The next morning, after Jem gave them the all clear, Magnus and a bleary-eyed Alec stuffed themselves into a cab and headed to Magnus'. Jem explained to Magnus what to look for and what kind of symptoms required him to bring Alec back in. Magnus had called Tessa before to explain the situation. He told her that he wanted to take a couple personal days but he was worried how Camille was going to react.

"Oh Magnus, I'm sorry about what happened. You take as many days as you need; I'll cover your patients best I can and hold off Camille," she'd said.

Magnus once again thanked his good fortune for having such an understanding mentor. But at the same time he knew he'd have to come up with an awesome excuse. Maybe something including aliens, or paperclips. Or maybe alpacas. It had to be flawless...so probably all of the above.

There was a moment in the cab where the cabbie turned a sleepy corner and Alec's weight came to rest against him. He looked over at Alec and felt every point of contact between them. Sometimes nerve endings just wanted to make sure that they made new friends, so that they would never be alone again. Touch was so important. At the hospital there were volunteers who came in to hold premature babies because science showed that they developed faster if they were held.

Magnus sometimes wondered if the opposite were true too. If a person rarely had someone to hold hands with, someone to rest their head upon, did that mean that there was a little part of them that slowly shrunk until there was nothing left at all?

Magnus felt Alec's knee pressing lightly into his. He felt the arm that was sprawled haphazardly over his lap. He could feel Alec's slow rise and fall of breath from where his shoulder leaned against Magnus. He closed his eyes and breathed in the moment. He wanted to bottle this feeling too and add it to his shelf. He wanted to have it just in case.

When the cab arrived at his house he paid the cabbie. The cabbie gave him a smile when he saw that Magnus tipped him a little more than was necessary. With a bit of prodding Alec came awake enough to half stumble half walk the few steps into Magnus' house.

Alec mumbled something as Magnus manoeuvred him into the house.

"What's that?" Magnus asked.

"I don't like watermelon," Alec mumbled a little louder.

Magnus chuckled to himself as he figured out how to unlock the front door and open it without letting Alec tumble into the bushes.

"S'okay love, I haven't done groceries for a week now. No chance of finding anything resembling a melon of any sort in the kitchen."

Alec snorted. "Kitchen. What a funny word. Kit see hen." Alec giggled to himself like he'd just said the funniest thing in the world.

Magnus couldn't help but laugh and it made getting the key into the lock just that much harder.

Jem must have given him the good stuff.

With one hand around Alec's waist Magnus managed to open the door and guide them inside without incidents. Alec promptly sat down on a little bench in the foyer. Alec swayed even as he sat. It seemed like he kept falling asleep for a couple seconds before jerking out of it only to look around and fall asleep again.

I feel like I'm seeing him drunk.

Magnus took off his boots and Alec's firefighter boots. They were the only ones that Alec had with him when he was wheeled in. Alec stuck his legs straight out and wiggled his toes. He frowned.

"What is it?" Magnus asked. He was really trying not to smile at how intensely Alec was studying his own toes.

"Dunno. Don't you think it's weird that we only have five toes?"

"Uhh, I've never really given it a thought," Magnus said.

Alec dropped his feet to the floor and looked up at Magnus with a look of concentration.

"Well I think that we should have toes growing all around our feet. Just think of how much better our balance would be." Alec almost preened up at Magnus he was so proud of himself.

Magnus laughed. He leaned down and got Alec to his feet and they started heading deeper into the house. "Come on Alec," Magnus murmured, "I'm taking you to a place where few have gone before."

"Disneyland?" Alec asked hopefully.

"Not quite."

There was a moment's pause as they detoured around the stack of books on the floor by the couch.

"I don't like watermelon."

Magnus smiled. "So I've heard."

Magnus opened the door to his room and patted his hand along the wall until he found the light switch. When they stepped into the room Magnus tried to see the room the way a stranger would for the first time. It was a little messy, but it was mostly clothes strewn over the backs of chairs and paper scattered all over the table. He was happy he made the bed that morning and was even happier when he remembered that he'd done laundry yesterday. The bed still smelt like fresh rain or floral garden or whatever the hell the front of the laundry bottle claimed. Either way, it smelt good.

Magnus didn't think that Alec realised because as soon as they were in the door he bumbled his way over to the bed and lied back. He let out such a sigh that Magnus was amazed that his ribs didn't bother him. He felt no pain from Alec though, only an intense mental fuzziness and looseness.

"I miss my pyjamas." Alec pouted at the ceiling. He peeled his eyes open the smallest amount possible in order to find Magnus. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Okay," Magnus played along.

Alec made a show of looking both right and left. Magnus had to pinch his lips together to not laugh. "My favorite pair are batman ones that have little batmans all over them," Alec whispered. He closed his eyes and gave out another sigh. "He's so badass."

Magnus couldn't help the snicker that snuck through. The mental picture of Alec in batman pyjamas was mind-blowingly adorable. He walked over to stand beside the bed.

"Well I don't have a batman fetish but I think I'll be able to find something comfortable for you to sleep in."

Magnus walked over to his closet and rummaged through. He pulled out a soft, grey t-shirt and a pair of black and grey checkered pyjama bottoms. He was picking a piece of lint off the t-shirt when he looked up and did a double take.

Magnus raised his eyebrows at Alec. Alec smiled back cheekily.

"For future reference," Alec said, "I want dinner first."

Alec was lying on Magnus' bed with nothing on but his boxers.

His boxers with black and red polka dots. I guess laundry day is fast approaching.

Alec just smiled at Magnus' look of surprise. He was as comfortable as a cat in cashmere. Magnus laughed in disbelief from where he stood rooted to a spot a couple meters away from the bed.

God, what did they give him?

Magnus walked over beside Alec and held up the clothes he was holding. "Are these okay?"

Alec frowned comically at the pyjama bottoms. Magnus couldn't help his amusement because Lord only knew what was going to come out of Alec's mouth.

Alec pointed at the bottoms. "I don't think plaid goes with polka dots."

Magnus was pretty sure that his chin bounced off his chest. So drugged up Alec is the one with the fashion sense...

"I think you'll be okay for one night," Magnus said.

Alec did not look impressed with Magnus. "What if my boxers get mad and run away?"

Magnus coughed.

Nope, nope, nope. Thou must not have a visual imagination right now.

"Your boxers wouldn't dare," Magnus said when he'd recovered. "I have a striped bath robe hanging off the back of the door and if there's one thing that polka dots hate more than plaid, it's stripes."

Alec's face spread into a smile. "Clever."

Magnus shrugged his shoulders. "I have my moments." Magnus laid the bottoms onto the edge of the bed beside Alec and handed him the t-shirt.

"Wait," Magnus pulled the t-shirt back before Alec could grab it. Magnus felt around in the armpit area of the shirt. "I forgot this one has a hole under the arm." Magnus stuck his finger through the hole and wiggled it.

Magnus made another trip to his closet. While he shuffled past his not-so-comfortable shirts he heard Alec get up and pull the bottoms on. He settled on a red cotton t-shirt. He smiled to himself when he thought that at least the shirt would match the red polka dots on the boxers. He heard Alec sit back down onto the bed.

Magnus was still smiling to himself when he shut the closet door and turned around to walk back to Alec. When he looked at Alec his smile fell of his face and once more he was rooted to the spot.

At first Magnus wasn't sure what he was looking at. He blinked a couple times when he foolishly thought that it was just a trick of the light. But it wasn't a trick and it was more than just light. Alec was sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to Magnus and Magnus couldn't tear his eyes away from Alec's back.

His back was covered in raised, red welts that criss-crossed each other like multi-colour routes on a map. It covered his entire back like Braille. In some areas the welts were thicker and they protruded more, like some type of landmark. It made Magnus' breath catch. He looked at the sensitive skin that was stretched tight to cover the scars and he wished he had the ability to wipe away all the suffering it must have cost. I made Alec look old. Old in the sense that he'd seen too much so soon in life. It was like his body decided that it'd felt enough pain and decided to form a protective coat.

It reminded Magnus of the sadness he felt in Alec's default.

Magnus realised that Alec was a firefighter and he ran towards danger while others fled. He realised that his job repeatedly thrust him into situations where he had a high probability of getting injured, but at the same time Magnus knew enough to know that the scars weren't recent. They were healed over and the body had accepted the new addition by growing new blood vessels to supply the injured areas.

"Did you get lost in there?" Alec asked. "I mean, I know your closet is big but come on." Alec snickered.

Magnus was yanked from his trail of thought. He wanted to ask Alec what happened. He wanted Alec to laugh and wave a hand and say that it was nothing. That he'd been a reckless kid and even though his parents had warned him dozens of times he'd never listened until he'd accidentally tripped and fell backwards into the small bonfire they'd made. Magnus knew that that wasn't better because it still meant that Alec got hurt but it was better than the dozens of other stories that Magnus' restless mind was creating.

"Maaaagnus," Alec sang out, "will I have to report you missing to the police in the State of Narnia?" Alec started giggling to himself. "I wonder if IKEA is in league with Narnia. Have you ever tried to put together IKEA furniture? I think it's the most infuriating thing I've ever done."

Magnus wanted to just put what he saw aside for now but he knew it was easier said than done. He didn't want to start in and think of every bad situation that could have resulted in the scars. He didn't want to picture the flames grabbing at Alec's flesh while Alec writhed in agony. It was just too much too soon. Magnus was just starting to get over the shock of finding an unconscious, beat up and concussed Alec in the ER. He didn't know if he had the nerves to deal with something else.

"They give you these stupid instructions that have not a single written word," Alec continued. "And they give you this wrench that looks like it came out of a Barbie toolbox. The bastards don't even give you screws and bolts; they include these pieces of crap wooden pegs to hold the pieces of wood together."

Magnus took a breath and shook his head to clear his thoughts. He put a small reassuring smile back onto his face and went to stand in front of Alec.

Alec looked up at him with murder in his eyes. "It's enough to make a person go bald."

Magnus couldn't help the surprised huff of a laugh that Alec pulled out of him. It felt wrong to laugh though – after what he'd seen. Magnus held the red t-shirt out to Alec.

"I guess I should think of myself as lucky that you still have a full head of hair," Magnus said as Alec slipped the t-shirt on. Magnus' eyes went down to the mottled skin on Alec's right side. A surge of anger went through him and he hoped that it'd really hurt when Jace had tackled the man.

Alec got up, pulled back the covers and lied back down. He wobbled a little and Magnus wondered if it was the medication or the concussion. Alec settled in and nuzzled Magnus' pillow once he'd pulled the covers up to his shoulders.

He must have worn himself out with the IKEA tirade.

Magnus rearranged the covers around Alec. Starting with his feet Magnus tucked the covers in tight around Alec. It tugged a lazy, content smile out of Alec. Magnus bent down and pressed a slow, lingering kiss to Alec's covered shoulder.

Alec was on the cusp of falling asleep when Magnus tried to quietly walk out of the room. He felt a hand grab his wrist.

Magnus looked at Alec and he saw Alec struggling to open his eyes enough to focus in on Magnus. "Stay."

Magnus heard the vulnerability underneath that one word. He walked back to the bed and Alec let go of his wrist. Magnus settled in on top of the covers beside Alec on the vacant side of the bed. He was careful when he got in as to not jostle Alec. He knew the pain meds were strong but he didn't want to put it to the test by accidentally hitting Alec on the head with his elbow. He gingerly lowered his head to the pillow and faced Alec. Alec rolled over onto his left side, the side that didn't hurt, so that they were facing each other.

"Hey," Alec whispered, his eyes closed.

"Hey," Magnus whispered back.

Magnus couldn't help but look at the disks of purple around Alec's eyes.

His beautiful eyes.

Magnus listened to Alec's breathing as it slowed and deepened. He watched Alec's chest expand with every breath as it was drawn in and pushed out through Alec's slightly parted lips. Magnus figured Alec asleep so he was surprised when Alec started whispering.

"Thanks Magnus," he whispered, although it was mostly slurred in his half asleep state. "Thanks for staying with me. You make me feel safe. You make me feel new. I think I might..." The rest of the words were carried away to the world of slumber as sleep claimed Alec.

Magnus tugged the cover a little higher over Alec's shoulder and ran his hand lightly down Alec's covered arm.

Yeah, I think I might too.

Thanks for reading! Big things happening in the next chapter! :)

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