His hand continued to smooth out Susumu’s hair as he listened, before it settled on the other’s shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. It was easy to see just how much the other wasn’t used to talking about his worries like this. Still, he was trying his best to, and Cain was willing to bet that it was mostly for his sake, making an effort to rely on him to make him happy.
Even the problem itself was centered around the feelings of another person. With how much Susumu wanted to make others happy, being hit with the complete opposite reaction must’ve really shaken him.
“…But it was never your intention to hurt her, was it?” he asked, gently rubbing the other’s shoulder. “The method might’ve backfired, but you had good intentions. You really did want to help her feel better, and you tried your best to, didn’t you?” Turning slightly, he reached out to cup the other’s cheek in his other hand, waiting for Susumu to meet his eye, before lightly headbutting his forehead with an affectionate smile. “You’re a good person, Susumu. It’s okay to make mistakes, sometimes. That doesn’t automatically make you a bad person. It’s okay to feel bad about making mistakes — that’s actually the opposite of selfish, you know? It’s proof that you’re a good person. Proof that you do care.”
Pulling back a little bit, he slowly brought the other back into the side-hug. “It’s okay to feel like you’re stuck, because that’s what I’m here for. I have no doubt that you can solve this issue even without me doing anything, but there’s no reason not to use some extra help if it’s available, right?” Some more headpats, and then a small chuckle. “I guess if there’s anyone selfish in this situation, it would actually be me. It makes me so happy that you’re confiding in me about this, despite how hard it is for you to do so. If anything, it’s almost like you’re doing me a favor by relying on me.” But it was up to the other, in the end, whether he wanted Cain to help him solve the problem or just listen to his worries and let him figure things out at his own pace. Well, what he was hoping to get through to the other basically boiled down to…
“No matter what happens, I’ll always love you unconditionally, Susumu. Lean on me when you’re tired.”