"Guess it was too much to hope for. Things getting better." Him being allowed to be mad? That sounds fake. That sounds like something he can't accept.

Not yet.

"I - " For a moment his shoulders pull away. Pull back from the contact. Like he's worried about something. About the reaction. "I never wanted to be there. I didn't try. I swear, I just... I woke up there. Like the beach."

But there's no scolding. There's just the offer of comfort. He stops fighting the touch, finally.