[action]
[It's because of that lack of sensation that he's still so hesitant. You'd think there'd be a difference but there isn't and so his mind is telling him that this is just a joke. Maybe she can do it but that doesn't mean he can and it certainly wouldn't be the first time someone made fun of him.
Trust issues are hard to shake, and that is why the grip on her hand tightens as he reaches out to touch the tree. Just in case it works. Just in case, because you don't have to be very imaginative to know what she's alluding to with her warning. He likes Kitty, she hasn't done anything to make him distrust her but still... just in case.
So he reaches out, pressing his fingers against what he expects to be bark but ends up being a whole lot of nothing. No, not nothing, more like a low electric current. Like static. He draws a breath as his fingers move straight through, eyes widening as he realizes it's actually working. He can't really believe it but there it is, clear as day. ]