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It was honestly kind of ridiculous how many children went in and out of the Fett household. Jango swore he only had one son, but it often felt like he was the only parent in town. Boba’s friends were always over and crowding up his living room. It was hard to keep track of all the names and faces.
Jango, for his own sanity, separated the children into two groups. There were Boba’s football friends. He never cared much for them, but Boba seemed to have fun with them. They’d spend time after school hanging out with each other and causing a ruckus. Middle schoolers were demons, and these kids were no exception.
Then there was the younger friend group. Boba was the oldest in the group, being two years older than the next oldest child who was eleven. That is, unless Ahsoka was with them. Jango liked these kids a bit more. While still rowdy children, they’d actually listen to him if he were to get onto them about something. There were a half dozen of them, and he only remembered some of their names.
Despite all that, he immediately noticed when there were two new faces.
Din Djarin and Grogu. When asked about them, Boba didn’t seem to know much about the two boys. Din was a quiet kid and never had much to say. Out of the bunch, he was probably the least amount of trouble, always very polite whenever he spoke to Jango. While mostly an observer, he spent most of his time watching out for Grogu, the odd little alien baby. The baby sometimes got into things he wasn’t supposed to, and didn’t listen very well, but Din was usually on top of it.
For a good moment, Jango wondered if Din even spoke until he deadpan delivered a blunt line that left the rest of the children giggling.
Boba seemed to have taken a particular shine to Din. If the other kids teased him a bit too much, he was quick to make them back off. The feeling was mutual it seemed, as Din never seemed to stray too far away from Boba. It was funny to watch Boba rattle off about football while Din clearly only understood every word out of his mouth, but still seemed invested in what he was saying. The other boys would often change the topic if Boba dominated a conversation too much.
However, something was off. Din and Grogu always seemed half starved, to the point where Jango would ask the two if they wanted lunch or dinner whenever they were over. Din also seemed to jump between the same two outfits, and neither looked particularly clean.
At first, Jango assumed Din simply had a bad home life. Din never had any bruises beyond the normal scuffs a child would get. So, the next assumption was neglect, but not something Jango could call in and actually have something get done about it. The most he could do was to try and keep an eye for the two kids.
Then he asked Din where he lived, and the child got very quiet and didn’t respond to him. Jango thought that maybe Din was just hesitant because he wasn’t comfortable with Jango. Which was fair. Din seemed like a shy child, and he sure would hope that if someone wasn’t comfortable with another, they wouldn’t tell them where they lived.
Jango tried asking Boba about it, but Boba said he had no idea where Din had lived. None of the kids did.
“You’ve never played at his house or walked him home?”
Boba shrugged, seemingly unbothered, although his nose scrunched at the word play . “Maybe he lives on the edge of town? I dunno.”
“Have you ever seen him at school?”
For a moment, Boba paused and frowned. “I don’t think I’ve seen him, no… but he is younger than me. I think ten? We wouldn’t be in the same classes.”
While their town had a separate high school, the middle and elementary school were on the same little campus. If Din went to school there, Boba would’ve seen him at this point.
The next time Jango had a gaggle of children at his household, he decided to make it a point to drive them all home since it was getting dark. Most of the kids lived right down the road, or just a few minutes over, but it was a good enough excuse as any to try and figure out where Din lived… if it were anywhere.
Din had tried refusing the ride home at first, saying he could just walk. Jango hated to make the poor kid uncomfortable, but he was steadily getting more concerned about his living situation. It wasn’t safe to be sleeping outside, and if someone were to hurt Din, no one would know.
It didn’t take very long to drop off all the other children, and soon, Din was the only child left in the car. Jango drove around for a bit, following the kid’s vague directions.
“I live on this street.” Din’s voice was barely above a mumble, arms tight around Grogu, who sat on his lap.
Jango drove slowly down the street, stopping at the house Din pointed out.
As if in a rush, Din reached to unbuckle himself.
“Wait a second.”
The kid froze, eyes wide like a deer in headlights.
“Now, I know nearly everyone in town,” Jango gestured at the house they had stopped at, “and I know the people who live here. They don’t have a son.”
In an instant, tears were welling up in Din’s eyes. If the kid could lie, he probably could’ve gotten away with saying he was a nephew or a relative of some kind. The tears blew what little cover he had.
“I’m sorry.”
“Hey, hey,” Jango softened his voice, “you’re okay, I’m not mad. Have you been sleeping outside?”
Din didn’t respond, staring intensely at the floor in the car as the tears continued to fall.
With a heavy sigh, Jango took the car out of park and started driving. “You can have a sleepover with Boba tonight. We’ll figure things out in the morning.”
Jango wished he knew how to make the poor kid feel better, but he’s never been particularly good at comforting, even with his own child. They drove in silence, aside from the occasional sniffle.
As they pulled back into the driveway, Jango reached over to ruffle Din’s hair. “You’re gonna be alright, kid,” he promised. “Do you need a moment before going inside?”
Din nodded, wiping at his eyes.
As they waited, Jango couldn’t shake the horrible feeling that this kid had gone through more than anyone his age should have. He was likely a runaway, so the circumstances that had led him to this point must’ve been awful. It’s not like Din was aggressive or confrontational. Jango had a hard time ever imagining the kid being a problem child.
“You ready?” Jango asked once Din’s tears had stopped. After he got a nod in return, he finally got out of the car. Din was close behind.
“Boba!” he called out once inside, quickly spotting his son on the living room couch. “Din’s sleeping over. Go find some old pajamas of yours that can fit him.”
Boba frowned in confusion, but got off the couch and motioned Din to follow him to his room.
The second they were out of the room, Jango sank down on the couch with a heavy sigh, running his hand over his face. This was just the beginning of an even bigger mess, he was dead sure of it. If he could not talk to the police, he would, but he wasn’t entirely sure he had a choice. Having a potential runaway could lead to an accusation of kidnapping. At the same time, Jango didn’t want to send Din right back to what made him run in the first place.
Pulling out his phone, Jango decided to figure out what his options were, and turned towards the internet. He’d wait until morning before doing anything regardless, wanting to hear the kid’s side of the story first. If he needed to protect Din and Grogu, he would. Boba would never forgive him if he didn’t.
It was quite some time later when Jango realized he hadn’t seen or heard from the children since he initially sat down on the couch. Deciding he should check on them at least once before going to bed himself, he got off the couch with a small stretch.
Boba’s door was closed, but there was still a light on, so Jango knocked softly before poking his head in.
“We could’ve gotten out the roll-up mattress,” Jango said, almost smiling as he saw Din already fast asleep on one side of Boba’s bed. It took him a second longer to spot Grogu. The baby was at the end of the bed in the center of a large, bundled up blanket. It looked like he too was already asleep.
Boba just shrugged in response. “There’s enough room to share.” He glanced over at Din, brows furrowing down in concern. “Why are they staying the night with us, though?”
“I don’t believe they had anywhere else to go,” Jango said honestly. At thirteen, Boba was more than capable of understanding that not everyone had a great home life. “They might be staying with us for a few days.” After a pause, Jango pointed at the phone in Boba’s hands. “You’re still going to school, though, so put that down and turn out the light. It’s getting late.”
Boba’s nose slightly scrunched up stubbornly, but he nodded. “Night, dad.”
The following morning, Jango almost shut off his alarm and went back to bed. Work wasn’t for another couple hours. Boba was also old enough to make his own breakfast, so he didn’t really have to get up just yet. Then he remembered he acquired two more kids the night before and dragged himself out of bed with a soft groan.
Jango shuffled over to Boba’s room and peaked in to make sure Din hadn’t bolted in the middle of the night. If he had run away once, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if he chose to do it again. To his relief, all children were accounted for and still asleep. Hopefully it would stay that way.
After about half an hour, long after Jango had made himself some coffee and breakfast, Boba sleepily emerged from his bedroom. Din followed behind after a moment, carrying a sleepy-looking Grogu in his arms. Poor kid seemed tense. He didn’t look like he knew what to do, glancing warily over at Jango.
“Do you want some cereal?” Boba asked as he moved around the kitchen, opening up a cupboard to grab a bowl.
It surprised Jango a bit to hear Boba talking this early. Normally mornings were dead silent, his son particularly grumpy after waking up.
Din nodded, awkwardly standing near the table.
“What does Grogu eat for breakfast?” Boba set a couple of bowls on the table, prompting Din to sit down.
“He likes eggs.”
Jango had long since stopped trying to understand the baby’s diet. A typical human baby, or hell, a good amount of alien babies, mostly drank some form of milk or mushy foods. Grogu seemed to eat whatever got too close to his mouth. Once, Jango had seen and failed to stop the kid from eating a frog. It never made him sick. Jango wondered if maybe Grogu was more akin to a toddler than a baby, especially since he could walk. However, it was hard to tell when he made cooing baby noises most of the time.
After Din finished eating, Jango knew he’d have to get the kid talking.
“So, Din,” the words barely left his mouth before the kid was shrinking in his seat, “I really need to know where you live,” Jango said. “If things are bad at home, I want to help. But I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”
Din shrugged, holding down bits of scrambled egg for Grogu to eat. “I don’t know.”
Jango resisted the urge to sigh. It was fine, Din was young and might genuinely not know his address. He just hoped that the kid wasn’t going to be stubborn on purpose. No matter how patient Jango was, it was crucial that he knew what was going on.
“Do you know your parents phone number?” Jango asked. “Or some way I can get into contact with them?”
Din shook his head, staring at the empty bowl in front of him. “They’re dead.”
It was said so bluntly that Boba flinched, giving the younger child an alarmed look.
Jango himself was taken aback. With bad parents taken from the equation, it left him with a few new guesses. A relative, good or bad, could’ve taken Din in and he ran due to grief. Secondary guess was that he was running from a foster home, which could potentially explain Grogu if they ran together.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Jango said, not sure what else to say. “Who were you living with before you ended up here?”
“Don’t remember their names.”
Foster parents it was then.
“Why did you run away?’ Jango hated to keep on pressing, but he needed answers.
Din looked like he would prefer to be literally anywhere else. “The people we were living with… they weren’t good people.” His leg started to bounce anxiously. “We were going to be moved somewhere else, but…” Din’s voice fell into a mumble. Suddenly, he looked like he was going to cry.
“Hey, Din, it’s alr—”
“I don’t want to be separated from Grogu!” The tears spilled, such a fierce and distraught look on Din’s face. “I’m not going anywhere without him.” He finally met Jango’s eyes, his body tense like he was one wrong move away from bolting.
We were going to be moved somewhere else, but… it wasn’t going to be together, is what Jango now assumed.
“You don’t have to,” Jango said, mostly to keep Din calm. While he’d like to be completely honest and rational, Din was an emotionally distressed child. Even if he couldn’t promise that they’d stay together, letting Din know that would most likely get the child to run again. And if he ran again, there was no telling if him and Grogu would be found.
“Listen,” Jango tried to keep his voice soft, “I’ll let you and Grogu stay here for a while, but we’re gonna have to figure out what we’re going to do, alright?”
That fierce look deflated from Din’s eyes, and he slumped slightly in his seat. “Alright.” He sounded almost… defeated, like he thought things weren’t going to go well for him.
“You and Grogu are going to be alright,” Jango promised. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“Are they going to be staying in my room?” Boba finally piped up.
Jango considered the question for a moment. “I guess we could clear out my study a bit to make room…” then he noticed the look on Boba’s face, “but it’d probably be easier if they stayed with you, yeah. We can set up a separate spot to sleep, though.” He knew his son would never admit that he actually wanted to spend more time with Din. Thirteen year olds were too cool for that.
However, he did catch Boba giving Din a hug sometime after breakfast. Din didn’t seem like a kid that particularly liked being touched, but he clung onto the teen like he didn’t want to let go. Although Jango was too far away to hear, he could see Boba murmuring something to Din. When no one else was around, Boba really was a sweet kid, too.
For the next several days, Jango had Din and Grogu tag along with him when he went to work. It was a small carpentry shop, and he trusted his fellow coworkers to keep quiet about the kids. The last thing he wanted was for the police to pop up and complicate things. Din was scared enough already without making matters worse.
Din seemed to enjoy the workshop, though, eyes round with fascination as he watched everyone work. Some of the more cheery coworkers would chat with Din despite his short responses and do their best to make him smile. They gave Grogu things to play around with and otherwise seemed to enjoy having the kids there. Children were always easy to show off to.
It also managed to get Din to talk a little more. He’d ask Jango questions about what he was doing or what he was making. Although Jango wasn’t much of a converser while he worked, he definitely wasn’t going to ask Din to be quiet. It was definitely progress to have the kid talking to him instead of just skittishly trying to avoid being noticed.
When Boba got out of school, he’d stop by to get Din and Grogu. By the time Jango got home, there were even more kids that weren’t his hanging around.
Jango had to take out the kids to shop at one point just so they’d have more than one change of clothes. It was hard to get Din to pick out things he actually wanted instead of going for the first cheap thing in his size. While Jango could appreciate modesty, he wanted to get things the kid would actually wear.
It was odd having two additions to the household, but it was even more strange that they didn’t stick out. Jango was worried at first about having more kids to watch, but Boba took care of them without him even asking. Boba always made sure Din and Grogu ate in the morning, spent time with Din over his football buddies, and made sure Grogu got to bed before it was late.
One of the hardest things was to get Din to put down Grogu for more than two seconds without panicking and picking him back up. It took ample convincing to have Din leave the baby with Jango instead toting him around everywhere. If Grogu was napping when the other kids wanted to go out and play, it was fine to go and have fun. Jango was more than capable of handling a child who was barely the size of his forearm.
It was in those moments where Jango was left with the baby did he learn that while Din always listened to him, Grogu did not. If he wanted to put something in his mouth? Jango would have to physically move it from his little grasp. Somehow he got to items Jango thought was well out of his reach, and it turned out Grogu could get himself into a mess with a minimal lack of supervision. Without Din clinging onto him, he was quite the animated little fellow. Despite all the trouble, it was hard to get mad at those big eyes and ears.
Of all things, Grogu managed to make Jango miss when Boba was still a baby. There was something fascinating in holding such a small life in his arms. If Boba didn’t put Grogu to bed, Jango had no problem holding the baby until he fell asleep.
As time stretched on, Jango knew he couldn’t let things remain this way. Din needed to be in school, and both him and Grogu were missing persons. If Jango didn’t do something soon, he could get into quite some trouble. He couldn’t shield them forever.
Thoughts on how to proceed kept him up, alone at the dinner table as he mulled over his options. He told Din they’d figure it out together, so maybe he should try talking to Din and bringing up calling a social worker. If they reached out versus the kids being found, maybe things could get swayed more in their favor. Jango really didn’t want the kids to be split up.
“Hey, dad.”
Jango looked up in surprise, immediately glancing towards the nearest clock. “You should be in bed.”
“I can’t sleep.”
Boba looked troubled, so Jango gestured towards a seat. No point in sending him back to bed if there was something on his mind.
“What’s going to happen to Din and Grogu?” he asked, his brows furrowed down.
Jango sighed, knowing that Boba wasn’t going to be happy. “Well, they’re going to have to go back to another foster home until they get adopted.”
“You can’t just send them back!” Boba protested. “You heard what Din said.”
“I don’t have much of a choice.” Jango shook his head. “You need to understand, I can’t hide them from the law forever. I’ll do whatever I can to help them along the way, but they can’t stay here.”
“Well why not?”
“I just said—” Jango started to say, only to get cut off.
“Why can’t you just tell whoever that they can stay here? They don’t have to go,” Boba said stubbornly. “Can’t you just foster them or whatever?”
Jango was silent for a moment. “Boba… I can’t just take in two more children. This isn’t a spur of the moment decision like taking in a stray dog. They are people, people who I’d be raising until adulthood, people who will still be here long after I’m gone. This is serious.”
Boba let a small huff of frustration. “I know it’s serious! I’m being serious.”
It was now when Jango recalled how persistent Boba used to be about getting a little brother. When he was younger, the question of can I get a little brother? was asked again and again to no avail. Jango never changed his answer, always said no, and it was only in recent years did Boba stop asking.
With another sigh, Jango fell silent. Maybe he could foster Din and Grogu for a little bit. At the very least, he could do so until a good home came around that would take in both children. He understood that the system was messed up, and he’d like to prevent them from having to bounce around from different homes. Stability for a bit wouldn’t hurt.
“Are you considering it?” Boba looked a little hopeful.
“Maybe,” Jango said in defeat. “This is just you wanting a little brother, isn’t it?”
Boba smiled a little. “You said no to a little brother, not brothers.”
He only laughed when Jango gave him an unamused look.
“If I foster them, I’m not promising you it’s permanent,” Jango warned him. “Din and Grogu are very sweet kids, but if I can’t provide everything that they need, then someone else should take them in.”
Boba still had a smug look, like he was absolutely taking this as a win.
For some reason, Jango had the sinking feeling that Boba was right feel like he won.
…
The first time Din had shown any affection towards Jango was when he was informed that him and Grogu would be staying with the Fetts indefinitely. It caught Jango off guard, taking a second before hugging the child back. It had been ages since his own child hugged him. Ever since Boba got old enough to feel embarrassed about his old man, he had very sparingly allowed hugs of any sort. Jango gave it another couple years before Boba got over it.
“Thank you.”
Jango ruffled Din’s hair. “Hey, I said I would look out for you and Grogu, didn’t I?”
The way Din beamed up at him left Jango feeling a little more emotional than anticipated. Din wasn’t a particularly expressive child, but he looked at Jango like he was a hero. Jango now worried about ever having to tell this kid no.
They later on set up a proper bed for both Din and Grogu. Boba had still insisted it was fine that they share a room. Years down the line, Jango knew they were likely going to want their own space, but he wasn’t going to fight it for now. On occasion he caught Din sleeping on the edge of Boba’s bed, like he crawled in during the middle of the night.
Jango was still worried about his ability to raise additional children, but he supposed he wasn’t even ready when he ended up with Boba. Things were easy now, but he just knew that those kids were going to get themselves into trouble.
He tried not to dwell on the untold problems of the future. Right now, they were happy and healthy, and that’s all that mattered.