Malec one shots

Wrong (part 1)

"Good news, I know where the book is; bad news, it's with Camille. Raphael has her buried in the basement of the Hotel DuMort."

Hearing Magnus say Camille's name causes jealousy to surge through Alec's whole body. By the Angel, he's felt more emotions today alone than he did in the first eighteen years of his life combined.

Before Magnus can continue talking, or Alec can do something stupid like kiss him again - his lips are still tingling - there's a crackling sound and then his mother's voice, magically amplified, booms through the whole Institute.

"Everyone on the premises needs to report to the main hall immediately." She sounds grave; Alec's stomach drops. What's happened? "As of right now, the New York Institute is on lockdown. No one enters or leaves. Again, report to the main hall immediately."

"What's going on?" Clary asks immediately.

It's a testament to Alec's good mood that he doesn't say anything snarky. Instead, he shifts closer to Magnus and waits for Jace to patiently say, "I guess we'll have to go to the main hall to find out."

The four of them walk there as a group. Alec keeps glancing over at Magnus because - shit, because now that he's allowing himself to actually, truly notice the other man, he keeps finding new things to draw him further in.

Like his lips. Alec touches his own lips, feeling weightless and stupid as he remembers the feeling of Magnus' mouth against his own.

"Alec, watch it," Jace says suddenly, and Alec snaps out of his own stupor to realize that he's been stepping on his parabatai's heels and, as of a second ago, literally just ran into him.

Magnus smiles at him, radiant, and places a hand on his lower back. Even through his tux, the touch makes Alec's whole body light up. "It's alright, friends. I'll be responsible for this one."

Jace snorts, but he sounds happy, so Alec doesn't feel guilty at all.

Even though he should definitely be worrying why the Institute's going on lockdown, Alec floats the rest of the way to the main hall, pressing close to Magnus and anchored to the earth by the hand on his back.

In the hall, almost everyone's still in formal wear from the wedding - Alec's mind is preparing to berate him, he can already hear his mother's voice: "You organized your own wedding and inconvenienced a lot of important people on your behalf, and then you threw it all away and brought even more shame on this family..." - but then he sees Lydia, sitting down and changed out of her wedding dress, sipping on a glass of water as one of their healers tends to a nasty gash on her forehead.

Alec breaks from the group and hurries over to her, multiple sources of guilt welling over inside him. "Lydia, what happened?"

Lydia sighs tiredly, and her lower lip trembles. Next to her, Alec's mother is rubbing her back. "Someone - attacked me, when I was getting ready to - leave."

"To leave?" Alec repeats stupidly.

"Honestly, Alec, you didn't expect her to stay after that stunt you just pulled in front of all her associates, did you?" Maryse hisses. Alec feels awful, like he's been doused in cold water. "The point is, she was getting ready to go back to the Clave, and someone assaulted her when she removed the Mortal Cup from its safe in preparation to travel with it."

Alec gasps.

"I wasn't strong enough," Lydia says, sounding miserable.

"Lydia, it's not your fault," Alec says immediately. "Mom - Magnus can put up a perimeter, maybe whoever took it is still inside the institute."