Colliding Hearts #Wattys2017

Chapter 40- Deep End, Part 2

"I know I give great advice and I look damn good working out but is there a reason you're lurking in my doorway?" Jace's slightly annoyed voice brought Alec from his thoughts.

Alec had found Jace's bedroom door already open and instead of just entering he had rested against the door frame and waited for Jace to finish his push-ups. In that small frame of time Alec and went over what he wanted to say to Jace and how he could hopefully get help from the younger boy.

"You're sweating and your advice is decent at best." Alec spoke as he entered the room, shutting the door behind him, he didn't want anyone to hear their conversation, especially Clary, Jocelyn or Luke. Jace huffed as he stood and grabbed a towel from his bed and wiped his face before wrapping it around his neck and holding onto the ends.

"Well I'm glad you're on my team we can talk about riding off into the sunset and all that. What's got you so tense?" Jace questioned as he lifted his eyebrow as he took in Alec's appearance. His shoulders were back and he stood straighter than normal, his jaw seemed to tense and his eyes were dark as his arms were firmly folded against his chest.

"I was told by a demon, Magnus's supposedly dead father to be exact, that if I didn't "claim," Alec paused long enough to do air quotes around the word 'claim,' before carrying on, his tone full of worry and annoyance.

"Emerson, Magnus would take her from me. Also, Yue knew the demon and claiming he was friends with the Enochain's and he tried to force Emerson to meet him. Luckily the demon left before Emerson got outside and I hugged her and she just hugged me in my room." Alec finished, folding his arms against his chest once more as he focused on the faraway look Jace had in his golden eyes before he saw his lips twitch into a smirk.

"You hugged? Not exactly a big step but coming from you I guess it's as good as a kiss," Jace spoke as he pulled the towel from his neck before tossing it onto the back of his desk chair and sat down. Alec's jaw ticked and he narrowed his eyes before running his fingers through his hair and rubbing the back of his neck.

"Jace," Alec began but was cut off by Jace chuckling and shaking his head at him.

"So what are you going to do? Let Magnus, who's known her all her life and obviously loves her, have her or are you going to use the whole bond thing to tell her you love her?" Jace questioned as he processed the rest of Alec's words.

Jace had never questioned Magnus's past life, not really caring about how the warlock came to be or what it was he did in his spare time now he wondered if Magnus himself knew of his father. He also wondered if demons even cared for their offspring or if they were just pawns used to cause more havoc on humans and the shadow world alike.

"Kiss?" Alec's thoughts screeched to a halt as the rest of Jace's words was lost as his mark tingled and he felt his neck burn along with his ears and he knew he was blushing.

"Yeah, you touch your lips with another, I'm sure you and Magnus did it, not that I want to think about that." Jace grimaced as he pictured, briefly, his brother kissing another male.

"I didn't come here for this, I came for help." Alec snapped though he wasn't trying to snap at Jace, he was trying to get his heart to stop beating so quickly, to rid those thoughts from his head.

"Fine, what do you want me to say? It's obvious Magnus's father ships you guys so why not listen to him? What's so wrong about the way you're feeling?" Jace questioned in rapid succession, each question filling Alec's mind with answers he didn't want to admit.

"Come Alec, what's so wrong about falling in love with someone you're already bound too, it's obvious the Rhamiel and Ambriel were together so why not you and Emerson?" Jace carried on, firing question after question. Jace knew that eventually the boy would crack and shout the truth; he just had to be persistent enough and ask the right questions.

"Do you want Magnus to have her? Is that what you want me to say?" Jace questioned.

"Do you want him to hold her, to hug her, to kiss her?" Jace carried on as he realized the dark look at that was entering Alec's blue eyes.

"Do you want him to sleep with her? To marry her! To make her his own!" Jace shouted and suddenly he was being shoved into the wall.

His head smacked against the wall and he winced as he felt Alec's forearm resting against his throat, not applying any pressure but holding him there. Jace had never seen such a dark look in his brother's eyes and for a moment he wondered if this was Ambriel, fighting against Alec's will and making him known.

"Come on Alec, if you don't do something you'll lose her." Jace finished speaking as he narrowed his eyes at Alec.

Alec seemed to come to his senses, realizing he was holding his brother against the wall for a brief moment he had actually thought about hitting him. He stumbled backwards as he shook his head a look of horror and sorrow filled his eyes as he turned and ran from Jace's room. He didn't know why he had done that, he had wanted Jace to help and he knew Jace had a strange way of helping.

Alec ran past Simon who called after him in worry as he left the Institute all together. Alec wasn't certain where he was going; he was just running away from Jace and away from his family, away from Emerson and the demon that had appeared with the advice that frightened him.

He just ran.

When Alec stopped running he realized he had ran back to the one place he didn't want to be, it was where he had found Emerson, lying on the ground and bleeding. Where her powers of light had first shone, like a beacon in the dark guiding him to her.

He collapsed in the alley where they might've been cornered and fought for their lives, Emerson and Clary working together to survive filled his mind and he placed his head in his hands as Emerson danced behind his closed eyes. He wanted to scream, to bash his head against the wall, to track down and kill the demon that brought all of these questions and the fear of Magnus taking her to light.

He had a sneaking suspicion that Magnus cared more for Emerson than he let on but he hadn't entertained such thoughts because he knew that if they were true he would lose out to Magnus. Magnus was handsome, sure of himself and always knew what to say and how to react. He knew Emerson better than she seemed to know herself and Alec could never compete with that.

He was lost, in his emotions going from gay to bi to not knowing if he could win Emerson to not knowing if he she could be won to being not who he thought he was to being who he was. Everything was taking a toll on him and he didn't know which way up or was down. He only knew he was sinking and he couldn't stand the thought of fighting any longer.

"Ambriel old friend, it certainly has been awhile." An unfamiliar voice caused Alec to lift his head and stare as a man in a fur coat approached him.

He was short and slightly round, his eyes were hidden behind dark round sunglasses and his shoes seemed to tap against the pavement, his golden can causing and even louder tapping sound. The dragon's eyes were rubies and they seemed to glow as the man came to a stop a few feet from him. That was the last thing Alec recalled seeing, the dragon's ruby red eyes glowing.