Despite what it may or may not have looked like, Magnus was happy to gather Alec into his arms and against his body without a single thought towards appearances. It felt normal to him, having Alec being taller, but he could tell in the way that he kept shifting that he didn't feel the same way. "Don't apologize," he said, stroking a hand over his face and down to cup the back of his neck. He nearly offered to make himself taller before remembering that he didn't have the strength for that. Hopefully Alec could be comforted by him all the same despite the difference in height.

The question caught him off-guard enough to make him laugh, the sound soft and simply amused. "I do," he admitted, a faint blush spreading over his cheeks, though why he didn't know; telling Alec about the terms of endearment he had for Alec shouldn't have felt like voicing a secret. "Only when we're alone," he added as he leaned back against the wall to rest his head against the cool surface.

Magnus kept a careful tally of how much of Alec's strength he was taking, knowing how easy it would have been to get carried away and drain him. He might have reached a normal level of power if he had, but the thought never once crossed his mind as he cared too deeply for Alec. He took only what he needed, feeling his body calm and the shaking stop as he returned to a less dangerous state. "Does it?" he asked as he carefully broke the connection, not wanting to leave any jagged edges to jar Alec. "Your energy feels different, too. I couldn't really tell until you let me in, but it's there."