West of Words (Alec Lightwood)

🗝 Chapter Nine 🗝

Varian watched as the Shadowhunters seemed to self combust in front of him.

They looked as if they all wanted to unpack what had just happened, but the cup was more important. Varian shut his eyes, letting the feeling of peace overtake the chaotic emotions of the institute. Varian didn't listen as they all began to argue about whether or not to give the Cup to the Clave, his concentration was on not being overwhelmed by all of the emotions.

"I'm leaving. Deal with this yourselves." His voice was emotionless when he spoke, his eyes opened, and he avoided the look of everyone in the room.

"No wait, we need you." Alec spoke way to quickly, his voice urgent. All Varian did was shake his head.

Though Varian's services were open to anyone who needed it, very rarely did he work with Shadowhunters. There were dozens of reasons why but above all was the truth that they only concentrate on themselves. Fix my wards, heal my wounds, it was all the same with them. 

But Alec, something was off about him. Something that made Varian trust Alec.

"Call me then." Varian pulled a playing card out of thin air, the same kind as the one he gave Clary. He passed it to the dark haired Shadowhunter, before turning away and walking to the front door of the institute.

A warning bell started to sound, and Varian sighed, aware of the fact that he wouldn't be able to really leave if they were facing an attack. It would be 'against his moral code' as his baba  put it, and Varian could sense the presence of a Downworlder. The Shadowhunters that he had just been speaking too ran towards the door, weapons raised and ready to attack.

The day had turned dark, and at the realization Varian let out a long yawn. He would deal with whatever this was, and then go home.

"Don't move!" Jace was the one to command, and whoever it was paused in it's tracks. "Drop what you're holding!"

And then Varian recognized what all of this was. Simon Lewis, dead, in the arms of a Vampire.

"What the hell did you do Raphael?" It was the first time Varian had spoken so aggressively, he hates being mad even if it's justified. Raphael flinched away from Varian's voice, before setting the mundane on the ground and speaking to Varian directly.

"Not me. Camille."

Camille has been a thorn in Varian's side ever since he was a child, and his baba's  before that. The amount of Mundanes and Downworlders that Varian has had to save from the brink of death because of Camille is ridiculous, but this was one mundane he couldn't save.

"Killing Simon is grounds for war." Izzy was angry, and terrified, there was a connection between her and the Vampire, whether it be past or future, there was definitely one there.

"The Vampire's had nothing to do with this." Varian was quick to speak up, he did not want to see a war between the Downworlders and Shadowhunters. "Camille has gone rouge, as usual."

Varian felt awful that the mundane was dead, but some part of him recognized the fact that this would not be the last time he saw the mundane. Though, he would not be a mundane next time. Varian left the Shadowhunters to figure out their next steps, he hailed a cab, something he hadn't done in a while, and was on the road home before they even realized he was gone.

Varian was dozing off in the car, his side still ached from the newly healed Shax demon bite. His mind was reeling, he had just used a stele for the first time in years on himself, and in front of a large group of Shadowhunters.

But he didn't want to think about it, he didn't want to, so he wouldn't.

He took the elevator to get to his floor, the comfort of his wards on his apartment made him feel at home the second he stepped inside.

"Baba?" Varian called as soon as he stepped in, when he received no reply, he couldn't help but feel disappointed until he stepped into the living room.

His baba  was asleep on the couch, arms and legs sprawled haphazardly over the back of the couch. Varian smiled, pulling a blanket out of thin air (though it was really his guest room) and spreading it across his baba. Varian pat his baba  shoulder as he walk around to the kitchen. He was too tired to do anything, but to awake to go to sleep.

He couldn't get over the fact that he had just so simply borrowed a stele from a Shadowhunter and marked a rune on his skin. Varian pressed a hand to where the rune should be, before sighing and setting his hand on the counter top.

He made himself a cup of tea, milk, two sugars, before taking a seat on the stool by the bar top. There was to much rolling around in his head, and as he sat there, he could only think of the Shadowhunter with the dark hair and blue eyes.

There was something off about him, as Varian had already noticed, but he couldn't place his hand on it. The emotions of the Shadowhunter was stronger in Varian's eyes. He could see them clear as day and bright as the stars, but the colors were off. It was like he was seeing them in high definition, something that had never happened before.

"Birdie."

Varian lurched out of his trance, looking up at his baba  with a smile that he hoped didn't look fake. He watched as his baba  made another drink for himself, before standing on the other side of the kitchen just looking at him.

"What's wrong." It wasn't phrased as a question, and when Varian waved him off his baba  was quick to reply; "I'm a Warlock, I know when something's out of place."

Varian sighed. "I am thinking about the Shadowhunters." Varian took a long sip from his mug of tea before sharing the fact that he had used a rune so easily in front of them and left before questions could be asked. "I am a, a bodoh."

"Sometimes." His baba chuckled, and Varian looked up at him with a glare. "But you don't have to be perfect." Varian shook his head, knowing that he was right, as usual.

"I never would have done it-"

"Probably, but there's no use dwelling on it. Have a drink with me." His baba's face lit up suddenly, before he offered to dye Varian's hair a new color. "It'll be fun Birdie."

It didn't take much for his baba  to convince Varian to die his hair, and a few hours later Varian's hair was freshly blue, and he felt just a bit better about everything within the past few days.