Restless Heart Syndrome

Chapter 9 Happiness

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way."

-Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Restless Heart Syndrome Chapter 9 Happiness.

Magnus doesn't bother pulling on a scarf though the air is chilly, racing out of his apartment in a scandalously little amount of makeup, taking a moment to try and figure out which way Alec would have gone before heading down the nearly deserted nighttime street, moving towards the Institute. He's pretty sure that that's where Alec would head, towards his sister and all that he's used to.

He's not disappointed, in that sense at least, when he finds Alec not even a half block away. But his panicking heart stops for a second as he sees the shadowhunter, or at least, the mound on the ground that makes a very similar clothing choices to Alec. But then, it could just be a homeless person. It isn't, Magnus is scared to say, because when he gets close enough he can see just how pale Alec is. Pale, but his cheeks are flushed with life and bits of steam rise from his nose as Magnus sees his breath. He's not dead, the warlock realizes, with a shock of happiness running through him.

Magnus crouches next to Alec, shaking the teen's shoulder. He nearly jumps when Alec spurts out a mouthful of blood onto the sidewalk, coughing a very ugly cough that doesn't seem to want to stop. It's a disgusting thing, filled with blood and mucus and the back of Alec's throat and it sounds nothing if not uncomfortable. He focuses on Alec's stomach, noticing for the first time just how much it looks like Alec could be pregnant. It's... It really does look like it could be that.

Magnus shakes his head, focusing back on the task at hand. He runs his hand over Alec's swollen stomach, closing his eyes as magic pulses through him. Magnus gasps as the state of Alec's innards are relayed to him, the dramatic shifting and tearing not going unnoticed. He's bleeding like crazy in there, and if Magnus doesn't do something soon Alec's going to die, taking that odd extra organ and Magnus's heart with him.

He didn't mean to say that when he was mad. He didn't mean for this, he doesn't want to be finding Alec's collapsed and dying body on the ground. He doesn't want to have to fight for Alec's life because they're not on the best terms and everything is so greatly fucked up. He just doesn't want this to be his fault.

Magnus sends a pulse of magic through the tips of his fingers to Alec's skin, which is losing heat as Alec's body fights to keep itself alive. He mends the tears as he can, carefully going over each organ and repairing what he can. Alec's breathing is offbeat, erratic and a constant reminder that the dark haired shadowhunter might die tonight, not at the hands of a demon or even Valentine, but by his own body's repetitive malfunction. Magnus is exhausted by healing Alec while keeping tissue regeneration going, but he manages to carry his unconscious blue eyed teen up to his apartment and into his bed, a bed that they used to share, before collapsing next to him. There are things he needs to say to Alec, but he's not even sure when the shadowhunter will be waking up. He needs to sleep as well, or it's certain that the shadowhunter won't be waking up because his guts will be devouring themselves.

Alec wakes to a painful throb in his abdomen and a very stiff back. He shouldn't be sleeping on his back, one of the books he has says that the left side is best, and Alec's found that there are less aches in the morning when he sleeps on his side. He groans, an uncomfortable thing that pools an ache in his swelling body, opening his eyes to a dim light and a ceiling he hasn't seen in what feels like a year. He'd recognize it anywhere, and he closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. He's in the room he used to always sleep in when he came over. The room that he used to stay in with the warlock he could call his own, where they spent time together, talking or sleeping or... well. Alec decides he should sit up,in fact, he thinks that's a very good idea, but he can't find the motivation to do it. His body feels really heavy, different than yesterday.