"Hey Keith?"

"Mm?"

"Are you a virgin?"

"What?"

"No pressure, you don't have to answer."

"Then why are you ASKING?"

Matt shrugged.

"Just in case you were and you didn't want to be by the time we all die."

"Jesus Christ. Do you ask EVERYONE this?"

"If you're going to judge me, then the answer is no."

But if the answer was yes it might have been a little less terrifying.

"I'm not judging you… I just, uh… don't usually get asked this question."

"Well I figured, because people live so slowly on Earth. But no one lives slowly out here and I thought I'd ask," Matt said.

"Uhhhh…"

"Hey, don't overthink it. If you don't want it, you don't want it."

Wait, when did this turn into an offer?

"You really DO ask everyone this."

"Within reason."

No way did reason extend THIS far.

"So why are you asking ME?"

"Well frankly because you are WAY too ready to kill yourself and I don't want you to die missing out. If it matters to you."

"Dude, I hardly even KNOW you."

"I never said it was super personal."

"Why would you want that if it wasn't?"

"I'm starting to hear that judgement again, Keith."

"Uh, sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I didn't mean to upset you."

There was a moment of quiet before Matt spoke again.

"I guess I've become a little forward since I got captured. But that's the most important thing I've learned up here – that you can't just WAIT. You have to go for it, because it might not be there tomorrow."

Keith thought of the swirling fragments of ships. Maybe Matt had learned to be happy.

"I'm… not really sure what I want," Keith said.

"Seriously, don't overthink it. Offer stands but it's up to you."

"You just said to go for it."

Matt sighed.

"Well I didn't mean it like THAT…"

"Jeez, well what DID you mean?"

"Would you rather I say forget it? Forget it, then."

Keith wasn't sure this was something he could forget. It wasn't like he wasn't searching for something…

"You're cute but it's a bad idea."

"I know I'm cute," Matt winked. "What makes it a bad idea?"

"I… don't really do impersonal."

"That's fine. I hope you find something that IS personal if that's what you want."

Not that simple.

"It is, but I shouldn't."

"Why not?"

Keith paused.

"I'm sick."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Matt said. Then he looked away. "I don't think I'm going to live very long, either."

Sounded like the offer remained standing.

"Well, it's not just that…"

"So, what is it?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

He'd only told Shiro.

"Well," Matt said. "I wish I had something else to offer you."

That was how it went in space.

"Don't worry about it," Keith said. "Your sister would kill me, anyway."

"I know," Matt laughed. "She would kill ME too. How about… let's not tell her I asked you this?"

But of course Keith was the master of not telling people things.