"Maybe this club was a bad idea," Jesper muses, not for the first time, staring into his glass contemplatively. The strobe lights flicker across his face, highlighting his dark eyes, turning his long lashes blue one second and red the next as he frowns down at the mass of inebriated Downworlders. "Maybe I should have tried a small bookstore. Or a coffee shop."
Nina rolls her eyes. "Don't be stupid, Jes," she hiccups. "Coffee makes you way too jittery and a small bookstore would've bored you."
Jesper beams widely. "You know me so well," he chirps, giving up any pretense of sobriety as he leans towards Nina, overbalances, and tumbles onto her chaise. He mutters a quick spell under his breath to keep his glass of whiskey from shattering against the floor.
Nina gives him a reproachful look as she fumbles with her own glass before settling down and sniffing haughtily. "Don't be so dramatic," she says, taking another sip from her fucking chalice of wine and leaning backwards so she's up against Matthias, who is currently serving as the designated driver, although his sobriety won't last long judging by how drunk Nina is already.
Matthias lets out a long-suffering sigh. "Nina."
Nina snuffles and leans back farther until she's lying in his lap. Matthias stiffens. "Nina," he says as if accenting her name is going to make a difference. He shakes her shoulder once, then twice only to find that she's fallen asleep even amidst the strobe lights and cacophony. He sighs again, but this time it sounds...fond.
Jesper watches them wistfully, significantly more level-headed now that he's been reminded of all the things he'll never have. "Go," he says, so softly that even Matthias, with his werewolf hearing, almost misses it.
Matthias gives him a solemn look, then lifts Nina and promptly stalks out of the club without so much as a backward glance. Jesper rolls his eyes and takes another swig.
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Wylan wakes up to his father's shouts, which is unusual because usually his father scolds him from Idris, where he can pretend he doesn't have a son when he wants to. He groans and rubs his eyelids, sitting up and bracing himself for a speech that will most likely turn into a day-long lecture on "responsibility" and "being a worthy heir."
"Father," he says, clasping his hands together behind his back and trying to his best to stand tall and stay still as Jan van Eck strides into the room. "What can I do for you?"
"Apparently there's a new demon on the loose and for some reason the warlocks want us to look into it. Take your parabatai- what's his name, Kyle?" his father asks, sniffing at the cabinet full of his mother's things.
"Kuwei, father." Wylan sighs.
"Don't use that tone of voice on me," Jan says sharply.
"Sorry father," Wylan says, not at all apologetic.
"God knows I've got better things to do than memorize the names of people I barely see," he says sharply.
"Yes, father," Wylan says.
Jan rubs his temples, as if pawning all of his paperwork off on others and encouraging crime and corruption in an already corrupt city has somehow exhausted him. "Anyway, take Kuwait to do...whatever it is that he does, and go sort it out. We don't need any more trouble with them."
Wylan digs his fingernails into his palms and nods. "Oh, and one more thing," Jan continues, with one foot already outside the door, "Please, try not to make a fool of yourself." Wylan scoffs and collapses back onto his mattress.
Barely a minute after his father walks out, Kuwei walks in holding an apple. "What was that about?" he asks, taking an exaggerated bite.
"Something about a new demon and the warlocks," Wylan responds. "Father wants us to go check it out."
"Oh." Kuwei takes a minute to consider this. "Did tell you where we're supposed to go?" He raises a pointed brow at Wylan, eagle spread on the too-small bed, limbs hanging off the sides.
Wylan scratches his head and sits up. "Not...exactly, no."
"Did he say when?" Wylan shakes his head. Kuwei flings his hands into the air, nearly tossing the apple core in the process. "Why don't you ever ask?"
Wylan makes a face and pretends to look through a sheaf of paper. "It's not that easy. You know exactly how my dad is; he wouldn't let me get a word in edgewise. Oh, and he thought your name was Kyle or Kuwait."
Kuwei gives him an unimpressed look. "You can't keep letting him treat you like this."
"Treat me like what?"
"Like you're useless."
Wylan shrugs and avoids his parabatai's gaze. "He's not wrong, exactly. I'm twenty and I can't read to save my life. I'm only passable with a seraph-"
"You can't stand up to him if you're putting yourself down too, Wy," Kuwei says.
Wylan shrugs again. "I'm just stating facts."
Kuwei rolls his eyes. "Whatever. Suit up and let's just get this over with."
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Jesper sighs down at the body. "Another one?"
Anjali nods. "Same slashes and everything. Definitely the same killer." She looks up at Jesper, then rolls her eyes. "Yes, we called the Shadowhunters. No they haven't arrived yet. Jan van Eck's in charge now, so we don't know if they'll actually respond. Although, that's not exactly new."
Jesper glances over at her and snorts. "You've been spending a little too much time with Nina and Kaz."
Anjali pretends to be confused. "Nina?"
Jesper shakes his head fondly. "Get back home. Get your girlfriend to do up the wards. It isn't safe for us out here."
"Oh come on Jes," Anjali begins sarcastically. "We're supernatural. Practically indestructible!" Jesper gives her a nonplussed look. "Lily and I aren't dating," she calls over her shoulder, walking out of the glade.
"I'll see you back at the loft," Jesper calls back, turning back around just in time to see two Shadowhunters stride into the glade, seraphs drawn. "Well," he says, smirking as the redhead blushes, "y'all must be really happy to see me."
"I.." The redhead's mouth falls open in response as he stares.
His companion blinks at the redhead and turns to survey the rest of the glade. "So, where's the demon?"
Jesper frowns. "When did anyone say anything about a demon?"
The redhead seems to come back to his senses and frowns too. "My father said there was a demon that was somehow troubling you. If that's not the case..." he trails off and tilts his head to look at the body.
Jesper's stomach twists at the expression in the boy's eyes- clinical, apathetic, and then his brain realizes what the boy's just said and any interest he had promptly disappears. "You're Jan van Eck's son?"
The redhead nods. "I'm Wylan. Van Eck. A-although, I suppose the last bit was, um...implied," he says, gaze flitting between Jesper's eyes and hands and mouth.
His companion rolls his eyes again. "I'm Kuwei," he says plainly. "And you are?"
Jesper looks between the two of them incredulously. "You boys don't get out very often do you?" He gets a blank stare in return. "I'm Jesper Fahey, High Warlock of Brooklyn." They both startle at that.
"Cool beans," Kuwei says, a little nervously. "Is there not a demon then?"
"No," Jesper says, gesturing at the body. "We're being hunted. I guess Jan an Eck took that to mean demon even though they wouldn't hunt their blood. He never was very bright," Jesper muses.
"And by 'we,' I assume you mean...Downworlders?" Wylan asks.
Jesper gives him a sardonic smile. "Well done, Carrots. I guess your mother had all the brains." Wylan blushes an even deeper red than his hair, Kuwei scoffs, and Jesper curses his all too human heart.
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Wylan can feel Kuwei's attraction to the warlock despite all of his posturing (after all they are parabatai) but he keeps his mouth shut because Kuwei only postures when he's afraid. There's plenty to be afraid of when it comes to Jesper Fahey. His file at the Institute's nearly a hundred pages and no one really knows how long he's lived, or where he came from, or what he's seen.
He's not sure if the magnitude of it is a result of his own interest being reflected across the bond and back, or if all of that is him, but either way, Wylan can't exactly blame Kuwei for being interested- he's never tried to hide who he is, and Jesper isn't exactly repulsive, with his dark skin and bright eyes and vibrant...everything.
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When Kaz wakes up at 3 PM, the sun is shining, the birds are singing and his phone is ringing despite having been thrown down God knows where, all of which means he's having a fucking awful day. He stumbles out of bed and blindly stumbles towards the ringing, sighing when he realizes his phone is stuck in a bottle of Felix's latest batch of fake blood.
"What," he snaps irritably, shaking all the soy sauce and food coloring off his hands and collapsing into a chaise.
"It's me, Jesper," Jesper says. "Did you not hear me call?"
"No," he answers flatly. "No, I didn't, because it's the middle of the fucking day, I was asleep, and I tossed my phone into a bowl of blood so I wouldn't have to answer. Tell me what you need," he finishes in the same monotone.
Jesper pauses for a minute, taken aback, then says, "I found another victim. The Shadowhunters took it back to the Institute with them for an autopsy."
Kaz sits upright. "Another wolf?"
"No." There's a slight pauses before Jesper answers, "One of mine," his voice wavering ever so slightly on the last word. Guilt, he realizes.
"You shouldn't have called the Nephilim," Kaz sighs. "But now that you have, make sure they keep you in the loop. This is Downworld business. Take Nina, try and track the magic this thing was using. Take Helvar too, let him do his police thing and make sure that someone calls Inej. The Seelies will want to know."
"Got it." Kaz moves to hang up and hears, "Wait Kaz-"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
Kaz stays silent for a moment. "No mourners," he begins.
"No funerals," Jesper finishes.
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Jesper finds it strange that the Institute, a building so revered that it's almost as closely guarded as the Tower of London, is so easily entered and exited. (Of course, that may be somewhat related to the fact that Jesper is warlock they always force into fixing the wards.)
The first time he had entered the building at the age of 60, already too old for his liking and yet so young, the sheer number of people had surprised him; from the outside the building looked austere; solitary, even, and the Silent Brothers he had grown up with barely spoke to each other, much less him. Now after four or so centuries, nothing has much of an effect on him.
He's greeted almost immediately by Jan Van Eck himself. His son stands off to the side awkwardly, fiddling with an arrowhead. "Mr. Fahey, what can I do for you."
Jesper gives the other man a syrupy sweet smile. "There was a body that was brought in. One of my people. I'd like to see him."
Van Eck smiles as well. "I'm not sure that's advisable. My son's parabatai is in the middle of the autopsy, you understand?"
Jesper's stomach turns. "I've seen more than my fair share of death, Mr. Van Eck," he says quietly. "You would know." At the last sentence, Wylan turns to watch the two of them with a curious intensity that's strangely settling.
Van Eck lets his welcoming expression fall as his eyes narrow. "Very well then." He turns to his son. "Take him to the morgue," he orders, his lip curling as he looks Jesper up and down. Jesper's fingers curl into a fist.
"Yes father," Wylan answers in a monotone as Van Eck stalks away.
He turns to Jesper and blinks, staring at his collarbone, following the neckline of Jesper's bright blue shirt with his gaze, until Jesper realizes that as much as he enjoys the attention they'll be here all day if he lets the boy keep staring. He clears his throat half-smiling, and Wylan startles visibly. "R-right," he stammers, a blush creeping up the pale skin of his neck, "the morgue. Um. Follow me." Jesper follows amusedly.
Kuwei is holding a bone-saw aloft when they walk into the room. He almost drops it when he sees Jesper. "Jesus, Wy," he mutters, setting it down and tugging at his gloves nervously, staring at Jesper all the while.
Wylan scratches his head sheepishly. "Find anything?"
Kuwei shrugs. "Nothing beyond what we saw at the crime scene. He was restrained. Rash on the left arm, few superficial knife wounds on the torso, slit throat, cause of death was accelerated exsanguination. Maybe you'll find something else," he says nodding at Jesper and holding out a new pair of gloves and a mask.
Jesper takes them, grimacing. Wylan goes a little green and hurriedly heads for the elevator.
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Kaz wakes up at 9 PM to find a Seelie knight crouching on his windowsill. "Hello Inej," he sighs, fumbling around in the dark for a good ten minutes trying to find his cane and then scowling after realizing it isn't there. "Give it back," he growls.
"Give what back?" He can hear the laughter in her voice. He turns to glare at her shadow. "I'll give it back if you say please," Inej says, only a little mockingly. The moonlight turns her flyaway hairs silver.
Kaz rolls his eyes. "Please, my darling Inej, treasure of my heart, won't you do me the honor of returning my cane." She tosses it back at him and nearly hits him in the head with. Kaz is almost certain it isn't accidental. "What business?" he asks, sitting up.
He sees Inej blink slowly, watches her slowly undo her braid and wonders at the length, tries to imaging wrapping those silky strands around his fingers. "I heard about Jesper's body," she says finally.
Kaz scoffs. "Don't call it that in front of him, he's feeling guilty enough as it is. Just because the corpse used to be one of his people doesn't mean it's Jesper's body."
Inej tilts her head curiously. This is the most at peace he's ever seen her, he notices. She looks almost childlike like this, her long lithe frame bent over, backlit by the moon, "Is that concern I hear?" A branch of the apple tree Camille had planted to torment him leans down to allow her to gently pluck a fruit from it.
"Not concern. Practicality. Guilt isn't going to find the killer." Kaz yawns silently and moves to turn on the lights.
"Neither will anger," Inej counters.
Kaz gives her a long look then flips the switch, wincing at the sudden influx of light. "Do your people know who did this?"
"No," Inej says, stepping off the ledge and standing in one fluid motion.
Kaz nods in acknowledgment. "How about the birds, the bugs and the trees?" he asks sardonically.
Inej gives him a stern look. "If they do know, they don't wish to tell me."
"And the Queen?"
"I know nothing of what my Queen knows," she says. "I will not ask." Kaz runs a hand over his face. When he opens his eyes again she's gone just as quickly as she came. He picks up the phone.
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"Helvar," Brekker rasps over the phone. Matthias closes his eyes in a silent prayer for some semblance of calm, and steps into a side hallway, waving Alaric away when he tries to follow.
Get in the car, he mouths when Alaric gives him his patented what the fuck look. "Is something wrong?" he says out loud.
There's a few beats of silence before Brekker says, "There's another body. A warlock this time."
Matthias pauses. "One of Jesper's?" he asks, remembering Jesper's reaction to the last body.
"That's irrelevant," Kaz says. Matthias grinds his teeth, knowing Brekker won't reveal anything further. "Nothing unusual has been found, and as expected, the Seelies won't tell us if they know anything."
"Why call me?"
There's a beat of silence, and then, "I need you to do something for me."
Matthias snorts. "Of course you do." Brekker doesn't answer. "If this is one of your games-"
"Don't forget, Helvar, that it was me who got you out of that hellhole in Scandinavia," Brekker says, not at as a threat but as a fact. He's never had much use for threats. "I could just as easily put you back."
Matthias' jaw clenches. "What do you need?"
"Nina." Matthias' memories of Norway are the only things that keep him from hanging up.
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"Nina?" he asks, stepping into her opulent Brooklyn loft and nearly hitting his shin against a side table. "I need to ask you something."
She steps out of her bathroom wrapped in a robe and a large towel. "Matthias," she greets. She turns around and heads back toward her closet.
"Don't ignore me," he growls. (-it was me who got you out of that hellhole in Scandinavia-)
Nina turns to give him a hard look. "I'm not," she says, walking even faster than she had been.
"What do you call this then?" he shoots back, getting even more riled up as he remembers the rasp of Brekker's voice, the detached way he'd described Helheim as if it was merely a poorly managed hotel.
"I'm merely getting dressed. Unless you prefer this." At any other time, the exchange would've been flirtatious. Nina would grin at him from underneath her lashes, maybe run a finger along his cheekbone, the sharp line of his jaw and laugh, low and soft and he would feign disinterest. Now she is angry, put-off, and it shows in the sharp line of her shoulders and the determined set of her chin.
Matthias runs a hand through his hair. "I...I need you to do something for me." (-I could just as easily put you back-)
Nina scoffs and begins viciously rifling through her closet. "Of course you do."
Matthias frowns. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Nina finally stops ravaging her closet and drops her gaze to his feet as her fingers curl into fists. "I understand that you used to be a Shadowhunter and that you still think we're all dirty," she starts, her gaze blazing, literally as the glamour on her eyes drops.
"What? I don't-"
"-but that's no excuse to barge in here, yell at me, and then demand that I help you. I won't do it," she finishes coolly.
"You haven't even heard-"
"No, Matthias."
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"You done yet?" Jesper asks, leaning against a counter despite the bottled body parts currently sitting on it.
Kuwei startles and gives him a wide-eyed look as if he'd forgotten someone else was in the room. "No," he says after a long moment.
Jesper sighs. "Well then I might as well find some place to sit." Kuwei's eyes grow even wider as Jesper pushes all the jars aside and lifts himself onto the counter. "Just tell me when," he says stretching, knowing full well that Kuwei is staring and probably will be for a while.
A good three minutes later, he clears his throat and tears his gaze away. "Right."
Jesper opens his mouth to make a semi-lewd comment when the lights all start flickering and a sound like a foghorn goes off. "Something's in the Institute," Kuwei says, literally ripping his cheap latex gloves in the process of taking them off and pulling the mask he'd been wearing off with such intensity that he scratches himself.
Jesper rushes out the door, magic already crackling to life in the palm of his hand, and Kuwei follows on his heels drawing his seraph only for them to find that Wylan's already put three arrows in the intruder.
It stands despite this, seemingly unaware of the fact that there's an arrow lodged between its eyes, another inch away from its heart and a third wedged into his back near his liver.
Jesper watches, bewildered, as it lumbers toward a child and then throws a pulse of magic at it when it gets too close, only vaguely acknowledging Wylan's gasp of fascination. The child gives him a wide-eyed look and runs the other way.
"Well done," Wylan rasps, trying to slow his breathing, still watching the wisps of blue light surrounding Jesper's hands like he can't look away.
Jesper considers the corpse and smirks. "More like medium rare."
Kuwei groans and gives it a little kick to make sure it's not still alive. "Great. Another autopsy."
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The plethora of squelching noises that a body makes when it's being sliced and stabbed is something Kuwei's gotten used to after two years of studying anatomy and biology. The one thing he'll never get used to is the smell.
Even a hard layer of some Plexiglass-esque composite and a sizable drop of peppermint extract under his nose isn't enough to keep him from smelling rot and decay and he hates it. But at the same time he is somewhat grateful for it; it is all too easy to lose yourself in the clinical nature of the autopsy and he has to remind himself sometimes that the thing he's cutting into was once alive, that it had feelings and friends.
The arrival of visitors is also something that escapes his notice in moments like these. Even with their parabatai bond, Kuwei usually doesn't notice Wylan for a few minutes after he's entered, which is why today when Wylan leans over the corpse and clears his throat, Kuwei jumps and nearly drops his scalpel. "Wylan."
"I'm sorry!" Wylan says, stepping away from the table hastily, "But it's not my fault you didn't notice I was here."
Kuwei glares at him. "This is a fucking morgue, Wy. The only people I'm supposed to pay attention to are the dead ones. What do you need?"
"I was just coming to see if you'd found anything," he says looking around as though it's his first time in the room. His gaze lands on a bottled ear and widens.
Kuwei slams his scalpel down on the table pointedly and hides a smirk as Wylan startles again. "Nope, haven't found anything. Although the warlock is coming to the Institute to finish the autopsy on his friend. I suppose I could ask him to look at the Forsaken too."
Wylan blinks. "Warlock? Jesper Fahey is coming here?"
"Yeah. Is there a problem?"
"What? No. I'm sure it'll be fine. He um...he's very...magical," Wylan stutters, crossing and uncrossing his arms.
Kuwei narrows his eyes. "I know Wy. He's a damn warlock."
Wylan pauses for a moment, then nods. "Right," he says slowly, "which is what I meant."
Kuwei looks at Wylan as though he's gone insane. "Okay. I'm going down to go eat something, and you should probably come with me. Some food should help with...whatever's going on with you."
"I'm fine," Wylan says unconvincingly.
Kuwei frowns. "...All right then. I'm gonna..." He makes a vague gesture and then gets the fuck out.
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Jesper walks into the Institute two days later to find an alarm blaring over the speakers and a shirtless Wylan Van Eck on the floor surrounded by a cloud of smoke. Jesper watches, bewildered, as a group of Shadowhunters snickers on their way past the boys but does nothing to help beyond that. Wylan's parabatai appears to the left of him with a hand over his mouth. "Which one was it this time?" he asks, helping Wylan up. This is a regular occurrence, Jesper realizes.
"Potassium and water," Wylan answers, coughing and waving his hands in an effort to dispel the smoke. "I miscalculated the ratio."
"Is that all?" Jesper says, snapping his fingers and stepping forward as the smoke vanishes. "Seems a little too...mundane."
Both boys go silent for a long moment before Kuwei says, "Warlock Fahey."
"That is my title, yes," he drawls, smirking at Wylan who goes into a full body blush as Jesper's studies the surprisingly well-defined planes of his chest.
"I'm gonna go get a shirt," Wylan says quietly, stumbling a few steps away from Jesper.
"There's really no need," Jesper says, stepping a little closer, "I won't be here long." Wylan responds by tripping over his own two feet and mumbling something about how he really should get going. Jesper sighs exaggeratedly. "Well, if you must." He turns to Kuwei. "Shall we?"
Kuwei nods and begins striding towards the elevator. There's a few moments of silence before Kuwei says, "I was wondering if I could ask you for a favor."
"It depends on the kind of favor," Jesper answers.
"Well...since you're going to be here finishing one autopsy, I was wondering if you'd help me finish another?"
Jesper considers it. "The intruder?" He sees Kuwei nod in his peripheral vision. "I'd be glad to help. If I did however, you would owe me one favor at any time, no questions asked." He sees Kuwei open his mouth and adds, "It wouldn't be breaking the accords and that is all I will say."
"Agreed."
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"Brekker," Matthias growls.
"Helvar," Brekker greets. "Is something the matter?" he asks, sounding like he couldn't care less.
"Nina said no."
Brekker snorts. "Did you even ask?"
Matthias grinds his teeth. "Yes. I didn't get a chance to give her the specifics."
"Right. Ask again," Brekker says shortly. "Goodbye."
"If you make me ask Nina again I-"
"You are no position to be making threats, Helvar," Brekker states. There's a hint of gravel in his voice that only appears when he's about to do something like drop a man from the top of a high-rise or swindle some poor old man out of his retirement funds.
"You can't expect-" Matthias protests, knowing as soon he opens his mouth that the effort is futile.
"You don't get to decide what I expect," Brekker says, dangerously calm. It's moments like these that make Matthias forget that for all his pretended age and wisdom, Brekker is only a boy, was a boy, will always be a boy. "You will ask Nina again, and you'll make sure she says yes." He hangs up.
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"There's something wrong," Nina tells her around a mouthful of her favorite Belgian waffles. Inej blinks and opens the door a little wider to let her in. "Matthias is acting strange," Nina says sitting down.
"You told me a year ago that Matthias always acted strange," Inej says.
"He does," Nina agrees, "but this is a different sort of strange." Inej waters her plants while she waits for Nina to continue. Over the decades she's noticed that humans are rarely ever silent and Lilith's children have always been more human than demon. Nina finishes her waffle and moves on to playing with her hair as she says, "He came over to my place the other day."
"Oh?" Inej prompts, humming an old Seelie lullaby and moving on to a different plant.
"He got all huffy," Nina says, relaxing slowly as she watches Inej's graceful movements.
"Again, I would argue that Matthias is always...huffy."
Nina shakes her head vehemently. "This is different. He looked...scared, almost."
Inej pauses. "Scared?"
"And angry. I just...I know something's up, but I also know he won't tell me if I ask," Nina says sighing, frustrated.
Inej ponders this for a moment. "Did he say anything else?"
"He said he needed a favor."
"The next time he comes over, let him finish asking."
Nina takes her hand. "Thank you so much," she says gratefully.
Inej nods. "After all we've been through together, this is the least I could do." She lets Nina wrap her in a hug and smiles when the scent of Nina's shampoo hits her nose, sighs as Nina squeezes.
Nina steps away a moment later, smiling mischievously, then summons a box with a snap. Inej opens it to see more of Nina's beloved waffles and laughs. "You of all people should know my people don't eat things like this."
"Which is why I got you the strawberry ones. Besides, this will make you look even more glamourous than you already are," Nina says winking.
Inej shakes her head. "What would really be glamourous is if you paid for the waffles." Nina rolls her eyes, vanishes a piece of paper, then raises an eyebrow as if to say, better? Inej laughs again.
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It takes Kaz three hours to finish a stack of all of Camille's neglected paperwork, and by the time he's done Inej is waiting for him at her usual spot on one of the windowsills. "What is it this time, Wraith," he asks.
Inej, to her credit, doesn't show any discomfort at the nickname, but instead says, "What did you say to Matthias?" She's remarkably direct today and he doesn't know what to think about that.
"What did I say to Matthias?" he asks feigning innocence, knowing the fact that Inej understands the extent of his lack of innocence better than most.
"Nina came to visit me today, Kaz," Inej says, still watching him like a hawk.
Kaz pauses at this, not knowing what to make of the information. He knows that the two of them are quite close; or rather, as close as they can be with Inej being so...Inej and Nina being her opposite in almost every way. "And?" he prompts carefully.
"She told me that Matthias went to her place and that he looked scared, Kaz."
"Nina can be terrifying when she wants to be," Kaz responds.
"That is true, but Matthias never becomes truly angry around her." Kaz says nothing. "What did you say to Matthias, Kaz?" Inej repeats. Her voice goes low and smooth; he almost tells her everything he's ever done until he remembers who she is.
He meets her gaze head on and it takes everything in him to keep from looking away. "I said what I needed to." She's gone by the time he finishes the sentence.
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"That's it then, isn't it?" Jesper asks, pulling off his gloves and mask before Kuwei even begins to answer.
Kuwei gives him a look. "You tell me." he says, sliding a blood sample under the lens of a microscope. He looks up a few seconds later to find the warlock watching him expectantly. "Go on, I'll finish."
Jesper rolls his eyes and waves his hand. "There. Now it'll do its own analysis and send it to your phone."
Kuwei blinks. "You did all that with one spell?"
Jesper smirks. "I am a man of many talents," he says loftily, climbing up the staircase. Kuwei follows and reaches the top right in time to watch Wylan run straight into Jesper with a mug of coffee that he narrowly avoids spilling.
"Oh," Wylan says, remarkably more coherent than he has been around the warlock. Kuwei thanks the gods for small miracles. "Are you done then?"
"Yes," Jesper says. "Your parabatai has compiled a report that I'm sure you can read-" Kuwei looks up at that to see Wylan grip the handle so tightly that his knuckles turn the exact same shade of white as the pale glaze of the mug "-so I will be on my way."
"Right," Kuwei says, still watching his parabatai as he takes a careful sip. "You do that." Jesper gives the two of them a curious look and takes a step forward at the same moment that Kuwei's phone makes a noise.
He unlocks it to find the blood sample analysis. "Huh. Your spell worked," he says absentmindedly as he reads the results.
Jesper looks mildly offended. "Of course it did. Goodbye."
"Not so fast."
"And why not?" Jesper asks, tiredly.
"The microscope recognized Nephilim. That thing had angel blood."
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.
Jesper doesn't really know Van Eck's son or his parabatai, but knowing what little he does about them he can say that he doesn't understand how they ever became friends, much less literal soulmates. They are both quiet, yes, but where Wylan's brand of quiet is calm, inviting, Kuwei's is dry, mocking even despite his silence.
Most days their ever-present arguing is buried beneath their easy camaraderie, but every so often it becomes apparent, today most of all with all three of them more on-edge than they'd care to admit.
Now, Jesper watches as Wylan leans over Kuwei's shoulder to watch the security tapes and ask, "Why the fuck would this thing need Nephilim blood?"
Kuwei makes a face and rolls his eyes. "We don't know, Wy. That's why we're doing this," he says, as though he's talking to a child.
Wylan straightens, sensing the sarcastic undertone in Kuwei's remark. "It was a rhetorical question," he says, his face going blank as he digs his fingernails into his palms so hard Jesper thinks he might be drawing blood.
"Was it?" Kuwei drawls, more a statement that a question as he strikes the fast-forward key with the air of someone who'd rather be anywhere but here.
Wylan's jaw clenches in response as he slowly opens his fist and walks to the other side of the room, but he remains silent.
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When Nina picks up the phone on any given day, there are a number of thing she expects to hear, and a few unexpected things that she will address. Hearing a Seelie knight on the other end is not one of those things. So when she hears Inej say "Hello?" Nina blinks at her phone in justified disbelief and hangs up only for it to ring again half a minute later. She picks it up warily.
"Nina?" Inej says slowly.
"Inej," Nina says incredulously.
"Oh. It is you," Inej says. "I wasn't sure this would work."
"How did you get a phone? I though Seelies didn't use them."
"We don't," Inej agrees, speaking normally. "In fact, I still do not know what purpose this serves. I did not know if our methods of communication would reach you, so I am at a...telephone booth? I was told that is what this giant metal box is called. Regardless, I talked to Kaz the other day. I've been thinking about our conversation for a while and now I am almost certain he said something to Matthias."
"Kaz? Why would he say something to Matthias?" Nina asks.
Inej stays silent for a long moment. "Kaz..." She trails off, and then starts again a few minutes later, "His reasoning does not matter. You need to figure out what he said to Matthias."
"Yes, but...why would Matthias be afraid of Kaz?"
Inej laughs. "For the same reason the New York Institute is afraid of Kaz," she says cryptically. "They have known each other longer than you think. Matthias has plenty of reasons to be afraid."
Nina considers this. "And you?"
"What about me"
"Are you afraid of Kaz?"
"I have no reason to be," Inej says softly after a long moment. "Try as he might, Kaz will only ever be human." Nina laughs when she hears the loud clanging noise on the other end which are no doubt the result of Inej's attempts at hanging up and ends the call.
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Nina Zenik is sitting on Kaz's chaise. He's not entirely sure he wants to know why or how she made it up to his room but he doesn't want her in his room any longer than she already has been, which is why he asks, "What the fuck are you doing here?"
She finishes off another handful of the red popcorn Jesper got him as a joke and tilts her head. "Is it a crime to visit a friend?"
"We aren't friends. Those are your words, not mine."
Nina laughs. "I was talking about Lily Chen. I don't know why anyone willingly comes to see you."
"Lily's room is in the eastern most wing," Kaz says, brushing past her and walking over to his blood-bag cooler. "I suggest you get a better sense of direction before you decide to wander around my hotel again. You know where the door is."
"I know where Lily is. I popped by to see what nefarious plot you were working on now," Nina says, stepping closer and watching dispassionately as he tears a bag of O-neg open with his teeth. "What is it this time demjin? A heist? A long con?"
"Don't be ridiculous Nina," he says stepping closer and watching her with narrowed eyes, "these days no one has heirlooms. You know that just as well as I do."
"I'm only wondering," she says, continuing as if Kaz hadn't said a thing, "because I know that somehow, whatever this is involves Matthias. And me. Why is that, Kaz?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," Kaz says, baring his teeth in a vicious grin.
"I would," Nina says. "Which is why you're going to tell me." The blood bag drops to the floor. A stake flies out of Nina's pocket, across the room and stops just in front of Kaz's chest.
Kaz looks down at it and laughs shortly. "I'm already dead, Zenik. Finishing the job won't do either of us any good, and neither will ruining my clothes."
The stake presses itself into Kaz's chest. "Tell me what you said to Matthias." He doesn't answer, just takes another sip from the bag and watches Nina's face as her stake tears through his shirt.
"Why did you need him to ask me for something?" she asks again. When it becomes clear Kaz isn't going to answer she makes a frustrated noise and stalks out of the room. The stake buries itself in the wall behind him.
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"Why did Kaz ask you to ask me for a favor?" Nina asks, striding into Matthias' living room as though she'd never left.
Matthias blinks. "Are you alright?"
"Answer the question, Matthias," she says, eyes flashing dangerously.
Matthias shrugs. "He just...did?"
Nina laughs, incredulous. Matthias raises an eyebrow at her as if to say what? "Okay sure," she says, rolling her eyes, "Kaz Brekker asked you to do him a favor and you just agreed because you two are such good friends."
"I don't know what it is that you want me to say," he says, running a hand through his hair.
"Tell me the truth."
He opens his mouth to make another excuse and Nina glares, crossing her arms, as if she knows exactly what he's about to say. "He asked and I just...I had to say yes," he finished, avoiding Nina's gaze.
Nina frowns. "He threatened you didn't he?" Matthias' silence is all the answer she needs. "Inej told me you two had history I just didn't...I can find you a way out of whatever it is."
"No you can't," Matthias says.
Nina studies him for a beat and nods. "Tell what he wanted me to do."
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"I think we should call it a day," Kuwei says, pushing away from the desk.
Wylan stops his chair from rolling into the wall with a hastily placed foot and says, "I guess. I mean, we're missing something, but I really don't want to spend all day trying to figure it out."
"And," Kuwei continues, turning to Jesper, "I'm sure you have better things to do."
Jesper grins devilishly. "Not just things," he says, winking at a flustered Wylan. Kuwei raises a knowing eyebrow at his parabatai and chokes on a laugh as Wylan slowly turns a flattering shade of purple. "But there's also the question of what the thing was doing in the hallway of Jan's room," Jesper continues.
Something about the familiarity with which Jesper says his father's name strikes Kuwei as odd. "Did you know Wylan's father before this?" he asks.
Jesper's expression turns panicked for a split second and then returns to practiced neutrality. "Yes. I met his parents a few times in Idris, when I was allowed in. He was quite a frightened child; he hid when he saw me." He snorts. "Glad to see nothing's changed."
Wylan frowns, sensing that the warlock isn't being entirely truthful but says nothing but Kuwei doesn't know if it's due to stupidity or reluctance or infatuation; he suspects a combination of the three.
"But we digress. Why do you not have any cameras in that corridor?"
Wylan shrugs. "There's nothing there really, just my parents' room and office. My mother never really liked cameras."
Jesper hums, and stares off into the distance pensively for a few moments before his expression clears. "Right," Jesper says clearing his throat. "I'll be off then. I suggest you try and figure out what happened in that hallway before you do anything else," he says solemnly.
"And why is that?" Wylan asks, taken aback by the sudden shift in Jesper's tone.
Jesper shrugs. "Parents are rarely who we think they are," he says, his grave tone at odds with his placid expression. He smirks at Wylan, then conjuring a portal and vanishing into it. Wylan stares, confused and still flustered, for a good minute after the portal's disappeared and doesn't snap out of it until Kuwei clears his throat twice.
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As it turns out, watching a security on loop for eight hours is Not Fun on several levels. Wylan is asleep by hour two and not even Kuwei repeatedly kicking the wheels of his chair will wake him. Kuwei gives the chair one last shove then sighs resignedly, filling his largest mug to the brim with the most caffeinated coffee he can make and settling in for what will undoubtedly be the longest night he's ever worked.
Around 2 AM he starts slipping too; one moment he's watching the intruder stalk down Jan Van Eck's hallway and the next his head is hitting the tabletop and his very large thermos is dangerously close to falling. He pulls his sleeves up to reactivate his wakefulness rune and then stops when he hears Wylan stirring.
"K'wei?" he rasps, rubbing a hand over his eyes and shifting in his chair.
"Back from the dead, I see," Kuwei says, hitting the rewind key for what must be the thousandth time. "Don't worry, I haven't found anything yet."
"How long have I been 'sleep?" Wylan asks, words becoming slurred as he starts to slip back into sleep. Kuwei pokes him and watches amusedly as Wylan bolts upright.
"Not long," he answers, "two hours I think." He holds back a yawn.
Wylan scowls as fiercely as he can, which is not very. "This is ridiculous. I'm just going to go ask him."
"Whoa," Kuwei says, stopping him with an arm. "Do you think he'd give you a straight answer?" he asks.
"Yes," Wylan says, sounding like he believes anything but. "He's my father. He hates this kind of experimenting. He has nothing to do with this," he rambles, trying to convince himself.
"This is the man who still won't give you a straight answer about what happened to your mother," Kuwei says, snorting. "He's going to lie his ass off."
"He did tell me. It was a mission with a few kuri demons and-"
"Wylan. I watched your mother's old training videos. She bested nearly everyone she sparred. We both know you don't believe that one demon took her out and her entire squad."
Wylan's eyes narrow as he rises to his feet. "I know he's no saint, but I trust my father. Besides, she's my mother; why are you so invested."
"Marya Hendricks was one of the greatest Shadowhunters of her time before-" Kuwei cuts himself off abruptly. "She almost singlehandedly ran the largest Institute in the United States. Everyone in the Shadow World is invested, as they should be."
"Van Eck," Wylan says quietly after a long moment. "Marya Van Eck."
"Wy, I-" Kuwei watches as Wylan turns on his heel and stalks out of the room.
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"Kaz?" Jesper calls, stepping into the room cautiously. "It's almost eleven and its pitch black outside...or it would be without the streetlights, so you have no excuse to be grumpy. Plus, I come bearing gifts."
"You should know by now that baubles are worthless to me," Kaz says from somewhere in the shadows behind Jesper, who jumps.
"Fucking hell," Jesper mutters, scowling as he pictures Kaz's smirk. "And you should know that I don't either. I came here to give you some information out of the goodness of my own heart, but if you-"
"'Goodness' never helped anyone like us," Kaz says stepping forward.
"I'm not like you," Jesper says, inclining his chin in an effort to retain his leverage.
"No? We are Downworlders are we not? " Kaz says, dark eyes shining with mirth. "Whatever happened to 'we are our own family?'"
"I never said that," Jesper says. "Do you want the information or not?" Kaz makes a gesture, as if to say go on. "There was an attack at the Institute. I think Van Eck is involved."
Kaz gives him a strange look. "Van Eck is involved in most things in this city."
"They usually don't involve mutating Forsaken."
Kaz frowns at that. "I assume you have proof?"
"The thing ran down the hallway his room is in and then came back to where it was." Jesper says, walking around Kaz's large room aimlessly. "The kid's watching the security tapes."
"So merely circumstantial proof. And where is the elder Van Eck now?" Jesper shrugs wordlessly. "Wasn't at the Institute when I left."
"Search his room." Jesper glares at him and Kaz stares back. "Jan Van Eck is a former Circle member who has made several attempts on both of our lives and may also be involved in attack against his own people. I don't care who does it, but it needs to be done."
Jesper sighs. "I'll ask Wylan."
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His father's not there when Wylan storms into his office, which is something that Wylan expected but it hurts all the same. They haven't been the same since his mother...disappeared but Wylan loves his father still, so he can't be blamed if he sticks around in the office for a few more minutes trying to recall the feeling of being loved; his people are rarely afforded the luxury of sentimentality and is it so wrong to savor what little softness he has left, what little warmth his parents had?
He gets a text a few minutes after he sinks into his mother's favorite armchair, from Jesper Fahey. He can't help the blush that rises, unbidden, to his cheeks at the memory of his dark eyes and long, slim fingers.
[from:unknown]
[to:wylan van eck]
;)
[from:wylan van eck]
[to:unknown]
did you need smth else?
[from:unknown]
[to:wylan van eck]
call me?
Wylan doesn't drop the phone exactly, but it's a near thing. His hands are shaking as presses the call button. "H-hello?" he asks as soon as the line connects.
Jesper laughs, sounding almost surprised. "Are you scared?"
"No!" Wylan yelps, blushing even deeper as Jesper's delighted laughter rings in his ears like bells. He thinks that might be the best thing he's ever heard. "Just...nervous."
"Come now Carrots," Jesper says, "there's no need to be nervous."
"I know," Wylan says, because he does. "How exactly did you get my number?"
"Just a little birdie," Jesper says. Wylan can almost see the expression on his face.
"Ah. Did you need something?"
Jesper doesn't say anything for a long moment. "I did," he says quietly. Wylan holds his breath for what must be forever. Jesper clears his throat. "Anyway," he says, back to his usual volume and tone. Wylan exhales. "I was wondering if you'd be willing to search your father's quarters."
Wylan frowns. "Why?"
"I don't mean to imply anything about his character," Jesper says carefully. "But perhaps something happened in his quarters that your father didn't notice?"
"I..." Wylan sighs. "Is this necessary?"
Jesper pauses. "Maybe. Do you think so?"
Kuwei's voice rings in his head. (hasn't told you the truth-going to lie-you don't believe-) "I'll do it."
"Tell me if you find anything?"
"Of course," Wylan says softly, standing. His gaze falls on his mother's portrait. "Call you later," he says, his voice harder.
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Nina kicks Matthias' door in the middle of a pack meeting. He has half a mind to tell her to leave and then he sees her four-inch heels and decides against it. "Right," he says, hurriedly ushering a very confused Maia out. "We'll continue this at the Jade Wolf yeah?"
"Sure," Maia says, her brow furrowing, "but are you sure you'll be okay?"
"Yes," Matthias says, nodding and giving her what must be a very unconvincing smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, I just need to talk to Nina here."
"I can stay," she says, stepping closer to him and giving a very angry Nina a wary look. "I mean no offense," she mutters under her breath, "but she looks kinda mad." Her gaze drops to Nina's stilettos.
"And I deserve it," he says quietly. Maia gives him a surprised look at that. "I'll be fine, kiddo." She leaves after giving one last look, pulling the door behind her which because of which it falls off its hinges.
Maia raises an eyebrow at him, as if to say you sure she isn't crazy? to which he responds by waving as cheerfully as he can manage. She rolls her eyes and walks away.
"Did something happen?" he asks, eyeing his door.
"Yeah," Nina growls, "Kaz Brekker is an idiot." Matthias raises a brow. "I know he's not an idiot, just...why blackmail you into making me trail the Circle? It's been nearly twenty years since they've done anything."
"But they do still exist, yes?" Nina nods. "Then that needs to be taken care of regardless."
"I know that just wish I wasn't the one following them. It was strange though," Nina adds frowning. "They're more active now than they have been."
Matthias frowns. "That is strange."
Nina hums in agreement and bites her lower lip. "Matthias?"
"Yeah?"
"What...what does Kaz have on you?" she asks tentatively.
Matthias's expression hardens. "I can't tell you. Or rather, I don't want to tell you."
"Why? You don't trust me?"
"No," Matthias says, shaking his head. "I just...I can't tell you right now. I don't know if I'll ever be able to." Nina watches him carefully. "I'll be fine, Nina," he says in what he hopes is a reassuring manner.
"You'd better be," she says finally, conjuring a portal.
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Jesper doesn't really know what he was expecting Wylan Van Eck to find in his father's room but it certainly wasn't a ring. "And you're sure that's the only thing?" he asks, wrinkling his nose.
"Unfortunately, yes," Wylan says, sighing. "I'm sorry I couldn't find anything else. The ring probably doesn't mean anything."
"It's not your fault," Jesper says. "I know you did your best."
Wylan laughs wryly. "My best usually isn't enough."
"Let me be the judge of that," Jesper says, running a hand across the spine of a book. "My apartment in fifteen minutes? Bring the ring." He hangs up, grinning.
Wylan's at Jesper's door in ten.
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"I think the ring was what the intruder intended to leave," Jesper says, holding the object in question up to the light.
Wylan wrinkles his nose. "Why a ring?"
"This is Seelie made, which means it isn't just a ring," Jesper answers, sauntering over to one of the bookshelves and pulling an ancient-looking tome that must be at least a thousand pages.
"Can you find out what it's meant to do?" Wylan asks, watching with wide-eyes as words spill on to the page, as if summoned by Jesper's touch.
"It'll take some time," Jesper murmurs distractedly, flipping past a few diagrams. He pauses. "In the meantime," he says, his voice clearer now, "You're perfectly welcome here."
Wylan blinks. "Oh no," he says, rubbing his wrist, "I couldn't-"
Jesper places a finger over Wylan's lips and all the breath leaves his lungs just like that. "I insist," Jesper says, eyes gleaming with intent. Wylan smiles; it wouldn't hurt to stay for ten minutes, he reasons.
"Make yourself comfortable," Jesper says, voice going soft as he flips through the book.
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Ten minutes turns into twenty, then an hour, then two, until suddenly Wylan's been watching Jesper cast spells and conduct tests on this stupid ring for four hours. "I should go," he says for probably the fiftieth time that night. "It's late."
"You've said that already, Carrots," Jesper says, stretching and turning to face him. "If you had really wanted to leave, would you still be here now?"
Wylan blushes at the implication. "I really should be going," he insists halfheartedly.
Jesper gives him a long look. "Alright then. Why don't you have a cocktail while I finish up and then you leave?"
"I'm underage," Wylan says skeptically. "This isn't a good idea."
Jesper smiles bemusedly. "You know, I'd been told that Shadowhunters never had any fun but I never believed it until now. How old are you, twenty?" Wylan nods. "That's close enough isn't it?" Jesper asks, snapping his fingers to produce a cocktail out of thin air. "Have a little fun," he says, holding the glass out to Wylan with a grin.
He takes it, watches as Jesper murmurs a few things to himself, then levitates the book back to its shelf. "Wanna see me this thing work?" he asks, grinning. Wylan shrugs as if to say why not?
He watches, mesmerized as Jesper puts the ring on his middle finger then says an incantation that makes it glow a faint white. "What's it doing?" Wylan breathes, stepping closer as the ring glows even brighter.
"I'm not done just yet," Jesper says, twisting it three times. Nothing happens for a few seconds and then a hologram appears above the warlock's hand, a person's back. Jesper blinks. "It's a two-way communication device. You need to be quiet; I'm casting glamour over us and faking deactivation."
"You said this was Seelie magic. Won't that be useless?"
Jesper snorts. "There are always a few loopholes when it comes to Seelie magic. You just have to know where to look. Now be quiet," he says snapping again. Whoever it is turns to allow them to sees a circle-shaped rune on his neck that causes Jesper to suck in a breath.
"What?" Wylan whispers. "Do you know who this is?" Jesper doesn't answer, just stares at the other man and when he turns around to face his ring, Jesper stops moving, stops breathing for more than a few seconds. "Jesper," Wylan hisses, wide-eyed himself.
Jesper seems to come back to his senses. He takes the ring off and throws it across the room, takes in deep shuddering breaths. "I'm keeping the ring."
"You can't, my father-" Wylan protests.
"I'm keeping the ring," Jesper insists. His eyes flash feline gold for a split second before returning to their usual brown. "You need to go now." A portal appears behind Wylan. "That'll take you back to the institute."
"Jesper...are you okay?"
Jesper's face crumples for a barely perceptible moment before he reverts back to his usual state of calm. "Please leave. It's getting late."
Wylan turns and leaves.
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When Jesper finally makes it to Nina's flat, it's midnight and he's shaking almost uncontrollably. She's with Kaz and Matthias already, and they're huddled together (or at least, in as much as huddling is possible for Kaz and Matthias) and they're talking about something in low voices.
"-definitely something we need to look out for," Nina is saying. "They've got warlocks and werewolves in captivity, just like-" She cuts herself off and no one says anything after that so Jesper makes his entrance.
"Pekka Rollins is alive," he calls, walking quickly and sitting next to Nina on the floor.
Nina and Matthias inhale quickly, but Kaz doesn't look surprised at all. Nina narrows her eyes. "So that's what this was all about. You knew and didn't think to mention it to us?"
"No, because I knew you'd react like this," Kaz says coolly. "Rollins is relying on surprise right now. He cannot know that we know, do you understand me?"
They nod solemnly.
"Good. Nina, you need to tell Inej and the Seelie Queen. The longer we keep it from her, the angrier she'll be when she finds out." Nina runs to the phone.
"And the Shadowhunters?" Jesper asks tentatively.
Kaz gives him a hard look. "Tell your Shadowhunter, let him tell his parabatai and that's it. The Clave cannot know."
Jesper nods. "Now that that's settled," he says, feeling the burden of two hundred lives settle onto his shoulders, more pressing than ever before, "I'm going home with both of you tonight."
Matthias makes a choking noise and Kaz raises a brow, more amused than offended. "Not like that Matthias," Jesper sighs. "Straight people," he mutters. "I need to strengthen your wards."
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Kuwei never know what's going to happen when Wylan pulls him aside like this, but he does know it's not going to be good. The last time, they almost singlehandedly blew the north wing of the Institute. "What's going on?" he asks, coming to a stop and forcing Wylan to as well.
"I was at Jesper's loft a couple minutes ago," he says, glancing around warily as if he's afraid someone's listening in from the ventilation shafts.
Kuwei relaxes. "Oh is that it? How was your date?"
Wylan scowls. "That wasn't it, would you please just listen?" Kuwei stops talking and makes a gesture. Go on. He takes a deep breath. "I went to my father's room after we...argued. He wasn't there, so I looked around and found a ring."
"Ooh," Kuwei says, grinning, "spooky."
Wylan glares at him. "I took it to Jesper to see if he could figure it out, and he did a thing and some dude appeared? Like a hologram? And Jesper saw his face and flipped out. He still has the ring, I think."
"Huh," Kuwei says, frowning. "Did you recognize the dude from the hologram?"
"No. But he had a rune on his neck. A circle?" Wylan shrugs. "Probably doesn't mean anything.
"On the contrary," Kuwei says, glaring at Wylan who scoffs at his choice of words. "That rune is for The Circle. But they've been active since Rollins fell, which means your boyfriend knew."
"He's not my boyfriend," Wylan mutters.
Kuwei raises an eyebrow. "Whatever you say, Carrots."
"Don't call me that," Wylan says. Kuwei rolls his eyes and mutters something under his breath. "The Circle as in...the The Circle? Rollins as in Pekka Rollins?" Kuwei nods.
"Unless..." Kuwei starts, adopting a pensive expression just as Wylan's phone rings.
"It's...Jesper," Wylan says, surprised. "Should I take it?"
Kuwei nods. "In any case, it's better to listen to what he has to say before jumping to conclusions." Wylan hesitates. Kuwei rolls his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll leave the two of you alone."
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"Warlock Fahey," he says cautiously.
"There's no need to be so formal," Jesper says flirtatiously. Back to normal then, Wylan thinks. "Jesper will do."
"Right, Jesper then," Wylan says, blushing despite himself. "Is there something you needed?"
"Yes, actually. You're going to have to come back to my place; what I need to tell you can't be said over the phone. Will that be a problem?" Jesper asks.
"No, not a problem," Wylan blurts. "I'll, um. I'll come over right away."
"Excellent," Jesper says, ending the call.
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"Inej," Nina says, relieved. "Thank God you're okay."
"Of course I am," Inej says, raising a brow. "Why?"
"I can't tell you here. There's too many mundanes," she says, her gaze shifting from the trees to the park benches. "I need an audience with your Queen."
"I cannot give you an audience until I know your reasons for wanting one," Inej says, peering at Nina through narrowed eyes.
Nina nods. "I understand. Right, so..." She looks around again, then steps closer to Inej and says, "Pekka Rollins is back."
Inej sucks in a breath and peers at Nina concernedly. "Are you alright."
Nina laughs, a little hysterically. "Not at all."
"Understandable," Inej says. "Do you have anywhere to be?" she asks, pulling Nina over to a section of wall. Nina shakes her head. "Good. Your audience is now."
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"What exactly is it that you needed to tell me?" Wylan asks ten minutes later, comfortably seated on one of Jesper's many armchairs with an untouched martini glass dangerously close to slipping through the fingers of his left hand.
"The man that I saw earlier with the ring," Jesper says solemnly. "That was Pekka Rollins."
He winces as Wylan jolts and nearly spills some of the alcohol on his leather jacket. "Are you sure?"
Jesper takes the glass from him, brushing his fingers gently, and sets it on a side table. "Unfortunately. The leaders of the Downworld have been informed already, I suggest you use the information wisely."
Wylan takes a sip of the martini and winces at the burn. "And you're absolutely sure."
Jesper narrows his eyes. "This man and his followers hunted and murdered my people as part of his twisted crusade for ten years, and apparently, he's back to do it again. Yes, I'm sure." He presses the ring into Wylan's palm. It is your duty as Nephilim to protect us, Wylan Van Eck. I suggest that you perform it this time around."
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"My Queen," Inej says, bowing deeply. "This is Nina Zenik, Co-High Warlock of Brooklyn. She seeks an audience."
The Seelie Queen looks from Nina to her knight impassively. "Can she be trusted?"
"Yes," Inej says. "She saved my life during Rollins' uprising a few years ago."
The Queen seems mildly surprised. "Interesting." She waves a graceful hand at Nina. "Go on, child."
"Pekka Rollins has returned, Your Highness."
The Queen's expression hardens. "Of course he has," she sighs. "Do the others know? Jesper Fahey, Matthias Helvar and Kaz Brekker." Nina nods. "And the Shadowhunters?"
"Jesper has informed Wylan Van Eck," Nina says, watching her expression carefully. "We don't think the boy will tell his father; he may tell his parabatai."
The Queen stands. "I will inform my people. I suggest you do the same. War is coming."
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"Kuwei!" Wylan shouts, walking so fast he nearly trips. "I need to talk to you."
He raises an eyebrow at his parabatai and waves away the morgue assistant with his free hand and tightening his grip on his coffee mug with the other. "What's wrong?" he asks as Wylan reaches him. "Did Jesper kiss you this time?"
Wylan glares at him. "This is serious," he insists, swiping Kuwei's mug and setting it down on the counter with a thunk. "We need to talk."
Kuwei studies him for a minute. "My room or yours?"
"Yours. But I've got to go to Father's study first. See you in five?" Kuwei inclines his head in agreement.
"So," Kuwei says, as soon as Wylan walks in the door. "What's up? Did he kiss you?"
"Of course not," Wylan says, loudly. "Just-Listen, please?" Kuwei listens. "The man with the other ring is Pekka Rollins."
Kuwei blinks. "Oh boy."
"The Downworld already knows," Wylan says, sinking into Kuwei's mattress. "But none of the Shadowhunters."
"The Clave is going to try and hide it if they're told," Kuwei says, playing with his sheets.
Wylan sits up. "You want to keep it a secret?" Kuwei shrugs. Wylan huffs and falls back again. "Fuck Rollins."
They stay like that for a long moment and then, "Aren't you going to tell your father?" Kuwei asks.
Wylan shakes his head and buries his face in a pillow. "Don't have to. He already knows"
Kuwei sighs. "Fuck Van Eck." For once, Wylan doesn't say anything.
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Kuwei isn't sure how Jesper Fahey got his number, but he isn't sure he really wants to. "Kuwei, is it?" The warlock says smoothly, as if this is a normal occurrence.
"Uh," Kuwei says, frantically trying to recall how to create a coherent sentence. "How did you get this number?" he asks.
"Not important," Jesper says dismissively. "I'm calling to call in my favor."
Kuwei snorts. "Oh? What for?"
"I know Wylan told you about the...situation we're currently in." Kuwei doesn't say anything. "Neither of you can tell the Clave, or any other Shadowhunters," the warlock says coolly.
Kuwei laughs wryly. "You want me to keep information from what is probably that largest military organization on the planet?"
"Yes."
"You know they're going to find out eventually?" Kuwei asks.
"Eventually is fine," Jesper says. "By then it'll be impossible to cover it up." Kuwei makes a noncommittal noise and hangs up.
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Wylan wakes up the next morning to blaring alarms. It takes him a few seconds to realize that something's wrong but his sleep-addled mind finally does wake up, he's out the door, bow in hand before he even realizes he's moving.
"Wylan," Kuwei calls, careening down the hallway while holding one shoe along with his seraph. "Wylan!"
"Here!" he yells, surveying the Institute...or at least, what's left of it. The war room looks like something's stepped on it. He can see half of one of the monitors underneath a slab of concrete.
"What do you think this is?" Kuwei asks, stopping next to Wylan to put on his shoe.
Wylan snorts. "Do you even need to ask?"
"Fair enough," Kuwei concedes. "Why would they come here though?"
Wylan shrugs as a throwing knife flies past his ear. "Beats me. But we should probably start moving."
"Right," Kuwei says, leaning over as much as he can and running into another corridor, Wylan hot on his heels. "But seriously, why would The Circle come here?"
Wylan socks a Circle member in gut and hightails it in the other direction, pulling Kuwei along with him. "Is that really what you need to be focusing on right now?" he asks breathlessly, sidestepping another one of Rollins' followers.
"Someone has to ask the question!" Kuwei yells, stabbing a passing Circle member.
Wylan ducks another throwing knife. "Maybe ask that question when all the bad guys are dead?"
That takes about an hour. By the time it's all over, one of the residential wings has collapsed, all of their technology has been destroyed and their armory is about two seconds away from caving in as well.
Jan Van Eck flies in from...somewhere to give everyone a debriefing and when one of the exchange Shadowhunters asks why Circle members attacked this Institute, Wylan's father responds, "I know this will be surprising for most you but...After Rollins fell ten years ago, this Institute was chose to house the Mortal Cup." At those words the entire institute collectively erupts into chaos.
"This decision was made," his father continues, raising his voice in order to be heard over the throng of outraged Shadowhunters, "because the Clave thought it was best to put this Mortal Instrument in a place where we were sure he wouldn't look.
"Was it really that much of a stretch to assume he'd look in a heavily guarded building full of people who knew the real function of the Cup?" Kuwei asks, safely hidden behind another Shadowhunter, his eyes hard. Wylan knows his parabatai enough to know that his face only goes blank when he's furious.
The yelling starts back up again, even louder at Kuwei's outburst as Jan shoots a confused look in Kuwei's general vicinity. "Rest assured, we are doing our best to try and relocate all personnel and find the people who did this. Thank you," Van Eck says, trying to step off the podium only to be met with a hundred bodies blocking his way.
Wylan stares, his mind unable to comprehend the gravity of the situation until Kuwei grabs his elbow. "Wylan, we have to get out of here," he says, urgently.
"Right," Wylan says, letting himself be dragged along.
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Jesper knows something is wrong almost as soon as he hears his phone ringing. He doesn't know what tips him off; maybe the caller ID (WYLAN VAN ECK) or maybe four hundred years of experience, but he knows.
"Wylan," he greets. "Is everything alright."
"Um, maybe. Not really. I don't really know actually." Jesper frowns as he hears the horn of a truck in the background.
"Are you safe?" he asks.
"I think so," Wylan asks. "The adrenaline is probably hiding a few things. It's got something to do with the-"
"Wylan," Jesper says, setting down his glass. "What happened, exactly?"
"The Circle attacked the Institute. They have the Mortal Cup. Kuwei and I are okay though, we're by an ice cream store right now. We have something for you to track, if you'd be willing," Wylan says all in one breath.
"Of course I'd be willing. Can you and Kuwei make it to my apartment?" Jesper asks.
"Yes," Wylan breathes.
"Excellent. I'll be ready when you get here."
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Wylan and Kuwei run into his apartment as he's lowering his wards ten minutes later as if they're being chased by a hellhound. "That must have been some attack then," Jesper says, raising an eyebrow.
The boys don't answer. Kuwei doubles over, placing his hands on his knees and tries to catch his breath. "Boys," Jesper says. They look up. "I'm going to need something to track." Kuwei pulls a seraph out of his pocket.
"Careful," he says, "you're going to need to-" He cuts himself off as the blade's glow switches from pale blue to blood red. "Huh," he says, tilting his head.
"Why did that happen?" Wylan asks, stepping closer to Jesper. Kuwei shoots him a look. "Yeah I know that, I was talking about-"
"Boys," Jesper says quietly. They both fall silent as he closes his eyes and concentrates. Two minutes later, he lets out a deep breath and set the blade down.
"It is isn't working," he sighs, frustrated. "They must be over a body of water."
"Like on a boat?" Wylan asks quietly.
"I suppose," Jesper says, "or anything that floats really. A kiddie pool-"
"I think I know where they are," Wylan says. Kuwei looks at him expectantly. "My father bought a boat after he married my mother. Hasn't used it since she died, but it's in the same place."
Kuwei sighs. "You can't know your father is involved," Jesper says carefully, trying to gauge Wylan's reaction.
Wylan scoffs. "Right, a mutated Forsaken broke into the Institute and left a means of communication in my father's office just because."
Kuwei jumps as a Portal appears behind him. "Lead the way then," Jesper says softly, still watching Wylan.
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They arrive at the docks while the sun is setting, washing everything in dark purples and golds. The boat is docked next to a massive crowd of Circle members, Rollins standing in the middle holding the cup in front of him.
Wylan tries to take a few steps forward and Kuwei holds him back. At the same time, Kaz Brekker steps down from the shipping container above them and lands a few paces behind Jesper, as silent as a cat. "About time," Jesper says.
"I've been here for three hours," Brekker says, pulling at his gloves.
Jesper makes a frustrated noise. "You didn't think to tell us?" he asks, turning to glare at the other man. Brekker says nothing, just holds Jesper's gaze impassively until Jesper looks away.
"The others should be here-" Brekker's cut off by the whoosh of a Portal that brings an entire pack of werewolves, ten warlocks and twenty vampires. "Took you long enough," Brekker says after everything's died down.
One of the warlocks shoots him a glare. "Maybe if you'd taken the time to inform us properly-"
"Nina," Jesper says, the corners of his mouth tilting upwards, "good to see you."
"Jesper," Nina says, still scowling at Brekker.
One of the werewolves quickly steps in between the three of them. "Maybe we should save this conversation for after," he says, giving Nina a pointed look that she ignores.
"Matthias is right," someone else says, stepping out from the shadows nearby.
"Inej?" Nina says, bemusedly.
Inej smirks. "I've been here for three hours and a minute," she says, raising an eyebrow at Kaz. He makes an effort at looking amused while being offended that ends up making him look slightly constipated.
"Right," Wylan says, eyes wide as he stares down at the group of Downworlders. "What are we doing exactly?"
Just as one of the werewolves opens his mouth to answer, one of the Shadowhunters down by the harbor yells, "There are people over there!"
At this, Inej blinks and then begins walking forward. The other Downworlders all share a look and then follow her, calmly striding forward towards the harbor as if the people waiting for them are going to welcome them with open arms.
One of the Circle members shoots an arrow at Inej. The warlock behind her snaps it in midair without lifting a finger. Kuwei shrugs and jumps down, following the werewolf pack, his blade drawn. Wylan lets an arrow fly from his position on top the crate and does the same as one of the Circle members falls to the ground with an arrow in his eye.
At this, they all run forward, seraph's glowing bright white as the sky grows ever darker. The next twenty minutes are a blur. Wylan remembers snapshots: a warlock murmuring incantations, their eyes glowing, Inej swinging her blade in a vicious arc, the snarl of a werewolf, remembers the twang of his bow as an arrow embeds itself in an assailant's arm, Kuwei at his back, remembers Jesper's bright laugh as he stood at Wylan's side, raising his arms as twenty Shadowhunters fall at once.
In the end, there is this: a hundred corpses, Jan Van Eck among them, the Mortal Cup shining bright, Pekka Rollins on his knees next to his podium, and Kaz Brekker's knife at his throat. In the end, there is Nina and Inej and Matthias and Kuwei and Wylan and Jesper, always Jesper, only Jesper.
"In the 1980's," Brekker says, his voice deceptively soft, "you kidnapped two brothers. Told them you were going to help him find their parents. Do you remember that?"
"Of course," Rollins says, eyes wide. "I should have known."
"What were their names?" Brekker's heel digs into Rollin's chest.
"Rietveld," Rollins breathes, "Little Kaz Rietveld and...Kaz and..."
"Too late," Brekker snarls. Rollins doesn't make it out alive.
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In the end there is this: Wylan and Jesper and the deep, dark sea. "It's over," Jesper says, laughing incredulously.
Wylan watches his face, watches this man who has been alive longer than Wylan could ever dream of, who has seen things Wylan can't imagine and is still the brightest fucking thing he's ever seen. "I guess it is," Wylan breathes.
Jesper turns to him, eyes shining and holds out his hand. "Thank you."
Wylan shakes his head and kisses him, ignoring the wolf whistles in the background. They pull away a few seconds later, grinning so wide it seems almost unnatural. "Thank you," Wylan says.
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"Wait," a warlock calls, when everyone turns to leave. "There's someone on the boat!"
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notes: there's a ton of other shit i wanted to do with this fic when i started but now i just want it to be over. also, i couldn't pick between kanej and ninej, so here have this mess of undefined relationships and also wesper. i may continue with outtakes and things, but for now, enjoy!
+this is my fucking child, please validate me with reviews and favorites
+follow me on tumblr at piperreynas for pjo and femslash and pjo femslash!