...

Alec could still hear the commotion of battle coming from the ship, now too far away to reach. He swallowed back the blinding panic at being unable to fight, and focused on Magnus. The warlock was gazing at him, dazed and tired, his cat eyes unblinking as they met Alec's. He was staring at Alec as if the Shadowhunter was the last thing he would see. As if these were the final moments of a life that had gone on too long and he was too overcome with fatigue to do anything to prolong it. He didn't seem to understand what Alec was offering. He wasn't taking Alec's outstretched hands.

"It's yours," Alec said for the second time, his voice breaking slightly, and he took Magnus' hands in his own, forcing the warlock to take what he was trying to give him. Magnus stared at him for another moment without moving, then his hands returned Alec's grip. He looked down at their clasped hands, then brought them up momentarily to his mouth, kissing Alec's skin. Alec shut his eyes. They didn't have time for this, and yet... He felt there would be no time without it. A peculiar sensation was spreading through his body. He recognized it as Magnus' magic, his power spreading through him, like a flame licking his blood.

Magnus was mumbling something, blue sparks flashing around their interlocked hands. Alec knew that he could not break away now if he tried. He stared at Magnus, his heart beating hard as the magic coursed through him. It was not uncomfortable, exactly. Without any fear or panic, Alec realized that it was trust that made this alright. An overwhelming amount of trust in Magnus' ability to not hurt him. Magnus looked up at him again, and he looked better, stronger, the blue sparks brighter now. Alec felt tired, knew his strength was slowly draining out of him, but he didn't care. This was important and it seemed right.

"Alec," Magnus mumbled, and didn't add anything else. He extracted one hand and gently pressed a finger to Alec's forehead. The pounding there stopped. So I did have a concussion, Alec thought idly. The aching ceased, but he felt more tired now.

"Is that better?" Alec asked, blinking back a sudden urge to sleep.

"Yes, little one." Magnus' voice was gentle. Alec could have listened to it forever. Why couldn't he just let himself?

Magnus was mumbling something again. Alec recognized it as Latin, but he was too tired to translate most of what the warlock was saying. It seemed to be a spell to keep the wards down around the boat. The boat...

Images of Jace and Isabelle and his parents and Clary and the rest of the Shadowhunters he had grown up around flitted in his mind. Fighting... Dying... Demons...

He jerked back to reality abruptly, startled by the stark contrast of the night sky and the lights flashing from the ship.

"Sh..." Magnus' hand touched his face briefly before gripping his hand again. "You can sleep. I won't drain you."

"I'm glad..." Alec mumbled, fighting hard against exhaustion as losing second by second. "That I could give... you something for once." He wanted to say more; something about how Magnus always made him feel like their time together was a gift; how no one had ever given him that kind of attention before; how Magnus was more beautiful than any other person he had ever met... He couldn't find the words and his tongue felt too heavy.

"You always give me strength, little one," Magnus said. His voice kept pulling Alec back to the surface, back to the fight. It was a wonderful thing to keep him conscious. "You always do."

...

Author's Note:

If any of my original readers are still out there: I'm sorry for the periodic bouts of hiatus... and thank you so much for continuing to read. A huge thank you to the rest of you as well, I hope you enjoyed it and I'm sorry it took so long. I meant to write more, but I didn't think I would get around to it and I didn't want to leave you guys hanging forever so I thought it would be better to finish it. Reviews would be great, they motivate me. Criticism, comments, and requests are welcome.