[Self-loathing is a real killer, and it makes it difficult for Fern to fully believe Varian when he says he's been that good of a friend. He knows full well how awful he can be, so this is a bizarre mental image to wrap his head around. Really, what's convincing him is that blush. That's... certainly something. He might not objectively be a good friend, but that's making it clear Varian thinks he is.

Oh boy. He's quickly getting embarrassed, not sure how to deal with this.]

Uh, that's - cool. [Yeah, he's got this. He's starting to fidget with his hands as he talk.] I didn't think I could be that good of a friend to someone, so... cool. Glad we can be there for each other here. Better than trying to get through this whole mess alone.