Work Text:
When Jaster had asked one of his young warriors – whom he knew was in love with a non-Mandalorian woman – to draft a personal ad for him to be published in the appropriate local media, announcing that he was seeking a partner for a quick marriage, it was necessary to specify, given the result, that he had not expected that.
"Human male in his forties seeks someone for an immediate marriage as soon as possible. You won’t have to worry about a thing, as I intend to provide for all your needs. A semi-nomadic lifestyle is to be expected (essential). Clean official Republic criminal record (essential). Preferably not squeamish about blood (optional)."
He looked up from his datapad to glance at his protégé. Talented in combat, but clearly not when it came to the media. How on earth could anyone write something like that in this day and age?
He could not have been any less romantic or tactful even if he had tried, and he was known for negotiating with a blaster in his hand. He had already heard of Ilipi, the one Kal loved. Poor girl.
He wished her the best of luck with this one.
"No matter how I read this, it sounds shady."
"It’s factual," Kal protested, that absolute doofus.
"It sounds like the start of an organ trafficking kidnapping, not an ad to find a spouse. I’ll think about how to phrase that better. You didn’t send that, did you?"
"...we’ve only had one reply so far?"
"... You mean you posted that ad?"
From his tone, Kal seemed to realise he had messed up, but not why or to what extent. That sweet summer child. May he remain forever so naive.
"Yeah?"
"And people have seen it?"
"... yeah? Someone’s even replied. They’re interested in meeting you."
Probably someone desperate in one of the thousands of ways one could be desperate... but Jaster was in favour of giving them all a chance. Especially since, once reviewed, the advert would not actually change that much. The offer would be the same.
And he was pretty desperate himself.
"I’m usually the one who approves what’s posted specifically about me."
"I realise you would have phrased it differently," Kal admitted, "but is it really that serious? The advert was placed anonymously. Nobody knows it’s you."
"That person will think I’ve approved that wording when I meet them."
"But they’ve responded to the offer."
He clearly did not see the harm in it.
"You’re putting my honour on the line without my knowledge or approval when you speak on my behalf."
This time he understood.
"I’m sorry."
"Don’t do it again."
"I won’t."
Jaster then obtained the account authentication codes and hastily modified his advert before checking the DM he had received.
Them - Hello, I’m not sure if your advert is genuine as this is the first of its kind I’ve replied to, but I’ll assume it is. I want to change my life and get away from Coruscant, so your ad caught my eye. I’d be interested in discussing this with you in person. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you need more information; I wasn’t quite sure what to write. (I’m a male human used to business travel and I have no criminal record).
What on earth had he just read? He was going to ask for his criminal record to check, because it was bloody suspicious. Desperate people could not be choosy, but Jaster could almost see trouble written all over this guy.
But that would be a problem for later.
You - Hello, I’d also prefer to speak in person and meet someone face-to-face before deciding whether or not to proceed. When would you be available? And for how much time?
Surprisingly, the other person replied within a minute.
Them - I’m free tomorrow mid-morning, what do you think?
You - Do you have a preferred meeting place? I’d understand if you’d prefer somewhere familiar and reassuring.
Them - In which part of Coruscant do you currently live/work?
Jaster looked up the information and sent it to him, agreeing to meet at a café within a reasonable distance the following day. It all seemed a bit too pragmatic to be true, but hey. People like Kal existed, so there were bound to be others like him.
There clearly were not enough psychologists to go round.
The next day, he arrived right on time and joined a man sitting just opposite the café’s entrance. A yellow flower lay on the table. This was his date.
"Are you the one who arranged to meet me yesterday?"
"That’s me. I hope you found the place easily. I didn’t really have time to think, it was all a bit… rushed."
"It was easy," Jaster reassured him.
He had given clear instructions and had thought about how they could recognise each other without sending photos beforehand. He seemed organised, forward-thinking and considerate. It was off to a good start.
"You are an adult, aren’t you?" He found himself asking.
This handsome young man with blond hair and blue eyes looked so young compared to Jaster and his weathered features that he could not help but worry about his age.
"Ad… Oh my, is it really necessary to be so flattering?" The man chuckled, almost shyly covering his mouth with his hand as he laughed. "It’s been quite a while since I came of age. I don’t look that young, do I?"
"I sometimes find it hard to guess people’s ages," Jaster said, as this little white lie would not do any harm. "Can I offer you something to drink?"
"I’ve already taken care of that, but thanks for offering. Here, choose whatever you like."
Jaster chose a coffee, and very soon his drink and an enormous cup of tea three times the size of his coffee arrived.
"I admit I was surprised to see someone take me up on my offer. The writing of the person who wrote it was… in need of improvement."
"Yes, I saw you’d changed it, it’s definitely... well, smoother."
He was definitely mocking Kal’s writing. Fair enough. Jaster was too.
"And yet, you indicated you were interested: why?"
"I want to escape my community. Nothing illegal," the blond added immediately to reassure him. "It’s just that my community is the one that finds me work and... controls every aspect of my life, from the clothes I wear to the food I eat."
"You need someone with enough financial stability to support you," Jaster included, finding the solution he had come up with to his original problem not entirely inappropriate.
"Just long enough to get back on my feet," the man clarified, a look in his eyes that was more determined than he would have thought.
There was a fire within him, so whatever the reason he was leaving his family, they clearly had not broken him.
"The purpose of this marriage would be to allow us to achieve our respective goals, but in my culture, marriage is a serious matter. We can divorce if we don’t get on, but only after we’ve tried to make it work. An arranged start doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t become more for me."
A good Mandalorian had to do his best in his marriage. If he was a good partner, he might want to stay. And Jaster did not rule out falling in love.
Closeness fostered affection after all.
"I see. I’ll do my best to meet your expectations, even though I admit I don’t really understand romance or romantic feelings. Now… without intending to be intrusive, I’ve explained my reasons for considering marrying you, so I’d like to hear yours."
"I have a son," Jaster began calmly, trying to gauge his reaction to the subject, but the man remained perfectly neutral at this announcement. "He is ten, almost eleven."
"Would you like me to act as a parental figure for him as well? I must admit I have no experience in that area. Still, I’ll do my best."
"That would be good in the long run, yes, but my primary objective is to get him back first."
"What do you mean?"
"I come from a Sector in the Outer Rim called Mandalore. Over there, it’s common to adopt orphans. It’s as common as having your own biological child."
"Am I to understand that your son is adopted?"
"He is. My problem is that the adoption was never officially formalised. He is mine by honour, reputation and mutual consent, but I have no documents to prove it."
"Get to the point," his prospective fiancé asked calmly, looking as though he were thinking about it far too seriously.
"Jango was arrested because he didn’t have any Republic papers on him. He eventually managed to have his identity recognised, but they won’t accept that I’m his parent. They refuse to entrust him to me again because my status as a single person apparently makes me unfit to be an adoptive parent."
"But this isn’t about you adopting him, since you’ve already adopted him. There must have been something, mustn’t there? Even just a minor cultural detail."
"I recognised him as my own, yes, it’s like an oath."
"And they rejected that explanation?"
"Obviously."
"They have no right to do that."
"I know."
"It’s illegal," he insisted.
"What can I do about it? I’ve got no hard evidence to back up what I’m saying. They’re transferring Jango elsewhere in eight days’ time, and I’ll have no way of tracking him down."
Well, in reality, he would go and track down the staff and threaten them at their homes in the evening to get them to hand over the information, but this man did not need to know that.
The man in front of him seemed to alternate between being outraged, annoyed and weary. Eventually, weariness won out. He looked exhausted.
"I’m sorry that this is happening to you."
"It’s not your fault."
"I certainly hope it’s not," the blond man murmured before standing up with a determined air. "I’m going to help you save your son."
Jaster raised an eyebrow, confused.
"...Yeah?"
"Yeah. Why are you looking at me like that? I’m saying I’m going to marry you."
The Mandalorian stared at him wide-eyed, unaccustomed to anyone wanting to help him just because he had problems. Most of the time he was just supposed to fend for himself. Even when he was younger, that had been the case.
"I... thank you, I suppose? I can draft a first version of a marriage contract and let you amend it as you see fit."
As long as his requests were reasonable, Jaster planned to grant them.
"Wonderful. I’ll take care of finding a celebrant as soon as possible."
And just like that, he was already walking away.
"Wait! Your name."
The blond lad chuckled guiltily at the realisation that they still did not know each other’s names.
"Feemor. You?"
"Jaster. Jaster Mereel. Jango Fett’s father."
"Fett?" The blond man murmured, looking intrigued, before continuing in a more neutral tone. "Mereel. Got it."
... right. It seemed he had a fiancée. All that remained was to find out how weddings worked here.
It would all work out fine, would not it?