marlowemuses | Heavy is the Head that Wears the Crown

Heavy is the Head that Wears the Crown

Alec had known that after the wedding disaster, he wouldn't be in his parents good graces. Robert had stuttered some attempts at either trying to be supportive or questions about how Alec had suddenly become gay. Those encounters were awkward, but they were tolerable most of the time. He hated how relieved Robert seemed now that Magnus was gone. He probably thought without the 'corrupting influence' of Magnus, Alec would become the good son again.

Maryse was more difficult to deal with. There was no attempts at understanding. She was furious at him for humiliating the family in front of the most important Shadowhunters. The ones that she was trying to manipulate for favors. As usual, her anger spilled out in harsh critiques of her older children. Whenever he could, Alec took the worst of it to save Izzy. This time the lecture covered a wide range of subjects.
His inability to control his siblings or Clary. The wedding. Magnus. He took it all silently, letting her question all of his decisions, his talents, his ability to lead. It was all things Alec had heard before but they still cut deeply.

Standing at parade rest, he silently waited for the lecture to end, clenching his jaw to keep himself from arguing with her or trying to defend himself. It wasn't until she mentioned being assigned to Adam that he finally spoke. "The Clave thinks that I'm capable of protecting him and so does he."

"What does a Mundane know?" she snapped. "You couldn't even keep the Fairchild girl safe. You did your best and it almost got her killed, Alexander. Do you believe we should take that risk with someone who can restore the Institute to its proper glory?" He continued arguing, but he knew it was a losing battle. Mayrse was planning on having him replaced. Probably with Jace and there was nothing he could say to prevent her from going to the Clave to request someone else be Adam's bodyguard.

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Adam had been sitting in the adjoining room when this started, going over some of the files Alec had given him. When Maryse had begun speaking to Alec, Adam had wanted to interrupt, but it seemed wrong to intrude and he had little context and nothing to say. He thought also of leaving, but the idea of abandoning Alec to this seemed worse than the crime of eavesdropping. Maryse hadn’t bothered to have the lecture anywhere quiet and private, after all. Adam could hear the whole thing.

He was most interested in the wedding which Alec had ended by kissing a Warlock. Adam wondered if the two of them were still together, or if Alec wanted them to be.

But when the topic shifted to him, Adam wasn’t going to stay on the sidelines. He strode into the room, drawing upon his stubbornness and trying to project some of Gansey’s natural authority. “Excuse me,” he said, still soft-spoken but with his flared temper showing clearly in his eyes and his tight shoulders. “Since I’m going to be restoring the institute to its proper glory, you could refer to me with something other than ‘the mundane’. My name is Adam, my title is magician.”

He spoke directly to Maryse, ignoring Alec. “You’ll be glad to know that I have decided to restore the ley line, and to maximize the Institute’s connection to it. I didn’t know anything about the Shadowhunters and I wasn’t sure I should ally with you rather than anyone else. Alec’s honor and integrity convinced me to work with the Institute. From what I heard, it sounds like you think I should change my mind?”

Until Adam came into the room, Alec had completely forgot that the Mundane was nearby. He'd been too focused on Mayrse and trying to keep his position as Adam's bodyguard to remember that the person they were arguing about was in the next room.

If he hadn't had years of experience hiding his reactions from others, he would have flushed in humiliation that Adam had heard everything Maryse had said. All the comments about how he was now a disappointment because of his sexuality and his unwillingness to pretend to be straight to continue his parents' attempts at gathering power. The insinuations about Magnus. The details of his failures...

That hurt worse. He'd been ready for the hatred of others when he'd come out but he hadn't wanted Adam to hear that he was considered incompetent by the Head of the Institute. They had made a promise, but Adam had said he could choose someone else. The idea that he might choose someone else so soon after they had made that vow hurt more than Alec expected.

Both Shadowhunters turned when Adam spoke, Maryse's expression shifting from annoyance to something meant to placate the Mundane. Alec began to speak, about to ask Adam to leave, when he did something Alec didn't expect.

For the first time in years, someone other than Jace was defending him.

Knowing that this could quickly devolve into something that could be a danger to Adam, he quickly cut into the conversation. "I made a deal with Adam as a representative of the Institute and the Clave. If you go against it, you'll be defying the Clave's orders and breaking a promise made in good faith." Standing straighter, he knew that his mother wouldn't speak to him for days after this. The thought was almost a relief. "I doubt that you want to explain to the Clave why we lost our chance at restoring the ley line. That wouldn't help restore the family honor that you value so much."

As soon as Alec took over, Adam quieted, letting Alec handle the situation. He was shaking slightly from nerves after speaking to an authority figure like that, and clenched his hands in order to hide it. Despite how Alec had said that he wasn’t good with people, Adam thought he was a pretty decent diplomat. Better than Adam, at any rate.

He shifted a little closer to Alec, ready to defend him again if Maryse resumed criticizing. They were partners now, and Adam intended to see to it that Alec regained his place as Head of the Institute.

After few more comments that were meant to shake either Alec's confidence or Adam's confidence in him, Maryse left the room. Alec knew he'd pay for that confrontation later, but for now he'd won. For the second time in only a few weeks. The thought shocked him. His mother had never backed down when he stood up to her but somehow he had managed at least a stalemate twice.

Once the door shut, Alec's shoulders sagged and he began rubbing the base of his thumb, barely noticing that he had fallen into the old habit. "You heard everything about the wedding and Magnus. And how I failed the last time I was given guard duty."

Adam watched Maryse go, only relaxing a bit once she was gone, though he continued shaking. His attention returned to Alec as he spoke, focused on the parts of the lecture that Alec clearly saw as his own failures. Adam wasn’t deterred by it. He’d already put Alec in a difficult position as a bodyguard, and he respected how Alec had handled it.

“Are you and the warlock still...?”” he asked, because that was what he wanted to know most. Alec deserved someone that he cared about that much, enough to risk his position and reputation, but Adam couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of Alec’s attention.

Of all the things for Adam to focus on.

Alec stared at him, trying to comprehend why Magnus was the most important part of that one-sided conversation with Maryse. Shouldn't Clary getting kidnapped be more important than who he kissed at the wedding? "We wanted to but he had to help the warlocks. He's their leader and they needed him." And after all that upheaval, they needed Magnus to focus on getting them somewhere safe and away from the fighting in New York. "We didn't even have a real date." Was Adam questioning his sexuality the way Maryse had after Magnus left? "Even if he's not here, I know what I did was the right thing."

“I’m sorry you didn’t get a chance with him,” Adam said, hating how jealous he felt. Eventually this Magnus would come back, and he’d take all of Alec’s attention. Adam had only just made this new friendship, he didn’t already want to be set aside. Gansey has chosen Blue, Ronan had chosen Henrietta, and Adam had chosen his ambitions. Sooner or later, Alec would choose Magnus.

He couldn’t seem to stop shaking. Going to the nearest chair, Adam sat. He kept a wary eye on the door. “I’ve never spoken like that to anyone before.”

"It's - " It wasn't okay. It still hurt. There had been something between the two of them and now it was over before he'd even had a chance to see what it might be. But Alec understood the choice that Magnus had made. He had to make sure that the warlocks were safe and there was still a danger even if Valentine was in prison. There were still Circle out there who wanted to kill any Downworlder they found. "It'll get better. Izzy keeps telling me that there'll be other pretty, magical boys." Which had sounded weird, especially considering how Clary had giggled over it when she'd overheard the conversation. "Is that some kind of pop culture reference I should know?" Maybe Adam would understand it.

Forgetting the weird phrase his sister had used, Alec followed Adam to the chair, kneeling down beside him. He'd noted the shaking before but that was a normal reaction around Maryse. It continuing after she left wasn't. "You did a good job considering it was your first time and who you spoke to. My mother is... intense. I'm sorry you had to hear all of that."

Adam didn’t know what Izzy meant. He thought about the time Blue had called him pretty, but it was only a joke, and a response to him calling her pretty.

“She’s wrong,” Adam insisted. It was strange to have Alec kneel beside him, but it gave him a warm, glowing feeling in his belly, the feeling of safety and pleasure that he got whenever Alec was nearby. “We’ll prove her wrong.” He offered his knuckles to Alec to seal the deal, wanting contact but not able to offer any more than that.

Edited 2018-12-31 01:24 (UTC)

Alec had assumed that Izzy was joking or it was something weird that only his sister and Clary would understand. Adam not understanding it either confirmed that it was one of those things only Clary and Izzy would understand. And no matter what Izzy said, there wouldn't be another being like Magnus. He might find someone else someday but Magnus had never been just a pretty, magical boy.

The Mundane gesture was still weird, but Alec bumped his knuckles against Adam's, trying not to be too obvious about his concern over Adam's reaction to Maryse. "We will. The problem is that she's not completely wrong. There's always some truth when she criticizes us. That's why there's no real way to fight back." Instead they silently accepted that hurt or whatever punishment was going to be set for them.

"I won't let her hurt you." Alec wasn't quite sure why he'd said that. Maryse wouldn't threaten someone who was important to the Institute, but after he'd spoken, he couldn't help thinking of the fact his parents had been part of the Circle. "At least not physically. It's harder to stop her when words are her chosen weapon."

“I can deal with words,” Adam said, glad to have Alec’s protection for anything physical. Resting his forearms over the arm of the chair, he gazed down at Alec, a little bit fascinated by his long lashes and hazel eyes. He was so close like this, kneeling by Adam’s side, and Adam could feel some of the warmth radiating off of him in the places where their bodies almost touched. It was strange how Alec thought he was unexceptional. He was so breathtaking that Adam couldn’t help but notice.

“There’s something that’s been bothering me,” he said after a minute, not looking away from Alec. He felt strangely calm, confident that Alec would keep any secret and that he wouldn’t think ill of Adam for anything. It was a kind of trust that Adam had only felt before with Gansey and Ronan. “The Institute’s system seems fine with the increase in power. Flourishing. Except for this one spot.”

Edited 2018-12-31 02:52 (UTC)

Looking up at Adam, he tried to find some sign that something was wrong. He seemed to be all right except he was staring at Alec. It reminded him of what happened sometimes when he was doing the tracking spell with Jace. Flushing slightly he told himself that he was over-analyzing things. Just like he had when he was younger and fixated on his parabatai. People could look at each other without it being something significant. Especially when they had a magical bond.

"You may not have to for awhile. She'll want to win your favor." Then Maryse would assume that Adam would agree to have Jace as his bodyguard instead of Alec.

"I checked everything after you went back to your room. None of the systems are showing any problems." He'd stayed up half the night going over all the systems just to be sure. Once he was sure nothing was going to overload, he even compared the numbers to what had been reported for the past few months. There was a difference, but not within a range that was worrying. And there hadn't been anywhere that had shown a drop in the normal power levels. "What spot is it?"

“It’s here,” Adam said, getting up and leaving the room. He glanced back once to make sure Alec was coming, and felt warm once Alec was by his side. He wove through the institute, following the feeling, reversing direction a few times to get closer to it, until he’d found the way into a dusty storage room. There were cabinets built along the back wall and Adam went to these, opening one. It was empty, and he frowned into it, then climbed onto the counter below it and rapped at the back wall of it. “It’s behind this. Something feeding from the power of the ley line, but it’s unstable. Flickering.”

He looked back at Alec, indicating the cabinet. “Can we tear this out?”

Standing, he followed beside Adam, trying to sense whatever it was that was guiding them. He probably wouldn't and if he did, it would probably be his imagination. Shadowhunters didn't have magic, even when they were magically bonded to other beings or to ley lines. He assumed. There was no information on that kind of bond and it wasn't the same as the one he shared with Jace. Which was something that Alec was grateful for since he didn't want to have to deal with three people in his head and hide his emotions from the two people linked to him.

Trying to imagine the layout of the Institute, Alec tried to remember where exactly they were compared to the original plans for the church. "The cabinet or the wall?

“Let’s start with the cabinet,” Adam said, hoping that would be all that was needed. He hopped back down from the counter, which brought him very close to Alec. Looking up at him, Adam had the reckless, fleeting thought that he was close enough to kiss Alec.

He moved aside, looking from the cabinet to Alec and wondering whether Alec’s impressive strength could tear the cabinet from the wall or if Adam would need to solve this with tools. “Want a boost?” he asked quietly, expecting that Alec would know what he meant.

Before he could take a step back to give Adam more room, the mundane - magiciann - was right in front of him. Closer than most beings ever got to him unless he was training with them or it was Jace. Like all those times that he'd thought... No, Jace hadn't felt that way and neither did Adam. It wasn't anything except the bond. Even if it'd looked like Adam might have been thinking about...

No. Alec had been mistaken before and it was the same mistake now.

Looking away, he was about to start checking to see how the cabinet was attached when Adam spoke. Why would I need a boost when I'm taller. Then he realized that Adam meant the experiment from earlier. He'd said the ley line could make Shadowhunters stronger, but Alec wasn't sure if that was something they should try right now. "We don't know how that works. It shouldn't be too hard to move. It's probably not attached to the stone."

Adam stayed out of his way but hovered close, trying to solve the problem with an easy answer. The cabinets were connected, which meant moving all of them or tearing out just that one. “Crowbar?” Adam suggested. “Or a hachet. We could simply cut out the back of the cabinet instead of moving it.”

He was glad that Alec didn’t question him. Adam himself felt a little crazy, with his certainty that there was something behind the cabinet that was connected to the ley line.

The storage room was so rarely used that no one would notice the damage, but Alec would prefer not to ruin something that had been around the Institute longer than he had. That meant either prying the cabinet out, but that didn't seem like an easy wolution. "How will removing the back help?" There would still be the wall in their way. "Is what we're looking for behind the cabinet or behind the wall?"

“Yes and maybe,” Adam said, moving in front of Alec to put his hand into the cabinet again. “It feels like it’s right there. I’ve never tracked something like this before. I’ve never been in a ley line structure before.” It didn’t look like there was anything behind the cabinet but the plain stone wall, but Adam wasn’t sure whether it was the wall itself or something in, on, or behind it. “Let’s move the cabinet so I can see the wall. Then figure out what to do from there.”

"Or we could look behind the cabinet without moving it." That solution was the easiest, for now at least. And one that made Alec actually feel useful. Pulling his stele and witchlight from his pocket, he opened the cabinet. Grasping the light so that it would illuminate the inside of the small space, he began drawing a rune with his stele.

As the lights flowed together, the wood of the back panel faded away until it was as transparent as glass. Scooting out of the way, he held the witchlight so that it would allow Adam could see inside. "Does this help?"

Adam stared in awed surprise at the cabinet, then at Alec, then he refocused on what they were doing. Behind the cabinet was an alcove cut into the wall, but it looked empty. Adam climbed back onto the counter to get a better look, but he didn’t see anything that made sense for what he felt.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he focused on it and boosted the power to that spot. When he opened his eyes, something glittered in the alcove. It looked like a three dimensional rune, roughly spherical, and it glowed gold, flickering like a dying lightbulb. Adam reached for it, but his hand hit the back of the cabinet. Annoyed by that, Adam looked to Alec for more information about this. “What is that? How do I get to it?”

Edited 2018-12-31 06:33 (UTC)

The rune was something most Shadowhunters could do before they were teenagers but he couldn't help feeling proud that he'd done something that surprised Adam. Smiling at Adam, he sat back while the magician studied the problem from different angles.

"What's what?" He leaned against the counter, trying to see whatever it was that Adam was trying to reach. There was an alcove behind the cabinet but he couldn't see what Adam was trying to reach. "We can move the cabinet, but I don't know what you're trying to get."

“You can’t see that? It’s like one of your runes, but 3D. It’s flickering badly. It’s tied to the ley line in some way, but it’s not supporting the ley line. It’s part of the Institute’s systems.” Adam laid his hand flat over the back of the cabinet, closing his eyes again as he felt out the edges and weaknesses of it. “Do you want to get someone who knows what this is, or do you want me to go with my gut?”

"I see an alcove but -." Trying to get a better angle, he saw a faint shimmer, but nothing more. "Whatever you see, looks fuzzy to me. Shadowhunters can see through glamours but we can't see magic unless it's obvious. We don't have that gift."

It was frustrating sometimes. They were meant to protect the Down World but they were only given a few gifts to assist them. It was probably why some Nephilim had listened to Valentine. It could be easy to resent not being given more by the Angel, but Alec had always accepted his limitations. "Later I'll tell you what we can and can't do.

"I think you're probably the only one who might know what it is. No one's been in this room for years and I know that that warlocks who maintain the systems haven't been here in over five years."

“Looks like I’m maintaining your systems now,” Adam said. Eyes closed as he felt it out, Adam aligned the edges and rerouted power through the weak points, the same way he would repair a flaw in the ley line. When he took his hand away, it glowed steadily. “I don’t think this room is much of a strategic center, which might be why it was forgotten, but I think it’s fixed now.”

Adam reached for Alec to help him down without thinking, since he was close behind Adam. Bracing his hand on Alec’s shoulder, he hopped down, blushing and pulling his hand back once he realized what he’d done. “I’ve got to write an essay before tomorrow. It’ll take me a couple of hours. I can come find you after and we can do research or ... talk.”

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