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Magnus had noticed that Alec was restless and jumpy for almost a week. It was obvious that he wasn't alright. Magnus was starting to really worry about him.
After three days of fretting over how to approach the topic, Magnus finally sat down next to him and asked "what's wrong Alexander? You haven't been you for days"
Alec tried to reassure him that he was just having trouble sleeping and would be back to normal in a few days. Magnus wanted to believe that, a curse of his hopeful thinking, so he tried to ignore the anxiety and doubt building in his chest.
He tried to make things as normal as possible and invited Alec to lunch. He was hoping they could catch up, because they hadn't spent any real time together with just the two of them since Alec started acting different.
Magnus waited in the café for Alec for nearly an hour after they had planned to meet, hoping he was just held up at the institute. He tried to give him the benefit of the doubt but started to get annoyed when Alec didn't even send him a text saying he was running late. After another 20 minutes of waiting, he left with a glare on his face, fully intending on letting his boyfriend know just how angry it made him that he waited by himself for over an hour.
His anger starting to cool down as he made a portal and stepped through. He hoped Alec was still at the institute so that he could have some time to cool off by himself.
The first thing he noticed when he arrived at his apartment was that the door was slightly propped open. He felt a flicker of panic spread through his body at the thought of someone hurting Alec. His panic increased when he strained his ears trying to hear inside, only to be met with complete silence.
He hesitantly called out "Alexander?" but didn't get a response. As he stepped inside, alarm bells went off in his head as he noticed that the lights were on. Alec never keeps them on when he leaves.
He walked further in and noticed that the bathroom door was closed with the lights on inside. He hoped it was just Alec but didn't want to take the chance and be met with a stranger. He let out a breath and quietly walked over to the door. He gently grabbed the doorknob, careful to not alert the person of his presence outside.
When he heard a shuttered inhale inside, he quickly opened the door.
His heart dropped at the sight in front of him. He saw his Alexander hunched over the sink with blood dripping out of his arm. He was holding a bloodied pocket knife over the fresh cut on his forearm, preparing to make another.
They both froze, wide eyes looking at each other, not knowing what to do or how to react. Magnus was the first to move, reaching over to Alec and grabbing the knife slowly as to not cause him to jump. Alec was still froze but finally broke from his trance when Magnus gently grabbed his hand.
He jerked his whole body backwards until his back hit the wall. He stared at the ground, unable to look Magnus in the eye as he clutched his injured arm to his chest. He muttered out "get out" but Magnus stayed where he was. Alec tried again, saying louder "get out Magnus, just-" as he tried to push him out of the bathroom with one hand.
Magnus easily overpowered him, which only made Alec angry. He continued to struggle, which only resulted in Alec tiring himself out. He finally gave up after only a minute and pushed away from Magnus, facing away from him. It was silent.
Magnus opened his mouth to say something, he didn't know what, only to be interrupted by Alec's sob. He'd tried to suppress it by clamping a hand to his mouth, but Magnus had still heard it.
Magnus quietly whispered "Alec, is it OK if I touch you. I want to get you cleaned up" hoping to not be ignored. When Alec shuttered out "OK", Magnus walked over to him. looking at him for permission to touch him. Alec nodded hesitantly before Magnus gently grabbed his arm, rinsed it under the faucet, and putting on a bandage.
When he was done, they stood in silence apart from a few sniffles from Alec. Magnus finally let himself take in the reality of what just happened. Without pause, he leaned over to Alec and wrapped him in a tight hug. This allowed Alec to finally break down and cry about what he'd just done and what he felt.
He muttered out "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Magnus just shushed him and led them back out to the couch. Magnus gently reached a hand out to wipe the stray tear coming from his red and puffy eyes.
He turned Alec's head to face him and looked him in the eye. "why?" he asked Alec, who only responded by frowning and looking away.
He took a deep breath in and out before choking out the words "I'm tired Magnus, I don't know what's wrong with me." Tears started welling up in his eyes again and Magnus wasted no time in pulling him back into a hug.
"It'll be OK. I'm going to be right here next to you. We'll figure it out together. OK?"
Alec let out a breath, saying quietly "OK."