CHAPTER TWO
OUT OF PRACTICE
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Adrian had always found training comforting. The clash of practice weapons, the mats on the floor, the fans in the corners, everything was just so familiar. He had spent most of his childhood inside the training room, up on the balance beams. He'd fallen so many times from the balance beams that falling didn't terrify him anymore. He was nothing but nostalgic as he watched Clary fight now, a wooden staff in her hands. Jace was a blur around her. Sometimes Clary managed to land a hit, but it was always uncoordinated, clumsy and born from desperation rather than grace or finesse. Jace landed more blows on her, using the opportunity to remind her that she was leaving spots open in her desperation to hit him back.
Adrian watched from the sidelines, using his own wooden staff to put his weight on, his cheek resting against the wood. Isabelle was prowling around the entire practice mat, taking in Clary and Jace's mock fight with sharp eyes, her long hair pulled back in a braid. Alec was on the other side of the room, firing arrows into targets in quick succession just because he could. None of them had really trained in a while, and demons had been lying low, which meant fewer missions. Fighting was in their bones, but it was always good to work their bodies through the process every two weeks or so.
"You're overwhelming her," Adrian said eventually, when Jace got a hit on Clary again, on the side of her thigh. Her gasp rang out loud and clear, making Alec turn away from the targets across the large room. Isabelle stopped her prowling to cross her arms over her chest, arching a single eyebrow as Jace slowed in his movements. He and Clary were both panting, but it was Clary who looked the worst. Her hair was falling into her eyes, her shirt was damp with sweat, and her arms were shaking from the strain of holding the wooden staff up for so long. Adrian clicked his tongue in disapproval and straightened, twirling his own staff once through the air as he walked forward.
"Well, battle is overwhelming," Jace grumbled in an attempt to defend himself. Adrian put his staff on the mat and raised his eyebrows. It was clear to him that something was bothering Jace. He usually went easy on Clary during sparring sessions, since she was so tiny and still building up her muscle mass. She was good at balancing, good at stealth, even good with a bow and arrow—but it was hand-to-hand combat that she was struggling with. Her body simply wasn't used to it. The fact that none of them were as small as she was didn't really help, because fighting was different for them. They never had to compensate for lack of height, for shorter arms and legs. Aline would have been a good sparring partner for her, but she was in Rome for her travel year. Helen had gone to Rome, too. Adrian idly wondered if they had run into each other.
"She's not being sent into battle yet, is she?" Adrian asked rhetorically, already reaching for the staff Clary was currently struggling to hold up. It was bigger than she was comfortable with, but she had grabbed it as soon as she had seen both Jace and Adrian pick up theirs. All of them had a weapon of choice, one they preferred. Alec had his bow-and-arrows. Jace had his longsword. Adrian had his angelic staff given to him by Luke tucked safely away in his room, and Isabelle had her whip, currently curled around her wrist where it normally stayed. It was clear that Clary was trying to find her own. The staff clearly wasn't it, though, and Adrian could see the relief on her face once he took it from her. Tossing it over to Isabelle, Adrian let his own fall to the mat and pulled out his stele.
"You comfortable with a real blade, Clary?" Isabelle asked in the following silence, as Adrian carefully drew a healing rune on Clary's inner arm. He knew bruises were blooming across her skin as they stood there, and training was far from over. He cut Jace a dark look once he was done, arching a single eyebrow when Jace saw it and glanced guiltily away. He made a mental note to corner Jace and demand to know what was wrong with him later, patting at Clary's arm with a gentle smile. Clary smiled back, then looked uncertainly over his shoulder at Isabelle.
"Um," was all she said. Adrian grinned and bent to retrieve his staff. He used the end to poke Jace harshly in the middle of his stomach, sending him stumbling back multiple steps. He did that until he was in Jace's former spot, and then he was turning back toward Clary, a happy smile pulling at his mouth. Clary visibly swallowed, unease sweeping across her face, and Adrian couldn't help but laugh.
"Don't worry," he said lightly, watching as Isabelle got close enough to put a short sword into Clary's hand. It was a little longer than her forearm, sharp and gleaming under the dim lights. Clary tested the weight warily, her hand wrapping around the hilt. "I'll go easy on you."
"That's not what I'm worried about," Clary admitted, twirling the short sword in the air a few times, getting used to the weight, the feel of it in her palm. She seemed much more comfortable with it than she had the staff. "What if I accidentally hurt you?" Adrian's smile grew wider, then his stance shifted only a little bit. Clary didn't seem to notice.
"Trust me," Adrian said warmly, "you won't." He struck out a second later, but not with his staff, like Clary had expected. Instead, he brought his leg out wide. His foot landed hard on her hip, sending her stumbling sideways, a harsh gasp jumping up her throat. She stared at him in shock, eyes blown wide, before frustration quickly followed it. Her hand tightened so hard around the short sword that her knuckles turned white. Adrian tilted his head. "You focus too much on your opponent's weapon. You could've avoided that kick if you were paying attention. You're also worried too much about hurting one of us. I swear to you, Clary, that all of us have hurt each other in this room at some point. Jace broke my arm when I was thirteen. Izzy hit me with her whip once, and Alec dislocated my knee. It's nothing a healing rune and some rest can't fix. Now give me all you got, little red. I can take it."
Clary clenched her teeth and lunged. There was nothing particularly graceful about it, but grace wasn't needed in a fight, not necessarily. If the lunge was anything, it was powerful, and Adrian felt proud watching it. They traded blows for a moment, blocking and dodging for the majority of the fight, and it wasn't until Adrian hit her upper arm with his staff hard and fast that she finally used her blade. He used his staff to block when Clary lashed out with the short sword. The blade lodged deep into the wood, surprising even Adrian, and then he used that to his advantage. He twirled the staff, making Clary lose her grip on the hilt, and then he jerked it out of the staff—but he made the mistake of glancing away from Clary to do it. He saw her raise her leg out of the corner of his eye, and wasn't quite quick enough to jump out of reach. She was too close, and her legs had gained muscle much easier than her arms had, through all the balance exercises and harsh runs every morning. The kick landed on his stomach, sending him stumbling back a few steps.
He managed to find his footing before he could fall, rolling on the balls of his feet. He could do nothing about the way the air had been kicked from his lungs, though. When Clary realized he was struggling to get his breath back, guilt immediately replaced the brief excitement on her face, and she opened her mouth to apologize. She was cut off by Isabelle's sudden loud, bright laughter. Jace was quick to follow, even jogging forward to pull Clary close and twirl her in the air. It wasn't long before Alec came over as well, a wide grin spreading across his face. Clary glanced around in utter confusion, then looked at Adrian, who had finally gotten his breath back. He was laughing softly, his eyes twinkling.
"See what happens when you don't think about it?" he asked, reaching to ruffle her already-messy hair. "You know what to do, little red. You just have to train your body to do it."
"And you have to catch your enemy at the right moment," Isabelle cut in, shooting a teasing elbow into Adrian's side. He winced and batted her away. "Adrian underestimated you, I think. Leaving himself open like that is a rookie mistake. Maybe the lack of missions is getting to you." Adrian used the short sword to point at Isabelle, narrowing his eyes.
"Careful, Izzy," he warned. The only response he got was her sticking her tongue out at him. Rolling his eyes, he twisted the sword and offered it back to Clary, who took is slowly. She was blushing now, her entire face turning red. Adrian smiled at her, feeling nothing but affection. "You're doing really well, you know. Don't compare yourself to Jace. He's a science experiment, remember?" Adrian cut a quick glance to Jace after he said that, feeling a little guilty. "Sorry. That was mean." Jace grinned wickedly and pushed his hair back with his hand, offering Adrian a wink.
"You don't have a mean bone in your body, Dri," he said, moving forward to plant a kiss on Clary's head. "Sorry I was moving so fast. Want to spar again? I'll teach you some defensive moves this time, no weapons necessary." Clary visibly relaxed then, nodding and letting Jace pull her to the other end of the room for privacy. Isabelle picked up Adrian's abandoned staff and twirled it, muttering about going through some drills. Adrian left her in the middle of the room to go to Alec, who was still off to the side. He was adjusting his bow, going back toward where a quiver of arrows was waiting. Adrian skipped forward and threw his arms around Alec's shoulders from behind, pressing a quick kiss to the back of his neck. Alec stumbled briefly under his weight before he centered himself.
"Get off," Alec grumbled, though he made no move to actually get Adrian off of him. "It's hot." Adrian scoffed. Alec wasn't sweating like the rest of them. Shooting arrows didn't necessarily give someone a good workout, not when their arms were already used to pulling back the string. Adrian wasn't sweating much, either. He'd been too focused on going a little easy on Clary, and their sparring session had put more strain on her than it had him.
"Well, someone's grumpy," Adrian noted, pressing a quick kiss to Alec's cheek before he moved away. "Come spar with me. Clary managed to land a hit. I'm clearly out of practice." Across the room, Clary cried out in offense. Adrian's words had clearly been heard. He ignored her and offered Alec a wide-eyed look. "You can even use your bow. How about it? Loser has to kiss the winner." Finally, Alec started to smile, and he started approaching Adrian slowly as Adrian stepped backward onto the training mat. Alec tightening his hand around his bow was Adrian's only warning. Adrian jumped back a moment later, dodging Alec's attempt at taking his legs out from under him.
"Dri," Isabelle called. Without looking, Adrian held his hand out behind him, and a moment later, something solid landed in his palm. Isabelle had thrown him the wooden staff. Wrapping his hand around it, he immediately twisted it to hit Alec on his dominant arm, trying to get him to drop the bow. Alec used his bow to block the wooden staff instead.
"You're gonna break your bow," Adrian huffed out, pulling his staff away just to fake his next swing and try a kick instead. Alec barely managed to dodge it. It left his right side open, so Adrian twisted his staff and brought it down on his hip, though he was careful when he did. It was more like a tap than anything else, and he saw Alec's eyes narrow in slight annoyance. A smile tugged at the corners of Adrian's mouth. "Why are you in such a bad mood?"
"Mom and Dad are coming home tomorrow," Alec grunted. It made Adrian freeze for a moment, and it gave Alec an opportunity to take his legs out from under him. Adrian landed on the mat with a small huff, the wind getting knocked out of him, and he took a moment to catch his breath and stare up at the beams above them. They hadn't seen much of Maryse and Robert since the end of the Mortal War. Maryse was often jumping back and forth between New York and Idris, helping things get back on track in the Glass City while also running the Institute. Robert, in comparison, spent the majority of his time in Idris, only sending fire messages to tell his children that he missed them. Adrian had a feeling Robert was only staying in Idris because of something political. They still hadn't filled the Inquisitor position after Adrian's adoptive father had died, and Robert had always been ambitious, and he had always loved Alicante on top of it all.
"Maybe they're coming back to give me and Izzy some good news about our parabatai ceremony," Adrian offered, knowing Alec was anxious about being around both of his parents. Maryse had adapted to Alec being gay over time. She didn't look uncomfortable whenever Adrian and Alec showed affection towards each other in front of her anymore. Robert, however, was a different story. He hadn't said anything particularly ignorant—not to Adrian, at least—and he didn't treat Adrian or Alec any differently whenever he was around, but Robert was still...Robert. He was a very hard man to read. It was good to look at the positives, though. Maybe they were coming back to have a big and warm family dinner.
"Maybe," Alec said, and instead of reaching down to help Adrian off the floor, he flopped down right beside him. He dropped the bow a few feet away and brought his knees up to his chest, circling his arms around them. Adrian looked at him through his lashes, taking in the messy dark hair and blue eyes, the way his runes stood out against his pale skin. Suddenly, Adrian felt breathless again, and he had to jerk his eyes away to get some oxygen into his lungs.
"You two done already?" Isabelle asked, walking over toward them and dropping a freezing bottle of water onto Adrian's stomach. Adrian grunted at the impact, then passed the water bottle to Alec as he pushed himself up. Isabelle sank down as he did, folding her legs up beneath her and using her hand to fan at her neck. The training room was hotter than usual, simply because the heat in the Institute had been running all day to combat the cold outside. It was the beginning of November, and winter was starting to set in early.
"Maybe we can train outside next time," Adrian suggested, reaching for the water bottle when Alec was done, grimacing when he noticed Alec had gulped down half the bottle. He took a few mouthfuls before continuing. "Might be better for Clary, too. She needs to start training on cement and grass, on uneven ground, in different types of weather. Maybe we can go to the park or something."
"Good idea. And if there's any demons around, even better," Isabelle sighed, tilting her head back.
"Any news about the ceremony?" Alec asked, making a scowl appear on Isabelle's face. She straightened and shot her brother a glare, though he didn't deserve it.
"No," Isabelle growled. "The Clave is taking their sweet time giving us the okay and I'm just—I'm so frustrated. I mean, I know becoming parabatai this close to eighteen isn't really common, and I know male and female parabatai are seen as a risk because of the falling in love rule and everything, but come on. Any parabatai can fall in love regardless of their gender, as far as I'm concerned, and Adrian is gay, so there's literally no risk here."
"I think it has less to do with risks and more to do with our entire friend group being seen as rule-breakers," Alec cut in, before Adrian had a chance to join Isabelle in her complaints. He was just as impatient as her, just for a different reason. He would turn eighteen in less than three months, and that was the cut-off age to having a parabatai. Isabelle was a year younger than him. If they didn't do it before his birthday, then they would never be able to. But at Alec's words, Adrian pressed his lips together and turned to stare at him in confusion. Alec saw the look and decided to elaborate. "Well, think about it. We broke Simon out of prison, we searched for and found the Mortal Cup without the Clave's permission, Clary entered Alicante without permission, we went to the Seelie Court. Not to mention we're currently looking for your de-runed and exiled mother, which is blatantly illegal. I'm sure there's some pettiness involved here."
"They don't know about half of those things," Adrian muttered, a little bitter. Alec just offered him a small shrug. Deep down, Adrian knew he was right. The Clave let them off the hook because their methods had helped in the long run during the Mortal War, but if they hadn't, then Adrian couldn't even imagine the trouble they'd be in. Now the Clave was feeling bitter, they just couldn't show it because the majority of people saw Clary, Jace, and the rest of them as war heroes. Even Adrian and Isabelle were seen as heroes, because they had been the ones protecting everyone's children during the fight, though they had done nothing aside from babysit the majority of the time. He knew the Penhallows had put in a good word for him, though, considering he'd helped get Aline to safety.
"What if we do it in secret?" Isabelle said suddenly, steering the conversation back toward the parabatai ceremony. Adrian shot her a sharp look, which she waved off. "I'm serious. What if we become parabatai in secret? The Clave can't do anything about it, not really. All we need is a Silent Brother willing to break the rules. As long as it's official, the only thing they can really do is separate us, and we'd be separated anyway once you go on your travel year." Adrian raised his eyebrows.
"And what Silent Brother do you know that would help us?" he asked flatly. Isabelle descended into thoughtful silence. Adrian shook his head. "Let's just be patient for now. Maybe Maryse and Robert will come back with good news. There's nothing we can do about it right now either way. Besides, I'm starving. Let's order takeout. Italian this time." He turned to take in Clary and Jace, who were still sparring. He opened his mouth to call out to them, but stopped when Jace slammed Clary rather hard onto the mats. Both of them seemed to freeze for a moment, and then Jace was jerking away from her, scrambling rather clumsily to his feet. Adrian frowned at the same time Clary did.
"Jace?" he heard her ask, sitting up as Jace placed his palms over his eyes and turned away. Clary climbed to her feet, her chest heaving from the sparring session. "Jace, what is it? What's wrong?" Jace shook his head. Alec turned his head sharply, his brow furrowing in confusion as Jace grew more agitated. Adrian and Isabelle shared a worried glance. Jace didn't get like this when he was fighting, whether it was a training session or not. He was usually all grins and wild laughter, an adrenaline junkie through and through. He didn't get agitated. He didn't get frustrated or restless.
"Jace?" Alec called out, already getting to his feet. It must have been serious, then, enough for Alec to feel it through their parabatai bond. Adrian watched in concern as Alec walked over to Jace and put a hand on his shoulder. He tilted his head close and started whispering to Jace, while Clary stood watching a few feet away, arms wrapped around herself. Seeing her so bothered made Adrian's heart clench, so he whistled to get her attention and motioned her to come to him and Isabelle while Jace and Alec talked. Clary made her way over slowly, and when she reached them, she didn't sit. Adrian chose to stand instead, and Isabelle was quick to follow.
"What's going on with Jace?" he asked, his voice low. Clary raised her shoulders in a half-hearted shrug.
"I don't know," she said, sounding miserable. "It's been happening more and more lately, though. We'll be sparring or—or kissing, and then he'll just...freak out. Jerk away or run off. I think..." Clary trailed off into silence, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip. "I think it's me. Or our relationship. Maybe it's both, I don't know. I've tried talking to him about it, but he just shuts down on me." Adrian frowned and glanced over at Jace and Alec, only to see that they were in a heated discussion now. That was the thing about Alec and Jace. Their love for each other—their parabatai bond—always showed the most when one of the two was giving the other tough love.
"Well," Adrian said, turning away and wrapping an arm around Clary, "I'm sure it's not you or your relationship. Jace is just complicated. You know how he is. Whenever he's dealing with something difficult, he shuts people out. It's not something that can be unlearned in a month, you know? Don't take it personally. Now what would you like to eat?"
"Surprise us," Isabelle cut in before Clary could, circling to her other side and linking their arms together. "Clary and I are going to have a girl night. Bring the food up to us."
"Yes, your highness," Adrian sighed, but as they were walking out of the training room, he cast one look back at Jace. For some odd reason, his stomach sank, a bad feeling rising up in his chest. He did his best to bury the feeling and continue forward. He didn't know what was wrong with Jace, but he had a gut feeling it wasn't as simple as any of them thought it was.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I realized while writing this that I have to reread the last three books in The Mortal Instruments, specifically City of Fallen Angels. I can't remember a damn thing about the plot and my notes from the former sequel don't help at all because Adrian wasn't part of the main plot until the end. Upset and disappointed. CoFA is the worst book in TMI, I can't believe this. Anyway, anyone read Chain of Gold? I love Cordelia and Alastair. Actually, I love every character aside from Tatiana, Grace, and like...Charles. He's not at the same level as the two other, he's not a villain or anything, he's just annoying. But the Carstairs siblings are my favorite.
Also got a urge to write fics for TID and TDA. Someone stop me.