#i have a deep and abiding love for the most ridiculous overdone tropes

[vagrantblvrd]

Another modern day au? But this time with more ridiculousness.

The one where Grogu is the sole witness to a Nefarious Crime who can identify the Nefarious Crime-doer and is placed in protective custody for his safety.~

But then Nefarious Crime-doer puts the word out they want Grogu dealt with, resulting in their right-hand man, someone named Gideon to oversee things on that front. But, because Nefarious Crime-doer doesn’t want things traced back to them, the job of ~deaing with Grogu gets outsourced.

Which is how Din, bounty hunter and generally speaking Very Tired Man, finds himself accepting a job that turns out to be more than he reckoned for, what with finding a tiny child at the end of it and all.

One who was in the care of federal agents who were gunned down by someoe else claiming to have been hire by the same mn, the one who Din had been told to refer to as “The Client” and apparently set a price on the kid’s head too tempting for anyone not squeamish about killing a kid to pass by.

He wasn’t told it was a kid, wasn’t told others had orders to kill the kid, none of this is what he signed up for and th sight of the dead federal agents, the cold look in the man in front of him tells him he’s already past the point of no return.

(Finish the job or let the man do his, and he’s still fucked because the damn federal agents.)

Din realizing he’s not a heartless bastard as he saves Grogu from someone who is a heartless bastard and takes Grogu and has to go on the run to keep him safe becuase he just killed a man and dear God, what did he just do???

(But then little Grogu and the sight of the other man about to shoot him, and there was really no other choice.)

Adventures! Shenanigans! Din and Grogu dodging people out to kill both of them as he realizes just how much trouble he’s gotten himself into!

But also, Kuil, Karga, Cara and all the others he meets along the way who become allies and friends he knows won’t sell him out.

And, you know. U.S. Marshals and other feds and whatnot looking for the kid and whoever killed the agents assignd to protect him and it’s just.

A lot to deal with okay? A lot.

Meanwhile, Luke is one of the U.S. Marshals tasked with finding Grogu and whoever took him.

There’s this whole thing where he’s the youngest on his team and the son of a legendary agent, he gets his fair of good-natured grief from his co-workers.

But this thing with Grogu is big, big news and a tskforce is put together and the good-natured grief he gets from the people who know him, have worked with him for years suddenly isn’t.

Nothing new there, Anakin Skywalker is a point of contention in the agency due to The Incident that happened shortly before Luke and Leia were born.

Corrupt politician and a powerplay, corrupt federal agents across several agencies and a conspiray theory that still affects those agecies to this day.

Also, the thing where Anakin left the U.S. Marsha service once things were over (with typical Skywalker Dramatics, Obi-Wan had told him laushing at Anakin’s long-suffering groan) and joined the private sector.

Didn’t actually mean to start a mini-exodus when he did, but, well. Charismatic and such, and he and Obi-Wan are fo-founders of a personal protection business that does quite well for itself thanks to its first client being a well-known a respeted politician and such.

(Luke loved hearing that part of the story as a kid, knowing everything his dad did back then had been for love of his mom.)

Luke could have, should have, gone to work for his dad and Obi-Wan, but there was a recruiter. Someone who talked up working for the U.S. Marshals and they need someone like him, and other things.

Anakin is like *sigh* because that’s pretty much how they got him too, you know? But you can bet he keeps an eye on things with Luke in case it turns out he and the others didn’t manage to rip out all the corruption on their way out.)

Luke’s got all that to deal with, a federal agency that’s still finding it’s feet all this time afterwards and...fellow federal agents who look at him and see a problem agent just like his father. (Don’t know the full story, think his dad should be in jail and all that and apples falling from trees, and anyway, he’s lucky to have his team and superiors who know better and it’s not that often he runs into problem like this.)

Anyway, Luke and this taskforce looking for Din, thinking he’s a heartless bastard looking to cash in with the kid - Grogu, according to the - but Luke is like.

He’s That Guy, the one who looks at the crime scene, reads everything they have on Din and goes, “Something doesn’t add up,” because of course he is.

His team’s used to that, learned to trust his instincts on things like that so instead of looking at Din like he’s just another common criminal, violent thug, they look the whole situation from a different perspective, that he’s trying to protect Grogu rather than cash in on him. (His death.)

But because of Luke’s history with the agency the rest of taskforce isn’t inclined to believe that, think Luke’s...who even knows, bubt they’re dismisive of his theories and aren’t subtle about it and there’s a new nesion between the teams on the taskforce.

As Din gets caught up in situation after situation and witness accounts and so on paint Din in a good light - more of the taskforce leans towards Luke and his team’s view on Din not being a bad guy here? But there are still holdouts, bitter about the hand Anakin had in the resturcturing of the agency, old friends and mentors exposed as corrupt and wasting away in jail and personal grudges and so on.

And then!

Luke checking on a lead, going to talk to one of Din’s new associates in  little town in the desert, a former soldier and a guy who runs a bounty hunting business and happens to be in the right place at the right tie to actually see Din.

Grogu’s with him, seems happy enough, not scared of Din, and Din is watching the kid like a hawk.

Right up until a group of guys show up and the shooting starts and it’s Luke’s day off, but he’sworking on the whole work/life balance thing, but is also trying to stay alive.

Also, hey, hi, M. Djarin, fancy meeting you here, as they end up taking cover behind the same overturned table, Cara and Greef grabbing Grogu and getting him the hell out of the line of fire, and anyway, anyway, what a lovely day, wouldn’t you say?

The thing where they have to flee together and Luke gets a little bit shot - nothing fatal, really, just you know.

Fashionably injured in which Din has to haul him to safety and some dingy motel somewhere and medical supplies from a gast station or pharmacy and Luke watching Din as he patches him up so he doesn’t bleed to death.

Calloused hands with old scars on his knuckles tuching him ~gently, with the kind of care that seems at odds with his checkered patch, and the man is all nerves because his situation gets worse every damn day he’s on the run with Grogu.

And now, okay, now he’s got a federal agent’s life in his hands, someone who probably thinks he’s the bad guy here, might put a bullet in him to keep from going to jail and it’s.

A lot, alright? The same it’s been since he took the damn job, set eyes on Grogu and ruined everything he’s worked for his whole damn life.

But Luke, okay. Luke is just wathcing him, relieved his instincts were right about Din because he had no reason, no reason, to help Luke out. Save his life, drag him to safety and the whatnot. No reason to risk being identified when he went out for medical supplies to tend to Luke’s injury, and yet he did.

The whole thing where Din’s just waiting for Luke’s people to bust in, haul him off to jail, but it never happens.

Not even when he falls asleep because he hasn’t gotten nearly enough of it the last few weeks , gives Luke the chance to call for backup, lock Din away.

None of that happens, although there is a moment the next day where Luke tries to talk Din into coming with Luke, trusting him to clear his name and take care of Grogu where he almost, almost thinks Luke means what he says -

But then the baddies find them again and it’s a whirlwind car chase that ends with a shootout and Din sneaking away when the cops show up and Luke has to explain that hey, no, he’s on their side and please don’t shoot him, he’s been shot enough for the time being, thanks.

More shenanigans in which Din and Grogu elude baddies and Luke (and his team, a few from the task force who are one their side) try to catch up to them only to be too late every time.

And then!

There’s a thing where the baddies get their hands on Grogu and Din has no choice but to call Luke for help, doesn’t care what happens to him so long as Grogu’s safe and it’s just.

A lot of Drama and Angst and this whole convoluted plan to draw the baddies out using Din as bait or whatever because he’s a loose end they can’t afford and it’s all very exciting and dramatic.

(Also, Luke making sure he or someone he trusts is with Din the whole time he’s with them preparing to get Grogu back, keeps him from running by just being there, someone he trusts.)

Exciting action climax in which there is shooting - so much shooting - and Daring Feats and also an Evil Monologue or two, who knows.

Din gets fashionably shot as well, makes a shiity joke about him and Luke matching now with the whole being shot thing what is wrong with him and is reunited with Grogu thinking it’s the last time he’ll see him and all.

Because Witness Relocation for Grogu and jail for Din and just, you know how it is.

But there’s Luke watching Din and Grogu, nd he’s thinking, you know?

Luke with connections he only clls on when things are Dire and never for himself, and anyway, anyway.

There’s a thing where Grogu goes into Witness Relocation until the trial and Nefarious Crime-doer goes to jail for a long, long time . Din doesn’t get tossed into a cell, although he does spend a lot of time talking to federal agents of all kinds before they let him go home.

And Luke, okay, Luke is Plotting.

Meanwhile, Din goes about his life best he can after the upheaval and chaos of the last few months.

All these little reminders of Grogu in his life in the form of a toy or shirt or somehing left behind, forgotten until he stumbles accross them and it’s all very Angsty for  bit.

But then there’s a job offer, this personal protectoon company and it doesn’t click in Din’s mind until he’s waiting for the interview that wait, wait.

Skywalker isn’t exactly a common name, and Boba mentioned something about this Anakin Skywalker who almost burned the U.S. Marshal service down over twenty years ago about a conspiracy and whatot.

(Boba meddles in Din’s life even though he’d deny it to his dying day, and he got the whole miserable story about Din’s adventures in keeping Grogu alive and that one federal agent who didn’t think Din was a heartless monster.)

Anyway.

Din gets called in for his interview - didn’t want to take it, but he needs a job and bounty hunting had already lost its shine before he met Grogu, and anyway. Boba insisted.

So he walks into Skywalker’s office, not sure what to expect, but it sure as hell isn’t Luke, and defintiely isn’t Luke and Grogu with an older man who must be Anakin smiling at the two of them as they ply some kind of game and Din really needs to sit down before he does something embarrasing as faint.

Which, you know. Perfect time for Luke to explain that with Nefarious Crime-doer in jail and his criminal organization torn up by the roots, there’s no reason Grogu has to stay in Witness Relocation.

That, circumtances being what they are, he’s up for adoption and would Din happen to know anyone interested?

(Luke has been busy, the last few months, okay. Very busy calling in favors and whatnot and it’s all worth it to see the look on Din’s face, gap-toothed smile on Grogu’s.)

Also, though.

Anakin has heard all about Din from Luke, and he has been looking for more people since business has been good, and Din is just.

Overwhelmed, because too much good happening all at once.

Luke and Anakin share this look because wow, yes, they know the feeling. Luke takes Din and Grogu out for lunch, go to a quiet, out of the way place to let the poor guy think over his options because he really hasn’t had the luxury to do so for a while now.

Grogu is delighted, because he missed the hell out of Din, and Luke’s been pretty great too, and after a while Din stops worrying and pays attention to that, to Grogu.

Sweet kid, really, and Din already knows he’d do anything for him. Adopting him would be the smallest of it.

As the job...he’ll have to think about it a little longer, uncomfortable with the thought Luke got it for him rather than him earning it, and when he eventually mentions that in another meeting with Anking a week or so later, Anakins is just.

“Well, alright then,” and lets Din prove why he deserves the job.

Anakin knows he does already, okay, from what Luke told him about the whole Situation when he was on he run with Grogu and saving Luke’s life and the praise Luke’s team and others have had for Din. But this is about Din needing to know he does, and he’s more than willing to give that to him.

And then!

Once things have settled down in Din’s life, once he’s got his kid and a good job and some semblance of stability for both of them, Luke is kind of just.

There.

Around Din’s work because of Anakin, and the business’ firt client is Luke’s mother, and also Grogu being all :(((((((( becuase he misses Luke, and Din hates it when Grogu’s :(((((((((, so.

Luke is around, and it’s a little awkward at first, takes Din a while to realize that okay, wow, yes, Luke is actually flrting with him and not just being his usual friendly self.

(Cara and the others just shake their head at him when he has that realization because seriously, okay, seriously.)

Anyway, anywy, awkward flirting and dates and a goodnight kiss where Din is like oh, no, because this relationship of theirs is serious and he does’t know how to do this, be a normal human being in a functioning relationship, okay.

(And yes, part of him knew it was serious before then, it hadn’t sunk in yet, and anyway, yes.)

Uncharted territory and all, but Luke is smiling at him and according to several reliable sources (Leia and Han among others) is a human disaster in his own right, so maybe they can figure things out together, you know?

Might be nice.

(It is, though, absolutely the nicest.)

#star wars nonsense #dinluke #i have a deep and abiding love for the most ridiculous overdone tropes #i'm sure you fine people have noticed that by now #but also sorry about me friends #:D??? #technically not a fic #vagrant fic #¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #long post