Fic Summary: You hadn’t spoken in years. Technically, you had the ability to, though as the years wore on, you weren’t so sure. You’d settled in Jackson over a year ago and now it was
Fall again. You are drawn towards Ellie and her ‘not-dad’, but you had always assumed any relationships deeper than surface level were beyond you at this point.
Pairing: Joel Miller x nonbinary!Reader/OC (afab, dimples, has multiple nicknames but none are their name) no use of y/n
Word count: Currently ~98.4k
Main Masterlist
Series Warnings: This is my first fanfic and I plan to go into some dark stuff including some in-depth discussion of SA that was done to the main character (not by Joel) and the mental impact it has. Blood and Injury. Eventual Smut. Weed and alcohol use. MINORS DNI!
I made a playlist for Nothing Left. It includes songs that came out recently, so those are just for vibes, but I also included songs referenced in chapters :) we’ve got a folk and soul vibe going. Find the YouTube Music version here.
There's a slight redesign of one of my quite an old character (I created them 6 or smth years ago 🤔). So I changed a bit his hairstyle for them to have a better and more recognizable silhouette.
Their name is Молодой Дед/Molodoy Ded (translate by yourself, it doesn't have much sense anyway), they're a demon, they're genderfluid (actually they are above such thing as "gender" so they mostly chose appearance for their mood or benefit for deal making), and they are pansexual
And there's smth kinda his chibi demonic form with the old hairstyle
A second non animated pixel icon of my demon baby! I'll definitely be making character specific yap posts at some point because I love them so much. If you want a pre-post yap, dm me, lol.
(If you're thinking about commissioning me just shoot me a DM and I'm willing to discuss a price! I do animated and non-animated pixel art. Check out @lilartistboi and search 'Pixel animation' to see the animated ones)
A small drawing for a pal of mine, Who helped me out on stuff and well their planning to help me out more, And I know drawing their oc means alot to them, So I thought I'd do that myself! And here it is!
Yeah this is their oc Giovanni, They are AMAB nonbinary from what I know, Hopeless romantic, Is italian and yeah thats from what I know
Either way its a really nice looking OC and I wish them the best!
There was a time, lost and alone in the galaxy as a young Mandalorian, that Jai didn’t imagine they’d even live to see adulthood. And now they lived a life beyond even their wildest childhood dreams. How lucky they were that Din had answered the marshall’s call that fateful day.
Had he not, they would never have found this family, this home, this fulfilled life…
Speaking of the man to whom Jai owed everything, here he was now stepping swiftly toward them, armor impeccable as always despite his tentative retirement.
They met in the middle, more forcefully than intended, embracing fiercely.
Summary: How is our lovely clan doing a few years down the line? Spoiler alert… they’re doing very well!
Note: This chapter deals with a lot! We’re going to look at every member of our little family (though admittedly with a greater focus on Jai and Winta), what they’re doing in the future, and how it all fits into a greater plan.
This chapter will examine Jai’s experience of gender more explicitly through flashbacks of their interactions with Winta over the years. Hint: Winta was instrumental in securing Jai’s identity as they came of age on Sorgan. When Jai was uncomfortable in their body and afraid that nobody would understand, Winta was always there as a quiet ally. And it went both ways - Jai helped Winta through other struggles that weren’t depicted in prior chapters. I hope you all come away from this epilogue better understanding the strength and depth of this relationship and how important it has been to both parties.
Warnings: Discussion of infertility, sexual references, gender dysphoria (and euphoria), references to parental death.
Word count: 5.2k
Read on AO3
____________________
Din awoke to something warm and fuzzy pressed against his forehead, a pair of very familiar claws tapping his cheeks.
“Grogu,” he addressed his ward tiredly. “I know you’re excited, but can I sleep just a few more minutes?”
The tapping only continued, and Din opened his eyes to look into the larger ones of his son. “Grogu… use your words, ad’ika. What do you want?”
The boy huffed in response, raising his little hands in the air as the sheets and blankets went flying off the bed. “Up now, you will.”
“Hey,” Din admonished him, sitting up and pulling the sheets back up to cover his sleeping riduur. “No need to wake your mother.”
He took a moment to stretch out his joints. Age and several long decades of abusing his body were catching up to him. He was ‘retired’, in a manner of speaking, these days, and that had certainly helped with the chronic tension in his back. But some mornings, like today, he’d wake up with Grogu dozing on his chest, much of his pain miraculously resolved.
“Thank you, ad’ika,” he told him gratefully. “But I really wish you’d reserve your powers for more important things.”
Grogu hopped off the bed defiantly and looked up at his father. He had other priorities at the moment and no interest in discussing his (in his opinion) very reasonable use of the force.
“Come today? Jai will?”
Din couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah. Jai should be here in…” he looked over at the chronometer. “... just a few hours now. Why don’t you go next door and see if Winta needs any help while we wait? It’s getting harder for her now, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” he responded with a toothy and knowing grin. “Help her, I will. Get up, you will.”
Grogu hopped off, and Din laid his head back down on the pillow. Perhaps he’d bought himself a few more minutes of sleep. His son’s excitement was contagious, though. Stars, he was looking forward to having Jai back home. He’d really missed the kid. Though, he supposed, they really weren’t a kid anymore, were they? And anyway, they’d been an old soul practically since birth.
He knew he’d missed his chance at a few more minutes of relaxation when he heard the front door of the cabin open and close and Winta’s voice floating in from the kitchen.
She hesitated a moment at the bedroom door, whispering, “Is everyone decent?” before waltzing in with Grogu on her hip and a protective hand over her swollen belly.
Din got up quickly, placing a finger over his lips, and guided her out and back into the kitchen as he pulled a shirt over his head. “Your mother’s sleeping in for once. She was up all night getting ready… as if Jai will care about the silverware being polished…”
“Well, I couldn’t sleep… too excited,” Winta replied quietly as she started a kettle on the stove for the morning caf. “I figured Grogu would be awake, so I decided to come over instead of waking up Tov with all of my tossing and turning. Baby’s kicking up a storm, too.”
“Sit down. Let me do that.” Din pulled out a chair and gestured for her to take a seat, his fatherly instincts kicking back in full force in the months since learning of his adoptive daughter’s pregnancy.
Grogu force jumped out of her arms, and Winta lumbered over but didn’t immediately sit down, reaching out to take Din’s hand and laying it flat over her belly. “Can you feel that?”
“Yeah.” His face broke out into a fond smile as he felt the baby’s movement under his hand.
Winta sometimes couldn’t believe that this was the same man who’d wandered onto their planet over a decade ago, decked out in full armor with a hand perpetually at ready to pull a blaster, a tiny green child he claimed wasn’t his own in tow. Now he was the picture of a doting grandparent.
“That’s your grandpa, little one,” she murmured, leaning forward to speak over her belly. “He’s going to teach you all kinds of things… when you’re much much older…”
He chuckled as he helped her lower into her seat. “You know Mandalorians start training with a blaster at age five…”
“Don’t you even think about it,” she replied firmly. “Age fifteen… minimum…”
Din pulled the whistling kettle off the burner and poured two cups before setting himself down. “I suppose I’ll have my hands full training Grogu.” He turned toward his son. “You should show Winta what you’ve learned one of these days - fly her to Mandalore.”
“Yes,” Grogu told her from his perch on the table. “Fly you, I will.”
Din looked back at Winta. “He can do that now.”
She smiled - Din’s pride in his foundling, technically her older brother, was very sweet. “After the baby’s born, Grogu - I’ve been wanting to visit Mandalore and see it for myself.”
“Oh…” Din suddenly interjected. “Bo-Katan sent me a message last night. Jai’s climate reconstitution system is working. The test area is almost completely un-glassed. If this works, well… So many planets destroyed by the Empire could be rebuilt.”
Winta nodded approvingly and let out a soft chuckle. “Jai will be elated to hear that, though I can’t say I’m surprised.”
“Nope. Not in the slightest,” Din agreed with a trademark shake of his head.
_______________________________________
Din let Omera sleep well into the late morning. She’d been running herself ragged between helping prepare for the baby, which could come any day now, and Jai’s impending visit. Though Winta had begun to take over some of her mother’s responsibilities within the village, she was physically limited at the moment by her very pregnant state, and Omera had been insistent on continuing to do it all, refusing Din’s every offer of assistance.
Stars, she was going to be livid…
“Din. Djarin. How could you let me sleep so late?”
He huffed and rolled his eyes toward Winta, who stifled a giggle, before turning around in his chair to face his wife. “Omera. You look well rested, Cyare.”
“Don’t you ‘cyare’ me… There’s too much to do before Jai gets here!”
“Like what?” he asked, getting up from the table and standing before her.
“Well,” she started. “I need to fill the water basins…”
“Done.”
“And we still need to put the crib together…”
“Tov and I did it yesterday.”
Omera was losing the argument, and she knew it. She knew she should be grateful, but… she just needed everything to be perfect.
“The stew?” she asked with much less furor.
“It’s already simmering at my place,” Winta told her from the table. “Relax, Mama. Everything is under control. You need rest, too.”
Omera looked down at her feet for a moment. Her voice broke slightly as she looked back up, tears filling her eyes. “I just… need to be useful…”
What in the galaxy…? This woman practically carried a small planet on her shoulders.
“Omera,” Din murmured, pulling her against him and wrapping his arms around her body as she cried. “In what universe are you ever not useful? What’s really going on, Cyare?”
Behind him, he was vaguely aware of Winta hoisting her body up and out of her chair, whispering to Grogu to follow her out the door to give them privacy.
Omera looked at him through the tears, responding with a despairing tone. “I’m old, Din.”
“You’re not old…”
She inhaled sharply and averted her gaze before sharing the full truth, one that had been bothering her since seeing the medic in town a few weeks back. “I’m going through the change.”
Din had to think for a moment about what that even meant. Menopause - that was it, he was rather sure. Admittedly, he didn’t know much about it… but it didn’t seem like any good reason to run oneself into the ground.
“Are you not feeling well?”
“I feel fine, Din,” she replied with annoyance. “But soon I’ll be old and useless…. And gray… and ugly… and you won’t be attracted to me anymore…”
He gave her a quizzical expression, smirking as he asked her dryly, “I’m already gray, Omera. Do you no longer find me beautiful?”
His monotone delivery did her in. Ah, that dry humor she loved so much. It was hard not to smile at that, and she felt her mouth turning up against her will. And of course, she still found him exceedingly handsome. “You know what I mean, Din. It’s different for women…”
“Well,” he responded matter-of-factly. “It’s not different for me. How about…” he started, putting on a slightly suggestive expression that was almost comical on this perpetually serious man. “I spend tonight showing you how beautiful and valuable you are to me? Grogu can stay with Jai in the barn - they’ll want to catch up, anyway.”
“Oh?” she replied coyly. “How will you show me, Din?”
Got him. That wiped the smirk from his face as his cheeks went pink with embarrassment. After all these years, he was still shy about speaking of their intimate activities out loud. “Don’t make me say it, please.”
“Will you ravage me?” she asked, eyes sparkling with amusement.
“I don’t… ravage…”
“Or perhaps you’ll make love to me…”
He cleared his throat, one of his only nervous tells. “I will… that… yes…”
_______________________________________
As Winta lumbered over to her own cabin and set Grogu to work watching over the stew, her thoughts turned to Jai - her slightly older sibling… and truly her best friend.
Jai was different from anyone Winta had ever met. They were unbelievably smart - and yet never once made Winta feel unintelligent. They were strong and fierce as any good Mandalorian should be - and yet soft-spoken and kind at the very same time.
When Winta first approached Jai about training, she’d almost expected them to laugh in her face. Winta was meant to be a farmer, not a protector. She hadn’t nearly the strength or determination of her mother and certainly not that of her adoptive father.
But Jai didn’t laugh. They responded to her inquiry with complete seriousness, wanting to understand her goals and gauging how they could help. Winta’s training began that very day, starting with skills so basic that it was nearly embarrassing in front of a fully trained Mandalorian - but Jai would have none of that nonsense.
“Everyone has to start somewhere, Winta. When you’ve got the basics down, we’ll go to Din. He can train you better than anyone.”
“Do you really think I can do this?” she questioned. “You’re not just humoring me?”
“Of course not,” they responded simply. “Din was a foundling, and so was I. We weren’t born into this - we were taught. And you can be, too.”
Jai, in fact, had taught Winta many things over the years. When she struggled with the relatively basic mathematics taught to the older children in the village lessons, mostly that relevant to managing the farming ponds and related finances, it was Jai who worked through it with her, never once making Winta feel stupid or inferior.
Winta had been so embarrassed when Jai found her crying over her worksheets, ones that even some of the younger children had finished with ease. Jai read about things like quantum physics - basic math was nothing to them. But they insisted on helping, telling her that she just needed a frame of reference.
“It just doesn’t make any logical sense to me, Jai. Add this, subtract that, carry this… I can’t remember the order… and I don’t see how these random steps lead to an answer…”
“It’s not random,” Jai said calmly, turning the paper over and taking the pencil from Winta’s hand. “I’ll show you. Let’s draw it out.”
It had been a brief window into Jai’s way of thinking - and suddenly it did all make perfect sense. Stars, how Winta had wished that her brain could work like that.
Winta laughed lightly to herself, recalling some of their more recent, long-distance escapades.
She had confided to Jai on a holocall one day when she was feeling particularly low, that despite her and Tov engaging in plenty of baby-making activity over many months, she had been unable to conceive. All she had ever wanted was to be a mother, and she was starting to worry it would never happen.
Jai couldn’t relate, being averse to sex… and relationships… and babies…
But they would do just about anything for Winta - the kindest soul in the galaxy and one who had provided unshakeable support through some very awkward teenage years.
Medical resources on Sorgan were severely limited, so in their spare time, Jai had been doing some research on Winta’s behalf. They suggested natural remedies and timing methods, trying to keep their expression of disgust regarding the ‘frequency’ topic to a minimum.
“Oh, stars…” they started, flipping through a book on natural conception methods while chatting with Winta by holo. “You owe me for this - I need to wash my eyes out.”
“What is it?” Winta chuckled.
Jai held the book up so that Winta could see. “Have you tried this position?”
Winta couldn’t help but laugh. “I haven’t, but we’ll give it a go.”
“Please… don’t tell me about it.”
Winta had not told Jai about her subsequent pregnancy and had asked the rest of the family to keep the secret - the timing of Jai’s visit to Sorgan was perfect for a surprise.
“Hey,” Tov interrupted her daydreaming with an affectionate knock of her shoulder. “Ship just made landfall. Ready for the big reveal?”
“Yeah,” Winta nodded, turning toward her husband with a joyful smile. “Let’s do it.”
_______________________________________
Jai had to wade through nearly the entire village’s population before they managed to reach their waiting family, the small community eager to welcome them home after several years away to continue their studies in the core.
It was surreal to recall that they had once been a newcomer to this place, a terrified and lonely teenager cast out of their tribe, serendipitously falling into the lap of their trusted beroya. And now they were living the same in-between life as that man - one outside the creed and yet ever devoted to their people.
While Jai’s ultimate path had led them to an academic career in environmental science, their true goal was to support small planets like Sorgan whose sustenance was being affected by climate changes, as well as those which had suffered severe atmospheric damage at the hands of the Empire. As such, they’d become the official environmental consultant to both of their ‘home’ planets and even held a titled position on Mandalore, awarded by Bo-Katan herself, a valued mentor when it came to the political aspects of implementing their work throughout the Republic.
There was a time, lost and alone in the galaxy as a young Mandalorian, that Jai didn’t imagine they’d even live to see adulthood. And now they lived a life beyond even their wildest childhood dreams. How lucky they were that Din had answered the marshall’s call that fateful day.
Had he not, they would never have found this family, this home, this fulfilled life…
Speaking of the man to whom Jai owed everything, here he was now stepping swiftly toward them, armor impeccable as always despite his tentative retirement.
They met in the middle, more forcefully than intended, embracing fiercely.
“Stars, Jai,” Din said, valiantly fighting back tears in this public setting. “You’ve been gone way too long. We’ve missed you, ad’ika.”
“I know, Din,” they replied, subtly sniffling. “I’m so glad to be back.”
Jai was soon greeted by Grogu, quite literally launching himself into their arms and gripping each side of Jai’s face.
“Missed you, I have.”
“Same, Grogu,” they returned affectionately. “You’ve grown several inches since the last time I was here. We’ll spar later, huh? You can show me what you can do these days.”
Grogu smirked. “Beat you, I will…”
“I don’t doubt it for a second, vod.”
Omera’s voice took their attention then.
“Jai!”
She’d been wrapped up in a task when word came of Jai’s arrival and was now running toward them as fast as her feet could carry her.
Jai met her in a few long strides, and she immediately looked over their unarmored form, the mother she was, making sure they were well and nourished and fully intact after being away from home for so long.
“Oh, sweetheart. We have missed you so much…”
Unlike Din, Omera allowed the tears to flow freely as she embraced them in an excessively long hug.
“Omera, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you all. This trip is long overdue.”
She pulled back to look at them again, holding their shoulders as she puzzled over something. “You look different…”. Her expression shifted as she suddenly registered what had changed, and she looked up directly into their eyes before adjusting her phrasing.
“You look good, Jai… you look like you…”
Jai’s eyes threatened to spill with tears - they’d worried so much about this moment.
“Thank you… buir…”
Omera squeezed their shoulders lovingly before stepping aside. There was one more person Jai needed to greet.
Scratch that - two, apparently.
“Welcome home, Jai,” Tov said with warmth, smiling that boyishly handsome grin of his.
Jai took his forearm in a strong handshake.
“It’s good to see you, Tov. Where’s Winta? No offense, but she’s top priority.”
“None taken - she’s waiting for you in the barn,” he laughed. “And hey, I promised you I’d take good care of her, and I have. I just want you to know that.”
Jai huffed. “Unfortunately, I know a bit too much about just how well you’ve taken care of her…”
Tov turned an endearing shade of pink at that.
“Gods, Jai. Still blunt as ever, huh? Just go on, now - she’s got a surprise for you.”
Jai clapped him affectionately on the shoulder before heading toward the barn, adding quietly to themself, “Oh, I’ve got a surprise for her, too.”
_______________________________________
Jai couldn’t help but reflect as they walked toward the barn to finally see their beloved sister in person. They were about to share something big - something that might not have ever happened without Winta’s support and tacit acceptance.
Gender had always felt like a complicated thing for Jai - not so much inwardly, but rather outwardly in their interactions with the world. But Winta always managed to make it so simple. She was the only person, perhaps along with Omera, that Jai never had to explain themselves to. Their gender, or lack thereof, simply was… no questions, no doubt.
Jai remembered the first time it happened like yesterday. A young child, who certainly didn’t know any better, had approached Jai not long after their arrival on the planet and asked why she always wore her helmet.
Without missing a beat, a then 13 year-old Winta had responded kindly, “This is Jai, Saul. They wear a helmet because they’re a Mandalorian, just like Din. Understand?”
“Yeah. Their armor looks neat. I like it.”
Winta had never even asked why - just followed Din’s lead in using gender neutral terms, accepting it without further question.
“I’m not a girl,” Jai said softly as the child skipped away. “Well, technically I am… I guess, but… I’m not…”
“You’re not a girl,” Winta stated simply, shrugging. There was nothing more to say.
In the following years, puberty had taken its toll, increasing Jai’s discomfort with their own body which had become outwardly much more feminine.
Winta had stumbled upon them crying over their wardrobe one day, and Jai had shared their turmoil. Women’s clothes fit to their chest far too much, but men’s clothes didn’t look right with their proportions, either. Even their chest plate didn’t fit properly anymore, but they certainly couldn’t tell Din about it…
That night, for the first and only time, Winta went behind Jai’s back to inform her mother of their struggles, and by the next morning, all of Jai’s shirts had been let out in the chest by Omera’s expert hands.
It seemed Omera had also let it slip to Din that Jai’s armor should be modified to give a bit more breathing room as they continued to grow but perhaps without the typical contours of the female chest plate. On their next visit to Trask, it was done, no questions asked.
The covert had always been respectful, but this was the kind of quiet, genuine support for which Jai had always longed.
And it helped… at first… But the truth was that Jai didn’t want this feminine body at all. Every day they grew more uncomfortable until they finally snapped, unable to tolerate it any longer.
They’d read about chest binding and decided to give it a try one day with some spare fabric they’d found in the storage closet.
They made a fatal error, though, in neglecting to lock the door - nobody ever came out here this early, and on those rare occasions, the intruder would always knock before coming in.
Well… except Winta…
“Jai…” Winta addressed them in surprise as they stood half-clothed with the fabric wrapped tightly around their chest. “What are you doing?” She sounded… appalled…
Jai’s face burned hot with shame, and tears stung their eyes. What were they thinking? Now Winta probably thought them perverse.
But of course not…
“Jai… come on…” Winta walked toward them and took the free edge of the fabric in her hands. “You’re going to hurt yourself if you do it this way. Unwrap this, and we’ll do it properly.”
Jai didn’t even know what to say. They just watched Winta in wonder as she calmly loosened and laid flat the bindings without a single word of further commentary.
“There,” she said finally as she tucked in the corner. “Does that feel comfortable?”
“Winta…”
They were still at a loss for words.
“I know, Jai. It’s okay. You don’t have to do everything alone.”
From then on, they didn’t. It was oddly freeing to let go of that stubborn brand of stoicism, ingrained in them from childhood. But Winta had proved herself a safe space - one where Jai never had to hide.
Jai and Winta shared everything with each other in the coming years as they approached adulthood - every fear, every hope, every conflict, every joy… no matter how strange or awkward.
Well, Jai supposed, they weren’t too old yet for just one more…
_______________________________________
They paused just outside the barn door, taking a single calming breath before unlatching and pushing it open, addressing their sibling in nervous anticipation.
“Winta?”
“Jai…”
Both stopped dead in their tracks as they took in the other’s unexpected appearance, gasping in mild shock. Jai’s mouth hung open in surprise and delight, while Winta’s hand covered her own, the other resting on her swollen belly.
Their eyes finally met across the small space, happy tears brimming.
Jai moved first, crossing to where Winta was standing, hands hesitantly extending out to hold her stomach. “Winta… you’re… why didn’t you tell me?” they stammered.
Winta smiled tearfully. “I wanted to surprise you.”
“Mission accomplished,” they joked, letting out a wet laugh. “Oh, my stars… Are you happy, vod’ika?”
“I’m so happy, Jai. And I’m so glad you’ll be here to meet them. You’re going to be a ba'vodu.”
“I like the sound of that,” they replied, smiling fondly. “You’re going to be an amazing mother. I just know it. And Tov will be a great dad. You both were meant for this I think.”
“Thank you… but enough about me,” Winta huffed, moving her hands to Jai’s shoulders and looking again over their form. “You look so… right… Why didn’t you tell me you were getting the surgery? I would have…”
“You would have dropped everything and come to Coruscant to take care of me…” Jai interrupted, smirking lightly.
“Well… yes…”
“I didn’t want you all to worry. And Omera would have driven me to insanity with her hovering - you know that’s true.”
“Mama does have that way about her, doesn’t she?” Winta chuckled. “But you shouldn’t have had to go through that alone. You must have needed help while you healed.”
Jai blushed slightly before responding timidly, “I wasn’t alone…”
Winta’s eyes narrowed, sparkling with excitement. “Oh…?”
“It’s not like that,” Jai huffed, shaking their head slightly. “It’s platonic. But… she’s a very… close friend. We have an understanding.”
Winta nodded approvingly. “I’m glad you have someone, Jai. I’ve been so worried that you were isolated out there, but I guess you had company all along. I hope I can meet her sometime.”
“Definitely. I think you two will get along very well.”
“You’ll have to tell me all about her while you’re here,” Winta grinned. “But first… has this made you happy?”
Winta was clearly referring to Jai’s surgery - one leaving them with a blessedly flat chest after years of simmering dysphoria.
Jai smiled broadly.
“It feels so much better, Winta. I wish I’d done this sooner.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
Winta linked her arm through Jai’s, joking as they walked together toward the door.
“Mama’s been on a rampage preparing for your visit. We’d better get back to the hut before she sends Grogu to levitate us out of here.”
_______________________________________
Jai had never imagined that a lively family dinner could bring them so much joy, but here they were, and it was wonderful. They had missed this so much.
They decided right then and there, as they looked around at their growing family eating and chatting around the small table, that this trip would be have to be extended by a few weeks more.
For once, Omera remained at the table, Din insisting that she sit and catch up with Jai while he handled the food and dishes. After all, he would likely spend many evenings up late with his adult foundling, engrossed as was their custom in a kind of conversation only two kindred souls with a shared upbringing could share. They would have plenty of time.
Meanwhile, Grogu sat perched on Jai’s shoulder, unwilling to separate from his sorely missed sibling for even a moment, contributing to the conversation here and there. It was really unbelievable to see how much the small child had really grown up in the last few years.
Winta and Tov watched on with fond and genuine smiles, Winta gently stroking her swollen belly while her husband’s arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders.
Jai was glad to see that Tov had integrated as he had into the family. Tov’s own parents had succumbed several years ago to illness, leaving him alone in a way, much like Jai themself at one time. It was in his grief, as Din and Omera had taken responsibility for their young, then just barely adult neighbor’s welfare, that Tov’s relationship with Winta had finally blossomed. And now he was just as much a member of this clan as any of them.
Din and Omera sure had a knack for collecting children, didn’t they?
“Hey,” Winta whispered across the table to Jai as her mother finally stood to join Din in the kitchen, wrapping her arms around his middle for a moment. “I think those two need some alone time. Why don’t we all go sit on the porch? It’s nice out tonight. We can stargaze… like old times.”
Well, that sounded lovely. And Jai definitely didn’t miss the thinly veiled innuendo in regards to ‘alone time’. “Oh Gods, yes. Let’s get out of here as quickly as possible.”
Tov couldn’t help but chuckle as he made to help haul Winta out of her seat. He didn’t really understand Jai’s complete and total aversion to all things carnal, but they were certainly consistent about it. To be completely honest, it only made him grow to love Jai all the more for everything they’d done to help him and Winta successfully conceive this very much desired child. To put your loved ones’ happiness above your own discomfort - that was true family, and he felt very fortunate to call himself a member of this one.
_______________________________________
“Alright, Jai,” Winta smirked, leaning back between Tov’s legs where he sat behind her on the porch, lightly massaging her shoulders. “I believe there’s someone you need to tell us about, vod…”
“No way,” Tov perked up instantly, reaching over to give Jai a playful shove on the shoulder. “You’ve got yourself a special someone in Coruscant? Tell us everything.”
Jai was thankful for the darkness as their face burned with embarrassment. This was an unusual feeling for them.
“Is this how it’s going to be from now on, huh?” Jai asked in mock annoyance trying to draw attention away from their self-consciousness and continuing to gently stroke Grogu’s ears where he dozed in their lap. “You two ganging up on me?”
Tov raised his eyebrows. “It sure is…” But then he smiled fondly. “I really do want to know. Genuinely - promise. I didn’t think you liked people… that way…”
“Well, I don’t. It’s not like that.”
“Tell us how it is, then,” Winta prodded. “Are you simply friends? Something more?”
Jai took a moment to think about how to explain this. It wasn’t exactly conventional. But if anyone would understand, it was their family.
“She is a very good friend,” Jai started. “But it’s something different from friendship, too. She feels like a partner in a way… or like family…”
“Do you live together?” Tov asked.
“No… but we have talked about it. Convenience and all that…”
“Ok, so…” Winta ventured. “If you were to live together, would you have separate rooms? Or share a bed?”
Jai smirked. They knew exactly where Winta was headed with this line of questioning.
“Separate rooms, Winta. I think you could have guessed that.”
“My wife is beating around the bush here, so I’m just going to rip off the bandage.” Tov paused for a second, suddenly realizing such a question of Jai might not be such a good idea. But oh, well - he was committed. “Are you intimate? Hug? Kiss? Cuddle? Anything like that?”
“Maker, Tov,” Jai huffed, looking up at the night sky in a small bit of mortification. They were thankful, though, that he knew better than to ask about anything more. “There is a level of physical affection… but nothing more than I might do with any of you.”
“That’s significant, Jai,” Winta was very serious now. “I’ve never seen you comfortable touching anyone outside of this family.”
“Yeah…” Jai responded, as if they’d not really thought about it before. “I suppose it is significant…”
“Tell us how you met.” Tov was serious now, too. The entire village worried after Jai while they were so far from home, and it was a balm to his own heartache at Jai’s distance to know they weren’t really alone out there.
The three talked and reminisced well into the late hours of the night after putting Grogu to bed in the barn, allowing Din and Omera a full evening alone. It almost made Jai want to stay here in Sorgan forever.
Almost.
Because their heart now rested in two very different places. One half with their family here in the outer rim… and the other with both a very special friend and their life’s work in Coruscant.
Maybe a better balance could be attained, though… Something to consider.
