Chapter Text
It was the end of a long day and an even longer ten-day, for Jango Fett. The newest round of decantments had proven to be non-viable due to some form of genetic flaw the Kaminoans had found late into their gestation. Every time they gave him these sad updates, it was with a plain monotone delivery. As though that would do anything to spare his heart from feeling even more guilt than it usually did on a day-to-day basis.
He’d just finished tucking Boba into his egg-like crib; pulling a soft plain green blanket up to his shoulders as the kid drifted off into a deep sleep. As he straightened up from leaning over the edge, his back pinched from the sudden motion- causing him to let out a quiet hiss. That was the one thing he was ever grateful for in his kid: a deep sleeper. Jango had heard tales from other mando’ade, back when he was young, dumb, and impressionable; about their foundlings being unable to sleep through the night. All kinds of things could disturb them, from a small light, no light at all, or the barest movement of a curtain drifting from a breeze.
Jango snuck carefully out of his son’s room- isn’t that still a novelty? His Son - and started on the general cleaning up after their late meal. Loading up the few dishes he’d used to cook into the sanitizer, scooping the leftovers into sealable containers, and setting aside a pan to soak in the sink.
An entry request gave a short buzz at the door of the small apartment.
Confused as to who exactly would even attempt at trying to see him at this late hour, Jango dried his hands on a spare cloth. Moving to open the door, preparing himself to scold whatever member of the Cuy’val Dar was standing before it. Only to be greeted by an Alpha trooper with a small blond toddler, barely older than Boba, in his arms and a cadet in blues standing next to him. Of all beings, this was the last one he expected to see for anything pleasant. Let alone a home visit.
“Is there something amiss, Seventeen?” Jango shifted the cloth, rung in his hands, to drape over his shoulder instead. Just on the off chance that he needed to get physical. Seventeen sighed and pursed his lips together, adjusting the dozing toddler carefully in his hold.
“In a way, sir, but I believe this conversation is best had away from the halls.” Seventeen glanced briefly down the hall before giving Jango a pinched look of concern. As odd as it was seeing that expression on what was essentially a twenty-year-old version of himself, Jango ushered the small group inside and sealed the door behind them.
“I don't need to tell you the time, Kid, so this better be good.” Jango wandered back into his open kitchen area, hanging the towel back on the cooking reciprocal, before leaning against the counter facing into the living room. The Alpha swept inside with his charges, ignoring the mildly belittling words.
“Two-Four, sit over there by the holo set.” Seventeen instructed the cadet off-handedly while he carefully placed the little blond toddler on the floor, leading back against the couch. The sleepy tot gave a great yawn and rubbed at his eyes with squishy little hands. Poor thing was hardly conscious, at this hour.
“Uh,” Jango looked between the two children, as the Alpha backed up to stand nearby. They were practically tucked into the furthest corners of the room opposite of each other. “Do they fight or something?” Pointing briefly between the pair.
“Watch.” Ever the elegant word smith, Seventeen gave the Cadet a small nod. A signal of some kind. What the kark was going on in his damned apartment. The blond tot still looked half asleep, with a dreamly look to his eyes. Now that Jango was really looking at him, the kid’s eyes looked a little… pearlescent?
“Rex’ika!” Two-Four called out toward the toddler. Sweeping open his arms as though ready to catch the kid. “Hug!”
The blond’s eyes snapped awake from their half-lidded state at the call of his name. Glistening with that weird pearlescence even stronger. From his seated position, Two-Four was suddenly toppled forward. As if pulled by something much stronger than him, until his body thumped against the floor with an “Oof” from the boy. The tot laughed at his older brother’s demise, clapping with joy while Two-Four tried in vain to push himself back upright- struggling as if he were fighting against something tying him down.
“Rex’ika- I said Hug, not pull me over!” The Cadet pushed against the floor to free himself again, giving up and flopping back onto the ground “ugh, Let me up!”
The toddler, Rex’ika apparently, stood from his spot on the floor and toddled over to the grumbling cadet. He patted at Two-Four’s head, making the cadet grumble once more, and pulled at an invisible string that seemingly released the cadet. All the while still giggling to himself about the whole situation. The oddity made Jango tilt his head at this scenario in confusion.
“I ah,” The Bounty Hunter furrowed his brow. “I’m not following, is the issue that they’re playing pretend?” Sure, that kind of imagination wasn’t exactly encouraged or common at either of the boys’ ages, but this sort of early development tended to be a key indicator of Command Track Potential. Well, at least in his un-clinical opinion. He's sure the Kaminii world gave a less-than-stellar opinion on it.
“Unfortunately, no.” Seventeen rubbed at his tired eyes with both hands. “CT-7567 here has demonstrated his apparent ‘Force Abilities’ multiple times around my squad and others.” He motioned towards the squabbling pair of cadets as Two-Four was finally able to push himself up off of the floor. The kid threw a childish glare at Rex’ika, while the toddler just laughed harder in his face. “However, usually it’s to Two-Four’s detriment.”
Two-Four huffed and stood from the floor, lunging to grab the giggling little monster before the tot could get away. Barely able to pickup Rex’ika, the Cadet lugged them back acoss the room and set him on the floor.
“Okay,” The kid sat back in his original spot on the floor, if not ever so slightly further away. “Let’s try again, BUT do it right this time” Two-Four whined tiredly at Rex’ika and opened his arms once more. “Hug!”
Jango blinked.
One second the little blond toddler was sitting on one side of the room. The next- “Seventeen…. I?” He was at a loss for words. Within that bare fraction of a moment, Rex’ika had disappeared from his spot on the floor and reappeared in the arms of Two-Four. “Did I just lose time?”
What the kark just happened.
“My vode and I call it a Blink.” Two-Four piped up from the floor. He let Rex’ika snuggle into his chest, holding the younger boy close. For all it was worth, the tot looked like he was trying to sleep on the older cadet. Two-Four petted at b’Rex’ika curly blond hair, soothing him and his mannerisms. “One second, he’s in the nursery with his learning group. The next he’s falling into someone’s arms when the squad is just passing by the room. We never go by the transparasteel window- honest- it's like he can just tell when we're there.”
“Gods, okay.” Jango pinched the ridge of his brow. Nothing was ever going to be easy again, after tonight. “He’s done this in front of a Kaminoan?”
“According to my boys, and the other squads that had this happen to them;” Seventeen sounded just as defeated as Jango did. “Six-Seven’s class is usually administered by a Teaching Droid.” This whole situation was shebse backward and osik forward. Damn it all.
“You said ‘usually’.” Jango could already feel the migraine coming on.
Seventeen, the right bastard of all his bastard sons, stared him dead in the eyes with a flat look.
“Today was Evaluation Day for his class.”
Jango cursed under his breath and ran a hand through his curls. Kriff damn karking fUCK, this was not good. How the hells was he going to spin this mess into something passable- no, that was a problem for Future Jango. Present Jango needs to get this barely toddling kid off of this rock and to his sworn enemies. Great.
“I don't know if the observing Kaminii saw him leave, but Ten-Ten said they probably already noted his hair down as a reason for decom. Ten-Ten is usually right…” Two-Four snuggled closer to the toddler as though he were some kind of stuffed creature, waking the kid back up accidentally. b’Rex’ika eyes were almost completely white when they blinked opened. An irridecent sheen covered their surface as he frantically clutched at Two-Four’s blues. Fear evident on his face. “Rex’ika, are you okay?”
“Afa?” Rex’ika attempted to look around the room unseeing, pushing himself further into Two-Four’s chest.
“Alpha’s right next to us, Rex.” Two-Four tried to pull the tot away from his chest to get a better look at what exactly was going on, to no avail. Rex grips tighter to 24’s shirt, his breath quickening into borderline hyperventilating.
Seventeen, concerned from the sudden change in demeanor, quickly stepped over to the boys from where he was standing with Jango. Kneeling before them for better access.
“Six-Seven, I am here. You do not need to be afraid.” Seventeen placed a hand on Rex’s back, in an attempt to be of some form of comfort, only for the small one to flinch away in shock.“Rex,” the toddler reached out a hand blindly in Seventeen’s general direction, letting the Alpha hold it gently. “Rex, are you stuck and can't see?”
“y- Yea” Rex sniffled as fat tears started running down his cheeks. Leaving behind darkened stains on the collar of his blue tubie sleeping gown.
Seventeen squeezed his small hand and briefly met Two-Four’s worried glance.
“Alright. May Kote hand you over to me so I can try to assist you?” With a shaky nod from Rex, Two-Four - Kote - pried tightly clutching fingers off of his shirt while Seventeen gently scooped the toddler up and into his arms. Pacing around the room and whispering soft instructions as Rex tried desperately to gain his sight back. The image reminded Jango painfully of Boba’s own meltdowns and how he’s learned to mend them. Well, ‘learning to med them’ to be more accurate. His chosen ward was only a few months physically younger than the blond being cuddled before him, but experiences the galaxy in a vastly different way.
Force Jedi magic senses or not.
Jango took the short break in emotional action to give Two-Four a once over. The kid was pretty average for a cadet in Blues, maybe a little on the taller side but he honestly had no idea how old Seventeen’s brood was. “Kote, Right?”
“Sir?” Poor kid tried to straighten up where he was starting to slump over. It was well past the general Lights Out hour for the Day Cycle cadets. Poor thing was wilting- he would definitely be feeling the effects of all this in the morning.
“You’re very brave for coming here with your vod’ika and your trainer.” Jango tried to soften his features into something close to a supporting smile. Though he’s pretty sure it came off more as a strained grimace. “It’s a valiant name to grow into.”
“Thank you, sir.” Kote hid a yawn behind the back of his hand. Kid was around the physical age that Jango was himself when Jaster picked him up. He hoped he was more adorable looking than frightened- like he knew he was back then.
“Go back to your squad and rest for the night, cadet.” Jango nodded towards the door of the apartment, gently ordering the kid to leave. Kote looked between him, the door, and Seventeen. As though unsure if that was really official permission to leave.
“What about Rex’ika?”
“Rex is going to stay with me and Seventeen.” The bounty hunter moved through the kitchen towards a small closet just off to the side of the front door. Sliding it open to dig into a box sitting just inside. Kote looked once more at Seventeen for confirmation, playing with the hem of his blues.
“Go Kote, he’ll be fine.” Seventeen shooed Kote out the door, reassuring him once more in a quiet whisper. Rex was now calmed down and finally dozing off in Seventeen’s arms. The door slid shut with a tiny beep. The only sounds between the pair of them were the soft breaths of a sleeping Rex and Jango’s jostling in the closet.
“We have to take him to the Core.” Jango started pulling out an armor crate filled with his own Blue beskar and an old Grey spare set made of plastoid he was saving for when Boba was old enough. He hoped that Boba would never be old enough to have to wear such armor. But it would do, for now. To at the very least attempt to save a different version of his chosen son.
“How.” Seventeen let out a breath neither of them knew he was holding. “How can we. He’s slated for decommissioning and it is almost the middle of the night.”
“For one, I’ve got a favor to pull with Skirata and his Nulls. Your boys and mine will be fine with them.” Jango stepped back from the crate of armor, taking a moment to dig out a duffel bag that had been shoved into the very back of the closet. “Second,” Jango placed his hands on his hips and huffed a sigh. “We unfortunately have to bring Rex to the Jedi to save his life.
Are you up for an unsanctioned trip, Seventeen?”