CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
GOING TO IDRIS

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

     A few days later found Adrian and Alec walking down a busy street, hand in hand. They were glamoured, so the mundanes around them couldn't even see them, but Adrian still felt it was important regardless. Maryse hadn't let them leave the Institute unless they were carrying weapons, which was precisely why they were invisible to human eyes in the first place. A sword was strapped across Adrian's back, while Alec had his usual bow-and-arrows. Adrian had been sad to learn that his staff had been permanently lost, but then he had realized it hadn't lasted long in the fight regardless. It was prettier to look at than it was reliable. He had requested a new one—a better one—and Maryse had said she would get on it. Until then, he was stuck with a sword. He loved swords, but it would have been nice to have a staff as his go-to weapon for more than a few hours.

"So where are we going?" Alec asked, breaking their comfortable silence. He hadn't asked where Adrian was going when they were leaving. He had just gotten up to follow after Adrian had asked if he wanted to tag along. Now he was glancing around with a frown on his face.

"To Luke's bookstore," Adrian said cheerfully, swinging their hands back and forth between them. He had woken up in a very good mood. The Institute was finally emptying of injured Shadowhunters, and Adrian was finally able to move around without drawing an iratze every hour. "I promised him I'd visit."

"I still think we should have taken a cab," Alec said. Adrian rolled his eyes.

"It's too nice of a day to take a cab. Besides, I'm perfectly fine." Smiling, Adrian nudged Alec's side. "You worry too much."

"I'm the oldest," Alec argued. "I'm supposed to worry."

"Yeah, but not so much that you forget to have fun. I always said I'd fix that." Alec grimaced. Adrian's idea of fun was late-night parties. Since he and Magnus were growing closer, Adrian was excited about what kinds of parties the both of them could create together. Alec, on the other hand, dreaded the idea. He had always hated parties. He was too much of an introvert to enjoy them.

"Even though I never let you," Alec pointed out. Adrian shrugged.

"Well, now that we're dating, I'm hoping it'll give me a bit of an edge." Alec smiled at that, ducking his head. Adrian nudged him again. "I can finally convince you to do things." Alec laughed in disbelief.

"Dri, you didn't really have a problem convincing me to do things before," Alec pointed out. Adrian just shrugged, then stopped abruptly and tugged on Alec's hand, bringing him to the side of the sidewalk and leaning against the brick building.

"I've been meaning to ask you," Adrian said as mundanes passed by them, none the wiser that they were even there. "I didn't want to bring it up at first, because it would...I don't know, freak you out or something." Alec waited, taking Adrian's other hand and linking their fingers together. Adrian watched him do it with a soft smile, a warm feeling blooming in his chest. He wanted to kiss him so badly, but he pushed that thought away to focus on what he wanted to ask. He would have plenty of time to kiss Alec later. "Did you like me before I told you I loved you, or after?" The thought had been nagging him ever since he had kissed Alec in that greenhouse. He wasn't sure what answer he wanted to hear, wasn't sure how he would react if Alec said after. All he knew for sure was that he wanted to know.

"Well, I know it started before," Alec said after a moment of thought, eyes on their linked fingers. "I didn't realize until after, though. It had never clicked for me, what the feeling was. Not until I finally accepted that I'm gay. I think I fixated on Jace because it was easier. I had a reason not to act on it, to hide it. The situation was so messed up it helped...distract me from it." Alec gave a sheepish smile. "Probably not the healthiest thing I could have done."

"I can't really judge for having distractions," Adrian admitted. "The Angel knows I have experience with it." Smiling, he cocked his head to the side, and they continued walking. Luke's store was just around the corner.

"Why'd you think I would freak out?" Alec asked as they neared the store entrance.

"I don't know." Adrian shrugged. "It's my go-to reaction."

"Yeah, I know," Alec said, amused. Adrian rolled his eyes.

"Rude," was all he said before he opened the store door and went inside. A bell rang above them. Adrian looked around, then brightened when he saw Clary behind the counter, reading a comic book. She looked up when the bell rang, and then she was grinning, circling from around the counter.

"Dri!" she greeted. Adrian let go of Alec's hand to hug her, picking her up and spinning her around. She laughed as he set her back down, beaming up at him. She then stepped away and glanced over him, looking worried. "Jace said you were injured. You look okay, but I'm gonna ask if you are anyway." Adrian grinned. Alec leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest, looking over the bookstore with curiosity.

"I'm fine, little red. They told me you can create runes now? That's so fucking cool, can you name one after me?" Before Clary could answer, Adrian heard a laugh. He looked up, surprised to see Simon prowling in the shadows of the bookstore. His eyes widened when Simon started walking toward them, toward the beams of sunlight streaming through the store windows. "Simon, what are you—" He stopped when Simon stepped into the sunlight, staring. Nothing was happening. Simon's smile was almost as bright as the light he was standing in. "I thought you were a vampire..."

"I am." Simon bounced on the balls of his feet. "I drank Jace's blood when we were on Valentine's ship. Next thing I know, the sun is coming up and I'm not burning. Isn't that great? They're calling me Daylighter." Grinning, Adrian stepped forward and hugged Simon. He hadn't seen Simon much in the past few weeks. Simon hugged him back, but Adrian pulled away and frowned when he finally processed Simon's words.

"Wait," he said. "Jace's blood?" Simon nodded.

"Don't ask how, 'cause I have no idea," Simon said.

"We think it's because of the experiments Valentine did on us when we were babies," Clary added. Adrian stared at her for a long time, and then sighed.

"Okay, yeah. I'm just gonna go with it." He glanced around the store. "Where's Luke?"

"In the back." Clary nodded at the door behind the counter. Adrian glanced over, only to see how uncomfortable Alec seemed to be. Without a word, Adrian held out his hand for him. Alec, looking relieved, took it and linked their fingers together. Clary was smiling when Adrian looked back at her, but she didn't say a thing about Adrian and Alec. "He'll be out in a minute or so." Adrian nodded. Simon was staring at them.

"So," he said, grinning. "You two, huh?" Clary shoved an elbow into his side, making Simon grunt. "What? They're holding hands! I knew Izzy was excited about something, but she wouldn't tell me what. I mean, I had guessed, but—"

"Guessed what?" Luke asked as he pushed open the door behind the counter. He was carrying a box that seemed bigger than he was. He set it down behind the counter and looked over them. Adrian glanced at Alec, staying silent.

"Adrian and I are dating," Alec said. The words came out fast, like when he had admitted he wanted Adrian a few days ago. Luke reacted to the news like Adrian knew he would; he smiled.

"That's great!" Luke said, still smiling. He looked proud of Alec, and it made Adrian grin to himself and duck his head. He swept his thumb against Alec's hand. "I'm happy for you. And speaking of things people are happy about..." Luke drummed his hands against the counter before he bent to dig through the box he had carried out. "Adrian, I have a few things for you." He set a couple of books down on top of the counter. Adrian released Alec's hand to look at them, but was surprised when Luke continued to dig through the box.

"More than a few books?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, Jace and Isabelle came by and they mentioned how bummed you were about losing your staff during the fight," Luke said, voice muffled since he was still crouched over that huge box. "So I made a few calls and..." When he straightened, there was a golden pole about a foot long in his hand. Adrian's eyes widened when he saw it.

"Luke—you didn't have to—" he stuttered out, though he wanted to reach out for it. He knew what kind of staff that was. It was specially made. It was clear by the golden hue and the runes scratched into the metal that it was an Angelic weapon. They were rare, only made by the Iron Sisters under special circumstances. They were like seraph blades in the sense that they were useless unless a Shadowhunter touched and named them. His hand twitched, but he didn't reach for it.

"It was mine," Luke said, still sounding cheerful. "Clary prefers blades, so I couldn't give it to her." Adrian frowned at him. "After I got turned into a werewolf, my mother confiscated this. She's the one who made it; it's one of her best pieces of work and she didn't want it getting into the wrong hands."

"Your mother's an Iron Sister?" Alec asked, sounding amazed. He'd never met an Iron Sister before. None of them had.

"Yep. She was happy to give it back. It's been wasting away inside the Citadel. Here, try it out." He held it out to Adrian. When Adrian hesitated, Luke gave him a gentle smile. "I want you to have it. Besides, it's like seraph blades, as I'm sure you've already figured out. As a Downworlder, it's nothing but a foot-long stick to me. So take it." Slowly, Adrian did. The weight felt right in his hand. "I named it Ithuriel. It won't answer to anything else." Adrian nodded and whispered the name, making sure neither end was pointed at anyone. As soon as he said the name, it grew from a foot long to three feet long. It glowed, and then the entire staff turned into a single blade, the edges sharp. The only part that was still rounded was where he touched it. When he reached for the other end, the blade smoothed into another grip. He could maneuver it however he wanted, without risk of getting his palm cut open. He didn't know if it was a type of glamour or if it was genuine magic, but he didn't bother trying to figure it out. The secrets of the Iron Sisters and how they made their weapons would remain secrets no matter how long he thought about it.

"This is...amazing," Adrian whispered, willing it back to its original size. It reminded him of Isabelle's whip. Maybe they had been made by the same material. He looked back up at Luke, his eyes wide. "Thank you, Luke."

"It's one of a kind," Luke said proudly, still smiling.

"I won't ever lose it," Adrian said. "I promise."

"A bladed staff," Simon muttered. "God, is it bad I kinda wish I was a Shadowhunter?"

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Adrian and Alec were laughing when they entered the Institute later that afternoon, hands still linked together. Alec seemed to really enjoy holding hands, and Adrian wasn't about to complain. They had gone out to eat with Clary, Luke, and Simon, and Adrian had the pleasure of running into Maia as he and Alec were walking home. It had been such a normal day that he had completely forgotten how crowded the New York Institute still was, even with half of the injured Shadowhunters leaving. So he didn't even notice Maryse at first when they walked through the door hand-in-hand. Alec certainly didn't, either, so when Adrian did notice, he yanked his hand out of Alec's before he could think, sucking in a sharp breath. He had been a little too late, because Maryse's eyes had gone straight to their linked hands the second they stepped through the door. When she glanced back up, her face was unreadable.

"Adrian, may I speak to you for a moment?" was all she said. Adrian didn't know if he was relieved or scared. Adrian nodded despite that.

"Is everything okay?" Alec asked, worried. Maryse blinked, and then her face finally gentled, that unreadable expression disappearing. She smiled at Alec.

"Of course, Alec, everything's fine. Well, as fine as it can be, considering Valentine is still out there somewhere. I just need to speak with Adrian about something." She paused. "Actually, will you go and check on your sister? She's been pretty quiet and it's starting to concern me. This is the first time she hasn't been demanding anything." Alec, with a small laugh, went to do as he was told. Maryse motioned for Adrian to follow her into her study. He closed the door behind him. Some of his dread had disappeared. Maryse would have sat them both down if she was planning on saying anything about their hand-holding. Now, all he felt was a resigned acceptance. He knew where this was going.

"Let me guess," he sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's time for my annual visit to Idris." Maryse pursed her lips, and it was all the answer Adrian needed. He sighed and took a moment to control his annoyance, casting a look toward the ceiling. "Great. When am I leaving? Did my father send a letter this time?" Maryse sighed.

"You're leaving when we are." Adrian gave her a curious look, cocking his head to the side. "The Clave has called all active Shadowhunters back to Idris. They're going to hold a Council meeting." Adrian shifted on his feet. It didn't surprise him that his father was going to count this as his annual visit. Odds were, he wouldn't even see Malachi in person. He supposed he should feel grateful for that, at least.

"Is that all?" he asked, sighing.

"No. I wanted to talk to you about something else." With a start, Adrian realized that she was nervous. He had never seen Maryse Lightwood nervous before. She took a deep breath before she continued. "When I told Jace he was my son, my family, it occurred to me that you might be feeling the same way he did. That you might feel like you're not family, or you don't belong here. That you might feel like Robert and I don't love you like you're one of our own." Adrian sucked in a deep breath, then forced himself to shake his head.

"You don't have to do this, Maryse," he said. He was feeling slightly uncomfortable. The urge to back toward the door was strong, but he fought it. "I'm just a ward here. It's not like you and Robert had a choice whether to take me in or not when the Consul sent me." Maryse frowned. She didn't like what he had said at all, didn't like what it meant. She shook her head.

"No, Adrian, you're not just a ward." She sounded offended just at the thought of it. Disgusted, even. Warmth spread through his cheeks. He ducked his head, locking his hands behind his back and staring at the carpeted floor. Maryse sighed and stepped closer, making Adrian glance back up. She stopped at a respectful distance. Close, but not close enough that it would make Adrian uncomfortable. Adrian had never realized she was so good at reading body language. Everything about her had always seemed technical, impersonal. He had never bothered to look deeper. Maryse wasn't impersonal at all. Distant, maybe, but even that distance had a reason behind it. "I know you never believed us when we told you that you were part of the family, but I want you to know that you are. Robert and I love you just as much as we love Jace, even though we haven't done the greatest job showing it. When I told Valentine to leave my children out of it the other day, that included you. And I—I know I haven't been the best mother, or guardian for that matter, to any of you, but I'd like to to make that right. If you'll let me."

Adrian laughed then. It wasn't a malicious laugh, just an embarrassed one. He hadn't realized tears were building until they had spilled over. He had been too focused on Maryse's face, on her words. He had never had an adult sit him down and tell him those things before. He had never realized how much he needed to hear them until then. Still embarrassed, he used the sleeves of his long-sleeved shirt to wipe his eyes. Maryse looked pained, her hands twitching, like she wanted to comfort him but she didn't know if she was allowed. Maybe she had been distant all those times because she thought that was what Adrian wanted. He certainly hadn't made it easy for her to figure out. Each time she had tried to talk to him, he had brushed her off. He regretted that now.

"I'd like that. It might take me a while, but..." he said after a moment. Maryse let out a relieved breath and nodded. "Please tell me I'm staying with you in Idris?" At that, Maryse laughed and nodded in confirmation. He let out his own breath of relief, then stepped forward and actually hugged her. The kiss she pressed into his hair made him close his eyes and release another breath. He hoped this accepting feeling would survive their trip to Idris.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

When Adrian entered Jace's room a few minutes later, he flopped down face-first on his bed, where Jace was laying on his back with an arm thrown over his eyes. He grunted when Adrian landed on his bed, then turned on his side when Adrian mumbled something into the comforter. Jace rolled onto his stomach and rested his chin in the palm of his hand.

"Hey, Dri," he said, sounding cheerful despite the fact that Adrian had to use a rune to unlock his door. He'd been locked inside his room all day. "How you feeling?"

"I'm fine." Adrian raised his head and folded his arms, resting his cheek against them and looking at Jace. His eyes were rimmed red, and Jace's eyes widened at the sight. "Why is everyone asking me that?"

"You nearly died, Adrian. Have you been crying?" Jace asked, reaching forward to poke Adrian's cheek, right beneath his eye. Adrian rolled his eyes, so Jace pulled his hand away.

"Maryse and I just had a little chat and I'm an emotional person," Adrian responded. Jace looked like he understood immediately, nodding his head. They lapsed into silence, and Jace went back to brooding. Adrian sighed and pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Okay, what's wrong?"

"What makes you think something's wrong?"

"That little spot between your eyebrows." Adrian poked it, making the crease there smooth out. Jace scowled and swatted his hand away. The crease returned soon after. "Come on, spill."

"Clary wants to go to Idris," Jace grumbled.

"Oh, Maryse told you?" After Jace nodded, Adrian brightened. "I think Clary would like Alicante. I feel like the artist inside her would appreciate it." Jace scowled at that, picking at his comforter. Adrian frowned. "Wait...why does she want to go? Does she have a plan that involves Idris?" Jace grimaced.

"Something like that." Jace sighed. "There's a warlock there named Ragnor Fell that might know how to wake our mother. According to some woman named Madeleine Bellefleur. I already told Maryse, and that was when she told me that all active Shadowhunters were being called back to Idris anyway."

"But that's good news, isn't it?" Adrian asked. He was beginning to feel lost. He didn't understand why Jace didn't want Clary to go to Idris. Jace, sensing his confusion, let out a small groan.

"They don't know Clary can create runes," he explained. "They don't know Clary was the one who destroyed Valentine's ship. I told them the ritual went wrong." Adrian raised an eyebrow. Jace shook his head. "Don't look at me like that. They'll put her in the front lines if they find out. They'll turn her into a weapon. I'm not going to let that happen."

"You're an ass," Adrian said flatly, making Jace shrug. At least he didn't try to deny it. "You're planning on leaving her behind, aren't you?" Again, Jace shrugged. At least he had the heart to look guilty about it. "She'll figure out a way to get there eventually. You know she will."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Either way, pack your bags, Dri." Jace smacked him lightly on the arm with the back of his hand as he got off his bed to start packing himself. "Either way, start packing. We're going to Idris."

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Me @ people who ship Alec Lightwood with women:

edited: 11.5.19