[ There should be. As soon as Sam'd figured out what having a brood meant, what being connected to people on that level might set him up for, he'd told himself to be on his guard. He knows what his triggers are, knows how shit he's been at handling loss in the past, and he'd needed to be ready. Odds were that he was gonna lose one of them. Which is a hell of a lot more of a pessimistic view than he usually has, Sam knows that, too. He figures at least it's better than his outlook before he met Steve, back when he'd been determined to never get attached to anyone like he had to Riley.

None of that's helping him now, though, and he doesn't want to think too much about it and risk it spilling over the mental connection more than it already is. It's easier to focus on the why, even if it's unsettling, and Sam doesn't bother to hide his grimace. ]

A bad connection, shit. If I had to do it all over again, I'd make the same call - but damn, I don't like this symbiote crap.