It's so hard, seeing Cole like this, knowing he was probably holding all this back until the moment he knew the both of them were safe. It all plays again in Ben's mind - Cole hiding him and swearing to protect him, the both of them walking through those awful tunnels, the Templar, the knives, their final dash to freedom. He feels Cole reaching for him and moves closer at once, pressed up against his side even as he hugs his own legs, still rubbing his back and making soothing wordless sounds interspersed with little reassurances.

"It's going to be alright... you're alright... just let it out"

He keeps up a stream of them, sticking close and listening to Cole sob his heart out. Ben hates the world a little, for doing this to Cole. For causing him this pain. He wants to undo it, wishes all that injustice and hurt were a physical thing he could rip into tiny shreds. But it's spread out over years and memories and it's complicated and intangible and there's nothing he can do but sit here now and try to be as gentle as he can with Cole.

"The worst is over... you're safe now, Cole...."

The thing about Cole is he always knows somehow the right things to say to make Ben a little less miserable. But the same isn't true in reverse. He's so bad with words, and the truth is Cole has so many reasons to cry. Trying to stop him, would that be like saying those things hadn't mattered? Ben doesn't want to do that. He just wants to help his friend not feel so wretched.