Part of her wondered if he wished she were more demonstrative in her affections. Casual touching and light kisses had always flowed too easily between them, but there had always been that line she refused to allow herself to cross. She wanted tradition; she wanted the courting and the commitment and the trust and honestly, she’d never been sure that Valerian could do that, and never wanted to risk giving him the idea she’d allow more with someone who couldn’t commit.
Which wasn’t entirely fair; he’d always gone above and beyond for her. He’d bent over backwards to accommodate her into his life, but still it was that playboy attitude that she couldn’t get over. That attitude that made her doubt every kiss, every flirt, every sweet comment. But he’d given her what she’d needed: he’d given her his trust. He’d put her before his orders, something she knew had been a monumental hurdle for him. She’d known that when she’d asked it of him. And still, he’d given it to her, shown her in the most important way that he loved her like she loved him.
“I have faith you’ll find me after your shower.” She said with a wink. She waited until he’d gone to shower- watching him leave with a half critical eye looking for signs he was more hurt than he was letting on, half appraising eye that just enjoyed the smooth movements of his limbs, lithe muscles moving under pale skin- before turning back to a mirror to inspect the skin beneath her eye. It was darkening with every passing minute, but she prodded it in annoyance, as though that would help, pursing her lips at her reflection. She eventually left the infirmary, going into the main deck of the Intruder, bringing up a map of an old planet they’d visited once on mission, bright and colorful and cheerful, and browsed the beautiful holo display until she heard his returning footfalls. “Feeling better?” She asked without looking up from the map.
He'd expected the response but he still sighed, gave a playful roll of his eyes before heading out of the infirmary and making his way down the hall. From there to his quarters, to the shower, he thought about how they needed to report back. It didn't matter how many years he'd been doing this, the whole time he was standing under the spray of the shower, he was almost dreading heading back. Because even if it was just for a little while, to debrief and maybe pick up another mission, something just didn't sit right with him currently. Maybe putting Laureline first, putting trust in her over his superiors, above orders, had left the a bad taste in his mouth when it came to their job. It could be due to eagerness to kind of explore this part of life, even if it meant having to go out of his comfort zone. Was that it? Had missions become boring in comparison?
Redressing and feeling considerably more relaxed, he made his way back to the main deck, fingers still buttoning his shirt as he went. Coming up behind her, Valerian resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her middle, rest his chin on her shoulder. It was something that seemed natural enough, one of those things he would have done before, but he refrained. For at least a moment, he was more concerned as to how she was feeling. "I'm fine. You're up for showering." He wanted to take her face in his hand again, look at her eye, see more physical confirmation that she was fine. But Laureline was still Laureline and he knew that she could handle herself, not to push her. He could trust her to take proper care of herself and admit when she needed help. Peeking over her shoulder, he eyed the map curiously. "Looking for a vacation?" A proper one, hopefully. Actually away from work and worry, just the two of them. He remembered the place, wouldn't have minded staying longer than they had for their mission. They deserved the time off, the time to just sit around.
Until he went stir crazy, that is. "It'd be a good spot. Wouldn't hurt to take a few days leave." Even if she wasn't thinking of taking a break, he wanted to appear open to it. That was something he was still trying to get out there, that ultimately he was hers, he wasn't 'married to the job'. At least not anymore.
