I… don’t want to think about how long it’s been since I posted the last chapter. But the next chapter is ready and I’ll probably throw it up in a week. Or maybe over the weekend. We’ll have to see how I feel.
Warnings: Language, Din gets Protective, it’s Moving Day, Peli is snarky.
Word count: 1.7k
Chapter 17: In which there are answers
The pounding finally stopped hours later. Your shoulders dropped once the noise subsided, and you slumped a little. You were exhausted. It had been a long day.
And you still nearly jumped out of your skin in fright when the door opened.
But it was just Djarin, stepping into the room and pausing when he saw you and the child sitting together, and Peli burning low in her logs.
“What happened?” He demanded, striding over to you and dropping to kneel in front of you.
Look, a new chapter! When I said I’d get it up! It’s amazing!
This chapter features a lot of introspection and feelings.
Warnings: Swearing maybe.
Word count: 1k
This will eventually be Din Djarin x f!reader. Eventually.
Chapter 18: In which there is a return
It took you a few minutes to get your emotions under control again. You were back home, or as close to home as you had ever known. This was your shop.
Had you been gone so long already? Had Omera sold the shop? Did she even believe you were still alive?
Maybe you should go see her, talk to her. Tell her about–
Oh. But you couldn’t. You couldn’t tell her about the curse, or even write it down. And she wouldn’t believe you, not without proof.
Your shoulders slumped. Well. It had been a good thought. And perhaps you should try anyway. Perhaps tomorrow you’d take the child and go to the bakery and see if you could talk to Omera. She was still your sister, even if you were currently much older than she was.
With a wistful sigh, you stepped back into the shop and closed and locked the door. You trailed your fingers over the wood of the front counter, greeting it silently.
This shop had been your domain for most of your adult life. It was… odd to be back here now.
To be reminded so viscerally of what the Witch had taken from you.
Your hand clenched into a fist, fury rising in you once again. One of these days, you would figure out how to get rid of this curse.
You took a deep breath and went into the back room. Everything had been emptied out. Apart from some marks you had left from years past, there was no sign that this was your shop.
It left you feeling oddly adrift.
You shook off your funk, though, and ventured up the stairs to your old apartment. That, at least, was still locked, but the lock moved easily under your key, and the door swung open slowly.
Your apartment was exactly as you had left it. Your May Day dress was still hanging up, unused. You breathed in slowly. Breathed out.
You hadn’t been here in a while. It shouldn’t be this hard. It shouldn’t.
And yet it was.
You closed up again and made your way carefully back down the stairs.
And then you sat in the little courtyard for a while, listening to the city around you. It was as familiar to you as your own heartbeat… and yet somehow now alien. You still knew the sounds, even recognized half the voices you heard. You could put names and faces to those voices, to those people going about their evenings.
But something had changed, and this was no longer home.
You didn’t even realize you had been crying until Djarin found you and crouched in front of you, helmet tipped up towards you. He was dressed simply in a soft shirt and pants.
“Do you miss your family?” He asked softly. He skipped the “are you okay” entirely, for which you were grateful.
You laughed, a little watery still, and raised one wrinkled old hand to wipe your cheeks. “Yes,” you said simply. “I do.”
Djarin shifted his weight. You had the feeling he was uncomfortable with this, but he was still trying. “Maybe you can go see them tomorrow?”
You smiled sadly. “I can try,” you agreed. “But… I don’t know if… if she’ll know me."
Djarin looked at you. You couldn’t see his eyes, but you could feel his gaze. And then he nodded once, slowly. "She’ll know you."
Your heart leapt. Did he mean…? Did he know?
Djarin stood with a little grunt and held out a hand to you. You just blinked for a moment before you reached out and took his hand, letting him help you to your feet. He ushered you inside ahead of him.
Peli was once more blazing in the hearth, singing a funny little song to the child, who was clapping along only slightly offbeat. Djarin closed the door, shutting out the outside world, and nudged you into an armchair. An armchair, you noticed, not the armchair. There were now two. And once you were sitting, Djarin took the other one.
Peace washed over you, a cool balm to your tender heart, and you smiled. It occurred to you that this now was home - this odd little family, in this odd castle, had become your family sometime when you weren’t looking.
And by goodness you were going to do what you could to protect them.
The child toddled up to you and lifted his arms, and you settled him in your lap. "Better?” You asked, and the child cooed.
You chuckled softly and settled there.
This was your place now.
You didn’t quite manage to go see Omera the next day. Djarin actually stayed home, and you ended up helping him, sort of. You kept the child out from under his feet.
It also gave you a chance to watch Djarin more closely.
He was quiet, of course, but not rude. He was, in fact, unfailingly polite, thanking you softly when you brought him tea. He was gentle with the child. He moved with intention, working methodically.
He didn’t actually explain what he was doing, but he did allow you to watch as he worked on a spell.
And really, that was fun. It was interesting to see magic work.
But he certainly didn’t act heartless. Not that you really knew how a heartless person would act - more cruel? More thoughtless? You weren’t sure, but Djarin didn’t seem to fit it.
Maybe you were wrong. But you had two people who had specifically mentioned that he was heartless. And then there was that spell you had found…
The problem was you just didn’t know. You had no magical talent, nothing special to help you. All you could do was try to puzzle things out and hope you got more clues.
The following day dawned bright and cheery. You knew because you were awake, jittery with nerves, staring out the small window in your new bedroom.
You were going to see Omera today, and you had no idea what to say to her.
