You Are Magic Itself

For me, that knowledge was always a part of what made Merlin such a compelling story. From episode one, we know that this will end in tragedy. From the moment we are introduced to Morgana, we know that she will become a villain. From the moment we meet Mordred, we know that he is destined to kill Arthur. From the moment we meet Merlin, we know that whatever happens, he will end up alone. The entire story is haunted by this looming sense of inevitability, because the audience knows.

What he does know though is that Shane folds his clothes before sex. And he smiles at him with adoration when he does it and doesn't rush him or make fun of him for it. He knows Shane doesn't always pick up on his jokes and sarcasm "That's French, Ilya" but he doesn't mind it and would never make Shane feel bad about it or dismiss his response "Yeah I know, Shane". He knows Shane has a PhD in The Arts of Overthinking "Now the bed's all dirty" so he playfully chases his worries away and closes all those open tabs in Shane's brain "What? Shut up". He knows Shane will not rest until he has everything in his life under control so he grumbles when Shane wakes him up in the middle of the night to tell him how they can make it all work but still listens intently to his plan. He knows Shane feels overwhelmed and anxious when stuff doesn't go down as planned "This is my actual fucking nightmare, Ilya" "I'm okay I'm just freaking out I'll be okay in a second" so he softly comforts him and supports him through it "Then maybe it's time to wake up, yes?" "We're good here, your family's here, you're boyfriend's here, we're good here, ok?" He knows Shane has to hear it to believe it "My boyfriend?" so he gently goes "I mean yes, I think so, probably".

Ilya's obsession with Shane's tits → for @avacoleman

bonus:

i really needed Shane in Ilya’s Ottawa jersey. exactly in this position