"Alec."

Jace held out his arm towards him, his eyes filled with pain. He was lying on the ground, reaching towards him, his skin painted with blood. His golden hair was tangled with sweat, his face ashen. His stele was beside him, no longer glowing with power.

"Jace!"

"Please…help me…" Jace's voice was weak, his usual candor replaced with the sincerity of a scared child.

Alec reached out, but their hands never touched. The expanse between them grew as he tried to get closer, his legs becoming weak then motionless. He fell to the ground, still reaching towards Jace's bloody hand, using all his energy left to shout his name with a panicked urgency.

"Jace!"

Alec thrashed around underneath the sheets, reaching out to no one as his eyelids fluttered, his consciousness threatening to break him out of the nightmare. After what felt like an eternity he opened his eyes, his breathing shallow, staring at the ceiling of his bedroom as he clenched the sheets in his fists.

He sat up a moment later, pushing the twisted cloth away from him as though it was poisoned. He glanced down at his arm where his parabatai rune was carved. It was undisturbed, and he could sense Jace enough to know he was perfectly fine, wherever he was, probably asleep in his room.

It had just been a nightmare.

Alec shook his head, holding a hand against his forehead, his hair falling in sweaty strands around his fingers. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out, listening to the whistle of the air escaping his lips. Everything was fine. Everyone was safe. He bent at the waist and placed his head on the bed between his legs, stretching his arms in front of him. His back stretched in a curve and he sighed, appreciating the slight pain it was causing. It helped reassure him that he was indeed awake.

He sat up and reached over to the table beside his bed, picking up his cell phone. He hit the onscreen button to turn it on and watched it boot up. It had lost power before he went to sleep so he'd left it charging, figuring no one would bother to call him in the middle of the night. Sure enough the screen had no record of missed calls or texts once it finished loading. He sighed and tossed the phone back onto the table, glancing around the room.

He knew what he needed.

Alec climbed out of bed and grabbed his jeans from their rumpled pile on the floor, shaking them out before sliding them on. He buttoned them up and leaned back down to the floor to grab his shirt tossed there earlier, pulling it over his head. He ran a hand through his hair, knowing it really didn't matter what he looked like, and walked over to his dresser to pull out a pair of socks. Sitting down on the foot of the bed he pulled on the socks and reached for his sneakers on the floor, shoving his feet into them. With a deep breath he stood up and adjusted his shirt, grabbed his jacket hanging on the back of his door, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

It was beginning to get chilly outside, but his jacket would be enough to keep him warm. He slung the worn leather over his arms and zipped it up as he walked down the street. He knew the way like the back of his hand, stepping over various cracks in the sidewalk as he felt his skin warm beneath the jacket, despite the bitter wind beginning to pick up. He ducked his head down and quickened his pace.

Walking up to the large building he quickly approached the large set of doors in the front, reaching out to hit the buzzer for the correct apartment. The doors clicked a moment later and he grabbed the handle, heading inside.

As he turned the corner of the hallway he noticed the door was already open, and a dim blue light was flooding out onto the designer welcome mat outside. He felt the corners of his lips turn up into a grin as he walked inside, narrowing his eyes to shield against the light until they could adjust.

The apartment actually looked normal for once, with a simple couch and a few oversized chairs decorating the main area. A fire was already roaring in the fireplace, flames leaping and dancing around to their own unheard beat, and a noise came from the kitchen. Alec looked over to see Magnus leaning with his back against the counter, wearing bright blue puffy slippers and a royal purple robe, neatly tied with a silk sash at the waist. His hair was damp, as though he'd just gotten out of the shower, but he could still see a hint of glitter in the black strands.

"I wasn't expecting you tonight," Magnus greeted, setting down his glass of water on the counter behind him. He picked up a small remote and hit a button, and the blue light faded away, replaced by normal pale yellow from the overhead lights in the recessed ceiling.

"Sorry for just coming over without calling," Alec apologized, walking over to one of the chairs to sit down heavily. He began to remove his jacket as Magnus approached, his hands in the pockets of the robe.

"No, don't worry about it. I'm always glad to see you," he replied, sitting down on the couch to face him. He crossed one leg over the other and smiled, smoothing his robe with one hand. "Is everything all right?"

Alec shrugged. "I just…I had a bad dream, and I guess I thought maybe…"

"I'd have to double-check, but I'm pretty sure I'm not your mother." Alec looked up to see Magnus' eyes twinkling with amusement. "Isn't this something you be talking to her about? You know, climbing into bed with her, frightened in the middle of the night, letting her tell you everything is fine?"

He felt his smile disappear, replaced with a scowl. "I didn't come here for comfort," he said angrily. "I don't need you teasing me."

"Then why did you come here, if not for comfort?"

Alec shrugged. "I don't know."

"So you had a bad dream, and decided to come see me? I'd think that qualifies as comforting." Magnus smiled. "I'm glad you think of me like that."

"Like what?"

"Someone you can trust with the little things."

Dammit, he couldn't stay mad at Magnus, even if he tried. "I do trust you."

Magnus pat the couch cushion beside him, tilting his head. Alec sighed and stood up from his chair, dropping his jacket onto the plush cushion. He walked over and sat on the couch next to Magnus, curling his legs underneath him. He tucked his head down against Magnus' chest, settling in. He could hear his heartbeat increase slightly as he felt Magnus take a deep breath, moving his arm around Alec's shoulders, squeezing his forearm lightly before running his fingers up and down Alec's skin.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Magnus said quietly, relishing the moment.

"It was just a nightmare," Alec replied. He could hear his voice trembling and he took a deep breath. "It was Jace. He was hurt, and I couldn't help him."

"I see."

"It was just a nightmare," he repeated, turning his head to look at Magnus' jawline. His skin was so smooth, so perfect. "Everything's fine now."

"Is it?"

He shifted his weight so that he could sit up a little, moving one leg to drape over the edge of the couch. He reached out and stroked Magnus' chest, sliding his hands underneath the open silk robe, shivering a little as Magnus turned to look down at him. "Yeah, it is."

"Glad to hear it."

"What you said earlier," Alec started, biting his lip. "About climbing into bed?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think…?" He could feel the blood pulsing in his lip and he released the pressure from biting down, smiling awkwardly.

"Why, Alec. Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" He chuckled, and Alec smiled more widely. "My room, or one of the guest rooms?" Magnus didn't waste any time when he got something in his head.

"You can choose."

"Let's be a little adventurous, shall we?" Suddenly Magnus was on his feet, ignoring that his robe was hanging mostly open at that point, though still barely held together at the waist. He reached down and grabbed Alec's hand, pulling him up from the couch. He snapped his fingers and the overhead light flickered back to a softer red tint, immediately making the room much more romantic than it had been.

"Magnus—"

Alec blinked and Magnus was already kissing him, pressing their lips together with such an intense passion that he had to step back, nearly toppling over onto the couch. He kissed him back, fighting to spread his lips with his tongue, relishing the softness of Magnus' skin beneath his touch. Alec gripped his shoulders and carefully moved his feet back, his heels knocking against the frame of the couch. They stayed locked together as they tumbled backwards onto the cushions, landing with Magnus' knee between his legs, pinning him down.

They broke apart and Alec took a hurried breath, knowing his face was flushed as he took in Magnus hovering over him. His robe was flowing open around his flawless body, the sash untied and hanging around his waist. Alec mentally noted that really must have just gotten out of the shower before he arrived, accidentally having forgotten to wear anything underneath.

Or, knowing Magnus, it hadn't been an accident.