A/N! Enjoy Chapter 2!
Chapter 2: "As I hold you in my arms..."
Magnus tried to stay awake, if only because Alec was asking him- pleading him- with a trembling voice, as he ever so slowly, moved, crossing the now ravaged war room. Yes, Magnus tried, he really, really did. But it was futile. He could feel stabs of pain all along the length of his back and the Warlock knew he was in a bad way. "Al... Alexander-" "Shh, shh, just stay awake for me, okay?" The Nephilim pleaded as he finally reached the doors of the war room, and headed towards the infirmary. His eyes widened and his body stiffened as he beheld the Shadowhunters, who had managed to escape the massacre unscathed, picking up the bodies of their fallen fellow warriors. "Mister Lightwood!" Alec paused as he heard his name being called, only to see a young man heading towards him.
"You're hurt, Mister Lightwood-" "Forget about me. Take care of the dead and treat the wounded. Make sure the Institute is fully functional when I get back." Was all the young archer said, his voice leaving no room for an argument. The Nephilim blew out a frustrated sigh and decided the infirmary was not a good place for Magnus to be. Too many praying eyes would fall on him, too many muttered whispers would be spoken behind his back. "But-" "You have your orders." Alec cut the man off, turning his back on him, heading towards the opposite direction. Towards his own room. With movements slow and hesitant, Alec placed Magnus on his bed.
A shiver shook Alec's weary body to its core, and the young man wasn't sure if it was caused by the intense pain which he could feel all over his back, or by the low, yet horribly pained growl Magnus let out. "Shh, I'm gonna call Caterina, okay?" Alec muttered, grabbing his cell phone from the back pocket of his jeans with shaky hands.
He attempted to take a couple of steps back and away from the bed, so as to have a little bit more space, but Magnus' left hand moved as though it had a mind of its own, grabbing Alec's shirt. Ring clad fingers clenched weakly around the black fabric and Alec moved at once, kneeling by his lover's side despite the intense protests of his muscles. "I'm right here Mags..." The young archer reassured in a low voice, letting the fingers of his right hand form Catarina's number almost blindly, as his hazel eyes were fixed on his lover's face.
"Yes?" Came the woman's voice from the other end of the line and Alec hadn't felt so relieved that someone picked up the phone, in his entire life. His voice was shaking when he introduced himself, but for his own sake, and for Magnus', the woman realized something was wrong almost immediately. Magnus couldn't really hear what Alec was saying, he could barely make out his figure, as his blurred eyes were losing the fight to remain open. Alec's frantic calls of his name, obliged Magnus to blink a couple of times.
The Warlock saw his lover hanging up the phone and opened his mouth, but ended up closing it again without uttering a word, for he couldn't find his voice. "Magnus, it's going to be alright, just stay awake for me, come on Mags, come on..." Alec nearly begged, nestling close to his lover's ravaged body. His trained hands caressed Magnus' face and the young man felt his heart missing a beat, when his fingers were met with a thin layer of cold sweat. "Magnus, hey, I need you to look at me baby, keep your eyes open. Mags, please..." Alec pleaded, pushing strands of wet black hair. away from Magnus' forehead. "Magnus? Can you hear me?" The archer pressed, voice scared.
Magnus wished he could answer. He wished for his vocal cords to produce sounds other than low, pained grunts and moans, but to no avail. "Come on baby, just stay awake..." Alec pleaded, caressing his lover's face with trembling hands. "Hey, hey, hey, Magnus, stay with me, come on." Alec's frantic, wavering whispers gave the Warlock the will to crack his eyes open, albeit half the way. "I called Cat, she's on her way." The man on the bed blinked, looking completely disoriented. "It's me, Magnus, it's Alec..." The young archer muttered brokenly, seeing that Magnus' cat eyes – which the Warlock surely didn't have the power to glamour- were falling closed.
Magnus swallowed soundly. God, he wanted to utter just one word. Was it so much? He just wished to say that name, one more time. Alec... No, no... Not Alec. Alexander... He longed to speak the name, but he didn't get the chance, as darkness took him under for good the very next seconds. His fingers loosened their hold on Alec's black shirt as the muscles of his hand went numb, allowing the soft fabric to slip from in between them as if it was but specks of sand.
'Alexander...' The Warlock tried to chant as he closed his eyes. Alec's watery eyes and pained face were dancing behind Magnus' closed eyelids for a mere moment after his eyes had fallen closed. 'Don't cry, Alexander... Someone like me, isn't worth your tears... Don't cry, my love.' Magnus thought to himself, and everything went black. By the time Catarina arrived at the Institute, Alec was sure he would sell his soul to Lilith if it meant Magnus would wake up. The woman was just like Magnus had described her, and Alec was more than okay when she handed him a list with the things she needed. After accounting how the fight with Lilith had gone down, and without letting Catarina know of his own injuries, Alec took the piece of paper and walked out of the room. The last thing he saw from the corner of his eye, was a blue sheet of magic hovering over Magnus' ravaged body.
He returned as quickly as possible, his hands full with the things the woman had requested. "I need to work, kid. So you need to get out." Catarina said, eyes fixed on her friend's paling face. "I won't make a sound. But please... Let me stay." Alec offered weakly, not bearing to be separated from Magnus. He knew the Institute needed him, but his mind was blank and couldn't make any important decisions. Not when Magnus was lying still on Alec's bed. "Let me stay with him... Please..." Such worry and care did those words held, that the woman was unable to oblige Alec to leave the room. It was, after all, his own bedroom. "Okay. But you'll be quiet kid. Do I make myself clear?" Catarina pointed out, leaving no room for an argument.
Orders; that was good. Alec was good at following orders. He could do as much. "Crystal clear, ma'am." Was what the young archer replied. And so it was, that Alec sat cross legged in the corner next to his bed, where Magnus was lying, and didn't say a word for the next three hours. Three hours, which were filled with Magnus' pained grunts and with Catarina's mumbling, in languages Alec had never heard before. Were there three hours, or three years, Alec couldn't tell for sure, for time was not as important as Magnus' well-being.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Catarina pulled away from Magnus and sat at the end of the bed, hands shaking from exhaustion. "I've healed his body. Half of his vertebrae were broken, the rest of them were cracked. If he were a simple Mundane, he would have most likely died, or would have been paralyzed from the waist down." The Warlock muttered, eyeing Alec, who shivered at the sound of the words. "Is he..." The young man's voice trailed off, as his own exhaustion was catching up with him.
"Is he going to be alright?" Alec finally blurted, voice small, scared, mind still blank. "Yes, he will be as good as new. But he still needs to replenish his magic, for he's too weak. He needs to sleep and rest, but not here. The Institute is not the safest place for him." The woman explained, eyeing Magnus' unconscious body with compassion.
"You're right... We have to get him to the loft." Alec offered, well aware that the loft was warded against almost every demonic entity. "The thing is, he can't be portaled. He's too weak, kid." Catarina pointed out, and Alec got up on his feet, ignoring the pain on his back. The gears in his mind were once again turning. Magnus needed him, and he was going to be there for him. Nothing could stop Alec from getting Magnus to safety. "I'll carry him." Alec stated, grabbing his stele from the back pocket of his jeans. "You'll do what? You can't mean that, kid. The loft is on the other side of town-" Catarina said, but Alec cut her off, wasting no time in formalities.
"It's the safest way. We will be glamoured, no one will see us. We won't raise suspicion among the Mundanes-" "I work as a doctor on a Mundane hospital-" "Lilith has eyes everywhere. We can't risk it, Catarina." Alec said, voice sharper than he intended it to be. "We can't risk him." The young man continued, letting his watery eyes find Magnus' figure. His voice was now fragile, as all the edginess had melted away.
"Alright... Okay kid..." Catarina offered, acknowledging that they had to move swiftly, without getting others involved. She raised her hand, muttering softly under her breath. She was casting spells on Magnus, that much Alec could tell. "No one will see him, and I've created a protective orb around him. It conceals him from the cold and the night chill." The woman explained, watching as Alec activated his stamina rune and then drew a healing rune, growling under his breath as he felt a wave of pain spreading across the length of his back. "You okay, kid?" Catarina asked, voice concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine..." Alec muttered as he headed towards his wardrobe, pulling out a soft blanket. "You don't seem fine to me." "You don't have to be worried about me." Alec muttered, covering Magnus with the blanket with movements so soft and gentle, that Catarina once again found herself unable to tell Alec her spell was enough for Magnus' protection.
Alec glamoured himself before picking Magnus up, ever so softly, as if the Warlock was made of porcelain. He adjusted the blanket around Magnus' limp frame and held him as close to his body as possible, allowing for his lover's head to rest on Alec's chest. They left with steps quiet and light, slipping out of the building from one of the back doors. The chill of the late night worked its way on Alec's weary body, but the archer gritted his teeth, tightening his hold on Magnus' frame. "Thank you for coming when I called." Alec offered after a while. He needed to keep his mind working, or else he would collapse in the middle of the road.
"Anything for Magnus. Besides, I had to meet you at some point." Catarina replied in a rather soft tone, eyeing her friend, who seemed lost in a deep sleep, safe in his lover's trained arms. "Yeah, although, it didn't have to be this way." Alec replied tiredly, tightening his hold on Magnus' body even more. Catarina couldn't help but take a mental note of the fact that, even unconscious, Magnus seemed to recognize and trust the young archer's hands. She remained silent, however, losing herself in the repeating thuds of footsteps, as she and Alec kept walking down the street. "Kid... You said that Lilith threw Magnus against the wall..." Catarina pointed out after minutes during which, the two were walking in silence.
"And judging by the extend of Magnus' injuries, the collision was immense. Surely a part of the wall collapsed, I saw the dust and dirt on Magnus' clothes." "I don't get what you're saying." Alec shrugged, quickening his pace as he felt his body began to shake. His healing rune was fading. "How come Magnus wasn't buried under the debris?" Catarina finally questioned, pausing her movements.
Alec was startled for a moment, but he kept walking, eyes desperate to see the all familiar building before his body gave out on him. "I..." Alec stumbled on his own words, unable to make up his mind. "I... Um..." The wind blew cold and Alec found himself shivering, holding on to Magnus for dear life, feeling a desperate need to be near him. 'Catarina is my closest friend, Alexander...' Magnus' words echoed in Alec's head, and all of a sudden, the archer's mind was set. There was no reason to lie to this woman.
"I covered him." The archer uttered in a low voice, and his words got carried away by the whistling wind. "Excuse me?" Catarina blurted out, quickening her pace so as to keep up with Alec. "I said, I covered him." The Nephelim repeated, feeling his heart hammering in his chest as he kept walking down the darkened alleys. "You..." Catarina paused then, much like Lilith had done, staring at Alec's taut back in wonder. "We need to move, he can't be out here for long. Your spell will wear off soon." The Shadowhunter offered, and Catarina started walking again. Silence leaped between them once more, and for a while, only the sound of their footsteps and Alec's shaky, deep breaths could be heard.
"You love him, don't you?" Catarina questioned, in a low voice. Alec was taken aback by what his ears heard, but once again found himself answering honestly. "More than I thought I ever could." He muttered, gasping as he finally beheld the enormous building he was looking for. Catarina opened her mouth to speak, feeling the need to make something clear. "Magnus loves you too, kid." She pointed out, but Alec could tell there was more to the statement.
"After a long while, during which he was hiding in his shell, and I thought he would never trust, or love again, Magnus learned to do both of those things, all over again." The woman explained, as she headed towards the all too familiar building. Alec followed her, keeping his mouth shut. "But the thing is... He loves you excessively. Maybe more than he can manage." She said as they reached the door. "Can you handle that, kid? Can you handle the love of a being immortal, who is willing to fight for his people, who is haunted by mistakes and demons you can't even imagine?" Her words caused Alec to pause and blink. The unspoken words that never left Catarina's lips were hanging in the air, and despite the pain which was wrecking his body, Alec had enough clarity left, so as to read between the lines.
'Can you handle Magnus' ways? Can you bring forwards your grasps and take a hold of a bleeding, shattered heart, which despite the many, many wounds, keeps beating? Can you promise you will protect Magnus' ravaged, yet always loving heart? Can you promise you won't hurt him, like so many others have?' That was what Catarina longed to know, and if Alec wanted to be honest with himself, he was happy that she seemed to care for Magnus so deeply. "The keys are in my pocket, along with my phone." Alec explained as he reached the door, voice dry. He took those few, precious seconds, to put his thoughts in order, all the while staying still, allowing Catarina to slide her hand in his pocket. Once they were inside, Alec let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding.
"I would never hurt him." Alec uttered, eyes taking in the many flights of stairs which were rising up before him. "I will stay with him for as long as he wants me to. I don't want to leave him. And I won't. Not willingly." He added, swallowing hard. Catarina shivered, remembering that the boy with the golden heart, would sooner or later, share the same fate as all mortal beings. "As for the demons of the past... Good thing I am a skilled Shadowhunter." The young archer chuckled lowly, taking a step forwards.
"I have a spell for-" "You said he can't be portaled." Alec pointed out, as he eyed Catarina. "Besides, I think you've used more than enough magic for one night." He continued, voice low, yet warm. "So what, you'll climb all those flights of stairs with Magnus in your arms?" She asked, eyeing the young man in bewilderment. "Anything for Magnus." Was all Alec said, well aware he was using Catarina's own words. With that, Alec began the long journey of climbing the stairs...
End of Chapter 2...
A/N! So, here it ends! I would love to hear your thoughts!
I hope you enjoyed it! I would love to hear your thoughts! Yes, I know it was kind of... like a chick-flick movie, but I couldn't resist!
Also, I have never been in the States. I have no idea of the distances, so I assumed Magnus' loft is close to the Institute, because that's what the show has implied.
Until next time,
Love you all,
Usagi!