"I'm bored," Alec grumbled, flopping onto the couch with a huff. Simon hid his grin behind his hand. Alec was always so stoic and serious, never showing glimpses of the young man he actually was. It was nice to see him relax a bit. Simon wondered what he would've been like without all the pressure molding him into the person he was today.

"We could talk about our feelings again," Simon suggested with a smirk.

"Pass. I think I've had enough of that for today," Alec sighed, flicking at a throw pillow that was sitting next to him.

"So what do you think we should do?" Simon asked.

"I don't know," Alec groaned, tipping his head back. "I've never been on vacation before. Magnus made me watch a movie about mundanes on a road trip and they did a bunch of dumb stuff, but that doesn't seem very appealing. And we aren't really in the right environment for it." Simon did a little internal cheer at the fact that Alec brought up Magnus without getting sad or upset. That had to be progress.

"Well, you didn't like fishing, which is a quintessential lake vacation activity."

"Why would Magnus send us here? Couldn't he send us somewhere with a gym?"

"He probably chose this place because it's quiet. There's nothing we have to do, so we get to decide what we want to do."

"And what is it that we want to do?"

"I don't know."

"Great," Alec sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "All of this forced relaxation is stressful."

"Well, maybe that's the answer," Simon said, forming an idea in his head.

"What is?" Alec asked warily.

"You need to learn how to relax," Simon grinned, grabbing a couch cushion and tossing it on the floor. "We're gonna meditate."

"Meditate? Really?" Alec deadpanned.

"It can be really helpful," Simon defended. "I've never actually done it myself, but I've heard good things."

"Right," Alec scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Doesn't it sound nice to take a break from thinking about life? Or anything else really? To just be one with yourself for a little bit and not worry about other stuff?"

"Sounds impossible," Alec admitted.

"I would've said a vampire walking around in the sun was impossible, but here I am. We're surrounded by impossible things everyday. You never know what you can accomplish until you try."

"Fine," Alec grumbled, tossing down another cushion and lowering himself onto it. "Anything to stop that inspirational speech you had going."

"Great!" Simon smiled, situating himself on his own cushion. "Make sure you're comfortable."

"I don't really see that happening, but okay," Alec snorted, planting his feet in front of him and resting his arms on his knees. Simon crossed his legs, wiggling around until he felt just right.

"Now, close your eyes and take deep, even breaths. Clear your mind and focus on your breathing."

"Well, which is it?"

"Which is what?"

"Do I clear my mind or focus on my breaths? Those are two different things," Alec pointed out.

"Don't think about anything except your breathing."

"How am I supposed to think about my breathing? My body just does it. No offense."

"Hey, I still breathe. Kind of. Whatever," Simon waved off. "The point is to not think about other things. If you focus on your breaths, everything else should just slip from your mind."

"Sounds easier for some than others. I have a lot of things in my brain."

"Wise Alec in a sea of simpletons," Simon smirked, raising a challenging eyebrow at him. "Which is how I know you'll be smart enough to figure out how to do this."

"Whatever. Just start already," Alec grunted.

"You have to start for yourself. It's your body," Simon laughed.

"Shhh, you're drowning out my breathing thoughts," Alec whispered. Simon pursed his lips, holding back his retort. If Alec was having fun with this, he wasn't going to stop him. Even if it did mess up the effectiveness of the activity.

Simon focused on his own meditation, feeling the need for it himself as well. His life was pretty stressful, from the vampire stuff to his family, plus the near constant danger. And helping Alec through everything was weighing him down as well. That didn't mean he was going to give up, but he needed to keep himself healthy if he was going to help Alec get there too.

He wasn't quite sure how mental health professionals handled this stuff on a constant basis. Maybe that was why it was so important to keep the doctor/patient relationship from getting too close. If they took everything on at a personal level, it would be unbearable.

Simon and Alec may not have started all this with a close relationship. He wouldn't have even considered them friends or even acquaintances. But now Simon had such a deep caring in his heart for this man. It felt impossible not to, once you got to know him. It made him wonder how he got lucky enough to see behind the curtain, when so many others didn't get the chance.

"Your mind isn't clear," Alec said suddenly, making Simon's eyes shoot open in surprise. Alec was staring at him with a smirk on his face.

"Your eyes are supposed to be closed," Simon reminded him.

"I guess neither one of us are following the rules."

"Touche."

"What are you thinking about?" Alec asked, crossing his legs and mirroring Simon's position.

"You really want to know?"

"Not if it's weird."

"You. I was thinking about you," Simon admitted. "Well, us."

"Us?"

"Yeah. Like us after we leave here."

"What about it?" Alec huffed.

"Well, you know how I offered to be there for you if you need help. I just want you to know that it doesn't only have to be like that. We can talk when things are good too. Like- like-"

"Like friends?" Alec finished for him. Simon couldn't really hide the goofy, hopeful look on his face and he didn't want to. Wanting to be Alec's friend wasn't something to be ashamed of and it would be good for him to see that.

"Yeah, like friends."

"I don't know if I've ever had anyone I considered a friend. There's Izzy and Jace, but that's family. And everyone else at the institute were just colleagues," Alec mumbled, scrunching his eyebrows. "How does this work?"

"Pretty much what we're doing now," Simon chuckled. "Talking, hanging out, other stuff like that." Alec looked like he was thoroughly thinking this idea through. Simon waited patiently for him to find his next words. Forming friendships as a kid felt so easy and natural. One day you'd play with the same toy and the next you were friends. But if Alec hadn't had those kinds of experiences before, it made sense that he had to figure things out his own way.

"Okay, I can do that," Alec agreed, nodding his head once.

"Great! I'll order our matching bracelets when we get home," Simon grinned.

"I'm not really into jewelry."

"I'm joking," Simon replied, laughing at Alec's eye roll.

"So funny," Alec grunted, rolling his shoulders. "Can we get back to this meditation thing? I'm getting tired of sitting on the floor."

"Sure," Simon accepted. Before he closed his eyes, he saw a small smile flash across Alec's face before it relaxed again. He knew he wasn't going to be able to clear his mind after that, but it was okay. Simon had something good to focus on instead. And maybe Alec did too.