A little love

Chapter 2

"Come on, you're my brother, do it for me!" Alec shifted uncomfortably, glaring at Jace despairingly. His brother had approached him that morning asking Alec to help Clary with some basic training and Alec would rather cut off his own hands.

Over the last few days, Clary had put him on edge. Not only had she come through the institute like a tornado, ripping up the very roots of everything Alec had worked so hard to maintain, but she also seemed to think that no rule applied to her.

Alec had watched her apprehensively when she argued with Jace, insisting that her mother was more important than any clave rule. His skin prickled as Jace started to drift away from him, as though Alec were losing a part of himself.

Didn't she see what could happen? The rules were there to keep them safe, even if they were unfair. Alec felt bile rise in his throat as loneliness tugged at his heart, images of Jace being punished in that hellhole in her stead.

The night before, Maryse had warned him that the silent brothers were wary of this new girl, and Alec knew he couldn't let her lead them astray. He couldn't go through that again, and he would die before he let Jace or Izzy suffer as he did. Alec didn't have any ill-will against Clary, in fact, he did feel pity for her situation, but he was an older brother before anything else.

Jace laid the puppy dog eyes on, and Alec felt his resolve weaken. Perhaps if he showed Clary a little more of their life she might start to understand, she might realize that he was trying to protect her. Finally, he nodded, and Jace broke into a grin.

"Thank you, Alec, I knew I could count on you." Alec watched his parabatai leave to let Clary know, and the slight skip in his step didn't escape the shadowhunter. Jace had always been quick to flirt with girls, but at the end of the day, Alec had always meant more. He had always come back to his parabatai.

This though... this was different. This was more than just a crush. Alec wanted to be happy for his brother but could only feel the void of rejection, and his chest started to ache. Clary could have anyone in the institute, anyone in the world probably, why did she have to take him?

The room started to buzz, and Alec made his way to the training deck. After he had recovered he spent the better part of his days here, training until his fingers were raw and bleeding. It was the perfect place to keep an eye on everyone, the best place to catch any bad intentions.

Alec burned every time he had to turn someone into his parents, but over time the pain had eased. It was better to nip trouble in the bud before it got people killed, or worse put them before the silent brothers.

For a moment his eyes fixated on the blue of the angel blade he brushed against. It was a similar color to Magnus' magic. It wasn't the first time since they had left that Alec found himself thinking of the warlock, and in a rare act of indulgence Alec allowed his imagination to drift.

Beautiful, brilliant Magnus, with eyes the color of the setting sun as it painted the horizon. Soft, elegant fingers danced as he cast a spell, leaving trails of glittering blue, the slight wrinkle in the corner of his eye when he smiled at Alec. For the first time in as long as Alec had been silent, someone had accepted him.

"So, are we ready to go?" Clary's voice broke through the clouds of his thoughts, and Alec bit back a rush of irritation. He refused to let it show on his face, keeping a well-practiced neutral expression. He needed to focus anyway, no point living in a dream.

Clary looked nervous, more so than normal. Once she had settled into the institute a little more she had visibly relaxed, carrying less tension and laughing more. Alec suspected it was because of him.