Whatever teasing or snarking comment he was going to make about being upgraded to the status of mattress disappeared when Adam kissed him. For a moment, he didn't quite register what was going on, that this was different than the kisses they had shared before. Then he was urging Adam to deepen the kiss, control slipping as he arched his hips upward, fingers curling around the waistband of Adam's pants.

As Adam pulled away, Alec gently nipped his boyfriend's lip, blushing when he realized what he'd done. That hadn't been just kissing.

Alec began to apologize, but the idea of not being a disappointment pulled him away out his embarrassment. If that was true, then Adam would be the first who had never been disappointed in him. His siblings, his parabatai, they all believed he'd failed. Ignoring the voice in the back of his mind that warned eventually he'd disappoint Adam too, he kissed his boyfriend's palm, his flush brightening over the hope that settled in his chest. "I know I've made you angry and frustrated. Even when we fought, you didn't disappoint me."