The response to the first chapter was so awesome, any time I got an alert on my phone about it, it just made my day! Thank you all so much, I'm glad you guys enjoyed the first chapter! Now, onto the second one, I hope it lives up to your expectations and sorry for any mistakes, they're all mine!
When they arrived at the loft, Alec wasted no time in nodding his head toward his jacket pocket," Jace, my key's in my pocket."
His Parabatai nodded and swiftly swiped the key and unlocked the door as Alec rushed inside with Magnus in his arms. He gently laid the injured warlock on the couch and took in the sight of Magnus's pale face and eyes that were closed tightly in pain. He felt as though a cold hand gripped his heart as he looked at his boyfriend with worried eyes.
Alec's training kicked in as he tried to push the worry away and focus on helping Magnus," We need to stop the bleeding. Izzy, there should be some bandages in a drawer near the table over there."
"You got it." Izzy's voice was laced with a thin layer of concern as she hurried to find bandages, leaving Alec sitting on the floor next to the couch with Jace watching him.
The slow rise and fall in Magnus's chest was the only thing that re-assured Alec that Magnus was alive; the streaked, black makeup on the warlock's face was a shocking contrast to the deathly pale skin tone. Alec longed to hear his lover's voice, telling him that he was okay, but knew that him being unconscious was probably best right now. As soon as his hands were bandaged, Alec was going to be there to give Magnus his strength, give him anything to make sure he was okay.
A movement to his left startled him away from his thoughts as his sister crouched down and handed him a roll of bandages. She noticed his face and put a hand on his shoulder.
"He's going to be okay, nothing like this can bring down the High Warlock of Brooklyn."
Despite the calming words, Alec's heart was still pounding as he accepted the roll of bandages and carefully picked up one of Magnus's hands. He cringed when he saw the damage up close; there was a hole that pierced straight through the flesh on his palm and exited the other side leaving a bloody mess. There was no doubt that there would be some lasting damage, Alec just hoped that it wouldn't last too long. Once the immediate damage of blood loss was taken care of, he swore to call Catarina and ask for help. Because, despite his medical knowledge, he didn't know how the wounds would affect Magnus's magical abilities.
Once both of Magnus's hands were wrapped thoroughly with the thick, white bandages, Alec realised how much blood had really been lost. The previously pristine and dark jacket that Magnus had worn to the mission now appeared darker before with the crimson blood that stained it. His hands shakily moved forward and unbuttoned the jacket, carefully pulling it out from under the warlock's still form.
The movement from the jacket being removed must have been enough to wake Magnus from his unconscious state as he slowly opened his eyes and groaned," Alexander…"
Alec's head jerked up to look at the tired face of his beloved and let out a breath of air in relief," Oh, thank the Angel, Magnus."
He looped his arms around Magnus's torso and moved him a bit further up on the pillows underneath his body, while burrowing his face into Magnus's shoulder inhaling his scent. Alec could feel both of their bodies shaking slightly as he held tightly onto the other man. He heard a hiss of pain and quickly drew back to see Magnus looking down at his hands with an indescribable look on his face. It almost looked like a mix of pain, confusion and anger.
"I'm sorry, I got too excited, I didn't mean to hurt you."
Magnus shook his head slowly and looked at Alec," You did nothing wrong. In fact, I think I have you and your siblings to thank for saving me."
It was then that Alec remembered that he wasn't the only other person in the room. He had been so focused on Magnus he had forgotten about Izzy and Jace being there behind him. His Parabatai had taken a seat on a chair near the couch with Izzy standing next to him, giving Alec and Magnus room.
Izzy stepped forward and waved a hand," It was nothing."
"Pretty sure Alec would kill someone before letting anything happen to you." Jace's voice had a joking tone to it, but it still conveyed the real meaning of what he said. He too walked forward and placed a comforting hand on Alec's shoulder, sensing the worry that was still radiating through the Parabatai bond.
Alec gave a small smile but it quickly disappeared as he looked back at Magnus's pale and drawn face," I'm going to call Catarina, she'll probably know how to help better than we do."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, Magnus had given him Catarina's number in case of emergency and it certainly seemed like a good time to use it. After scrolling through his list of contacts, he found her number and dialed it.
" Hello?" Catarina's voice came through on the other side as Jace and Izzy leaned closer in to hear what she said.
"It's Alec, I- Magnus needs your help." He couldn't keep the emotion out of his voice as he briefly spoke.
"Damn it, I'll be right over."
"Thank you, Catarina," Alec hung up and turned back to Magnus, pushing his hair out of his hair with a pale hand," She's coming over and she'll be able to fix this."
Magnus's eyes began to droop as he nodded and Alec cupped his face with his hands," How are you feeling?"
"Like my hands are swiss cheese." The warlock's voice was scratchy and tired but he opened an eye to look at Alec with a small smile on his face.
The sound of footsteps behind Alec caused him to turn around before he could respond," Hate to interrupt, but Izzy and I should probably report back to the Institute. They may understand if you stay here with Magnus, but not us."
Alec nodded and rose to his feet to face Jace and Izzy," Thank you for being here. Once Magnus is feeling better, I'll make sure to give my report at the Institute too."
"Get well soon, Magnus! Alec gets terribly mopey whenever the slightest thing is wrong and I'd hate for him to come back to the Institute in a bad mood." His sister called back to the pair in a light tone as she and Jace exited the loft, leaving Magnus and Alec by themselves.
The atmosphere seemed to shift when the others left, Alec looking at his boyfriend with a concerned gaze as silence fell around them. The small grin on Magnus's face had slipped away and was replaced by one of pain and discomfort. His wounded hands lay limp on his lap when a blue spark swirled around them. Magnus's face contorted and he gritted his teeth with a small noise, drawing Alec's attention to the magical spark.
"What was that? Are you okay?" The questions flew from Alec's mouth as he leaned forward and put a hand on Magnus's arm in concern.
"I…I believe," Magnus paused to collect his thoughts," I believe my magic is trying to heal my wounds without me doing it on purpose. It's hard to explain, but a warlock needs to use their hands to cast magic, so right now, my body and magic are fighting against each other. It's- "
He stopped short as another zing of magic sputtered around his bandages on his hands and caused him to grind his teeth in pain. Magnus leaned forward and tried to bring his hands close to his chest, only causing more pain as the wounds were jostled. His breath was coming in quick pants as he doubled over on the couch, shaking.
Alec's eyebrows furrowed together and he put an arm over Magnus's back and moved himself as close as he could to the warlock," It's okay, you're okay, Magnus. Just hold on, Catarina will be here soon."
It was torture seeing Magnus in pain and being unable to do anything about it. All he could do was rub small circles on his back and hold him close to his body, whispering calming words into his ear in a desperate attempt to make him feel better. Luckily, soon after the magical pain started, the doors to the loft flung open and Catarina stormed in with a bag slung over her shoulder, still dressed in her hospital scrubs.
"What have you done this time, Magnus Bane?" Her voice sounded exasperated but still concerned as her eyes fell upon Magnus's pained form on the couch next to Alec.
The Shadowhunter looked at her with desperation in his eyes," His hands are hurt and he can't use his magic to heal them. But something else is wrong. Please, I don't know how to help him."
Catarina's eyes softened at the scared tone in the man's voice and she moved toward the couch with outspread hands," The best thing you can do right now to help is to let me do my magic, literally."
He looked back at Magnus for a second before standing to his feet and moving to the left to allow the other warlock room. She put a hand on Magnus's chest and made him lay back on the couch, ignoring his sounds of protest as Alec moved away.
"Just relax, Magnus. Your boyfriend hasn't left, he's still hovering like a worried mother. Now, lay still so I can get to work." Catarina said.
She spread her hands and moved them through the air, trailing magic behind them. It sparkled through the air and encircled Magnus's bandaged hands with a healing glow. Alec couldn't help but remember that Catarina was a warlock who specialized in healing magic and feel his heart begin to settle as the pain disappeared from Magnus's face. Her hands danced through the air and moved with a certain gracefulness that only came from years of training as a warlock. A soothing glow seemed to pulse from the palms of her hands as she healed the wounds and took the pain away.
Seconds later, she frowned and pulled her hands away with a confused look on her face.
"What's the matter?" Alec asked as he leaned forward.
The female warlock's frown deepened," I don't understand…"
Magnus shifted on the couch and looked from his bandaged hands to his friend," Catarina, what has happened?"
"I can't heal the wounds completely!" She threw her hands into the air, exasperated," It's like my magic is hitting yours, and yours is trying to heal the wounds but it can't; so, it's all just one big problem."
When what she said was greeted with silence she explained," Basically, that means that I can't fix your hands, Magnus. I can take some of the pain away, but you will have to heal the long way, and… no magic until your hands are healed enough."
"Okay. Thank you for your help, Catarina…" Magnus's voice was quiet as he trailed off and stared at his wounded hands with a tired look on his face.
Catarina smiled sadly and nodded," Alec, can I talk to you for a moment?" She walked toward the door and gestured at the Shadowhunter.
With a quick glance at Magnus, Alec follows her out of the loft and into the hallway. He crossed his arms and leaned against the propped open door and waits for Catarina to speak.
"How did this happen? Did he foolishly follow you Shadowhunters around again?" Her tone was slightly harsh, but Alec knew that she was only concerned for her friend.
Alec ran a hand over his face and sighed," It was my fault. We needed his help in taking down a rouge warlock; you've probably heard of him: Dolus."
She inhaled sharply," What were you doing messing with him? I've heard many rumours about his killings. And why do you blame yourself?"
"It was my arrows that pierced his hand. Dolus… he turned my attack on Magnus."
"Alec," Catarina paused, a soft tone in her voice," That wasn't your fault."
He waved a hand dismissively," It doesn't matter now."
Silence fell over the two of them, broken only by the sound of Catarina's text alert. She pulled it out and glanced at the screen.
"I'm needed back at work. Take care of him, okay?" She said in a strangely quiet voice," A warlock's magic is something… sacred to them and having it unusable even though its so close, may be hard for Magnus at first. Of course, he'll probably brush this all off and bury all his emotions down. Don't let him do that. I've known the glittery man for a while and I can honestly say you're probably the best thing that's happened to him. So, thanks, I guess, is what I'm saying."
Alec stared at the warlock in stunned silence as he processed what she said. His gaze softened and he gave a small smile," He's the best thing that's ever happened to me, too. And there's no need to thank me, I would do anything for him. I should be thanking you for helping take away his pain and finding out what was wrong."
"Ah, it was nothing," She waved a hand in the air, brushing away what Alec had said," Now, I need to get back to the hospital. Don't want to lose my real job!"
Catarina spun around and walked out of sight down the long corridor, leaving her cheerful voice buzzing in the air. Alec sighed and ran a hand through his hair, anxious, before steadying himself and opening the door to the loft. Magnus still lay on the couch, he hadn't moved in the time that Alec had been talking to Catarina.
With slow but purposeful movements, Alec knelt on the floor next to the couch," Feeling any better?"
Magnus turned and offered a small smile in hopes to lighten the mood," Catarina took away some of the pain, but I still don't feel great. It's strange not being able to snap my fingers and have everything stop hurting. It'll definitely take some getting used to."
"I'll be here to help; though hopefully you heal quickly so you won't be without your magic for long." Alec brushed the hair away from Magnus's forehead with a pale hand and returned the smile.
"Despite what you may think, Alexander," Magnus laughed lightly," I won't be completely useless without my magic, I have been alive for hundreds of years."
The Shadowhunter chuckled quietly and leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Magnus's chest carefully. He felt his boyfriend's muscles relax and lean into the embrace with a slow exhale of air.
"What'd you say, we get you to bed?" Alec said in Magnus's ear softly.
Magnus said nothing, just nodded and hummed low in his throat. Alec shifted his arms lower and inched one of them underneath Magnus's tired body, with slow and careful movements, and lifted the warlock off the couch. His mind quickly provided the image that the last time he had held Magnus like this, when he was bleeding and hurt. Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts away.
Magnus was okay, they both were okay.
He slowly started walking to their room, his arms barely feeling any strain carrying the other man. A look down reassured Alec that Magnus was laying peacefully in his arms, with a calm look on face. Alec used his foot to push the door of their room open while his arms were occupied and carefully laid Magnus on the unkept bed. The older man closed his eyes and sighed happily as he felt the soft sheets underneath him, a welcome relief from the uncomfortable couch.
"I'll be right back. I'm getting some new bandages for your hands, ok?" Alec asked as he turned to leave.
"Of course, I won't go anywhere."
Alec smiled at the words that were tinged with humour and walked back to the couch where a roll of partially used bandages lay. His hands start to shake as he saw the blood that stained the cushions and he focused on steadying them, reminding himself that Magnus was only in the other room. He quickly picked up the clean bandages and walked back into the bedroom, greeting Magnus with a smile.
He sat down on the bed next to his boyfriend and gently picked up one of Magnus's hands, wincing at the jagged hole that went through the flesh," I'm sorry if this hurt, I'm trying to be careful."
"It's fine, the sooner we get this over, the better." Magnus said in a determined voice, cringing as he felt the tight bandage wrap around his wound.
Once both of his hands were wrapped in new, clean, white bandages, Magnus looked down at his clothes with a wrinkled nose," Do you think you could help me change out of these? There's blood and sweat all over them, it's gross."
"Of course."
A few minutes later, Alec had successfully maneuvered the blood-splattered clothes off Magnus's body and helped him into more comfortable, casual clothes. After Magnus had been settled into the bed, Alec changed into another pair of his clothes and laid in the bed next to his boyfriend. He instinctively reached his hand out for Magnus's, but stopped short as he remembered the injuries. With a sigh, he turned to run his hands through Magnus's dark hair.
It didn't take long for Magnus's eyes to start closing slowly as he was overcome by sleep, but before he was pulled into the dark embrace of sleep he murmured," I love you, Alexander."
Alec grinned sleepily and inched his body closer to Magnus's," Love you too."
Never fear, this isn't the last chapter! Believe me, I have a lot more planned. Sorry for the long wait, I have a very busy life away from my computer and tried to write as often as I could. Another apology that this chapter isn't that long, I'm not that good at writing in between stuff, so just wait for the chapter with more action in them! Also, sorry if Catarina seems a bit OOC I have never written for her before and I tried my best. Happy early birthday to my Parabatai, I want to thank her for getting me into fanfiction and for always being there, and sorry-not-sorry for dragging you into Malec obsession with me! Hope you all enjoyed, see you next chapter!
