"I never said you didn't want to help me," Claude says, finally glancing at Felix sidelong. "I said you shouldn't have to. I shouldn't need help dealing with something that's got to be worse for you, especially from you. It's like asking for first aid for a stubbed toe from someone with a broken leg." He sighs then, rubbing a hand over his face. "No, that's...that's insulting to Sylvain. What's happening with him is serious for all of us, and I don't want to imply it's not just as serious to me as to you. But however much it might hurt me, I know it's hurting you worse. But I'm the one who said everything would be fine, didn't I? I ought to be able to act like it."

Then his eyes slide off again. "But you don't have to try to make me feel better about being helpful. You can't go any farther in the direction of being useless than trying to comfort someone only to make things so much worse that they frankly don't want you to be there at all." For a second, his voice cracks, and to cover it up Claude swallows quickly against it and keeps talking, as if to cover the sound with more sound. "You didn't start feeling remotely better until Jinx did something, and you literally just said so, so...c'mon, Felix, please don't treat me like I'm stupid."