"Hey," Major replies softly, shaking his head in gentle reassurance. "Look, I can't speak for anyone else but myself, but you .. never, ever have to apologize for anything like that with me, okay? I mean, I hope you would apologize if you like, punched me (unless I deserved it) or .. I don't know, stole my dog or something. But this?" He uses a hand to gesture back and forth between them. "This is something you don't ever have to apologize for."

He tentatively reaches a hand up and, with his thumb, wipes her cheek.

"Even for us non-human folks, none of us are so strong as to be able to carry everything on our shoulders all the time. And I'm okay with sharing the load with you. If you want me to." It's a statement that's perhaps a bit weighted than he'll really let on. It's a promise of friendship, of course - and above all, Major will always consider Rose a friend, regardless of anything else that could blossom from it.

But it's also the implied promise of his steadiness and camaraderie in case anything else does blossom from it. He keeps his tone and expression meaningful but light, like he's not putting all his eggs into one proverbial basket. He's tossing out the line and seeing if anything bites.

"Would going for a walk help you? Or do you want to stay here for a bit longer? I can leave, if you want me to, or I can stay. I'll do whatever it is you need."