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When Luke first brought Grogu back to his new Jedi temple (admittedly a work in progress), he could tell how much the child missed his father, the Mandalorian. Luke was rebuilding the Jedi Order, and that meant that he got to make the rules this time. He knew that he didn't want to make the same mistakes his masters before him had, and so he decided there would be no total separation of a child from their parents. Attachments would not be forbidden in the same ways they had been before. Things would be different this time, and Grogu was the perfect opportunity for Luke to try things the new way.
At first, the Mandalorian's visits were sparse. He visited every few weeks, bringing Grogu gifts from his travels across the galaxy and new stories to share. He always greeted Luke with a polite nod and a short (but not rude), "Hello, Skywalker." Because Luke didn't know the Mandalorian's name, he always responded, "Welcome back, Mando." The Mandalorian seemed fine with this, so Luke continued to call him Mando whenever they spoke directly. Which, admittedly, wasn't very often.
The Mandalorian only ever visited to see Grogu, so he spent a majority of his time with his son. When Grogu was in class with Luke, the Mandalorian would watch from the sidelines, observing quietly and offering small encouragements to Grogu whenever he deemed it appropriate. The only times he ever spoke directly to Luke were when he was asking about Grogu's progress, or when Luke spoke to him first.
As time wore on, the Mandalorian's visits became more frequent. Instead of every few weeks, he began visiting nearly every week. Luke knew when to make up a guest bed for the Mandalorian—the end of the week when Grogu's lessons were coming to a lull. The Mandalorian almost always visited on the days when he knew Grogu would have the most free time (which also happened to be the days when Luke was busy with other duties, like dealing with New Republic politics alongside his sister, Leia). But he made up the guest bed nonetheless and the Mandalorian always left the room as neat as he found it. It was almost like no one had stayed there at all.
The Mandalorian visited one day, once again greeting Luke with a curt nod and a simple, "Hello, Skywalker," before heading off with Grogu to tell him of his latest adventures. The strangest thing happened during this visit, though. The Mandalorian didn't leave this time.
Several days passed by, and Grogu's lessons resumed. Usually, this was when the Mandalorian decided to head off, back to collecting bounties or whatever it was he did for work now. But this time, the Mandalorian stayed and sat through most of Grogu's lessons with them. He continued to observe quietly, usually putting a considerable distance between himself and the Jedi, but he never left. At first, this annoyed Luke slightly.
"I'm worried Grogu is going to become distracted," Luke confided in his twin sister, Leia, one night during their daily holocall. "It's not any trouble when he stays during Grogu's days off, but these are the days for his lessons, and if Grogu isn't entirely focused on this then he may never learn..."
Leia was looking at him with a funny expression on her face, one that Luke couldn't quite read.
"What is it?" He asked.
"Oh, nothing." She waved him off, and Luke could tell she was hiding something.
"Leia..."
She grinned at him. "Are you sure it's Grogu you're worried about becoming distracted?"
Luke paused, momentarily stunned as he processed what she was suggesting. He felt his cheeks heat up unexpectedly. "Leia!" Luke exclaimed.
His sister let out a wicked laugh. "Oh, please, Luke! You can't tell me you don't think he's cute."
"I don't even know what he looks like!" Luke objected. This wasn't entirely true, as Luke had actually seen the Mandalorian's face when he had found Grogu on the Imperial star cruiser. But that had been rotations ago, and he hadn't even been supposed to see his face. So it didn't count.
Leia ignored him regardless. "I know what you look like when you have a crush. Remember the first time you met Lando?"
Luke groaned and covered his face in embarrassment. "Don't remind me, please," He replied. "Besides, this is nothing like that! He's my student's father. I just want to be sure Grogu is putting his focus into his studies when he's supposed to."
"Right." Leia nodded, obviously unconvinced.
"You are the worst sister in the galaxy." Luke deadpanned.
"And you love me with all your heart," Leia replied. "Now, if you really want my advice, then I say let the Mandalorian stay for now. There haven't been any issues yet, right?"
"Right..."
"Well, in that case, maybe wait to panic until an issue actually comes up."
Luke sighed. "You're right," He said.
"I know." Leia smiled. "Now, I've got to run. Han tried to cook dinner tonight and I need to make sure he hasn't accidentally set anything on fire. Chewy was helping, but that doesn't exactly put my mind at ease—" Almost as if on cue, a giant crashing noise came from somewhere in the background. Leia sighed and shook her head. "We'll talk soon, okay? I love you."
"Love you, too," Luke replied. "Have fun with all of... that."
Leia rolled her eyes affectionately before cutting the call off. Luke took a breath and got to his feet. Leia was right, he was just being paranoid. Nothing was wrong yet. Grogu was focused, he was focused... everything was going fine. The Mandalorian's presence may even have a calming effect on Grogu. Maybe his impromptu stay would be good for the child's focus.
Later that evening, Luke was in the kitchen making himself a cup of tea. It usually helped him sleep better when he had a cup before bed. Usually, it was very hard to sneak up on Luke. Maybe he had been so focused on his drink, or maybe it was something about the Mandalorian's armor, but when Luke turned around to head back to his quarters, he nearly ran into the Mandalorian. Luke startled, taking a step backwards and using the force to ensure he didn't spill anything. He let out a light laugh, mostly out of surprise. "I didn't see you there," He said, looking at the Mandalorian.
"I didn't mean to startle you," He apologized.
Luke shook his head quickly. "No, no, it's fine, really." He assured. "What are you still doing up?"
The Mandalorian remained silent for a few moments. Luke was used to silence though, so he didn't mind waiting.
"I was hoping to get a glass of water," He finally replied.
Luke was suddenly very aware of the fact that he was standing in front of the cupboards where he kept all of the dish ware. "Oh, sorry!" He quickly stepped out of the way, allowing the Mandalorian to grab a cup and run it under the faucet. "Grogu is glad you're here," Luke said, suddenly desperate to have a real conversation with the mysterious man before him.
The Mandalorian hummed, turning the faucet off and turning to look at Luke through his visor. Luke remembered a few things about the Mandalorian's face (he wondered if he should try to forget, if it was inappropriate for him to even be thinking about the other man's face), the most vivid memory were his eyes. They had been a rich, deep brown color. Luke remembered thinking they were pretty. He cleared his throat awkwardly.
"I'm glad to be here, too," The Mandalorian admitted softly. "I've missed him... thank you for letting me stay."
The words were the most honest and genuine ones he had heard from the Mandalorian in all the time he had known him. Luke found himself shocked into silence for several long moments before he snapped himself out of it. "Oh—yes, of course!" He finally said. "You're always welcome here, Mando."
Silence fell over them again.
Luke cleared his throat and took a step backwards. "Well, I'd better—we have a big day tomorrow, I mean—uh, good night."
Mando nodded. "Good night, Skywalker."
Luke turned away and only got a few steps towards the door before turning back. "Luke." He said. Mando glanced over at him, tilting his head. "Please, call me Luke."
"Alright. Good night... Luke."
That night, Luke slept better than he had in a very long time. He wondered if it had anything to do with the Mandalorian who was sleeping right down the hall.
About two weeks had passed since the night Luke and the Mandalorian had spoken, and Mando had continued to call him Luke whenever they spoke. Even better, they had begun to speak more frequently since that night, and not just about Grogu's lessons. They talked about many things (well, really it was mostly Luke who talked, and Mando listened). Sometimes Mando would ask him about his time in the Rebellion and ask to hear stories. Grogu was always very excited to hear Luke tell stories about the Rebellion and especially about Master Yoda, so he often sat with them when they spoke.
Other times, when Mando was feeling a bit more talkative, Luke would ask him questions. He asked about his home, Mandalore, and about his Creed. There were some topics that were off limits to both of them, though, and they both respected that. Luke didn't ask about the Mandalorian's family (other than Grogu) and he didn't ask Luke about his childhood or Tatooine. There were just some things that were harder to talk about than others.
One day, when Grogu was inside resting after a morning of practicing lifting frogs (one of his favorite activities), Luke decided to practice his lightsaber forms. The sun was shining and there were no clouds in the sky, so he elected to do this outside to enjoy the day. He had been through several moves in a few minutes when a familiar presence hummed pleasantly in his mind, alerting him to the Mandalorian's arrival. He seemed to be observing Luke as he practiced, so the Jedi decided to continue on. He swung his saber through the air, allowing the force to flow through him and guide his saber through the moves.
When he finished a few minutes later, he extinguished the blade and turned towards the Mandalorian, who was standing in silence just a few yards away. Luke tilted his head and waved. "Hello, Mando," He greeted. "I was just practicing my lightsaber forms. Is Grogu alright?" He thought perhaps the Mandalorian had come outside to tell him that Grogu was being restless or something similar, but Mando shook his head.
"No, I... just thought I'd watch," He replied, sounding almost sheepish. "If that's alright."
"I don't mind," Luke replied. His gaze fell to the familiar hilt that rested on the Mandalorian's hip at all times. Luke had asked about it only once before, and Mando had informed him that the blade was called the Darksaber. An ancient Mandalorian weapon that had been forged by Tarre Vizla, the only known Mandalorian-Jedi. It was a sacred weapon. Luke had never seen Mando wield it.
Mando must have noticed Luke's curiosity, he looked down at the hilt and sighed, unclipping it from his belt and holding it up for Luke to see properly. "I don't know how to use it," The Mandalorian admitted. "I've never had to fight with such a weapon and it feels... wrong, somehow."
Luke began to reach for the Darksaber, but paused, looking at the Mandalorian. "May I?" He asked. Mando seemed to contemplate this momentarily before gently handing the saber over. The Mandalorian's gloved hand brushed across Luke's. The Jedi's heart leapt.
He examined the hilt intensely. Luke could feel the power of the Darksaber the moment he touched it. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. It was dark, but not in the way he had come to expect from the Dark side itself. Somehow, this was different. Luke ignited the saber, and suddenly a pitch black blade formed from the hilt. A shimmering white light outlined the blade, and Luke found himself mesmerized by its beauty. It was unlike any lightsaber he had seen before.
Even though the darkness the blade was emitting didn't feel the same as the cold touch of the Dark side that Luke had known, it still felt uncomfortable. Luke extinguished the blade and handed the weapon back to the Mandalorian. "Do you want to learn?"
The Mandalorian tilted his head. "Sorry?"
"You said you don't know how to use it," Luke replied. "Do you want to learn?"
"You could teach me?"
Luke shrugged. "It may be a different type of blade, but it's still the same principle," He said. "If you want me to, I could teach you."
Mando stared at Luke for a while. "That would be... nice, Luke," He said. "Thank you."
Luke smiled in return before pulling his own lightsaber out. "We can start with a few simple forms," He began. "Ignite the Darksaber and we can get started..."
They spent the rest of the afternoon going over various lightsaber forms, with Luke demonstrating first and then Mando copying his actions. At first, the Mandalorian was clumsy and uncoordinated, but as the afternoon wore on he began to show quick improvement. He was able to swing the blade and stop it where he wanted to, as well as pretty accurately mimic Luke's moves. Luke realized they had been at it for several hours when the sun began to set.
"That's enough for today," He decided, putting his lightsaber away. "You made a lot of progress in just a few hours, Mando, I'm impressed."
The Mandalorian let out a small huff of laughter and Luke decided it was the best thing he had ever heard. "Don't act so surprised," He said. "We Mandalorians are known for our skills with weapons."
"True," Luke agreed. "But you still have a long way to go before you're ready to spar with me. Come on, I'm sure Grogu and Artoo are wondering where we've been."
He hummed in agreement as the pair began to make their way back to the temple.
"You know, Mando, before today I was sort of worried that you didn't like me," Luke admitted with a small laugh. "But I'm glad you came to me—"
"Din."
Luke stopped. "Sorry?"
"My name. It's Din."
Luke blinked. "Oh."
"You can call me Din and... I do like you, Luke," He said.
They stared at one another for a few long moments before Grogu's voice came echoing down the halls, calling for the Mandalor—Din. "I'm coming, buddy," Din called, turning to head towards his son's bedroom. He paused, briefly turning back to Luke. "Goodnight," He said and then quickly hurried off, leaving Luke standing there stupidly.
Luke watched him go and continued to stare down the hallway even after Din had disappeared from sight. "Din." He tested the name out. It felt right on his lips, and Luke couldn't help the stupid smile that grew on his face as he said it. "Din... I like you, too."