Alec Lightwood (
angelic_archer) wrote in
marlowemuses2018-12-29 09:32 pm
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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.
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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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.
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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."
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“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.
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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."
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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.”
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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."
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“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.
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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."
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“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.”
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"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?"
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He looked back at Alec, indicating the cabinet. “Can we tear this out?”
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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?
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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.
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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."
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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.
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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?"
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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?”
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"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."
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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."
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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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Focusing on the spot that Adam had been interested in, Alec tried to see some sign of the rune he'd mentioned. The shimmer was still there but he could feel something different. It was faint, but it was something he hadn't noticed when they first entered the room. "It seems different now."
Before he realized what he was doing, reached out to steady Adam as he moved off the counter. Why... he didn't touch people. Not unless they were his siblings. Suddenly feeling too warm, he stepped away, hoping he didn't look as awkward as he felt. "I'll probably be in my office or in the training room." Jace had been wanting to train to help deal with everything with Valentine. "Check the training room first. Jace is going to want to beat me up for a couple hours. You can rescue me and then we can do whatever you want."
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“Okay,” Adam said, ducking his head and heading for the door. He glanced back once, but Alec just looked gentle and protective and confused, maybe, and Adam went quickly down the hall to his room.
He finished his essay quickly, with time to spare. Glad to be done, he went to find Alec. He only dimly remembered the training room as part of the tour, but he heard the sounds of what sounded like sparring, and he followed that.
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