[The touch surprised him, and he looked up at her, blinking. He loved his crew, and, despite whatever Amos claimed, he knew they loved him. But they weren't exactly a physically affectionate bunch. Amos rough housed, sometimes, and Naomi had kissed his cheek once (and blew his mind in the process), but for the most part they all kept themselves to themselves.

Maybe he was just drunk, so things were taking on more significance than they might have otherwise.

He pushed a smile to his face, and though it didn't quite reach his eyes, he tried to make it reassuring. ]

Nah, I'm alright, Gunny. That whole thing's been broken a lot longer than this, and it ain't gonna get fixed. [ That was why death had seemed a simpler story, at the time. ]

For right now, I think I'm just gonna get very drunk. This stuff is almost startin' to taste good."