Chapter Text
Where was she?”
That was what Magnus asked himself as he stood in front of Alex’s door. Impatiently, he rocked back and forth on his shoes.
“Alex,” he called.
“Coming,” she called back.
Then she stepped out of the door. Magnus lost his breath. Alex was wearing a tight-fitting dark green dress. In her ears, the silver earrings he had given her sparkled. It was their first date since they had postponed Ragnarök.
“You look amazing…” he stammered.
He glanced down at his own clothes. A dark green hoodie and jeans. “I can change quickly, if you want.”
“No, it’s fine. You look okay too.”
Magnus blushed.
Magnus had planned their date at a small café on the edge of the city. According to Blitz, it was supposed to be very cozy—and Blitz was known to have very good taste.
As they walked through the streets, Magnus thought about how happy he was. He had Alex. The best friend—or sometimes boyfriend—you could imagine. He linked his arm with hers as they walked through a park. It was a cool spring day, and birds were chirping in the trees. The first flowers were already blooming.
Magnus bent down and picked one. It was a special one—pink, but the inner blossom was still green.
“What do you have there?” Alex teased him.
“Here.” Hesitantly, he handed her the flower, hoping she would like it.
Alex giggled. “Thanks. But I didn’t think you had romantic potential.”
“Don’t underestimate me, Alex,” he warned her with an exaggerated expression.
“Won’t happen again,” she replied, laughing.
Giggling, they walked on. At the café, Magnus opened the door for her.
“Thank you, you gentleman.”
The café was small, but it looked pretty and cozy. They sat down at a table by the window. He looked at her face. Suddenly, she took his hand. Normally, she wasn’t a fan of public affection, so he decided to simply enjoy it.
They ordered coffee.
“Do you like it?” Magnus asked nervously.
“So far, yes,” Alex said, smiling at his insecurity.
He drank his coffee in silence. Just as Magnus was about to start talking about the weather, Alex saved him.
“Do you want to get ice cream later?”
Relieved, he breathed out. “Sure. What are your favorite flavors?”
It wasn’t much better than the weather, but it was a start.
“Hmm, I think strawberry and peppermint.”
Magnus laughed. “Fits.”
“What do you mean by fits?” she teased him.
He blushed. “I mean the colors… and stuff…”
Alex giggled. “I know. Let me guess—yours are caramel and chocolate?”
How she knew that, he didn’t know.
“And mango,” he added, laughing.
“Together?” she asked, disgusted.
“Yes. What’s wrong with that?”
“Everything.”
Suddenly, the waitress stood next to them. “Are you finished, or would you like to order something else?”
“No, no, we’re leaving,” Magnus said. “Thank you.”
They left the café. Alex took his hand. He felt the heat rise to his face. She giggled, which only caused even more butterflies in Magnus’s stomach.
Laughing, they walked through the streets of Boston. After a while, Alex became quiet. Magnus knew what was wrong.
“Can we go?” he asked softly.
“Yes.”
Magnus knew he felt uncomfortable. Yes—he did. Since Alex had put on the dress that morning, he now felt uncomfortable.
Alex let go of his hand and walked quickly toward Valhalla.
Suddenly, a guy bumped into Magnus. Magnus knew him—some time ago, he had beaten him up on the street. He was homeless too. But he ignored Magnus and went straight for Alex.
.Suddenly Magnus could hear bones break ,as the guy's fist flew right into Alex’s face.
Alex didn’t let that slide. Since he didn’t have his garrote with him, he kicked him in the groin. Groaning, the guy stumbled back.
Magnus had caught up with them now. Furious, the guy ran at them again, but this time Alex was prepared. With a precise punch, the guy landed back on the ground.
“Magnus, come on,” Alex said, already walking on.
“You ugly, stupid agr!” the guy shouted after Alex.
With eyes blazing with rage, Alex turned around.
“Leave him, he’s not worth it,” Magnus tried to calm him .
But it was too late. With a scream, Alex threw himself at the guy, who was sitting there with an ugly grin.
Just as Alex reached him, Magnus saw something flash.
A knife.
“Alex, no—he has a knife!”
It was as if he didn’t hear him. A dull scream echoed through the empty alley. The knife was stuck in his chest. Grinning, the guy pulled it out and went for another stab.
Magnus broke free from his paralysis. Normally, he wasn’t a great fighter, and he had left Jack at the hotel. His punch hit hard, and Magnus heard a nose break. Two more punches hit the attacker. Unconscious, he stayed lying there.
Next to Alex.
Alex, from whose chest more blood was pouring than Magnus thought possible.
He pressed his hands over the wound.
“Don’t… heal,” Alex interrupted him with rattling breaths.
“But—”
“Valhalla.”
“Alex, please.”
“No,” he said sharply, despite his injuries.
Magnus lifted him up and ran into the shop that led to Valhalla. The employees stared in shock as a teenager carried in a badly injured boy.
“Sir, do you need help?” the calmest saleswoman asked Magnus.
He didn’t react. Instead, he ran straight into the next bra rack—and then he was in Valhalla.
Alex was breathing shallowly and gasping. His dress was soaked with blood. Magnus estimated the blood loss at about two liters. Only his Einherjar powers were keeping him alive.
The elevator doors slid open. The music was off. All of Valhalla seemed deserted. Only a few Einherjar were walking through the halls, all without weapons. No shouting could be heard.
Then Magnus noticed a sign in the elevator.
“No healing possible today due to strike. Please be careful.
Hotel Management Valhalla.”
“Fuck,” I muttered as the doors opened.
With quick steps, I pushed open Alex’s door and laid him down on his bed. He groaned in pain.
“Alex?”
“Hmm.”
“I have to heal you. Really.”
“Nhh.” He shook his head.
“I have to,” Magnus said apologetically, placed his hands on the wound, and began to glow like a lightbulb.
Memories hit him like a brick. With all his strength, Magnus tried to push them away, but it was useless.
But this memory wasn’t a memory.
None of this had ever happened.
He saw himself in a suit. Alex was wearing a white dress with pink and green elements. Apparently, she was female. His heart was pounding. She looked stunning.
Alex normally wasn’t into marriage, and Magnus had never cared—as long as Alex was happy. But this wasn’t his memory. So maybe…
He didn’t dare continue the thought.
By now, Alex had started walking forward, Samirah beside her. Magnus would have liked to keep watching, but a slap to the face snapped him awake.
“I told you not to heal.”
“Ow.” He rubbed his cheek.
“The healing is on strike.”
“How can healing go on strike?” Alex asked.
“Uh… no idea. It said so in the elevator.”
“In the elevator?” Alex straightened up and stumbled toward the door. Every step clearly caused him pain. He stopped at the door and held his head.
“Couldn’t you at least have healed me properly, Maggie?”
“Sorry. I was stressed and didn’t have any strength left.”
Alex snorted. “Then at least help me to the elevator. I want to see that note.”
Magnus stood up and offered his arm. “If you permit me, my lord.”
The green-haired one laughed. “I permit it.”
Together, they limped to the elevator. TJ stepped out of his room.
“What are you doing here?” He frowned. “Alex, are you okay?”
“Yes,” she hissed at him.
TJ raised his hands apologetically and closed the door again. They didn’t meet anyone else.
When they finally reached the elevator, Alex clung to Magnus.
“If there’s nothing there, I’ll kill you myself—strike or not.”
Magnus could only hope the sign was real and he hadn’t imagined it. They stepped into the elevator. At first, Magnus didn’t see the note and panicked. Then Alex called out, “There!” and pointed at it.
“Lucky you, Beantown.”
He leaned against the elevator wall, seemingly casual, but Magnus could tell he would barely make it back to the room.
“And now?” Magnus asked.
Alex seemed to think. “They probably need you now that no one can be healed.”
“Oh.” He hadn’t thought of that.
“And what are you going to do?”
“Go to the pottery class.”
“That’s closed.”
“Then to my room.”
“Can you manage that?”
Alex waved it off. “No problem.”
Magnus had his doubts but kept his mouth shut.
“Will you come with me to reception?” he asked.
“I can.”
Downstairs, the doors opened and they stepped out. Well—Magnus did. Alex stumbled.
“Are you sure—” he began.
“Yes,” Alex snapped.
Angrily, she grabbed Magnus’s shoulder, and they limped toward reception.
Hunding, the hotel page, was darting frantically between phones. When he saw Magnus, he cried out in relief.
“Thank Odin! Magnus, please go to the 54th floor, there’s an emergency!”
He looked at Alex. “Just go with him and make sure nothing happens to him—we need the healers.”
Hunding disappeared into the back room.
Thanks to the course Healing Until Death or Healing Without Healing Powers Until Death, Magnus knew it wouldn’t be good for Alex to come along.
“Hurry up, Maggie,” Alex said. He still hadn’t left.
Magnus offered his shoulder again. Back in the elevator, Magnus pressed a button, and the doors closed. When they opened again, Alex frowned.
“This is the 19th.”
“I know, but you need to rest and get better.”
“I’M FINE,” he growled.
The blond held the elevator door open with one hand. “Oh yeah? Then walk out of the elevator, please.”
“Pff.”
Alex walked—and in that moment, Magnus regretted ever saying that sentence. Alex was a fighter. He would go through with it, no matter the consequences.
He ran out of the elevator and grabbed Alex’s arm. He looked into his face. Tears were running down Alex’s cheeks.
“Oh, I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to…” Magnus stammered.
“Fuck you.”
Then Alex collapsed. Magnus barely managed to catch him. The emergency could wait—he had his own. He dragged Alex into his room, because it was closer.
Alex’s POV
The blackout didn’t last long. Alex blinked and woke up in Magnus’s bed, which was soft and smelled like Magnus. No—he wasn’t allowed to think about that idiot.
Magnus probably thought he was weak, hadn’t even made it to his own room. Speaking of which—where was Magnus? The room seemed empty. Ah. The emergency. Of course.
Understandable. Still, a strange feeling spread in his stomach.
He ignored it and sat up. Everything spun, and his stomach felt like it was on fire. When the world finally calmed down, he stood up to change. He just felt uncomfortable in that dress.
Alex leaned against the bedpost. Fuck—where was Magnus when you actually needed him?
Carefully, he let go of the post and took a step forward. He immediately regretted it. Everything spun again, and he started to sway.
Maybe it would be better if he moved faster.
So Alex took three steps at once.
Now everything spun three times as fast.
Shit—he needed to hold onto something. Let’s see. The bed was too far away, just like the wardrobe. That only left Magnus’s tree.
But before Alex could move further, the world stopped spinning—and instead began to tip.
He screamed and tried to protect his head with his hands, but he never hit the ground.
Two strong, warm hands caught him.
Magnus’s hands.
Relief washed over him. For a moment, he didn’t care what Magnus thought of him.
Magnus pulled him upright. Everything was still spinning. Alex grabbed his arms, searching for support—support in a spinning world.
Magnus pulled him close. Alex wasn’t a fan of hugs or physical contact in general, but with Magnus, he didn’t mind so much.
At Magnus’s chest, he could hear his heartbeat. Sometimes, Alex was annoyed by their height difference—but in moments like this, he appreciated it.
The heart was beating steadily, and if Alex had known more about medicine, he would have noticed it was far too fast. Luckily, he didn’t.
Even when the world stopped spinning, he stayed in Magnus’s arms. How long they stood there, he couldn’t say—until Magnus cursed.
“Shit.”
“Hmm?”
“The emergency!”
He supported Alex until he was lying on the bed again.
“Here, I’ve got new clothes for you.” He pulled out a brown pair of sweatpants and a green hoodie from the wardrobe.
“As long as no one sees me,” Alex muttered.
“Hey, those are my clothes.”
“I know, and it…” He held his stomach. “…looks like a tree.”
“Alright, little tree. I have to go.”
And with that, he was gone.
Alex changed. Even though he was glad to be out of the dress, the outfit really wasn’t great. He wasn’t a tree, after all.
Magnus’s blanket was warm and soft and had the effect of hiding the outfit. As he lay there waiting for Magnus, Alex allowed himself, just for a moment, to snuggle into the blanket.
It smelled pleasantly like the person who normally slept in it.
Magnus actually liked sleeping on the floor, but lately it had been raining a lot, so he preferred the bed.
Alex breathed in his scent. His eyelids grew heavy, and he fell into a deep sleep.