Maui took a short nap and woke up an hour later. Now she truly felt like she was home.
Byung had done something to her, and she loved the feeling she got whenever she was near him.
Maui had grown up believing everything good came from strength.
Byung showed her that being open did not mean being weak.
This calmed her because she had always been taught the opposite. Byung was slowly breaking down the rules she had lived by.
She saw that he had not slept. Byung lay with his head on her chest, lost in thought—or talking to his system.
He now knew that with Maui's loyalty so high, she could never turn against him.
"Are you okay?" Maui asked him. Byung was resting on her breasts; this warm, familiar spot was what he had missed.
He loved the comfort, but he could also hear her heart beating fast.
"I am now. I have missed you, Maui," Byung said. Maui went quiet for a second, as if something blocked her throat.
