[ He watched her for a moment, his heart aching with empathy. ]
They betrayed you, Gunny. [ He said softly. ] They were gonna get everyone in the entire system killed. You've proven over and over again that you can figure out the right thing, even if it ain't what you're bein' told.
They'd be idiots, to not welcome you back, if you wanted it.
[ Not that he had any faith in Mars not being made of idiots, anymore... ]
They fired on us just 'cause we were tryin' to talk it out, rather than shoot each other.
[ He wonders if he should feel worse, about their deaths. But he doesn't. There were a lot of dead people who'd done everything right, for him to mourn.
Shooting Gunny was enough for him to write them off completely. ]
[ He hummed, lowly, as he considered the question. ]
... It's weird, because it don't totally line up, in my head? Like - I can remember what we were doing before I walked into the pod, and it don't feel like it's been six months, but then if I tried to think about what happened at home--
[ He gave a small, helpless shrug. ]
It just don't line up. Like it won't fit into proper chronological order.
[ He smiled back, a pleased warmth rising to his cheeks. ]
Well, we're gonna need a lot better sensors than we have access to now, if we're gonna spot it. It'll be a lot further out of the solar system, if it's here.
But there's a chance, and that's more than we had before, right?
[ He wasn't expecting it - the closeness making his pulse spike, his heart drumming a staccato beat on his rib cage.
The urge to kiss her came back, twice as strong, but he didn't. She'd already had a lot, in the last half hour. Last think she needed was him making things complicated again, far too fast.
He couldn't resist moving a hand to gently brush her hair back again, though.
He needed to say something, to cover for the fact that he was basically just trying not to kiss her, but nothing came. So he just fell quiet, and moved her hair, and let his knuckles graze her cheek again. ]
[It has been a lot, and there's a part of her that thinks maybe this is a bad plan when he's likely more than overwhelmed himself, but she hasn't been able to stop thinking about kissing him again for weeks. When he was in that fucking pod, it was worse—she felt like she'd wasted time, like she'd held off for reasons that might not even matter. Even if this doesn't work, he's her best friend. They'll figure it out.
She lets her nose bump against his, fingertips trailing along his jawline.]
[ He feels his heart nearly stop, and it's confusing as hell, to remember everything that happened here, and everything that happened at home. It's hard to put his feelings for her back into a neatly separated box. So he doesn't try.
Instead, he tries to just let himself go, though he doesn't kiss her. He wants to. He wants to so badly that it's making his eyes drift closed, and yet.
He brushed his nose against hers, his breath shallow against her lips, before he turned his head to press his lips against her fingertips. ]
[It's such a little thing, but it makes her heart stutter, and if there was any remaining doubt in her mind that her reactions before were just from heightened emotions, that shatters it. She smiles, tracing the edge of his lip with her thumb, her voice quiet.]
I'm sure.
[And then she turns his head gently, leaning forward to press her lips against his.]
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Yeah, well, I'm guessing Mars wouldn't want me anywhere near one of their ships after that.
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They betrayed you, Gunny. [ He said softly. ] They were gonna get everyone in the entire system killed. You've proven over and over again that you can figure out the right thing, even if it ain't what you're bein' told.
They'd be idiots, to not welcome you back, if you wanted it.
[ Not that he had any faith in Mars not being made of idiots, anymore... ]
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Even if it was the right thing, they wouldn't welcome me back after disobeying orders and killing two of my team.
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... Amos got the other, before he got me.
I don't know, Gunny. Like I said, we didn't exactly get a chance to chat about it.
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If they were trying to kill you, then it was worth it.
[Still. What the hell is she supposed to do after that?]
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[ He wonders if he should feel worse, about their deaths. But he doesn't. There were a lot of dead people who'd done everything right, for him to mourn.
Shooting Gunny was enough for him to write them off completely. ]
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I'm glad you're okay.
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I'm glad we're both okay.
You had me pretty damn scared for a little bit, there.
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I guess it takes more to kill me than a bullet.
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After a moment, he adds: ]
Sorry, Gunny. I know it's a hell of a lot to dump on you.
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I needed to know. It might just take me a day or two to process all of it.
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If there's anythin' else you wanna ask, I'll tell you whatever I can.
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[She just doesn't have it yet.]
Does it feel like you haven't been here in six months?
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... It's weird, because it don't totally line up, in my head? Like - I can remember what we were doing before I walked into the pod, and it don't feel like it's been six months, but then if I tried to think about what happened at home--
[ He gave a small, helpless shrug. ]
It just don't line up. Like it won't fit into proper chronological order.
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I thought after the protomolecule, I wouldn't find anything weird anymore, but this definitely qualifies.
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[ He paused. ]
There's one thing, though, that I keep thinkin' about.
Bobbie - what if that's how we got here?
What if there's a Ring in this system?
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We might not be completely stuck here, after all.
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I think that might be the closest thing to a plan anyone has had, sailor.
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Well, we're gonna need a lot better sensors than we have access to now, if we're gonna spot it. It'll be a lot further out of the solar system, if it's here.
But there's a chance, and that's more than we had before, right?
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A hell of a lot more.
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The urge to kiss her came back, twice as strong, but he didn't. She'd already had a lot, in the last half hour. Last think she needed was him making things complicated again, far too fast.
He couldn't resist moving a hand to gently brush her hair back again, though.
He needed to say something, to cover for the fact that he was basically just trying not to kiss her, but nothing came. So he just fell quiet, and moved her hair, and let his knuckles graze her cheek again. ]
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She lets her nose bump against his, fingertips trailing along his jawline.]
I don't think I need any more time.
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Instead, he tries to just let himself go, though he doesn't kiss her. He wants to. He wants to so badly that it's making his eyes drift closed, and yet.
He brushed his nose against hers, his breath shallow against her lips, before he turned his head to press his lips against her fingertips. ]
... No? You sure?
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I'm sure.
[And then she turns his head gently, leaning forward to press her lips against his.]
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