West of Words (Alec Lightwood)

🗝 Chapter Thirty-Nine 🗝

"You said you had two questions Darling." Varian's voice was soft when he spoke again, whether from the minutes of non-use, or the long term kissing, he couldn't be sure. "What's the second?"

Alec smiled, "The bumps on your head, the ones that hurt you when I touched them." The area surrounding him turned slightly blue, signally that Alec felt bad about the incident.

Varian waved off the apology that was sure to follow if he didn't say or do something. He lifted his hand, de-tangling himself from the older man in the process (something he wished he hadn't a need to do), before softly carding a hand through his hair. He parted it slowly, cautious for the pain that would follow if he touched the horns in too harsh a way, and in the process let the magic holding the blue in his hair fade, and suddenly it was entirely Varian sitting in front of the man, his stark white hair standing out with little black horns curling up. Perfectly and truly himself.

"They're horns," Varian smiled, feeling embarrassed as he avoiding looking the man in the eyes, worried that the new reveal would change the way the man felt about him.

A soft hand reached up and brushed along the curve of Varian's jaw, before falling back and tugging on the hairs at the nape of his neck. Varian looked up at the movement, his cheeks lighting up pink as he found himself rather enjoying the feeling of Alec's hand in his hair.

"I like the white." Alec said it with a small knowing smile, as if it were an inside joke shared between the two of them. In a way it was.

It was quiet between the two, a soft quiet that Varian found comfort in.

Until he didn't.

A specific feeling that he had felt not so long ago, though long enough that he could have sworn he'd forgotten it. Varian's mouth opened as he tried to speak, to warn the man whose arms wrapped around him of the coming event, but it was far to late.

In the same way that he could share emotions through skin to skin contact the flash of images that crossed Varian's mind, that caused his body to go rigid and his mind to wander far, passed into Alec.

An angel rising above a lake, tall and powerful, his voice booming in words that muffled in Varian's ears, a bolt from a crossbow flying through the air, a greater demon searing its way across New York. The distinct sage green of betrayal clouded the visions, and just as quickly as Varian crashed into the vision he snapped out of it.

"Varian open your eyes." It was not the first time Alec had spoken, but it was first Varian had heard.

Alec looked at Varian below, his face contorted into a panicked look, though a slight happiness in his eyes. Varian pressed a hand to his cheek, smiling softly and muttering an apology as he question whether or not he should sit up. Alec's hand cradled his head in such a soft way, his hand sat on his chest, the look in his eyes enough for Varian to ask what he had seen.

The Shadowhunter shook his head, as if unsure what he had seen.

"It's the future, or at least a chance of what the future could be." The image of the angel seared as Varian accidentally recalled it, he winced, before smiling in a soft way and asking once again what Alec had seen.

"I saw Jace." Alec's voice had a questioning edge to it.

Varian smiled, "And I know where he is."

It was a perfect balance, though entirely accidental. In sharing the future with Alec they had both seen what needed to be seen. Alec his parabatai, and Varian the location of the one person he needed to help in this moment.

The smile on Alec's face made up for the missing energy in Varian. He let Alec pull him to his feet, not feeling any embarrassment in his heavy leaning as they moved to leave the room, his hair unconsciously turning back to blue as they went.

Varian mumbled as they went, mostly incoherent spells in a way of passing a message to Jace, to tell him that he has to stay where he is, that they are coming. The image of the crossbow bolt flying through the air alerted Varian to the threat on someone's life, more specifically Jace's, and no matter the concentration he put into the situation he couldn't see the other side of the crossbow.

Alec stopped mid-stride, and Varian nearly went head first down the stairs of the Institute, only stopping when Alec grabbed his arm. "I can't leave the Institute." His voice was so disappointed, and Varian frowned, feeling the sadness as Alec looked down at him.

He was so close to getting his parabatai back, and he was held behind only by Aldertree and his dumb new rule.

"Let me try." Varian muttered, nodding with such reassurance as he stepped down the stairs that Alec believed he could do absolutely anything he put his mind to, which of course he would believe in any situation. Alec followed only steps behind, a flat look on his face.

Aldertree was in the ops room, his hands on his hips and a concentrating look in his eyes. Varian didn't feel any form of negative emotion as he approached the man and interrupted his concentration.

"I've found Jace, and Alec and I are going to retrieve him." It was a statement that gave Aldertree no room to negotiate, though as he turned Varian could see the disagreement in the air around him (a red-green color).

"And where is Jace?" Aldertree asked, it did not garner a response from Varian, and the silence was an obvious annoyance to the new Head of the Institute. "I'll ask again Mr. Bane, where is Jace Wayland?"

Varian could feel the want to laugh radiating off of the man behind him, and if not for the seriousness of the conversation Varian might have cracked a smile.

"I believe, Mr. Bane, you have outstayed your welcome and usefulness." Aldertree waved his hand, and Varian felt Alec step closer. A sudden realization that this was not going how he expected. "These two will take you to my office-"

Varian interrupted, "I am borrowing Alexander and Isabelle Lightwood, we are going to fetch Jace Wayland, you are not invited to join." Once again, no room for negotiation, and even more so once Varian turned and began to make his way to the exit, Alec seconds behind and a wary Izzy crossing the room to join.

He heard the muttered comment of 'follow them' come from Aldertree, but busied himself with concentrating on forming a portal for them to step through.

With one hand in Alec's and the other around Izzy's wrist Varian pulled the both through, letting the portal close with an audible clap behind them, seconds before Aldertree's goons could step in after them.

Varian smiled at Alec in an amused way, a joking tone to his voice as he spoke. "Sometimes it is better to tell, then to ask."