West of Words (Alec Lightwood)

🗝 Chapter Forty-Two 🗝

Magnus Bane was a flurry of fear as he portaled to the Institute. His hair a wild mess, his makeup in runs down his face.

The front door to the Institute slams open with an unseen force, the Shadowhunters make half-attempts to stop him, no one truly wanting to get in the way of an angry Warlock. He storms through the ops room, following his gut to find the Shadowhunter that his son had such an attachment to in the courtyard.

"Where is my son?" The second the words leave his mouth, he regrets it. Alec looks over at him, a just as terrified look in his eyes, he tries to speak, but all that Magnus can focus on is the woman on the bench.

Jocelyn Fairchild looks up at him with a confused look on her face, the words that she had just been speaking to the little replica next to her lost in the distraction.

Alec appears in front of him, and he looks up at the Shadowhunter. Watching as the man spends much to long trying to form his words. "We tracked down Jace, and during the fight Varian nearly lost control. He was taken by Valentine and Jace, and we're still trying to find him." 

Magnus could see how railroaded the young Shadowhunter felt, and though he felt the need to reach out he didn't. "How the fuck did this happen?" He almost felt bad for his use of language, but he couldn't be bothered with it.

"He-" Alec trailed off, looking obviously pale, Izzy spoke for him.

"Alec and I were down. Varian took over the fight, but when he used his magic it was black as can be and he seemed to shake with power." Izzy sounded scared as she spoke, though she tried to hide it. It was the first time Magnus wished he could see the emotions of others in the way his son did. "Alec was speaking to him, but he seemed unable to hear it, and when he finally got through Varian fell to the ground. Jace took him through the portal."

Magnus Bane didn't have time to get angry, the knowledge that his son had lost control of his magic for the second time in less than a week made him sad. He pushed it away. "We need to find my son."

It was spoken in finality, and no one protested.

~~~

When Varian woke up, he was distinctly numb.

His mind, his body, his magic, all of it a blanket of numbness over his body.

A searing light above his eyes made his mind wince, but his body just blearily blinked. A voice spoke, but the words a jumble in his mind.  Varian looked across himself, the room so purely white he was no longer in the street as he had been before, the voice spoke again.

"You're awake." It was said with a yellow tint. "How are you feeling?"

Varian groaned as a response, his mind slowly waking up as he rolled around on the bed. "Where am I?"

The person stepped closer, the fog covering her face cleared away, and Varian recognized the white coat of a doctor. "The hospital, I'm Doctor Beverly Smith. Do you know who you are? Do you know how you got here?"

It was a simple question, and Varian swallowed through the dry lump in his throat. "Varian. Varian Bane." He coughed, a flare of pain passing over him as the movement rocked him. "I got hurt."

The doctor scoffed, but not in a rude way, more of a light hearted joking tone. "More than that Mr. Bane. You're severely dehydrated, your blood pressure dropped drastically. You have a Colles fracture in your left wrist, and a displaced scaphoid wrist fracture. Two of your fingers are broken."

Varian didn't need it explained to him, he could feel the injury even through the steady stream of morphine coming through his IV.

The doctor took another step closer to the bed, poking and prodding at the machines surrounding his bed side. Varian had never stepped foot in a Mundane Hospital, he quickly realized that he did not in fact like it.

"When can I leave?" Varian already made the move to sit up, noticing the splint and wrappings around his wrist. Doctor Smith attempted to stop Varian but he pushed her away. "I have to get home."

Doctor Smith shook her head. "Mr. Bane we are concerned that you are being abused. The injuries to your wrist hint at it."

It was said so carelessly. "And I would like a bloody different doctor." Varian's reply came quickly and harshly, he leaned away from the glowing yellow doctor, recognizing the falseness attached to it. "I was mugged."

The Doctor tried to speak again, but Varian held a finger up effectively silencing her with a glare, and once again requesting a new doctor. The woman sighed before leaving, and Varian rolled his shoulder, groaning as he continued to move himself into a seated position. Minutes later a new doctor entered, launching into apologies that Varian waved off. He explained what needed to be done before Varian could leave, as well as informing him that he would be leaving against medical advisement.

Varian did not care.

All his mind could think on was the Downworlders trapped on the ship, and the fact that he had stolen energy that was solely angry from a man that he had grown up despising. It made Varian feel dirty, like he jumped in the mud and couldn't get clean.

The doctor had left in the time that Varian's mind had wandered, returning with a box of supplies and a nurse. He explained that casting the arm was going to hurt, but that it was a necessary evil.

Varian picked blue (an afterthought of the blue hair that Alec had loved).