Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belong to Cassandra Clare and I wouldn't have it any other way!
Summary: The New York Institute has been compromised, and Sebastian and Valentine are in the wind. The High Inquisitor is out for blood, and her wrath has zeroed-in on the current head of the Institute; Alexander Lightwood. She decides to make an example out of him, but will her punishment take things too far?
Hurt!Alec and Protective!Jace/Magnus/Izzy/Maryse. Takes place at the end of s02e18.
Alec drifted on the edge of sleep, blissfully ignorant of most of the burns appearing on his skin thanks to the strong painkillers flowing through his system.
But when the manifesting wounds did go deep enough to draw him out of his drug-induced haze, Magnus's gentle, sure hands skillfully reduced the fire to a smoldering ash with the salve before Alec even had the chance to groan in discomfort.
Magnus was nothing if not attentive to him.
Isabelle was busy keeping a close eye on his stats, constantly checking his pulse and respirations in case one or both should falter unexpectedly.
Whether she didn't trust the drugs they had given him, or was simply afraid of what the rune might do to him next, Alec didn't know. But he wasn't worried. He felt confident that if there were any complications, she'd be able to handle them.
Jace was methodically switching out Alec's bloodied bandages. Evidently, some of the more shallow slices had already healed enough, thanks to his angelic genes, that Jace had no qualms about leaving them exposed, much to Alec's relief.
He hated the restrictive feeling of the adhesives on his skin, so the fewer bandages, the better in his opinion. The deeper wounds were carefully cleansed and rebandaged before Jace moved on to the next.
Maryse was up by the head of the bed, gauging Alec's fever and running her thumb back and forth across his forehead as she hummed her soothing lullaby again.
Alec felt cared for. He felt loved. And suddenly, this whole punishment situation didn't seem so terrible.
His family had come together with one specific goal; to protect him. If that wasn't worth every ounce of the pain he had endured so far, he didn't know what was.
He fought hard to stay awake just a little bit longer, not ready to surrender to the solitude of darkness just yet. But the pull was too strong, and it quickly dragged him down.
SHSHSHSHSH
Alec had no idea how much time had passed when he next resurfaced, but it couldn't have been long. He was still exhausted, and it was a struggle to open his eyes.
The first person to swim into focus was his Parabatai.
Jace was standing over him like a sentinel, itching for the Agony rune to manifest itself into corporeal form so he could kill it ten times over.
Alec longed to reach out to him. To let him know he could stand down.
With a significant amount of effort, he managed to shift his restrained right arm a bit, catching Jace's attention. The blond leaned down over Alec with a worried frown.
"Hey, buddy. Thought you were still asleep. You doing alright?"
Magnus, who was further down the bed, applying the ointment to a deep burn just above Alec's right knee, paused and glanced up at the eldest Lightwood, waiting for his response.
"'m fine," Alec mumbled tiredly, then realized his room was a bit less crowded than he remembered. His mother and sister were no longer present. "Where'd...?"
"Clary came by and said they had a possible lead on Valentine. Things were getting pretty crazy out there so Maryse and Izzy went to assist for a bit."
Jace kept shooting looks towards the locked bedroom door and Alec could tell he was itching to join the fight as well.
"You should… go," he breathed out, feeling his mind slipping away again and fighting like hell against it. Damn, these drugs are strong.
Jace shook his head. "No. I'm exactly where I need to be."
"But, Jace…"
The blond laid a warm, steadying hand on Alec's chest and the older boy felt his anxiety ease a bit as the contact grounded him.
His tired eyes locked with Jace's, the gratitude in them palpable.
"Go back to sleep, brother," Jace prompted softly. "I'll still be here when you wake up."
He gave Alec a weak smile, but even without their bond, Alec could still feel the waves of sorrow emanating from Jace.
The blond never did like it when his adoptive siblings were hurt. He took it personally every time, as if their injuries were always somehow his fault.
And thanks to the drugs coursing through Alec's bloodstream, that guilt was revealing itself in some colorful ways. He squinted up at his brother as his vision swam in and out of focus.
"Your skin's… blue now," he mumbled deliriously, causing the blond to blink down at him like he had six heads.
"Huh?"
"'s nice… with your eyes."
Magnus had to stifle a chuckle at Jace's resulting expression.
"I could make that a permanent thing for you, if you'd like," the warlock offered with a smirk. "I hear blue is the new orange."
Man, if looks could kill…
"Magnus has nice eyes too," Alec added sincerely. "Jace, d'jou know they… turn yell'w when we're havin'…?"
"I think we've tortured your brother enough for one day, Alexander," Magnus quickly interrupted, patting Alec's leg affectionately. "Why don't you just rest a bit more while we finish getting you cleaned up?"
"Don' wan' 'nother bath," Alec grumbled. "'s too cold." A shiver tore up his spine just in time to prove his point.
Magnus moved back up the bed and checked Alec's forehead to find his fever was still lingering but sufficiently lower than it had been. He raked his fingers gently through Alec's unruly hair.
"No more baths," the warlock promised, earning a dopy smile from Alec who tilted his head into Magnus's hand like Church did when he craved affection. "Just good old-fashioned cloths."
He snapped his fingers and the blood-tinged water in the bowl became clear, fresh water. He soaked a clean facecloth in the fluid, then began washing the blood and sweat off of Alec's face.
"You certainly are a mess, aren't you, Alexander?" he tutted softly in mock disapproval.
"'m sorry," Alec replied sincerely as his eyes drifted shut against his will.
"Hush now," Magnus whispered, brushing the backs of his fingers across Alec's freshly cleansed cheek. "With any luck, by the time you wake again, this will all have been nothing more than a bad dream."
Unfortunately for Alec, fate wasn't so generous.
He did manage to sleep through most of the burning phase, but by the end of the hour, the pain had steadily climbed back up to nearly intolerable proportions, making it very difficult for Alec to find a comfortable position in which to lay.
At that point, nearly eighty-five percent of his body was scarred by deep burns, cuts, and bruises.
Alec tossed and turned restlessly, on fire one minute and then shivering the next as his body tried to compensate for the severe temperature changes afflicting his skin.
But what really drew him out of his slumber was the more recent pressure against his chest which was making it increasingly difficult to breathe. It felt as if someone had heaped a ton of rocks onto his torso, steadily adding to the pile by the second.
Alec cracked his dry eyes open again and blearily looked around. Jace was pacing the room to pass the time and Magnus was sitting in the seat beside his bed, fiddling with his bejeweled hands in his lap.
Clearly, neither of them was responsible for the weight on his ribs. Alec shifted a bit to try and ease the ache, but all he managed to do was reawaken the other pains in his body.
He stiffened immediately, grunting as he exhaled through clenched teeth. Then his eyes widened in fear when he found it was twice as hard to refill his lungs with air.
"Alexander?"
Magnus stood back up and hovered over Alec. He frowned worriedly at the distress on the shadowhunter's face.
"What's wrong?"
"M-Magn's… Can'… b-breathe…"
There wasn't much Alec feared in life considering his line of work, but suffocation was one of his biggest. That, and spiders. Oh, and needles.
Jace checked his watch and paled. The rune was shifting into the next stage of punishment. He was back at Alec's side so quickly, he must have blurred across the room.
"Try to stay calm, Alec," he coached, trying to keep his own voice steady as he began untying the belt from his brother's wrist. "Magnus, get his left arm free."
Every time Alec exhaled, it was exponentially harder to inhale again. The pressure was crushing his lungs and he was desperately gasping for air by the time his right wrist was freed.
His hand immediately shot out and latched onto Jace's jacket as he tried to lever himself upright. But the second his back came an inch off the bed, a loud snap resonated throughout the room, followed by a strangled scream of pain as Alec fell back to the mattress.
"Alec!"
Jace's hands were on him in an instant, methodically patting him down as he searched for the broken bone.
Alec had to swallow back the nausea as Jace pressed against the right side of his ribs and one of them shifted freely beneath the prodding.
"Gah! Jace, don't…" he panted, the last word coming out as a sob as he captured Jace's wrist, though it was more to ground himself than to push his Parabatai away.
He knew the younger boy would never intentionally cause him pain.
"Sorry, buddy," Jace stated, then laid his hand flat to envelope Alec's side and maintained a gentle pressure, keeping the two broken ends together to prevent them from shifting and doing more damage.
Alec tried to breathe through the pain but every time his chest expanded, it sent waves of agony through him.
He found it was much easier to take quick, shallow breaths, but then he started to hyperventilate and the dizziness overwhelmed him, prompting the nausea to increase tenfold.
He gagged, then whimpered as the muscles in his abdomen contracted.
Now that he wasn't struggling to sit up, Magnus finally managed to get Alec's left wrist free and took Alec's hand into his own.
"Easy, Alexander. Trust me, the last thing you want to do is vomit with a broken rib. Slow, deep breathes if you can manage them."
Alec did his best to follow Magnus's instructions, but the panic started to build again when the pressure on his chest began to increase a second time.
"Nononono…" he whimpered, then squeezed his eyes shut, his body breaking out in a cold sweat.
Can't breathe, can't breathe, can't breathe…
He tried to stay as still as possible, hoping the pressure would just ease and go away if he didn't move. But the resonating crack that followed seconds later quickly disproved his theory.
Alec cried out again, tears streaming from his clenched eyes as a rib on his left side broke to match the right. All the air rushed out of his lungs and he stopped breathing completely.
Nearly a minute went by before he realized that Jace was slapping at his face.
The ringing in his ears finally cleared enough that he could hear his brother frantically yelling at him to inhale, but that was the last thing Alec wanted to do.
His chest was paralyzed by the pain, and his only hope was that suffocation would be a quick death if he didn't fight it.
"Damn it…" Jace grunted as he watched his brother turn from red to a pale blue. "Help me sit him up, Magnus."
Together, they lifted him from under his shoulders, and Alec felt the broken bones in his chest shifting freely as he was maneuvered upright, then he promptly lost the battle with his stomach.
Luckily for Jace, all Alec had to bring up was water.
The blond held his brother steady through the spasms, maintaining careful pressure against his ribs to the best of his ability given the odd angle.
Magnus grimaced as he watched Alec christen Jace's shirt.
"Perhaps moving him wasn't a great idea…"
Jace scowled at the warlock, then softened a bit as Alec's forehead came to rest wearily against his collarbone.
"It's alright, Parabatai. I've got you. Just focus on breathing, alright?"
"C-can't… Hurts."
"… Okay, hang on."
Jace used one hand to keep his brother upright as the other yanked his belt free from the headboard.
With Magnus's help, he carefully cinched it around Alec's broken ribs, making sure it stayed loose enough to not restrict his chest from expanding, but tight enough to keep his ribs in place.
Alec yelped as his brother fastened the buckle, but at least he found it a bit easier to breathe afterwards.
"Th-thanks…" he whispered when he finally had enough air to do so.
Alec tugged lightly at Jace's shirt where his clenched fingers had found purchase around the loose collar. Jace understood the motion as the older boy's silent apology and chuckled.
"Don't worry about it, Alec. Let's face it, a little bit of regurgitated water is hardly the worst thing I've had on my shirt. But seriously, if you really wanted me to take it off, all you had to do was ask."
Alec huffed out a laugh, then grunted as the pain spiraled through his torso.
"Jerk…" he hissed on his next forced exhale.
Jace shrugged, running a comforting hand up and down Alec's spine as his brother tried to get his breathing back under control. "I've been called worse, too."
As the blond comforted his Parabatai, Magnus gathered the pillows that had been removed earlier while they were dealing with the burns and piled them up at the head of Alec's bed again.
At least if he were sitting up, he wouldn't have to fight against gravity every time he inhaled.
Jace could feel the pained tremors coursing through Alec's body as he held him against his chest. He looked up at the warlock as Magnus finished positioning the pillows.
"I think it's safe to say the drugs have worn off. Do you have a second dose?"
Magnus shook his head sadly. "That concoction was extremely potent. A second dose could prove lethal. I'm afraid Alexander is on his own for the remainder of his punishment."
Jace's jaw visibly tightened at the news.
"But he still has four more hours to go, Magnus. There's got to be something you can do for him."
Magnus stared at the broken and beaten boy he loved so dearly. Witnessing his suffering was a worse torture than anything he had experienced while under the influence of the Agony rune himself.
His own punishment had been strictly emotional, but he still carried those scars with him every day. He'd give anything to protect Alec from facing the final quarter of his sentence. Anything.
"Perhaps there is," he replied quietly. "I'm going to pay Imogen a visit. See if I can appeal to her better nature."
"Not sure she has one," Jace grumbled.
"Believe it or not, there was a time when the High Inquisitor was known for her kindness and generosity. Admittedly, a lot has happened since then that has turned her heart to stone."
Jace raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. "And you think you can somehow convince her to end Alec's punishment early?"
"Probably not," Magnus admitted with a heavy sigh. "But I will do my best."
He started towards the door.
"Magnus, wait… What if she doesn't agree and he just keeps getting worse?"
The warlock looked to Alec again, then back at Jace.
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. I'll return as soon as I can."
Then he was gone.
Jace was lost in his own thoughts when Alec suddenly stiffened in his arms, every muscle coiling beneath his hands.
"Alec?"
The older boy whimpered and released Jace's shirt in favor of cradling his left forearm against his chest. Jace eased his brother back against the pillows to get a better look at him.
Alec was horribly pale, sweat trickling down his temples as he hugged his arm protectively just below the wrist.
It felt as if the two long bones were being constricted by a vice, squeezed inwardly until they were rubbing abrasively against each other.
"Jace…" he whined, half in warning, half in desperate plea.
Jace sat down on the bed by Alec's side, prepared to help fix the damage but completely helpless in preventing in.
"Stay with me, Alec… Just breathe. Don't fight it."
Alec's eyes locked with Jace's, and the blond swore he felt the agony in his own arm as both of Alec's bones broke simultaneously.
SHSHSHSHSH
Magnus strode into the High Inquisitor's office, unimpeded by her guards. He surmised that she had been expecting him, and that made his eyes flash yellow in anger.
She had set up an unavoidable trap, and he had waltzed right into it. Checkmate.
"Imogen!"
"Mr. Bane… To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"As time is of the essence, what do you say we skip the games and idle chat? You know full-well why I'm here."
She folded her hands and rested her elbows on her desk, leaning towards him to show he had her undivided attention.
"Alright then. How is Mr. Lightwood holding up?"
Magnus scoffed at her. "Don't pretend you care."
"But I do. He is one of my best soldiers, after all. Such a shame that he's out of commission."
"Then fix it. He's learned his lesson."
"Has he?"
"Yes."
"I'm glad to hear it. But have you learned yours, Magnus?"
He had known this was coming, but it didn't quell the rage he felt when those words left her lips. He let out a steadying breath, then met her gaze calmly.
"What exactly is it that you want from me, Imogen? You want me to owe you a favor? Fine. Name the time and place."
"My my… That is a generous offer coming from the High Warlock of Brooklyn, and I must admit, it's rather tempting. But you know I have other warlocks at my disposal for such occasions. I'm not looking for a favor from you, Magnus, so much as a commitment."
Magnus's hands curled into tight fists behind his back.
"You want me to stay away from Alexander."
"Precisely."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then he will carry out the remainder of his punishment as scheduled. But I must warn you, Magnus, the worst is still yet to come. You, of all people, know what kind of toll the Agony rune can have on the mind and body.
"The physical damage will heal rather quickly as promised once the rune has expired, but I've seen much stronger men driven to insanity by the final phase. To be honest, I'm amazed Alexander has lasted this long. I had assumed you'd come to me much sooner than this."
"Had there been any other option, I would not be standing before you now. But such as it is… If I agree to your terms, you will put an end to his suffering immediately?"
"I will. Believe it or not, I do not wish to see him harmed any more than you do. He's of no use to me or the Institute if he ends up a babbling, drooling mess in the care of the Silent Brothers."
"…Then you have a deal."
Imogen quirked a skeptical eyebrow at him. "Really? Just like that?"
"I am a man of my word. But there is one condition. If he comes to me in need, I will not turn him away. As the High Warlock of Brooklyn, it is my duty to assist in the wellbeing of all creatures that fall under my jurisdiction, shadowhunters included. And as he is one of your best soldiers," he added mockingly, "it would be in your best interest to agree."
She studied him for a moment, trying to gauge whether or not his loophole had ulterior motives. When he didn't flinch under her gaze, she realized he was being genuine.
"Fine. I will allow your one condition. I have nothing against platonic relationships, Mr. Bane. The world revolves around them. But I'm sure you can understand that your more… personal relations with Mr. Lightwood must end. Your fraternizing is only going to hurt his future."
"I'm truly sorry you feel that way. And I can only imagine the amount of heartache you must've experienced to have made you so jaded to love. But for someone to have experienced such pain, you must also have felt compassion at some point. I hope someday you remember that a career is not a future if there is no one beside you to celebrate the achievements."
"Well spoken, Magnus. But I assure you, Alexander is well-loved by his family, and there will be plenty of people by his side to watch him rise through the ranks should he choose to do so."
"Of that, I have no doubt. But I wasn't speaking of Alec," he stated pointedly. "It's not too late for you, Imogen. You can still fix this of your own volition. But if you allow your grandson's Parabatai to continue suffering needlessly, you will lose Jace forever."
"Jonathan is a soldier, and he will come to realize that what I've done has been in both of their best interests."
"I wouldn't be so sure."
"No. I suppose you wouldn't." She stood and retrieved her stele from a drawer in her desk. "Shall we then?"
Magnus nodded and swept his hand towards the door, prompting her to lead the way.
SHSHSHSHSH
By the time they made it back to Alec's room, five more bones had been added to the broken list. The fibula of his left leg had broken straight through the skin and Jace was doing his best to reset it.
The sounds Alec was making tore at Magnus's heart. He'd give up anything to stop the boy's pain. Even Alec himself.
He turned to Imogen.
"End this. Now."
She nodded and stepped closer to the bed, drawing Jace's attention.
The blond looked up and his eyes flared with hatred. He stood, his blood-coated hand immediately moving to the hilt of his seraph blade.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Magnus raised a hand, telling Jace to stand down. "She has come to remove the Agony rune."
Jace's brow narrowed in suspicion. "Why?"
"Because," Imogen replied. "Mr. Bane and I have reached an agreement that will benefit all parties."
Alec's eyes immediately sought out Magnus's and his heart stuttered in his chest when the warlock quickly looked away, the pain in his expression comparable to the pain in Alec's body.
Imogen pulled her stele out of her pocket and approached Alec.
The eldest Lightwood shied away. "Magnus?" he grunted out, demanding answers.
"It'll be alright, Alexander. Just please… Let her take the pain away."
"No. Not until you tell me what you agreed to do." Alec shifted further back on the bed, paying the consequences as his right wrist snapped and gave out from underneath his weight. "Ahha!"
Magnus took an unconscious step forward to sooth the young man, but Imogen's hand shot out and gripped his wrist, halting his movement.
"I will take it from here, Mr. Bane. Your presence is no longer required."
"At least let me stay until the mark is removed so that I may say goodbye."
Alec's head jerked up at that, his eyes flickering between Imogen and Magnus.
"No…" he breathed out, barely audible. "Magnus, wait… Don't do this."
"It's the only way, Alexander," Magnus replied, his voice heavy with regret. "I'm so sorry."
"No! I can do this, Magnus! Please! I've made it this far…"
Magnus broke away from Imogen's hold and strode past her to Alec's side, taking his hand into his own.
"You've suffered enough on my behalf already. Maybe it's best that I step aside and let you live your life the way it was meant to be lived."
"That's not your decision to make."
"Alexander…"
"I said no, Magnus. You told me in the beginning that you wouldn't do anything I didn't want to do, remember?"
"Yes, of course, but that was…"
"Send her away."
"But the fourth quarter, Alexander…"
"I don't care. Whatever it is, I can get through it. But only if you're by my side. That's the only way all of this will have been worth it."
Magnus was floundering with indecision, but it was clear that Alec had already made up his mind. Imogen stepped closer but immediately found her path blocked by a very pissed off Jace.
Nevertheless, she tried to plead her case one more time.
"Mr. Lightwood, I urge you to reconsider."
Alec didn't even spare her a glance, too focused on the warlock in front of him.
"Send her away, Magnus," he repeated softly, his hand closing tighter around Magnus's beseechingly.
Magnus closed his eyes for a moment, his worry battling it out with his relief.
"Alright. If you're sure, then the deal is off," he stated calmly and clearly, earning a tired but honest smile from Alec.
Imogen bristled angrily. "Mr. Bane, we had…"
"You heard them," Jace butted in. "Get the hell out."
"Mark my words, Alexander. You will regret this decision," she threatened.
"No," Alec responded confidently. "I won't."
Imogen threw her hands in the air with a frustrated huff and headed for the door. "Fools. All of you!"
"Imogen," Jace called after her, making her turn back.
She froze when she saw the feral glint in his golden eyes, his hand still wrapped securely around the hilt of his seraph blade.
"See you soon."
TBC
Happy Thanksgiving to all those who are celebrating it this week! More to come soon. Please review!