"If it ever feels right," he echoes quietly. He can definitely live with that, just as long as Kai can keep himself from letting it feel right for as long as Shinji's asked.

"I know." He settles his hands a little more snugly into Kai's, narrowing his focus on how nice this feeling is. There's no reason to jeopardize what they have over something like tripping into deeper feelings, and he can feel assured that Kai wouldn't want to, either. This isn't meant to hurt him, Kai doesn't want to wreck what they have. It still weighs on Shinji's shoulders, but the least he can do is keep himself from flinching away from the affection Kai continues to extend to him. "You're good, Kai, don't worry."