Piano Days and Other Malec One-Shots

The Mind is a Fragile Thing

Enjoy the Shadowhunters finale tonight! Follow me on Tumblr as ganseys-mint-plant for my live thoughts! ~A

One generally dreads the ringing of the phone in the middle of the night.

It's rarely a good sign, and the caller is rarely calling to give you a million dollars (unless, of course, it's a scam artist. Then it happens quite a bit). 

It's generally bad news. 

"There's been an accident."

"Person X is sick."

"Person Y is dead."

Any phone call for Magnus when Alec was out hunting felt like those calls in the middle of the night, even if the sun was still out.

It was a little after eight and Magnus was hunched over a book of spells, a glass of red wine older than his boyfriend dangling in between his fingers. 

He put the glass aside, but didn't look away from the book, muttering the incantation slightly under his breath as he answered the phone.

"High Warlock of Brooklyn."

"Magnus." It was Jace. He sounded more than tired-- ashamed, almost?

"I'll be there in a minute," Magnus said, hanging up the phone. He sprung to his feet, grabbing his coat from the front door and running to the Portal he had in a tiny room of the apartment.

He was in the library of the Institute a second later.

As he moved towards the door, they swung open, and for the longest moment he thought it was the magic of the Institute-- knowing exactly what he needed. But Isabelle stood in the open doors, her arms crossed like she could face whatever came through the doors. Yet, she looked small.

"Jace isn't thrilled you hung up on him," Isabelle said.

"What's going on?" Magnus demanded.

"He slipped," Isabelle said. "I know it sounds stupid but the floor was a mess and we were surrounded. I was shouting for backup and he moved too quickly--"

"It's not your fault," Magnus said, reading her mind. He put his hands on her arms, still clad in leather gear.

"He's fine physically," Isabelle said. "A couple of minor burns from the demon poison but he's not waking up."

Not waking up.

"The Silent Brothers will be here within the hour," Isabelle said, rigid and sharp like a soldier. "I'm sorry, Magnus."

Magnus pulled her close, because that's what Alec would have asked him to do-- to be there for her when he couldn't be.

"It's not your fault," Magnus echoed. Izzy didn't hesitate against him but she didn't make a sound. "Let's go upstairs."

It was a selfish order but Magnus had to see him.

In the infirmary, Jace was pacing at the foot at Alec's bed. Clary was slumped in a chair nearby, half-asleep. She shot up when Magnus entered though and Jace quit pacing. 

Magnus went straight to Alec's bedside.

"No magic," Jace said, as Magnus put his fingers on Alec's forehead.

"What?" Magnus asked, incredulous. No magic?

"The Silent Brothers said that if he was stable, we shouldn't do anything more," Jace said. "They specifically said for you not to do anything."

"I could heal him."

"Or you could make it worse," Jace said. Anger burned in Magnus' stomach. Jace was supposed to be the one to protect Alec.