"No they shouldn't have," Birkin said matter-of-factly, leaning over slightly and kissing the corner of Stein's lips. "I'd be heartbroken and alone in that case. And I don't think I'd like that very much. I... Would almost rather you go to Medusa than die. At least I have the possibility of getting you back with one of them." Although the thought of sharing with her of all people made Birkin slightly sick to his stomach.

Birkin couldn't help but smirk when Stein added on that sentence about him. It sounded like he meant it, which admittedly was a bit... Sweet. Birkin's cheeks turned pink, but whether it was from the touch or the compliment he wasn't really sure.

He was, however, pretty sure that it would be sickly easy to make an argument that he was just taking advantage of Stein when he was like this, so other than the blush and moving slightly closer, Birkin ignored the touch. "You'll be able to fight again soon. Save your world and all that. There'll be a big party in your honor. A parade maybe." He really is too damn heroic. Birkin smiled warmly. "But let's just focus on getting you to recover right now, okay?"