Roommates & Soulmates

Ch125: Alec's Torture

Jace wasn't crying, but there was a grief in his eyes somehow more profound than tears. Alec could see disbelief and shock about the shape of his friends mouth, and he wondered if Jace had ever really accepted that this day was coming. Alec tried to give his best friend some space, but after a while he couldn't take it anymore. He moved closer and put a hand on Jace's shoulder.

"It's time to go home," Alec said gently.

"I can't go home," Jace whispered. Alec knew somehow that Jace wasn't talking about never returning to his apartment. His home had just flown away.

Everyone piled back into Will's truck, and they drove together into town. Alec tried to keep up a conversation, but Jace never joined in. Instead Alec talked to his sister, or rather listed to Izzy talk about her new shoes. Simon pitched in on Izzy's side which was fine with Alec. Jordan and Paige were discussing next week's classes. Will and Magnus somehow got onto the topic of Lucie's newest word. The drive passed swifty, but Alec was concerned by Jace's silence. Will dropped Izzy and Simon off first. Then they arrived at Jace's apartment. Jace got out first, as if automatically. Paige followed, with Jordan trailing behind.

"Keep an eye on him for me, would you?" Alec asked Jordan, leaning forward to speak to him.

"Yeah, sure thing," Jordan replied, before following his girlfriend out of the truck and into the building

"You can just drop us at the bus station," Magnus told Will as they were the only two left in the car.

"Nah," Will replied, with a smile. "I'll get you home."

"Thanks," Magnus said. It wasn't a long road, and soon Alec was watching Will drive his blue truck away from their building. When Alec re-entered his apartment, he collapsed on the couch and covered his face with his hands. He sensed more than saw his husband join him. When Magnus put a gentle hand on Alec's shoulder, he knew he wanted to know if Alec was alright, even though Magnus didn't say anything.

"I'm just feeling sorry for Jace," Alec explained. "If you had to leave me for ten months, I don't know what I'd do."

"Oh, but I do," Magnus chuckled. "You'd get on a plane and come find me."

Alec couldn't help but laugh lightly with him. "I suppose you're right," he said, pulling his hands away from his face to turn and look at his husband.

"Oh, I know I'm right," Magnus chuckled. Leaning forward, Alec kissed him. After so many months of delight and adventure, Alec was quite happy to spend the evening in front of the tv with his husbands arm around his shoulders.

Yawning, they finally called it a night and went to sleep in their own bed. Alec had missed his bed, even if it was technically Magnus's bed, he'd come to think of it his as his own long ago. He could only presume that when you merge your life with another's, these things tended to happen. Beds, cats, lives that were separate, become one.

Alec had been sleeping. He'd been deep in a now blurry dream about planes flying over head, but no longer could he boast blissful unconsciousness. His phone was ringing.

"Make it stop," Magnus whined, covering his face with his pillow.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

With a groan, Alec reached for his phone, quietly berating his past self for not turning it to silent last night before he'd gone to bed. The moment he saw the caller ID he knew it couldn't be good.

"Do you know what time it is?" Alec spoke into the phone. He was still laying in bed, all the lights off and the room in total darkness.

"Alllic," Jace's voice spoke slowly with almost a hiccup in it.