"Eh, I told him an' Sanzo that." He waves dismissively. "When I was all bent out of shape, said it wasn't a romantic thing. Just that you was the person I trusted most."

As emotional as the two of them can get, or as close in proximity, he's very aware that they're not built for that. Soldat's been too used and abused and Yondu's got his own pile of baggage he's trying to deal with. They're two strays who can tolerate each other enough to sleep in the same cardboard box. At least that's how Yondu sees it.