West of Words (Alec Lightwood)

🗝 Chapter Seventeen 🗝

Varian's baba  looked terrible sad at the confirmation, but happy at the use of the language he had taught his son so long ago.

"He's getting married."

Varian paused, and for just a second he seemed stuck in time, like he wasn't sure what was just said. His baba  continued speaking but it fell on deaf ears, and Varian didn't know what to do.

He, of course, had not known the Shadowhunter for long, he'd barely had four conversations with him, but there was a connection. A connection that felt deeply intimate, and in this moment Varian wished more than anything that he could not see the emotions of others. The image of the pink and scarlet surrounding Alec every time they locked eyes was something he could not get out of his head.

"I think you should go and stay with Ragnor, at least until after the wedding, maybe longer." Varian could focus on his baba's  words, and he didn't disagree.

"I'll go." Varian sighed, feeling more tired than he ever had. His baba  reached over, pressing a hand to Varian's forearm in a way of comfort. "He's been wanting me to visit."

He smiled as he tried to change the subject. "What happened this morning?"

"Glad to see you care," Varian said it in a sarcastic way, though he knew his baba  loved him. "I'm still not sure, but it felt awful. Clarissa, Clary, somehow ripped me through space to where she was. She's got no idea how it happened, all I know is it left me in pain."

Varian shrugs off the concerned look of his baba. "I'll talk to Ragnor about it when I go, he's good with magic like that."

His baba  nodded, "Okay."

The room fell silent, leaning towards awkward. Varian stood from his armchair, setting his mug onto the coffee table.

"I'm going to my workroom. I'll say goodbye before I leave."

It was a vague way of telling his baba  that he wanted to be alone, who didn't change the emotion surrounding him as he stood.

"I'll see you then." His baba  stepped towards him with a smile, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug. "I love you."

Varian muttered it back, before stepping away and moving towards workroom. He could feel his baba  leave, and the second he did he felt the sadness of it all. He didn't go to his workroom, he just used it as an excuse to get his baba  to leave.

Varian walked to his room, attempting to ignore the emotions that he felt as he waved his hand and a bag began to pack on his bed.

There was so much he didn't want to deal with.

First and foremost, the fact that Alec was getting married. He had no mention of it before, not even a hint, and suddenly tada marriage. Then there was the fact that he was still lying to all of them (more specifically Clary) about the fact that he was related to her.

The sound of the front door unlocking knocked Varian's concentration off, and he sighed, willing the bag to continue packing as he walked to the front of the apartment.

"Hey Si-" Varian trailed off, looking at the figure in disappointment.

It was Simon and that wasn't what bothered him. What bothered him was the fact that Alec Lightwood was in tow.

Simon noticed Varian's displeasure immediately.

"Oh shi-t," he dragged out the word, "Should I not have brought him?"

"No, you shouldn't have." Varian's voice was obviously angry as he spoke, and Simon leaned away, pointing awkwardly towards his room.

"I'm just gonna go, sorry V."

Varian smiled despite himself as the boy walked away, and Varian followed moments later. He ignored Alec's presence as he went, walking into his workroom and pretending like he was busy. Alec followed of course, and Varian avoiding looking at him as he spoke.

"Tired of bickering over your bloody guest list?" Varian asked, mashing moonstone in his mortar. He noticed the tinge of white surrounding Alec, it meant that he felt genuinely sorry, but Varian wasn't sure what about.

"I need to ask you something." Alec replied.

Varian hummed, sprinkling a bit of buttercup petals into the mixture. He didn't say anything else to Alec, he didn't want to.

"It's Izzy."

That got Alec's attention.

He may be pissed off that Alec hadn't told him he was engaged, and let Varian continue flirting despite the fact, but he wouldn't let Izzy suffer from the disagreement.

His mortar made a loud thunk as Varian set it on the table. "What's happened?" Varian looked up at Alec for the first time.

"My sister is on trial, for-"

Varian interrupted, "What happened with Meliorn. I didn't think they'd go as far to try and de-rune her."

Alec nodded, tucking his arms behind his back and standing at what was basically attention, though Varian wasn't sure why. "My sister wants you to be her defense attorney. I said I would ask, but I'm sorry to bother you. I know a Downworlder can't defend a Shadowhunter in court."

That wasn't entirely true, a Shadowhunter could pick anyone they wanted to defend them.

"I'll do it." Varian spoke before Alec could turn to leave. He shared the fact with Alec as a reason why, but technically Varian wasn't a Downworlder. But either way it would work without outing himself to the entire Shadowhunter community.

"How does that work?" Alec asked, a flash of yellow passed over him, showing his excitement that Izzy was getting what she wanted.

Varian sighed before speaking. "The Clave was so terrible in the beginning of all of this, they didn't think Downworlders and Shadowhunters would be close enough to ask for help." He paused, "So since, as you say, 'the law is the law', there's no stopping me."

Alec smiled, "Thank you so much. I'll go-"

Varian interrupted, "For the right price."

The excitement dissipated from around Alec, before he nodded, "Name it."

"You." Varian said it without thinking about it, and at the pink that flashed around Alec he felt the same way. "Your bow and quiver, it would be a true sacrifice."

Alec sighed, "Done."

He told him that it was an hour before the trial was suppose to start, and then he was gone, and Varian felt empty.