He closed his eyes at the apology. Whenever Peter said those words, it made Alec feel unpleasant for some reason. He didn't know why because he knew that Peter should be sorry this time.

He was quiet for a while after the kid's words, thinking, but also concentrating on staying upright and not dropping Peter.

Finally, as if out of the blue, he started talking.

"I already told you I thought you could handle yourself. You don't need to prove yourself to me."