Elliott stared, wresting down the surge of emotion he'd been expecting for the past several minutes- a unique blend of frustration, anger, and disbelief that only seemed to flare up in response to this one person in particular.

A waiver- like absolving himself of responsibility was his greatest priority. Just the way Alec spoke, the tone and words he used, felt purposely incendiary.

Claimed. Like this had just been a way to test him. He swore it was almost as though they were navigating different languages entirely.

"..I could," he said once he'd tampered down the now-familiar urge to snap. No one had ever before been able to test the limits of his patience so quickly. "But I didn't come here to hurt you- or anyone. That's not what I want to use it for."