The second Alec hit the surface of the water, air flooded his lungs and he gulped the oxygen as fast as he could. He could finally breathe properly again, and the sensation was so overwhelming that he choked on air for a while before he could properly respire. There was a force pulling him out of the water and dragging him to the shore, freeing him from whatever restraints had held him to the bottom of the depths. Soon he laid on a patch of grass and mud, run down by exhaustion and retching fanatically - only water splattered onto the ground. Vague sounds surrounded him, familiar voices, but he was too tired to identify any of them. He was just about able to sit up, and as he did, he felt someone wrapping something warm and comforting around his shoulders.
Forcing himself to stand, Alec's vision began to return and his hearing became less muffled. He was suddenly hit with a freezing breeze, realising how poorly he was dressed and how bitterly cold the weather was. Wrapping his arms around himself and shivering in the cold, he looked up and immediately saw Jace rushing towards him, his parabatai's arms instinctively wrapping around him. He tried to open his mouth and speak, although he was unsure of what he meant to say, but his jaw only chattered as the blonde pulled him to his chest. Jace, as always, was toasty and warm, like a newly lit fire, and Alec welcomed the embrace, burying his head in Jace's shoulder and holding back the tears of shock that he could feel brewing.
After a while - Alec couldn't tell how long - the voices around him became much more distinguished. Isabelle was fussing as usual, but Jace told her to stay back. Alec's mother was there too, he quickly spotted her stood further up the bank as she watched the scene before her. He wondered what she was thinking right now as she saw how intimately Jace cradled him. But, when he turned his head to the side to look away, Alec didn't see any more of his family. Instead, he noticed the face of a familiar warlock standing just meters away, arms folded across his chest.
Alec's heart both leapt and dropped in the same moment, the sight of Magnus sending a comforting thrill through his body, whilst also tickling at the guilty conscience he'd been trying to ignore. Amongst the many dreams Alec's mind had unwillingly lulled into whilst he was trapped underwater, very few had featured Magnus at all, as though he was trying to forget that the warlock even existed - similarly, Jace had only appeared as a brother and friend, never more, like he was shielding himself from the guilt. But there had been that one moment of bliss when he'd finally appeared in front of Alec's eyes, and all he could do was kiss Magnus with more longing and desperation than he'd ever kissed anyone before. He'd been on his last breaths, sure that he was closer to death than any fights with demons had brought him, and that lapse of beautiful warmth had been like a blessing - he'd been unable to keep himself from taking as much advantage of the flickering moment as possible. He'd assumed that it had been just another one of his dreams, but now he wondered whether it was somehow real.
Magnus had a look of disapproval flickering across his flawless features, along with a hint of jealously and regret that the warlock hid well, but not enough for Alec to miss. Alec wondered how he must have looked to Magnus, curled up in Jace's arms when it had only been a while since their breakup. He panicked and didn't know what to do when Magnus' gaze locked with his, but all he could do was send him an apologetic look and allow his hidden tears to begin streaming down his cheeks. Magnus, still looking at him, frowned, before turning and walking away.
"Alec," Jace whispered, quiet and breathless. Alec was sure he was wrong, but Jace sounded as though he'd been crying. "I missed you." Alec didn't know what to say; he wanted to tell Jace that he missed him too, because he had - he'd missed a lot of things: warmth, being dry, clothes, gravity. Yet his tongue was tied, a useless lump that filled his mouth, and he was unable to communicate much more than just nodding, simultaneously pressing his face further into the crook of Jace's shoulder. The blonde boy was warm, heavenly so, but Alec was still freezing cold to the point where his legs were shivering so violently that he could barely stand. It didn't help that he was also exhausted, and it was taking all of his strength to just stay standing even though he was leaning most of his weight against Jace. Alec felt Jace plant a kiss on the top of his head, carefully so that nobody behind him would notice the movement, like it was their private secret.
"I-I'm really t-t-tired," Alec stuttered, barely able to force out the words, but despite his murmuring Jace seemed to have understood what he was saying. Jace pulled away for a split second before lifting his parabatai beneath the back and legs, so that Alec was cradled up against the strong warmth of his chest. He began to walk back towards the others, carrying Alec with him, as the dark haired boy lulled back into a dozy sleep.
It wasn't until many hours later that Jace could finally relax.
After the spell had been completed, Izzy, Jace and Magnus rushed to the location the crystal had indicated as soon as possible, calling Maryse on the way to meet them there. She didn't seem as annoyed at not being notified earlier as Jace had expected, she was more relieved and apprehensive as to what state they would find her son in - they all were.
Once they got there, it turned out that the location was on the edge of the Hudson River, the bank incredibly steep and difficult to manoeuvre even for a Shadowhunter. Jace couldn't believe that Alec was underwater, even though that explained the echoing sounds and the blue that had covered his vision during both the tracking rune and the spell. For a panicked moment Jace had been sure that the worst had happened, and that they would find Alec drowning deep below the water's surface, but Magnus had assured him that he'd seen Alec in Jace's eyes during the spell - he guessed that explained the kiss.
As soon as he'd realised that Alec was submerged under the water, Jace had been fully prepared to dive right in and drag his parabatai back to shore by hand. He'd raced down the bank, skidding down the muddy slope but not caring so long as he got to Alec as soon as was possible, but Magnus stopped him.
"Jace," he called, and the blonde snapped back with a scowl. "Don't bother." Jace was immediately furious - Magnus had promised him that Alec was alive, they'd spent hours doing that spell and now he was bailing? How could he? Had he been given a second, Jace would have stormed back towards the warlock and landed a fist in his face, but before he could take a step, Magnus raised his hand. His fingertips were crackling with the electric blue of magic, and Jace realised that perhaps using a spell was a smarter approach.
It only took a click of Magnus' fingers for the water of the river to begin to slosh around, and within seconds Jace could see his friend being pulled through the rippling water towards them. He was limp and barely moving, the magic tugging him along the muddy ground as though he was being pulled by a strong rope, until he was eventually completely out of the water and the magic dropped him onto the ground. He didn't move for a good few moments, and Jace was paralysed by worry. But he had nothing to fear, as soon the dark haired boy was jolted by a retch and sat up to hurl out a flood of water onto the already sodden ground beside him.
Magnus had been closer to the water's edge and had already stepped towards Alec before Jace had even began moving, having shrugged off his thick coat and draped it over Alec's shoulder's to conceal his decency. Jace didn't really remember rushing towards Alec as the shivering boy climbed to his feet, but he knew that within seconds his armed were curled around him and that was all that mattered.
They'd all made their way back to the Institute soon after that, even Magnus, although it took a little begging from Izzy. Jace suspected that the only reason the warlock agreed was due to the fact that Alec was unconscious, and promised that he would only stay to check the boy over. In less than an hour, Magnus had left, assuring all of them - although mostly Maryse - that Alec was fine, and would retain no permanent damage from the time he'd spent in the lake.
It took a little longer to convince Maryse and Izzy that he was telling the truth, as the two of them both seemed to want to stand at the end of Alec's bed and guard him all night. Jace had to admit that he had similar wishes, but he selfishly wished that they would go to bed and leave him to be alone with Alec. He wanted to hold Alec's hand, kiss his forehead, and climb beside him in the infirmary bed, but he obviously couldn't do any of that with Izzy and her mother here. However, when they finally left - many hours later - Jace was able to creep under the covers and put his arm around Alec's sleeping body. He fell asleep like that soon after.
By the time he woke, there was sunlight streaming through the large windows of the room and the mournful shadows of the night had vanished. Jace yawned and tried to stretch without moving too much, as to not wake Alec, who was still sleeping silently against his side. The dark haired boy had rested his head on Jace's shoulder, with an arm slung over his waist beneath the thin sheets that covered them. He looked content and at peace, happier than Jace would have expected considering that fact that he'd been chained to the bottom of a river for the past few days.
Although he was reluctant to move from the comforting embrace of his parabatai, Jace was cautious of the fact that the sun was high in the sky - it was late in the morning, and couldn't be long before either Izzy or Maryse would be back to check on Alec. Taking one last pleasant glance at Alec, Jace gently shifted the sleeping boy off of him and slid from the bed, yet still keeping hold of his hand even as he took a seat on the chair beside Alec's bed. He was still tired, drained from the previous day, but for once his exhaustion was keeping his mind from wandering onto its usual paths of randomness. Gripping Alec's hand with his own as though he was afraid to let go - and in a way he was, needing to be reminded that Alec was there for him to be able to relax - Jace laid his head on the edge of Alec's bed and attempted to reenter the world of sleep.
But before long he was jolted awake, shifting from half asleep to wide awake in a matter of nanoseconds when Alec's hand was torn from his. He looked up to see the boy quaking as if he was having a fit, his eyes still closed and his arms raised to protect his face from a nonexistent evil. When Jace jumped to his feet and immediately reached to touch him, Alec flinched away, but the contact was enough for Jace to be shocked at how cold Alec's skin was. It was like he'd just climbed out of the Hudson River again, his skin like ice yet his brow covered in a cold sweat.
"Alec, wake up," Jace prompted him, taking hold of the boy's shoulders to shake him into consciousness. He woke almost immediately, yet although his eyes were open, he flailed and hit the air like he was convinced that he was still trapped within whatever dream Jace had awoken him from. His objections decreased as he began to realise where he really was, and suddenly he was holding onto Jace's arms rather than fighting them.
"Jace," he breathed, and by the relief in his voice Jace wondered whether he remembered being pulled from the river and carried home. His hand seeked Jace's, their fingers interlacing, and soon their lips were together too, neither of them stopping to be cautious of who could easily walk in any minute. Jace reached to hold Alec's cheek in his other hand, but found that his face felt as cold and soft as snow beneath his fingertips.
"You're freezing," he whispered, and Alec nodded, the light chattering of his teeth a telling sign that he was as cold as he felt. The older boy didn't say anything, probably not wanting to complain, knowing him. But there were obvious goosebumbs arising all over his soft skin and Jace couldn't bare to see him shiver. It seemed unfair for the blonde to be so warm when the person he cared most about seemed to be drained almost completely of any heat, but Jace was perfectly willing to share. Before Alec could even open his mouth to object, Jace pulled back the sheets to climb back into the small bed with him, forced by the size of it to put his arm around Alec and have almost every part of their bodies touching, but neither of them were complaining - if anything, being so close would only warm Alec quicker. Jace was glad to be near him again, and Alec's low temperature gave him a liable exuse for joining him on the bed which would hopefully satisfy Maryse if she was to appear at any moment.
"Jace," he heard Alec whisper. Being near him was warming the boy, and thankfully reducing the shaking that Jace was concerned would never stop, yet his voice still sounded weak and pained. Alec didn't say anything more, but Jace knew him well enough to understand what the silence meant.
"I know," Jace uttered back, "I love you too." All of a sudden, Alec began quaking again, but Jace knew that this time around it wasn't because of the cold. Alec was sobbing silent tears, unsuccessfully trying to swallow them back even though he knew that he couldn't hide them from Jace. But his parabatai didn't judge him for even a second, and instead just held him close and littered soft kisses over his left temple as Alec cried himself back into a numbing sleep.