City of Ashes: Werewolf Medicine

[strongest_faith]

Despite how occasionally awkward it is, Alec has been spending a lot of time at Magnus' apartment since Jace has been staying there. It's partially because they're, if not his two favorite people, then his favorite person and someone steadily climbing in the ranks.

It's also partially so Magnus doesn't rot out Jace's brain with episodes of old television shows like Gilligan's Island and I Love Lucy.

When Jace gets the call from Clary (or Clary's mundane vampire friend) about the injured werewolf, Alec is relieved to have an excuse to get them all out of the loft.

They arrive just in time to prevent a vampire/werewolf brawl, and Alec is impressed that the werewolf (Maia?) has the strength after a Drevak sting. Jace, Clary, and the vampire—Simon, he's pretty sure it's Simon—go out to find Luke, and Alec sits on a chair in Luke's kitchen to watch Magnus work.

He likes to watch Magnus working. It's one of the only times his face is serious, focused entirely on whatever magic he's doing. Alec has only feverish memories of the night Magnus stayed with him to heal him after Abaddon's attack, but he remembers the blue net of magic, the cool of Magnus' fingers on his wrists, Magnus' eyes flashing gold in the moonlight.

When Magnus finishes, Alec helps carry Maia to Luke's bedroom, and by the time he comes back, Jace, Simon, and Magnus are laying an unconscious Luke out on the table Alec just lifted Maia from.

And just like that, he's in Shadowhunter mode again, pulling Jace aside for an update—Raum demons had attacked, Jace, Clary, and Simon dispatched them to their realms, but Luke was already down by the time they arrived.

"He's all right!" Clary's voice cuts through the heavy quiet of the room, and Alec, Simon, and Jace all race over to see. Simon takes Clary's hand, and Alec can't help shooting a glance to Jace to see how he reacts. Jace's face is the carefully constructed mask he wears when he's feeling too much to let people see.

"So he'll live," Simon asks. "You're sure?"

Magnus has slumped onto the armrest of a nearby chair, and Alec wants to go to him, touch his elbow, give him some support, but he can't, not here with everyone around them.

"Yes, I'm sure," Magnus answers. "I'm the High Warlock of Brooklyn; I know what I'm doing."

Alec bends low as Jace makes a wisecrack under his breath, and Magnus continues in a stiff voice. "Which reminds me that I'm not exactly sure what it is you think you're doing, calling on me every time one of you has so much as an ingrown toenail that needs clipping. As High Warlock, my time is valuable. There are plenty of lesser warlocks who'd be happy to do a job for you at a greatly reduced rate."

"You're charging us?" Clary protests. "But Luke is a friend."

"Not a friend of mine," Magnus says, taking a cigarette from his pocket. "I met him only on the few occasions when your mother bought him along when your memory spells were being refreshed." He lights the cigarette with a wave of his hand. "Did you think I was helping you out of the goodness of my heart? Or am I just the only warlock you happen to know?"

Now it's Alec who has dropped a mask over his face to keep from showing how much that hurts. He's asked Magnus to keep things secret between them for now. He just didn't expect it to be so painful when he did.

"No," Jace says, a hot anger in his voice that surprises Alec, "but you are the only warlock we know who happens to be dating a friend of ours."

A wave of shock seems to roll through the group, and everyone is looking at Jace. Alec can't believe what he's hearing. Jace can't…he can't know, can he? This isn't right. Jace wasn't meant to find out—at all if Alec could help it, but certainly not like this. Not from anything other than Alec telling him.

When he opens his mouth, his voice trembles. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Something like what?" Jace says, and he looks and sounds like he's honestly confused.

"That I'm dating—that we're—it's not true," Alec says, feeling his voice breaking around the syllables. He's never told Jace a bald-faced lie before.

"I didn't say he was dating you," Jace says, looking at Alec with maddening calm, "but funny that you knew just what I meant isn't it?"

"We're not dating," Alec says again because he cannot do this here. He can't have this conversation in front of…anyone really, but certainly not Clary.

"Oh?" Magnus says. "So you're just that friendly with everybody, is that it?"

"Magnus," Alec pleads, not entirely sure what Magnus could do to make this better but wishing he wouldn't make it worse. Magnus crosses his arms, eyes narrowed at Alec, and Alec turns back to Jace. "You don't—I mean, you couldn't possibly think—"

"What I don't get," Jace says, shaking his head, "is you going to all these lengths to hide your relationship with Magnus from me when it's not as if I would mind if you did tell me about it."

Alec has known, for a long time, that Jace would never look at him the way he looks at Jace. Even if he did, they're parabatai, even more forbidden than loving a Downworlder.

Hearing Jace say it outright, though, feels like he's been punched in the gut, and he can't seem to make himself respond.

Jace turns to Magnus. "Help me convince him that I really don't care."

"Oh," Magnus says, in a tone that that squeezes tight around Alec's heart. "I think he believes you about that."

"Then I don't…" Jace begins.

Alec is hardly taking in any information by this point as Clary says, "Jace, that's enough. Let it alone."

Luke's voice comes from the couch, "Let what alone?" and Alec has never been so happy to see a werewolf.

"Luke!" Clary cries out, rushing to Luke's side to hug him. "Do you remember what happened?"

"Not really," Luke says, rubbing his face. "The last thing I remember was going out to the truck. Something hit my shoulder and jerked me sideways. I remember the most incredible pain— Anyway, I must have passed out after that. The next thing I knew I was listening to five people shouting. What was that all about anyway?"

Clary, Simon, Alec, Jace, and Magnus all said, "Nothing," simultaneously, and Luke, to his credit only answered, "I see."


[ooc: All dialogue comes from City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare.]