Unique (Malec)

Chapter 4

The first thing Alec feels when he regains consciousness is pain. He lets out a small groan of pain, his eyes blinking open. He's laying down on his side, his front facing what looks like a couch. With a frown, Alec turns to push himself over. Before he can, though, two hands grab him and stop him from turning.

"What the hell?" Alec asks. He has no idea where he is, how he got here, or who is with him. Alec looks over his shoulder to see Magnus Bane there. "Magnus- what? Where's my shirt? What am I...?"

Magnus scoffs. "Calm down, Alexander. Your friends brought you here. You passed out. I'm merely helping with what they asked me to do. And your shirt, it's over there. Washed and cleaned of all blood stains." He pauses as Alec tries to sit up. "Here let me help you."

Alec, however, moves away from the warlock's reaching hand. "No, it's fine. I don't need your help."

The warlock steps back and huffs. "Fine. I have to text your friends that you're awake anyway. They are quite concerned." He turns and walks away to get his phone.

Alec sighs. With some struggling, Alec pushes himself up into a sitting position. He can't sit back against Magnus' couch without his back hurting. The pain is much worse now. Alec clenches his jaw, still unsure about whatever is happening to him. The Shadowhunter feels his legs stick to what he's sitting on. He looks down to see a bloodied blanket that is stained with red, only somewhat dried blood.

"Magnus?" Alec decides to call out to the other. "What is going on with me?"

A few seconds pass before Magnus sticks his head out from the other room. "Now you want my help?" He asks, receiving a glare from Alec. Magnus walks back into the room, his phone still in hand, and he looks at Alec for a moment or two. "I have a guess what is going on with you. But since your new medic is clearly not a good source, my answer is the best you've got."

Alec makes a look. To him, this doesn't sound good. Is he dying? Why shouldn't the new medic know what they're talking about? And really, should he trust a Downworlder's guess on what's going on?

"I suspect you have a mutation. It's extremely rare and only happens to Shadowhunters. This mutation first shows around the time the carrier turns eighteen, and it's when the wings on a Shadowhunter's back change from one plane of existence to another. This happens because the mutation no longer allows your wings to be on their usual plane, and instead are transferred here to where they're visible. The white stubs growing out of your back, those are the bones of your wings."

Alec scoffs. "That's ridiculous. There has to be another explanation. I am not growing wings on my back."

"The only other explanations are far-fetched and all mean certain death."

"This is the only one without me dying, right? 'Oh yeah, Alec is so naïve that he'll believe me when I tell him he won't die, when he probably will', is that it?" Alec asks, his voice getting louder as he speaks.

Magnus shakes his head. "That's not it. All the other explanations have a 'must-have' box that isn't checked. The one I'm telling you about doesn't. And like I said, I'm only making an educated guess on this, Alexander. So please, try not to shoot the messenger." He pauses. "But there is another factor."

"Tell me."

"If I am correct about this whole thing and you do grow wings, when your wings finish growing you will need a mate. Not a parabatai, but someone who is willing to help with things that may turn... Intimate. This mate is the only one who will keep your wings clean, keep them healthy. By then, your wings will be sensitive and already a part of you. If the wings don't get the care they need, then it's likely you will be affected by their lack of health and die."