Rello was sitting on the side of the bed, holding Janc’s hand, the two of them grinning as if they’d just gotten away with some inane mischief.

“Well, you look okay,” Dellian said cheerfully.

“Feeling good,” Janc said. “I’m thinking the happy juice glands might be kicking in already.”

Yirella knew that wouldn’t be happening, but kept quiet.

“Timing is everything,” Rello said. “We were just talking about that, how fine the control is going to be, if you can trigger a gland discharge when you’re fucking. Double it up.”

“Going to be doing plenty of experimenting there,” Dellian agreed.

“Oh, yeah.”

Yirella sighed. “Don’t you boys ever think of anything else?”

“No!” the three of them replied.

“I’m not sure any of the glands are amphetamine-based. They won’t act as a serotonergic agonist.”

“You had to say that,” Rello complained.

“Whatever the crap it means.” Janc laughed.

Yirella couldn’t help her own smile. “What else did they give you?”

“Apart from the glands? The main arterial valves are in.”

“Always going to be useful when you get a limb ripped off,” Dellian said with mock enthusiasm.

Yirella knew his humor was slightly forced. Undergoing boosting had finally made it physical and actual. They really were going to be embarking on a battleship and portaling off into the galaxy. There weren’t even statistics about how many of them would survive, if any.

“If there’s any limb ripping going on, it’ll be me doing it,” Janc said. “They put the first batch of nerve induction sheaths in, too. For the larger muscles.”

“So six more batches,” Rello said, “and you’ll be fully emittive.”

Janc held a hand up to his face, flexing his fingers one at a time as if testing them. “Yeah. I didn’t realize just how many subliminal gestures we make to the little guys. It’s just natural now, you know?”

Yirella glanced over at the window where Janc’s munc cohort were looking in on them. “After all this time, they’re a part of us now, like mobile extra limbs. And you’re going to need them,” she said solemnly.

“When do they start modifying your cohort?” Dellian asked eagerly.

“Tomorrow,” Janc said.

“Aren’t you sad about that?” Yirella asked.

The boys looked at her with such incomprehension she thought she could actually hear the gulf splitting open between them. It was over, she realized; they weren’t her family of brothers anymore. Difference now outweighed love. It was all she could do not to burst into tears in front of them.

“No,” Janc said, careful not to sound indignant. “This way they’ll still be relevant to me. More than relevant: necessary. Relationships change. We’re growing up, Yirella. I don’t need a bunch of cuddly pets anymore.” He grinned up at Rello, who squeezed his hand fondly.

“Growing up,” she said distantly. “Yes, we are.”