[ There's a small motion he thinks he can take as a nod. When nothing else is said Claude doesn't rush to break the silence or try to see Sylvain's face where he's hidden it away. Instead he keeps that steadying action going since it seems to be helping, maybe, if he's not attaching overblown optimism to that.
Maybe not - eventually he can feel some relaxation beneath those actions even if there's no sign of a face yet, but he'll take that. It's more than he'd hoped for when there'd been hands clutching his wrists and a stare seeing something else than what was before him. A burden he can't carry for Sylvain, much as he wants to, and no way to make that happen.
Eventually the form huddled against him stirs and when Sylvain sits up, Claude lets his hand trail down the side of his face to hold it there, first appraising all the signs of illness before he looks at the expression etched across it. Another twist of a knife somewhere inside him attached to something he doesn't want to name, but he forces a smile as easily as ever. ]
No apologies, remember?
[ Clearly he does not; that's also not actually what Claude had said sometime before now that time's passed in unknown quantities. Either way, he shakes his head since he's not going to let Sylvain dwell on that or whatever else was going to be attached those trailing off words. With his hand still on the other's face he looks around for a minute before locating the waterskin again. ]
Sit up a little bit more and drink some of this for me, and then you can lay down again.
no subject
Maybe not - eventually he can feel some relaxation beneath those actions even if there's no sign of a face yet, but he'll take that. It's more than he'd hoped for when there'd been hands clutching his wrists and a stare seeing something else than what was before him. A burden he can't carry for Sylvain, much as he wants to, and no way to make that happen.
Eventually the form huddled against him stirs and when Sylvain sits up, Claude lets his hand trail down the side of his face to hold it there, first appraising all the signs of illness before he looks at the expression etched across it. Another twist of a knife somewhere inside him attached to something he doesn't want to name, but he forces a smile as easily as ever. ]
No apologies, remember?
[ Clearly he does not; that's also not actually what Claude had said sometime before now that time's passed in unknown quantities. Either way, he shakes his head since he's not going to let Sylvain dwell on that or whatever else was going to be attached those trailing off words. With his hand still on the other's face he looks around for a minute before locating the waterskin again. ]
Sit up a little bit more and drink some of this for me, and then you can lay down again.