"I didn't sign up for anything," he replies, surprised at the vehemence in his own voice, "It's not like you're a... a magazine subscription or a newsletter or a book group or something you sign up for. It's not like people come with some set of expectations and a little checklist that has to be filled out perfectly or you get a refund. You are a cute guy who makes pies. Just because there're other things about you doesn't make you, y'know, not a cute guy who makes pies. You're still that. You just have other facets."

Maybe he's so vehement because he has no idea why Ned would immediately assume that he didn't want to see him after this. It's a surprising revelation, completely unexpected, out of nowhere, not something he'd've believed in before, if someone had told him that he'd meet someone who could raise the dead. But why should it make him not want to see Ned? He's sure it goes back to that concern Ned has about being a freak, a monster.

"And yeah, it's surprising, and weird, and it'd be stupid of me to deny that, but..." He squeezes Ned's shoulder, just a little, in an attempt to be reassuring. He doesn't know whether it'll work or not, but it's worthy of a try. "There're a lot of surprising and weird things about everyone. I like you. That's not gonna change."