"I don't know if this is ever going away."

He motions vaguely to the side of his head.

"Is it still...okay?"

"Yeah, it's okay." She covers his hand with the one that's been stroking his belly, entwining her fingers in his and giving it a squeeze. "It seems like you could be handling it better, we might want to work on that, but handling it better doesn't mean making it go away." Another squeeze, and a grin - "and it's cute, anyway."

"...cute?"

That's way better than expected.

The idea that there's a better way to handle it, that it's not just an unsolvable problem, gives him a little hope, too.

"Yeah, cute." She pets his head some more. "You're very - innocent, about some things, it's pretty adorable."

He snorts.

"What, me?"

"Mmhmm." Pet, pet. "You don't worry about things, unless there's something right there to worry about. It's been a long time since I've known someone who didn't."

"...I guess I don't."

He nuzzles her hand.

"I mean...if it's not right there yet, it's not real yet."

"Sure. Doesn't mean it won't kill you once it is, though." She gestures indicatively at the metal framework.

"Hey, it's hard enough to worry about my own safety in the short term."

"Yeah, that's cute, too."

"So glad you think weird things are cute."

"I don't think it's that weird." Pet pet. "Anyway - Daisy gets a say, too, and we should plan on checking back in eventually, make sure it's still what we want, but -" she shifts him to a half-sitting position and kisses his forehead. "My Kai-Zi?"

"...your Kai-Zi."

He says the phrase almost in awe. He likes how it feels.

She grins and pets him, then impulsively scoops him up and relocates them to the ground, where she can stretch out beside him.

He's okay with this!

"How'd you get so important so fast...?"

Petting: continues. "You needed somebody who really sees you, and I'm good at that."

"Yeah. You are."

Nuzzle.

"The whole 'lightning' thing is a plus, too."

"Doesn't hurt, no." She lights up the back of her hand and trails a swirl of sparks on his belly, lightly charring his shirt.

He groans a little and leans up into the touch.

"Well, I mean, it does, but...that's kind of the idea."

She chuckles, and sends a pulse of pale blue down the swirl, leaving that broken-bone ache behind it.

He bites his lip, squirming on the ground enough to agitate the bruises and burns on his back.

"Aah...fuck, that's not fair..."

"You like it anyway, though." The blue reaches the end of the swirl, changes to a pale sage green and the sensation of bruising hailstones, and begins making its way back to her hand.

He nods emphatically and reaches to hold onto her arm.

She allows it; the lightning climbs her arm to his hand and then starts down his arm, covering the whole thing like a sleeve. Meanwhile, the green sparks return to her fingertips and set out again, a second curve forming behind them.

His fingers twitch gently under the touch of the lightning, and he gasps as it climbs up his arm.

When it starts to arc over his stomach he shivers.

"You are...so good at this."