Be Happy For Me - A Mortal Instruments fanfic

Be Happy For Me

"There you are."

Jace was standing in the doorway of Alec's room, taking in the scene. "I've been wondering what you were up to. Why don't you let me do that?"

Alec looked down at the stele in his hands, at the rune for speed he had been drawing on his own bare chest. Then he looked back at Jace, a slightly apologetic look in his eyes.

Marking each other was their ritual, performed before every mission ever since they shared the parabatai bond. No matter how much at odds they had been, no matter how cross and insulted and upset at each other, not once had they renounced the extra power that runes drawn by parabatai gave them. Not once, ever.

Until now.

Alec lowered his gaze. "I didn't think you'd want... I mean..." He blushed.

"Don't talk rubbish." Jace strode over to the bed and snatched the stele out of Alec's hands. "Come here."

Alec turned towards him and gritted his teeth when the stele touched his skin. Jace drew the rune in silence while Alec sat tensely, avoiding his gaze. Eventually Jace sighed.

"I can see you're not going to broach the subject yourself and just ignoring it won't solve anything," he said matter-of-factly. "So. How exactly do you feel about Magnus Bane?"

Alec flinched and Jace closed his eyes, wanting to kick himself. Well done, he thought. You really know how to broach a touchy subject.

"Sorry," he said aloud, in what he hoped was a gentle voice. "I didn't mean to be tactless. It's just..." He hesitated.

Alec looked up. "What?" he asked edgily. Jace met his gaze, not bothering to look at the stealth rune he was drawing on Alec's forearm.

"You know I'm not exactly the most observant person on earth," he admitted. "Clary and Izzy can read people much better than I. But even I noticed that Magnus was hurt yesterday. So... how do you feel about him?"

"There's nothing," Alec said quickly. "Between us, I mean. He's just... a friend."

"He didn't seem to think so."

Alec shrugged, and Jace let out a sigh.

"Please don't lie to me, Alec," he said earnestly. "You know I can always tell." He paused. "You know you can tell me everything."

Alec bit his lip. "Why would Magnus be hurt?" he asked, avoiding the question.

"Maybe because you denied your relationship with him and pretended that he doesn't mean anything to you?" Jace suggested.

"He– but I don't mean anything to him either!" Alec protested. "So why would that bother him? He just agreed to go out with me because he pitied–" He held his breath. Then, apparently realising that it was too late anyway, he went on resignedly. "He felt sorry for me, that's all. Why would a person like him care at all about me?"

"Why shouldn't he?" Jace said honestly. "You're worth caring about."

Alec gaped at him, and Jace felt a stab of pity at seeing the incredulity in his parabatai's eyes.

"But I'm just... me," the older boy said disbelievingly. "I'm not cool or handsome or funny or a good fighter or anything! I'm not... not you," he added, very quietly.

Jace stared at his friend, comprehension slowly dawning on him. So this was why Alec had been so upset that Jace didn't care about his relationship with Magnus. He was in love with him.

Apparently, Alec had realised that he had given himself away. Blushing furiously, he tried to pull his arm out of Jace's hands, but Jace tightened his grip around the other boy's wrists.