He had been so certain for weeks that Henry was not coming back - that the man had just abandoned him to this new life and all that had been afflicted to his body alone. It had been difficult to handle, all of those changes, all of that fear, and all of that hurt by himself and yet, now, somehow, it all seemed okay. He listened quietly to those soft words his boyfriend spoke and, truly, Sterling wholly believed him. He had no reason not to, after all, that surprise upon the ma's features when he'd opened the door had been particularly telling. "I know." He commented softly, those words more muttered into Henry's shirt then anything else. That space between them seemed to be growing ever smaller by the moment, the pair of men quite clearly needing that closeness and yet, with that close proximity to each other, Sterling became aware of a entirely different desire within his boyfriend. It was clear that Henry's more sensual desires had roared to life within that moment, even if the man himself was hardly acting upon them. In truth, it scared Sterling just as much as it surely ate away at Henry, to move back to that physical intimacy. He still had nightmares of that day upon that cruise ship and yet, perhaps it was finally time he made an effort to speak Henry's language of love.

His hand fell gingerly upon his lover's hip before slowly moving further down to brush against that jeaned material. That reaction was quite near instant, the way Henry's body seemed to press against that fabric and further into his cupped palm with clear desire. He hardly expected that sudden fashion at which Henry's hand flew to his own, pressing his palm further against that jeaned material in a way that restricted him from moving it. Slowly, those bright blue eyes glanced up at his boyfriend, that single syllable prompted his eyebrows to furrow ever so slightly. That admittance of fear almost caught the warlock off guard and yet, this he understood well, even as Henry pulled him flat against his chest. "I know...but it's not time for you to shift so...we'll be okay." He responded softly, his fingers gingerly massaging what little he could given Henry's hand. "We can take things slow." Sterling repeated, attempting to reassure both Henry and himself before pausing. "Or...I can stop.....if you want?" After all, he had no intention of forcing this on Henry, it would hardly be enjoyable for either of them that way. It was a small gesture but Sterling was attempting to not only confront both of their fears but also to fix their relationship - somehow.

STERLING TENEMBRAGE