CHAPTER EIGHT
A VERY, VERY LONG NIGHT

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     The day following Adrian's meeting with his mother was a calm and quiet one, much to his relief. He spent the entire day helping Isabelle clean the weapons in the armory, and then he had showered and dressed both himself and Alec for the dinner Clary had invited them to. Adrian had called her that morning, asking if he could bring Alec along, and she had enthusiastically said yes. He had a feeling Clary had been dying to bond more with Alec for months now. Now, they were walking toward the restaurant while hand in hand, everything still calm and quiet. Adrian needed quiet after the disastrous meeting with his mother the day before.

A meeting he still hadn't told anyone about. The only person who knew was Clary.

"Hey," Alec said, tugging on Adrian's hand hard enough to make him come to a stop. Adrian rocked once on his heels, then sighed and turned to face Alec, though he did pause to push Alec off to the side of the sidewalk, so that they were out of the way of traveling mundanes. Once they were by the nearest building, Alec spoke again. "Are you okay? You've been really quiet all day. Even when you were dressing me—" Alec wrinkled his nose as he picked at the dark blue button-up shirt Adrian had thrown his way. "—you didn't really say much, which is...unusual for you."

"Unusual for me?" Adrian asked, raising an eyebrow. A small smile was pulling at the corners of his lips, tilting it up into the first real smile of the day.

"Yeah." Alec tugged at his hand softly again, smiling at Adrian, as if to comfort him. "What's going on?" Adrian studied him for a moment, his mouth opening to tell him that everything was fine, that they should get going before they were late to dinner. What came out was the complete opposite.

"I met my mother yesterday," he said impulsively, and was met with nothing but stunned silence. He hadn't planned on telling Alec that, not right now, not so soon, but once he started, he simply couldn't stop. "I didn't plan it, I just—everyone left to do something and it was just me and Clary, and I asked if she could create a rune for me and—well, she already had one, so I just figured—" Adrian stopped, realizing he was trying to justify himself rather than just sharing something with Alec. He bit his lip and glanced away, leaning back against the building. Alec was still staring at him in shock. "I just wanted to see them, make sure the compass worked and then make sure they were—I don't know—actually alive and out there somewhere. It didn't...work out like we had planned." Alec tilted his head then, his shock wearing off. He didn't look upset, but Adrian never thought he would be.

"What happened?" Alec asked quietly, squeezing Adrian's hand. Adrian sighed and glanced down at their laced fingers, drawing comfort from it. He took in another deep breath before he continued.

"She has two other kids," Adrian revealed, his voice nothing but a mumble. A ball lodged itself into his throat before he could continue, and he had to take a moment to clear it. "One's a teenager, and the other just turned twelve a week ago. She was expecting for Shadowhunters to show up on her doorstep ever since, so when we did—with me wearing a glamour—she saw right through our excuses. Clary managed to convince her I was her brother until my mother recognized this." Adrian raised his free hand and flicked the Rosewell ring with his thumb, then paused to study it. "She has pictures of me as a baby up on the walls. I saw her wedding photo with my dad, and—and I saw a picture of my sister's birthday a week ago. They all looked so happy. I mean, that's what I wanted to see when I went. Just them being alive and happy. I don't—I don't know why I'm—I mean, it's not their fault the Clave sent them away. It's not their fault the Clave wouldn't let them take me with them. It's no one's fault, so I don't—"

Adrian choked then, the words stopping abruptly as his breath hitched in his throat. Frustrated with himself, he turned away from Alec, loosening their hands so he could run his own through his hair. He didn't want to he upset about this, about how his parents has moved on and had a family. That was their right to. It was unfair of him to expect them to stay stagnant for nearly eighteen years. They deserved to be happy just as much as he did. That was the logical side of him speaking, of course. The illogical part was telling him that he had done nothing the previous day aside from disrupt his family's seemingly normal and happy life. He had caused them, particularly his mother, nothing but pain showing up on their doorstep. It had given him nothing but pain, too. Perhaps it was better if he just never showed up there again.

"Hey," Alec said, voice soft as he reached for Adrian's arm. Adrian shivered at the touch, not really able to feel it because of the layers he was wearing but knowing it was there regardless. "Hey, come here." They had been so busy—Alec at Council meetings and more hunting shifts, while Adrian researched his mother and trained with Isabelle for their parabatai ceremony—that they rarely had time just to themselves. It was a relief to be able to simply turn toward Alec and fall into him, pushing him against the brick wall just so he could lean all his body weight onto him without fear of making him stumble. Adrian tucked his hands beneath Alec's jacket as he tucked his face into the crook of his neck, then took it a step further and slid his hands up the back of Alec's sweater. Adrian had picked up his fingerless gloves as they were leaving by mistake, and now his fingers were nearly numb, and Alec was always warm.

Alec's back arched slightly when Adrian's cold fingers touched his spine, but he didn't complain. He just wrapped his arms around Adrian's shoulders and held him there for a moment, offering silent comfort. Adrian sucked in a deep breath and pressed against him harder, nose nuzzling against the side of his neck.

"You can talk to me, you know," Alec said eventually, after a few minutes of simply holding Adrian to him. Adrian sighed softly and pulled away from him, though he stayed close enough that Alec's arms remained looped around his neck, resting on his shoulders. His hands, still beneath Alec's shirt, found their way to his hips. His fingers weren't cold anymore.

"I know," Adrian said, offering Alec a sheepish shrug. "I guess I just didn't want to talk about it right away. I didn't think it would even...bother me this much. And I would've brought you along, or even Izzy, but—but if I brought either of you along, it's like I'm taking a step to get to know them more than from a distance, and I don't think I'm ready for that. I don't even know if I want to know them."

"Dri, you don't have to explain yourself to me. It's your family. What you decide to do with them is up to you. I just need you to know that you can talk to me about this." Alec pulled his hands back just to cup Adrian's face. "You don't have to keep any of this in. Me, Jace, Izzy, Clary, we're all here for you. We've got you. You don't have to do any of this alone." Adrian opened his mouth to respond—something like, Maybe I need to, though—but stopped when he heard someone call their names. They both turned their heads, though they didn't pull away from each other, both of them recognizing the voice. They both smiled when they saw it was Clary, with Simon slightly behind her.

"Alec, I haven't seen you in forever," Clary greeted first, clearly exaggerating as she pulled him in for a hug. Adrian was forced to let Alec go, laughing softly at Alec's startled expression. Despite it, he returned Clary's hug as best he could. Adrian chose to go to Simon, who's brown hair fell over his forehead, hiding the Mark of Cain Clary had etched into his forehead to keep him safe from Raphael Santiago and his vampire clan. Apparently, being a Daywalker had put a target on his back. Adrian hadn't seen much of Simon since they won the Mortal War, too busy with his Shadowhunter duties on top of trying to find his biological family, so Adrian didn't hesitate to pull him into a hug now. Simon laughed softly into his ear and hugged him back.

"Heard you had a tough time yesterday," Simon said, pulling away. The sun was going down, so cars were starting to put on their headlights. As Adrian studied Simon's face, a car passed by, and Adrian saw the headlights reflect in Simon's eyes unnaturally, his pupils staying the same size, not dilating at all. It was easy for Adrian to forget, sometimes, that Simon was a vampire now. He didn't associate himself with the local vampire clan—wasn't even part of one himself, despite it being able to offer him protection—and he was able to walk in the sun because he had consumed Jace's blood, who had angel blood in his veins. Adrian idly wondered how Simon was doing with everything.

"Yeah," Adrian said with a nervous laugh. "But it could be worse. How are you doing?" Simon shrugged.

"As good as a day-walking vampire with the Mark of Cain on his forehead can be doing," was how he responded. Adrian thought it wise not to ask for further details. It seemed clear to him that Simon was feeling a little down. Instead of asking if he was alright, Adrian gave him a soft smile and threw his arm over his shoulders, leading him over to where Alec and Clary were still talking. Adrian whistled at them and motioned them ahead of him on the sidewalk, and they walked the rest of the way to the restaurant in comfortable silence. Well, he and Simon were in comfortable silence. Alec and Clary were debating over which restaurant had the best tacos, since the restaurant they were heading toward served them.

They were still arguing when they entered the place, the bell above the door dinging to signal their arrival. Adrian cast a glance around, still keeping Simon close. The restaurant was more of a bar, and it was half-empty. Booths lined the walls, and he spotted Luke and Jocelyn inside the biggest one, talking animatedly to each other, pressed close. Simon visibly brightened. He and Clary paired off to slide into one side of the booth, while Adrian and Alec squeezed into the other side. Fortunately, it was a larger booth that seated six people. It was a tight fit, but not impossible, especially since four of the six people there were already couples.

"Hi Luke, Jocelyn," Adrian greeted, leaning forward to kiss both on the cheek. Jocelyn seemed surprised but touched, while Luke just chuckled, used to Adrian's public displays of affection by that point. Beside him, Alec gave a small wave and greeted them quietly. "Thanks for inviting us." Luke and Jocelyn both waved his words off, and then they were passing around heavily-lamented menus. Adrian leaned into Alec's side and murmured to him about sharing a plate of large nachos.

"So, Adrian," Jocelyn started, initiating conversation. Adrian had a feeling he knew what she was going to ask about, considering it was the only thing they actually had in common, so he was prepared for when she said, "Clary mentioned she gave Alice an invitation to our engagement party. I hope that's okay, all thing's considered. I know it was just a last-minute excuse, but...still." Adrian blinked in surprise. He'd expected Jocelyn to ask how Alice looked, what she was up to, what she was doing. Instead, she was checking in on Adrian himself. He opened his mouth, closed it, then glanced curiously at Clary. She was staring hard at her menu, not even paying attention.

"Yeah," Adrian said after a moment. "Yeah, it's okay. I mean, she was you friend first, right?" Jocelyn raised her eyebrows in slight surprise, like that point hardly mattered. He quickly changed the subject, not wanting to dive in deeper. He hadn't considered the fact that Alice might show up at Jocelyn and Luke's engagement party until that very moment. "Simon! I heard you have a new guy in your band." Much to his dismay, Simon didn't even look up. He was just staring out the window, to the gym across the street. Clary shoved an elbow into his side, and Simon jumped, blinking out of his daze and turning to see everyone looking at him.

"Sorry," he sputtered out. If vampires could blush, Adrian had no doubt he would be beet red by that point. "I didn't—What did you say?" Adrian quirked an eyebrow. Jocelyn, in comparison, smiled patiently.

"Adrian said you have a new member in your band?" she asked. Simon hesitated, glancing around at everyone, like he doubted they were actually interested. Adrian frowned to himself, and made a mental note to reach out to Simon more.

"Yeah," Simon said slowly, though he did try to smile. "Kyle. He's kind of a weird guy, but super nice." Luke made a sound of interest and asked Simon to go into more detail about this Kyle. It seemed like everyone at the table, by that point, had realized that something was a little off with Simon. They were all more than willing to engage him in conversation to keep him out of his own mind and distracted. Simon proceeded to detail that Kyle lived in his own apartment, alone, had a bike-messenger job, and an ancient, beat-up truck. "And he grows these weird plants on the balcony. Not pot, I checked. They have sort of silvery leaves—"

Adrian's eyebrows shot up. He shared a knowing glance with Alec, then glanced over at Jocelyn and Luke, who seemed to have the same reaction. Wolfsbane had silvery leaves. But Adrian decided not to bring it up. It could very well be nothing. Plenty of mundanes grew plants they didn't particularly know the meaning or real use of, and besides, outing a potential werewolf was dangerous for everyone involved, especially the werewolf in question. Adrian would let Luke handle it. Simon didn't get to elaborate further anyway, because a waitress came to give them their drinks and to take their orders, and the rest of the dinner was spent in easy chatter. Luke asked Alec how the Shadowhunters were doing, and if there was any news about the dead Shadowhunter bodies found. Alec said there wasn't, but mentioned the Silent Brothers had been called in to identify the bodies. Adrian was asked about his parabatai preparations with Isabelle, and Simon was asked more about his band. Clary was the only one who wasn't asked about anything, which was fine. Her attention was on the nearby flatscreen.

"Ugh," Clary grunted, her sound of disgust cutting through the light chatter. "Are you listening to this?" Alec and Adrian, who were indeed sharing a large plate of nachos and discussing date plans in a low voice, cut off and looked at her in alarm. A moment later, they were following her gaze to the flatscreen, where a man was reporting the nightly news with a grim look on his face.

"No one has come forward to identify an infant boy found abandoned in an alley behind Beth Israel Hospital several days ago," the man reported. Adrian dropped his fork, slightly startled. It shocked him that this waws the first time he was hearing of the infant. Usually, local Institutes were informed of any abandoned children, on the off chance that it was a Shadowhunter child or a Downworld child. Both were abandoned more than anyone cared to admit. "The infant is white, weighs six pounds and eight ounces, and is otherwise healthy. He was discovered strapped to an infant car seat behind a dumpster in the alley. Most disturbing, a handwritten note tucked into the child's blanket begged hospital authorities to euthanize the child because, and I quote, 'I don't have the strength to do it myself.' Police say it is likely the child's mother was mentally ill, and claim they have 'promising leads.' Anyone with information about this child should call Crime Stoppers at—"

"By the Angel," Adrian whispered, most of his appetite now gone. Alec seemed to feel the same, slowly lowering the chip and reaching for a napkin. One of the waitresses was currently changing the channel to some sports event, due to complaints of patrons who had tuned into the bleak news report. Adrian had more than enough stories about such abandonments, and it sounded mysteriously like a warlock child. It wasn't uncommon for mothers to see a warlock mark on their newborn child and then abandon it, thinking of it as a monster or a demonic child. Adrian's heart always hurt at the news. "Was this baby reported to the Institute?" he asked, turning toward Alec.

"No," Alec said with a shake of his head. "It must've been recent, or it could've been lost in other reports. We've been spread thin lately. We could've missed it. God, that's..."

"Horrible," Clary completed, shuddering a little. "I can't understand how people just leave their babies like they're trash—" Adrian knew she was referring to mothers that dumped their babies into alleys, but the words still hit him in the chest regardless. He sucked in a sharp, startled breath. But his reaction was nothing compared to Jocelyn's. She abruptly shoved her plate away and stood, shooing Clary and Simon out of the booth so she could escape to the bathroom. After a moment's hesitation, Luke followed her. They all watched her go, then Clary groaned and put her face in her hands.

"Stupid," she grumbled. "I'm so stupid. I can't believe I said that."

"What's going on?" Simon demanded, looking lost. Clary raised her head and motioned toward Adrian.

"Well, first of all, it was really insensitive to Dri's situation, despite it being totally different. I'm so sorry." Adrian shrugged. He'd known what Clary had meant, and didn't take it personally. Clary sighed, her shoulders slumping. "And Mom was thinking about Sebastian—I mean, Jonathan. My brother. I assume everyone remembers him." They all grumbled under his breath.

"He almost killed Max," Alec said flatly. "So, yeah, I remember him pretty well." Clary grimaced and shot him an apologetic look, like it was her fault that Sebastion had brought a hammer down on Max's head. Adrian reached for Alec's hand, squeezing it softly. The Lightwood family was still struggling with the repercussions of the attack. Max refused to say a word, and while they had worked around that with sign language and having Max see Luke's pack's therapist—because a mundane therapist was illegal, according to the Clave—he was still fundamentally different. Being different wasn't a bad thing, not really, but to Shadowhunters, being different meant being an outcast. Adrian could only hope and pray that Max could handle things when he was older.

"Hey, wanna go to the park?" Adrian asked. It suddenly felt suffocating inside the restaurant. The news report had really ruined everyone's night. But Columbus Park was nearby, and Adrian wouldn't have minded a short stroll. Once Alec nodded with slight relief, they started sliding out of the booth. Adrian paused only long enough to lay down some money for their plate, and then told Clary and Simon both goodbye.

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"Did that dinner go well or terribly? I honestly can't tell," Adrian said fifteen minutes later, as they strolled through the empty streets of Columbus Park. It was later than either had realized, past closing time, so they had to put on runes to hide themselves from the mundane eye. They weren't the only ones to come here after closing. Various werewolves were going in and out of buildings, while others were exercising or running. That wasn't surprising. This was part of Luke's territory, after all.

"A little bit of both," Alec admitted, smiling as he tugged Adrian over to a bench. No one was paying them any attention. They had gotten suspicious looks when they had arrived, but as soon as the werewolves recognized Adrian—they all loved Max, and Adrian was usually the one to drop him off and pick him up—they gave them some privacy. "Is it getting on your nerves that we never really have time alone anymore?" Adrian blinked in surprise at the question, looking at Alec curiously. Alec elaborated. "I mean, we had more alone time when we were on the verge of a war. No war is in sight now and yet..." He waved his hand, indicating their shared dinner date as well as their public walk in the park they were currently on. Adrian thought it over for a moment, then shrugged.

"You're eighteen," he reminded, stretching out on the bench. "You have separate responsibilities from me. And I'm training to become parabatai with your sister, as well as very illegally interacting with my biological family. We're just both busy. After Izzy and I do our ceremony—and after I turn eighteen myself—we'll have more free time together. You just have to be patient." He teasingly nudged Alec in the side, then leaned forward to kiss the corner of his mouth. "Maybe we can even go on our travel year together. You haven't talked about going on one yet. That's plenty of alone time." Alec let out a laugh then, though Adrian noticed he suddenly sounded nervous. Adrian tilted his head curiously, but didn't have a chance to ask him about it. Alec was already moving on.

"You won't want to be that far away from Izzy after the ceremony," Alec pointed out. "Trust me." Adrian pouted then, showing Alec his bout of being realistic was no appreciated. Alec laughed at him, glanced around, then grabbed his hand and tugged him off the bench. "Come on," he said quickly, and Adrian had no choice but to follow, a little bewildered by the sudden change. Alec led him quickly to a small alcove, hidden from casual view, and then surprised Adrian greatly by pulling him close and seeking out his lips. The kiss was different, not at all chaste, more explorative on Alec's part than anything. Adrian fell into it quickly, eyes closing as he was pushed back against the brick building, his hands coming up to sink into Alec's hair.

He was starting to realize what exactly Alec had meant when he complained about having no alone time.

It was a little nerve-wracking to think about, alone time with Alec. The farthest they had ever gone was inside Penhallow Manor weeks ago, when they'd rolled on top of each other, more playful than serious. They hadn't had time, but they also hadn't had opportunity—and, in truth, Adrian was nervous. Whatever they did would be Alec's first everything, and Adrian wasn't sure how to handle that, wasn't sure how to navigate it. But he found it was easy to stop being nervous about when they were kissing like this, so close. At the end of the day, this was Alec, the person Adrian was in love with, and kissing him alone was satisfying enough.

But then Alec broke away from Adrian's lips and pressed a hesitant and explorative kiss on his jaw, and Adrian's breath hitched in his throat. Hands still in Alec's hair, he could've dragged him back up for another kiss, but decided to tilt his head back instead. He was in a small state of disbelief when Alec kissed down his neck before securing his mouth on his throat, his entire body jerking when Alec sucked there. It was like their roles had reversed. Adrian had left a hickey on Alec before—on his wrist playfully, wanting to make him laugh—and he should've known Alec would remember what he had done and replicate it now. It was just like Alec.

"Sorry to interrupt," someone said, and the two of them jerked away from each other, so startled that they echoed their own gasps. Turning toward the mouth of the small alcove, they saw Maia standing there, hands on her hips. She didn't look sorry at all. She raised her eyebrows when she noticed she had their attention and jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "While you two Shadowhunters were making out, a whole entire body was found five minutes ago."

"What," they both echoed, rushing to follow Maia. Her enunciating that they were Shadowhunters made much more sense when they walked about a block and found a crowd inside of an alley, around a dumpster. Alec told everyone to step away, while Adrian jumped up onto the side of the dumpster and peered inside. His throat closed up when he saw the body. Bloated and rotting, nothing distinguishable on them aside from strands of falling out dark hair and a distorted rune on the back of their left hand, which was so swollen it looked like it was about to combust.

Without a word, he dug out his stele. A few seconds later, a fire message was being sent into the air, and Adrian was turning to help Alec clear the area of all the werewolves. It was going to be a very, very long night.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Unedited. I'm so sorry it took me so long to update, and then I came back with a lowkey boring chapter lmao. Hope everyone's doing well, and hopefully 2021 isn't as horrible as 2020. One can only hope xoxo