FWB, guys please help.?

The long part of the story, short is that I have a friend with benefits relationship with this guy. We have become pretty great friends since it all began, we were at one point just F*ck buddies. At one point he hinted at wanting more at which point I did not. Then somewhere along the line, this changed and the roles reversed. He was not interested in having a relationship at all other than what we were doing, do to past heartache he had yet to deal with and I on the other hand was ready for one. We have had some major up and downs since then but we have still remind friends and reap the rewards of benefits when we want to. During the whole course of this we have both talked openly about having a relationship, saying it’s something we want but not timely, etc. But also during this he has wanted his ex back and has tried very hard to make this happen. I know, I know….then why am I even bothering, right? First and foremost, the man is my friend, one of, if not my dearest and truest friends so ultimately I want him to be happy and get what he wants…even if that isn’t me. I help him; I give him advice, a female perspective and help him to see other viewpoints. It’s hard on me when I do this, but I know I’m not doing it for any other reason than to help him. He gets so confused and he needs someone to talk to about that. I know a lot of people say, “If a guy talks to you about other women, then you aren’t in the picture.” I think that to an extent but I don’t really know if it applies to this situation. Ultimately, I think he is searching for closure but whatever he is looking for I just want him to find it and be happy. To get on with my question, I would like to know why on earth he is keeping me around. Do you guys think he considers me in the future? We have a lot of fun together. We go on hikes, drives, road trips, play games, go out to eat, go to the movies, buy Christmas presents for each other..Etc. What does all of that mean in relation to what we have going on? He trusts me more than anyone to talk about his life with; I know things that even his family doesn’t know. Please give me some sort of advice. Preferably from the males. Please.