Room 401, Tuesday Morning

[nottrivial]

All things considered, Alec didn't really have that much to pack. Sure, he'd acquired a few new weapons and things over the past two years, like a nice yew longbow and some girl clothes from a sexswap weekend and a lone yellow sock that had tumbled out of his sheets one time when he was doing laundry. But he got everything packed up relatively quickly, and then the only thing left to do was to sit on the bed and wait for the portal.

He didn't think he'd miss this place much, truth be told. He had had some very tolerable experiences here, but also some very aggravating ones, and his place was back in New York. Finally.

Comments

[myownface]

Sparkle had a very set list of things that needed to be done today. He'd spent the night in a warehouse and his morning poking around human remains. He needed a shower. Badly. He also needed to drink himself blind, smoke about four packs of cigarettes, and to feed the cat - he never did get the cat food he'd set out for last night - and a million and one other things.

But before any of that, he needed to knock on Alec's door. Radio had said something about him going soon, and he didn't want to miss one last chance to stand around awkwardly, pretending he knew what to say.

... He didn't so much knock on the door as he thumped his forehead against it once.

[nottrivial]

"Come in," Alec called.

His bags were packed and his garbage can was overflowing. It all looked very final.

[myownface]

Really super final, Sparkle noted, as he opened the door and peered inside.

"The big moving day, huh?"

Sparkle's voice didn't just crack a little, there. That was a trick of the light. Ignore how nothing worked that way, ever, at all.

"Must be excited to be getting back to New York."

A beat.

"Hey."

[nottrivial]

"I am," Alec said with a sigh of relief. It didn't really occur to him that that might not sound all that sensitive. "It's been a long time since I've been back, so it'll be good to be home. You should come visit me sometime."

It didn't occur to him that that would sound kind of weird either.

[myownface]

The corner of Sparkle's mouth twitched a little, something that was trying to be a smile. Alec was going to be Alec, after all.

"Yeah? They won't get weird about a non-Shadowhunter stopping by to pay you a visit?"

He was inviting himself in to take a seat on the corner of Alec's bed. It wasn't like it was going to be Alec's bed much longer, anyway.

"Don't wanna... I dunno... impose."

He kind of did, actually. He wanted to impose all over the place, just as long as it meant he wasn't losing someone else today.

[nottrivial]

"I can take time off," Alec said, although technically, he wasn't sure if that was true. "And New York has plenty of places to stay besides the Institute."

His lips quirking up a bit to mirror Sparkle's, Alec ventured, "I think you'd like Manhattan."

[myownface]

"Yeah, I've never been, but I hear it's like a bigger, louder, more American Toronto," Sparkle offered, and realized with that statement that he was feeling one hell of a pang of homesickness.

Well, shit.

He sat there quietly, feeling awkward for a moment, before he ventured, "This is gonna sound weird," because this wasn't exactly something Sparkle went around asking for, "but can I have a hug?"

[nottrivial]

"Of course," Alec said at once, only stopping to reflect on the un-Sparkle-ness of that sentence after he'd committed. He sat down on the bed and wrapped his arms around Sparkle, vaguely aware that the last time they'd been this physically close, Alec had just almost died. "Are you... what's wrong?"

[myownface]

"Shitty day," Sparkle mumbled with a shrug, clinging... kind of a lot. Apparently he turned into a mopey limpet when horrible things happened to people he cared about. Who knew? "Everyone's leaving. Dunno."

Some people were leaving in handcuffs. That wasn't helping anything.

"I know everything's been... weird. For a while. And stuff. Gonna miss you, though."

[nottrivial]

Although he gave out hugs relatively infrequently, Alec's strong arms and tendency to hold tight made him a pretty excellent hugger, especially for someone who needed to cling.

"I'll miss you too," he admitted easily. "I think I've... learned a lot just from knowing you. If that makes sense."

[myownface]

Sparkle nodded a little, closing his eyes and leaning against Alec a little more easily.

"Like, more than just how crazy some people can be?" He smiled faintly to show he was teasing, though how Alec was supposed to see with the way Sparks was mashing his face into his shoulder was anyone's best guess. "Didn't pick up any of my fashion sense."

That was either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on who you asked.

[nottrivial]

"Like, um, being more open," Alec admitted. He was probably getting a little too comfortable with this hug, judging by the way he was rubbing small circles on Sparkle's upper back, but muscle memory was a thing and he was just trying to be comforting. "Connecting with people who aren't my family. Getting over, uh, unrealistic goals."

[myownface]

"Unrealistic?"

Sparkle leaned back slightly to give Alec a curious look, at that.

"How do you mean?"

[nottrivial]

"Oh," Alec said, blushing faintly. "I was just... hung up on someone else for a long time before I met you. But I, you know, got it under control, I think."

[myownface]

"Heh. Jace?"

Look, Alec, you didn't talk about him to Sparkle often, but he had eyes and paid attention when you did. He'd be shocked if he was wrong. Maybe that was just more Shadowhunter whateverness that Sparkle wasn't capable of fully understanding.

[nottrivial]

"Doesn't matter," Alec mumbled, looking away.

He probably shouldn't have brought it up.

[myownface]

Too late! Couldn't take it back, now!

Sparkle, for what it was worth, was smirking a little.

"Thought so."

He was just that good.

[nottrivial]

"Sorry," Alec muttered. Vaguely.

"Uh, who else left today?" he wondered, trying to change the subject.

[myownface]

"Nah, it's fine." Sparkle shrugged a little, and then reached to give Alec a light poke in the ribs. "And, you know... Atton left today."

Which he didn't figure Alec would be heartbroken about, really. But he still kind of wanted to cry over the whole thing, and now he was avoiding eye contact again. Hey, the bed was super exciting.

[nottrivial]

"Oh." Alec frowned. "I'm sorry."

He wasn't that sorry; Atton wasn't his favorite guy around. But he was sincerely sorry that Sparkle felt bad about it.

"I would have expected him to hang around here and--" waste time-- "um, appreciate the bar scene with you for as long as possible."

[myownface]

"Yeah, that had kind of been the plan," Sparkle replied, shrugging again. "Except some guys showed up and there was this... Jedi... Sithy thing. It's complicated. And messy. And fucked up."

Sparkle was super eloquent when he was running on zero sleep, too.

"Pretty sure he's gone for good."

[nottrivial]

"Sithy?" Alec repeated, brow furrowing. "But at least you'll have other people around here whom you like. Like, um..."

To be honest, the only other person he knew wasn't graduating was Isabelle.

[[sorry -- i thought i responded to this but i. didn't. sp?]]

[myownface]

Sparkle shrugged.

"I dunno. Kenzi, I guess. Maybe Cecil, but he's a little... Cecil."

That was one way of putting it.

"Cade's probably not sticking around long. It's gonna be quiet around here. I'll have to get to work traumatizing an all new batch of students soon."

[Totally fine! SP is wonderful.]]

[nottrivial]

Alec smiled gently. "I think you'll do all right," he said. "You can teach the new freshmen all about how to wear suits to dances, and... get away with petty theft and things."

[myownface]

"So, all the basics for getting by on this piece of crap island?" Sparkle gave Alec a little smile in return. "Gonna be weird without you here."

[nottrivial]

"I doubt it," Alec said. "I think all things considered, I've been a fairly small part of your time here."

There was only the tiniest attempt at a rising inflection in the middle to suggest that it might be a joke. It wasn't really much of one.

[myownface]

Sparkle made a snorting sound, and then bonked Alec affectionately on the shoulder with his forehead.

"At least that much, I guess."

[nottrivial]

Alec... didn't really know what to make of that. He made a face. "So... just keep looking after yourself," he said after fumbling with his words for a minute. "No more Kwik Stop trips without weapons."

[myownface]

"I'll keep up on my archery," Sparkle promised, a little more awkwardly in turn. "Might even invest in a gun for those real problem murderous psychopaths around here."

They seemed to come after Sparkle pretty frequently. Funny, that.

"Stay safe."

You weren't allowed to die again, Alec.

[nottrivial]

Alec nodded. "Um, you too."

He thought about going in for another hug, but that seemed inappropriate somehow.

Maybe it would be less weird to quickly kiss Sparkle on the cheek?

Alec was going to try it, anyway.

[myownface]

Ahaha, quickly. On the cheek. Like Sparkle was going to just leave it at that. He leaned back, gave Alec a quick, if tired, smirk, and then leaned back in, going for a full-on kiss on the mouth, if Alec was inclined to let him.

It was a kiss good-bye. Sparkle figured it had to be a proper one, damn it.

[nottrivial]

Alec made a small noise of surprise, but wasn't about to argue.

By the time he withdrew, he was smiling. "And there's another thing you taught me," he said.

He glanced at his watch, winced, and then looked back at Sparkle. "Let me know if you ever need anything."

[myownface]

Sparkle frowned at his watch. Stupid watches. Stupid time.

"I will," he promised. "Don't go changing your phone number or anything without telling me, yeah? And... I dunno. Don't lose touch. I'll go to New York myself and shake you if you do."