"So you're really goin' for it, huh? Well, I'll do my damndest to keep him from being scared out of it." He knows how Koumyou can be, but he is glad for them. He really is.

Though there's a little pang inside of him again. He doesn't let it reach his face, but it's that goddamn lonely feeling. That knowledge that this kind of thing just will never happen for him, and he needs to stop looking for it. He's not made for it.

If he tells himself enough, he'll believe it, and then he can protect himself the way he needs protecting.

But the problem here is Koumyou, who thinks similarly but has actually achieved better. He's gotta help his friend escape the pit that Yondu's found himself bound to.