Mm." "I love you."
Ilya's expression turned serious, and for a moment Shane's stomach clenched as if he expected Ilya to tell him something awful.
But all Ilya said was, "I love you so much, Shane."
Shane knew it, but hearing Ilya say it in such a raw, unguarded way cut through him like a blade. The pain of not being in the same room as Ilya felt physical.
shane’s loneliness in the long game breaks my heart every single time. the way it just settles into him whenever he’s away from ilya… people sometimes act like he suffers less, but it’s so clear he doesn’t. he just tries harder to hold it all in and even then it’s never enough.
this is one of my favorite lines in TLG because it shows that so clearly. the way he almost expects ilya to say anything but i love you, the quiet fear that maybe it’s not enough for Ilya anymore. oh shane my beloved
