"Where have you been? Jace questioned his parabatai who looked positively elated when he walked through the door of the institute.
Izzy came down the hall and jumped on her brother squealing, "I want to know all about your date!"
"Date?" Jace frowned.
"It was nice," Alec sighed dreamily. "Fancy and overpriced but nice."
Isabelle squealed with excitement while Jace only grunted.
"Well, anyway. Straight to business. We're on a hunt." Jace informed them.
"For?" Alec questioned, batting his prying sister away from his jacket pockets.
"A demon, duh," Jace joked and Alec playfully smacked his shoulder, rolling his eyes.
Izzy piped up, "A lesser demon. An Ice demon who is apparently drowning mundanes in the river."
Alec furrowed his thick brow. "That's a new one for me," he mused, "I'll get my bow."
They set out on their hunt, taking the subway into Brooklyn. Alec's heart fluttered as they passed Magnus' apartment complex. Focus Alec, he scolded himself. They headed for the small inlet on the far side of the Brooklyn Bridge where the mundanes had drowned.
"I see black ice," Izzy shivered. It was the middle of February and a thick coat of snow hid the treacherous ice patches.
"Split up," Jace whispered, "but stay in sight. And don't slip." The siblings nodded, Alec feeling slightly annoyed with Jace's comment directed at him. He was not known for being graceful on ice.
Jace drew his Seraph blade, tapping the ice with it. This inlet must've not had much current as it was frozen solid with what the Shadowhunters presumed was a thick layer of ice. "Here demon, demon, demon," he called stupidly. Alec rolled his eyes, noticing a dark shadow moving across the corner of his vision. He turned, straying slightly farther from the group as he followed the direction of the shadow.
The ground rumbled suddenly beneath them, the ice splitting and cracking as something emerged from it. "Here it is!" Izzy shouted, bracing herself and drawing her whip.
Alec tried to quickly scramble away from the edge of the cracking bank of ice but the demon turned his gaze on the skinny boy, smirking devilishly. A harsh, cold whoosh of air pushed Alec, causing him to slip and hit the solid ice hard. He gave a small cry, desperately trying to regain his bearings and get off the hill of ice.
The demon laughed, splitting the ice underneath Alec. With a flick of his wrist a wall of ice formed, sliding down the bank and straight toward Alec.
"It's a trap!" Jace screamed, "Alec!"
Alec couldn't grip anything fast enough before another harsh wind pushed him down the ice bank, the mass of ice following him out onto the East River. Jace and Izzy immediately attacked, temporarily drawing the demon's attention away from the eldest Shadowhunter.
He was sprawled out like a starfish as he slid further and further onto thinner ice. He shivered violently out of fear and the chill of the water beneath him. The layer of ice in the middle of the river was cracking under his weight and he'd have to act fast if he wanted to make it off the ice before it collapsed.
He glanced up at the buildings by the banking, noticing that he could see the lights glowing from Magnus' penthouse. It seemed so far away from this view. Flashbacks of his epic night with the Warlock distracted him from the perilous task at hand.
Suddenly, he heard the ice demon chanting. He dared to look up out of fear and saw that the demon was summoning something. The water below Alec began to bubble and churn, the ice seeming to get thinner by the second.
"Alec! Don't move!" Jace yelled as he attacked the elusive ice demon again. His siblings efforts were proven useless as the ice under Alec cracked completely in half. He screamed as he was plunged into the freezing water of the East River. He struggled to the surface, never having been a strong swimmer in the first place. He breached the surface for only a moment, noticing a murky shadow beneath him. Something wrapped around his ankle and he was soon pulled under the water once more.
Suddenly, it clicked. The wasnt the work of a sole ice demon, but instead a tag team. A lesser ice demon enslaved to a greater water demon. Alec cursed his luck knowing this would not end in his favor.
His body felt paralyzed and he had no breath left in his lungs, but as if the demon meant to toy with him, he breached the surface for one more small gulp of air before being dragged back down into the frigid winter waters.
Jace and Izzy struggled to kill the ice demon on land. They dodged ice shards and large snow fists. "How is he so powerful?" Izzy panted, barely able to catch her breath. Glacing to her side she suddenly noticed her brother was no longer balanced precariously on the thin ice. He breached the surface for a moment and Izzy noticed a dark shadow surrounding him.
"It's a water demon!" She yelled, "Jace! Get to Alec!"
Alec was struggling as much for air as his siblings were to get to him. His lungs felt like they were about to burst but his body had no fight left. He sunk deeper in the river hearing a deep chuckle vibrate the water. "Let go…" A sinister voice crept into Alec's mind.
His bright blue eyes pierced through the water as he looked directly at the water demon's form. "Magnus," he breathed. In that moment he gulped a massive amount of water, choking horribly. Black dots danced around his vision as a flash of lightning seemed to light up the sky. Blue sparks trickled through the water, halting all movement, including the last of Alec's struggle.
Just as Jace was about to deliver a fatal blow to the ice demon, it sent him flying. He landed on his back, hard. His breath was knocked from his body and it took him too long to gain his bearings and get up. Izzy could barely hold off the demon on her own and Jace was rendered unable to aid either of his siblings.
In a moment of sheer luck, Jace heard a crack of thunder and saw a bolt of lightning strike the ice demon, turning him to dust. Izzy fell back from the blast while a tall, lean figure emerged from the cloud of snow.
Jace recognized the green-gold cat eyes that could only belong to the High Warlock of Brooklyn; Magnus Bane.
He flicked his wrist, sending blue sparks across the surface of the water. Jace immediately saw the water demon freeze in place. This was the opportunity he'd been waiting for.
Without hesitation, the blonde Shadowhunter dove into the river, slicing into the paralyzed water demon and eviscerating it, the only remnants being a string of small bubbles that rose to the ice sheet above him. Jace smirked victoriously. It was then he noticed something alarming, he looked around for his parabatai only to find him quickly sinking into the murky depths of the river.
Jace swam after him, quickly realizing just how cold the water really was. He grabbed hold of his brother by the underarms but was struggling to bring him to the surface. He felt as if he was only halting their descent.
A bubbling sensation began underneath him that suddenly propelled his ascent from the river. He breached the surface with a gasp, dragging himself and Alec to the bank where Magnus and Izzy stood. They grabbed at the boys, dragging them onto solid ground. Jace sputtered but was able to catch his breath in a reasonable amount of time. He shivered, teeth chattering and lips blue; but that was nothing compared to Alec's condition.
"Alec!" He cried, trying to grab his parabatai. The boy was ashen, skin pale white with ice caked to his eyebrows and lips. He was nearly frozen and his hair was turning to ice crystals against his face. But what was most alarming was the fact that he wasn't breathing.
Jace jumped on top of the black haired Shadowhunter, administering CPR even in his weakened state. "Come on, Alec! Breathe!" He begged, pressing his lips to Alec's frozen ones and blowing air into his frozen lungs.
"Move," Magnus demanded, shoving Jace off his Shadowhunter. He crouched down next to Alec, shimmering black trench coat splayed out behind him and he placed his hand over Alec's heart. Blue sparks of electricity suddenly jolted over the boy's body. He cupped his lover's chin, blowing air into him once more before shocking him again. This time he got a response.
Alec's eyes shot open as he began choking on water. Magnus quickly rolled him onto his side, still holding his chest as the Shadowhunter coughed up the contents of his lungs. This only lasted a moment before he collapsed into unconsciousness again. The warlock quickly drew a portal. Magnus scooped the gangly boy into his arms with some difficulty and began marching towards his apartment.
"Hey!" Izzy called after him. She grabbed Jace by the shoulders and began to drag him along behind Magnus. They slipped through the portal behind Magnus just in time.
"He's advancely hypothermic and if I don't raise his body temperature soon, he will die." Magnus retorted. Izzy shouldered the brunt of Jace's weight as he began to shiver violently, unable to stand. She dropped him onto Magnus' fluffy pink couch and breathed heavily and quickly followed the warlock on a mission.
Magnus kicked open the door to his bedroom. "Strip Jace of those wet clothes and bundle him up in some towels and blankets. They're in the top of the linen closet," Magnus jerked his chin, never looking at Isabelle as he gave the orders. Izzy couldn't help but stare at her brother's seemingly lifeless form in Magnus' arms.
"Now, Isabelle!" Bane barked.
She scurried away and Magnus cursed under his breath. "Come on, Alec. I leave you alone for what? A day? But no, you just have to go and try to get yourself killed. Guess it was a good thing you made an awful lot of fucking noise." He grumbled to himself as he began tearing the boy's wet clothes off, stripping him down and wrapping him in a fluffy towel. He snapped his fingers, hearing water turn on in the bathroom.
"Isabelle!" Magnus called, "There is water in a kettle on the stove, turn the gas on and call for me when it steams!"
"Got it!" She yelled back, seemingly flustered by the situation at hand. Magnus sat Alec in his lap, rubbing his body down with the towel until he began to shiver slightly. Magnus took this as a good sign that his body was trying to reheat. He pressed his palm to the boy's cheek, realizing just how dangerously low his body temperature was.
"Just hang on, my sweet." He kissed the boys wet hair lovingly.
"Magus!" Izzy called. He laid Alec down on his bed, wrapping him under the covers before quickly making his way to the kitchen. He pulled two mugs out of the cupboard, filling them with the steaming water. He pulled various jars out of his cabinets, mixing different ingredients into each mug.
"Ew!" Izzy held her nose. "What is that?"
Magnus rolled his eyes. "You don't want to know. Hand me the honey." He pointed to a yellow jar on the counter. She slid it over to him and he dropped a good chunk into each mug. He handed one to Izzy that smelled only of tea leaves and honey.
"Give that to Jace. Make him drink all of it." He gave her a pointed look.
Once she had gone, Magnus unlocked a drawer, pulling out a jar that looked like it was filled with ashes. He took out a pinch, locking it back up again. He sprinkled the strange ingredient into Alec's mug murmuring, "Ulcus." The tea made a hissing sound and Magnus was satisfied.
Alec found himself drifting in and out of consciousness. He had seen a familiar pair of glitter coated cat eyes, thanking the angels that his Warlock had come to his rescue.
"Alec…" A soft voice continually called his name. His eyelids felt like lead and he was unable to open them. A warm liquid touched his throat, causing him to immediately cough it up. Someone swore less than quietly.
"Come on, babe." The voice begged. The liquid once again was dripped into his mouth, a stern hand under his chin forced his jaw shut.
The Shadowhunter began to choke and squirmed away from the hand that held his mouth closed in a desperate attempt to escape what felt like drowning all over again. "Dammit, Alexander!" Glass slammed down against wood as the boy's body was unravelled from the warm cocoon it had occupied. His shivering intensified and he continued trying to force his eyelids open.
A stinging sensation graced his cheekbone and blue sparks danced behind his eyelids. This small jolt forced his eyes open and he gasped, desperately clawing the air. Something grabbed his wrists and he screamed - or attempted to. His trachea burned and his voice only came out as a small, strained squeak.
"Alexander look at me!" Magnus grabbed the boys chin, green-gold cat eyes meeting baby blue orbs. "Just calm down." The longer he looked, the calmer Alec became. Magnus cooed him softly and Alec slowed the frantic panting he didn't realize he had been doing.
Alec attempted to speak but words escaped him. His wrists were set free and he lunged at Magnus, locking his arms around the warlock's neck. "Help," his small rasp came.
Magnus ran his fingers through crystalized black hair, letting heat seep from his fingers to Alec's core. The shadowhunter curled into him, teeth chattering violently and shivers racking his body.
"Alexander," a voice like silk called his attention once more, "I need you to listen to me, sweetheart. I need you to drink this," he reached for the mug sitting on the bedside table. "It will make you feel better. Just drink, alright?"
Alec nodded, somewhat out of it. Magnus pressed the mug to his blue lips once again, gently trickling the liquid into his throat. Alec coughed and Magnus chided a sound of disapproval, cupping Alec's chin with his other hand.
The warm, thick liquid slid down Alec's inflamed throat easily. It soothed the ache caused by the drastic intake of river water and hit his stomach like a rock that radiated heat. Magnus murmured to him, gently rubbing his rune scarred neck. He quickly drank the whole mug, gulping painfully but feeling slightly better yet still terribly cold. He leaned against Magnus' warm chest, feeling the warlock rocking them slightly. Magnus slowly lifted the boy who remained in a daze. He grunted with Alec's dead weight and brought him to the bathroom where he had drawn up a hot lavender bath.
He was sure, now, that Alec was warm enough to keep from going into shock when he hit the hot water. Magnus cooed his young lover as he brought him to the bath, but the moment Alec's toe touched the warm water, everything went wrong.
The shadowhunter let out an ear shattering scream, practically launching himself out of Magnus' arms. He landed on the tile floor hard, yelping when a crack sounded from his right knee. He scrambled across the floor screaming, "I can't breathe! Let me go!"
Magnus managed to grab the delirious boy by his leg, slowing him down long enough for Magnus to pin him to the ground. Alec struggled against the warlock, begging to be let go. Magnus grunted, barely able to keep a hold on the strong shadowhunter. "Alec! Stop! Alexander!"
He finally had it. Pressing his palms into Alec's wrists he released a jolt of magic, stunnning his lover. The boy stopped moving and silence fell over the room, only broken by Alec's heavy panting.
Izzy frantically knocked on the locked bedroom door. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"
"It's fine, Isabelle," Magnus panted out. "Alec just got a bit frightened." He stood, gathering Alec from the floor before stripping himself of clothes.
"By what?" The alarm had not faded from her voice.
"I'm just trying to get him into a warm bath." Magnus retorted, sliding the rings off his fingers.
"Jace is passed out on the couch," Izzy stammered.
"I assure you, that was intentional."
"Do you need help?"
No, Isabelle. You should get some sleep as well." His tone was harsh, initiating the end of the conversation. The youngest shadowhunter caught the hint, slinking away from the bedroom door.
"Let's try this again, shall we?" Alec watched his warlock with lazy eyes as he was lifted once more. He placed Alec in the tub this time without incident. Alec clung to Magnus' wrists, and the warlock slid in behind his shadowhunter, holding the boy to his chest.
He guided Alec's head back to rest on his shoulder as he further submerged them in the calm water. "Take a deep breath, love. The lavender will help the pain and keep you calm." Magnus cooed softly, kissing the shell of Alec's ear.
The barely concious shadowhunter hung on Magnus' every word, the lavender scent that drifted from the water with the steam calmed them both. Alec's muscles began to soften and his shivering ceased. "There you go," Magnus murmured, "that's my boy." Magnus aimlessly traced the shadowhunters runes under the water, naming them all off in his head when he felt Alec's head slide down, forehead pressing against Magnus' cheek.
Warmth was brewing within him and he began to sweat. "Alright, let's get you dry." Magnus decided, placing kisses on Alec's exposed skin. He leaned heavily on his warlock as they rose from the tub.
"I've got you, i've got you," Magnus repeated this phrase until Alec began to wonder who he was trying to convince. He placed Alec on the bed while he bustled around the room, desperate to find something warm for Alec to change into.
"I know I have sweatpants somewhere in these god forsaken drawers!" He grumbled with exasperation. Alec slouched against the pillows, only half conscious and slightly afraid Magnus would shock him again if he passed out.
"I only shocked you to keep you awake so your heart rate wouldn't fall too low." Magnus quipped under his breath. "I may be the high warlock but there are some miracles I can't swing."
Alec chuckled, realizing he had spoken his thoughts aloud. "They're in the top shelf of the closet," he rasped.
Magnus furrowed his brow, slamming open his walk in closet door only to find Alec's statement accurate. "Son of a…"
He threw the pants at Alec, who promptly missed them and they slid off the bed. The slim shadowhunter swung his legs over the edge of the bed, intending on standing for only a moment to reach the sweatpants. A yelp tore out of him as his rump quickly made introductions with the floor.
"Oh, hell," Magnus groaned, "Can't you sit still for five minutes?" The warlock scowled, picking Alec up from the ground for what seemed like the millionth time tonight.
"I thought I could do it," Alec mumbled innocently as Magnus helped him dress.
"With what youve been through tonight, you should be in bed for a week," Magnus scolded. "Which is where you will be so long as I have you."
Alec scoffed, "That'll happen."
Magnus glared at him, joining him under the covers and wrapped the fluffy comforter around them both. Alec curled into Magnus, blunt nails scratching at the warlock's bare chest.
"I drowned."
"Not exactly, but pretty close."
"I died." Alec mumbled under his breath, eyes fluttering shut. Magnus, hand on the shadowhunters juglar, felt his pulse drop rapidly.
"Hey!" He sent a small shock across the boy's cheekbone. "Don't you do that to me! You're not dying tonight."
Alec reeled from the shock, stars dancing in his eyes. "So sleep equals death?"
"For right now, yes." Magnus hissed.
"Jace," Alec began to frantically look around. "Is Jace okay?"
"Alec," Magnus growled, pushing the boy's shoulders down. "Jace is fine. We are focusing on you. You were drowning in a freezing river for god knows how long and your heart rate and core temperature have been dangerously low. I gave you something for your temperature but you need to let it work."
Alec let out a slow breath, "Okay." They sat in silence after Magnus clutched Alec to his chest as if someone was trying to pry him away. Alec felt an intense heat brewing in his abdomen.
"Magnus…" he murmured, "What did you give me?"
The warlock pursed his lips. "It's called the ash of sorrow. It's, uh, meant to induce miscarriages by boiling your blood to kill the fetus."
"But I don't have a fetus."
"I didn't know of anything that would work faster to raise your temperature. What I gave Jace wasn't for hypothermia. You were pretty severely hypothermic."
"Are you sure it wont boil my blood? My chest feels like it's burning."
Magnus placed a hand on Alec's forehead. "It shouldnt hurt you. The potion goes through a cycle and then it will even back out to your normal temperature." He ran a calming hand through Alec's raven hair.
Alec barely gave a nod as sweat welled up on his brow. He couldn't keep his eyes open for more than a few seconds at a time. Magnus continued to stroke the shadowhunters hair, not at all helping with his fight to sleep.
"You can rest for awhile," Magnus murmured. "Your heart rate is steady. You should be fine."
"Thank the angels," Alec yawned.
"You might get a little uncomfortable later tonight. It's just the potion's cycle. It will give you a fever before it settles out." Magnus didn't have a chance to finished before Alec had passed out. He smiled, kissing the boy's temple.
A few hours later, when Magnus had started to doze off himself, a knock sounded. "Magnus?" He recognized the voice as Isabelle.
He snapped his fingers to unlock the door. "Come in," he muttered, trying not to wake Alec.
Isabelle crept into the room, smiling softly at the sight of Alec curled against Magnus who was wrapped around the shadowhunter protectively.
"Is he alright?"
"He should be," Magnus whispered back. "Maybe a little bruised but I'll take care of that tomorrow."
"Jace is awake. He seems fine but he wants to go home." Her tone was questioning.
"By all means. His temperature should be normal by now."
"It is. He drew an iratze for everything else." She glanced over at Alec's lengthy body that looked surprisingly small curled against Magnus' lean form.
"Good. Go home." Magnus grumbled, exhausted from the night's ordeal.
"Are you keeping Alec?" She asked, though she already knew the answer.
"He will stay with me until I declare him healthy. Which may be never at the rate he's going." The warlocks tone began with affection and ended in coy bitterness.
Izzy giggled, "He's in capable hands. Tell him I love him." She whispered as she kissed Alec's exposed shoulder.
"Of course," Magnus purred in reply, cat eyes shining like beacon's in the dark.
"Thank you for everything tonight. Goodbye, Magnus."
"For now, darling."
Izzy smiled, slipping out of his bedroom and rushing a whining Jace from the apartment.
Alec stirred slightly, sweat sticking his hair to his pale forehead. "I feel hot," he croaked, voice hoarse.
"Hush, my love," Magnus cooed, "It'll be alright. Just try to sleep it off. I'm here." Alec nodded meekly, snuggling up into Magnus' side.
"Can we just spend tomorrow canoodling so I don't feel like such shit?" He asked sleepily.
The warlock laughed, kissing Alec's hair. "Yes, my darling. We can just 'canoodle'."
"Thank the angel," Alec slurred, falling against Magnus once again in a deep slumber.