I don’t think Wilhelm has ever said I love you to anyone before. Not that he doesn’t love anyone. He loves his parents, and he loves Erik. But I don’t think they are the kind of family who actually say it to each other. They just love each other in silence and shows it in other ways - which is totally normal.
When he said those 3 words to Simon, I think it was the first time he has ever said it out loud to anyone. He has probably thought about the moment he would say it to Simon a million times, and it definitely wasn’t going to be like this. He has probably wanted to say it before that moment, but didn’t want to rush it. He just felt so much. So many feelings he hasn’t felt before, and love is the only way he can describe it. He wanted those words to be said for the first time on a lazy morning where they didn’t have to do anything but lie in bed and giggle and cuddle with not a care in the world. With no rush and no distinctions from the outside world. Just the two of them, naked and real.
But they never made it to that point. Or maybe he missed that moment. When he said it to Simon outside the church, he knew he took a chance. He knew it wouldn’t be that sweet moment he had fantasized about, but he knew it might be the only chance he had. He knew he put himself in the most vulnerable situation, but he didn’t care anymore. A tiny part of him hoped Simon would say it back, but a bigger part of him knew he wouldn’t.
Yes omg
