HeartBLOOD

Chapter fifty-two

Do you have everything you need?, Alec asked, picking up one of Magnus bags.

Today was the day Magnus was going to move back to NYABM. Although he probably still was going to spend most of his time at Izzys place with Alec, it still was a formal step back to his old life.

Yeah, I think so., Magnus grinned and picked up another bag, This reminds me of moving-in-day. Im kind of excited, not going to lie.

I get that. Itll also be weird, though- not falling asleep next to you., Alec replied, opening the door- they had called an uber, and he had already gotten the notification about its arrival.

Yeah, I think itll take some getting used to. But, its definitely for the better. I wouldnt be comfortable with Raphael living alone again, so Im glad he accepted our offer.

Me too, its definitely good to know that youll be with him. And remember, if anything goes south, call me and Ill be there in ten minutes., Alec replied.

It felt weird dumping all this responsibility onto Magnus, as Raphael was his friend in the first place, so naturally, it would have been Alecs job to be there for him. But, even more than that, Alec had a gut feeling about Isabelle still needing him, too. Though she appeared fine on the outside, he just knew she was going through it.

I will- Im happy youll stay today, Im sure it will make things a bit less awkward., Magnus replied, referring to their plan of Alec not only dropping off Magnus stuff, but actually staying the evening.

No problem, Im excited to hang out with the two of you- apropos awkward, I need to come up with some plan on how to break the ice between me and my students- though I appreciate their respect, I feel like the atmosphere is still a little weird.

Maybe getting to know them on a more personal level would help? Otherwise, I think time will help for sure!, Magnus replied, panting from walking down the stairs.

Yeah, maybe Ill try something in that direction- thanks for the input., Alec grinned, But, aside from that- you need to get your stamina back up.

Thats what youre saying the day we dont sleep in the same bed anymore?, Magnus laughed in disbelief, You edging little bastard.

I never said we couldnt practice in the daytime. In both a sexual and an appropriate way, of course., Alec grinned, spotting the uber.

Since when are you this dirty?, Magnus laughed out loud, sitting down in the back of the car and giving the confused driver directions.

I am surprised myself., Alec grinned, biting his lip- he hadnt even had the energy to think about sex, but the fact that they were talking to each other in that tone again was a good sign- maybe things were going back to normal, after all.

***

Hey, welcome home!, Raphael exclaimed, opening the door.

Hey, man!, Alec exclaimed, pulling his friend into a hug.

To his relief, he realized that he smelled like perfume and aftershave, not like sweat and alcohol. It was like he was bouncing back, too.

Hey, Magnus!, Raphael chuckled after Alec had let go of him and allowed him to hug his new roommate.

To Magnus relief, the room assigned to them was actually Jonathans old room, so it was neither the room he had shared with Alec, nor the room Raphael so heavily associated with Simon. That made things a lot easier, for sure.

I didnt manage to cook, so Magnus, Im sorry for the downgrade, but I got us some ramen? Not the healthiest, but better than the alternatives., Raphael grinned, pulling three bowls out of one of the kitchen cabinets.

Dont stress about that, Im not a picky eater at all., Magnus laughed, actually thinking it was very sweet of Raphael to think of food.

Besides, with Izzy living so close, we practically have a chef on standby., Magnus winked at Alec.

Sure, dinner parties every day., Alec grinned, mocking them.

As much as being at NYABM still felt weird, it was getting a little easier by the minute. The construction workers had made some serious progress on the entry hall, and even though he had tried to stay away from Simons and Jocelyns shrine, he could tell the entire place was a lot cleaner compared to his last visit. Especially with regards to the upper story with all of the dorm rooms, he couldnt even say it looked that different- with a few students back, one could even say that some life had returned into the building. And, of course, the big, famous stone stairs were still untouched- not even deadly flames dared to lick that symbol of determination.

Apropos Izzy, hows she doing?, Raphael ripped Alec out of his thoughts.

Letting himself drop onto a chair, Alec sighed: I wish I knew, really. Shes okay, at least shes trying to be. Im just wondering how long it will take for her façade to crumble.

Well, at least shes holding on, even if not in the healthiest way. I just cant imagine what shes going through., Magnus said, I swear, if I hadnt seen Alec at that parking lot, I probably would have died myself.

Waiting for you to get there must have been the worst minutes of my life., Alec sighed, noticing his hand trembled a little- he was exhausted, and he didnt have the capacities to talk about that day. Not today, especially not at NYABM. Just thinking about what had happened almost made him loose his mind, so for the sake of his own wellbeing, he couldnt start thinking about what could have happened on top of that.

Its not doing any of us any good to keep digging in our wounds., Raphael sighed, seeing the distress on Alecs face. Clearly, he hadnt completely processed the entire thing, either.

Exactly. So, lets raise a toast., Magnus said, filling their cups with sparkling water after standing up.

Let the dead rest, let the living live, to the pain of the past, the significance of the present and to the brightness of the future. Cheers!