(500 word prompt: Snowy Bridge Photo) (tw: talk of past suicidal thoughts)
(Read on AO3)
âItâs gorgeous here,â Alec says, watching his shoes leave marks in the freshly fallen snow. âI donât want to go inside.â
âWe could find a place to sit,â Magnus offers.
âWhat about right here?â Alec asks, stopping in the middle of the walkway. He reaches up to the top of the railing and pulls himself up to sit on it, balancing carefully.
Magnus eyes him warily. âThere are safer places to sit.â
Alec shrugs. âYou have magic. If we slip youâll catch us.â Alec doesnât doubt his safety around Magnus for a second.
Smiling at that Magnus nods. Alec offers a hand to help swing Magnus up next to him, looking down for just a moment at the snow falling along the river edges before training his gaze back up at the city.
âIt is gorgeous, isnât it?â Magnus confirms from his side. Alec feels Magnusâ hand reach over to rest on his. He remains silent, lost in his thoughts⌠lost in the recollection of a time that feels like yesterday just as much as it feels like the years ago it actually was.
âAlexander? Whatâs on your mind?â Magnus asks.
âI was thinking about the last time I sat on the edge of a bridge,â Alec admits quietly. Itâs silent again after that. Alec appreciates that Magnus wonât push him to talk about anything he doesnât want to.
âShould we go?â Magnus asks when the silence stretches on. Magnus may not pry but that doesnât mean heâs going to let Alec stay somewhere that might be doing more harm than good.
Alec shakes his head. âNo, Iâm fine here. Iâm good here,â he corrects. âThat was a long time ago. I remember sitting there, staring at the water⌠I closed my eyes⌠imagined leaning forward just far enoughâŚâ Alecâs voice trails off. Heâs sitting up straight now, looking down but not leaning forward. The water is soothing, and no longer because he imagines it as some potential escape from his problems. âI went back to that same spot once a week, and every time I walked away I thought I was being a coward.â
Alec never told anyone that before.
âI think I subconsciously avoided them for a while after that. Iâve obviously been on bridges since then, but itâs been a while since I allowed myself to stop and appreciate the beauty again.â
âAlright, then weâll stay,â Magnus agrees, trusting Alec to make this call for himself and easing his posture next to Alec, resting his head on Alecâs shoulder.
âIâve been in the same position, only I wasnât strong enough to walk away on my own. Someone had to pull me back,â Magnus admits quietly, after a pause. âYouâre one of the strongest, bravest people I know, Alexander. Donât you ever forget that.â
Alec appreciates the honesty between them, how Magnus can turn even the most vulnerable moment into one of strength. He lets the weight of that settle as the snow continues to fall around them.