riverviewlogs | [closed] Time to Heal

Entry tags:

[closed] Time to Heal

who: Jace Wayland, Alec Lightwood, Izzy Lightwood, Magnus Bane, Max Lightwood
what: Jace brought with him to his new life a lot of injuries to his heart and soul. The memories associated will suddenly become old, blurred around the edges, and allow him the distance he needs to actually begin healing.
when: Amnesia Event, Morning of the 12th
where: Beginning in their new apartment.
warnings: Will update as needed.

Jace hadn't bothered with a bed when they'd moved into their new apartment. He had a mattress and a pillow on the floor. Sheets and a blanket. Books on the floor next to his bed. Clothes were still packed in a bag. He hadn't had much interest in shopping or decorating, but he had spent the evening picking up ingredients for breakfast. Cooking was an interesting distraction. Magnus had enjoyed his omelette so he was planning to cook for everyone now that they all lived together.

The evening was comfortable, nice, and for once he actually felt relaxed. A little too relaxed, but he blamed it on the lack of training and exercise. Maybe Alec was right. They needed to start training again. They needed a place in the apartment where they could spar and he could burn off all the confusing thoughts and emotions he'd been having. He still couldn't believe he'd almost kissed Alec. Kicking his butt in training would be so much easier than trying not to kiss him right now. And Magnus.

Izzy would find this all very amusing, he was sure of it.

By the time he made it back home he had already begun to feel off balanced, his thoughts thick and sluggish, and had only managed to simply drop off the bags of food in the kitchen before making his way to his room. For a moment before he stripped off his clothes he couldn't remember what he'd been doing before and then he was face down on his mattress, feeling like the room was slowly spinning away into darkness.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Izzy was pretty sure that Magnus had put everything best. Since she, Magnus, and Alec had shown up (albeit at different times) at Wayward Pines things had felt as if they were starting from the middle rather than at the beginning. In the quaint town of lies an secrecy they had begun in the middle...stuck with some memories that were accurate and some implanted for the ease of dealing with the general population. And now that the three, plus two more vital members of their family, had come through the portal here...it still felt very much like they were in the midst of everything rather than starting anew. And it wasn't just because three of them had been somewhere else--together--before coming here. Jace and Max weren't discluded from that.

Izzy had been doing her best to shake the feeling, to shake the fact that there were things that just felt...off. After all, it isn't exactly normal or status quo to come through a portal into a place like this. And yet...neither was Jace's recent behavior, Max being in a hospital first thing, or some of what Alec...said and did.

Izzy was just trying to push forward. That was easier said than done, though. She had some normalcy already, or at least routine, by way of a job to do. Walking into the living area that the Lightwood-Wayland-Bane-Etc family would be sharing from here forward, Izzy couldn't help but notice the bags of groceries left out. Wrinkling her nose in confusion, she crosses to the bags--the clack of her heels steady--and peers inside: breakfast...depending upon how long it's been sitting out. Process of elimination makes it easy to figure out the likely culprit. "Jace! You left the groceries out!" Izzy calls, making quick work of putting everything away, moving with her usual grace, barely giving the blonde time to respond before the tap of heels sounds again, the petite shadowhunter peeking into her brother's room to see him face down on the mattress.

Entering, despite the lack of invitation, Izzy can't help but disapprove of the decor...or rather lack there of. Stopping at the side of the bed, a heel-clad toe presses to the blonde's hip, giving him several shakes, hands settled lightly on her hips. "Jace, wake up!" The younger sister finds herself torn between worry and annoyance. Then again, it probably skews more toward the worry considering his behavior lately. And lord knows he wouldn't leave the food out with the danger of her attempting to cook for everyone. So, it only bodes the question as to what is going on.

Jace isn't the forgetful type. But then again he hasn't been exactly himself lately. "Are you feeling okay?"

Jace grunted softly at the nudges. He had to struggle to open his eyes, to move, everything felt sluggish, but the more he tried to focus, to wake up, the more he realized it wasn't his body he was fighting. It was his head. His thoughts, his reactions, as if he had to think about what he was trying to do before he could actually do it.

Like rolling over and giving Izzy a bleary-eyed look.

"I was sleeping. I'm fine." And he'll prove it as soon as he can sit up. Slowly. Once he managed that he took a deep breath, trying to clear his head, and attempted standing.

Failing when he reached out to catch himself on whatever he could find to hold on to. "I'm fine. Just tired." He insisted even as he was trying not to fall back onto the mattress.

"What're you sleeping off is the question." Izzy mutters, more to herself than him, unable to hold back the eyeroll. That only poses the question of how long had the groceries sat out and how much had Jace drank (or what else had he been doing) when he went to get them. She didn't think they'd been out long, initially, but maybe she was giving him a little more credit. Things had, obviously, been off with him lately. She'd confronted him about it at the ball and she was relatively confident that she wasn't the only person that had noticed since they'd all come together in their new home--and not just in this apartment building, before that in the ones they'd started out in.

Watching Jace try to sit up, though, the question turns quickly to concern. Izzy doesn't hesitate, darting forward and reaching out to help catch her brother, automatically. "Yeah, you try to ass-plant when you get up every morning, then?" Izzy questions, holding on...and despite the sarcasm there's concern written on her face. After all, someone has to look after him...and Alec besides one another. Hovering, to help him get back onto the mattress, Izzy can't quite help herself...or hold it back.

Izzy just goes with the concern that she feels, moving to sit next to the blonde on his lackluster sleeping arrangements. Angling her body toward him, Izzy tilts her head and studies him for a moment, one hand still lingering on his arm. "You left groceries out...at some point. Why're you so tired, what's up with you?" The certainty that he's fine...definitely not something Izzy's buying, but she's ready for him to try it again, knowing him.

This is Jace, after all, but she'd really rather try and get shot down than not. She might not be his parabatai, but it doesn't mean she doesn't care. Or that she'll ever stop trying.

Nothing. Not since that night at the party when he ended up in bed with Alec. Again. He hadn't had a drop to drink beyond water and orange juice. Maybe some coffee. They really needed to get a coffee maker that made decent coffee. Jace rubbed his face and took another deep breath, vaguely aware that he was sitting again.

"Morning?" He didn't even remember falling asleep. Or leaving the groceries out. Or falling on his ass. "How long? Are they ruined? I was going make breakfast. What time is it?" He looked around, not even clear headed enough to have a general idea what time of day it was, and realized he didn't have a clock.

Groaning he fell back onto the mattress and covered his eyes with his arm. "I don't know. I went out, I came home, the rest is a bit...missing." The rest of that question was a bit more difficult to explain. "You want a list?" There was a lot going on. Where did she want him to start?

Reaching out blindly, Jace found Izzy and gently wrapped his fingers around her wrist. "Promise me you won't tell Alec. I'll use an iratze. I'll be fine."

Izzy can't quite manage to take her eyes off of Jace, as if she's searching for something. What? By the Angel, she's not even sure what exactly she's looking for, but she trusts her gut...especially when it comes to her boys, and something isn't quite right. Then again, it's never been easy to get anything out of Alec or Jace without protest. Izzy's only saving grace there is that she's probably just as stubborn when she wants to be and twice as good at getting what she wants, in the end.

"Yes, morning. You know, when the sun comes out and people wake up to greet the day." Izzy replies playfully, though, she can't quite help that that playfulness doesn't quite reach her face. Tack his confusion as to the time, and this whole thing onto another reason to worry. "Are you really asking me if something is still edible? Something must really be wrong with you." Izzy mumbles as she reaches to press her wrist against his forehead, to check his temperature. Usually, Jace wastes no chance to point out her...issues with cooking, to put it nicely. And even after promising no more, at least at the ball, she's surprised when he doesn't make some sort of comment now. "I don't think they sat out long enough to spoil, though, I put them away before I came in here to channel Alec and lecture you." And here he is making her feel concern instead.

Watching his flop back onto the mattress, Izzy can't help but furrow her eyebrows in confusion. Missing? Bits of his memory missing...that is never good. Especially not when it comes to their group. "You don't remember if anything happened when you went out?" Izzy can't help but feel her mind going to Magnus already. Having him check over Jace would help by, at least, telling them whether or not this was magic or if he'd...hit his head or something? Was she making a mountain out of a molehill here? Izzy didn't see any bruises, or cuts, marring the blonde's hairline to worry her, but he could have used an iratze already. So, she can't quite help the torn feeling of the moment. Or the sass that comes out. "Y'know, Jace, I wouldn't mind one, actually." Izzy tossed that out, not expecting anything to come of it, though.

Looking from the doorway, thinking of going and getting her brother and his husband to give her a hand with everyone's favorite reckless pain in the butt of a brother, she's distracted only by the feel of his hand holding onto her wrist. "Jace." Her tone is a mixture of warning and sympathy. "When has hiding things from anybody in this family worked out for the best? Particularly from your parabatai?" Reaching for his hand with her free one, Izzy pries her wrist free, but holds Jace's hand instead.

"Besides, you don't even know if an iratze will even help yet. You really can't remember anything else? So, you don't even know if you were hurt and hit your head or something else. I'd say you definitely didn't anywhere here at home, by the way, no sign of it and you've never been one to clean up after yourself." Izzy finishes what she's saying off with a tease, trying to make a point...and more importantly trying to help.

Morning? he lost an entire night and forgot to put the food away. He couldn't even remember coming home. Jace slid his hand down and held Izzy's tightly, moving his arm away from his face and staring up at the ceiling.

"I don't remember coming home or coming to bed." And he'd clearly taken some time to remove his clothes. Although, he was glad he wasn't completely naked. And there were his clothes on the floor he realized, turning to look at the door. He wondered if Alec and Magnus were still asleep and then slowly forced himself to sit up, lowering his voice. "This isn't a list Alec needs to hear right now. Maybe never."

He wasn't sure of anything. He didn't feel injured. He wasn't in that kind of pain and he would know considering the condition in which he'd arrived.

"I may have...kissed him. Sort of. And I probably flirted with Magnus. A lot. There is also being my fathers experiment half demon child. Things are very fuzzy right now beyond those three major-no, wait, I was also falling in love with my sister and wanted to have sex with her. How is that for a starting list because I could go on."

He's definitely not short on sarcasm and guilt and a tangled ball of emotions he can't even begin to unravel at the moment. When he gets to his feet this time he manages the short distance to the door and carefully closes it, just in case.

"Do you have your stele?" Because he's going to try an iratze. He doesn't feel injured, he just feels....ready to pass out and thick headed, mostly.

It's always somewhat startling for Izzy when her brothers not only accept the comfort that she readily offers, but seek it out. So, feeling Jace's hand holding on so tightly to her's, she can't help but squeeze back. The middle Lightwood child has never been one to scare easily, but the creeping concern for the blonde is rising more and more by the moment. Jace has always been the best of them, and one of the strongest warriors at the New York Insitute...others look up to him because of it.

It isn't an automatic thing to imagine him in a vulnerable position. And Izzy's certain that this constitutes exactly that. "There's got to be a reason." Izzy offers, though, she's not entirely sure that helps. No obvious sign that Jace is hurt and no alcohol to contribute to the blacked out period of time...well that leaves possibilities that are even bigger potential worries. Though, Izzy has to actively refrain from rolling her eyes at Jace's insistence that Alec need not hear any of this. "Good luck keeping something from him forever." Izzy shakes her head, not foreseeing that happening, and not finding the secrecy to be that preferable.

Well, until Jace finally spits it out, anyway.

"Wait a second!" Izzy can't quite help the reaction, holding up her hand as a second cue for Jace to stop. "You kissed Alec and you flirted with Magnus?" It isn't often that Izzy feels shocked by something, but she can't help the fact that her eyes are wide with that exact emotion at the moment. Jace really knows how to come right out of the gate with a bang, by the Angel! Those two pieces of information are much more of a shock than what follows on the list; Izzy knew the rest, and she knew that he was struggling, but she didn't realize to what extent--or what all he was struggling with...because Jace isn't exactly an open book.

Pushing her hair back, Izzy remains seated, speaking even as Jace gets up. "What Valentine did to you and the feelings that you have, and are working through, about Clary aren't something that you need to fixate on, Jace. You didn't know. And you didn't do anything wrong. You can't do anything to change any of that, so holding onto it so tight is only going to screw you up more." She can't speak from exact experience, but Izzy has always tried to be understanding. Even with knowing he can't help his feelings...she can't help but encourage this because she knows that she's speaking the truth. "And not only that, but I've known you for a long time. I don't care what experiments were done on you, I don't see anything demonic about you. You can't let him have so much power and so much of an effect on you. You're stronger than that, and you're a hell of a lot better than him."

Yeah, okay, Izzy's one to talk there because her issues with her own mother have always been...difficult. And she's always let Maryse Lightwood affect her more than she probably should, but at least her mother isn't a sociopath like Valentine. Pulling her stele out, almost automatically at the request, Izzy offers it to Jace. "And if the iratze doesn't help at all? What then? What's plan B?"

"I did more than flirt, Izzy. I was naked in a pool and he was almost naked and I would have kissed him right then-we were too close not to kiss-and then I ran away." Literally. "It was only a kiss on his neck, but I'm sure he felt it and freaked out internally while pretending he didn't feel anything."

Jace, still trying to keep his voice low, pressed the heel of his hands against his eyes as if he could rub the fog from his brain. He could remember some things perfectly and other things there was nothing. But when Izzy spoke of Valentine and Clary he realized something. Everything that had been eating away at him felt strangely....easier? Muted. Not gone, just....less.

And then he felt the room spinning and tipping. "Izzy. Your stele." His knees hit the floor and he took deep breathes to try and clear his head, but he was on his way down. "Get Alec."

It was the only thought clear enough to make any sense. Something had to be wrong with Alec. That was the only explanation for what was happening to him.

It isn't so much the fact that Jace was flirting--and more, apparently--that is throwing the petite shadowhunter off. Rather...who he was flirting and more with. Isabelle Lightwood is not one to blush or shy away from entanglements of any sort. And it's not as if Jace isn't the flirty sort....how else would he have lured unsuspecting attractive females to his bed in the past, after all? It's the fact, though, that it's Magnus. Izzy's quiet for a moment, considering her thoughts on the hmatter...and whether or not this is something that she feels worried about...because the fact of the matter is that Magnus is a member of their family--and he makes her brother happy, bringing out feelings and emotions that Alec has struggled with. And yet with Magnus in Alec's life he's opened up and found happiness.

Is this complication, this action on the parts of both Magnus and Jace, a betrayal...or is there something more going on? Izzy can't help but allow her mind to work naturally, not bothering to avoid what she knows--using her intelligence. Magnus Bane doesn't do anything that he doesn't want to do. If Jace got that close, if the two of them got that close it wasn't a hidden discomfort, in fact, the possibility (to Izzy) just seems unlikely. She's never met someone quite like Magnus, and the warlock isn't one to be pushed over. If Jace had managed to cross a line...he'd have done, or said, something...right?

Izzy isn't even sure, but she doesn't get the chance to finish working through this new information. She doesn't get the chance to fully process or come to a complete conclusion because one moment Jace is upright and the next he's dropping to his knees. And that gets her up immediately, grabbing his hand to force the stele into his grip while half guiding him to lean against his bed. "Try the iratze, I'll be right back." Izzy speaks quickly before getting herself upright and moving directly for the room that her brother and Magnus share.

She can't quite help the split feeling of worry hitting her. If something is going on with Alec...it could be the reason that Jace doesn't know, even if the thought hadn't hit her before. And if it isn't...then at least Jace, in a bit of a roundabout way, agreed to let her get Alec. Though, surely he's feeling something is wrong? Then again, it doesn't seem as if he's in pain so much as...experiencing what looks like memory loss, dizziness, and a disruption in his equilibrium. Either way Izzy gets as far as the door before she lifts her fist, knocking rapidly. "Alec! Jace needs you!"

Descriptive enough, she supposes. And the response she gets, either way, will let her know if it's something that is happening to her brother that is taking a toll on her other brother--though, that is getting more complicated by the moment, truth be told.

Magnus was not a morning person unless the methods of being awakened involved acts that made their bedroom soundproofing necessary. Thankfully, Magnus' spells worked to keep sound in, not block it from the outside unless they wanted that extra layer of privacy. Most of the time they could hear what was outside their door, which was why he was scrambling away from the closet, pulling on his t-shirt as he deactivated the wards, calling out to Magnus that something was wrong with Jace.

He didn't bother waiting to see if his husband heard, opening the door. "What happened?" Alec knew that he should wait for Izzy, but he couldn't stop himself from immediately heading toward his parabatai's room. He couldn't feel anything unusual through the bond. No wave of pain or fear. None of the agony that Alec had felt when Jace had died.

He couldn't think of that. Izzy would tell him if Jace was badly hurt. She would have gotten Magnus, not Alec, if he was gravely wounded. Repeating that logic to himself, he looked over at her, trying to hide his fears. "I don't feel anything odd. He's not - Physically he's okay."

The words were meant to reassure them both before he stepped into the bedroom, surprised that clothes were strewn across the room, heart clenching painfully when he saw Jace on his knees, like he hadn't been able to stand. Pulling his stele from his pocket, he automatically activated Jace's iratze. "What happened, parabatai?"

Jace forced himself to breathe, forced himself not to give in and close his eyes. He barely registered Izzy's stele in his hand, still clutching it when he heard Alec's voice. He dropped Izzy's stele and started to fall back into that place where Izzy found him. Blissfully dreamless sleep far away from Clary, Valentine, demons.

A place where Alec wasn't dead. He was warm and Jace could feel his heartbeat, stronger than ever. And his hand. The heat of his rune burning under Alec's stele.

"Alec." He reached out and finally fell. If he was going to sleep he couldn't think of a better place to be. At least he knew Alec was safe and alive. Which meant there was something wrong with him. There had to be. He just couldn't remember what or how. Magnus had healed him so long ago.

"Iratze isn't working."

Maybe it was his demon blood. Valentine had been right, but he hadn't imagined it would be like this. Losing himself in pieces.

Izzy can't just push all of the new information out of her mind, but she can focus on the problem at hand. And right now the problem is that something is very wrong with the one person in their familial group that never shows weakness....and yet right now there's clearly something wrong, wrong enough that Jace turned quickly on the initial edict that he didn't want Alec involved. Right now they need to focus on what's wrong with Jace because whatever it is, it's not normal.

The second that she sees her older brother, she knows that there isn't time to hash out all of the details...or get thorough with her explanation. So, she goes for the quickest explanation that she can give at the moment--she can elaborate later. "He's not hurt, no signs of any kind of trauma, but he's definitely experiencing dizziness, his balance is off, and memory loss." Izzy calls out, keeping on her brother's heels...which is a feat considering just how much taller he is than her.

Izzy stops just passed the threshold of Jace's room, stepping to the right and out of the doorway, watching the parabatai, but not moving to get in the way of either of them in the moment. She's not a doctor, she usually deals with dead people and bits...not live ones. And she's not the one that Jace wanted, even if he didn't initially want to involve Alec. Standing there, looking down at her brothers, Izzy addresses Alec. "He was lethargic when I woke him up." Crossing her arms, Izzy looks from the two men on the floor and out the door, figuring that Magnus (after a rude awakening like that) will likely follow.

Of the other adults in the house...Magnus is likely the most capable of helping, but Jace wanted Alec..and Izzy wasn't going to go against his wishes. When it came to his health, and something being wrong, she sort of failed sticking with Jace's wishes, but when he asked for his parabatai that all went out the window. The rest, though...that was safe with Izzy. Alec and Magnus would only get what was necessary to help Jace.

Izzy was a person that someone could trust, or at least that was who she aspired to be most of the time.

Magnus may not have been a morning person, but he'd lived through enough that he was able to wake up when there was an emergency. Though he would have been content to sleep past noon after a long night at the bar, Izzy announcing that there was something wrong with Jace was enough to snap him into wakefulness. Since alec is already out of bed, Magnus waves him out the door as he throws back the covers. Isabelle had called for her brother, but if there was trouble then Magnus would do what he could to help. Pulling on a silk dressing gown to make himself decent, he tied the tasseled belt as he followed on Alec's heels to Jace's room, a few moments behind but forcing himself into alertness.

Coming to the doorway, he silently watched as the siblings discussed what had happened. Jace didn't appear to be injured, but with all of the strange things that had been going on with him, Magnus wasn't going to write off his safety just yet. "Has he been drinking?" he asked Izzy, hating that it had to be asked. Since arriving and being released from the hospital, Jace had been seen with alcohol in his hand more often than Magnus himself, and he owned a bar. But even though he seemed to be kicking the habit, Magnus needed to clear that possibility.

He stepped further into the room, hovering on the edges. Alec was always different around Jace, his focus split between physical and spiritual, but all of him full of concern for his parabatai. "Perhaps I should have a look, Alec?" he offered, setting a hand on Alec's shoulder. "If he hasn't been hurt, and you don't feel something through your bond, it's possible that there's a magical origin."

Trying to process what happened to his parabatai, he searched for some sign of a wound, no matter how seemingly insignificant. But there was nothing. No obvious cuts or bruises. No sign that he'd been in a fight or had been hurt. Even knowing that he could trust Izzy to take care of Jace, he couldn't stop himself from gently brushing his fingers along his parabatai's head, searching for some sign of an injury but there was nothing.

"No, he hasn't. We'd know if he'd eaten or drank something that would cause this." It'd be obvious if Jace was that intoxicated. With their metabolism, Jace would have to have alcohol poisoning to be so effected by a night partying. He knew that his parabatai was drinking more than he should, enough to make Alec worry whenever he left the apartment alone, but there was no sing of that recklessness now.

Trying to ignore the fear that tightened his throat when Jace said the rune hadn't worked, he pulled Jace closer, supporting most of his weight. "Magnus will know what to do." He hoped his husband would know since Alec had no idea how to help if an iratze wasn't working. "Nothing feels different than when we first arrived here. A weird echo, but I've felt that for months. He's not hurt and he's not possessed."

"Tired." So tired. His head was thick, his thoughts like demon ichor. Jace just wanted to sleep now that Alec was there. He knew he could leave it to his parabatai. Izzy and Magnus. He trusted his family. So he let himself drift, stopped fighting whatever was happening to him, hovering on the edges, but not completely letting go even as he went limp against Alec.

He thought of Clary so far away.

He thought of his father.

So far away.

Maybe he was dying. He honestly wasn't sure anymore. All he could feel was the steady rhythm of his and Alec's hearts beating together. Alec was worried, but he was close. Alec was still right there with him, not fading away, and he wasn't letting Jace fade away either.

The question isn't a surprise, considering it was one of Izzy's first thoughts too and once Alec has weighed in Izzy sidles a bit closer to Magnus, to speak the aside to him (if only because she knows the bond between the parabatai pushes Alec to automatically have a response). "That was my first thought too. He didn't smell like alcohol when I was close, though. And considering he blacked out from before getting to bed the scent of booze would linger." Izzy offers, thinking about when she'd been sitting next to Jace on the mattress, or when she had crouched down in front of him when he'd dropped after closing the door of his room. It's an answer to the question that he had asked, rather than the conclusion that Alec offered. IT's not like there aren't some poisons, drugs, and the ilk that don't give a scent, but Alec already covered that they would have known, been able to tell, if that were the case. Izzy's not sure if the factor of alcohol might be important for Magnus in whatever he might do, but she'll offer what she can to help.

Jace might not be her parabatai, but he is her brother just as much as Alec or Max. Watching her brothers, and Magnus as he moves closer to the duo, Izzy remains nearer to the door...just in case. Plus, she can't do much at the moment. She can't heal Jace and her expertise lie with the dead, not in treating the living usually. Still, she hates feeling useless.

"Magnus, do you need anything?" She might as well check, considering Alec isn't going to be moving any time soon, considering the way that he's cradling Jace, and the only person in the room that can determine if it's truly something magical right now is her brother-in-law. Jace, though extremely sluggish and definitely off was still here. So, there wasn't any certainty that he was in immediate danger. That didn't mean that they weren't getting on figuring out what the hell was wrong with the blonde.

This family takes care of it's own, after all.

Edited (some of my post got cut off) 2017-09-11 21:59 (UTC)

There was a lot to take in and only part of it important to what was happening to Jace. He could see the concern on Alec's face and the tense lines of his shoulders, and Izzy was concerned even if she hid it more effectively than her older brother. Even though she remained slightly removed from the scene, arms folded in that way they did when she was analyzing, she helped by answering his questions a little more seriously than Alec had. The parabatai had always been something of a weakness for each other, because even though they fought better together, a problem with one would usually manifest in the other in some way. At least Alec was unaffected by whatever was happening to Jace, a sign that it could be dealt with more easily than if both of them were incapacitated.

"Stay awake, Jace," he said as he came to stand at the side of the mattress. After a moment, he knelt down beside it to get close enough to where the parabatai were sprawled over the sad excuse for a bed. "When this is over, I'm getting you a real bed," he added under his breath, glancing at Alec and hoping the remark would be calming rather than seem flippant.

Hands starting to glow with magic, he glanced over his shoulder at Isabelle. "Nothing right now, not until I know what's happening," he replied. He reached out, both arms hovering above Jace, and then slowly spread his hands away from each other to blanket him in magic. Though there were no visible injuries, he still needed to confirm that it wasn't a physical problem.

For a second, Alec felt a flash of anger, ready to argue that Jace wasn't drunk. He'd know if his parabatai. Jace didn't drink... but that wasn't right. It was obvious that Jace had taken up habits that Alec didn't remember. Ones that made Magnus and Izzy's concerns valid. It hurt to realize that he didn't know his parabatai as well as he should but regrets wouldn't help them figure out what was wrong with Jace.

Biting his lip, he tried to ignore the guilt, gently nudging Jace so he'd stay awake. "Parabatai, you have t help us. Stay awake." Looking up at Magnus' comment, the guilt worsened before he carefully shoved it to the back of his mind so that Jace wouldn't sense it. "Magnus, I'd know if he was seriously injured. I've felt it every time he's been hurt. I wouldn't lie about it now." But he had in the past, but the two of them had agreed then to never tell anyone what had happened on the battlefield in Idris. "And I'd know if it was something serious magic-wise. Nothing's influencing him like it did with Sebastian."

Izzy. Magnus. Alec. His family was there. Together. They were muffled, as if they were all so far away, but Jace knew they were close. Warm. Hearts beating. He could feel the tension in Alec's body, feel it through their bond. He imagined Izzy remaining calm on the outside, determined, focused. Magnus...

He remembered Magnus in the pool. The look on his face when Jace had literally run away from him and the aching temptation of something he couldn't name, was too afraid to name.

And Alec. Parabatai. Brother.

Stay awake.

But it was so nice to be free from.... "Warm."

That had to be Magnus's magic. It felt warm without heat. Nice. Soothing in a way he couldn't imagine before. So soothing, in fact, he found himself starting to drift away. He wanted to stay awake for Alec, stay by his side, comfort the worry away, but he also wanted to let go. Let whatever was happening happen.

It couldn't be something bad if he was feeling lighter than he had in weeks. Right?

Jace's breathing slowly deepened and his entire body finally went completely limp.

Even if his focus was trained on Jace, Magnus could read Alec well enough to know that something other than Jace's current state is bothering him. He looked defensive, shoulders up, and there was a hint of combativeness in his tone. Magnus did his best not to take it personally—he knew what parabatai could be like, and Alec's fierce love of Jace didn't end with their soul bond. "No one accused you of lying, Alec," he said as softly as he can manage while the majority of his mind is firmly on the spell he's using to examine Jace. "You know what he's been like, lately."

Magnus ignored the reference to Sebastian since it didn't mean anything to him, at the moment. It was a keen reminder of how his missing memories could end up costing them, though, because he lacks experiences that should have helped him in similar situations. Though he briefly wondered if this had happened to Jace before, he shoves the thoughts aside since they're largely unhelpful. He was pulled back to the present when he could sense Jace relax and fall into unconsciousness, making Magnus sit up straighter.

"He's fallen asleep," he said without any tone of surprise. Unable to sense any source of the problem, he shifted the spell to lend some of his strength to Jace until he was certain he wasn't in immediate danger. As the magic faded from his hands, Magnus slumped forward and caught himself with an arm braced against the mattress. "I can't figure it out," he said, eyes closing as he felt the effects of pouring his energy into Jace. "There's no physical problem, nor anything magical or demonic that's within my power to detect. It's possible that this is a psychological issue, or something otherworldly."

For a few seconds, he felt like he was preparing for a fight and then reminded himself that Magnus and Izzy wouldn't condemn him. They wouldn't blame him for this, whatever it is. Even if Alec felt like they should. Letting out a slow breath, he forced himself to push aside his guilt and worry. Neither emotion would help right now. They needed to focus on Jace, not Alec's guilty conscience. "I know. I just - " Failed him again. "He's acted like that before so I didn't think..."

That was the problem. He hadn't thought He'd been so caught up in his own happiness and trying not to push Jace too hard about what was wrong that he missed something. "There isn't anything from the bond that would explain this," he answered. There was a faint echo of something but it was so faint that he doubted that it was what was causing this. "The bond feels stronger, not... not like when he - " Died.

Did Magnus remember that? Izzy wouldn't know since they'd both lied about what happened during the battle. He hadn't even told Jace what had happened, afraid that he'd feel guilty for Alec almost dying in the fight. "Why would something make the bond stronger, but cause him to react like this?"

Which would have left him elated if Jace hadn't slumped into his embrace, breathing slow and deep. Alec began to panic, looking up at Magnus for some hint of what was wrong, but his husband didn't look distraught like he would if Jace was dying again. As he felt the last traces of magic fade, he automatically reached out to help Magnus, swaying as he tried to steady both his parabatai and his husband.

When he was sure that neither one was going to fall over, Alec gave his husband a look that had become common between them, silently offering his strength to him. "Otherworldly?" It wasn't a term that he'd heard any warlock use before. Knowing that Magnus wouldn't accept a magical 'boost' until everyone was settled, Alec gently maneuvered Jace to the bed, pulling the blankets over him and making sure that he would be comfortable.

Gaze moving from Magnus to Izzy, he ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't know. There was no sign of anything like this happening to him." Would Izzy blame him for this? Would Jace when he woke up? If he woke up...

Izzy's quiet as she watches everything unfold, her eyes going from Jace to Alec and then to Magnus and back again. The lethargy, if it weren't for having Magnus here, would worry Izzy. In fact, it's all concerning anyway and for more than a few reasons. Nothing is keeping Jace from sleeping, but sleep is restorative and helps at the same time...it just seems a bit less of something to remain calm about in this instance.

But maybe that is what he needs, since there's nothing else that the warlock in residence can do.

Alec, though, is another matter completely. The defensive anger that bubbled up isn't unlike Alec. He's always felt as if he is his parabatai's keeper, when he really isn't. Still, Izzy remains silent, taking the exchange between her brother and his husband in and only once Jace is safely tucked into bed did she step forward and finally re-enter the conversation. "So, it could, potentially, be caused by magic that originates from here...or from someone that has magic from somewhere else, then." She ventures, eyes on Magnus while putting her hand on Alec's back and offering that silent bit of comfort.

"Like Magnus said...you know how Jace has been lately, you can't beat yourself up for not noticing something; he's never been the most forthcoming about things that are going on with him, even with you." Izzy gently reminds her brother, not blaming him in the least. Alec has always been the hardest on himself, after all. "And if he didn't even notice, you wouldn't have either." Izzy points out, peering at the prone blonde on the bed.

"We'll just have to keep an eye on him and wait for him to wake up, see what he might be able to share. Maybe do some investigating outside of Jace...see what else we can find. But there's no real physical problem, so he should be safe for now, right?" Izzy directs the question at Magnus, trusting his judgement without hesitation, honestly. Plus, knowing that his parabatai was safe, even if they were unsure as to what was going on, would at least offer Alec some comfort in the interim.

Because Izzy had no doubt. Jace's stubborn ass would wake up. She had to believe that, especially with what her brother-in-law had to offer. thus far. If it were something much more serious she had to believe he'd be able to tell. And right now Jace was just sleeping, even if they didn't know why.

Magnus' expression softens as his eyes meet Alec's, understanding the silent offer and appreciating it even if he won't take it just yet. He still has some things to take care of to make sure Jace is comfortable, and he stands back to let Alec see to his parabatai in order to move to the emptier half of the room. Regarding the space for a moment, he gathers a spell between his hands and then spreads his arms wide in order to conjure a bed frame into existence. It's large, tall enough that Jace will be able to comfortably sit on it and, more importantly right now, Magnus and the others will be able to easily attend to his illness.

Turning around, he reaches out a hand for Alec to help him up from the floor. "Yes," he says to start answering Izzy as he magically moves the mattress and Jace from their current position until both are in place on the frame. Staggering slightly with the spell done, he squeezes Alec's hand but turns a small smile towards his sister-in-law. "Either from this moon itself, or one of the many worlds the portal connects us to." Those are easy answers, unlike all of the questions that Alec is posing. Glancing at his husband, Magnus sits down on the edge of Jace's bed and sets a hand on his knee. "There are possibilities we've discussed," he says quietly, not intending to leave Izzy out of the conversation but meaning it mostly as a reminder for Alec. After all, this wasn't the first odd thing to happen to Jace since their arrival in the city, though it was definitely one of the more dramatic ones.

"Like Isabelle said, there are a lot of answers we won't have until he wakes up. For now, it's safe to let him sleep and monitor whether or not that helps him. I've lent him quite a bit of my strength, and I can help either of you do the same if necessary." He pulled his hand back from where it had rested on Jace and used it to massage his temples. "For the moment, though, all I can do is rest and be ready for anything else that may happen when he wakes."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[closed] Time to Heal

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject