Lea resisted the urge to facepalm, but only just. She really wasn't getting it was she? "At what point did I say anything about being disgusted with you or not wanting to be your friend?", he said. "It ticks me off because you're my friend. I care about you, and Ben, and this world too, and when someone hurts the people and things I care about, I get mad. Even if the one hurting a person I care about is themselves. Maybe especially then."

"Because it's pretty much always easily preventable and they just won't do the thing needed to prevent it. Because they're too stubborn, or angry, or self-loathing, or unwilling to set boundaries, or selfless, or some combination of those. I want to fix whatever the problem is for them and I can't. I want to help and they won't accept it, and I hate it."

"But in the end I have to let them figure things out themselves, because I can't just force them to do what I want or what I think is best for them. I tried that already. Not only did it not work, but I almost lost two of my best friends because of it. Did lose them for a while. I'm not gonna do it again." Well, outside an emergency, at least. But they weren't at that point yet.

"So yeah, I'm gonna keep bugging you- and Ben too, if need be- to freaking take care of yourselves because that's what friends do. Even if you don't listen."