AU - Locked to Alec

[everymonstrousthing]

It's probably almost as bad as it looks. His cane lost, rolled into a gutter, stepped on, snapped, Kaz has no choice but to limp. He doesn't have a clear idea of where he's going. He turns his head and spits blood onto concrete for what feels like the thousanth time. He's not sure how far he's walked; he glances back but can't tell which direction he came from.

He recognises his surroundings, though. He knows more or less where he's headed.

He makes it to Alec's door. He's got no idea how late it is. He knocks with a curl first, blood smeared on leather, and then his knees give out and he slides down to sit on the floor with his back against Alec's door. He closes his eyes. Darkness comes flooding in. He fights it, as much as he can.

Comments

[deflectere]

"Would it affect what?" Alec asked, following Kaz's gaze down to his hand. "It's a healing rune. It'll heal you and it'll turn you into a Forsaken if I'm unlucky. It doesn't do anything else."

[everymonstrousthing]

"I..." Kaz passes one hand back through his hair, as much to stop himself trembling as anything else. "Touching people. Is difficult. Usually." He takes a sip of coffee to settle himself.

[deflectere]

"The Mark shouldn't have any effect on what you feel and how easy it is to touch people," Alec told him, shaking his head. "It heals. If you're touching people...it's all you."

[everymonstrousthing]

"Maybe it healed that too." Kaz covers his face with his hands for a moment, one gloved, one bare. He drags in a shuddering breath. This much he had not been prepared for.

[deflectere]

"Iratzes aren't that strong," Alec said, watching Kaz carefully. He wasn't sure if he'd ever seen Kaz's bare hands and he was curious but quiet. "Do you need to sit down?"

[everymonstrousthing]

"It's all just damage in the end, isn't it?" says Kaz, and maybe he does need to sit down because, suddenly, it feels like his ruined knee won't hold him. "Yes. No. I don't fucking know."

[deflectere]

Alec eyed Kaz coolly, refusing to let his expression betray anything he might be thinking. "Are you going to throw a tantrum?"

Alec didn't always have tact. He also didn't care about tact for the most part.

[everymonstrousthing]

"No," says Kaz, but he says it in such a sullen, petulant way that he's not entirely convinced himself. He scrubs his hands over his face again. "You? Don't understand."

[deflectere]

"You really don't want to push me right now," Alec warned him darkly. "I did something that risks my whole life to you last night to save you so if you want to toss insults around, you can do it elsewhere."

[everymonstrousthing]

"Maybe you should have just let me bleed out," he says, and flexes his fingers, staring at his hand like he's never seen it before. Tentatively he reaches out and grazes his fingertips against Alec's arm.

[deflectere]

"What are you doing?" Alec asked him, looking down at the fingertips and up at Kaz. "Drink your coffee and then go. I'm not going to keep you here against your will anymore. You're fine."