His soul is doing the internal version of holding its breath waiting for her answer. Relief is like a cool balm over that old hurt.
"I'm confident that his imagination has already conjured up hundreds of scenes in his mind exactly like the one you played on stage, and worse, long ago. Yes, he will remember this. But I wager there is something beneficial about having it demystified for him. To know for certain is pain, but to always wonder and never know can be maddening."
He reaches gently for her hand, ready to let her pull away if she prefers. "My advice is to keep growing and overcoming with him. Talk to him, deeply, about how you feel. You have accepted your past and for that I am very glad, but to him this is new. It may be frustrating, but he needs your guidance to see what you see and feel what you feel."
It might take time, but Erik has faith in their beloved Max, that he can overcome the specter of Fenrir's actions. That one day he would be able to answer "not anymore" just the same as she.
"I think you are right that he will never feel comfortable being violent to you, but I also think that was already true. If you are not compatible in that one way, would it truly be so bad to continue an arrangement like this, where you seek that missing piece outside of him? At first, it might make him sad that he cannot provide, but there are ways to frame it that remove the sting. I can explain it to him if you'd rather?"
Re: CW: continues
"I'm confident that his imagination has already conjured up hundreds of scenes in his mind exactly like the one you played on stage, and worse, long ago. Yes, he will remember this. But I wager there is something beneficial about having it demystified for him. To know for certain is pain, but to always wonder and never know can be maddening."
He reaches gently for her hand, ready to let her pull away if she prefers. "My advice is to keep growing and overcoming with him. Talk to him, deeply, about how you feel. You have accepted your past and for that I am very glad, but to him this is new. It may be frustrating, but he needs your guidance to see what you see and feel what you feel."
It might take time, but Erik has faith in their beloved Max, that he can overcome the specter of Fenrir's actions. That one day he would be able to answer "not anymore" just the same as she.
"I think you are right that he will never feel comfortable being violent to you, but I also think that was already true. If you are not compatible in that one way, would it truly be so bad to continue an arrangement like this, where you seek that missing piece outside of him? At first, it might make him sad that he cannot provide, but there are ways to frame it that remove the sting. I can explain it to him if you'd rather?"