This story switches POV every chapter. Even numbers are Magnus - uneven numbers are Alec. We might have a guest appearance of Issy, too, later on. I do not claim any ownership of the core material - just adding some content I am sure Magnus would heartily approve of.

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Alec heard his voice before he saw him, his heart skipping a beat before he even realised what he was hearing. Then Magnus was in his view, walking about in his floaty manner, making gestures he wasn't sure if they were magic or just Magnus - or even if there was a difference between the two.

The warlock had already spotted him, his voice becoming seductive but remaining professional, until they started to walk away on their own. Then Magnus' tone became more of a purr the closer he got to him, and by the time he uttered the frase "Warlock TLC", the sheer seduction he was laying on almost had Alec taking a miss-step and walk into a wall like a smitten teenager.

He was not so fragile - he was in no need of TLC, warlock or otherwise - but when Magnus leaned in close, eyes shining with concern, Alec forgot all about how he was strong enough to cope with this on his own. He wanted to let Magnus take the insistent ache away, and he trusted Magnus not to take advantage - or hold it against him.

"Free of charge" may have sounded like it had to do with the payment for the wards, a fee sure to be exorbitant, but to Alec it felt more like a promise. If he had been more clear-headed, maybe he would have rebelled at the thought of how much he trusted a downworlder, but Alec had always prided himself on being rational, and this distain for those who ought to be their closest allies was not rational, but anything but. So maybe not.

Having found himself nodding, Alec brought Magnus with him to his own quarters, giving them some privacy. Gritting his teeth, his obeyed the warlock's order to get rid of his shirt, pretending to himself like the movement didn't hurt, though it absolutely did. He did not look at Magnus.

Once he had sat down on his bed, he did look, watching for several long, pleasant moments as the warlock prepared the tools of his trade. The silence was as soothing as Magnus' smooth movements were calming to watch. People could be boisterous and give Alec a headache, but for all of Magnus' flamboyant flair, he was surprisingly silent as he moved. A contradiction, that, being so loud and so peaceful at once, but Alec didn't want to dwell on that. Instead, he dropped back onto the bed completely, pulling his legs up so that he could lie there and watch Magnus prepare his spell.

He couldn't have said if it were a few minutes or half an hour later that Magnus came over to him, putting one knee onto the bed next to his waist. "May I?" Magnus eyes were full of mischief, but also care and concern which made Alec just want to close his eyes and finally find some rest after the attack. Finding his throat slightly dry, he nodded. He was rewarded with a brilliant smile. He wanted to see more of that.

He let his body give in to exhaustion as Magnus worked, the warlock's gentle fingers touching his skin soothingly, and the continued silence in the room comfortable. As his eyes grew to the heavy side, a sudden thought made him snap open his eyes and sit up straight unexpectedly enough that he was almost bumping into the warlock, who steadied them both, shifting to be able to look at him. "Alec? Did that hurt?" Magnus looked concerned at the implications of that. Or maybe, a small voice in the back of Alec's head suggested, he was just concerned about causing you pain. He ignored it.

Feeling silly, now that he was fully awake, Alec bit his lip and wondered out loud, "That scent, is it... ehm...?" "Incense," Magnus looked like he wasn't sure where Alec's thought process was heading, but was open to going along with it anyway. "It isn't... magical, or anything, right?" Alec looked away, embaressed. Magnus studied him for a moment, then he smiled slowly.

"No," he confirmed, "it isn't. It helps when making spells, though the explanation why is rather lengthy. Fair to say," the warlock made a wide gesture with his hand, "that I like it". Throat dry, with embaressment this time, Alec merely nodded. When Magnus was still looking at him, far too closely, he forced himself to speak. "You wouldn't... I mean... put a spell on me, right...? As in..." clenching his teeth together, he looked down. He trusted Magnus, heavens! Why was he asking this?!

"If your life was in danger, I would put any spell on you that I needed to in order to save you," Magnus voice was calm, making Alec look up. The warlock did not look upset, merely sincere. And possibly slightly more serious than was his usual way. "And after four hundred years of magic, I can not help but to weild it for myself, always," he winked slightly, and Alec might have wondered why with anyone else, but he was just being Magnus. "Like what you did with the drink and the mist," he suggested. Magnus smiled. "Exactly like that. Other than that, Alec Lightwood," his eyes met Alec's seriously, promising, "I swear to you, I shall never use magic on you, unless you consent to it". He smirked a little bit. "As you indeed have. I will not enchant you, just do the magic you have permitted. Now for my other question... did I cause you pain?" He swivelled his fingers in a very Magnus-esque way.

Giving a slight chuckle in relief that Magnus wasn't taking this badly, Alec let himself fall back into a lying position. "No," he replied, "it does not hurt". It was true - nothing Magnus had done so far was painful, and whatever spell he used, it made the pain from earlier start to steadily fade away. As for trust, Alec looked up at the warlock, and offered, "As for lifesaving magic... I do not see Luke complaining," just to try and say that he understood. He was not the most eloquent of people, but Magnus - who always seemed to understand so well anyway - smiled in responce, and reached out and lay his hand over Alec's eyes, encouraging him to shut them. He did.

The next time Alec opened his eyes, having been half-asleep as he listened to Magnus' breaths while he completed the healing, was due to the sensation of Magnus getting out of the bed. He turned on his side and watched as the warlock was getting his things together, looking pleased with himself. Seemingly ready, he sat down on the side of Alec's bed, lingering for a moment before opening his mouth to talk, probably say goodbye. Struck by a sudden impulse, and still slightly sleepy, Alec acted on instinct.

Reaching out with his uninjured arm, he pulled Magnus back into bed. He arranged the warlock to lie down, wrestling him into position easily as he met with no resistance. With a satisfied huff, Alec burrowed his head into Magnus' side and closed his eyes again, more comfortable than he remembered being for years. He fell asleep slowly, and then all at once, with those soothing, soft hands on his skin; one cradling him close, the other resting undemandingly in his hair, slowly stroking. It was the last thing he remembered feeling, and then he was asleep.