Summary:

“You have been sick.” Ilya says carefully, cautiously, “For a few days.” If Shane didn’t know Ilya as well as he did, he wouldn’t have been able to pick up on the hint of worry and even heartbreak in the Ilya’s level tone. But it had been a decade or so of them knowing each other. Learning each other. Loving each other. And that means Shane picks up on it instantly. He forces his sick-addled body upright, eyelids heavy as he blinks over at Ilya. “I wasn’t, like, purposely keeping it from you.” Ilya’s eyes narrow a fraction, his head tilts at a slight angle, “Are you sure?”