"I'm not," Shin replied. "So you should stop crying. I did ask for it, after all. Besides," he paused, and took a moment to realize just how hard it was to say charming things when his nose was tilted at the ceiling and a blond Irishwoman was trying to stave off bleeding. "I like it better when you smile."

His voice made that sound slightly nasally. Yeah. It had sounded better in his head. That didn't change the fact he meant it, or any of the preexisting emotions.

"Really, I'd just like to laugh this off." He smiled at the ceiling. "I hope you feel better. I want you to."

Shin said he wasn’t mad, and Kealey kind of already knew that. She frowned slightly as she continued to attend to her boyfriend’s bleeding nose. She’d already known the answer to her question, yet she’d asked it anyway. Kealey supposed it was human nature to want that assurance. He also told her to stop crying.

She was crying?

Man today had her emotions all messed up, Kealey blinked and could indeed feel the tears gathered in her eyes and threatening to spill over. She couldn’t wipe them with her hands, so she settled for using her shoulders. One, then the other, nodding as Shin said he liked it when she smiled better and that he wanted to laugh the whole thing off.

Kealey couldn’t help it, she chuckled, then heaved a sigh of relief. If Shin hadn’t been bleeding, she probably would have kissed him.

”You’ve got to be the most patient person I’ve ever known. It‘s really pretty incredible.” she said, shaking her head and checking to find, to her further relief, that the bleeding had stopped.

”There…” she said, glancing at her hands and making a face. ”Does the Danger Room do water?” she asked, ”And would it actually clean anything up?”

The frustration and anger were gone now, and being calm put everything that had happened into perspective. She’d just passed her tryout to be a member of the X-Men…and holy wow did her hand hurt.

Down she looked at it, and flexed her fingers, wincing slightly.

”Shin…I think I hurt my hand on your face.”

Kealey seemed to be feeling better. That was good. That had been the goal here, getting her to let off steam... not that getting himself injured had been in the plan. It seemed that sort of thing was always in the stars, though. He recalled Kasumi had done the same thing. Did he have a punchable face or something? Heh.

He hoped not.

And apparently, he was patient. Was he? How that had happened, he'd never been able to figure out... especially, since when he was younger, he'd been the most impatient little brat ever. Maybe it was just with people...?

Hey, the bleeding had stopped! Hadn't it?

Water?

Shin brought his chin back down, and looked around at the Danger Room walls thoughtfully. "Danger Room, wash up this blood?" He said hopefully. A hose sprang from a wall like a Lovecraftian tentacle, and washed the blood into a magically-appearing drain. It vanished as soon as it had appeared. Shin shrugged, and returned his focus to Kealey, who was focusing on her hand.

>> ”Shin…I think I hurt my hand on your face.”

She'd given him a bloody nose, and she was whining about--!! Nope, he couldn't do it. Shin couldn't even fake an indignant frown. He opened his mouth in an attempt to fake an indignant comment, figuring at least he could do that.

" Oh yeah?!" He started seriously, eying her and hoping some sort of statement would spring to mind. "Well, you're--" You're.... "... Cute." He finished feebly.

Well, darn. He supposed even feigning impatience wouldn't work here. He couldn't even pretend to be mad at her. He could just... well, compliment her. Phooey.

Shin kept up the serious-face, while underneath, it was obvious he was amused.

"Let's get out of here and get you some ice." He walked up to her, wrapping an arm 'round her shoulder and wheeling her towards the door.

How Shin could be feeling so optimistic when moments before blood had been flowing from his nose, Kealey didn’t know. She reaffirmed her belief that he was the most patient guy ever and smiled while shaking her head at his disbelief when she voiced the comment.

Shin dropped his head at her question about the danger room and water, and Kealey smiled as the Danger Room went to work cleaning everything up. The Danger Room was cool. Super cool.

Kealey mentioned how her hand hurt, glancing down and wincing slightly as she flexed her fingers, and Shin looked at her sternly. Kealey withered a bit under the look…until she recognized the feelings behind it. Shin wasn’t upset with her for hurting her hand, he was….amused?

He started to say something and Kealey listened, shaking her head and laughing softly when Shin called her cute. Reaching up with her uninjured right hand, she pushed a piece of hair back behind her ear. ” And you’re so very dashing, swooping in to be a literal punching bag, just to make me feel better.” she complimented right back.

Shin thought it was time to go, and Kealey agreed wholeheartedly. Something about punching him in the face had mad her lose a bit of the fighting spirit…maybe they’d spar again another time, but for now, Kealey moved closer when Shin put his arm around her shoulders.

”Sounds like a plan.” she said with a grin, allowing herself to be led towards the door. ”Then we’ll talk about those waffles.”