"Really?" He sounded a bit surprised but he quickly shook that away. "Ignore that I just sounded surprised."

He figured that he'd eventually get over people wanting to be close to him. For now, he just closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against Anders'.

"I'd wanted you to do that," he murmured after a quiet moment. "I'm glad you did. I really am."

It was another good memory to add to his meager collection and to chase away some of the nastier ones.