"No, ma'am." He shakes his head in mock sadness. "And I sure am sick of reading Lord of the Flies and car magazines." He nods to the tabloid she brought in. "Least here, I get something fresh, even if it's the same old crap with new names. I ain't lookin' at the same pages over and over again."

When they do go back, he might even get to finish this thing he found on the plane called Bad Twin, a manuscript, one of a kind. Got about twenty pages into it so far but he's gonna have to reread it now, being away from it for so long. "Course, I got those comic books you gave me. If I didn't know better, Freckles, I'd say you were trying to favor your way into my shorts."

Laughing, he gives her a little half-wink. "Some people are sweet-talkers. You: you're a sweet-reader." Unable to resist, he slides that tabloid over to her. "Come on, cupcake. My old eyes are getting tired. Read to me."

There's just a moment's pause.

"In voices."