[ Even knowing about Matt’s version of magic and enough of how it works, sure, but it’s something else to meet it practically in the moment. It’s surprising, or rather, it’s the insistence that it comes with, honestly. People don’t touch him without his permission (they’re often too afraid to), so he does indeed forget the sharp pain in his side for a moment. He reaches up to grab Matt’s wrists reflexively, but the current of magic grounds him from the more instinctual reaction.

He can feel the magic doing its work, at least. It’s really all he expects in the moment, since even if he’s demanding, he doesn’t actually expect anyone to be able to regrow an organ he’d just lost in a matter of moments. Daybit had been able to patch him up when he’d given his lung to make Izcalli, but that had still taken a few (miserable) days. A kidney isn’t so bad compared to that.

…But also. Being kissed with this kind of intensity and not biting back in response, even if it’s purely practical?

Tezcatlipoca is actually the one that pulls away first, but it’s probably only moments before Matt would have needed to. It would be easy to miss in the dim light, especially when his gaze stays serious and severe, but there’s a very small amount of color on Tezcatlipoca’s cheeks. He’s just a little bit flustered. ]

Yeah, that works.

[ Is that a “thank you”? Who knows, honestly, because he removes his tail from where it’s partially embedded into the ground to whip out behind him and slash through another shadow that had been slipping closer. He keeps one hand on his side, since it’s a wound that might not be bleeding, but it throbs painfully with every heartbeat. Even so, he stands without wavering. His voice is still terse, but not nearly so thick as it had been before. ]

Let’s get goin’, unless you got other ideas. Another one of those and one of us is gonna be eatin’ the pavement, I figure.