The Prince of Hell

Distractions & Confrontations part 1

Sorry for any mistakes, too tired to do anymore re-reads. I'll check back later.

-------

Chapter 13

When Magnus arrived at the Institute, Alec was already waiting for him near the entrance. He hadn't even noticed Magnus' arrival as he stood by a cluster of trees, staring off into nothing.

Magnus took a moment to study him, taking in his tense shoulders and his slightly bowed head, raven hair falling forward into his eyes. Despite it having only been a few hours since they were together, he already missed gazing into those blue eyes, eyes that never seized to take his breath away.

"Alexander," he called, placing a hand on the shadowhunter's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Startled, Alec jolted slightly, letting out a relieved breath at the sight of the warlock. "You startled me."

"Sorry about that. Is everything alright?" Magnus asked again, gently rubbing his hand up and down Alec's arm in a comforting gesture, the concern clear in his voice. "You seemed lost in thought."

Alec nodded. "I'm fine. Can we just get out of here?" He wanted to be anywhere but the Institute at that moment.

"Sure." Magnus didn't bother asking where he wanted to go. It was obvious that something was troubling his mate, so he simply took hold of Alec's hand, squeezing gently as he quickly used his free hand to open up a portal back to his apartment.

-------

"Would you like something to drink?" Magnus offered as soon as he and Alec stepped out of the portal and into his living room, their hands still tucked comfortably in the other's.

"Some tea would be fine," Alec shrugged. Honestly, he could've done with a strong drink, but thought better of it. It still being morning and all.

Magnus raised a brow. "Any flavor in particular?"

With a forced a smile, "Peppermint," came Alec's reply.

The two made themselves comfortable on Magnus' couch, removing their jackets before the warlock conjured a cup of tea for Alec, and a cappuccino for himself.

They sat in silence for a while, Magnus watching Alec, waiting for him to say something, anything, but his mate once again seemed lost in his thoughts. Alec's posture was rigid as he sat near the edge of the couch, arms resting on his parted knees with both hands hugging the warm mug protectively as he sipped his thee, almost robotically.

Something was seriously wrong.

Not able to withstand the tense silence anymore, "Darling, please, tell me what's gotten you so upset?" Magnus' eyes were pleading. Placing his cup on the glass coffee table in front of them, he angled his body so that he was now facing Alec directly.

Alec's head snapped towards Magnus. He looked as though he'd just remembered where he was and that he wasn't alone. Sighing, he placed his mug next to Magnus' on the coffee table before combing a hand through his hair, pushing the soft raven tresses away from his face as he leaned back against the couch.

"Where do I start?" He muttered to himself, suddenly unsure if he should tell Magnus about Jonathan. It was something he had promised to keep to himself, and not just for Jonathan's sake, but for his own as well. "Are you sure I'm not interrupting any plans?" He asked, eyes moving away from the intricate designs etched into the ceiling to glance over at Magnus.

Magnus scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous..." he started.

"I just don't want to bother you, and it's not that big of a thing...Really." Alec tried to sound unbothered but he wasn't fooling anyone, definitely not Magnus. All Alec could think about was how weak he had been, and how if Clary had not shown up when she did, the worse could have happened. Everyone already treated him as though he were fine china; fragile and brittle, forever to be handled with delicate fingers. The last thing he wanted was for Magnus to treat him that way as well. "I shouldn't have..."