Although his friend probably didn't realize it, his smile had a way of instantly putting Claude at ease. When combined with the warm weight of Guy's hand on his shoulder, though, his chest grew warm too.

"R-right. Thanks for understanding..." He'd been ill until recently, so maybe his body was just catching up on rest. That was probably a better way to look at it than wringing his hands over whether he was going to get "released" soon or not.

"Also, while I'm at it--" Claude met Guy's gaze, and he gave a soft smile. "Thank you for supporting me so much while I was sick. I know it all goes without saying, since that's what friends are for and everything. But what you did for me that day above the Sun Room...it meant a lot to me."