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Alec wasn’t sure what woke him and he spent a moment sitting in bed debating the usefulness of getting out of it. A quick glance outside was enough to tell him that it was hours before he needed to be awake, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. Sliding out of bed, he sighed and padded silently to first Izzy’s room, and then Max’s. They were both quiet and sleeping deeply.
As he’s walking back towards his room, Alec remembered something important. He had one more room to check now. Another one to add to his routine. Shaking himself, and glancing down the hallway to make sure no one else was awake, he headed towards Jace’s room. When he got there, Alec knew why he had woken up.
Jace was curled up in a tight ball around a pillow, which was only barely muffling his sobs and the way his shoulders shook. Alec slipped into the room and shut the door behind him, meeting Jace’s eyes when they looked to him wildly, his face red and splotchy.
“Alec!”
“Shhh,” Alec snapped, pressing a finger to his lips as he stepped closer to Jace. “That’s a surefire way to get us both in trouble.”
Jace nodded and scowled down at the bed. “Why are you here? I was quiet.”
Alec shrugged and sat on the edge of the bed, studying Jace. “Izzy says I have a sixth sense when it comes to my siblings and knowing something is wrong. Not sure about that, but something woke me up.”
“I’m fine,” Jace snapped.
Alec softened and reached out to touch Jace’s arm, letting his hand fall to the bed when Jace yanked it away. “It’s okay to not be fine.”
Jace rolled his eyes and glared at Alec. “Save it for your real siblings.”
“You are my real sibling,” Alec said, meeting Jace’s surprised eyes. “If it takes a while to prove it to you, that’s fine.” Jace stared him down and Alec didn’t back down, letting Jace search him for honesty and whatever else he was looking for.
It was a long time before Jace spoke. “I have nightmares, sometimes.”
Alec nodded.
“They’re…” Jace paused, glancing up at Alec, checking his face for any sign of judgement, but there was nothing there, just that same stupid look Alec always had when he was focused on something. “I can’t get back to sleep after.”
Alec tilted his head and nodded again. “What keeps you awake?”
Jace shrugged and frowned. “Cold. It’s too quiet here. Not used to it.”
Alec hummed in consideration and tossed out a few possible solutions. “Would it make you feel better if I stayed?”
Jace’s eyes went wide. “You’ll get in trouble.”
“Only if I get caught,” Alec said, his eyes twinkling before he grew serious again. “Jace, is that what you want?”
“I don’t…” Jace frowned. “You can’t do that forever.”
“No,” Alec agreed. “But I can do that tonight until I figure something else out tomorrow.”
Jace huffed and laid back down on the too-comfy bed and nodded. “You’ll stay until I’m asleep?”
Alec reached down, lifting up the blankets that Jace had kicked off and tucked his younger brother in, ignoring his glare before he settled in to lay down next to him. “Yeah, Jace.”
“You make fun of me for this and I’ll kick your ass,” Jace growled, opening his tired eyes to glare at Alec.
Alec was serious as he shook his head. “I won’t, Jace. You have my word.”
Jace nodded firmly. The sound of Alec’s steady breathing was enough to help him relax, and Alec didn’t roll away when he moved a little closer, wanting the warmth from the other boy. When he woke up, Alec was gone, but his spot on the bed was still rumpled. Jace stared at it for a long time until Maryse knocked on his door, ordering him awake.
~!~
The next night, Jace was surprised to find an extra blanket folded and on the side of his bed. It was dark blue and he squinted at it. It looked familiar, and when he picked it up, he immediately realized why. It was Alec’s. He held it close to his chest and heard a crinkle of paper.
It took him a minute to find the piece of paper that Alec had tucked inside the folds of the blanket, but when he did, Jace had to sit down on his bed and bite down on his lip hard enough to draw blood.
I’ll leave one of these for you every Sunday. They’re mine. Put them in the laundry on Saturday. I have an extra, so we can keep one in rotation that you can constantly have with you.
On your tablet, download training exercise 732. It’s ambient noise practice, for archers, to help us learn to focus, no matter the conditions. It should help with the silence, and it isn’t loud enough that anyone will notice. There’s a timer, so you can set it for an hour after Mom and Dad have gone to sleep.
If the blanket doesn’t help, tell me and I’ll figure something else out. I’ll check on you later tonight to make sure you’re okay.
Alec
Jace looked at the note for a long, long time before he folded it and very carefully tucked it under the loose bottom of his bedside table drawer. He curled up in bed under the blanket, downloaded the training exercise Alec had recommended and let himself drift off to sleep, the comforting feel of Alec’s blanket lulling him to sleep much faster than he would ever admit to.
Alec waited until he was sure that everyone was asleep before he made his way to Jace’s bedroom to check on him. He smiled, unable to keep from grinning as he caught sight of his brother tucked under the blanket he had provided, with his tablet playing next to him. He stepped closer and tucked the blanket properly around Jace’s shoulders.
“Sleep well, Jace,” he whispered, creeping back out of the room, glad that he’d managed to help Jace, even if only a little.