The Malec Chronicles

Stay

They were both exhausted, what with Magnus having used up all his strength to keep the wards stripped from Valentine's demon boat and then taking almost all of Alec's strength to replenish his power. The two of them had managed to make it home and were now stumbling through the front door of Magnus' flat, with Alec supporting most of Magnus' weight.

"Almost there," Alec murmured. He'd been saying that the whole walk home, but now with his couch and cat swimming in the middle of Magnus' blurred field of vision, he knew that it was true. He also knew that Alec was trying his best to be gentle, but the two of them still collapsed onto the couch in an awkward heap, a tangle of arms and legs and poorly placed weaponry.

They sat there for a moment, even if one of Alec's daggers was scratching Magnus' collar bone and Magnus' elbows had to be digging painfully into Alec's side. He didn't think either of them could have moved if they wanted to, and now that they were away from all the screeching of demons and burning ichor and adrenaline high shadowhunters (not to mention that feeling that Magnus has begun to recognize as the threat of imminent death), it seemed to much effort to move from their spot on the nice, worn leather couch, despite its discomforts. In fact, he didn't think they would have moved at all, had it not been for Chairman Meow jumping onto the couch and yowling in a way that made Magnus think that she was desperate for food.

"Damned cat," Magnus grumbled, closing his eyes and pushing his hand out to where he knew his pet would be. Despite the annoyance at being bothered (couldn't the thing see he was busy) he couldn't help but feel a pang of regret had he not been able to come back from this tonight, thinking of the way the Chairman would pace the hallways looking for him, pouncing at windows that would never open, and scratching at the food bag, lost and alone until he starved to death. Magnus has seen death many times, and certainly to things more important than his cat, but it still makes him feel like he wants to cry.

Or maybe that's just because he's so tired.

"I'll get him." Alec groaned, getting up and stretching. He's still covered in blood, and his clothes have a certain musty smell from the drying river water that Magnus would much rather not be there. He's deathly pale, too, and certainly just as tired as Magnus was. But he was a shadowhunter, and they tend to keep moving forward even when moving forward is impossible, so like the good warrior he is, he stumbled into the kitchen and fed the stupid cat, returning with two steaming mugs of coffee.

He stands at the end of the couch, torn between hope and awkwardness, like he wants to be invited back but is sure he'll be sent away. Magnus knows they have things to talk about, and right when they're both so grateful to be alive and sort of in love with each other would be an excellent time to do so, he can't even bring himself to think about it. "Alec," Magnus drags the word out, forcing himself into a sitting position. It makes every muscle in his body scream at him to lay back down, but he still reaches out a hand to draw the other boy closer. "I'd love to spend the day with you out here, but I'm going to fall asleep any moment."

"Oh," Alec looks disappointed for a moment, but then he sets the coffee cups on the table and bends over to kiss Magnus on the forehead, a surprisingly caring gesture. By the time he straightens back up, he's wearing a fond smile, even if he does still look put out about it. "I'll go back to the institute, you sleep, you need it. When you wake up, call me, and maybe I can come back over?"

He sounds so unsure about the question, and it makes Magnus' heart hurt a bit, wondering how he could still find a way to doubt his place here. "Alec," He grabs onto his wrist, forcing his hand away from his jacket, which he had been in the middle of zipping to hide the blood stains on his shirt. "You don't have to leave."

Alec stares down at him. "You want me to stay?"

Magnus nods, drags himself to his feet. He falls, but Alec catches him and steadies him, just like Magnus knew he would. Magnus nods toward the door to his bedroom. "Stay."

He can feel Alec tense, can see the tension in his neck when he swallows. His eyes are trained on the door to the bedroom like there's a secret code engraved into the wood. Magnus can see his tired brain already working its way through the pros and cons, worrying about things that Magnus wants to reassure him about. "Just to sleep," He murmurs, his voice so low that he's not even sure Alec could hear. Magnus leans into him further, the determination to stay standing finally running out. "Just sleep. Nothing more."

Alec pulls him closer, finally ripping his eyes away from the door to smile down at him. "Okay."