Alec instantly regretted asking for Adam to take off his shirt. He'd accidentally crossed a line but he wasn't sure why. He would just say no if he was nervous. Shyness might be a factor but that wouldn't cause Adam to react like when he'd been overwhelmed earlier.
Reaching for his boyfriend, he wasn't sure if he should touch, then settled his hands on his hips again, trying to reassure Adam that there wasn't a reason to pull away from him. He wanted to pull him close and hold him until Adam calmed down but he wasn't sure if that would help.
Half-expecting Adam to move off the bed, he froze when his boyfriend began taking off his shirt. Alec wanted to ask him to stop. If whatever was wrong was so bad that Adam was shaking, it was something that could wait, but Adam looked so determined that he couldn't say something that might seem dismissive of his decision.
After everything that Adam had said, the way he acted sometimes, Alec had the feeling that he'd been abused. He hadn't really thought about the signs of it since Shadowhunters rarely had scars. Alec almost attempted to pretend that he didn't see the signs of ill-treatment and abuse, but he knew that Adam's pain shouldn't be ignored or glossed over. He didn't linger over one specific mark or scar, but he didn't avoid them either as his gaze moved from Adam's waist upward to his boyfriend's eyes.
As he mentally cataloged the signs of abuse that he'd suspected, he carefully hid his reactions, knowing that Adam would think his anger was directed at him. "It's not something you have to hide from me," he said, finishing Adam's sentence in a way that he knew his boyfriend didn't intend. "Scars don't bother me. They're a sign of strength."
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Reaching for his boyfriend, he wasn't sure if he should touch, then settled his hands on his hips again, trying to reassure Adam that there wasn't a reason to pull away from him. He wanted to pull him close and hold him until Adam calmed down but he wasn't sure if that would help.
Half-expecting Adam to move off the bed, he froze when his boyfriend began taking off his shirt. Alec wanted to ask him to stop. If whatever was wrong was so bad that Adam was shaking, it was something that could wait, but Adam looked so determined that he couldn't say something that might seem dismissive of his decision.
After everything that Adam had said, the way he acted sometimes, Alec had the feeling that he'd been abused. He hadn't really thought about the signs of it since Shadowhunters rarely had scars. Alec almost attempted to pretend that he didn't see the signs of ill-treatment and abuse, but he knew that Adam's pain shouldn't be ignored or glossed over. He didn't linger over one specific mark or scar, but he didn't avoid them either as his gaze moved from Adam's waist upward to his boyfriend's eyes.
As he mentally cataloged the signs of abuse that he'd suspected, he carefully hid his reactions, knowing that Adam would think his anger was directed at him. "It's not something you have to hide from me," he said, finishing Adam's sentence in a way that he knew his boyfriend didn't intend. "Scars don't bother me. They're a sign of strength."