The first time John surfed, he scrubbed the majority of the skin off one shoulder and the side of his face against the coarse sand.

The first time he had sex, he came before he got the condom all the way on.

The first time he disobeyed a direct order, he got his ass handed to him by his CO.

The first time he asked a girl to marry him, he got laughed at.

John wasn't big on first times.

The first time he touched the controls of the puddlejumper was like putting his hands into silky water that was the exact temperature of his skin. It was like the whole world opened up inside his mind. He could feel the jumper, knew everything it could and couldn't do, lived inside its wires and circuits.

It made John eager for more first times.