𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘 - DIN DJARIN

Peace (Interlude)

peace (interlude) •••

Astra blinks into the darkness, the emptiness of her grasp causing a chill to run through her. She tightens the material of Din's tunic around her and lifts her head from the burrow of blankets she had made during her slumber. Once her eyes adjust to the darkness, Astra finds the outline of Din on the edge of the bed, his back facing her as he works on something in front of him.

With a silent yawn, Astra turns her attention to the nearest chrono. He's up well before Nevarro's sunrise. This isn't the first time it's happened, nor will it be the last. Astra's simply grateful she's woken up at the proper time to be with him and his tumultuous thoughts.

She debates remaining where she is for the sake of Din's guilty conscience, but her desire to comfort him wins over. Astra eases herself out of the blankets and crawls over to Din until she's right behind him. Her hands gently glide along his warm skin as they wrap around his bare torso. She presses her lips against the heat of his shoulder, the same way she used to on Sorgan when he was wrestling with the weight of giving their son away.

Din's chest rises and falls in a breath of relief that makes Astra's lips curve into a smile against his skin. Her eyes somehow manage to make out what Din's doing with his trembling hands, and she closes her eyes to push away the painful sympathy that floods her when she recognizes her blood-stained flight suit being repaired by a needle and thread.

After a few more gentle kisses and moments of silence, Astra rests her chin upon Din's shoulder and smiles. "Jate vaar'tur, my love." Her voice is no louder than a soft whisper as she speaks. Good morning.

Din looks away from what he's working on to face her. The knit in his brow loosens, and even in the darkness of the room, his gaze sparkles at the sight of her. "Hey." Din's voice is just as soft as Astra's, and he leans close enough to her for a kiss that takes her breath away. His nose brushes against hers as he pulls away, his forehead resting against her the best he can manage in this position. Din's eyes remain closed. "You should go back to sleep."

Astra hums as if she's truly considering the idea. "I don't know." She squeezes his torso with her arms still wrapped tight around him. "I feel pretty awake right now."

Din huffs, and Astra's at least glad he doesn't have to feign his amusement as he turns back to what's in his hands. She does the same, her thumbs running soothing circles over Din's toned middle. From what she can manage to see in the room's darkness, Din's done a hell of a job with the fabric, though many stitches still remain before the hole caused by Gideon's guard will fully be closed.

"I can't believe how well you can sew in the dark." Astra rewards him with a series of soft kisses against the side of his neck, causing him to lean into her. "That's better than what I can do in the light."

Din's chest rumbles with a genuine chuckle as he shakes his head at her. "I highly doubt that, rid'ika." He lifts his left hand for Astra to see, and when she squints her eyes, she can make out the small spots of crusted-over blood on his fingers from the needle. "See? Battle wounds."

"Battle wounds I'd like to take care of." Astra pulls her arms back to her sides, letting her fingernails gently rake over his skin as she does so. "C'mon. Let's put some caf on."

It's only when Astra stands and eases her hands over his to take the fabric away from Din that he begins to follow her. She takes him by the hand and leads him out of their bedroom, flickering on one of the warm kitchen lights to brighten up the space. Astra only releases Din's hand when she prepares the caf, though she's well aware of his gaze burning through her from behind. He won't take his eyes off her for a long time. He wants to watch her exist, to watch her breathe.