12: Magnus
A/N: Unfortunately, I still own nothing of this. If I did, I wouldn't be poor. On a side note, y'all are probably gonna hate me in a few chapters. Did some editing on this because I wasn't totally happy with it.
12
I wake to the smell of bacon. And the sight of a very upset Alec. He drops his gaze when he sees me watching him.
Is he mad at me? I didn't mean to have nightmares, I wonder, ambling over to him.
"What's wrong?" I ask, touching his shoulder gently.
"We can't go back home until Mom leaves. Izzy doesn't know when she'll leave. So we might have to get an apartment, which I have no money for. If I get a job, you'll either have to go with me or stay by yourself. Plus, there's teaching you and finishing high school," he tells me tensely.
"I'm sorry."
I wrap my arms around his waist and snuggle against him. I just want him to feel better.
"It's not your fault my mom's prejudiced. We might have to hold off on our next date for a while," he replies.
"It's okay. I'll do my best to help," I tell him.
"I know, baby. Let's eat, okay?"
He's really quiet all day. When I do well on my homework, he barely says anything.
"Are you gonna get rid of me?" I ask worriedly.
"No. The pink bag's yours," he replies distractedly.
I open it slowly. On top of my clothes is makeup, hair chalk, and glitter gel. I have no idea if Alec will be okay with me using anything but the chalk.
"Um, are these okay?" I ask, showing him the presents.
"Yeah, those are fine. I'm trying to find a job," he replies.
"Are there any that will accept nekos? I can help."
"You can't use your wrists yet."
He finally finds a place that might give him an interview in the morning. Unfortunately, it's at a pet store so he'll be seeing lots of pets in the same shape I used to be in.
"Do you want a bath? I'll help you," he offers.
"Yeah. I reek," I reply.
Thanks to Jace, I have to wear clunky splints on both wrists. I'm not supposed to take them off or get them wet. I also can't use my hands very well.
"At some point, I'll be able to take a bath by myself," I remark.
Alec simply shakes his head.
"You have an appointment Tuesday to have them looked at. I know it's only been a week, but they wanna make sure everything's healing okay," he informs me.
"With the lady vet? What was her name?" I ask.
"Yes. I liked her, and I know you did. Catarina. How do your wrists feel?"
"Sore."
Izzy comes just as I get done showering.
"I'm gonna let her in and come back to help you," Alec tells me, kissing me lightly.
I'm already starting to get addicted to his kisses.
Izzy seems happy to see me for some reason.
"How was last night?" she whispers.
"Good," I smile.
"We didn't have sex, Izzy," Alec tells her.
"Really? I've seen how you look at each other."
"Are things any worse at home?"
"Mom's like beyond mad at me for siding with you guys."
"How mad? You're not gonna get kicked out, are you?"
I rub Alec's back awkwardly. I don't like him being upset. I also don't like wearing these stupid splints because I can't even comfort my boy—I mean, Alec—properly.
"Not yet, but I don't know what I'll do if it happens," Izzy replies.
"Move in with us, I guess. I don't know. Right now, I'm worried about keeping a roof over both our heads," Alec tells her.
"How broke are you guys?"
"Broke enough I'll be dropping out if I don't get a job in a couple weeks."
"I could find something. When my wrists heal," I put in.
"I know. First, we have to get you a high school education. Otherwise, no one will hire you."
I hate how stressed Alec is.
"I can teach him while you work," Izzy offers.
"That would be great. If it's okay with Magnus. If not, it's okay. I trust him not to burn the place down," Alec replies.
"Um, I can do it myself if you want. I don't wanna mess up Izzy's grades," I tell them.
"It's whatever you want."
I'm grateful Alec doesn't try to bully me. I never had a say in anything before, and I was hurt if I tried.
"You two look really cute together," Izzy remarks when I snuggle against Alec.
"Are you okay with her taking a picture of us?" Alec asks.
"I've never had my picture taken. Um, is it like the videos?" I reply nervously.
"As in you'll be humiliated? No. It's not gonna be sexual, just us kissing or holding each other. If it bothers you, we won't do it. I promise."
"Oh. It doesn't sound too horrible."
He kisses me lovingly as Izzy takes the picture. It's odd not being hurt during it. I know Alec would never hurt me, but I'm still used to anything with a camera meaning pain or humiliation.
He caresses my cheek gently when we pull back. I doubt I'll ever get used to his gentleness. He doesn't make any condescending comments or anything like that. He's better than I ever deserved.
It's nice when Izzy leaves. I like her, but she was getting on my nerves a little.
He cuddles with me almost all day. It's nice.
"What time's your interview?" I ask.
"Ten-thirty in the morning. If I get it, I'll be working six in the evening until ten at night," he replies.
I hope he gets the job. If not, I don't know what we'll do. I want him to be happy. But I also don't want to be by myself because it went horribly last time.