Once Upon A Time In Brooklyn

Chapter Seven: The Fairest In All of Brooklyn

"Well, at least he can sleep," Jace said, poking Magnus' cheek. The warlock didn't even stir. Beside the bed, Alec hadn't moved at all since they'd all arrived. Clary said he'd carried Magnus to the bedroom, pulled up the chair and sat there, just like that, his head in his hands.

Jace put his hand on his parabatai's shoulder. Alec put his hand over it briefly, before sinking back into his previous posture. Clary walked in. She had the curse book in her hand.

"What happened?" Jace asked. Clary looked at Alec for a moment before looking back at Jace.

"We had a fight," Clary said and Jace could hear from her voice that she was tempering the truth. Her eyes were pinned on Alec.

"No. Magnus and I had a fight," Alec said softly. "If Clary hadn't been there... I think I'd have actually hit him."

Jace raised an eyebrow at that. Alec wasn't the kind to resort to physical violence very often, so for it to get that bad. He glanced at Clary but she was looking resolutely away from both of them.

"What was it about?" Jace prompted. He felt like he was talking to a three year old about hitting his sister or something. Alec stood up suddenly and started pacing. The sudden change from being stock still to being active told Jace more about his parabatai's mental state than anything else.

"Stupid Downworlder politics and him being dumb about letting us help him and then you killed that werewolf-" Alec was clearly on a tirade so Jace tuned him out until he finished gesturing. Alec sometimes just needed to vent. He kept everything so tight to his chest that Jace wondered, sometimes, if Alec had a box in his heart where he locked away his emotions. It was refreshing to see them pour out.

"Firstly, didn't kill the werewolf. Izzy captured it and it was hauled to trial," he said, holding up a finger. "Secondly, whatever Magnus chooses to do is his decision. Whatever you choose to do is yours. But when friends are being stupid, it's good to have their back, even if they don't appreciate it."

Alec stared at him for a long moment before the tension dropped out of his shoulders.

"We're not friends. Magnus made that clear," Alec replied and Jace felt like slapping him in that instant. And Magnus for that matter.

"You mean you had a fight and the two of you yelled things at each other and now you're going to hold him as responsible for his words as you hold yourself for almost hitting him?" Jace asked. Alec looked at him. Jace could see it. For the first time, he realised that he was picking up in a change in Alec before Alec could see it himself.

Usually Alec was the perceptive one. Alec was the one who bent to the needs of their bond, who supported it, who nurtured it. But now Jace could see that Alec was completely and utterly lost. He had no way of navigating his feelings, his thoughts, his actions. He was like a child, stumbling around and trying not to knock too many things over.

And he was like this over Magnus .

Jace knew Alec was gay, would have to have been blind not to notice. But he'd never thought too much about the specifics of who Alec was attracted to. Not until now, with Alec clearly fighting with every ounce of his closeted little soul to stop them from finding out.

And what was worse was that Jace was going to let him believe he had stopped them from finding out, if only for his parabatai's pride.

"It'll be alright, Alec," Jace said, putting aside his own feelings on the matter and doing what he knew was right - reassuring his brother. "When Magnus wakes up, you two will be able to straighten things out."