People always say actions speak louder than words, but words have always made things clearer to Michael. ‘Love’ is something he's been chasing after a definition for recently—just recognizing the emotion in himself wasn't enough for him—and Lee saying it in this moment brings clarity. He doesn't know what else real affection could be but what Lee is doing right now: something ugly and hard and sad.
“Yeah,” he says, understanding, in the middle of everything else he doesn't understand. Something worth it in a bunch of shit. “You do.”