As fond of Kai was of most of Shinji's little squeaks and beeps, this one hurt a bit. "Don't be sorry," Kai said gently. "If someone was going to get it, I'm glad it was me." Wanting to listen even if it was the worst wasn't an one time deal, after all. This just went hand in hand with that.

But that soft, careful carding of his fingers in his hair was indeed a whole lot more comforting than the biting memory of the motion they brought with them. There was all his idiocy on display again, the curl of a larger hand harsh against his scalp, the slam of everything else. Business as usual, but Kai supposed this was a little worse than usual. Maybe things could have really gone a bit south that time! He could sort of understand why Shinji looked worried, maybe.

Seeing as it ended with him blacking out (hmm), it was also a good deal shorter than the memory flowing back to Shinji. The sudden clarity made Kai's heart sank, because that could only mean one thing, and it just kept sinking lower and lower. Everything Shinji had ever told him had made it very clear that everything had been pretty fucked, but seeing it was another thing altogether. As jumbled as it all was, it was still. Just. More than he could have imagined.

Carefully, Kai reached out to gingerly, shakily reach his hands up to reach his arms around him. This was still here. It was still now.