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fantasywriter221b · 2 years ago

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Wayne first saw Steve Harrington when he was on a class field trip to the plant. He couldn’t have been older than 9. Eddie hadn’t come to live with him yet.

He only saw him for a minute, but it only took a minute to see that the boy had dark circles under his eyes that rivaled his own.

It took him a while to forget about the exhausted child in front of him and how much he reminded him of his nephew.

*****

He attended one of the Hawkins High basketball games during Eddie’s first senior year, took the night off for it, even. Eddie was never one for sports, so the fact he agreed to play with his band during their halftime was something Wayne couldn’t pass up watching. It had to have meant something to his boy for him to even mention it, so he played the part of proud parent and sat through the first half of the game.

But when he saw Steve Harrington out there, he couldn’t help but check for those dark circles or the same exhausted slump he saw in a child much too young to show physical signs of exhaustion.

He appeared to be fine, though Wayne couldn’t help but notice how he kept searching the stands for something or someone during every pause in the game.

Wayne had a gut feeling he knew who he was searching for, and an even stronger one that he wouldn’t find them.

After the game and the show, Wayne helped Eddie pack his guitar and amp into the back of the van.

“Hey, you ever talk to that Harrington boy?”

Eddie’s face was answer enough.

*****

To know Eddie was alive wasn’t enough for Wayne, he needed to watch him breathing, watch his fingers twitch while he slept. He needed to know that Eddie was real, was safe, was right in front of him.

But apparently Steve Harrington needed the same reassurances.

Steve had been by Eddie’s side since they let visitors into the room. As far as Wayne knew, he’d only left once for an hour to visit that Max girl’s room.

He was hesitant to say anything beyond kind greetings and goodbyes when he had to head to work. Steve looked one second away from breaking down.

He held Eddie’s hand like it was a lifeline, and maybe it was for him. Whatever they’d been through was serious, proof of that being the injuries they both were dealing with and the fact that Eddie hadn’t opened his eyes yet.

As much as Wayne wanted explanations, he wanted Steve to find comfort in being with Eddie more.

The dark circles under his eyes remained.

Wayne watched the way Steve would stare at Eddie, wordlessly begging him to open his eyes, and wondered what had changed between them. Was it just the trauma of the situation or something else?

He’d known Eddie liked boys for years; hard to hide when you get caught sneaking out of the house to go to a “special” bar in Indianapolis on a school night. He hugged him, told him he loved him no matter what, and offered to drive him out there himself the next weekend he had off if he promised to not go alone on a school night.

But Steve didn’t seem the type. Wayne had learned how to spot them, mostly so he could protect Eddie, and Steve had never seemed like he’d strayed or even thought about straying from girls.

He shouldn’t assume, though.

He knew how Richard Harrington was.

So he sat silently, guarding the two boys who needed it most.

On the sixth day, Wayne asked a nurse if Steve had left the hospital at all.

“No. Poor boy’s been glued to his side. The doctor had to stitch him up in the room because he wouldn’t leave.”

“Stitch him up?”

“Oh, yes! He had a large wound on his side and his chest had a few areas that needed stitches. He wouldn’t let anyone bandage his neck, but they prescribed him penicillin to try to prevent infection.”

Wayne shook his head. So Steve was a self-sacrificing idiot. Time to address that.

“Thanks, Janet. I owe ya a coffee for takin’ such good care of Eddie.”

Janet blushed. “Stop it! I’m just doing my job.”

Wayne smiled at her before making his way into Eddie’s room.

As usual, Steve was in a chair by his bed, hand in hand with Eddie.

The unusual part was that Steve was fast asleep, head nestled against Eddie’s leg.

It couldn’t be comfortable, but going off of how Steve had looked the day before, he was probably too tired to care about comfort.

Wayne looked at the scene in front of him.

Something else was different, too.

Eddie’d moved.

Only someone who’s been in this room for hours on end every day would have noticed it. Eddie’s head was turned towards Steve, and his other hand had found it’s way to Steve’s hair.

Oh.

So it was like that.

Wayne let out a shaky breath, too many emotions trying to escape at once. His boy had woken up, and had found comfort in someone who hadn’t left his side for almost a week. He couldn’t ask for more.

He slowly made his way out of the room, catching Janet just as she was passing to check on another patient.

“Did Eddie wake up?”

Janet’s eyebrows furrowed. “No, Steve hasn’t come to get us. Why? Is everything alright?”

Wayne nodded. “Everything’s fine.”

She smiled at him and continued on her way.

Wayne smiled to himself as he made his way down to the cafeteria to get Steve some food.

It looked like Steve Harrington was finally getting some rest.

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fantasywriter221b · 3 years ago

Note

THIS IS SO UNDERRATED - IT NEEDS SO MUCH MORE ATTENTION

I mean it’s everything I ever want in a fanfiction:

Malec

hurt/comfort

crying alec

”husband”

rubbing circles onto his back

dragging fingers up his spine

Its literally incredible omg

Do you think you could write a hurt/comfort fic with Malec?

Hi, anon! Thank you so much for your prompt! Not that I don’t love and cherish every single one of my prompts (because I do), but I was so happy to get a prompt for some hurt/comfort. My forte. I went all-out for this, and it’s very, very soft. I really hope you like it!

~ ~ ~

I’ve Got You

Read on AO3

Due to the general lethality of their careers, Magnus had learned to expect the worst when Alec came stumbling into the loft, bleeding and shouting for him.

But years of knowing Alexander meant that Magnus also knew it was much worse when Alec came stumbling into the loft, bleeding, and didn’t shout for Magnus.

Magnus’s wards were attuned to Alec, which meant that the Shadowhunter could pass through them practically undetected. However, Magnus’s magic recognised Alec as happiness, a positive force - so much so that whenever Alec was near, Magnus’s magic sprang to the surface, alive and ready to embrace the comforting presence it sensed.

So when Alec came home early one rainy Wednesday afternoon, Magnus was aware of him immediately. He smiled and rose from the couch to greet his husband, but the sight that met Magnus’s eyes when he stepped into the foyer was decidedly not what he was expecting.

Alec was shivering and soaked to the bone from rainwater, his steps unsteady and his legs trembling with exertion. He clutched his side, which bloomed red underneath his fingertips. Most disconcerting, however, was the way his bright blue eyes were glassy with tears.

Magnus could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen Alec cry, and all of those times were in the midst of some extenuating battle, some terrible loss, something that he blamed himself for. Magnus could only imagine what horror Alec had been subjected to that day to make him so vulnerable, in a way that Magnus knew he hated to be.

When Alec whimpered and almost keeled over, Magnus sprang into action and rushed to his side. “Alec?” he murmured, wrapping his arms around his Shadowhunter’s tall frame to keep him upright. “Angel, what happened?”

“D-Demon attack,” Alec muttered, leaning on Magnus. “Shax demons, a dozen of them.” He whimpered in a very uncharacteristic way and buried his face in Magnus’s shoulder. “Jace got hurt.”

The last piece of the puzzle clicked into place in Magnus’s mind. Of course. One of his siblings getting injured would certainly explain the way Alec was acting.

“Come on, love,” Magnus crooned, wrapping his arms around Alec and lifting the Shadowhunter into his arms. Blue magic encircled Alec’s body, already mending and healing while Magnus carried him over to the couch.

“M-Magnus,” Alec cried when Magnus set him down. Magnus could practically feel his heart breaking as Alec reached for him, desperate for his touch.

“Shh, it’s okay, my love,” Magnus cooed softly as he began mending the broken ribs and various cuts and bruises that littered Alec’s body. “I’m right here.”

Tears slipped from Alec’s eyes as Magnus worked, and Magnus could feel his own eyes becoming wet, as well. It was killing him to see his husband in so much pain.

“Alright, I’m going to heal this now,” Magnus said, placing his hand over the gash in Alec’s side. “Can you stay still for me, sweetheart?” He locked eyes with Alec, who nodded obediently, still crying. “Good,” Magnus crooned, and he lifted Alec’s shirt to imbue the cut with cerulean magic. Alec watched in awe as the wipsy, smokelike tendrils worked to heal the large gash left in his side by one of the Shax demons. In a few minutes, the cut had closed and the blood that stained Alec’s clothes earlier had vanished.

“There you go, all fixed up,” Magnus said, reaching for Alec immediately. Alec leaned eagerly into Magnus’s embrace, burying his face in Magnus’s shoulder.

“Oh, darling,” Magnus sighed, running his fingers through Alec’s thick black hair. “It’s alright, I promise. Shh, it’s okay. You’re safe, sweetheart. I’m right here.”

Alec shook his head, sobbing into Magnus’s shoulder. “Y-You don’t understand...my fault, Magnus. It was all my fault.”

“No, it was not,” Magnus said firmly, pushing back just slightly so that he could look into Alec’s eyes. “It was not your fault at all, Alexander.”

“Yes, it was,” Alec cried. “Jace is hurt because of me, Magnus! It’s my fault!” He buried his face in his hands and Magnus felt his own tears spill over as Alec’s shoulders began to shake violently.

“Hey, look at me,” Magnus urged his husband gently. Alec reluctantly raised his head to meet Magnus’s gaze, blinking tears from his eyelashes. “You did everything right, sweetheart.” He reached out to stroke Alec’s cheek, wiping away the other man’s tears with the pad of his thumb.

Alec shook his head, looking away.

“You’re a Shadowhunter,” Magnus continued. “Injuries are pretty par for the course, Alexander.” He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Alec’s forehead. “You are not to blame when they occur.”

“B-But I - ”

“No buts,” Magnus shushed him. “You did everything you could.”

“You weren’t even there, Mags,” Alec protested. “How could you possibly know - ”

“Because I know you, Alexander,” Magnus interrupted him. “And I know you would never intentionally put your parabatai in danger.” Alec’s eyes filled with tears again and he whimpered softly. “You are a good brother, a good parabatai,” Magnus said, planting a soft kiss to Alec’s lips. He tasted the salt of Alec’s tears, but he didn’t care.

“I’m not,” Alec said, his voice breaking. More tears slid down his cheeks, and he choked on a sob. “I’m not a good brother, Magnus. I’m not a good leader, not a good Shadowhunter. I-I’m not a good anything. I led my team into danger, I got Jace hurt, I…” He trailed off, chest heaving as he broke into desperate sobs.

Magnus tugged him close and whispered sweet nothings into Alec’s ear. “Shh, yes, you are, my love,” Magnus said, rubbing soothing circles into his husband’s back. “You’re perfect, Alexander.” He placed a light kiss to the tip of Alec’s earlobe and whispered, “I love you.”

“L-Love you, too, Mags,” Alec choked out.

“It’s going to be okay,” Magnus promised him. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. I’ve got you, Alec. I’ve got you.”

Alec shuddered and relaxed into Magnus’s arms, sobbing freely. He tried to form words around his cries, but all that came out were strangled sounds of despair that had Magnus pulling him closer and wrapping a warm blue blanket of magic around them.

They stayed like that for a few minutes while Alec cried into Magnus’s shoulder before he finally seemed to settle down. He removed himself from Magnus’s embrace and tried to wipe the tear tracks from his face. “I’m sorry,” he said, refusing to meet Magnus’s eyes.

“Don’t you dare apologise,” Magnus said firmly, catching his arm before he could pull away any further. “Alexander, look at me.” Alec trained his gaze resolutely on the floor. Magnus tightened his grip. “Look at me.”

Reluctantly, Alec lifted his head to meet Magnus’s stare, and Magnus reached out to catch Alec’s chin in his ringed hands, so the other man couldn’t pull away. “You have nothing to be sorry for,” Magnus said, enunciating each word carefully. “Do you hear me, Alexander? Nothing. You never have to apologise to me for something like that.”

Alec nodded and sent Magnus a grateful half-smile, which Magnus returned tenfold, happy to see his Shadowhunter in better spirits.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Magnus asked gently, stroking his hand up and down Alec’s spine in a comforting manner.

Alec winced and took a deep breath. “W-We were ambushed by Shax demons. It was just me, Izzy, and Jace out on patrol. We hadn’t heard of any demonic activity, so we thought we’d be fine on our own.” His voice broke and he paused, looking at Magnus. Magnus nodded encouragingly and intertwined his fingers with Alec’s.

“There were a dozen or more demons,” Alec continued in a tremulous voice. “We managed to take care of most of them, but we, uh, w-we missed a few.” He took another deep breath and Magnus could see that his eyes were glassy with tears again.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Magnus reassured him gently. “We can talk about it later, if that’d be easier.” He brushed his lips across the back of Alec’s hand.

“No, I want to get this out,” Alec insisted. He cleared his throat and steadied himself, holding tight to Magnus’s hand. “The remaining few attacked Jace and I when our backs were turned,” he explained. “One got a piece of me before I killed it, and Izzy took care of the other two, but one of them did a number on Jace.” His lip trembled. “It tore into him pretty good. The iratze wouldn’t take. We just barely made it back to the Institute in time.” The tears that Alec had been trying to keep at bay spilled over, but he continued on doggedly. “He’s in the infirmary now.”

“Why didn’t you go with him?” Magnus asked softly, wiping the tears that had escaped from Alec’s eyes away tenderly.

“I didn’t deserve to,” Alec whimpered. “Not after I wasn’t able to protect him.” He twisted out of Magnus’s grip and curled in on himself. “I should have known about a demon nest that big, Magnus. I should have known. It’s my job to protect him and keep him safe and I failed. I didn’t deserve to get looked at, fussed over, taken care of.”

“So you came here instead,” Magnus mused. He reached out to brush a strand of Alec’s hair back from his face. “You came home, to me. Thank you, Alexander.” He pulled Alec into a bone-crushing hug. “Thank you for trusting me to take care of you, Alec. Even when you don’t feel like you deserve it.”

Alec shuddered and clung to Magnus. “I always trust you, Mags,” he admitted tearfully. “Knew you’d help me.” He pressed his face into Magnus’s shoulder. “You always do.”

Magnus smiled and leaned back to place a soft kiss to Alec’s forehead. “Of course I do, my love. Helping you is my greatest honour.”

Alec chuckled wetly and tucked his head into the hollow of Magnus’s neck, sniffling. “Can we just...stay here for a while?”

“Anything you want, sweetheart,” Magnus agreed. He waved his hands and Alec watched in awe as the couch magically expanded to fit both of them. Magnus laid down, taking Alec with him, and magicked a blanket to lay over both of them.

“I’ve got you,” Magnus promised Alec. “Forever.”

Alec sighed and curled closer to his husband, his tears forgotten. Some days were hard. Some days were so difficult that they made him feel as though he’d never have another good day. But with Magnus by his side, Alec knew that he would never have to face them alone.

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