[ Always that lingering undercurrent of uncertainty about the future. Their future, the only one that really matters to K. As much as he tries to deny it to himself, he knows his developing emotions and his tenuous but growing sense of personhood can probably only lead to one outcome, as far as his baseline tests are concerned. And if he refuses to submit to them, that's as good as signing his death warrant.

Fear lends a desperate edge to their kiss, and that in itself is a revelation — he's never feared for his own life before. Dying either in the line of duty or by his handler's order was something he used to accept as an inevitability, as he was programmed to. But not now. And he's reminded of their tense conversation all those months ago, about the possibility of Tech Boy altering his programming for him... ]

I don't want to go back. Not alone. [ He murmurs as he leans their foreheads together, reaching up with one hand but hesitating. He's gotten used to being able to play with Tech Boy's hair in those instances where it's loose, but he's careful not to muss it otherwise. His hand comes to rest on Tech Boy's neck instead, mirroring his own gesture. ] I want to be wherever you are. And help you. However I can... to make that burden more bearable.

[ Hard to say whether his homeworld would necessarily be ideal for Tech Boy, either, but if they don't have a choice? K can accept anywhere, as long as they're still together. Tech Boy had once said his own world rejected him. And if that means what K assumes it does: ] To keep you alive, too.