Safest with You - Ch. 6 (The Courtship, Din's POV)
4.3K / Modern AU Retired Mob Enforcer!Din Djarin x fem!reader
Summary: Din continues his courting ways.
Warnings: 18+ content (MDNI please), even though it's mostly Fluff, pet names (the usual: Pretty bird, sweetheart, etc.), a little bit of angst (Din struggles with his FEELINGS), mentions of parental loss, a wee bit of dirty talk.
A/N: I didn't switch to a second person narration for Din, but I still consider this to be his POV because we "follow" him this week. We get a little backstory on Din's past with the Fett Family, and come to understand Din and Paz's relationship a bit as well. Greef is mentioned! Thank you for reading!
Series Masterlist
The next morning, Din picks you up and takes you and the dog to a big farmer’s market just outside the city. You walk hand in hand, weaving through the different stalls, lazily sampling baked goods and seasonal produce. Al receives his share of pets and samples as well, and the three of you look the epitome of contentment. After a light lunch, Din loads your purchases into the truck; in addition to some fruits and veggies for your own pantry, you got everything you needed to make a spaghetti sauce from scratch, having offered to cook dinner for Din before your movie date tonight.
Although the original plan was for you to do the cooking at your place with Din meeting you there after work, Din finds himself no longer wanting to part from you, even if only for the afternoon. He volunteers his own kitchen for cooking; with his apartment residing on the top floor of the gym’s building, he reasons that he can help you while easily popping downstairs periodically for work.
Putting one hand on your hip, you tilt your head and tease, “You know, this is sending mixed signals.”
“Hmm?” Din’s eyes widen in innocence.
“We agree to take things slow, and now you’re luring me back to your place?”
Din knows you’re only teasing, but looking down at your playful expression, he also knows that you don’t know the real reason he’s been hesitant to take the next step with you. Din’s insistence that you take things slow has nothing to do with any type of antiquated feelings about sex or so-called propriety, and everything to do with a deeply rooted concern that he doesn’t deserve you. Since he met you at the coffeeshop, you’ve been his own personal ray of sunshine; brightening his world with your sweet nature and calming presence. But what is he bringing to your life? He knows that you think of him as caring and considerate, traits that he loves about you and it fills him with pride that you see those qualities in him as well.
Does he deserve to be held in your high esteem?
Would you still be unafraid of him if you knew the brutality he’s capable of inflicting, inside and outside in the ring? Would you still feel safe around him if you knew how many men he’s sent to the hospital? Din’s proud of the man he is, and he wakes up every day doing his best to be a good person. You deserve someone who’s good, and he wants to be good enough for you. He would like to have earned your affections, his place next to you, so that you never look at him differently than the way you do now. This time he’s spending courting you, it’s for you to get to know this him. Not the fighter, not the enforcer, but a man who is kind, loyal, compassionate and gentle. He wants you to know this man and to choose him.
Although you can’t read his thoughts, you soften, “Hey, I’m just messing with you, Din. You’re being so sweet, and it makes me happy. Honestly.” You bring your hand up to Din’s cheek and he immediately leans into it before turning into your palm and giving it a gentle kiss. His own palms now flat against the car, caging you in and causing your back to press up against the door, Din says in a low voice only you can hear, “You won’t think I’m so sweet when I finally take you to bed and take you apart, pretty bird.”
His voice is so intoxicating you nearly whimper, “That’s a heavy promise, Djarin.”
“I plan on delivering,” he murmurs against your lips, kissing you long and slow against the car, leaving you breathless when he goes to open your door for you.
---
When you arrive back at the gym, Din shows you an entrance on the very right-hand side of the building that you hadn’t noticed before. The door unlocks to a long flight of stairs that you and Al climb, with Din bringing up the rear and all your farmer’s market bags. On a small landing a little past half way, there is a door on your left with a small window; you peek through and see that it leads to the second floor loft of the gym where Din’s office is located. He wasn’t kidding when he said he could easily pop downstairs for work, you realize, amused.
Reaching the top floor, you step aside for Din to pass and unlock his front door. He holds it open for you to go in first; you walk in, barely concealing your curiosity. The space is huge, which is no surprise considering the apartment takes up the entire floor; you step into an open living area, homey and lived in with a big comfy couch and several arm chairs, all pointed at large television. Both walls flanking this space are lined with bookshelves reaching from floor to ceiling, running the length of the large room. The shelves are filled with books, boxing trophies, knickknacks, and various mementos, including several framed photos of people with smiling faces. Walking towards where you can see the kitchen behind a partition wall, you grin as you recognize photos of Din at various ages with an older man that must have been his father. Just left of the dining nook that rests below a cut-out window that looks into the kitchen, there are some closed doors and the start of a hallway that must run back down the length of the apartment; you figure out that the bedrooms must be at the front of the apartment, overlooking the street. You imagine Din growing up in this space, and remembering what Din has told you about his childhood, you're satisfied that this must have been a good home to the Djarin men.
Din watches you take in your surroundings; this place holds many memories for him, of his childhood and his father. Moving back in when dad got sick had been an adjustment, but Din is glad he did it – while the last few years together may have been difficult, Din would not have traded them for the world. The bond between father and son had never been stronger than in those last years, and because of it, those years had been joyous in their own way. You’re the first new person to enter this space in a long time, and he wonders what you see, no longer trusting his own eyes.
You turn to Din, “I love it,” you say, beaming, and Din knows that you mean that you love more than just the physical space or layout. He sweeps you in his arms and kisses you warmly, silently conveying: thank you.
Cooking together is more fun that Din could have imagined. You’re a bundle of energy in the kitchen, putting your methodical mind to good use and assigning him tasks to help with the recipe you’ve memorized, all while chattering away and learning the lay of his kitchen. You poke around mischievously looking for everything and Din grins as he watches you putter around; he has a feeling you’re opening more drawers and cabinets than necessary, more to satisfy your own natural curiosity than actually searching for tools and ingredients. Smartly, he feels, he gives you free rein of the space and also choice over what music to play over the kitchen speakers. He doesn’t know all the songs you put on, but the way you’re enjoying yourself, bopping around him and moving your body to the beat, has him winding his arms around your waist and swaying along even to the ones he doesn’t know. The carrots are chopped, the onions are diced, the wine is reduced, all while you and Din kiss and dance. Sometimes Al will join in for a particularly upbeat number, but mainly concerns himself with nosing for food offerings. Din’s kitchen is coming alive in a way that he had nearly forgotten it could, and he feels invigorated.
He leaves you looking through his spices with a concentrated look on your face to go downstairs to the gym. Greef will be coming in a few hours to take over the floor, and until then, Din has a bit of paper work to finish off; he does so from a bench seat he takes on the main floor, overseeing the usual Saturday crowd. Paz comes by while Din’s finishing up some forms, hair wet from the showers after his workout.
Embracing as is their customary greeting, Paz checks in, “Hey brother. Glad I caught you. Something I might need your help with next week. You got some time to chat now?”
Here goes nothing, Din thinks, “Can’t, Paz. I’m actually… on a date right now. She’s upstairs cooking.”
Paz raises his eyebrows in surprise. He knows how private of a person Din is, and especially how protective he is of the memories of his late father in their space; for Din to let you in and leave you alone in the apartment… you must be special, “New girl? Huh. No wonder Brian and the guys have been saying you’ve been less of a grump lately.”
“Wha-“ Din is cut off from looking around the room for the young boxer when Paz jokingly punches him in the shoulder.
“So… when do I get to meet her?” Paz asks, expectantly.
“I’m thinking of bringing her to the fight next Saturday.”
“Perfect. Can’t wait to introduce myself to her… ‘bout time she meets a real Mando,” Paz laughs.
“Wouldn’t want you to strain yourself, Vizsla. She uses big words,” quips Din, easily dodging Paz’s cross-cut. The two friends play box for another minute before Paz claps Din on the back, “Happy for you, brother.”
Din knows he is. The two make plans to meet up for an early lunch tomorrow to go over what Paz needs. When Paz is gone, Din looks up to the ceiling, as if looking through to where you are in the apartment above, and thinks about you meeting his friends. Meet “a real Mando” Paz had said – Din grins at the childhood “club name” that had been given to their group of friends, naming the tightknit group of kids after the gym where they all hung out. Of course, after getting older, most of group had gone to work for Boba Fett as muscle, security, some times both; it was in that capacity, as a unit, the Mandos had carved out a reputation for being an effective and elite strike team. Everyone in the neighbourhood knew that messing with the Mandos or having the Mandos sent after you was a fate most preferably avoided.
Was he proud of this moniker and his association with it? The truth was, yes – Boba and Din’s dad had grown up together, friends until the end; Boba’s family was Din’s family, and vice versa. There is nothing Din wouldn’t do for the Fetts, and anything he had ever done, however morally grey, he had done with conviction and would do again in a heartbeat if it meant helping his family. Din’s commitment and loyalty to his friends and family were his creed, steadfast and unwavering. His thoughts drift back to you: Would you understand?
He remembers the hurt you tried to hide from him yesterday when you very honestly confessed that you thought he might not be wanting you. Without a doubt he does, but once again, Din wrestles with needing to feel he deserves you; that he deserves the way you want him. Din is not ashamed of who he is or what he’s done, but he can’t quite reconcile how that man is upstanding enough to deserve someone like you. And he would like to be deserving of you. You don’t deserve anything less.
As Din climbs the stairs to his apartment, he realizes how hard he’s fallen for you in such a short amount of time; just being away from you for a little over an hour has him missing you terribly, and he’s glad that he suggested the change of plans and invited you into his little home.
What he is not prepared for is the scene laid out before him as he enters the apartment; you, so beautiful and relaxed, the picture of comfort curled up on his couch with the dog, reading a book you had pulled off his shelf. This picture of domesticity make his pulse quicken and ache for you in an entirely different way than the pure lust he has felt for you every night this past week. You look up with a sweet smile, “The sauce needs to simmer.”
Din comes over and you make room for him on the couch, curling up close when he sits. You discuss the books you found on his shelf, and later you joke that you were either going to rifle through the bookshelves or his medicine cabinet. As the two of you talk, even in this close proximity, Din can’t help but make the point to always be touching you. Your hair, your hands, your face, your entire being is soft and delicate, though not breakable, and so, so precious and enticing to him. Quiet conversation coupled with looks of longing and gentle touches lead to lazy and languid kisses that seem to stretch out the afternoon. There’s nothing urgent about today. Din feels your body relax in his arms, soothed; looking at you, he can tell your eyes are closed not just from pleasure, but that you’re genuinely tired, “Pretty bird, do you want to take a nap?”
“I can’t take a nap in the middle of a date. It’s rude,” you reply, eyes still closed.
“You’ve had an exhausting week. You need sleep.” Din isn’t wrong, and you hardly need any more convincing, already half asleep.
You feel Din getting up from his seat and place your hand on his wrist so he’ll look at you, “Please set an alarm for an hour on my phone? Need to check on the sauce.”
Stroking your hair gently, Din reassures you, “Okay. I’ll go back to work and let you nap. I’ll lock the door, okay? You’re safe here, pretty bird. I’ll be just downstairs if you need anything.”
Din covers you with a blanket, and after pulling a separate blanket over the dog, gets ready to head to the gym. He leans over you, pressing his lips to yours lightly, “You know, it’s also pretty rude to leave your date to go to work.”
“We’re both so rude,” you yawn.
“Yup. The worst,” Din kisses you softly, “Perfect for each other.”
“Mmmhmmm,” you hum before drifting off into a deep sleep.
---
You wake, not to your alarm, but to a delicious and aromatic smell filling the apartment. You sit up and stretch, looking around. Some time during the nap, Al has rolled over onto his back, exposing his stomach and shooting all four legs straight up in the air – really making himself at home on Din’s couch; you’re scratching Al’s stomach when you see Din stirring the sauce and call softly to him. He comes over and leans over the back of the couch; brushing your hair out of your face, he kisses you gently.
“You let me sleep?”
“I did. Couldn’t bear to wake you, you looked so peaceful. Your snores are very cute, you know?”
You bury your face in your hands, “Oh noooooo… I snore?”
“Like an adorable kitten.”
It’s been a while since any one has been in a position to let you know, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Doesn’t bother me. I don’t plan on getting much sleep around you, in any case,” he winks, as he walks back to the kitchen.
Din hasn’t just stirred the sauce, he’s made the rest of dinner already; you’re impressed and grateful and you make sure to let him know. After you help set the table, the two of you enjoy a wonderful early dinner together. A quick clean-up later, you drop Al off at home to have his own dinner, then you and Din head out to the movie.
Din doesn’t even remember what the movie is about, but he remembers the way you put up the middle partition and curl up in your seat and into his side, making it easy for him to comfortably drape his arm around you. A little more than an hour through the movie, when the male and female leads are barreling towards a misunderstanding, Din looks down to see you watching him instead of the screen and he leans down to kiss you, somehow not stopping until the lights turn on in the theatre.
---
After the dog has been properly walked, and more long, soft kisses dispensed, you tell Din, “That was my favourite of our dates.”
“We’ve only had two.”
“I know, and this one is my favourite one so far.” And you mean it.
Tonight’s kisses mirror those of the afternoon; lazy, slow, sweet. Din sends you upstairs with the promise that the dates are only going to get better from here on out.
Sunday morning, Din receives a video call from your brunch: a cheerful, and somewhat chaotic video of you and your friends who apparently want to thank him for the books he bought them. The one named Katie, utters an innuendo that has you blushing a deep shade of crimson before quickly ending the call. You and your friends are adorable peas in a pod, Din thinks.
He’s still chuckling as he sits down to his own meal with Paz. Meeting at their usual table in a restaurant frequented by Fett family members, Din looks across to Paz who is perusing the menu, pretending he isn’t going to order the same thing he’s ordered every time since they started eating here when they were teenagers. Friends since childhood and both embraced by the Fett family, Din and Paz Vizsla have been running around the streets, starting and then later stopping trouble since they had training wheels on their bikes. Both had gotten into youth boxing at Mando’s gym, but while Din boxed all the way through college, Paz had gone straight to work for Boba after junior high. Of the two men, Din had always had the more strategic mind, rising faster in the Fett organization than others, and eventually becoming Boba’s lead enforcer; but Din was ever cognizant that his success and how tightly he ran the Fett family security could not have been possible without his friend and right hand man, Paz. When Din had stepped back from the organization, Paz was the natural choice to be Din’s replacement. The two men remained close as ever; there was no one with whom Din trusted his life more than Paz, and the feeling was returned, ten-fold.
As he had already explained to you, once in a while, Paz would ask for Din’s help with Fett family business, be it strategizing and brainstorming a mission plan, reviewing proposed tactics, or occasionally, coming out into the field with the team again. There were simply times where Paz just ultimately felt better if Din was involved, and Din could not and would never deny his brother assistance. Looks like this upcoming week would be one of those times. Paz’s strength and authority has always come from his formidable presence and his capacity for brute force, but Boba currently needs some intel on a target that would come easier via surveillance rather than intimidation. Over lunch, Din and Paz map out a plan and team assignments, including a few shifts that make the most sense if Din is on site. By the end of the planning session, Din knows that this week, he will be the one having long work hours; between his surveillance work with Paz and his responsibilities at the gym, your third date would have to wait.
He lets you in on his disappointment that night during the dog walk, which has now been cemented as part of your daily routine. As expected, you’re understanding and reasonably curious, but easily placated with Din’s promise to still come by every night to walk Al with you.
Monday through Thursday have Din burning the candle at both ends. He finds himself being infinitely appreciative for having an excellent head boxing trainer in Greef Karga who competently doubles as a floor manager. Several of the gym staff and boxers also work for Paz and Boba, so Din is not the only one pulling double duty this week – everyone knows what it means to do their part. Most nights, Din leaves Paz and the team late in the evening and comes straight to see you.
He's tired on these nights, but you’re always a sight for his exhausted eyes; you take to bringing him a little sweet treat each night, aware that he needs an extra pick me up these days. Regardless of what he sees or has to deal with during the day, Din is content when he ends the night in the softness of your embrace; with you in his arms, your lips on his.
By Friday, everything has wrapped up on the security end, but Din ends up having to work late at the gym to catch up on some accounting admin he had pushed back; happy to turn the tables on him, you bring him dinner when it’s obvious he might forget to eat.
When you see him hunched over, squinting at a spreadsheet for 5 minutes straight, you offer to take a look, helping yourself to a makeshift seat in his lap. Within 10 minutes you’ve whipped him up a new template that rolls over month-to-month, and calculates the information needed with less than a third of the monthly inputs Din was typing in before. With your encouragement, he finishes his reports speedily, while you go back to eating dinner. Coming over to the mini couch in his office that you’ve been lounging on, Din flops down and pulls you close so your legs lay over his, “Are you a wizard?”
You laugh, “I like spreadsheets.”
“I don’t. I don’t think I really like any technology. Can’t trust it,” grimaces Din.
“I figured, old man. Is that why you don’t have any socials?”
“Any what?” Din gives you a confused look.
Confession time. “Social Media. The girls and I tried to find you online that night after I ran into you at the bookstore! Nothing.”
“I might have an old Facebook? Don’t remember the login,” Din muses, face scrunching up as if the idea of inadvertently having an online presence gives him a headache.
You roll your eyes and climb over Din’s lap, straddling him, “Good thing you’re so pretty.”
Din raises his brow, “Oh yeah? I’m the pretty one?”
“Oh yes. These brown eyes are so pretty. And these crinkles around your pretty eyes when you smile are so, so pretty. Beard is so pretty, too. This is my favourite part, this little spot right here that looks like a little heart, it’s the prettiest.” You press a deep kiss to his jaw in the middle of the patchy spot on his left side and breath in deeply, humming contently before resting your head on Din’s shoulder.
“Didn’t realize you think so much about me, sweet girl.”
You face Din again, closing your eyes and leaning in to find his mouth already waiting for yours and murmur low, between kisses, “Mmmmhmmmm. Think about you all the time, Din. When I wake up, in the shower, at work, at home in bed. Especially when I’m in bed. I think about you a lot in bed.”
Din’s hands start to wander, creeping under your shirt and gripping your bare waist, fingers dipping into the waistband of your leggings, “What you do you think about, when you think about me in bed, sweetheart?”
The kisses are getting a little sloppier as you grind down gently, rhythmically; you answer in shallow, gasping breaths, “I think about you on top of me, baby. I think about you getting a little rough with me and positioning me any way you want. I think about your hands and how they would feel touching every inch of me, pulling my hair, squeezing around my nec-“
“Pretty bird, I think I should take you home now or I’m not going to be able to control myself.” Din cuts you off abruptly, a dark look in his eyes.
Shy under his intense gaze, you nod and agree.
---
Having had the car ride to your place and the dog walk to calm down, you now rest comfortably in Din’s arms, playing with his hair while looking deep into his eyes between sweet, lingering kisses. Din opens his mouth to yours, again and again, lazily chasing your tongue with his own, “I’m looking forward to our date tomorrow, pretty bird.”
You sigh, “Me too! I don’t know what to wear though. I’ve never been to a boxing match before.”
“I’m sure you’ll look perfect.” Din leans down and whispers, “Wear something I can take off easily.”
You can’t help the small whine that escapes your lips when you take in his words. Din chuckles, “You tease me all the time, pretty bird. You think I can’t tease you back?” Finding his boyish grin irresistible, you pull him in for a string of hungry and passionate kisses that leave the both you panting and you warm with arousal. You aren’t even being cheeky when you whisper to Din, “I’m going to go to bed to think about you now,” before turning to head in, leaving Din looking and feeling completely transfixed.
110 notes
·
View notes
WEBCOMIC DIRECTORY
Half the reason I created this tournament is so I could find new webcomics to read, and I know a bunch of you are following it for the same reason.
So: Here is a directory of every webcomic that was submitted!
Please note that this list is Very Long, so (1) I have not read most of these webcomics and can't vouch for their content, and (2) I have not tested any of these links, but I can fix any errors if you point them out.
Comics are listed in alphabetical order, with the featured couple(s) or poly ship(s) in parentheses. Broken into two parts because Tumblr only allows 100 links per post and there are 140 comics.
180° Angel (Sam and Lilith)
2 Slices (Ruka and Rio)
A Week in Warrigilla (Hazel and Willie)
A&H Club (Adrian and Hildegard)
Alice and the Nightmare (Edith and Quinn)
Alien Heart (Ivy and Rosa)
Always Human (Sunati and Austen)
Balderdash (Georgie and Afia)
Band vs Band (Honey Hart and Turpentine)
Blindsprings (Ember and Irelia)
Boyfriends (Jock, Prep, Nerd, and Goth)
Bugtopia (Arachne and Scarlet)
Burn Away (Abella and Edie)
Charity Case (Sylvia and Jerry)
Circuits and Veins (Ai and Aki)
Console Her (Claudia and Ava)
Cucumber Quest (Almond and Peridot; Piano and Ametrine)
Cursed Princess Club (Nell and Jolie)
Dame Daffodil (Charo and Alesea)
Daughter of the Lilies (Lyra and Margot)
Dead Winter (Lizzie and Alice)
Dicebox (Griffin and Molly)
Dirt Creek Runs Red with Blood (Ines and Sarepia)
Dom&Mor (Dominique and Morgan)
Dresden Codak (Kimiko and Elith)
Drop-Out (Lola and Sugar)
Dumbing of Age (Becky and Dina; Jennifer/Billie and Ruth)
El Goonish Shive (Ellen and Nanase; Catalina and Rhoda; Diane and Lucy)
Eldritch Darling (Ina and CJ)
Encore! (Quinn and Hana)
Ennui Go (Izzy, Darcy, and Tanya)
Errant (Sarin and Jules)
Facing the Sun (Aarya and Liza)
Finding Wonderland (Alex and Lucky)
Flowers For the Arsonist (Lucia and Paige)
Four Leaf (Carla and Lina)
Gals (Croix, Sam, Lux, and Charlotte)
Ghoul Crush (Sison and Laguna)
Girly (Otra and Winter)
Glitterlaced (Goldie and Luck)
Go Get a Roomie (Roomie and Lillian)
Guide to the Land of Monsters (Arnatuk and Tove)
Gunnerkrigg Court (Kat and Paz; Zimmy and Gamma)
Hard Lacquer (Claire and Robin; Claire and Petra)
Heartstopper (Darcy and Tara)
Heir's Game (Sevilia and Ilianna)
Her Tale of Shim Chong (Shim Chong and Madam Jang)
High Class Homos (Sapphia and Odette; Sapphia and Marla)
Homestuck (Rose and Kanaya; Calliope and Roxy; Vriska and Meenah; Vriska and Terezi)
How to Be a Werewolf (Marin and Marisa)
I Love Amy (Amy and Bibi)
I Want to Be a Cute Anime Girl (Cheryl and Delilah)
I'm the Villainess but the Heroine's Trying to Capture Me (Nelly and Nancy)
In My Heart (Wantanabe Yuki and Sasaki Mari)
Isadora (Isaline and Theodora)
It's Okay to Like Girls (Sophie and Olivia)
Kidd Commander (Phineas and Agatha)
Kill Six Billion Demons (Allison and Ciocie Cioelle)
Kiss It Goodbye (Aruka and Yukimi)
Lady of the Shard (Radiant Goddess and Acolyte; Radiant Goddess and Old God)
Lesbiampires (Daphne and Veronika)
Lore Olympus (Athena and Hestia)
Mage & Demon Queen (Malori and Velverosa)
Matchmaker (Kimmy and Marlowe)
Missing Monday (Foyle and Monday)
Monsters and Girls (Lili and Sera)
Motherlover (Imogen and Alex)
Moving In (Jackie and Riley)
Muted (Camille, Nyra, and Dendro)
My Dragon Girlfriend (Dani and Christie; Callie and Olive)
My Sweet Archenemy (Mad Spade and Miss Sunshine)
My Wish Is to Fall In Love Until You Die (Shiina and Mimi; Seiran and Ari)
Namesake (Selva and Alice)
Nano List (Chacha and Zavi)
Never Satisfied (Neith and Isra)
Nevermore (Lenore and Annabel Lee)
Night Owls and Summer Skies (Emma and Vivian)
Not So Shoujo Love Story (Rei and Hanna)
Octopus Pie (Jane and Marigold)
Offbeat (Beau and Julie)
On a Sunbeam (Mia and Grace; Alma and Char)
On Borrowed Time (Rune and Dielle)
Osora (Celia and Catalina)
Remaining links in part two!
123 notes
·
View notes