A Malec Alphabet

S- Subtle

Subtle (Magnus isn't)

Alec was late back from the Clave meeting. His hand was trembling as he tried to fit the key in the lock so much that you could hear the jingling of the keys from inside the apartment. He shut the door as quietly as he could, noticing that Magnus had a client, and walked quickly to the bedroom with his head down. He pushed open the door the the en-suite bathroom and locked the door. Slowly, looking at himself in the mirror, he pushed his hair away from his face. He examined the damage. One swollen eye, bruises on his cheekbones and jawline and a split lip. He closed his good eye and clenched the sink in his hands, not noticing the ceramic cracking slightly under his grip. He only looked up when Magnus knocked on the door.

"Are you alright, Alec? You've been in there a long time... Markus is gone if that makes you feel better."

Alec brushed his hair over the swollen eye, but decided there was noting he could do about the bruises and split lip. He opened the door, head slightly bowed. "Yeah, I'm fine." He said, trying to smile and tasting blood as his split lip cracked again.

"No you're not, you're bleeding." Magnus said worriedly, dabbing at Alec's lip with a piece of tissue. He pushed Alec's hair out of his face and gasped. "Who did this to you?"

Alec swallowed. "Look, it doesn't matter. I'll get my stele and it will all be gone."

"Who did this to you, Alec?" Magnus asked, his voice tinged with anger.

"No one." Alec said. "I walked into a tree on my way home. It's fine."

He walked briskly back into the bedroom and rummaged in his bag to get his stele. Magnus watched anxiously as Alec traced an iratze onto his shoulder.

"Listen, something's wrong and he's not telling me." Magnus hissed to Izzy, ducking under her floral umbrella. Alec was walking in the rain a few paces behind them, Jace chattering aimlessly beside him. "He came home the other night covered in bruises and he told me he walked into a tree."

Izzy rolled her eyes. "Maybe he did. He's not the most clear-sighted person out there."

"You didn't see them Izzy. And that wasn't the only time as well. Someone hurt him and he won't tell me anything. He's got something on his mind and he's keeping it to himself."

Izzy paused at the door to the cafe. "Maybe you should give him space for a while. Or just ask him." She pushed the door open and stepped inside, shaking her umbrella. They made their way over to a table where a large number of chairs had been pulled over, Clary waiting in one of them. Izzy beamed at the redhead and sat down elegantly in one of the chairs. Magnus stretched out on a mini-couch, and frowned slightly when Alec sat between Jace and Izzy as oppose to by him. Maia came in a few minutes later and had to sit by Magnus. Clary ordered coffee for everyone, and everyone was chatting, except for Alec who held back in the conversation and was more concerned with blowing on his coffee to cool it down.

A large bald guy got up on stage. "I'd like to welcome you to Java Jones, this is Ballerina Dragon!" Everyone clapped, and Jace looked appalled.

"'Ballerina Dragon'? What kind of a name is that?" Everyone shushed him as the band walked onto the stage. Simon sought out Izzy and beamed at her, his ears going red as she smiled back.

The dude on drums started out a beat and the rest of the band joined in, Jordan growling into the microphone, Simon playing the bass and some random guy playing the guitar badly.

Alec winced as the music kicked in, and slumped in his seat. Jace yawned and Clary giggled at their reactions, but Izzy and Maia seemed interested. Even Magnus, who listened to Faerie music had to admit that Simon's band were not the best. Jordan was a good singer, and Simon was a decent bassist, but he had no idea what the guitarist was trying to do, and the drummer was completely out of time. And the actual song itself was part of the problem.