a/n – This chapter is pure marshmallow fluff, love, cheese, gravy, lemons and all that sappy crap. I loved writing it.

Chapter 23 – Recovery

Din walked with purpose up the Crest's ramp and made a beeline for his bed. Gently, he knelt down, cradling Ter'a's head and laid her on the bed. She was awake, barely, looking up at him with heavily lidded eyes, utterly exhausted, but alive and more or less uninjured… or at least with no permanent damage, Din thought. He wasn't thinking at all about their fight or feelings. Right now, he was more interested in knowing that she was okay. He pulled his gloves off and stroked her cheek tenderly. She closed her eyes against his touch, and he wasn't sure if she was still awake or not.

Cara and Greef climbed the ramp and Greef headed for the cockpit to get them off the station so that Din could stay with Ter'a. Cara closed the ramp, opened the kids pod, and grabbed the medical kit to help Din check Ter'a over.

Cara kneeled next to Din and pulled out the medical scanner and began to run a diagnostic scan on Ter'a's body. "I know you don't like droids, but you might want to think about investing in a medical droid."

Din looked over at his friend but said nothing. He waited with bated breath while the scanner did it's work.

After a moment the scanner made a low beep and flashed green, indicating generally good health. Cara tipped the device up to her eyes to read the scanners output.

"Muscle spasms, erratic pulse, slight burns at her wrists and ankles. Scanner shows she's asleep."

Din let out a breath. Electrocution could have and probably should have had a much worse effect. Din chalked Ter'a's relative lack of injuries up to her power in the Force, but he didn't know. It didn't appear that Gideon had done more than cause her superficial pain. When he, Greef, and Cara arrived, it appeared that he was just beginning to subject her to any amount of constant exposure.

Cara sighed. "It could've been so much worse, buddy."

Din dipped his head and gave a small nod of relief laden agreement. Cara put a hand on his shoulder and said, "she's pretty." With a smile she added, "you know, I think rescuing her will go a long way to helping her decide to forgive you."

Din lifted his head, his problems with Ter'a coming back to the forefront of his mind with his friends' comments. He sighed and took Ter'a's hand in his left hand and put his other hand on her forehead. She had definitely passed out. He looked at her, and after a moment, Cara patted him and got up, walking away and commenting that she was going to sit with Greef in the cockpit. When she'd disappeared up the ladder, Din slipped his helmet off and placed a tender kiss on the back of Ter'a's hand.

He sat with her for a long time until his knees ached from the hardness of the floor. He slipped his helmet back on and lifted Grogu out of his pod and laid him next to her and said, "I'm gunna go up and see how they're doin'. Wanna take care of her for me?"

Grogu cooed and crawled over and curled up next to her. Din watched as he put a small hand on her arm and closed his eyes, settling in for a nap.

Din smiled to himself before heading upstairs.

When the Razor Crest settled on the surface of Navarro, Greef and Cara went to exit the ship.

"You gunna stay a while?" Cara asked.

Din thought for a moment before nodding. I think we'll stay until she wakes up. If she still wants to leave, she'll be able to. If not, it's a peaceful place where we can talk it all out. Besides…" Din smiled. "…I feel like I should help you do some rebuilding."

Cara flashed him one of her lopsided grins. She nodded. "Wanna stay here with her, or you wanna room in town?"

Din looked over at Ter'a's sleeping form. He felt exhausted himself. "I'm exhausted. I think we'll just stay here. I'll come into town once I've had some sleep."

Cara nodded and headed down the ramp. "Get some rest," she called over her shoulder.

Din watched her walk away for a moment before closing the ramp and pulling his helmet off. He set it on the mess table before removing his weapons and armor. Once he was down to his trousers and tunic, he looked at Ter'a and, based on how he'd laid her on the bed, had to go to the foot of the mattress and ease himself up to crawl between the hull and her left side. He had to lay on his side to fit, and as he rested back against the hull, his last view was of her and Grogu, before sleep consumed him.

Ter'a opened her eyes and let out a low moan. Her body hurt. A lot. She tried to move and her arms each felt like they each weighed a metric ton. The child was curled up with his little tridactyl hand tucked into hers. Deep steady breathing to her right told her Din was next her. Slowly, and wincing heavily, she turned onto her right side and looked into the maskless face of Din Djarin.

Despite her soreness and persistent tiredness, she blinked, her eyes wide as she took in his handsome features. Despite everything that happened, all the things she'd said, he still trusted her to see his face again. Smiling widely, Ter'a took also in his general appearance. He was armor-less and she slid her hand into his and smiled wider when she felt his hand tighten arounds hers in his sleep. Ter'a closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.

Many, many hours later, Din breathed deeply as his eyes fluttered open. He felt stiff and sore from not moving at all in hours and hours of sleep. As his eyes opened, his first view was of Ter'a's beautiful face as she faced him, fast asleep. He felt her hand in his and looked down to see their fingers intertwined and smiled.

"Hey," came a small, sleepy voice.

Din looked back up to see Ter'a's green eyes gazing sleepily at him. She was smiling vaguely.

Din took in her features for a moment before smiling, "hey."

He was a little wary. He wasn't sure what she wanted now after their fight, but he followed her lead.

"How are you feeling?"

Ter'a's smile faltered as she did a quick, internal, self-assessment.

"Sore. Thoroughly. But otherwise… okay, I think."

Din closed his eyes, a feeling of relief flooded him, which must've shown on his face, because Ter'a said, "You were worried."

He opened his eyes and searched hers. His feeling of relief giving way to concern. "I… I… I was terrified," he admitted honestly.

Ter'a smiled softly and pulled her hand out of his to cup his bare cheek. He leaned into her touch, savoring the feel of her hand against his bare skin.

"Din…" Ter'a began. He searched her face trying to decipher her thoughts. She continued to look at him, her cheeks developed a pinkish hue and her eyes filled with tears. Din furrowed his brow trying to figure out what was happening.

A moment later, Ter'a turned her face into the pillow and began to sob and shake. Din's concern grew to fever pitch again as he took her hand in his and petted her forehead. "Hey," he whispered. But she squeaked out, "I'm so sorry Din. I'm so sorry. I said horrible things to you before. Unforgivable things."

Din scooted close and pulled her into his arms. She sobbed against his chest and said, "I love you Din, please forgive me."

Din held her tightly and buried his face in her hair. "I love you more than you'll ever know. Of course, I forgive you. I love you so much. I missed you so much."

For the next few minutes, Din held Ter'a tightly, rubbing her back and whispering sweet, soothing words to her while she cried against him.

As he held her, her tears subsided gradually. After a while, she just sniffled, but he kept up his ministrations, wanting to soothe her and hating to see her like this.

After a while, she gave a final sniff and pushed back a bit to look at him. He placed a chaste kiss against her forehead before looking back at her. He smiled for a moment before he looked very nervous again.

"What is it?" she asked.

After a pause of pensive thought, Din whispered, "I hope you feel like you can forgive me too?"

Ter'a looked back at Din, searching for something. After a moment she said, "Din, there is nothing to forgive. And I love you more than anything else in this galaxy or the next."

Din looked back at Ter'a, surprised. To his even greater surprise, she giggled. Confused, he said, "what?"

Smiling up at him, Ter'a said, "You are always so serious."

Din looked at her.

Still smiling, Ter'a leaned back took his face in both of her hands, looking at him in wonder. Her hands grazed his cheeks, her fingers laced through his hair, and her thumb ran across his bottom lip. He watched her savor his face, his real face, with a contented smile. Everything was going to be alright. He knew that he had made the right decision to take his helmet of for her when they were on Kashyyyk, but there hasn't been time for this then. Now, with Gideon dead, they had all the time in the world. For another hour or so Ter'a and Din laid there talking and caressing, but soon they fell back asleep, this time in each other's arms, surrounded by their love for each other, all past arguments forgotten.

Many more hours later, they woke up together. Hungry this time. Ter'a, still sore, but feeling much better, leaned up and for the first time since before their argument, covered Din's lips with her own in a sweet, chaste kiss. Din held her there for a moment, not wanting to break the kiss. But they were hungry, and his growling stomach broke them apart. Deciding to go into the town for food, they got up and got ready. Ter'a showered and put on a fresh set of clothes, and then Din did the same. Much like the first morning together in Maz's castle, Ter'a helped Din with his cape, but this time, there was time to linger over his shoulder and enjoy the loving glances and acknowledge the hidden meanings.

The pair walked into the town hand in hand and ordered supplies for the ship and Cara gave them a private room so Din could eat with his helmet off.

Ter'a couldn't take her eyes off his as they ate in comfortable silence. But towards the end of the meal, a sudden shadow passed over her face, causing Din to pause. "What's wrong?"

Ter'a shook her head sadly and sad, "My lightsaber. Gideon took it. I… I don't have it anymore."

Din smiled sadly at her dismay before reaching into his belt and pulling out a pair of lightsaber hilts and setting them on the table, causing Ter'a to gasp. She went not for her own, but the other one.

"You… won the Darksaber from Gideon?" Ter'a turned Din's new saber hilt over in her hands, admiring it's craftsmanship and storied history.

Din shrugged. "I guess so? I don't even know how to use that thing."

Ter'a lit up further. "I can teach you!" she squeaked excitedly.

Din smiled broadly at her excitement and nodded his agreement.

After another moment, Ter'a set the Darksaber hilt down and picked up her own with a look of loving reminiscence on her face. She looked as though a treasured family member had come to visit after being so long away. Din thought it was endearing.

Ter'a looking loving at him as she cradled it, before hooking it carefully to her belt. "Thank you," she said with great conviction.

Din smiled and nodded.

Ter'a picked the Darksaber back up, held the hilt out and ignited it. The black blade crackled to life, and she looked wondrously at it. Looking over at Din she said, "This will take discipline you know."

Din crinkled his brow for moment before smiling, "I trust my teacher." Ter'a smiled. Her smile gave way to a mischievous look as she switched the blade off and set the hilt back down. Leaning forward conspiratorially, Ter'a said, "I'd like to go back to the ship."

Din looked at her and blinked. He liked the way she was looking at him. Smiling, he set his fork down and slid his helmet back onto his head and reached for her hand. She took it and they walked out of the room.

"How was the food?" Cara asked as she leaned against the bar.

"Not bad," Din replied, walking past her. Cara looked confused when the pair didn't stop next to her to chat, so Din answered her confusion. "Mind watching the kid? We'll be back later."

Cara smiled at her friend's back as he left with Ter'a.

The walk back to the ship seemed to take about 50 times longer than the walk to the town, but when they'd sealed themselves back on the ship Ter'a pulled her hand from Din's and reached up. Taking his helmet carefully between her hands, she very carefully slid it up and off his head, before setting it gently on the mess table.

Din smiled with affection at her care of it. It was beskar after all, she could've hit it with her lightsaber and it would've been fine, and she knew that, but here she was setting it on the table like it was made of glass.

Din pulled his gloves off and dropped them before stepping up behind Ter'a and placing his hands on her arms and placing delicate kisses on her neck. Rolling her head to side so he'd have better access, Ter'a sighed contentedly.

Ter'a wanted to see Din though, she couldn't get enough of his face, and it had been far too long since they'd been intimate. She spun in his arms to face him and, gently grabbing his face, pulled him down in a deep, passionate kiss. Din seized her around the waist, and returned her fervor. She ran her hands through his hair before twisting her fingers in it at the back and pulling him closer. Din grunted, turning them so that he could push her against the hull. She huffed out a breath as her back hit it, and she broke the kiss, breathing heavily with passion, a look of determined urgency on her face as she began trying with fumbling fingers to get him out of his weapons and armor.

Din, also out of breath, began to help her, but it felt like they had far too many layers on in between them, because even when they'd taken off all his armor, they still had their clothes separating them.

They stared at each other for a moment, breaths falling heavily, before they fell back together kissing touching, caressing, exploring. Now unwilling to not have their lips in contact with each other, they blindly began to pull each other's clothes off, one article at a time. Din nipped playfully at Ter'a's throat and collarbone as he pushed her pants and underwear off her hips and down her legs. Laughing against his forehead with her hands tangled in his hair, Ter'a reaching down Din's back and pulled his tunic up forcing them to separate for a millisecond too long before they crashed back together. Ter'a moved down Din's chin to his throat, to his collarbone, pecs, and then his abs leaving a trail of passionate nips and kisses as she unbuttoned his trousers and pushed them down. Din toed out of his boots and then clumsily pulled his ankles out of the trousers pooled at his feet before yanking Ter'a's top off unceremoniously. Then he spun her around and pressed her against the wall as he kissed her back and shoulders while he unhooked her bra.

When the garment fell to the floor, Din spun her back around, her hair falling around her face, and locked his mouth onto her breasts. Ter'a watched him hungrily, this being the first time she got to watch him. Now that they were both naked, she wanted to see everything he did. As Din looked up at her eyes, heavily lidded by passion, his hot mouth worshipping her right breast, both her nipples now pert and hard. He thought the same thing as she was: he wanted her to watch him. After sharing the love with her left breast, Din stood abruptly, grabbing Ter'a and hoisting her up into his arms, kissing her passionately, her legs wrapping around him, his hard length pressing into her upper thigh, he walked to the bed and tossed her playfully onto it. He marveled at the way her breasts bounced upon landing and he threw himself on top of her capturing them each again in his mouth while she tossed her head back and tangled her hands in his soft, curly hair.

"Oh Din…" she sighed.

Hearing her sigh his name like that… it drove him wild. Growling Din moved down, grabbing her legs behind the knees and pushing her legs up and apart. Immediately, he dove for her center but looked up at her and watched with eye-rolling pleasure at how she reacted watching him eat her out. Her mouth went slack, her eyes rolled back, and she tossed her head back. As he licked up her clit, he said, "I want you to watch. I want to see your face."

She lifted her head, with her bottom lip tucked between her teeth and nodded. Making sure he kept eye contact with her, he began again, taking a hand and placing it over her sex, using the pressure of his thumb to draw circles over her clit. Ter'a moaned and breathed out, "I love watching you."

She saw the smile in his eyes as his mouth made thorough work of her. Licking and sucking and kissing. Ter'a responded with her own feral sounds and purrs, watching him the whole time until she began to shake a bit and the pleasure became too great and she came, her eyes clenching shut and her body arching against him.

Din pulled himself up to her and kissed her deeply. She held his face in her hands again, apparently never being able to have enough of it, and their tongues danced together, savoring the taste of her on their lips.

After a moment, Ter'a, using the Force to aid her, flipped them so that Din's back was pressed against the mattress and she slid down to his waist sensually, kissing, licking, and biting all the way down, never taking her eyes off his.

Din knew what was coming but he wasn't prepared. As soon as her lips closed around the head of his cock, his eyes rolled and his back arched. It was like he'd forgotten what her touch on him felt like. Recovering himself he met her eyes again and she continued. His brow furrowed and he pursed his lips. His eyes rolled as he struggled to keep eye contact with her. Her mouth on him felt so incredible.

He watched her watching him as she worked his length, eliciting the same sounds from him as he just had from her.

Suddenly, Din felt himself reach his breaking point and he needed her. Immediately. With a panting moan, he gripped her elbows in a vice grip hauled her up his body and planted her on his stomach. Reaching between them, he positioned himself at her entrance and rubbed the tip of his cock against her, prepping them both before pushing roughly into her. She was just as desperate to watch his face as he was watch hers and he rocked his hips up against her as she ground down against him in sync. After a moment though, Din sat up, wrapped an arm around her waist and repositioned them so that they sat facing each other. Locking his hands on her hips he used his pure strength to guide her against him in a passionate, unbelievable figure eight that clearly hit all the right spots for her.

Din watched her obsessed with her reaction. He'd never seen her like this. She was putty in his hands and he realized he found the best position and movement formula for her pleasure. He held her hips so tightly, she'd probably have bruises, but as he guided her, she purred and whined and moaned. He loved seeing her worry her bottom lip between her teeth. After only a few minutes, she began panting heavy, short abrupt breaths and he sensed her tension building. He was going to make her cum soon, and the knowledge brought him one step closer to his own release. His mouth fell open and his eyebrows furrowed and still, their eyes remained locked. Ter'a ran her fingers through his hair and whined, "oooh Din, I'm going to cum."

"Yeah," he panted back, "cum for me."

Her right hand went down between them causing him, for the first time to break eye contact, but he wanted to watch her touch herself as she approached her release. But after a moment, she brought her fingers back up and licked them from her palm to her fingertips, causing them to lock eyes again. She reached out to him and slid her index finger into his mouth, and he sucked on it happily as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. He imagined he looked like her: flushed bright pink with a sheen of glistening sweat on him.

A moment later, her head dropped and her body began to convulse and all she managed to squeak out was, "Di- in, I- I- 'm- g-g-" and she came. Hard. Despite the vice-grip he had on her hips, they jerked back and forth of their own volition and her back arched, pushing her breasts against him. Her eyes rolled back and closed, and her head fell against his shoulder. She held him tightly as she twitched and jerked. He had never seen her cum like this before and it was marvelous. The walls of her pussy clenched so tightly and strongly around him, that in combination with the jerking of her hips, it effectively finished him off and he came too and buried his face in her hair breathing hard and moaning loudly in pleasure. It took a few moments for them both to stop twitching, but Din's arms suddenly felt leached of all strength, and he collapsed backwards, dragging her with him. She let out a light "ungh" as they fell and he huffed out an exhausted breath.

After a moment, he gently slid out of her and held her flush against him, him on his back and her right on top of him, their skin slippery with sweat. Craning his neck to look at her, he thought she'd never looked more beautiful. Her skin was flushed so pink she looked like she'd run a marathon, her eyes were dilated, and her hair was a mess, with a few wet strands stuck to her forehead. Gently, Din reached up and brushed them back. She cricked her head up, her face sliding against his sweaty chest, and she smiled. He smiled back.

Tiredly, Ter'a slid off him to the side and leaned up on her elbows over his face and leaned down to kiss him. The kiss was sweet and tender, and carried meaning and emotion. After several moments of it, Din felt a new, surprising wave of arousal. He was exhausted, but he was willing to answer the call. But this time he didn't have the energy to carry on like before. With a shared moan he rolled her over, hovering on top of her, resting between her legs. Lazily, she drew her legs up and apart, asking for him once again. Reaching between them, Din felt how ready he was, somehow rock hard once again despite the exertion and passion they'd already shared. Still holding her gaze, Din then reached down and felt Ter'a. She was a wet as he'd felt her. He kissed her. Pulling back again they gazed lovingly at each other as he pushed into her center once again. Her eyes fluttered for a moment before looking at him again. Slowly, more lovingly he moved his hips against hers. She rocked up into his hips in a perfect sync, and they began to moan and pant again, their shared sounds filling the ship. Reaching up, Din held her chin and said, "I want to watch you cum Takara."

Ter'a smiled at the nickname and ran her tongue over her top lip, giving him no choice but to kiss it. When he pilled away, he saw her brow furrow and her body tense. He leaned close and whispered, "tell me what you want."

Panting, she replied, "I want you to make me cum."

With a grunt, Din turned her head and suckled at her collarbone. He felt her beginning to climax and he pulled quickly away so they could look at one another. Arching up, Ter'a came with a satisfying series of moans. She moaned his name long and low and looked up at him as long as her eyes could stay open. When she reopened them, he was still watching her, but his own climax approached. Unable to maintain his rhythm, his hips jerked a couple times before he was forced to bury his face in the crook of her neck and moan into her skin. She held him while he came, threading her fingers in his hair and tickling the skin of his arm. When he rode out his orgasm, his hips stilled. And they didn't move for so long that they might have been asleep. But then he moved off of her and slid his arm gently under her and they lay sweaty, entangled, and satisfied in each other's arms. They looked at one another and smiled. Nuzzling their heads together, they fell asleep.