Chapter Text
‘It’s back.’ Din thought, laying under the warm covers of his bed. The tell tale clicks of something climbing over the bricks of his two story home echoed in his room. Soon he’d also hear the taps of claws on glass.
It had been going on for three days now. Ever since he saw the small creature hunched behind the oak tree in his front yard.
Din had lived across the street from a cemetery for the last five years, nothing had ever happened. Why now? And why was he considering believing in something as ridiculous as ghosts? Well… he hoped it was a ghost.
The stomping on the roof finally started, which meant Din was likely going on another sleepless night. He shoved a pillow over his face, hoping it would either block out the sound or suffocate him.
~~~
Din was running on exactly two hours of sleep. Which was not safe for someone who routinely drove an old as dirt Jeep Wrangler down unpaved trails. Or someone who carried a rifle. However, Fett would hunt him down if he called in. Especially if he told him, it was because he was being haunted.
So Din parked in the grass next to the ranger’s station, and would hope for the best. Maybe he could get a nap out next to the river, if he played his cards right.
The ranger station smelled like fresh coffee, and whatever breakfast concoction his coworkers were coming up with.
Bo-Katan sat perched on the well loved couch in the main room. She glared at her coffee like it had personally offended her.
“You lost at poker again, didn’t you?” He asked, walking to make his own coffee. Din liked it best when it was black with sugar.
“Fennec cheats. I don’t know how, but she cheats.” She huffed.
“What’d you lose?”
“I have fire watch duty for the next month.”
Din, despite all of his exhaustion, laughed. “Better you than me.”
Fire watch duty wasn’t as terrible as she made it seem. Just boring. You got stuck up in a tower every night, to make sure the forest around them didn’t burn down.
Din would rather stick to the day shift.
“You’re late.” Boba Fett said as he walked into the room. He shoved what Din found out was a foil wrapped egg and cheese bagel, into his hands.
“I had to work up the courage to see your beautiful face this morning.”
Din received a shove in retaliation. He knew Boba Fett didn’t actually care, as long as he did his job and showed up.
They went back a long time. He was the reason that Din had been able to leave mercenary work. A line of work he never should have started in the first place, but when he left the marines, he didn’t really know what else to do. Someone had to take care of everyone back home.
At least now, at thirty six, he could enjoy the rest of his life. He wasn’t sure how Boba had gotten this land, or the station, or really anything here, but there was no point in questioning it.
“Alright. Everyone to the table. I need you lazy assholes to actually do the jobs I pay you for.” Boba said.
They were quickly joined by Paz, Cobb, and Fennec.
“Paz you’re on boats. Keep the tourist from drowning. Fennec and Bo-Katan go scare those dumbass hunters that don’t have a license. Cobb, you’re on tour guide duty.”
“I’m always the tour guide.” He huffed.
“Yeah. Well that’s what you get for being good with people.”
“Din. You’ve got the caves. Heard there’s some idiots hanging around there. Get them out of there. The last thing we need is a lawsuit.”
Din hated the caves. Especially since he was the only one who was cave and climb certified. He supposed it was better that he got rid of whoever was there, so he didn’t have to go in after them.
He took his breakfast to go, with the hope the uneven terrain wouldn’t cause him to choke.
~~~
At the very least the forest was beautiful this time of year. Din liked the fall. Less bugs, cool air, and he could drive with the top of his Jeep off. He knew all of the drivable trails by heart, and thankfully the opening to the park's cave system was one of them.
Din pulled up to the mostly hidden entrance, making sure the Jeep was parked facing outwards. A quick escape if needed. Likely the people in the cave were just dumb asses looking for a thrill, but you never knew. There were enough serial killings in this part of the country to make him think twice about everything.
A brand new Ford Bronco sat to close to the cave. A part of him was worried the hollow ground would collapse under its weight.
“Hey.” Din called out to the figures in the trees. “The caves are off limits. Too much water.”
Both of the men jerked their heads up, as he walked over to them. He wasn’t sure what exactly they were doing. They had no supplies or caving equipment.
At least they weren’t to sketchy looking. Instead seeming like a father and son.
“Hello there.” The man with a graying beard called back to him. “Don’t mind us. Just looking for our… cat.”
They both seemed to know he wasn’t buying it. However, asking questions was above his pay grade. “Look. Whatever you’re actually doing. Just do it away from the caves.”
The younger of the two stared at him. Somehow, Din could feel it through the round black sunglasses he wore. It was almost unnerving. If it was another place or time, Din might find him attractive. He did always have a thing for blondes. Right now though… something was off. He didn’t trust it.
“So you're the police?” The younger man asked skeptically.
“Park ranger.”
“Do you actually enforce the laws, or just stand around and look cute in your uniform?”
Din blinked in slight confusion. He wasn’t sure if he was being patronized or flirted with.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to try and figure it out.
The older man grabbed his arm, and started dragging him towards the Bronco. “Sorry for the trouble, sir. Ignore him, he’s a clone of his father. It’s very unfortunate for all of us.”
Well… it could have gone worse. Weird as the situation was. Once he was sure the two of them were gone, Din hopped into his Jeep, to see what else Boba had scheduled for him.
~~~
The sun had set, once Din had finally made it back to the ranger station. He’d been given a few miscellaneous jobs, but nothing too difficult. His co-workers' vehicles were parked outside the station. So everyone had made it back before him.
It was take out Tuesday, so he knew food from his favorite Chinese restaurant waited for him.
Din was greeted with a ‘Took you long enough.’ From Bo-Katan. She would always seem annoyed with him, but they had been in the marines together, so he could read her like a book.
He’d consider her the closest thing he had to a best friend…. Though he wouldn’t tell Boba Fett that.
The table was covered in a spread of Chinese food and beer. Although Din was not a fan of the lather so he opted for more coffee. He was more than happy to eat his fill having skipped lunch. He would also box up some to take home with him. It meant no cooking for tomorrow.
“Maz brought in cookies.” Fett said, shoving one into his hand without asking. Din wasn’t much for sweets.
He bit into it anyway.
“They’re made with deer blood.”
Din slowly stopped chewing, glaring at his friend.
“Really? I was expecting a spit take.”
“Have you ever seen me waste food?” He in fact ate the whole cookie, then snatched the box from Boba Fett. Blood or not, they tasted good, and he wouldn’t let them be thrown away. As a child there were many times where he would have loved any type of sweet he could get his hands on. At least ones that he wouldn’t have instantly given to his younger siblings.
~~~
Din left dinner early, hoping to get back to his home before the sun fully set. It hadn’t worked. Instead he was sitting in his jeep debating if he should sleep in it, or make a mad dash to his front door.
His high beams were the only thing keeping his house illuminated on the moonless night. Din’s dumb ass had not left a single light on.
The small creature was hiding behind the oak tree again, not daring to step into the light.
He took a breath, before stepping out of the Jeep. Din couldn’t live like this. He couldn’t live in fear, or on two hours asleep. Although he didn’t know what confronting this would do to help. He’d either find out he was crazy, or get eaten.
At the very least Boba Fett would find his remains within a few days, and Din would be buried in the cemetery across from his house. At least that would be peaceful.
He took slow steady steps, towards the oak tree. The crunch of his boots on the gravel was almost deafening.
It simultaneously took years and seconds to reach the tree. Every passing second, Din thought his heart might beat out of his chest.
The creature had not moved. The closer he got, the more Din realized that it couldn’t move. The bright light from his Jeep’s LEDs forced the creature to curl up behind the tree, trying to shield itself.
Suddenly his fear had disappeared and turned into a feeling he was all too familiar with. The need to help. Growing up, so many small children had gone through his foster home. He could only help them so much. But now he was a grown man with the capability to do more.
Because this wasn’t a monster. He was a little boy.
Din kneeled down with a few feet between them. “Hey. It’s ok, I’m not going to hurt you.” He reached out, but the child weakly hissed at him.
Din could see his reflection in the child’s pure black eyes. He was clearly a child, but not a human one by any means. His hair was pure white, and he had four sharp teeth, where his canines would be. His ears were even pointed.
The poor kid was barefoot and in a torn ratty t-shirt. If this was any other situation, he’d scoop him up into his jacket and call an ambulance. This child was all alone out here, and he couldn’t be more than three, if that.
Without thinking, he quickly rushed to the Jeep to turn off the lights. He could barely see afterwards, but the child crawled out from behind the tree. Din grabbed the box of cookies out of the car, before slowly making his way back over.
“Are you hungry?” He asked, opening the box and kneeling back down.
The child sniffed the air, before crawling over. He crawled on his hands and feet, like something from a horror movie.
The box of cookies was snatched out of his hands, and the child dug into them with a vigore that Din had seen in himself as a child.
The box was quickly emptied and discarded.
“I have more food in the house. Do you want to come in?” He offered his hand again, and this time tiny pale fingers wrapped around his own.
~~~
The lights in the house didn't bother the kid thankfully, nor did the fireplace. Din was followed around his kitchen, looking for what he could feed a three year old… whatever he was.
Soup? Meat? He had a thawed steak in the fridge. It wouldn’t take long to cook it. Honestly, the kid didn’t look like he was eating baby food.
Din took the steak out, and before he could offer, it was snatched out of his hands at an inhuman speed. He blinked as the child ripped open the pack, and began to tear apart the meat.
Right. Well honestly, he should have seen that coming. At least it worked.
The kid needed clothes. He could buy something off Amazon later, but for now, one of his own t-shirts would do. Thankfully he had left his basket of clean clothes on the couch this morning, and wouldn’t have to leave the child alone.
He started to walk away, but suddenly his leg was grabbed by tiny hands. Din looked down to see the blood covered child clinging to him. There were now red stains on his uniform pants.
Din huffed softly. “I’m just going to get you some clean clothes. It’s ok.”
Apparently it wasn’t as the child clung to his leg for the few feet it took to get to the living room.
“Come on. Let me get you cleaned up.” They both went back to the kitchen. Din risked picking the kid up, and sitting him on the cabinet. He hardly weighed anything. Hell the poor kid might be even less than three, he couldn’t tell. A toddler even.
Though he supposed that whatever type of creature he was, he was clearly more independent than a human toddler.
Din grabbed a dish towel, and soaked it in warm water. Then he proceeded to wash the dirt off the kid’s face. Slowly he got him clean, from his hands to his toes.
In the middle of the child’s left foot we’re five small letters tattooed in black ink. GROGU
“Grogu.” Din said, testing the letters. It wasn’t a word he’d ever heard before, and he knew six languages.
The child looked up at him, tilting his head.
“Grogu.” Din said again curiously.
Suddenly he was met with a wide sharp smile.
“Is that your name?”
Grogu didn’t say anything, but kicked his legs happily.
Depending on his age, the kid should be able to talk at least a little bit. Din worried he may not be able to speak at all. Was it because he had been alone, or because he wasn’t human?
Din could probably teach him sign language, in the future…. God. What was he doing? Was he just planning to keep a feral child he found in the woods? That sounded really illegal. What about the kid’s parents? Were there larger creatures stalking his home right now, thinking he had kidnapped their kid?
He helped Grogu get dressed then sat him on the floor.
“Alright Grogu, I’m going to ask you some questions. Shake your head up and down if you can understand me.”
He was met with vigorous head bobbing, to the point where he had to slow him down. “Ok. Shake your head side to side if you want to say no to something, and up and down if it’s yes.”
Grogu nodded at him.
“Do you know where your parents are?”
The answer was no.
“Do you have parents?”
Again no.
Din wanted to ask what exactly the kid was, but he likely wouldn’t get an answer. “Would you like to stay here awhile?”
The vigorous nodding started again, and Din thought he might break his neck.
“Alright. Come on, let’s get you comfortable.”
~~~
Grogu laid on the couch, barely a foot away from him, wrapped in the fuzziest blanket Din owned. All of his attention was on the television currently playing Paw Patrol.
It was the first thing that had come to Din’s mind, since he’d seen so many toddlers dressed in outfits from the show.
He looked through his tablet for clothes Grogu could wear. He went ahead and bought a few Paw Patrol shirts, since Grogu was so mesmerized by it. As well as a green frog raincoat and hat since it was the rainy season. It was much like the one that was handed down to all of his younger foster siblings.
“Ok kid. Bed time.”
~~~
Din had gotten the best sleep of his life, after he had put Grogu down in the guest room.
Well maybe it wasn’t the best sleep of his life, but it sure felt like it after going so long without it.
He stretched out on his bed, enjoying the last few minutes of being in his warm bed. Until a dead rabbit fell from the ceiling into his lap.
Din fell out of bed, nearly knocking his head into the nightstand. He looked up to see Grogu crawling on the ceiling. He hoped it was Grogu, because the child looked completely different.
Instead of white, his hair had changed into dark brown curls. His eyes were dark brown as well. Much like Din’s. The child looked human now, save for the ever present sharp fangs.
Din looked at the dead rabbit on his bed again. It wasn’t bleeding, despite having large gashes in its neck. Like it had been drained of blood.
“Grogu, did you bring this for me?” He asked skeptically.
From the ceiling Grogu nodded. He looked so proud of himself. Din huffed. Well, he’d eaten rabbit before. It’d been a while since he’d done any of his own meat stripping, but nothing a youtube video wouldn’t solve.
“Thanks kid. How about this, I’ll figure out how to make this for dinner. For now I’ll make eggs.”
Grogu dropped down from the ceiling and onto the bed. As did the mud he was covered in. The shirt Din had put on him was a lost cause.
“But first let’s get you cleaned up.” He’d figure out how to clean the ceiling later.
~~~
Grogu liked to eat raw eggs. Din didn’t know if he should stop him. The kid seemed to think they were delicious. Scrambled eggs were not apparently. He’d have to go shopping later to get more.
~~~
Din had used his own hair product to style Grogu’s hair into something neater, since now they had similar curls.
The Amazon packages came sooner rather than later thankfully, so Grogu was now stomping around in shorts and a Smokey the Bear t-shirt. He seemed like an actual child now. Happier too.
Din felt bad about lying to Boba Fett, and claiming to be sick. But it was the day before his two days off, which meant he would have three days to figure out what to do with Grogu.
“Come on kid, let’s get some fresh air.”
Grogu jumped excitedly, running too fast for Din to comprehend.
It had rained some time during the night. A huge puddle had formed next to the Jeep. A puddle which Grogu dove into with no remorse.
Sooner or later he was going to actually have to parent this kid.
“You’re going to get sick.” Din sighed, walking over and kneeling down. “It’s too cold for this.”
But the cold didn’t seem to bother Grogu, and he proceeded to pull an unhappy frog from the mud… which he promptly shoved in his mouth and swallowed.
Din threw up behind the Oak tree.
~~~
Grogu’s cheeks were dark red. Din had been a parent for less than twenty four hours, and the kid already had a severe sunburn. How? They hadn’t been out long.
He had to threaten to take away TV time if Grogu didn’t come into the house. He didn't think it’d work, but apparently the kid liked screen time.
The sun burn didn’t bother him, and even started fading once they got into the house.
Can’t be in the sun. Likes anything with blood. Can crawl on ceilings.
Was Grogu a vampire?
Did vampires even exist?
Well Grogu existed and he definitely wasn’t human.
Vampire it was. Because why not?
Din would buy baby sunscreen and hope it would help Grogu go out during the day.
~~~
“There’s a cute Park Ranger keeping an eye on us, so we’ll have to be careful searching the mountains.” Beside Luke, Obi-Wan sighed.
Despite loving Obi-Wan dearly, Luke didn’t have sympathy for the annoyance he caused him. Not when his uncle had dragged him out all day, looking for a child that may or may not exist.
His sunscreen had worn off, and he looked ridiculous. Plus he was starving.
“It was a long shot anyway.” Anakin noted. “The child is probably gone. The council won’t be happy.”
Luke knew how much his father hated the vampire council. He always liked to point out that the only thing that made them special, was the fact they were day walkers. A very rare vampire trait. One Luke shared with his family.
He leaned back in his chair, watching the setting sun. “I hope they don’t hurt him, if they find the kid first. He didn’t ask for any of this.”
There was a rumor that eating a day walker child would allow a night vampire to no longer be vulnerable to sunlight. As well as give them whatever powers the child had.
Day walkers could grow and stop aging at whatever time they decided. Making a growing child, who hadn’t shut off this ability, the perfect target.
The kid had too many vampires looking for him. If he was caught by the council. There was a chance he’d be locked up until he was useless to the Night Cult. If he was caught by the cult, they would eat him.
Luke had been a child vampire at one point. He knew how many family members it took to keep him and his sister safe. This kid had no one. He was likely created specifically for the cult to use.
Luke would go back, park rangers or not.