How lucky for the both of them, then, that Shinji is already nice and close at hand.

After a long day of emotional honesty in the form of letter writing, the idea of unwinding with music and soaking up some warmth under the kotatsu is incredibly appealing. So, head rested on folded arms and headphones turned down to an easy murmur, he's not quite at the point of dozing off, but given enough time, that might be an equally tempting outcome. Very cozy, very relaxed. Very unaware that someone else has come home, but plenty ready to receive whatever feelings might be brewing as a result of his work over the day.

Unfortunately, the train to sleepytime junction won't be pulling out of station just yet, not with that little bit of affection landing atop his noggin.

"Mmh," he rouses from his not-slumber with a very subdued noise of surprise, tugging one of those earbuds out so he can turn to more fully face this mysterious source of smooches. Surprise, surprise, (not surprisingly) he is greeted by a face as warm and comforting as the blanket skirting the table. "Hey."

Give him a moment to stretch his arms out in front of himself as he sits up more fully, pushing away whatever feelings of fatigue had begun to settle over him in favor of aiming his attention at Kai. "Just get home?"

If he's looking for Shinji, then he's come to the right place! And if he's looking for more reactions to those gentle touches, then hopefully him briefly closing his eyes with a soft, content hum as Kai's hand runs through his hair is a nice enough prize.

"Oh?" That's not an unusual answer, but it's always a nice one to hear accompanying such a fond look, and it manages to tug a soft smile out of him. He spies that hand coming to a rest near his, and clearly the only course of action he can possibly think of taking here is to slide his on top of it. There we go.

"Welcome home, then."

What could possibly enhance the sheer coziness of this situation if not a soft pair of lips pressed against his own? His breath catches in surprise, but it doesn't take long before he's relaxing into the contact.

Is there some sort of plan in place here? Shinji isn't sure, but the part of him that might worry that there's some specific reason for this sudden display of affection, some reason that might be worth at least overthinking, is at ease enough to just let this happen. No worries, no wondering about where it all may have come from, just basking in this incredibly pleasant moment.

With the looming threat yet unknown, there's only undeniable pleasantness to soak up with this drawn out kiss. As Kai parts, Shinji leans forward just a touch, as if to chase that smooch down for a tiny bit longer.

The explanation is a nice enough alternative, one that Shinji replies to with a soft, surprised, "Oh...!" That! Sure does explain the sudden outpouring of affection, not that he necessarily needed it, but also keeps any worries of needing to see people for any sadder reasons at bay. This is all good, all very good, even if the thought of Kai actually reading what he'd written sends his heart fluttering.

"That... was fast," is what comes tumbling out of his mouth next, accompanied by some of that familiar color rising to his cheeks.

With the robots recruiting so many people, Shinji was sure they'd be a little more backed up then that! But perhaps it was just incredibly good luck that landed his letter in Kai's hands right away, in his own stack of deliveries.

"Yeah?" he replies, a small, hopeful sounding lilt running through his voice. He knows that what he wrote was... a lot, and even though it didn't feel entirely like it was a risky move to be showing so much of his hand, hearing Kai say it was good is a huge reassurance. A lot, but in a good way.

Time to hit the pause button on that quiet murmur of music and pop that other earbud out, let Kai have Shinji's full focus in the face of these feelings. "I meant it, everything I wrote," he adds, a bit shyly, but there's truly no missing any of those words at such a close range.

As if Shinji needed even more assurance that he made the right decision to put that trust in Kai. The sheer warmth of that sentiment blooms right in his heart, and melts away those traces of lingering reserve.

"There's probably nowhere safer to keep it."

A place where those feelings can be well protected. Since he's never been failed in that regard, Shinji can trust the absolute security afforded there. Similarly, he lays his palm against his own chest, "And... you have a place, too. Right here."

Whatever feelings those may be, nebulous in spite of how generally understood they are, Shinji's still ready to welcome them and keep them nice and safe. He doesn't expect Kai to articulate all those feelings perfectly, and honestly, putting them them through with actions like the follow-up kiss are plenty to convey what he's feeling. Sometimes actions are just easier. More straightforward. Shinji understands.

This second kiss is still a little surprising, but doesn't quite catch him off-guard like the first one. He holds his breath for just a moment before closing his eyes and pressing forward, his hand leaving his chest in order to slide up to Kai's shoulder. This is good, the action seems to say as Kai's shoulder is given a gentle squeeze. Stay right here with him.

The finer points may not be entirely clear, but the fact remains that even an action like this conveys an awful lot. Whether or not Kai can ever find it in himself to say those words, and in this moment Shinji's sure he wouldn't hold it against him if 'not' turned out to be the case, there's more than enough proof here to beat back any doubt about whether he's wanted and cared about. That's an infinitely valuable thing already. Putting words to it is second to making sure that feeling exists, and he'd hate to think that Kai was simply saying it for his benefit if it wasn't something he wanted to say.

A soft and surprised little hum escapes his throat as that hand reaches up to steady him in place, and after a moment of uncertainty, his own bit of boldness bubbles up long enough for him to tilt his head slightly, leaning in just a tiny bit more in what he hopes is an encouraging action. This? This is nice, you're doing great, Kai.

See? With sentiments like that being presented, he can't possibly find it in himself to doubt how sincere Kai's affections are.

If the flush that's hit his cheeks isn't from kiss number three, it's definitely from the overwhelming joy and warmth those words stoke within him. That he's worth returning to. That he can be trusted with being a safe haven. It's intense - enough so to twist his stomach up, but that gut reaction of it potentially being too huge of a responsibility to trust him with is drowned out with how thoroughly he wants to hold on to that trust as tightly as possible. Doesn't Kai deserve a home he wants to come back to, after all? They've agreed before, it's not the place so much as the people there, and if Shinji can be that... he desperately wants to give it to him.

And so, he nods slightly, mouth drawn tightly with a barely constrained smile as he tries to figure out what he could possibly say to that.

"And I'll welcome you back every time," is what he decides on, a sheepish but sincere mumble. "No matter what."

Cute... Kai, that's too cute. Shinji squeezes his eyes shut at that little assault, but lets out a single, soft laugh when it's done.

It's still so much, to be thanked for something like this. For wanting to keep someone close by, for wanting to cherish them.

"I could say the same to you." Not just a manner of echoing the sentiment back for the sake of it, but it's also a measure of not outright turning down the gratitude. That's something worth keeping safe too, even if it is still a lot. "I'll always give you as much as I can."