Why didn't it went away yet???
He couldn't sleep, he couldn't eat, he barely focused during training.
Like letting Alec kick your ass is gonna help solve anything.
On the end of a first day, when he learned Simon couldn't join them on the movie night 'cause he was confined to his room, he started toying with the idea of simply owning up to his mistake.
After a second day, after a mission went wrong and Alec let him get away scot-free with far more than he usually did, he started cracking under the pressure.
By the morning of the third day, and led by a mysterious and sudden urge to admit, he flew out of his room at four in the morning and tore into Alec's door ready to admit.
Unfortunately, the moment he saw his parabatai moving off of Magnus in sheer panic, all his bravery seemingly disappeared.
He mumbled something incredulous about 'hearing something weird' and 'worried' before Alec grabbed him and almost smacked the angel blood out of his being.
'Nuff said, he didn't get another of those urges again.
Still, they could've returned every moment. And, this time, maybe they'll go away even faster than before.
So, he did the only reasonable thing he could.
He began stalking Alec.
Just, y'know, so he's near in case he felt that moment of bravery again.
That is how, in a morning of a sixth day, he found himself staring holes at Alec's temples as his parabatai enjoyed morning coffee with everybody's favourite warlock.
Two lovers seemed completely at peace, as they usually did when they were together. Magnus' feet were resting curled in shadowhunter's lap, and Alec's hair was tangled from how much Magnus petted it. Duo stared at each other with all the love in the world. They talked quietly, but even their low voices seemed sickeningly soft.
Jace huffed above his coffee cup again.
Magnus looked at him. For a brief second, his eyes turned cat-like.
Jace couldn't even blame him at this point. He was huffing so much he started annoying himself already.
Not a second later, Magnus turned back towards Alec, softening his face into a most sugary smile Jace ever had the displeasure of witnessing.
"Darling, I don't know about you, but I'm craving another hot cappuccino. Would you mind making us some?" he pouted.
Alec rolled his eyes fondly. "Can't you just magic it up?"
Magnus' pout deepened, and he leaned closer to Alec's face. "But I like your coffee better. Only you know how to make it right."
"With little chocolate sprinkles?" Alex sighed, already standing up and taking his empty cup. Cup that was, Jace was pretty sure, half full of liquid just a minute before.
Magnus smiled.
"Chocolate stars, Chocolate."
"Of course." Alec laughed. He pecked Magnus on the cheek before moving out of the room.
The moment doors closed behind him, Magnus' loving smile turned to an annoyed glare.
"Okay, Blondie, spit it."
"Wh..." Jace seemingly teleported into a cushioned armchair in front of Magnus' couch.
"Woah..." he shook his head weakly. Magnus huffed before starting to speak.
"Don't even try." He hissed. "I know you've been following the two of us for the last two days, and quite frankly, I'm sick of it." he hissed.
"You've been moping around us like a wet rag, Alec can't sleep and he wouldn't tell me what's wrong, and I just know it has something to do with you. BUT, both you and Loverboy seem to be too stubborn to talk it out like proper adults. So, spit it, Hoohoodale!"
Jace opened his mouth at the nickname. "How did you just..."
"That's not the problem here, Heronfail. Wanna talk or not?" he waved his perfectly manicured turquoise fingernail at his face in a way that didn't left Jace much chance to argue.
Blond clicked his tongue and leaned back in the armchair. He had to tell somebody! And, if that couldn't be Alec, Magnus did seem like the next best option!
"Promise you won't tell Alec."
Magnus stared at him.
"...oh boy."
He clicked his fingers, at which glass of something cold and alcoholic appeared in his hand. Exasperated look settled on his face.
"Is this more of a "I stole a magic dagger from Silent brothers' archive of old weaponry and now the Clave is looking for it" kind of don't tell Alec, or more of a "I attacked pack of rogue werewolves with paint bombs and water balloons, and now they covered Institute in toilet paper while you were on a two-day trip to Idris" type of call?" Magnus asked in a breath, sipping at his drink.
Jace moved his jaw nervously. "That happened once, warlock."
"And I believe Alec gave you a very good reason not to do any of those things ever again, huuuh?"
Jace felt the tips of his ears growing red from embarrassment. Magnus chuckled.
"Oh, please, like those were the only times I saw you in hot water with Alecky. Remember that time you decided to blow the leaves from backyard by evoking a young wind-connected demon? That one was painful to watch..."
"Magnus..."
"How you ran away from both him and Alec, though, was quite amusing. You really put on a show that..."
"Shut up!" Jace squeaked. He was as red as a tomato at this point.
Magnus widened his eyes and sipped at his drink again, smacking his lips a few times afterwards.
"What a mouth on you today! But alright, we do have more pressing matters to discuss, don't we? So, what's going on?"
Jace breathed in, feeling his head spinning a little. Magnus often had that effect on people, it seemed.
"So, you remember that.... situation we had a few nights ago?"
"You mean when you and Baby Dracula snuck out to get yourself killed?"
"Yes... No, wait, no!" Jace raised his hands in the air. Magnus rolled his eyes, in a way that indicated he spent way too much time with Alec. Jace swallowed down the shiver that went through his spine.
"Okay, so, you know what...khmm.. happened in the office?"
"No." Magnus looked at his with eyes half closed. "But now that you mentioned it, that was when he started acting weird." His eyes flashed yellow for a split second. Once again, his voice turned deadly calm.
"Did you have a fight? Did he went too hard on you?"
"What?! No, Alec would never do that!"
Jace felt surprised Magnus would even ask something like that.
"So it's your fault, huh?"
Only too late he realised it was a trap.
Magnus stood up from his couch, towering over Jace purposely. He pointed his finger at the blond threateningly.
"Have you tried anything funny?"
Jace tried keeping his face calm, but he couldn't stop himself from shifting backwards from warlock's form.
For someone so glittery, he sure knows how to make an effect.
Magnus cocked his head to the side in a cat-like manner. "What happened in there?" he demanded.
"N..nothing." Jace started regretting this idea.
"Sweetheart..." Magnus pressed his manicured finger into crest of Jace's collarbone, making the younger swallow nervously.
"You started talking, not me. And now that I know what is off in my lover's behaviour, and I know you were somehow connected with it, I will stop at nothing to figure out what's wrong."
He pressed his face into Jace's, golden cat eyes staring holes into blond's soul.
Why does his breath smell of chocolate liquor... and cat food?
He could feel Shadowhunter's heartbeat quickening under his finger.
Still, Jace's face was as stubborn as ever.
"Promise you won't tell Alec."
Two had a wordless contest, burning eyes locked onto each other. In the end, it was Magnus that chuckled first.
"Alright. I won't tell. IF you tell me what's wrong, and in detail. Then I can try to fix this mess.
Jace shook his head. "You can't."
Magnus simply hummed before returning to his previous curled up position on the couch. Jace took it as a sign he could start talking.
"Well, about what happened in the office...or, better to say, what didn't happen..."
"Woah, woah, woah. He didn't punish you?"
Jace shook his head.
"He should've."
Blond glared at warlock, but had to admit he couldn't really argue with the statement.
"Yeah, but he didn't. And that's where our problem lies."
Magnus threw his hands up in a mockingly shocked manner.
"You wanna tell me you wanted my boyfriend to spank you?"
"What? NO!" Jace blushed again, cringing profusely. "No, no, absolutely no. I'm in this mess exactly because i didn't want it in the first place!"
Warlock shook his head, finger nervously tapping cold glass in his hand. "Elaborate."
"You know what happened that landed me in hot water with Alec. But has he told you how that happened?"
Magnus frowned. "He mentioned something small, but I honestly couldn't comprehend a thing. He just murmured before brushing it off. I suppose you'll tell me the whole story?"
From the tone of his voice, it was pretty clear that was not a suggestion.
Jace nodded, then started talking slowly. His voice was calm, but quiet, hesitant. "Simon and I went in the lair because he wanted to prove himself. I only went so he wouldn't get himself killed. To protect him, as I didn't have time to alarm the others before it was already too late..."
"Hmmm..." Magnus placed a tip of index finger in his mouth, nibbling on it as he looked at Jace critically. Young shadowhunter was waiting, nervously biting his cheek.
"That's... peculiar." Magnus admitted. "I expected this story to go the other way around. Simon is a bit hard headed, sure, but I wouldn't say he is coming off as reckless. That's more your style... if you know what I'm saying."
Jace stared at him for a long time, before gulping soundlessly. He shifted on the chair, crossing his legs.
"Exactly."
Magnus looked as the blond raised his eyes to look at him, fear and despair dancing across his face. He looked younger like this, without all the masks and cockiness he put on for the show.
Like a boy caught with his hand in a cookie jar. Magnus thought.
And then it hit him.
"Oh..."
Guilt in blond's eyes told him everything he needed to know.
"Simon wasn't the one to propose the idea, wasn't he?"
"He didn't even want to go. I provoked him into it." Jace whispered. It was quiet, but now he started, he wanted to get it off of his chest as fast as he could.
"He wanted to go get others, but I wouldn't let him. And then, on the street, when I realised there's no back door, no other exit, when I realised we might be going into a trap, I still kept going."
"Why, dear Lord? Why would you..." Magnus looked at him sadly. Jace couldn't bear to look at his face any longer.
"I don't know! I know it was stupid, but I just... I don't even know why I did it. I didn't mean for Simon to get hurt, I swear, Mag! You gotta believe me."
"I believe you." Magnus replied honestly, still in a slight shock. He watched as Jace put his head into his arms, hair falling around in messy locks.
"So you...you didn't tell Alexander this, I presume?"
"I couldn't. Oh Angel, he was so angry. I just couldn't... I was too scared of what he would do when he realised I had the chance to back down, but I didn't. He would kill me, Mag!"
"He still might." Magnus mumbled before chugging his drink down in one gulp. Jace whined.
"So, you altered the truth." he finished. Jace brushed his hands through his hair in distress before placing them in front of his mouth.
"I lied."
Magnus inhaled, but nodded. He placed now empty glass down on the tea table.
"Oh Sweetie..." his voice was soft. It only made Jace feel worse.
"I can't tell him this, Magnus. He would kill me if he found out. I just can't tell him. Like, ever."
Sound of something porcelain clinking in the background froze Jace on the spot. Magnus looked behind him guiltily before redirecting his eyes to the floor.
Jace heard steps behind him as loud as the thundering of his own heart. Parabatai mark on his body burned with hot, white rage. He couldn't move. Steps striding towards him locked him on the spot. They stopped right behind him.
Hand that came down on the back of his neck felt like a shackle. "Too bad." Alec's voice was soft, growling.
"Because you just did."