#but there wasn't enough time before the final battle because of jace telling them all to stay away

[hootgrowlbears]

"Stop antagonizing the fucking Bad Kids."

It was Jace's words that really doomed all the Rat Grinders. Now they get to be like Dayne and Penelope, unimportant and unceremoniously murdered. Antagonists with little screen time. Easy for the Bad Kids to hate, impossible to pity.

If Jace hadn't said that, they might have been Like Aelwyn and Ragh. Constant thorns in the Bad Kids' sides, there for so long that it would stop hurting. For so long that the Bad Kids would actually want to understand why they were there, and get invested.

[lovemalecforever]

Chapter 14

Parabatai : Wherever we are, we are as one.

After everyone congratulated Luke and Maryse for their engagement, they all seated themselves at the dining table, eating dinner and talking about their marriage when the old couple hushed everyone to not rush it and make it grand as they wanted it to be simple, with taking their time, much to everyone's disappointment, especially Izzy. But everyone understood their point and decided that whatever they wanted everyone was with them. The dinner went great and everyone settled back in with their own work.

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Alec was settled in his old room, the room in which he literally grew up, and Izzy had kept it the way he liked, which he was thankful for, as this room has its own set of memories, either good or bad, everything, every object had a memory of its own stuck in his mind, and he never wanted them gone.

Izzy was there in his room too, waiting for Jace and Clary to arrive, as he wanted their presence there when he talked to them because he knew that talking to them was not going to be easy, and he needed support.

"Calm down big brother, it's going to be fine." She said softly, concerned for her brother.

Alec sighed. "I don't know, Izzy."

Not long after, there was a knock on the door making him frown. 'Definitely Clary.' he thought And answered it by yelling out a loud 'Come in'.

"Hey Alec! You wanted to talk to us." Clary said while walking in, Jace tugging behind her, much to his dismay.

"Are you finally telling us what's going on?" Jace snapped, irritated.

Alec sighed and looked at both of them. "Yes, and don't ask questions or interrupt me in between, let me say what I have to say first, then only you both can say your part. Agreed?"

Jace and Clary looked at each other, then said 'okay' in unison.

Alec took a deep breath then told them everything, from being in his coma to Magnus' emotional health state, the ups and downs they faced in that one month, Magnus' breakdowns, his nightmares to their failed talks, then he himself finding of a rare immortality spell and his wish to become one, following the procedure of becoming immortal then what part they play in it. Everything. When he was done, he looked at them both having unreadable expressions on their faces.

The room was dead silent, no one was saying anything. It was getting really uncomfortable for everyone, until Clary walked towards Alec and bent down on her knees, looking directly into his eyes and only then did he notice tears in her eyes.

"I can't believe Alec, Magnus is so much in pain, and he's trying to hide it. It's really not fair on him. He's the best person I've ever known, I've ever come across. He doesn't deserve it. If that's the only option left, then I'm more than willing to help."

"A... Are, are you okay with it, Clary? Me becoming immortal?"

"Yes, Alec." She said softly.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Jace yelled on top of his lungs, giving a jump scare to others present in the room.

"That's what I was scared of!" Alec mumbled under his breath and rubbed his temples.

"Jace!?" Clary exclaimed.

"What the hell Jace!? Don't you get it?" Izzy said, clearly frustrated with his response.

"No, I don't! And I don't want to. Alec Lightwood, you are not becoming an immortal, if something's wrong with your husband, talk him out of it. I'm sure it'll work out, but you are not doing anything like that. End of conversation!" He shouted.

Izzy and Clary exchanged a look then looked at Alec, who was completely quiet.

"What is wrong with you, Jace? He just said that he tried, and it failed and there's no other option left." Clary yelled at her boyfriend, trying to put some sense into him.

"And that's his decision to make Jace, not yours. I was shocked at first too, but this is what he wants I'm there for him no matter what, you should be too." Izzy said, her tone flat and stern.

"Oh really, I'm sorry to burst both of your bubbles, but it is. I'm his Parabatai. He's not just deciding for himself. Alec, you put it in your thick brain, you are NOT doing this stupidity. At. All." He yelled.

"JACE!?" Clary snapped.

Izzy looked at him with anger and frustration. "Really Jace? Why are you being so difficult? Why can't you see that it'll make both of them happy?"

"I'm being difficult." He chuckled frustratingly. "You both don't get it, do you? Oh, let me guess because you aren't Parabatai, you can't understand it. Alexander Gideon Lightwood Bane, I have made myself clear to you, you're not doing this to us. End. Of. Conversation." With that he stormed out of the room, leaving both the girls fuming at him.

"What the hell!?" Izzy shouted.

"What is wrong with him?" Clary said in frustration.

"Enough!" Alec yelled, unable to bear the tension present in that room anymore. Both girls looked at him with sympathetic eyes knowing Jace reacting like that had definitely affected him.

"Alec, I... I'll try to talk to him," Clary said, but before she could leave, Alec stopped her.

"No, wait. I'm going to talk to him, alone. And I'm sorry, but he's right. It is about our Parabatai bond. It is about us." Alec sighed heavily.

Both girls looked at him with dumbfounded expressions then at each other and nodded, and he left to search for Jace.

After searching the whole institute he finally found him in the training room, striking the dummies furiously with his seraph dagger.

"Jace, can we talk?" He asked carefully.

"There's nothing to talk about, Alec. You're not doing that stupidity. End of conversation." He said furiously, then threw his dagger on the floor, and left the room completely ignoring him.

"Jace!?" Alec yelled but to no avail, then rubbed the bridge of his nose.

He then walked towards Jace's bedroom, knowing that he would have gone there, and he was right. He walked in, closed the door, and put a locking rune on it so that he can't leave again.

"What the hell, Alec?" He shouted.

"What's going on with you, Jace? I can feel a weird kind of turmoil happening inside you. Talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about, alright. You're not becoming immortal. That's it. We're done talking."

Jace was about to walk past him when Alec stopped him by gripping his hand tightly and shoving him to his bed, resulting in a loud thud.

"Ow! Alec!" He yelled.

"Talk!" Alec said sternly.

Jace sat on the bed properly, rubbed his face, and sighed heavily. "What do want me to say, huh? Yes, I'm not fine with you becoming immortal, whatever be the reason."

"It's Magnus, Jace. And what do you think, I didn't try talking to him? I did and it didn't work. Do you think I would have ever agreed on doing this, if anything, anything had worked? He's getting worse day by day, Jace. He thinks I'm not able to see it, but I can, and it's killing me too. I'm not going to sit down and watch him get insane when I know this will solve it. That's the only option I'm left with." He said in one breath and almost a yell.

"What about us, Alec? Do you know how it will affect our Parabatai bond? Watching you live lively, young, feeling your lively emotions while I keep growing, aging. You're my brother, my Parabatai, we're supposed to die together, Alec." He said harshly, but a pool of tears was visible in his eyes.

"Then it should concern me and not you, Jace. I don't know how it'll affect our bond, but it's me who will have to watch you die, losing a part of me, you think it's easy. It's not, Jace. But it's Magnus, I love him, he's my world, I can't live without him. And it's killing me seeing him like that every passing second, his smile, it's gone. I can clearly see the pain behind his smile. I want him back, the Magnus I know, I want that Magnus back. And if it costs my mortality, then I'm ready to sacrifice it." He was out of breath when he was done, tears threatening to fall from his eyes.

Jace was already crying silently. His emotions and the words Alec had spoken were creating a whirlwind of emotions inside him. He was happy for his brother, for Magnus who got lucky to have his brother in his life, but at the same time, he was feeling betrayed that his Parabatai had decided something this big, without even talking to him about it. And also envious of the love these two have for each other.

"Jace, I can feel it, you know that, right?"

Jace looked up at his Parabatai, his eyes were red from crying. "So what, Alec? You decided something this big on your own and didn't say a word to us. Have you ever thought about any of us?"

"That's because I wasn't sure of it myself, Jace!" He yelled, he hated fighting with his Parabatai, but sometimes he gets really difficult to handle. "I didn't want to stress you all when I wasn't sure that I'll do it, but now I am. That's why I'm here, to talk to you all about it. And yes, I thought about all of you, then Magnus. Magnus is my family now too, Jace. As much as it pains, I'm willing to do it, for him, for his happiness."

Jace shook his head at him. "My Parabatai is really stubborn for his own good." He tried to smile, but it failed to reach his red cried-out eyes.

Alec sighed nervously. "Jace, please understand. I know things will change between us, but just put yourself and Clary in our situation. What if it were you both instead of us, what would have you done, Jace? Please think and answer."

The room was filled with dead silence, Jace was still sitting on his bed, head in his palms, while Alec was scared, his heart beating faster than normal, hoping his Parabatai would understand his situation, Magnus' situation. After what felt like forever for Alec, Jace finally spoke.

"I would have done the same. I had lost Clary, not to death, but I did lose her many times, even once I thought that she was actually dead, but she wasn't. I get what he's going through. We all had almost lost you in that battle." he took a deep breath and continued. "I'm sorry for yelling and being a pain, I get it, Magnus needs it. He needs you, by his side, in his case, forever. I'm sorry, buddy. I couldn't understand before, but I do now. I don't know how it'll affect our Parabatai bond, but if this is what's needed to be done, then I'm with you, it's just that...-"

Alec sighed with relief, but he knew and could feel through their bond that Jace needs him right now. He walked towards him, put his hands on his shoulders, and squeezed them gently.

"Jace!" He said softly. Jace looked up at him then stood up and hugged his brother tightly. Both knew how much they meant to each other.

Alec broke their hug but held his right wrist with his right hand. Jace looked him in the eyes, tears forming in the back of his eyes once again, he did the same.

"Entreat me not to leave thee." Alec began knowing his decision to become immortal will definitely affect their bond.

"Or return from following after thee." Jace followed, choking on each word he spoke.

"For whither thou goest, I will go." He tried to hold back his tears.

"And where thou lodgest, I will lodge." They both chuckled at this.

"Thy people shall be my people, and thy god my god." One tear escaped from Alec's eyes and fell on his cheeks.

"Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried," Jace said, each word trembling on his lips, knowing that this part is already broken.

"The angel do so to me, and more also." Alec couldn't hold back his tears from falling anymore.

"If aught but death part thee and me." They completed the oath in unison, both of their eyes red from crying.

"Jace, no matter what happens, you're my Parabatai, my brother, and it will never change, immortal or not."

Jace nodded and hugged him once again.

"So, are we okay now? You're okay with it, right?"

This time, Jace chuckled a genuine happy chuckle. "Yes, buddy we are and I am. Don't worry. Now, let's go and find the girls shall we?"

Alec agreed and unlocked the door with an opening rune, and they left the room to find the new pair of soon-to-be Parabatai.