Hey guys! Thank you so much for all the reviews! Reviews really inspire me to write faster, so this time you have a sort of long chapter lol. (This doc. is longer than 6,000 words. WOAH!)
A lot of you seemed really proud of Brad, which is so cool! Especially considering the fact that pretty much everyone hated him by like chapter ten hahaha! And I CANNOT ignore the amount of you that seemed to be all hot and bothered after that little make out in the last chapter, hehehe.
Sarah: You make me so happy with all your Malec-sexy-time loving!
Dany: Yes, that was a COHF reference *wink* Also, I didn't really leave their conversation out-they haven't had it yet. Don't worry though, you'll get it pretty soon.
I'm glad that I apparently am murdering you all. Well, not glad... proud, more like. Lol. You know what I mean.
Also, S/O to my amazing best friend Amanda for getting this chapter back to me REALLY quickly. She is literally the best Beta EVER.
Anyway, I feel like at this point I should stop talking and just give you the chapter... so here you go.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. Unfortunately.
Enjoy!
Magnus was silent on the drive to his house. The paparazzi had been almost unbearable when they had finally tried to leave the school grounds, but thankfully most of them had left after they were on the main roads. Magnus took Alec's hand after they had been in the car for a few minutes, but that was the only sign of awareness he offered. Alec didn't mind the silence, not really. He was almost always silent while he rode in a car—probably one of the side effects of being related to talkative people like Jace and Isabelle; he was just used to listening or losing himself in his thoughts. If Magnus had looked upset, Alec would have pressed the subject of 'the talk' they needed to have, but he figured that could wait. Magnus seemed to be deep in thought about something and Alec didn't want to interrupt him.
It didn't take long for them to arrive at Magnus's house after they got off the main streets. When they did, Alec was surprised to see Tessa waiting at the front door, grinning at the two of them like they were the prize-winning pie at the fair. Magnus ignored her, kicking off his shoes and taking Alec's hand as they made their way into the house.
"Why weren't you at school today?" Magnus asked.
"Jem needed me." she said simply. Magnus's head snapped toward her with a look of complete and utter fear and Magnus felt the pressure around his fingers increase.
"Why did he—"
"Oh, calm down, Magnus. He just needed my help putting something together. He's fine." Tessa reassured.
Magnus took a deep breath and nodded, his thoughtful attitude instantly back in place. Alec, on the other hand, was shocked. He had never seen Magnus react that way about anything or anyone the entire time he had known him. He had heard from Tessa a long time ago about a friend of theirs that had cancer and he had just assumed it was Jem, since he knew it wasn't Will, but he hadn't realized it would incite this kind of frenzied panic inside of Magnus. It was a new side of him that Alec was determined to explore.
"So…?" Tessa asked, turning her attention to Alec. "I take it everything went according to plan?"
"Um, yeah—yes. It did." Alec said. "Better, actually."
Magnus stared at them in confusion for a moment before his eyes grew rather wide. Alec could practically see the gears turning in his brain. "You knew?"
"Of course I knew, I'm your best friend." Tessa said dismissively, turning back toward Alec. "We probably should have told you about the photographers beforehand. I didn't really think about the fact that you two might try to get frisky out there."
"We did not—"
"They did get a couple steamy shots from the car." Magnus added.
"Oh, I saw those." Tessa said. "And then there's the one where Alec is talking to the police officer."
Alec stared at the two of them in shock. He had absolutely no idea how they could talk about all of this so casually, as if they were deciding what to eat for dinner.
"That's my personal favorite." Magnus said. "Alec's hair is all messy and he just looks so guilty—"
"Oh my god." Alec said, trying to fight off an inevitable blush. "My dad is going to murder me."
"I thought you already saw the pictures." Tessa said, her eyes flickering toward Magnus with concern. "Isabelle said she was going to show you."
"She did," Alec said. "She just didn't show me those specific pictures."
Magnus grinned. "Would you like to see them?"
"Magnus," a voice called from the chair in front of the fireplace. Alec hadn't previously noticed anyone was sitting there. "Don't harass him."
"Don't tell me how to treat my boyfriend." Magnus countered, grabbing Alec's waist and pulling him close with a wink. "Unless it's a tip for later."
"Magnus!" Alec scolded.
Magnus ignored Alec's protests and planted a firm kiss on his mouth, officially renouncing the solemn mood he had adopted on the way here. Alec sputtered when Magnus tried to deepen the kiss and pulled away, mortified.
"You two are just too cute." Tessa said, wrinkling her nose at them.
Tessa pushed past them gently, a smile still playing on her lips, and walked toward the fireplace where Alec suspected Jem was seated. Magnus was still trying to coerce Alec into making out with him in the middle of the kitchen, but Alec was not about to give in. He had limits and playing tonsil hockey in front of friends and strangers was definitely succeeding those limits.
"Fine," Magnus whined, after Alec had backed the two of them into the corner and was leaning backward over the counter, attempting to escape Magnus's advances. Magnus pressed his hips lightly against Alec's in his final attempt to get Alec to respond, and when he didn't, he kissed him on the cheek and pulled him toward the living room. "Let's go meet Jem."
When they reached the middle of the living room, Jem and Tessa had already gotten up to come see them. Alec's eyes stretched wide as he took in the sight of Jem.
Jem was tall, though not as tall as Alec or Magnus, and his build seemed similar to Magnus's; slight, but lightly muscled. His black hair was cut short and it fell across his forehead thickly, framing his elegant, almond-shaped eyes perfectly. He was wearing dark blue skinny jeans and a dark green button down effortlessly, with the sleeves rolled to his forearms, and Alec felt a sudden wave of jealousy rush over him. He didn't want to be jealous, but it was hard when he thought about the fact that Magnus lived with a boy who was both good-looking and fashionable, two things that Alec could never use to describe himself.
"I'm Jem," the boy said, extending his hand toward Alec kindly.
Alec took his hand quickly, maybe too quickly, in hopes that none of them would notice the jealousy that had splashed across his mind. "Alec."
"Is Will here?" Magnus asked.
"No, he should be here soon, though." Jem said, looking back at Alec. "I heard you've never listened to Madonna."
"Magnus has shown me a couple songs." Alec said.
"There's that accent Magnus keeps raving about." Jem said, laughing when Alec blushed. "He's always had a thing for British guys."
"There seems to be a shortage here in New York." Magnus cut in. "Thankfully, I found one before it was too late."
Alec elbowed him playfully. "So you only like me for my voice? Ouch."
"Also your body." Jem chimed in. "He talks about that quite often as well."
Magnus shrugged. "You're hot, Alec. What can I say?"
Alec flushed while Tessa and Jem laughed and he decided on the spot that he liked Jem. Jem reminded him somehow of Max and there was no way Alec could not like someone who reminded him of Max.
When Magnus began raving about Isabelle's surprise spring break plans that she had apparently bestowed upon him while Alec wasn't paying attention, Alec decided to pipe up.
"You both would be invited, of course. Will too."
"That's very kind of you," Jem said. "But we couldn't possibly impose like that—"
"No, really. My parents have more money than they know what to do with, so that wouldn't be a problem. And if you're worried about interrupting our family trip, don't be. Isabelle is already inviting a few people and so is Max, I think."
"Are you sure?" Jem pressed. "I don't want to cause a problem."
Alec almost rolled his eyes. "It'll be fun, I promise."
"Alright," Jem said. Tessa agreed as well, which led Magnus into believing he needed to start mentally planning his outfits with Tessa, to make sure they didn't clash.
After a few minutes, Tessa and Jem left to go pick up dinner and Magnus brought Alec up to his room to 'talk', which Alec had to admit, was making him nervous. Magnus could say whatever he wanted, but talks like these were never good.
Magnus flopped sideways onto his bed, landing on his back, and patted the empty space next to him. Alec sat down slowly at the foot of the bed and stared at Magnus. Magnus sat up and swiveled around to face him, his eyes dancing.
"I love you." Magnus said, not making a single move toward him, which was odd, for Magnus.
"I love you too." Alec said slowly, still wary of the conversation that was about to be had.
Magnus sighed. "This really isn't a big deal, Alec. We just need to talk about a few things to ensure this won't happen again. Okay?"
"Okay." Alec said quietly.
"First of all, I need to know that you're never going to pull a stunt like that again." Magnus said, frowning. "You can't break up with me just because you're upset."
"I won't. I'm so sor—"
"No, let me talk. I have a list." Magnus smiled softly. "You can't break up with me when you're upset, you have to calm down first."
"Deal—"
"Actually, no." Magnus teased with a wistful, contemplative smile. "You're never allowed to break up with me at all."
Alec inhaled to speak but was cut off by Magnus's hand against his lips.
"It's still my turn." he said quietly. "You can't break up with me, and in return, I promise to never, never compare you to my father. I will always believe you when you say you love me and I'll know that that's enough."
Alec stared at Magnus with wide eyes. Magnus's hand was still over his mouth, so he didn't even attempt to speak, he just stared.
"And I know this might not seem fair—what you're doing is black or white, you can't lie about it, but I could lie about my part. But I guess… you just have to believe me. You have to believe that I love you. We have to believe each other."
Alec had never seen Magnus look so vulnerable in his entire life. Not when he had broken up with Magnus, not when Magnus had told him about what had happened with his parents—never. Alec now understood why Magnus had been acting so weird on the way here. He had been nervous. Magnus dropped his hand from Alec's mouth and stared at him, waiting for some kind of response. Alec could see the fear in his eyes and it seemed so terribly misplaced to him.
"You're right, it doesn't seem fair." Alec said, keeping his expression schooled as he stared into Magnus's eyes. "Don't I get a say in this?"
Magnus looked defeated. "Of course you do. I shouldn't have assumed—"
Alec cut him off. "I agree with your terms, but I have some terms of my own. I get to kiss you whenever I want, and in return, you get…" Alec leaned over Magnus and grabbed one of the pillows at the head of the bed. "This pillow."
Magnus stared at him in wonder, not moving a muscle. For a moment, Alec was concerned he was going into cardiac arrest and waved his hand in front of his eyes. "Deal?"
"I love you so much." Magnus whispered. Alec smiled.
"I'm going to kiss you now." Alec said, equally as quiet. He ran his thumb over Magnus's cheek and gripped the back of his neck gently, pulling their lips together as gently as he could manage. The kiss was sweet and soft and Alec could feel it changing him. Not just himself, but both of them. This kiss was more than just an expression of love in this moment, it was a promise; a promise of everything to come. In that moment, Alec promised himself that he would never, ever, hurt Magnus again. No matter what or who tried to pull them apart, Alec would never let go. Never again.
"Is this whole kissing thing a two sided deal?" Magnus asked when they finally separated. "Because I would totally be cool with that."
Alec thought of what had happened in the kitchen and immediately shook his head. Giving Magnus a free pass to kiss him anytime he wanted would inevitably lead to more PDA than Alec was comfortable with. "No."
"Damn." Magnus breathed. "I guess I'll just have to make the most of every kiss you start, won't I?"
"You can still kiss me, Magnus."
"Oh, I intend to."
"Just not… in front of people."
Magnus grinned. "Anything for you, baby."
Alec flopped backward onto the bed happily and closed his eyes, basking in his current state of bliss on all fronts. It seemed insane to him that after everything that had happened, after how badly he had treated Magnus, that he was willing to give Alec a second chance, or even crazier, he thought everything had been his fault. Alec had tried to play it cool, tell a joke, even teased Magnus a little, but he couldn't lie to himself about one thing: he loved Magnus. He loved Magnus enough that he would never knowingly do anything to hurt him ever again. Never.
Everything is okay now.
Alec heard Magnus sigh quietly and felt the bed shift. Magnus's fingers began tracing soft patterns on the skin of his arm, and Alec idly wondered whether Magnus would be upset if he fell asleep; he was silent at the moment and Alec took that as a good sign. After a few minutes of this, Magnus's fingers walked up his arm until they were brushing his chest, his shoulders, and then moved to play with his hair. Alec was almost positive he was going to fall asleep now. Magnus's fingers were massaging his scalp rhythmically, twisting the strands of his hair gently between his fingers. His hands moved down the side of Alec's face and neck, sliding down to his sides, and Alec gasped when Magnus began prodding his side.
"Please, don't." Alec begged.
"I'm not trying to tickle you. Roll over."
Alec obeyed, albeit hesitantly, and was surprised when he felt Magnus's hands slide up his back, pushing his shirt up along with them.
"Lift your arms," Magnus murmured, tugging at the hem of Alec's shirt, which was now bunched up against his shoulders.
Alec was way too relaxed to protest.
A moment later, Magnus was straddling Alec's hips, rubbing his bare back with the perfect amount of dispersed pressure. Alec's eyes rolled into the back of his head and a low groan escaped his throat when Magnus began working on his neck; he had forgotten how good Magnus was at giving massages. Alec felt a softer pressure, a feather light caress against his neck, and he realized Magnus was kissing him. Magnus's soft lips trailed their way down his spine and back up towards his neck again, pausing near his ear.
"I love—"
Alec cut him off by abruptly flipping Magnus over and yanking him down onto the bed and rolling on top of him. Magnus stared up at Alec in shock, his breath hitching when Alec let his forehead fall onto Magnus's.
Alec put his hands on top of Magnus's wrists, holding him completely still and hovering just inches above Magnus's body and leaned his head down further. The kiss was a slow one, their lips moving in perfect sync. Alec moved one knee over Magnus's body so that he was straddling him the way Magnus had been doing to him only seconds ago and deepened the kiss, pressing his body into Magnus's gently. Magnus bent one of his legs and rubbed his thigh up against Alec, arching his hips into Alec in such a way that Alec lost all coherent thoughts. Alec kissed his way down Magnus's jaw and neck, trying to imitate the way Magnus always did it to him. He could guess from Magnus's low hum that he was doing it correctly.
He stopped when he heard the door slam downstairs and voices echo through the house. Tessa and Jem must be back.
He sat up quickly and looked over at the open door and then back at Magnus nervously, only to see that Magnus was open-mouth staring at him as if he had sprouted horns. He realized he was still holding Magnus's wrists and quickly released them, his face and chest turning pink.
"That," Magnus said breathlessly, "was so hot."
Alec sat back on his heels and ran a hand through his hair and tried to stop himself from thinking about the way he had just attacked Magnus. "Tessa and Jem are back."
Magnus didn't seem to be listening. His eyes were glued to Alec's chest, his gaze roaming down to his muscular stomach and then further down. Alec couldn't help the blush that immediately colored his face.
"What did I do to deserve you?" he whispered, his eyes jumping back up to meet Alec's.
"What?"
Magnus shook his head. "It astounds me that you are so insanely unaware of how sexy you are."
Alec's flush deepened and he began trying to climb off Magnus only to be stopped as Magnus sat up and hooked an arm around his waist, pulling him closer until they were chest to chest.
"I'm not done with you, Alexander." he said. Alec shivered as Magnus ran a hand down his chest, caressing his skin with the softest of touches. Magnus's lips made smooth contact with his neck and Alec lulled his head back at the feeling.
"Tessa and Jem are here," Alec protested weakly.
"It's okay," Magnus said between kisses while his hands roamed the contours of Alec's stomach. The combination of the cold air of the room and Magnus's hands and lips caused Alec's skin to break into goose flesh as Magnus's lips trailed down his throat and across his collarbone. He wanted to let this continue, he really, really did, but all he could think about was how humiliating it would be if Jem, Tessa, or—god forbid—Will were to walk in. He would never live it down.
"Magnus," he said, pulling at Magnus's wrists until he looked up. "Magnus, stop. Somebody is going to walk in."
Magnus groaned dramatically and stared up at Alec, his eyes vivacious and keen. "They won't."
"At least shut the door first," Alec said, relenting.
Magnus grinned and grabbed Alec's face with both hands and kissed him deeply before hopping off the bed. Magnus backed toward the door, staring at Alec the entire time, and collided straight into the door and the person who had just peeked their head in the room.
"Jesus, Magnus." Will said with a smile, rubbing the shoulder Magnus had backed into. "Watch it."
Alec noticed that Will was staring directly at him, more specifically at his shirtless torso, with raised brows and he instantly felt self-conscious and reached for his shirt.
"Am I interrupting something?" Will edged, a knowing smile lighting up his face.
"Yes." Magnus said forcefully. "Yes, you are."
"Too bad. Dinner's here, and Tessa and Jem want you guys to come downstairs."
Magnus groaned dramatically. "Ugh, fine. We'll be down in a minute."
Alec snatched his shirt off the floor and pulled it over his head quickly and he heard Will make a displeased sound.
"You could have left it off," Will said, wiggling his eyebrows. "You know, just to give all of us downstairs a little bit of eye candy."
"I don't—I'm not—" Alec sputtered, his face flaming.
"Stop eye-fucking my boyfriend." Magnus cut in. "That job is for me and me alone."
"Eye-fucking?" Will said.
"Get out." Magnus groaned.
"Fine," Will said, lifting both of his hands in surrender with a laugh. "I just thought I'd let you know about dinner before Tessa comes up here. I'm sure you remember what happened last time she walked in on you doing the dirty deed."
Alec couldn't help the way his eyes glanced over at Magnus as jealousy stabbed at his heart. He knew Magnus had been with a lot of people in his life and he regretted it dearly, but that didn't make Alec feel any better about it. Especially when the subject was brought up so flippantly.
"Oh, shut up, William." Magnus snapped, frowning when he saw Alec's expression. "Get out."
Will, still holding his hands in the air, turned around and walked down the stairs, laughing quietly to himself.
Alec stared at the empty doorway for a moment and wondered for the first time whether Magnus and Will had ever felt something for each other. Will was certainly good-looking enough that Alec wouldn't have been surprised.
"He always does that." Magnus grumbled.
"What?"
"Flirts with everything that has a pulse."
"That seems to remind me of someone." Alec said, smiling softly.
Magnus rolled his eyes but smiled back at him. "Whatever. Let's go downstairs."
Just as Alec made it to the door, his phone rang from the bed.
"You go ahead," Alec said. "It's probably just Izzy. I'll meet you down there."
Magnus nodded and scampered off with his nose high in the air. Even from upstairs, whatever food Tessa and Jem had brought back smelled delicious.
Alec grabbed his phone off the bed and glanced at the number, and froze.
Dad.
No. No way. He wasn't ready for this yet. There was no way he could have seen the pictures this soon, was there? Alec felt his chest tighten and his breathing began to quicken.
Alec glanced at the door cautiously before answering, pressing the phone to his ear with a shaking hand. He had to answer the phone soon or he would miss the call, although, he wasn't entirely sure missing the call would be a bad thing.
"Dad?" he squeaked. He cleared his throat immediately after, frustrated that his father could still scare him so much.
"Alexander," his father said calmly. "I have a meeting to attend in fifteen minutes, so I'll be brief."
Alec could do nothing but stand next to Magnus's bed, frozen in place with terror, and dread whatever it was his father was about to say. He couldn't even make himself speak.
"I received a call this morning from one of the members of our management about some pictures of you and your 'boyfriend' that had been taken by the press recently. At first, I thought that these photos had to be fake, because you told me you two were finished, and there was no way my own son would blatantly disobey me in such a way as this."
"What do you mean 'disobey' you?" Alec asked, finally managing to make his brain work again.
"Do you not remember our conversation over Winter Break? I was under the impression that you meant what you said, and you were planning on keeping a low profile. This kind of thing is going to affect way more than your personal comfort, Alexander, and it is definitely not seen as 'keeping a low profile.'"
Alec was dumbfounded. "What?"
Robert continued as if Alec hadn't spoken. "How much money did he get for the photos? It must have been a significant amount or he wouldn't have wasted his time."
Wasted his time. That stung. "Magnus didn't—"
"You already blew your biggest opportunity when you ran away at the State Game and now you're wasting all of your time gallivanting around with a boy that wears more makeup than your mother, to make matters worse."
Alec felt like razor blades were being dragged up and down his body, pressing harder into his skin with each word his father said to him. "Dad—"
"This family was already under enough pressure before all of this and now I have to deal with my son slowly peeling apart the last shreds of dignity we have left! There are groups of people boycotting the company because of you and your… inclination." Robert told him. "And now that these pictures have come out, I assure you that number will rise."
"Dad," Alec said quietly, his breath coming quickly as he desperately held on to the last fragment of hope he had. "That's not my fault. I can't change who I am."
Alec was on the verge of pleading with his father. He didn't know what else he could do or say.
"Being gay is not who you are, Alexander." his father told him. "'Gay' cannot be your identity. It is not what defines you. Ruining your life the way you are—that defines you."
Alec flinched at the harsh words. He couldn't speak; he didn't trust his voice at the moment.
"I never should have let your mother talk me into allowing you to remain at Alicante. I am arranging a flight for you and you will be coming home within the week—"
"No," Alec said, with more force than he thought he was capable of. "I'm not coming home."
"Excuse me?" Robert said, his voice lethal, even through the phone. "You are my son; you will not tell me what you will and will not do."
"I will not come home." Alec said. "I'm not going to leave school when there are less than three months left."
"If you don't come home this week, you will not be welcome there."
Alec's blood froze in his veins. He had always feared this reaction from his father, but he hadn't thought it would ever really happen. He had always thought his father cared too much about the Lightwood family reputation to kick him out and risk soiling it.
But then again, according to Robert, Alec had already soiled it.
"I can't leave Magnus." Alec said, his eyes widening at his own words. He hadn't expected himself to say anything, least of all that. Alec felt his heart speed up and he began to sweat. He was scared now, so, so scared.
Robert was silent for an eerily long amount of time and Alec thought he might throw up if it lasted any longer. Finally, he heard a quiet sigh on the other side of the line.
"You disgust me." Robert said quietly. "Don't bother coming home for spring break—you're not welcome."
Alec couldn't breathe. The air seemed to have left the room, along with the cold air. It felt like the temperature had risen twenty degrees in the last couple minutes.
"I really hope your 'Magnus' loves you," Robert said quietly. "Because he may soon be the only one who does."
With that, the line went dead.
Magnus's POV
"American Ninja Warrior starts in five minutes." Tessa said.
Magnus had been staring at the stairs for the past five minutes, wondering what was taking so long. Usually Alec could avoid a subject long enough with Isabelle—over the phone, that is—that she would lose interest, but he had been up there for a long time, it was starting to make Magnus nervous.
"Just go get him." Jem said with a smile.
"I don't want to interrupt him." Magnus said, resting his head in his hands while he twisted the bar stool he was sitting on. "We had a talk upstairs, before you three came home. He's… probably just telling her what happened."
Magnus didn't mean to phrase it like a question, but he couldn't quite convince himself that it wasn't one.
"Just go get him." Will said and his eyes softened. He leaned toward Magnus so no one could hear him before he spoke again. "Tessa told me about what happened in… that room. Have you talked about it to Alec?"
"Kind of." He answered. "I don't know if I really want to. I'm trying to let it all go and it's working. I feel like it would just make it worse if I brought it up again."
Will raised an eyebrow quizzically. "I think we both know that shoving something into the back of your mind is the last thing that will ever help anyone get over something."
Magnus shook his head. "It's different this time. I really feel free from it all. It doesn't hurt like it used to."
"Good." Will said, squeezing Magnus's bicep comfortingly. "Go get Alec."
Magnus hopped off the bar stool and walked up the stairs, trying to decide if it was a good idea to talk to Alec about what had happened. On one hand, Alec already knew everything that had happened with his parents or most of it, at least. But on the other hand… maybe Alec really did deserve to know. It wasn't like Magnus was specifically keeping that room a secret, but he wasn't very forthcoming either. He just didn't like the idea of having to relive some of those old memories—not when he was finally finding the strength to move past them.
Magnus opened the door to his bedroom expecting to find Alec sitting on his bed, probably rolling his eyes at whatever Isabelle was saying to him. He wasn't there. Magnus heard a noise in the bathroom and immediately froze up. The last time he had found Alec in the bathroom, Alec had broken up with him. He forced that fear to the back of his mind and nudged the already-cracked bathroom door the rest of the way open.
"Alec?" he said, his eyes widening when he saw Alec on the floor next to the toilet. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his head was in his hands. Magnus was frightened at the way Alec was gasping for breath. Alec didn't look up, didn't even seem to notice Magnus was there. There was a light sheen of sweat covering his face and his entire body was shaking.
"Alec," Magnus choked, rushing toward him. He dropped to the floor and put his hands on Alec's face. "It's okay, it's okay."
Alec didn't seem to be calming down, so Magnus pulled Alec into his lap and held him tightly, preparing himself to wait this out—whatever it was. For a moment, Alec's breathing became even more forced, more labored, and Magnus wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, what he could do. He tightened his hold on Alec and kept talking, trying to find some way to calm him down, some way to let him know that it was okay, it was going to be okay. His skin was hot and Magnus could still feel him shaking. He had never seen Alec so vulnerable.
"I'm here," Magnus whispered, stroking Alec's hair softly. "I'm here. It's okay, Alec."
Alec seemed to be calming down, the shaking in his limbs slowing to more of a tremble, but his breathing seemed to be getting worse as his body stopped shaking.
"Breathe, Alec." Magnus begged, pressing Alec's head against his chest protectively. He didn't know what else to do. "Take deep breaths."
Alec was trying, it seemed, and after a few minutes passed and his breathing was slower, he began to cry. It was soft at first, almost unnoticeable, but eventually it worsened. Magnus hated seeing people cry, especially people he loved. It was even worse that it was Alec. Magnus held him tightly and continued stroking his hair and back as the sobs grew louder.
Magnus didn't know how to comfort Alec, so he held him tighter, whispering to him that it was okay, that everything would be okay. The tears streaming down Alec's face soaked into Magnus's shirt, but Magnus didn't loosen his hold. With every gasp, every shudder, Magnus could feel knives carving into his flesh, ripping at every nerve in his body as he held Alec in his arms. Magnus didn't know when he had begun crying along with Alec, but he made no attempt to quell his tears. He had never seen Alec crying before, not like this, and he didn't know what he was supposed to do—what he could do other than hold him.
Everything was wrong and confusing and wrong and Magnus didn't know what to do. Alec shouldn't cry, shouldn't ever cry—it should never happen. No one should ever do anything or say anything that could make him feel this way. It was just wrong. It was wrong and it hurt. God, it hurt.
Eventually, Alec seemed to run out of tears and his body went limp against Magnus, as if Magnus was a safe haven—the only safe haven—that he could rest upon. Magnus held him for a long time after that, both of them lying still on the bathroom floor, while Magnus ran his hand through Alec's hair. Magnus was fairly certain Alec had fallen asleep. Eventually, Magnus heard a quiet knock on the bathroom door and looked up to see Will.
Will was silent as he walked over to the two of them and lifted Alec's body gently off of Magnus and carried him out of the room. Magnus sat still on the floor, unable to move or even ask Will where he had taken Alec.
What had just happened?
Will came back into the bathroom and sat down against the wall next to Magnus. A few moments of silence passed before he finally spoke.
"What happened?"
The words matched Magnus's thoughts almost perfectly.
"I don't know." Magnus looked over at Will and blinked a few times. His voice sounded scratchy from crying and he knew no other answer to give. He really didn't know.
Will nodded, but said nothing. They sat there for a while longer before Magnus found the strength to pull himself off the floor. Will said something about going downstairs to talk to Tessa about what had happened, but Magnus wasn't really paying attention. All he could think about was Alec. Alec, who had cried into Magnus's shirt as if it was the only comfort he could ever find. Alec, who had clung to Magnus as if he were the last hope Alec would ever find. Alec, just Alec.
Magnus felt his heart breaking as he stared at Alec, who Will had apparently lain on Magnus's bed, beautiful even after everything, and wondered again what could have possibly broken Alec to such an extent. As much as it hurt him, it also infuriated him. Alec had the purest soul of anyone Magnus had ever encountered in his life and he couldn't bear the thought of someone trying to break it. It was a repulsive thought.
Magnus crawled onto the bed next to Alec and wrapped his arms around him. This boy was precious to him, more precious than any possession, any person, that he had ever encountered. He was determined to keep him safe, keep him protected. Alec wasn't weak, anyone could tell him that, but that didn't matter. Even the strongest people need someone to lean on, at times. No one was invincible, even Alec—no matter how much he pretended to be.
But he had Magnus; Alec had Magnus and he always would.
He always would.
Did you LIKE IT? Urgh Robert is such a BITCH. I just want to slap his face, and I'm the one who fucking wrote it! lol.
Let me know what you guys think about this chapter, both good and bad. I like criticism just as much as compliments. I NEED IT. It helps me get better *smiley face*
So yeah, PLEASE REVIEW and let me know what you think! I LOVE YOU ALL SO SO SO SO SO MUCH *HHEEEAAARRRRTTT*
-Hannah xx
P.S.
If I get to 1,000 reviews before I post the next chapter, I will write you guys a special Malec prompt. *wink* INCENTIVE.