Pain is Universal

Chapter 2

After the incident with Magnus and the shape-shifting demons, Alec was weary to go back to the loft in view of mundanes and demons alike. To make sure that the next time someone called out to him, Alec would know if they were about to try and kill him or not, he wisely decided to glamor himself. This meant that, unfortunately, Alec couldn't take a cab.

"Why don't we have any downworlder taxi drivers?" Alec asked himself quietly as he ran. A passing mundane looked around in bewilderment and scratched her head. Alec kept his mouth shut after that, and left it up to the many noises of New York City to cover the sound of his panting and the slap of his shoes on the sidewalk.

He kept a pretty good pace through the city, slowing only to weave through crowds or to stop at crosswalks. Occasionally, Alec would race past a pedestrian with horns or feathers. The downworlders leaped out of his way when Alec came charging at them, lowering their faces to the ground or faking interest in something on the other side of the street so they didn't draw his attention. Alec always felt their curious gazes burning into his back after he flew by them. I wonder if they're surprised I didn't try to stare them down or something. Alec wondered to himself while he was waiting for a light to change. The thought made him unexpectedly sad.

Alec hadn't realized just how far he'd run in his haste to distance himself from Magnus's apartment. Of course, he had no trouble finding his way back (Alec had memorized the city road maps years ago for patrols), but between trying to navigate through crowds of New Yorkers and trying not to get run over, the shadowhunter had a lot of obstacles to dodge. Before, Alec had just been so desperate to find out what was happening to him, that he hadn't thought about any of that. Now though, Alec was cursing himself for being so careless. He'd been lucky to meet a group of demons who liked to announce their presence before they attacked, and that he hadn't bowled over any mundanes in his haste to outrun his own fears.

By the time Alec reached the loft, making sure to scan for enemies in the alleyways he passed nearby, it was nearly dawn. Streaks of pink and purple were slowly draping themselves over the clouds, bathing the buildings in a soft, orange hue. Alec thought about how beautiful it would be as a painting, and scowled. Art made him think of Clary, and Clary made him think of Jace, and Clary's connection to Jace. Alec pushed aside the jealousy creeping up his throat and approached the apartment building wearily.

When he pressed the button for Magnus's loft, he listened to the sound of it ringing with apprehension, and pretended to line up a shot with his bow. The movement calmed him.

"WHO CALLS UPON THE GREAT MAGNUS BANE?!" screamed the speaker.

"GAHHHH!" screamed Alec. His bow fell to the ground with a clatter, and Alec raced to retrieve it. In his haste to pick up his weapon, Alec forgot about the quiver on his back, and bent at the waist. The sound that he made when his arrows fell onto the sidewalk beside his bow was one he desperately hoped Magnus hadn't heard.

"You alright out there?" the speaker blared. Alec blushed deeply.

"Um...y-yes!" he stammered. Magnus, thankfully, didn't comment on Alec's squeaky voice.

"Would you still like to come up, Shadowhunter? Or is dropping your weapon in hearing of a downworlder too embarrassing for your tiny-angel ego?" Alec didn't ask how Magnus had known it was him. He was too focused on the bitterness he'd heard Magnus hiding behind the jab. Alec thought about what to say for a moment. If he were more like Jace, Alec could have made some clever joke.

"Um... I'd still like to come up. If.... that's okay?" he asked timidly. Unfortunately, Alec was not Jace.

Magnus was silent for a moment. Alec tried to tell himself that he wasn't worried about being turned away. Magnus wasn't that special. As soon as he heard the telltale buzzing of the door being unlocked for him, Alec knew it hadn't worked. He gave a huge sigh of relief and silently thanked the angel. Gathering up the rest of his arrows and all of the courage he had, Alec pushed open the door and mounted the stairs to Magnus's loft.