Malia didn’t fight him even in the slightest when he pulled her down for a kiss, gladly pressing her lips gently to his. She savored the way they tasted, though the sweet mixed with salty as both her sweat and his mingled in on the action. After it broke, and he pieced together a few words to try and explain his fear, she remained silent, listening. She knew he had begun to overcrowd her, that he had an issue with the very idea of her becoming injured, but she never thought part of the equation was him blaming himself. It made her think whether or not he blamed himself for her previous injury, considering she hadn’t been ready for such a fight.<br/><br/>As he pulled her into his lap, she rested her forehead against his own, her hands running over his shoulders. If he truly would rather Sunny train her, she wouldn’t argue otherwise. She would much rather him be the one to show her the ropes, but she didn’t want him to feel like his world would come crumbling down if she repeatedly earned an injury. She wanted him to be happy. “Sunny’s good. Sunny’s killing me, but she’s really good,” a soft laugh escaped her lips. “It’s okay.”<br/><br/>However, their sweet and tender moment was broken by his immediate disgust of how sweaty and nasty Malia was. She threw her head back in laugher as he shoved her off, and she gasped, batting at his hand when he pushed her by her rear. “My ass is sweaty, too, you know.” With one roll of her eyes, a bright smile lighting up her face, she followed him into their private bathroom. She really, really enjoyed that they had their own. Somehow, showering in the same room as a bunch of Runners just wouldn’t  hold the same intimate atmosphere.<br/><br/>“I like soup.” Once they reached the bathroom, she turned the water in and began to peel her clothing from her body, each of the individual pieces of clothing damp with her sweat. She removed her hair from its braids, the strands now falling in waves, before she stood on her toes, pressing a deep kiss to his lips. After breaking the contact, she stepped into the shower, letting the warm stream wash over her achy, gross body. She rubbed her skin to try and wipe away the filth, before turning around to face the man who joined her. Every time she saw him, whether he be simply passing by, or having been caught staring, her heart did a flip in her chest. He was who she loved, he was the only thing in her life that even remotely mattered.<br/><br/>She pulled him over, her arms wrapping around his waist as her hands roamed his skin. They eventually rested on his rear and she smirked, giving him a small squeeze before her hands ascended up his back, tracing the groove of his spine. “I love you, you know. Forever and always. I cannot wait for the day we can go off, build a home, start a family.” She frowned ever so slightly. “But we’ve got a war to win, first.” Her head tilted, and she pressed a passionate kiss to the Strider’s lips, the salty taste gone, replaced by the sweet of the gesture. She spread soapy suds across his skin as they remained liplocked, washing his body of the dirt and the grim. She was beat, she couldn’t wait to curl up with him, to listen to the beat of his heart, the one she hoped never ceased to thump.