"It's not a demand!" His voice breaks away at the end, a coughing fit swallowing half of his words. That hurts. Rubbing his throat, he buries his face in Jade's hair. When he speaks again, it's only a faint whisper. "It was just a question."

Forehead touching Jade's neck, he worries for a moment: He might have made a mistake. Jade's been urging him to say more and now he seems almost ... content? He may be in pain, but he's sober and this isn't about being kinder to Jade's guests or anything. There's no reason for him to react like this.

On the other hand, Jade doesn't like it when he asks why. He can't do that. Instead, he pouts and hopes for the best. Maybe he's imagining things after all.

"Thank you."