A Malec Story

Chapter 30: What happened to Alec in the mean time

What happened to Alec in the mean time – Liberation

I'm beautiful in my way

'Cause God makes no mistakes

I'm on the right track, baby

I was born this way

Don't hide yourself in regret

Just love yourself and you're set

I'm on the right track, baby

I was born this way

- Lady Gaga, Born This Way

There was a crash, the sound of shattering, and a sudden spray of broken glass like a shower of jagged stars. Jace looked down at his left hand, the knuckles streaked with scarlet, with a clinical interest as fat red drops of blood collected and spattered down on the floor at his feet.

Isabelle stared from Jace to the hole in the glass, lines radiating out from the empty center, a spiderweb of thin silver cracks.

- City of Glass. ch.6. Bad Blood, p132

Alec

Alec thought he was going to be happy to be back in Idris. Idris was his home country, where he was born, where he belonged. Part of him always wanted to go back and that part had been looking forward to going. But now that he was here it wasn't half as good as he thought it would be. First, Magnus had ignored him at the portal. Then Jace had decided to bring Simon with him. Well, not decided, really. It was an accident. But still. And now Simon was thrown into jail. Clary had come to Idris illegally, which had upset Jace extremely. And to top that all off, Jace decided this was a perfect time to vandalize the house of the people they were staying with.

Alec brought him to their bedroom after Jace had smashed in the small picture window. He'd smashed it because he was once again blaming himself for something that wasn't his fault. And for that Alec was angry with Jace. Angry because Jace felt it necessary to inflict pain on himself. To punish himself. Punishment Jace felt he deserved, because he was Valentine's son and in love with his sister. As if that was something he could be blamed for. Jace couldn't help how he was born.

Alec ordered Jace to sit and searched for his medical kit to bandage Jace's bleeding hand.

"Aren't you going to use a healing rune?" Jace asked.

"No. You can just—" Alec broke off the sentence, and cursed while he grabbed the box he needed and went to sit in front of Jace. "Give me your hand."

Jace held his hand out. It looked awful, the knuckles split open and crusted with blood. "You're an idiot." Alec announced as he started working on retrieving splinters of glass out of Jace's hand.

"Thanks," Jace said. "So, why not?"

"Why not what?"

"Why not use a healing rune? This isn't a demon injury."

"Because," Alec said slowly. "I think it would do you good to feel the pain. You can heal like a mundane. Slow and ugly. Maybe you'll learn something. Although I doubt it."

"I can always do my own healing rune, you know."

Alec bandaged Jace's hand. "Only if you want me to tell the Penhallows what really happened to their window, instead of letting them think it was an accident." Jace winced when he pulled the bandages tight, which Alec felt was what he deserved. "You know, if I'd thought you were going to do this to yourself, I would never have told you anything."

"Yes, you would have," Jace said. "I didn't realize my attack on the picture window would upset you quite so much."

"It's just—"Alec looked down on their hands, Jace's in his. And he sighed. "Why do you do these things to yourself? Not just what you did to the window, but the way you talked to Clary. What are you punishing yourself for? You can't help how you feel."