[ of course he means it! he really doesn't want to be stuck in space forever. and if it comes to that … well, it'll be useful, naturally.

they're both a bit out of their depth where all of this is concerned, because it's just as new to him as he's pretty sure it is to her. hell, once he'd heard that he would be in the first implant group, he'd been a bit alarmed – not that he would ever admit as much, because that would be something like … admitting that he was nervous about it. and he's never nervous about anything.

and he's a goddamned liar. ] Hell if I can say the same thing, I don't know how any of this stuff works. [ there might be a bit of an underlying tone of i wish i did, and it bothers me that i don't, but it's there and gone just as quickly. ] If all I ever have to deal with are headaches, though, I can handle it. I get those already.