé, Ahsoka, Rex, Cody, and Obi-Wan ducked their faces to hide their smiles. “Yeah,” he snarked back. “And look how well you two turned out!”

“Yeah,” Leia smirked. “Luke had his gay awakening and I got my way into being sent to Uncle Bail and Aunt Breha’s instead.”

Now everyone laughed as Anakin pouted. 

Just then there was a shrill of, “Move it! Coming through!”

Everyone turned to see Peli Motto barging her way through the crowd with chairs in her arms. 

Luke got up to help her only for her to snap, “I got it! I got it!” Then she paused when she noticed him. “Wormie!?”

Luke flinched at the nickname. “Hey Peli,” he managed a weak laugh. “Nice seeing you again.”

Peli finished her trek to the table with a sharp laugh. “Where the hell have you been, Wormie?” She practically slammed the chairs down before she spun to him. “You still owe me some time in the garage!” 

“Peli that was years ago!” Luke huffed, folding his arms.

The frizzy-haired woman pointed at him. “Don’t try to weasel out! You owe me and I never forget!”

She then turned back to the table and saw everyone else. “Sandie!? Princess!?” 

“Hey Peli,” they both groaned. 

As Peli barrelled toward them, Greef returned with his set of chairs. 

After placing the chairs down and seeing the chaos, he frowned in confusion. “What did I miss?” And sent everyone laughing.

Setting up the chairs and taking their seats, a waitress came and took their drink orders. 

Luke was about to look at the menu when he saw a flash of green out of the corner of his eye. He couldn’t help but turn to see.

The green he had seen had certainly been Grogu’s beanie but he was on the shoulders of a different man who was surrounded by a group of kids with other adults as they came inside. This man had scars all over his face and it took a moment to realize who it was as the kids dispersed and he started going toward the stairs.

“Oh Force..,” he groaned.

“Something wrong?” 

Looking back at Cara, Luke shook his head. 

He didn’t have time to explain as Boba, along with two other adults and a child, joined them. He hoisted Grogu off his shoulders who was immediately swept up by Peli. Cobb greeted him with a searing kiss that had their friends whistling and laughing.

“I see we have a party!” Boba noted when Cobb released him and he looked around. His grin dropped when his eyes landed on Leia, Luke, Chewie, Lando, and Han- the last sinking down in his seat.

Boba's face went scarily blank. “ Solo ,” he growled. 

Luke felt completely cold with a bit of sweat forming on the back of his neck as he stared at the ghost of the past. Boba’s dark eyes bore holes into all of them but Luke couldn’t discern what was going through the man’s mind. 

“Hey,” the tan-skinned man that came with Boba growled. His hair was shaved with a neatly trimmed full beard- though it looked to be more natural than actually kept- and deep blue eyes that glared at Boba. He was a mountain of a man too, with thick biceps that showed even under his Mandalorian jacket. 

He placed a hand on Boba and shook his shoulder hard. “If you have a bone to pick, do it somewhere else.”

Boba glared at the man. “You don’t need to tell me that, Paz,” he growled back.

“Then sit, ” Paz ordered.

Defiantly, Boba remained standing, staring Paz down. 

No one seemed to care about this pissing match, especially the crowd around them that hadn’t stopped their good times. Cobb rolled his eyes as he sat back down. Everyone else, unlike the group Luke came with, talked like nothing was going on. 

“The Mand’alor would be highly displeased if you two start a fight in the covert.”

Luke turned in his seat to see a dirty-blonde-haired woman coming with a tray of drinks on her shoulder. The hair on her scalp was intricately tied in braids while the rest flowed freely, pushed to one side of her shoulder. Around her neck she wore a gold necklace, a hammer and tong crossed together to form an ‘x.’ She wasn’t as bulky as some of the Mandalorians he had seen but, like her comrades, she had to be strong as she balanced the tray full of drinks and food. 

Luke noticed that many in the crowd bowed their heads in greeting toward her, as Rex, Cody, and Koska sat up straighter. So he figured she must be of some importance amongst the Mandalorians. 

As she set the tray on the edge of the table and started to parse out everything, she continued in a calm but commanding voice, “Is your fight worth being thrown out over?”

“No,” both men spoke at the same time.

“Boba, is your past worth upsetting the Mand’alor?” she went on. 

Boba’s frown lessened. “No, Armorer,” he nodded, voice still hard but not harsh.

Once the tray was empty, she straightened and turned to them. “Then sit and enjoy yourselves,” voice still soft but Luke recognized the command. “Tonight we celebrate. There should be no grudge fights or fights out of anger here.”

“This is the Way,” Paz nodded and moved to sit down.

Boba just grunted and sat down next to Cobb, throwing an arm over the back of the man’s seat. 

The corners of the woman’s- the Armorer’s?- mouth twitched. “This is the Way,” she nodded, satisfied, before heading off. 

“Fuck,” Han wheezed, watching her until she disappeared. “Who was that?” 

“The Armorer,” Cody spoke up. “She is the second-in-command of this place.”

“This that her actual name or is it a title?” Han asked. Many snorted at his question which he frowned at. “What?”

“It is her title,” Rex answered before anyone could speak. “No one really knows her name. And if we did we would still refer to her as her title.” 

“Wow,” Han tilted his head and blinked in surprise. “You guys are big on respect.” He winced and Luke didn’t have to know Leia had probably stomped on his foot at his sarcastic tone.

“Titles are hard-earned amongst us,” Koska stated, eyes baring into Han. “To not call someone by their title is a sign of disrespect.”

Luckily, Han’s survival instincts finally kicked in and he nodded as he swallowed.

Luke sighed quietly, tension leaving his body, and reached for his drink. But before he could, he felt a gentle tug on the sleeve of his crop top. 

Turning his head, he was surprised to see Grogu by his side, grinning broadly and headphones still in place, with his hands in the other child’s that he had seen earlier. 

He quickly looked where Peli was and then back at Grogu, and then again to make sure he wasn’t imagining things. “Well, aren’t you sneaky!” Luke exclaimed before he turned to fully face the children. Even though Grogu couldn’t hear him, the boy laughed anyway. “I didn’t even see you move!”

Luke then looked at the girl with him. “Hi!” he waved. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Winta!” she waved back, dark curls bouncing. “And that’s my mom!” She pointed to a woman next to Cara, who smiled at Luke. The woman had tanned skin and matching eyes and hair as Winta.

“Hello,” she greeted. “My name’s Omera.”

“Nice to meet you,” Luke nodded. “I’m Luke.”

Before anything else could be said between the two of them, Luke felt a tug on his sleeve again. He focused back on the children. 

“Grogu said you had a pretty skirt!” Winta exclaimed. “Can we see it?”

“Winta,” Omera gently warned.

The little girl’s mood drooped slightly when she glanced at her mother before she perked and looked at Luke again. “Please!”

“Well since you asked so nicely,” Luke chuckled. 

Standing up, he made sure there was enough room so he could twirl around as he did during the parade. He smiled fondly when he heard the children clapping and laughing excitedly. 

When he stopped, facing them, he bent down when the two of them ran up to him, taking his hands.

“It’s so pretty!” Winta giggled happily.

“Thank you!” Luke chuckled. “It was fun to wear at the pride parade today.”

“That was fun too!” Winta agreed. She looked at Grogu and justled his hand. “It was Grogu’s first time going to one! Along with his dad!” 

“It was?” Luke pitched his voice to sound excited as he looked at Grogu.

The little boy looked confused. With a glance at the adults that were friends with Din and getting nods, Luke reached out and pulled back an earphone like he had seen his dad do. 

Getting close for Grogu to hear, he asked, “Did you have fun at your first pride parade, Grogu?”

The little boy’s face lit up and he nodded. He let go of Luke and Winta’s hand and he started to do something with his fingers, first fast and then very slow with a frown.

“He is trying to sign.” 

Luke startled at Omera’s voice. He turned to see she was now standing nearby with a soft smile. 

“He is still learning,” she went on. “But he is getting there. Him and Din.”

Luke’s heart melted at the information. He turned back to Grogu, putting the earphone back in place. He, unfortunately, didn’t know sign language but the fact that Din was learning for his son was just endearing. 

Grogu then grabbed his hand and started tugging on him. 

Luke stayed still, unsure what the boy was doing, until Omera came forward and explained, “He might want to take you to an area where he can take off his headphones.”

She pointed to the third floor, which was surprisingly walled off from the rest of the place except for windows. “He could be taking you up there,” she went on, “because it is quiet or to his favorite place, the gardens in the back of the bar.”

An itch of worry clawed up Luke’s stomach. “Would... that be alright?” he asked, looking around at Din’s friends. “I mean, I am just a stranger basically. We just met at the Pride Parade.”

His family and friends looked equally worried but the others just shrugged. “You’re surrounded by Mandalorians,” Cara said. “And they love kids more than life itself.”

The statement was said with finality, and even the other Mandalorians nodded solemnly.

Not sure what to make of it, Luke still hesitated. 

“If you want,” Omera offered, “I can go with you.” 

Luke sighed in relief. “Yeah,” he nodded. “That would be great.”

“I’ll go with you,” Leia suddenly said, standing up. There was a hardness in her face as she grabbed her and his drinks that made him roll his eyes. Leia and her protectiveness.

“I’ll come-” Han and Anakin also started but were stilled by Padmé and Lando respectively. Luke was thankful, or else it would turn into a traveling zoo if they all went. 

“I’ll come too,” the Asian woman announced as she stood up, wine glass in hand. That got a few eyebrows raised, specifically from Boba and Cobb. She just winked at them as she walked around the table.

With that settled, Grogu incessantly tugged Luke and led him down the stairs to the exit. They only paused briefly for Omera to get a drink and for the other woman- Fennec- to refill her glass.

Luke was grinning at Grogu and Winta’s excitement as they stepped out the door, nearly run over by someone coming in, but froze at the scene they walked in on.

The Mandalorians that had all been casually relaxing outside were now all standing rigidly. Their backs were turned to them, a bulwark against whatever they were facing. 

Luke debated about taking Grogu back inside but more Mandos were now coming out and their small group was pushed further outside. 

Picking Grogu up, Leia and Luke shared a worried expression. Fennec and Omera- who had picked up Winta- also wore worried frowns. 

They managed to find an opening enough to see what was going on, right along the banister leading onto the porch. Luke’s breath caught at the sight. 

There were at least thirty to forty bikes with helmeted riders blocking the entrance. Standing in front of them all was a person, arms curled into tight fists by their side. All of them wore the Mandalorian sigil on their jackets with another smaller symbol he didn’t recognize.

No one spoke, not even Grogu or Winta. Grogu curled in on Luke, eyes darting around nervously. Luke could understand that; he also felt the sinking feeling of dread settling in his stomach as the silence stretched.

Finally, someone stepped down the steps of the bar. Luke’s breath froze at the familiar clothes, wide shoulders, and Greek-statuesque features. 

Din strode forward, sans sunglasses and leather jacket, until he met the other helmeted person. “Olarom,” Din said, voice calm and neutral, and his tattooed sleeved arms- showing off a mix of geometric design and tribal art- resting at his side. “What business do you have with me?”

Luke’s heart rattled in his chest as the other Mandalorian removed their helmet to reveal an older woman with graying brown hair. Her brown eyes were guarded and weary when she nodded her head. “Su cuy'gar. Rav Bralor of Clan Bralor,” she greeted. “I greet the Mand’alor.”

Din didn’t say anything but nodded.

Rav raised her chin and swallowed. “The members of Clan Bralor seek the Mand’alor’s forgiveness,” she announced, “for missing today’s events.”

The feeling in the air shifted like a balloon that slowly lost air. Some Mandalorians smiled, others rolled their shoulders to release the tension, and some moved back either to go inside or on the tables around them. 

Din, though, hadn’t moved but the hard press of his lips softened. “There is nothing to forgive,” he stated. “I understand your reasons for missing the event.”

Rav shook her head. “I could have sent some of us here,” she countered. “It brings us some shame that we weren’t able to be here to help.”

“There is no shame for what you did,” Din contested. He placed an arm on Rav’s shoulder. “You brought honor to Clan Bralor by helping those people.”

Rav eyed him, some of her edginess disappearing. “It took longer than we thought,” she softly confessed. As if she had been prepared to defend herself and her members and now the wind had been taken out of her sails.

Din nodded. “It happens,” he assured with a squeeze of her shoulder before letting go. He then peered over her shoulder. 

“Your clan has traveled far,” he commented, looking back at Rav. “If you don’t have a place to stay you are welcome to remain here.” He waved his right hand behind him.

“The building on your left is the garage for your bikes.” He then turned slightly and pointed to the other building. “That building over there is sleeping quarters.” His dark eyes were hard when he looked at Rav. “Warning, however, if you choose to rest there, you will be sharing the space with other Mandalorians. As well as the homeless foundlings that reside there.”

Rav smiled a little before she bowed her head, guardedness gone. “It will be no issue, Mand’alor,” she promised. “And we thank you for your generosity.”

Finally, Din’s shoulders relaxed

“I will help them.”

The Armorer stepped out of the crowd and joined the two. She nodded with a soft greeting to Rav. 

Rav bowed her head back. “It would be appreciated, Armorer.”

Before they all finished, Din offered, “Once your people are settled, you’re more than welcome to join us.”

Rav blinked, as if surprised, before she smiled softly. “It would be a pleasure, Mand’alor,” Rav nodded. 

Then the three parted ways. 

Din waved a hand and the remaining Mandalorians all went back to what they were doing before. Just as he took a step onto the stairs, he raised his head and looked right at Luke, and proceeded to freeze.

Luke was entirely breathless at the interaction he just witnessed. It was amazing to see Din so powerful and commanding but also very gentle. And it was another blow when he finally saw Din’s face. Whatever he thought laid behind those reflective aviators, nothing could have prepared him for. 

He stared into soulful brown eyes that made him feel lightheaded. He was sure he was going to faint with just how beautiful the whole picture of Din was. He desperately wanted to grab his camera and just take pictures of the man (maybe get a chance to kiss him; maybe).

The thought of his equipment jolted him like a lightning strike. He looked down, fearful he was still wearing that button he had, but then remembered that he wasn’t even wearing his camera. He could have smacked himself if his arms weren’t full of a child.

“Luke?”

Snapping his gaze up, his breath caught to see Din had walked closer to him. Din smiled hesitantly and it took all of Luke’s strength to keep his knees from going weak. “I... It’s, uh, good to see you again,” Din said carefully.

“Um, yeah,” Luke nodded, “hi.”

There was a snort to his right. His whole head went hot when he suddenly remembered his sister was with him. 

He only had a chance to shoot her a glare- seeing her poorly hide her laughter- before Grogu started wiggling in his arms. 

He had to focus and the little boy reached out for his father. He nearly dropped him when Din, with a soft apology, entered his personal space and took Grogu. Their skin touching left goosebumps in its wake and Luke bit the inside of his cheek to not whimper.

When Grogu was transferred, Din took a step back and Luke could breathe again. 

Luke couldn’t help but watch as Din held his son, a soft look in his eyes. The sight almost had him melting at the adorableness. 

Grogu reached out with his tiny hands and grabbed either side of Din’s face, looking him over with a serious expression. 

Din’s smile grew and he reached up to move the boy’s headphones to be around Grogu’s neck. “Hey, kid,” he chuckled as Grogu continued his inspection with soft presses of his fingers on Din’s skin. “I’m fine. Nothing happened.”

His son wasn’t satisfied with that and continued. It wasn't until he nodded that he finally let go. 

Din then lent forward and gently kissed Grogu’s forehead before he turned to Luke again.

To keep his fingers from fidgeting, Luke hid them behind his back and grinned. “Hi,” he repeated, ignoring Leia’s snort. “Never thought I would see you here.”

Din raised my eyebrow. “Shouldn’t that be my line?” 

Luke’s cheeks warmed. “My family and friends got invited by one of your friends,” Luke explained. He turned to indicate his sister. “Speaking of, this is my twin, Leia.”

Stepping forward, she had since calmed her features to at least not burst out laughing. “Nice to meet you, Din,” she greeted. “Luke told me about meeting you at the Pride Parade. 

“Did you guys have fun for your first time?”

Din frowned, confused. 

“Winta said it was your first time at a Pride Parade,” Omera interjected, stepping up with her child in her arms, smirking a little. She glanced at Luke, a knowing look in her eyes, and he had to fight back a groan. She knew, and so would Fennec then probably. 

“Well I suppose that’s not wrong,” Din murmured. “I’ve worked the parade as a Mandalorian many times. Never walked it until this year.”

“What made you want to do that?” Leia asked, casually enough to keep up the conversation. But Luke knew she was probing and he wanted to jab her with his elbow to get her to stop.

Din jostled Grogu in his arms. “This one,” he chuckled as his son grinned. “I wanted his first time to be with me. I might not be able to walk with him every year.”

“Because you’re the Mand’alor?” Leia continued. 

Luke was delighted when a soft blush crossed Din’s cheeks, ears going red. He wasn’t as thrilled though as the man shifted awkwardly, lifting his son higher. “Ah, yes,” he muttered. “How did you-”

“We have two uncles who are Mandalorians,” Leia explained brightly. “Rex Fett and Cody Kenobi-Fett, if you know them.”

Din grinned and nodded. “I do, they are good men.”

“So, um,” Luke stepped in, feeling more grounded, and to stop his sister. “We heard from your friends that you own the Mudhorn ?”

Din nodded, grin widening. “Yeah,” he nodded. “Right around the time I got Grogu.”

Thinking it was a weird turn of phrase, Luke didn’t comment on it but tucked it away. Instead, he praised, “It is a very nice place!” 

He nearly did a happy dance when Din’s blush returned. “Thank you,” Din nodded. “It was a lot of work but I am glad I got the place.”

“Grogu was just about to show Luke and Leia the gardens,” Omera inserted.

“They’re super pretty!” Winta exclaimed.

Grogu nodded. He pointed at Din and then toward the end of the building. Luke didn’t need a translation to know that Grogu wanted Din to join them. 

Just as Din opened his mouth, someone came out of the bar, calling, “Mand’alor?” 

Din turned and the person stated, “The Alors still wish to speak with you.”

Din sighed heavily and nodded. “Tell them I will be there in a moment,” he ordered.

Turning back to the group and looked tired. Luke just wanted to wrap his arms around him to give him some comfort.

“Duty calls,” Din sighed again. He looked at his son. “Sorry, Grogu.”

Grogu whined and hugged his father, refusing to let go.

It took a moment before Grogu went back to Luke’s arms cause that would be the only thing that made him satisfied. Luke was so caught up in helping calm Grogu, that he didn’t even have time to feel electrified when Din and he brushed hands and arms.

Din’s face was infinitely distressed and upset to be leaving his son, but Omera and Luke promised they would take care of Grogu before Din had to go back to his duties. 

Grogu whined in Luke’s arms, facing buried in his neck.

Luke rubbed his back soothingly. “Your dad is going to be right back,” he promised. “Until then, can you show me the gardens?”

Slowly, Grogu pulled away and he nodded, even as he still pouted. 

Placing Grogu on the ground, the little boy and Winta led the adults. As they did, Leia slid up beside Luke. 

“Soooo...”

“Not. A. Word,” Luke glowered, his voice soft. He swiped his drink from her and took a long sip. 

Leia snorted, “You’re such a disaster.”

He would never admit the feeling of satisfaction he got when he tripped his sister a little, nearly spilling her drink, in revenge.

The gardens were exactly what was needed to bring Grogu bouncing back. He excitedly showed Luke all the flowers, fruits, and vegetables that were growing in the center of the triangular setup of the buildings. It was all neatly organized and very stunning. Much better than some of the gardens he had visited in the city when he meditated.

Omera and Winta would sometimes act as a translator when Luke couldn’t exactly understand what Grogu was saying, despite his best guess. He also got the bonus of maybe having blackmail material as Leia and Fennec talked- he was sure Leia was interested in her but Fennec was hard to read. 

Finally, when it was dark out, the spotlights flooded the little eutopia, and Leia and Luke’s stomachs reminded them they needed to eat, so they all headed back inside the bar.

Only to stumble into another tense scene.

They had just entered the bar when there was a loud, “I KNOW HE’S ARE FUCKING HERE!”

On instinct, Luke swept Grogu up in his arms, getting ready to run if necessary. 

Heart pounding frantically, he observed the bar area was completely tense. The music hadn’t stopped and people still noisily bustled about, but the people around the bar were silently observing an overly drunk man leaning on the bar and hollering at the Armorer. 

“Whoever you are looking for isn’t here,” the Armorer said.

“THE FUCK WHERE ELSE HE GONNA GO?” the man ranted angrily. “HE GOES TO THAT FUCKING COMMUNITY CENTER THAT MADE HIM THINKS HE IS A WOMAN AND NEVER COMES HOME.” He pointed a finger at the Armorer. “MY SON AIN’T NO FUCKING TRANNY!” 

For her part, the Armorer just stared at him. “Whoever you are looking for isn’t here,” she repeated calmly. 

“OH FUCK YOU! HE IS HERE!”

Luke knew this really wasn’t his battle to fight. He knew. But the man’s words clawed their way under his skin and caused anger to simmer in his gut. Made him think of the kids and teens that he had met and talked to that were too afraid to go home and be confronted by hate for being who they were. They would rather be homeless than go home to that. 

He gritted his teeth. 

Turning, he set Grogu down on the ground next to Fennec. And before Leia could even get the words, “Luke no!” out, he stormed up to the man. 

“Hey!”

The man stopped his rant and stumbled to face Luke. 

“She said that the person you are looking for isn’t here,” Luke snapped. “And maybe if you treated your kid better, they would go home every once in a while!”

The man blinked blearily at Luke, frowning. Then his face went impossibly red. “I DON’T NEED A FAGGOT TO TELL ME HOW TO RAISE MY SON!” 

Luke raised his chin. “Call me what you want,” he fired back calmly, “but you should listen to when people tell you things.”

“YOU AND ALL YOUR FUCKED UP KIND ARE THE REASON MY SON IS THE WAY HE IS!” the man cried. He then stumbled his way towards Luke, reaching behind him like he was going to grab something. “I SHOULD KILL YOU ALL AND THEN-”

Luke reacted before he thought better of it. 

Being raised and trained in different martial arts, he knew all the right places to strike. So with a tight fist, Luke delivered a blow right to the man’s throat. He winced when the man choked, stumbling back as he grabbed his neck. “Snap-”

His exclamation was cut off as he was suddenly hauled up by the waist. A flurry of action happened all at once but he could barely catch it all as he was carried outside. 

When he was let down it was on the patio of the bar. He spun around and his chest tightened unbearably at Din’s dark face. His face was eerily blank but his eyes were thunderous in their anger. 

Luke then realized he just screwed up very, very badly. He raised his hands and started to apologize, “D-Din I-”

His words were cut off, however, when the doors of the bar slammed open and Mandalorians carried the drunk man out of the bar. They then inelegantly threw him off the steps of the porch onto the hard ground. 

Luke flinched at the man’s impact. The drunk man then groaned before he slowly pushed himself up off the ground. 

Din turned away from Luke and stepped down off the patio. At the bottom step, he stopped and put his hands on his hips. 

“I will give you ten seconds to get off my property,” Din stated, slowly and coldly. “If you don’t, I will call the cops.”

“F-FUCK YOU!” the man croaked. “I-I AM HERE F-FOR MY SON!” 

He then pointed at Luke. “A-AND THAT FAGGOT ATTACKED ME! YOU ALL SAW IT!”

Din’s face darkened even more, making Luke shiver and tense. The Mand’alor then slowly stalked forward until there was only a little space between them. 

“What I saw,” he growled, low and dangerous, “is you threatening a patron of my bar and he defended himself.” 

The drunk man staggered back, wilting under Din’s intense gaze. “F-fuck you!” 

“Leave,” Din stated. He then turned away.

As he started to walk back to the bar, the drunk man reached behind his back and pulled out a knife. When he tried to attack, Luke attempted to give a warning by shouting “Din!” but it wasn’t as necessary as he thought. 

It all happened so fast that Luke barely caught all the action. Din sharply turned and grabbed the man’s wrist with the knife. He then twisted the wrist until the man cried out and dropped the weapon. Finally- apparently not sharing Luke’s position- he delivered a heavy punch to the man’s face. 

The man crumbled to the ground without a sound. 

Din tossed the man’s arm aside and then used his boots to push the man over on his back. The drunk man was completely knocked out with a bloody- and probably broken- nose. 

With the confirmation he was out, Din turned and walked back towards the bar. 

A couple of Mandalorians walked to meet him. “You know what to do,” is all Din said to them before he walked past. The Mandalorians set to work.

As they did, Luke watched Din as he walked back up the steps and approached him again. His face was softer which lessened the constriction on Luke’s lungs. His heart beat hard against his ribs, though, and not all of it had to do with fear now.

As everyone went back to what they were doing before, Din softly cleared his throat. “You, uh, can join them,” he waved a hand awkwardly towards the drunk man and Mandalorians. “Um, in case you wanted to finish beating him up.”

Luke bit his lip to stop from smiling, warmth like the sun filling his chest, at Din’s awkwardness. “Um, so I am not going to be thrown out of the bar?”

The Mandalorian blinked at him before he smiled a little. “No,” he chuckled and Luke shivered again. “You were defending yourself.” He waved a hand at the bar. “But I have a no fighting policy, no matter what it is. Though don’t expect an aruetii to know that.”

Luke’s eyebrows pinched together. “Arooatee?” 

Din pressed his lips together, eyes lighting up with mirth. 

The back of Luke’s neck went hot. “I guess I said that wrong?”

To Din’s credit, he just nodded. “Mando’a is a hard language,” Din volunteered. “But it means ‘outsider.’ Those that aren’t Mandalorian.” 

“Oh.”

Their conversation was interrupted when there was a low groan. They both turned to look at the Mandalorians dragging the man off. 

“They..,” Luke winced, hoping what he said wouldn’t be too offensive. “They aren’t going to kill him, are they?”

Din raised an eyebrow at him.

Quickly, Luke explained, “It’s just, uh, my uncles were ready to beat up my friend for insulting you. I can’t imagine what the treatment would be for trying to kill the Mand’alor.”

The other man grimaced slightly when he used the title but shook his head. “They might rough him up a bit,” he shrugged. “But nothing life-threatening.”

That... Well, Luke supposed that was a little reassuring.  

Din waved a hand again in the group's direction. “So you can join them to finish what he started,” he offered. “If that is what you want.”

Luke smiled a little. “That's a nice offer,” he shook his head. “But I was really just defending myself.” 

The Mandalorian nodded with a small smile. 

“So, um,” Luke tried not to sound too eager, “are you finished with your Mandalorian business?” 

Din nodded again. 

“Great!” Luke wrapped his arms around his back to stop himself from reaching for Din. “Do you think you can join us?”

“It would be rude if I didn’t,” the other man chuckled. 

Together the two of them made their way back inside. 

Din was immediately accosted by Grogu, who waited by the door, and picked the little boy up to calm him down. Luke’s heart fluttered at the sight and he reminded himself that he needed to keep his hands off. To not join Din in giving Grogu comfort and hold the two of them close. 

It wasn’t an easy task to do, especially when it seemed his whole family conspired against him by having Din sit next to him at the table. But he did. 

He did as he laughed, drank, and ate with old and new friends. He did as he kept glancing at Din the entire night and how everyone gave him knowing looks. He did when sometimes the Mandalorian’s and his hands would accidentally brush one another or how Din chuckled and commented at Luke’s jokes and stories. He did when sometimes Din shared pieces of himself, small morsels that Luke found himself tucking away in his heart. 

He especially had to hold himself back when Din and he traded numbers at the end of the night.

As he sat in the back of the car, head leaning on the window, he stared at Din’s name on his phone with a fluttering heart. He had already sent Din a message and had received a response back before they had wished each other a good night again. 

Next to him, Leia giggled. “You are really hopeless, Lu.”

Luke giggled, too drunk to care what his twin said. “I am!” He leaned the other way, the world spinning as he leaned on Leia. “But I got his number~”

Leia snorted with a giggle.

“You have a good feeling about this one then?” Padmé asked, smiling at them from the front seat. Luke ignored the scowl his father wore in the rearview mirror at her question.

“I do, Mom,” Luke nodded, snuggling up to Leia (and secretly wishing it was Din). He gripped his phone tightly. “I really do.”

Epilogue

Luke took a sip of his drink as he watched the crowd mingling in his new exhibition. It was a peculiar sight: the bright colors of people celebrating the pride event and the Mandalorians in their full gear to celebrate the opening of Luke’s showcase. But in a lot of ways, all of it was just right.

Luke spotted his own family flitting about the groups: his parents, Obi-Wan and Cody talking with Satine, Ahsoka and Rex speaking with Bo-Katan, Chewie helping Omera with the children on the dance floor, Leia with her girlfriend Fennec as they looked at the pictures, Lando and Peli were speaking with some Mandos (probably going to try and get them to play a card game when the party eventually moved to the Mudhorn ), and, surprisingly, Han speaking with Cobb and Boba (the three of them had... something going on but Luke didn’t want to try and figure out what it was).

It wasn’t like his usual openings- heck, he didn’t even have a private pre-opening for his sponsors (though he noted some of them were in the crowd. He needed to remember their faces to thank them for coming and also pass that information unto Leia). Music more suited for a Pride Parade than an exhibit played softly through the speakers and intermingled with the loud laughter and whoops that echoed around. 

Rather than the pristine white walls of a building in the central city of Naboo, Luke had rented a restored, empty brick building just outside the city's main areas- someplace not too far out but far enough that it would take a moment to travel there. With his friends and family, they built some stand-alone walls big and sturdy enough to hold any photos he would hang that would be littered throughout the makeshift gallery. They left the center of the gallery open though and built a dance floor with signs encouraging people to go up to dance and sing. The photos not hanging on the stand-alones were hung on the brick walls of the first and second levels of the building; the second level was just a catwalk that surrounded the room so people could see below.

Luke couldn’t help but be in awe of all the people that weren’t Mandalorians that were here. He wasn’t sure his exhibition “Mandalorians: A People, A Culture, A Creed by Luke Skywalker” would be such a big hit with the public. But when word got out that he, a famous queer photographer was opening an exhibit about the closed-off Mandalorians in June, the LGBTQ+ community had been thrilled. Luke had been inundated with all sorts of social media communications expressing how excited people were to learn more about the group that had helped them throughout the years. 

It hadn’t been easy. In the beginning, Mandalorians offered only the smallest information- even his uncles and the rest of the Fetts. They were leery, which Luke understood. Years of having a bad reputation thanks to the media didn’t make them welcome to outsiders. 

But once he proved himself, they were more receptive to him. It also helped he was dating their Mand’alor.

“Cyar'ika.”

Luke’s heart skipped a beat as he turned to Din. His love was in his full gear like the rest of the Mandalorians, silver helmet under his arm, and holding a now six-year-old Grogu’s hand. 

Grinning, Luke’s pleasantly warm feeling increased, as it always did whenever he was around Din. Even after two years, his Love always left him breathless.

Turning to Grogu, Luke waited until the little boy had pulled out an earplug before he asked, “Did you enjoy the pictures?” 

Grogu nodded with a wide grin, the green ears of his beanie flopping. He let go of his father’s hand and, after shoving the earbud in his pants pocket, he signed steadily.

Luke laughed, bright and warm, and deep from his chest. “Yeah, that is a funny one.” He looked up to the second balcony in the direction of one photo. It was too small to see but Luke knew all the photos by heart. 

The one the Grogu was talking about was taken in Tatooine when they were visiting Boba. It was Jango, Boba’s father, and Boba wrestling around on the floor as Cobb, Fennec, and others of Boba’s covert continued as if nothing was wrong. It had worried Luke, thinking they were taking things too far but Din assured him it was fine (“If you don’t fight like you mean it, even in a friendly spar, it is considered an insult.” ). The picture was blurry and messy but if it didn’t show off one form of Mandalorian affections, Luke didn’t know what did.

Luke remembered it fondly. It was during the winter, a little after Grogu’s preschool had let out, and before Din and Luke had gotten together. Din had shyly asked him to come along and Luke had all but jumped at the chance. They were good friends by then, having texted each other and then met up sometimes outside of the bar (Luke never went there unless he was invited, respecting the space that Din created for his fellow Mandalorians). Grogu was always a staple with Din and Luke found he really enjoyed the young boy’s curiosity and sense of adventure (even if he had a penchant to try and eat every little living thing in sight). It reminded Luke so much of himself when he was younger (and that was a little eye-opener for him).

Being good friends, Luke tried not to want more even though he desperately desired it. Not only was Din the man of his dreams in terms of appearance, but also everything he could see in a partner. He was kind and understanding, quiet but not unwelcoming, and so, so gentle despite his looks. He was a little closed-off about himself and his feelings but Luke knew that no one was perfect. And with time Din opened up to him. 

They talked about his doubts about being Mand’alor. His story about being taken in by the Armorer from a young age after he lost his birth family and how that influenced him to adopt his son- which shocked Luke because he was sure they were biologically related. His fears about raising Grogu and if he was doing a good job. His own struggles he sometimes had with being a Mandalorian despite the love and familiarity felt with them. How he couldn’t imagine himself anywhere else. 

In turn, Luke shared his frustration with his art, how the things he showed felt stale and uninspiring. The scars that covered nearly his entire body. Growing up and feeling like there was always something more to his life. His discovery of photography that allowed those locked-up emotions to be expressed. And his own struggles with the Jedi religion; the orthodox tenets he was taught versus how his father raised him and his sister. How he struggled to find his own path because he wanted to be faithful but also how unagreeable he was with some of the traditions.

Luke tried not to imagine how beautiful the two of them would be together. Yet when he was alone at night, he allowed himself to dream of the possibilities. What it would feel like to hold Din in his arms, to hear Grogu’s laughter in his apartment, or what it would be like to have all of them sleeping in his queen-size bed. 

He ached for more- so much so it was starting to worry his friends and family- but he never acted on his feelings that he knew were love by wintertime. He didn’t want to ruin their friendship.

He had never been so happy with his decision to accept Din’s invitation when, on the way back from Tatooine, Din confessed that he had developed feelings for Luke and wondered if he could take him out on a date after the new year. Luke had nearly opened his heart fully to Din then but managed to hold off. Instead, he said they could go on a date now, surprising Din. ( “Now? Are you okay with Grogu being there?” “Of course!” )

Looking back at Grogu, the little boy signed something again and pointed to the dance floor.

Both adults chuckled as Din placed a hand on his son’s head. “Alright,” he jutted his chin to the dance floor where some of his friends were. “Go on and have fun. But be careful. ”

Grogu nodded excitedly and placed his earbud back in before he ran off to join the group, his skirt fluttering behind him.

Chuckling, Luke stepped into Din’s space and wrapped an arm around the man’s waist. “And what about you?” Luke teased as his love wrapped his arm over Luke’s shoulder, allowing the photographer to snuggle in closer. “What was your favorite?”

Din hummed but didn’t answer right away. He first leaned down and kissed the side of Luke’s head. “I can’t say,” he softly confessed into Luke’s hair. “They all are beautiful.” 

Luke giggled and pulled his head back so he could look at the Mandalorian. “Really?” he chuckled. “Even the ones where you sometimes can’t tell what is going on?”

“Especially those,” Din chuckled. “There is something very... human about them.” He sounded a little unsure if what he was saying was right, making Luke giggle. “The energy they have.”

Luke’s grin widened. 

Throughout the two years that he’d known and been with Din, Luke rediscovered the thing he had been missing in his work. There was still the human element but also freedom. Traveling with Din on the back of the Mandalorian’s Razor Crest motorcycle- and later his old X-Wing bike that Din had helped him fix up (his cat, Artoo, loved the animal seat that he added so they all could travel together)- reminded him of the wildness and freedom in life. That the photos he could sell didn’t have to be just pretty still pictures but that they can have life. And life was a constantly moving thing that connected all (The Force, the Jedi called it). 

He also gathered the courage to show his more organic works on his socials. For the dark and upsetting ones, he always put a warning but they equally drew in the numbers as the wholesome ones. And people seemed to like that he didn’t sugarcoat things and brought these problems to the forefront of everyone’s attention. 

It only made him more determined to showcase the Mandalorians. 

“I enjoyed the photos you did,” Din went on, “of the funeral celebrations. The pictures of the welcoming parties for new Mandalorians were also very nice.”

“And what about the ones from the rallies?” Luke was honestly curious about Din’s thoughts because those were some of the biggest photos, showing what actually happened during those events. 

“Chaotic,” Din chuckled. “But that’s how those rallies always are.”

Luke chuckled. “They can be pretty crazy.”

Honestly, when he went with Din to the first one, he had been wary of what would happen. Din had told him about the fights some Mandos had with Din when he first became Mand’alor and he worried for the man’s safety. But when he got there, all he saw was just a bunch of people that shared a common creed and way of life, celebrating who they were. The fights he did witness weren’t out of anger but were friendly spars, romantic gestures, or conflict solvers. Sometimes Din got challenged for his spot but they were mostly by younger people and they were easily defeated.

When Luke asked if anyone won would that mean they would be Mand’alor, Din shook his head. “In the past, yes,” he explained. “There was once an artifact called the Darksaber. Whoever wielded it would be the Mand’alor but it has since been lost to time. 

“Now, it is the Alors that choose the new Mand’alor. When the old one steps down or dies, they get together and vote on who the new one will be. 

“The fights now are more symbolic. If I lose, it implies I am losing my strength and might not be able to hold the Mandalorians together.” 

“So you were voted in?” 

“Unanimously, unfortunately.”

Luke had a good laugh at that.

“Many have told me they like the ones that show what we do,” Din stated softly. “The pictures of the bounty hunting, raids, and outreach.”

Luke nodded before he took a sip of his drink. 

Those photos were probably the most terrifying and exhilarating. When Luke proved himself (affectionately earning the nickname ‘Skyshot-’ a play on his last name and his job as a photographer) and many saw how serious he was about their Mand’alor, they invited him to some of their ‘jobs.’ Luke never realized how much the Mandalorians did: helping homeless and orphaned kids and teens (‘foundlings’ the Mandalorians call them); offering assistance to the adult homeless and drug addicts to help them get back on their feet; busting drug, animal, and human trafficking rings when the police couldn’t touch them; protecting other rallies like the Naboo Pride Parade; bodyguard jobs and hunting down bounties to collect the money to fund their projects and help their people.

When Luke asked why the media portrayed them as if the Mandalorians were involved with illegal activities, the Armorer explained, “Aruetiise have a set notion of who we are. We ride motorcycles and all wear a single symbol. They do not see us as we see ourselves: A family with a long lineage and a Creed.”

Luke completely understood that.

“Which one is your favorite?” Din asked. 

Luke threw his head back in a laugh against the other man’s shoulder, bright and warm that formed deep from his chest. “That’s like asking what my favorite star is, Darling!”

Din hummed with a little smile on his face. “But if you have to choose...”

“You’re impossible,” Luke giggled, jostling Din with his hip. Din squeezed him back in a form of retaliation that really wasn’t. 

“Hmmm,” Luke hummed, taking another sip. “If I had to choose... It would be a tie between two: ‘Angel’ and ‘A Warrior’s Return. ’”

Din’s smile softened while his eyes lit brightly. “Those would definitely be hard to choose from.”

Luke nodded before he laid his head on Din’s shoulder.

‘Angel’ was the opening photo- the one that drew people in. It was taken at the Naboo Pride Parade before the show actually started. There was a pair of wings against clouds painted on the side of a building with an empty space between them near the starting point of the parade. Painted to almost look like metal, they weren’t your typical wings; they were more abstract and geometric in their design.

Luke convinced Din to stand in the center of them in his full Mandalorian gear, including the helmet. Luke then had Din hoist him in a bridal carry. 

One arm wrapped around Din’s shoulders, Luke kicked out one of his legs and extended his free arm to the side with a peace sign. He wore an enormous grin, eyes full of happiness behind his pink heart-shaped glasses, as he looked at the camera. The rainbow chiffon kimono he had on had fluttered in the breeze as if it were a flag frozen in time.

It screamed ‘influencer,’ even when Luke had softened the lighting of the photo to get it an ethereal appearance. Yet Luke just had to take a picture in front of it with Din holding him. It fit how he viewed the Mandalorian. A dangerous angel who accepted Luke for who he was.

The other photos were taken on the same day. Those didn’t have a completely happy story behind them, however.

A bunch of transphobes and LGBTQ+ hate groups had come to start problems at the parade. The Mandalorians had intercepted them before the parade could get to the spot where those people were going to ambush them. But because of the standoff, the police were called. 

The situation escalated, and no one really knew how it happened, but the Mandalorians had to defend themselves against those that wanted to cause problems. The police arrested as many as they could, including Din. 

No one at the parade knew this was happening until Leia had gotten a call about it. Luke knew something was wrong with how white his twin went and then his whole body went cold when she told him what happened. Suddenly, he was thrown back to his own time when he was in custody and how he was treated. It nearly sent him into a panic attack to think Din was being hurt.

The news spread fast and it warmed Luke’s soul when the whole parade went off course to go to the police station. 

The street where the police station stood was covered in people from the parade, out of the way of traffic but making the sidewalk so crowded no one could make their way through. If Luke wasn’t dealing with an upset Grogu at the time, he would have sobbed at their chants of letting the Mandalorians go or taken photos himself (he instead gave the camera to Ahsoka to take the pictures, too distressed to even think). At one point the police came out and the potential of violence for the sake of ‘public safety’ was met with the rest of the Mandalorians forming a barrier between them and the protesters. 

It had taken a little under an hour for the Mandalorians to be released (thanks to the amazing team of lawyers Luke learned they had under Bo-Katan Kryze, a fellow Mandalorian.) The crowd had gone wild in their joy, waving flags and welcoming them back. 

He knew many Mandos were overwhelmed when some stopped on the steps of the police station to stare while others offered a little awkward wave. But Luke couldn’t find any fondness in it as his eyes scanned the streaming Mandos anxiously. 

Din was one of the last ones to come out of the building. Luke didn’t think twice as he hoisted Grogu higher on his hip and ran towards Din.

‘A Warrior’s Return’ was a series of photos taken at that time. 

The first one was just when Luke was about to reach Din. You could see the desperation and relief in Luke’s face and eyes (he by then had taken his glasses off) as he ran towards Din with one arm reaching out to the Mandalorian. The back of Grogu’s head was towards the camera so you couldn’t see his face, but his little body was practically falling out of Luke’s grasp as he reached with both hands towards his father. Din’s arms were wide, ready to receive them. 

The second one was Din holding Grogu and Luke in his arms as they held onto him tightly. What could never be shown was the heartbreaking wails that Grogu released as he tried to climb onto his father as if he could meld into him. And Luke knew that sensation, having the same desire to melt into Din and never let go. In the photo, Luke’s face was buried into his love’s neck, hiding the tears he shed when the anxiety left his body. The picture also didn’t show the comforting words that Din whispered repeatedly to them through his helmet: “I’m here. I’m alright. I love you both.” 

Luke was so overwhelmed he couldn’t even appreciate that it was the first time Din said he loved him. 

The third photo was still of them in the same near position as the second. But Din had lifted his helmet enough to reveal his mouth and Luke had moved to press his lips against the other man’s. Here, you could see a few tears streaking down one side of Luke’s face. What it didn’t reveal was that the kiss had been one of many with Luke gasping in between “I love you, I love you, I love you...”

Luke could barely remember what happened after that, too caught up in having Din back, safe, and whole. The next thing he did remember was laying on a couch on the third floor of the Mudhorn with Din underneath him and Grogu. 

When he had seen the series of shots, Luke knew he had to put them into the exhibit. He enlarged them to be as tall as Din and close up on the details but with the hint of the police station sign in the back. He made the photos black and white, harkening back to old-time photos of the first LGBTQ+ protests.

“Mando! Skyshot!” 

Both adults turned to see Cara coming toward them. 

“There you two are!” She threw a thumb over her shoulder. “Come on! Everyone wants to take a group photo.”

Din groaned, making Luke chortle. 

“Come on,” Luke sniggered, slipping out of Din’s arms. He took his Love’s hand in his and started pulling him along. “I know you hate photos but think of it as a family photo.” 

Din just sighed. “Should I get Grogu then?”

“Nah, Omera and Chewie got it,” Cara answered. “So come on!” 

Luke rolled his eyes. “We’re coming, we’re coming!”

As the three of them walked through the crowd, Luke noticed Cara smirking. When their eyes met, she pointed at his shirt. “So are you really?” She snickered. 

Briefly glancing down, Luke smirked. She had pointed at his all-familiar button of ‘Total Slut’ but Luke had taken it upon himself to write in addition in black sharpie and laminate it to make it permanent. It now read, ‘Total Slut for Din Djarin.’ 

He winked at her. “Definitely!” 

She cackled just as Din sighed, knowing what they were talking about. Din didn’t want him to wear the pin to tonight’s event but Luke never wanted to miss a chance to let the world know.

As an apology, Luke turned and brought Din into his embrace. Sharing a single glance, Din leaned down as Luke tilted up, and their lips met halfway. 

Luke smiled into their kiss. Din tasted like all the things Luke ever wanted: an equal, a home, and a promise of a future together. 

Luke was glad his feelings about Din being the one were spot on.