Bastian smiled at that. He felt surprisingly reassured, even with such simple words. Though, he thought, most of it had to do with being with Harry. It was strange how much he cared about the man in his arms.
It wasn't that his encounters with other people were completely shallow, they were just short. They were like flashes of a match, bright and intense and over as soon as their two bodies parted ways. Bastian was used to seeing someone, forming a connection and then having a nice fling. He had no ill feelings to his past experiences, no desires to look back and wish for something more. This whole experiment he was doing with Harry was something new and Thalia had made him realise just how dangerous. He had spent the whole time he had known Harry worried that he would mess up and hurt Harry. He had never really considered that he could end up being the one to have his heart broken. The idea had scared him, made him feel like a child afraid of a thunderstorm and needing the comfort of his parent's bed. Except that he found what he needed was Harry.
"I know," he said. "I know. If that happened to you... I'd be proud too, knowing you went down fighting. Just... don't go down. At least not like that. You can do it a sex way any time you want." He added the last part with a playful grin.