#part 25

"I don't want to celebrate his death anymore," Shane finished.

Ilya let the silence stretch. They lay on the couch wrapped up in each other's arms. Every word had seen them drifting closer for the comfort found there. Shane's head was stuffed between Ilya's collarbone and a decorative pillow. They hadn't been able to meet eyes for the past seven minutes. Seeing the other as teary eyed as they were would only cause their throats to tighten again.

Ilya had never known. He had never realized what Shane choosing him had meant for his husband. He's known Shane was giving up a lot. He'd asked a million times if Shane wanted to do something different. Shane had always said that this was the only life he would choose. Ilya had never known why—never understood how Shane claimed to be so happy while also exuding every sign of someone completely trapped. Ilya had wanted to change whatever he could to let Shane out from under what pinned him, to apologize for whatever part he played.

Now he understood there was nothing he personally could apologize for. Ilya had done nothing wrong. Shane had just chosen him. He still felt so guilty. Victims of circumstance, as Shane might say.

The last of the storm's light winds knocked branches against the glass windows of the living room.

There was something Ilya could do.

“What if we celebrate June 27th instead?”

Shane shifted atop him. "June 27th?"

Ilya took in his husband with reverence. He loved this man. "It's the day we ran away."

Shane's head shot up to meet Ilya's gaze. "Can we?"

Ilya smiled. "Of course."

Shane's already red eyes grew glossy again. "…Thank you."

Ilya's chest panged. How many times had they had the argument about their anniversary? How many times had Shane bitten back the truth, and celebrated his end?

"How much pain do you hide from me?" Ilya whispered.

Shane reburied his face in Ilya's neck. His voice was broken with the strain of truth when he replied, "I don't know."

My collection (Bionicle collection part 25)

Wallpaper and ideas (art collection part 25)

Shine’s POV

The late afternoon light slipped gently across the garden tiles, catching the edges of the new leaves she’d trimmed earlier. Shine wiped her hands on her towel and looked around—the vines were finally in place, the soil even, the pots aligned just the way she’d pictured them.

It wasn’t perfect yet, but it felt… alive.

She sat for a while on the low stone bench, tablet resting on her lap. Her sketches were messy, full of notes and half-formed ideas. Yet she found herself smiling as she scrolled through them.

Maybe it wasn’t just the garden changing. Maybe she was, too.

She’d started to look forward to her mornings there—to hearing faint footsteps upstairs, the creak of a door that meant Nathan was awake. Even his quiet nods and small, almost hidden smiles had become part of her routine.

“Ang tahimik niya talaga,” she murmured to herself, chuckling softly. “Pero… hindi na rin naman uncomfortable.”

She leaned back, closing her eyes for a moment, feeling the peace that came with just being there. There was no rush, no forced words—just quiet growth.

And somehow, she didn’t mind waiting.

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Nathan’s POV

Upstairs, the faint sound of movement reached Nathan through the open window—the soft rustle of plants, the gentle thud of pots being moved. He didn’t have to look to know it was Shine.

He told himself he was just checking code, but the truth was… he was listening. He’d gotten used to it—the rhythm of her presence.

Before, silence meant peace. Now, silence meant she wasn’t there yet.

He caught himself smiling faintly at the thought, shaking his head. “What are you doing, Nathan…” he muttered, half amused, half bewildered.

It wasn’t that she’d done anything extraordinary. It was the way she was. The way she filled spaces without being loud. The way her warmth didn’t demand to be noticed—it just stayed.

He glanced at the small Bible sitting near his monitor, untouched for weeks. Maybe he’d open it later. Maybe.