“It’s not your fault,” Malcolm tells him simply. Matter-of-factly. “I just… I wanted to help you when you got out of medical not… make it difficult for you. Honestly. I’m. I’m here as a…” It catches in his throat. ‘Friend’ doesn’t feel right in his mouth. It’s what he called them when he was helplessly pining for the other man. A facade he put on it for other people so they didn’t feel sorry for him. “….helper,” he finishes weakly.