Chapter Text
“Something’s wrong.” Alec muttered, crossing his arms and starting to pace. Magnus watched him walk side to side a few times, watching the way he nervously rubbed his wrist.
“Hey.” Magnus whispered. If it had been anyone else, he would have deadpanned you’re being paranoid. Not with Alec. Alec seemed to have developed a keen sense of when danger was near at a very young age, and was not often wrong.
When Alec thought something was up, Magnus listened to him.
“What’s wrong?” Magnus said instead, standing up too. The lobby of the hotel had a scattering of Shadowhunters in it, called in to deal with the situation, but not many. Really, only Jocelyn and Luke looked like they cared. Alec had said, only half joking, it was because the New York Institute was cursed.
“It’s taboo.” Alec had given a sharp laugh. “Lightwoods used to be liked, you know.”
“It’s... hard to put my finger on. Something just feels fundamentally wrong and I...” Alec froze, going even paler than usual. “Jace.”
“What about Jace?” Magnus asked.
“Jace!” Alec yelped and dashed for the elevator. “Alec!” Magnus called after him.
Alec skittered to a stop as the elevator door opened, revealing a small and crying Clary. “Where’s Jace?” He demanded.
“He’s gone.” Clary rasped. “Alec, he’s gone...”
“What do you mean he’s gone!” Alec felt bad for yelling at Clary, but panic was overriding everything else.
“I mean, all that’s on the roof is the remains of Lilith’s ritual to bring Sebastian back, using Simon’s Daylighter blood, and some pieces of bloody glass.” Clary hugged her arms. “I told him I would be right back... five minutes...”
Alec stumbled backwards, into Magnus. “I can’t feel him.” Alec whispered, and let Magnus hold him. “Jace. I can’t... he’s...” My best friend, my parabatai, my brother... gone. I can’t feel him. Alec had always been aware of Jace’s soul bound to his, closer than brothers. Now that link felt dead. He felt dead.
“We’ll find him.” Magnus promised, and hugged Alec tighter. Alec breathed in the smell of his shirt. “We’ll find him. Clary, do you have something I could use to track him?”
Clary took off her Morgenstern ring, and handed it to Magnus. Magnus took it, and Alec managed to stand on his own two feet, barely. He rubbed his wrist, tossing his head side to side and looking, as if Jace would magically appear from the shadows.
Clary went to her mother and Luke and Simon, crying. Alec still wandered around, slightly lost, keeping Magnus in his sight at all time like he might disappear too.
Alec overheard a flash of conversation, from one of the visiting Shadowhunters. “Tracking? That’ll only work if he’s still alive-”
Alec promptly threw up.
---
“What do you mean Jace is gone?” Maryse put a hand over her mouth, eyes wide. Robert did not react, keeping his cold eyes on Alec’s bowed head.
“I mean one minute was on the roof... everything was normal... and now it’s not.” Alec choked out, feeling like he might be sick again. “I think something’s blocking our bond...”
Maryse pursed her lips. “Alexander, you look a little green. I’m going to get an herbal remedy. Can you two behave yourselves for five minutes?”
“Sure. Thanks mom.” Alec could barely make the sounds. Her heels clacked on the ground as she left.
“So you did nothing to stop it?” Robert asked.
There was no right answer to that. “There was nothing I could have done.” Alec shivered.
“You’re right.” Robert said.
Alec nearly had a heart attack. “R-really?” You never say I’m right. What are you doing?
“You couldn’t’ve helped because you’re useless.” Robert hissed and stepped forward. Alec slumped down further and tried to make himself too small to see. It didn’t work, because Robert hit him anyway.
The first blow, aided by a Strength rune, sent Alec to the ground, but he didn’t react. You didn’t save Jace, you worthless piece of trash. Why didn’t you save him? Nothing you could do? You could have done something.
Alec didn’t know if it was a voice in his head or Robert yelling in his ear as he dragged Alec’s limp form up by the collar of his shirt, but it was there and it was true. Alec didn’t fight back, or try to get away, and he closed his eyes after a while.
Suddenly, instead of pain, Alec was wrapped in a warm embrace. “Stop!” His mother shrieked. “Keep your hands off of him!”
“He is nothing!”
“He is your son! You sick bastard! You’ve done nothing but be cruel to Alec and I will not allow it!”
“Then why haven’t you told the Clave?” Alec cracked his eyes open and Robert was pointing angrily. “Because they’d take Alexander away and you’re selfish.”
“You’re abusive!”
Alec started shivering, as if the ice and venom in their words were chilling the very air. Maryse wrapped her arms around him tighter and Alec tried not to wriggle. “Go to the farthest corner of this Institute you can, and leave my son alone.”
“He’s my son too.”
“He’ll be your son when you act like a father!” Maryse hissed and practically carried Alec to his room. His head was pounding, and his heart felt dead. “I’m sorry.” She whispered to her unresponsive child. “I am selfish. I should...” She trailed off and sighed.
The second the door was closed, and Alec couldn’t hear her footsteps, he sat up. He rubbed at his eyes, and dried off his face. One cheek burned- that was going to bruise, along with various places on his chest. Alec forced himself to stand and walk to his small bathroom.
He took a cold shower and tried to pretend he didn’t see the small stream of blood that mixed with the water. Alec sighed and slumped against the wall, and started trembling.
Then he stood up straight, and got dressed. He stared at his reflection for a long while, a pale face that was starting to bruise- an iratze could take care of it -and too long black hair and blue eyes. His shirt was baggy, and partially falling off one shoulder, showing the parabatai rune on his collarbone.
Alec marched into his room, pulled on a pair of boots, and grabbed the stele off his nightstand, and slung his bow and quiver over his shoulder carelessly. Then he opened the window and started climbing down the side of the Institute, and he thought I’m doing this.
I’m actually doing this.
Alec shoved his hands in his pockets and walked away from the Institute. When he was almost to the gate he was jogging. When he hit the street, he started running. One block later, he was sprinting madly.
Suddenly he was in a whole mess of mundanes, tourists, locals. Alec had never been good at blending into crowds, but he tried. He tossed his head back and forth, looking around as if someone could possibly follow him. Maybe he had a certain look about him- even with his bow glamoured, he looked ready for a fight. Maybe mundie police would be able to tell something was up, that he was a runaway, and take him back.
Alec tried to walk faster, but the mundane crowds were slow going. Finally, he managed to get to an area with mild traffic, and could go up to a light jog. He stared at the ground and focused on the sound of his breathing and almost didn’t notice when he turned and ran into a man. “Sorry-” He started, but the man grinned and shoved him into an alley.
“Hey! Hands off you-” The man put his hand over Alec’s mouth and Alec’s screams became muffled. Something very cold and very sharp was pressed against Alec’s rib cage- a knife.
Alec acted on complete instinct, fueled by fear. He bit the man’s hand, and felt blood well up in his mouth. The man yelled and yanked his hand away, and Alec felt blood against his skin.
Alec grabbed the man by the shoulders and shoved him into a wall, and leaped away before he could land a blow. Alec stomped his foot on the man’s, and scrambled away, his side burning. The man slumped to the ground.
Oh, God, Alec, you can’t just rain holy angelic fury on the mundanes! Alec knelt down to feel his pulse, and the man grasped his wrist. Alec gave a shriek and yanked his arm away, kicking the man in the chest and not looking back as he ran away.
He didn’t care how suspicious he looked. Alec bolted. And when he ran into someone else he started screaming immediately. He shut his eyes as someone gripped his wrist when he tried to run. “Let go of me!”
Surprisingly, the person actually let go. Alec turned around, ready to fight, and saw Simon Lewis staring back at him.
“Simon?” Alec asked incredulously. “What are you-”
“Alec?”
Fear tightened in Alec’s chest. “Oh, God, don’t take me back. Don’t take me back there please.”
“What’s wrong? Alec?” Simon held up his hands calmly. “What is going on?”
“I... I ran away.” Alec whispered. “I ran away from home.”
Simon smiled slightly. “Good job.”
“I-I don’t know what I’m doing!” Alec put his face in his hands. “I should just go home. I thought this was a good idea but it’s not. I think I ran into a murderer before you came!”
“What about Magnus? Are you... leaving without him? He’s going to be crushed-”
“What? No! I don’t know, I was going to call him once I felt safe! Like, out of the state. Or country.”
“Then you’re doing that pretty inefficiently, unless you want to take the long route by going to Mexico. What were you going to do then, after you called Magnus?”
“Elope? I don’t know! I didn’t have a plan past get out of the house!”
Simon bit his lip. “You’re... oh- gosh! You’re bleeding!”
Alec looked at himself. He’d almost forgotten he’d been stabbed. How was that possible?”
“Come on.” Simon said briskly. “I know, uh, we don’t know each other that well. But I’m taking you to the Dumort. Then we’re calling Magnus.”