Help with understanding そんなのは単なる甘えだ?

Question

I actually have a few questions about this exchange, if that's alright. The context is the characters' friends are preparing a party to thank A for all their hard work.

A: 別に気にしなくていいのにさ　私は好きでやってるだけなんだし
B: あいつらだってそんなことわかってるさ…　わかった上で感謝の気持ちを伝えたいんだろ　言わなくても伝わるはず…　そんなのは単なる甘えだ 言葉や行動にしなきゃ伝わらないこともある

My attempt at it was:

A: They really don't have to worry about it. I just like what I'm doing.
B: They know that... and want to show their appreciation. They should express that even without saying... That's just [????]. Sometimes it may not get through without words and actions.

My questions are thus:

1. Am I correct with 私は好きでやってるだけなんだし, or would it be something like "I'm just doing what I like"?

2. I'm struggling with how to naturally incorporate わかった上 in the phrasing in English without it sounding clunky. Is there a good way to do or would omitting it be a better option?

3. I'm afraid I'm misunderstanding most of B's lines and this is my biggest sticking point: 言わなくても伝わるはず… そんなのは単なる甘えだ. I'm aware 甘え is 'depending upon others', but I'm not sure what B is trying to say.

Answer 1

甘える is a word for a certain type of human interaction which has no consistent rendering in English. It generally tells that you think or act in a way that you take for granted that someone is generous to or understands you. When of a child or a lover, this is typically translated as "dependent", but it has more ways to translate.

言わなくても伝わるはず…　そんなのは単なる甘えだ

It is hard to tell with this much of context what intention it was uttered with, but it literally says that a mindset "they know what you feel without language" is expecting too much capacity of empathy of others.

1. Am I correct with 私は好きでやってるだけなんだし, or would it be something like "I'm just doing what I like"?

好きで means "out of (= because of) love", so either will do in this case.

2. I'm struggling with how to naturally incorporate わかった上 in the phrasing in English without it sounding clunky. Is there a good way to do or would omitting it be a better option?

～た上で roughly means "on the basis that —", so here I'd reflect it like "and/but they still want..."