Like before this is a two part - one where you have the nightmare and one where he does :)
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ALEC has the NIGHTMARE
You awoke to the sound of a small, pained whine. You opened your eyes, you already knew it was Alec who has made the sound. He'd been having nightmares ever since he'd been badly hurt in a mission a few nights before. You were never sure what the nightmare was though, he would never tell you when you asked and you didn't want to push him so you let it go...but you hated to see him like this. So scared and tortured.
You watched his face with pitiful eyes, his own eyes were squeezed shut, mouth in a grimace and you remembered what it was like in the infirmary, after he'd first been hurt...
*flashback*
You held Alec's hand tight in yours as the medics weeled him into the infirmary. The surgery was over and he was on the mend, they assured you - but you couldn't help but worry at the sight of him.
Pale, sweaty and limp...but at least his face was peaceful, sound asleep and safe and comfortable - for now at least.
"If he shows signs of trauma or pain, re-draw his healing rune - it won't help the pain but it will help the healing" the doctor said to you. You nodded, taking note of his words carefully, making sure to remember them. You hated to see him hurt, but in the Shadow world, it came with the price of being a Shadowhunter, you all knew that
It didn't make it any easier when someone you cared so deeply for was hurt though.
You took a seat in the hard, plastic chair by Alec's bed, with no plans to move from it. And that's exactly what happened. You stayed, one hand in his, for hours, you stayed when Maryse and Robert left, when Izzy left, when Jace and Clary and Max and Magnus and everybody else left. You refused to leave or change or shower or even move an inch.
Later that night, you heard a soft groan and you shot up, alert and aware. You noticed Alec's expression, twisted with torment. You frowned, patting your pockets for your stele, before spotting it across the room.
You slowly pulled your hand from Alec's, beginning to move towards your stele when you felt a hand grasp your arm. You jumped, shocked, and spun around
Alec's eyes were open wide and you could see the panic in his eyes, "Stay"
"Alec, I-"
"Stay" he insisted
"But Alec, I need to-"
"Stay" he pleaded, squeezing your arm desperatley
You sighed, relinquishing as you moved back to his side. You loathed seeing him in pain, but you knew he needed you, here and now, not to leave his side as you'd done all day
"I love you" Alec whispered as his eyes slipped closed
"I love you, too" you whispered back, kissing his hand as you laid your had on the bed by his side
*end of flashback*
You'd not left his side since, not for a minute. You practically moved into his room, taking the position of primary carer. That's how you knew he'd been having nightmares.
"No" he whined softly, his eyebrows knitting together
"Alec" you murmur, slowly shaking his shoulder
"No! No, no, no!" he shrieked, panicked
"Alec!" you shout, shaking his shoulders more vigorously, "Alec, Alec wake up!"
"Stop!" he screeched, his back arching off the bed as he writhed viciously, "No! Y/N!"
"Alec!" you screamed
Your voice finally broke through his nightmare as he shot up in bed, panting and sweating as he screamed your name. He breathed in and out hurriedly, hyperventilating
"Hey, hey, hey" you hush him, cupping your hands around his head and tenderly pulling his head over to look at you, "It's okay, you're okay, I'm okay"
"Y/N" Alec mumbled shakily,
"Hey" you smiled, "It's okay, you're safe"
"Y/N" he repeated your name again before breaking down into tears
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay, don't cry" you calm him, wrapping your arms tight around his neck, hugging you as tightly to him as possible, "It's okay, it was just a nightmare"
"Stay" Alec begged through the tears, "Stay, please, please stay"
"Always" you assured him
"It felt so real" Alec sobbed, "You were-y-you were dying"
You sighed internally, hugging him tighter to you. It made sense now, why he would always check for your presence after he woke from a nightmare and how freaked out he would get if you weren't there
"I'm not dying" you reassure him, "I'm right here, see?"
You push back from him, allowing him to look into your eyes as your brushed his clammy hair from his forehead, silently stroking his cheek as you lulled him out of his panic attack. His eyes began to droop and soon, he closed his eyes as his head fell back down to the pillow.
You smiled at his peaceful face as you wriggled back under the covers yourself. Alec's arm instinctively wrapped around your torso, pulling your body as close to his as possible
"Thanks for staying" he whispers into your ear before kissing the back of your neck
"Always" you state as you both slip into unconsciousness
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YOU have the NIGHTMARE
You pant as you sprint through the dark, crowded forest, a cloud of demons just behind you and an army of circle members to either side of you
You start to hyperventilate as the demons and circle members gain on you, surrounding you almost completely, all except one small opening in the giant ring of predators surrounding you. Alec, your best friend, stands in the gap, his arm outstretched towards you.
You scream his name but it just gets drowned out by the cheers and hollers of your soon-to-be killers as they continue to close in on you.
Alec's face drops, saddened. You scream his name again, but he gives up, believing your already lost as he turns his back to you, walking away...leaving you.
Leaving you to die.
"Alec!" you shriek as you shoot up in bed, the covers sprawled across the bed in a messy fashion
"Y/N!" you hear Alec's concerned voice speak as he bursts into your room, headed straight for you, "What-What's going on? I heard you yelling my name..."
"You left me" you whisper to the bed, your gaze averting his eyes, "You just...left me"
"What?" he breathes in disbelief, placing one of his large hand on your cheek "No, Y/N, no. I would never leave you"
"But you did" you cry, flinching away from his touch "You gave up on me. You left me alone to die"
"No, Y/N, no" he reassures you, "It was just a dream. A nightmare. I would never leave you, I would never give up on you and I would never leave you to die. You need to believe that"
You exhale slowly, trying to encourage your breathing to return to normal. Of course, Alec would never leave you. He was your best friend, and you were each other's everything. Like parabatai but also completely different
"You're okay" Alec hushes you, taking you in his arms and rocking you back and forth like a child. Normally, you would be embarrassed to be treated like a kid, but right now, you didn't care. You needed him, whatever way possible, no matter how embarrassing.
You sigh, your eyes slowly drifting closed as Alec rocks you slower and slower. Believing you to be asleep, he eases off of the bed, heading towards the door
"Wait" you whisper into the dark, reaching for his hand
He captures your hand in his, "Yeah?"
"Stay" you murmur, pulling him towards you and looking into his eyes, pleading
"Y/N are you sure-"
"Stay" you insist, "Please. I don't-I-I don't think I can-"
"It's okay" he cuts you off, closing the space between the two of you, "You don't have to explain"
You smile gratefully, scooting over so that he can get into the bed. He follows suit, sliding in to the bed with ease, straightening the sheets as he does so
He smiles back at you, covering himself with the covers and nestling down into the bed, keeping measurable distance between your bodies. You both lay there a while, staring at everything but each other.
You sigh, adjusting to try and get into a comfortable position, brushing your hand with his leg as you do so
"Sorry" you apologises, retracting your hand quickly
"Don't" he demands
"Don't what?" you ask, perplexed
"Don't apologise for touching me" he replies
"I'm sorry" you grimaces when he gives you an annoyed look, "I just- I don't want to push any boundaries"
"There aren't any boundaries" he assures you, "There never are with you. There never were."
"Woah there Alec, careful with your words, a girl could think you may be suggesting something" you remark, smirking
"She'd be right" he states, seriously and your breath catches in your throat
"Well..." you clear your throat, "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that I care about you. That when you started screaming, I felt like a piece of myself was tearing inside. That when you told me I'd left you to die, alone, in that nightmare, I felt like I'd been punched. That when you smiled just now, joking around, my heart skipped a beat"
Your breathing hitches in your throat, your heart beating a million miles an hour as your cheeks flush red. You drop your gaze, trying to hid your inflamed cheeks
"That when you blush and get all embarrassed or when you snark back at me or roll your eyes at me or laugh at one of Jace's stupid jokes, I can never help but smile. Because you're smile is the single best thing in my world" he admits, placing a finger under chin and lifting your head to meet his
You inhale deeply, bracing yourself as his lips land on yours, pecking your lips softly. Simple, sweet, a small gesture but life changing and beautiful all the same
"I...I care about you too" you smile before starting to laugh, "But I so can't beat all the things you just said. Where'd you even pick that up, Romeo? And don't say Jace, cause that is way too ironic"
Alec laughs with you, shaking his head, "I love you"
For what seems like the hundredth time that night, your heat flutters and your breath hitches in your throat and...you smile
"Of course you do" you smile, flipping your hair behind your ear, "How could you not?"
"Oh shut up" he huffs, pulling you towards him. You grin, sliding over towards him and placing your head on his chest
"I love you, too" you declare. You beam as his lips press against your head and you can feel his lips smiling against your hair.
"Of course you do" he mimics and you giggle, nestling into his chest as you begin to drift to sleep
"Thanks for staying" you whisper into his chest, your heart bursting at the seams
"Always" he promises as you both drift to sleep
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I don't know if it gets annoying that I always have a best friend imagine start that ends with at least a kiss or confession of feelings but that's how I like it so ahah, i hope you do too? sorry if it's annoying
Sorry for the sappiness at the end there but I was on a damn roll! And I love a sensitive guy who will admit those kinds of things so...yeah
Happy Reading!!!