Alec sits down quietly, eyes fixed on his fingers as he keeps twisting them nervously in his lap. He’s worried about Jace, but he knows that pushing him would do no good so he stays back, tries to give him space. At least he knows that Jace is safe now, away from immediate harm. That’s something, definitely.
The soft sound of footsteps gets his attention and when he looks up, he smiles before he even realizes what his face is doing. “Thank you,” he says, quickly, to break the silence. “For taking him in.” He hadn’t known what to expect from Magnus when Jace appeared so suddenly, but Magnus had barely hesitated before promising Jace could stay.
“How could I not,” Magnus says, “throwing him out would’ve been like kicking a puppy.” He finishes with a grin, but despite playing it off as a joke there’s obviously more than just a hint of truth in the words. Fluidly he moves closer, taking the seat next to Alec. “You could stay too, for the night?”
Instantly a spike of nervousness shoots through Alec, but he tries to push it to the background to ignore it. “You know, about before...” he trails off at first, but then hastily tries to put his thoughts into words. “I really don’t care how many people you’ve been with. I’m just...”
He pauses, and for a second considers just dropping the topic altogether. He’s not a quitter though, and with sheer stubbornness he pushes on. “I might be a little scared. Of not measuring up to all of them, you know?”
Magnus’ smile softens, and he reaches out to grab one of Alec’s hands in his own, to stop him from nervously twisting his fingers. He waits until Alec meets his eyes, and tries to put emphasis on his words to show just how much he means them. “You’re a lot more captivating than you give yourself credit for. I may have been with a lot of people, but trust me, a mere percent of them got to me like you do.”
There might be a slight blush coloring Alec’s cheeks, as much as he tries to will it away. A wave of relief washes through him nevertheless, and he still can’t believe how easily Magnus always finds just the right things to say, just the right little gestures, to make him feel better, more confident and comfortable. He’s so endlessly caring it leaves Alec a little breathless every single time.
Alec turns his hand, enjoying the way his palm fits against Magnus’, and how easily their fingers slot together. “That’s still, what, one hundred and seventy people. Not entirely reassuring.” He can’t help but smile, though, and amusement is evident in his voice, as well as relief. “Good to know I’m not the least interesting one, though.”
Magnus returns the smile, giving Alec’s hand a squeeze. “Never.”
