[ His eyes are wide, and even without Sylvain's weight over him, he feels pinned by that gaze. His mind is still sluggish, even more so because this is not the information or reaction he's expecting. ]

I -- don't want to hold you back. And I don't want to be a liability when you want to be with someone else. [ The admissions are almost a whisper, like saying them will rip off whatever cover they've carefully pinned over what his frayed mind feels like is the inevitable truth. ] I don't want to get in the way.