Piano Days and Other Malec One-Shots

The Death of Jace Whatever

The bloody visions Magnus had been seeing were coming to life. The Plain was trampled, a once green expanse of grass now soupy mud, made damp by blood and ichor.

His heart thundered in time with Alexander's, who was at his back, slashing and firing at any enemies who didn't get caught in Magnus' deadly blue webs. The magic was beginning to take a tole on him but he was drawing from Alec's seemingly inexhaustible supply.

Magnus casted out another deadly spell, to incapacitate the Raum demon charging them. He turned around, trusting the spell would find it's target.

Alec was cutting the neck of another Shadowhunter who was threatening to the same to him.

He turned back, staring at Magnus for a moment with a questioning look.

Then his face twisted, as if someone had just stabbed him through the chest. But they were alone, or as alone as one could be in the middle of a battle.

"Alec--"

Magnus felt all of his energy draining as well, slowly leaking out of him like a deflating balloon.

Alec fell to his knees and Magnus dropped beside him, covering them in a weak dome that would act as a temporary shield until someone really tried to break into it.

"Where are you hurt?" Magnus asked, lifting Alec's chin. Tears streamed down his face.

"I don't-- Where's Jace? I need Jace--" His head twisted rapidly, his eyes searching and scanning for his partner who wasn't there.

"I don't know," Magnus said, trying to stay calm. "Alec, we can't stay here forever-- Are you hurt?"

Alec burst into a new fit of tears. He was obviously trying to stop it, stop himself. Magnus looked over Alec; he had no visible wounds.

He had one last idea.

Magnus unzipped Alec's leather jacket which acted as a tough sort of armor. He pulled down on the hem of Alec's t-shirt, immediately feeling a concerning dampness.

His parabatai rune was nearly faded, and bleeding profusely.

Alec's eyes grew wide as he process it. He started scrambling away from Magnus, trying to escape the rune that was permanently etched into his body.

"No, no, no!" Alec cried. He was truly covered in mud now. Magnus crawled towards him, trying to keep them both safe within the dome.

"Alec, dear, you have to stay calm."

"He's dead," Alec said numbly.

Something slammed on the top of the force-field, rattling both of their bodies, sending little blue sparks showering down like rain. Magnus looked up to find a demon slamming it's massive fists on the top of the done, cracks visible and threatening to give way.

"Do not move," Magnus ordered. He took a deep breath, trying to draw on his need to protect Alec for energy. He dropped the shield just as he snapped the neck of the demon with a snap of his fingers. It dropped and Magnus rose to his feet, standing over Alec and surveying the battlefield. They'd only been there ten minutes and it was already a sea of the dead.

He fought off more demons as they rushed him and Alec. But Alec couldn't find the strength to stand and help. Magnus understood. He understood far too well.

And then the demons suddenly retreated, disappearing back to whatever hell they came from.

Magnus sank to his knees, wrapping his arms around Alec as Alec sobbed horrible, horrible tears of pain.

He'd lost both of his brothers in too short of a time and the rest of his family was still unaccounted for.

Then he stopped, just as suddenly as the retreat had happened.

"He's-- Oh-- What if he's--" Alec looked up at him, his chest heaving. "Alicante-- we have to get to Alicante."

Magnus nodded.

........

Jace was fine.

Magnus had forced Alec to sit down for five minutes as Magnus stitched the skin under his parabatai rune back together and wrapped his arm with enough bandages to make it immobile. He had a couple other scrapes and bruises and he was covered in the blood of others but it wasn't what mattered most at this moment.

Alec paced outside his hospital room, debating going in or not, against the strict orders of the Silent Brothers. But there was no one in there now.

So he opened the door, slipping inside the private room.

Jace was least annoying when he was asleep, at peace for once in his chaotic life.

Alec walked to his bedside, pushing some of his golden hair out of his face.

"I know what I felt. I know you died."

Jace's eyes fluttered open, not to Alec's surprise.

"You can't tell anyone. No one can know you know," Jace whispered, in heavy breaths.

Alec watched him for a moment, before nodding, and leaving.

Some secrets had to be kept.