[ He's glad he can bring a smile to K's face with his nose touching and ridiculousness, but there's clearly something still muddling around in K's mind. Despite their confessions to each other, the tension between them lingers. Tech Boy has suspicions about what that might be, but he's not really all that skilled at navigating another person's emotions, and he doesn't want to assume and fuck things up again. It's much easier to be an asshole and dismissive (his usual approach to everyone he encounters) than to be attentive and caring towards someone. But he's learning. K makes him want to care. A New God learning even newer tricks. Learning to look outside of his own self and be gentle to someone. And allow himself to receive the same gentleness.

And yet, he had messed up somewhere. He hates seeing that faded expression on K's face. ]

I'm not pretending. I won't. I don't have the patience for that. I'm terrible undercover. [ but not under covers ] What you see is what you get. I'm nuanced, but I'm not going to be anything I'm not around you. Open and honest. Promise.

[ Tech Boy inhales slowly, thinking. ]

And I like what I like. No one's ever going to force me to do otherwise. Not even myself. I'll cringe, and I'll bitch. That's who I am. But I won't stick around if I don't really want to be someplace. I won't listen to music that I truly hate. I won't play games I don't enjoy or show vulnerability to someone I don't hold in the highest esteem.

[ Better? Worse? Who knows. But it's the truth. ]

And I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me now. You get the whole divine package.