Pestilence (Bubbles! birthday fic)

[DogLover]

Hey Bubbles! I wanted to post this last night but the forum went offline again Hope you like this, and happy (late) birthday! Sorry this part is short, I haven't had time to write that much because it's Passover so I've been super busy cleaning. There will be more soon, I promise.

***

"I seriously hope whatever spell that Empusa demon was trying to cast on me was interrupted by your knife stabbing her in the back," Alec said to Jace over the usual creaking and groaning as the elevator ascended.

"It was. I think. Did any of the smoke stuff get in you?" Jace asked, distractedly staring out of the grate as though there were something there besides the wall of the elevator shaft.

"Yeah, I inhaled some through my nose. That's what I'm worried about," Alec said exasperatedly, as the fact that Jace had asked clearly meant he hadn't paid attention to a word Alec had said on the way back.

"You inhaled some? If you die because of this it's entirely your fault. Why would you do that? Aside from the fact that it was idiotic, the demonic magic smelled so bad I held my breath anyway," Jace finally seemed to hear what Alec had been trying to discuss with him for the last twenty minutes. Alec snorted, amused, as Jace obviously tried to cover up his genuine worry for his parabatai by acting pissed off and superior.

"Oh, shut up. heh'kmptt'chuh!!" Alec unsuccessfully tried to stifle a sneeze by pinching it between his thumb and forefinger.

Jace stared at him curiously, raising one eyebrow. "Bless you."

Alec opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the sound of screeching brakes as the elevator ground to a halt.

"I'm really glad Izzy wasn't there. That would've been embarrassing," Alec said as the pair stepped out into the entryway.

"Yeah, it would have," Jace agreed. The Empusa demon had taken the form of a succubus, albeit a deformed one with flaming hair and power over demonic magic. Alec shuddered internally as he pictured Izzy there while the demon tried to seduce first him and then Jace. She'd gotten angry when it hadn't worked and started working some kind of demonic ritual which had created a pungent cloud of black smoke in the middle of the room.

His train of thought was cut off by another impending sneeze.

"hh'pnngt'shuuh!" Alec failed again at stifling his sneeze.

"Bless you," Jace said again, sitting down on the low wooden bench by the wall and unlacing his boots. He impatiently shoved his blonde hair out of his eyes and snorted in annoyance when it fell right back down again.

"Thanks," Alec replied as he unzipped his jacket and hung it on one of the pegs protruding from the wall. He then proceeded to shrug out of his armor, which fell to down on to the antique rug with a cacophonous clatter. After stretching upward like a cat, Alec carefully picked the pile of armor up off the floor.

"I think I'll just shower and head over to Magnus's," Alec announced and headed off down the hallway that eventually led to his room, leaving Jace to finish methodically taking apart his fighting gear in solitude.

"hih'nngt'chuh! heh!...heh'mmpt'shiuuh!" Alec once more failed spectacularly at stifling, the two sneezes echoing loudly off the stone walls of the hallway. He rolled his eyes at himself and hurried the rest of the way to his bedroom and the hot shower that waited for him there.

In his bathroom, Alec undressed quickly, suddenly desperate for the heat of the water. He shivered a bit as he pulled his shirt off over his head, excusing it as tiredness from his recent battle. He quickly finished undressing and stepped into the shower.

While the hot water definitely warmed Alec up, the longer he stood under it the more weak and tired he seemed to feel. His head felt heavy and foggy, a sure sign of a headache to come.

With a groan, Alec pulled himself out of the shower. The sudden change from the steamy warmth of the shower to the chilly air of the bathroom ignited another tickle in his nose.

"huh'mphffffttt!" Alec grabbed a towel and muffled the resulting sneeze into it. He quickly toweled the water from the shower off his body, wanting the warmth of his clothes around him.

Towel still in hand, Alec exited the bathroom and carelessly flung open the wardrobe standing next to it. After throwing on the first long sleeved t-shirt and pair of jeans he came across, he gave his still wet hair one more swipe with the towel. Crossing back to the bathroom to hang it up to dry, Alec gave his reflection a cursory glance to ensure he looked decent before striding from the room back out into the hallway.

"Alec?" he heard Isabelle call out after him as he walked past the door to her room. He ignored her, lacking the energy to deal with his sisters sure to be endless inquiries about the demon hunt. The only company he really wanted right now Magnus's.

Reaching the entryway, Alec grabbed his jacket from where he'd hung it on the wall and pressed the button to call the elevator. As it arrived with its usual clamor, Alec directed another sneeze into his elbow and stepped through the black metal gate that made up the old-fashioned elevator's door. He leaned against the wall of the small space as the elevator descended, taking him to the only person he wanted to see.

***

That's it for now. To be continued...

Edited April 9, 2012 by pig
Changed title & tags

[VividBubbles!]

Oh my gosh, this is awesome. Ooooooohhhhh, I'm so excited to see where this goes!!! I can't wait!!!!!!! UPDATE SOON!!!!!!!!

BYE!

[Ciuty80]

i like it!

i like the spell of alecs sneezes!! :drool:

and i love to read more!!!

[Scion]

Okay, so I like Alec, just not that much, BUT somehow you managed to make him seem sooo much hotter than the actual version, and not just because of the sneezing haha (though the way you spell them makes me jealoussss). I love your writing.

[DogLover]

Sorry I haven't updated until now. Been kinda busy with schoolwork. On vacation! No fair...

@Bubbles!: Yay! I'm glad you liked it. It is your birthday fic after all...

@Ciuty80: Thanks! I work hard on my spellings

@Scion: I kinda know why you like Alec better in this fic. In the books Cassandra Clare takes care to describe Jace's actions so we see his personality, which pretends to be nonchalant and cocky but is actually really stressed. He's also kind of a neat freak. In this I focused a bit more on Alec's actions because he's the sickie (for now) so you see him a bit more. Just showing off my writing tricks. Now they won't work on you guys anymore

Also, you're welcome to steal my spellings. I'm not possessive...

WARNING: This part contains M/M kissing and sharing a bed (to sleep! Nothing else!)

Also, I finally thought of an (extremely uncreative) title. But there you go...

And now, I give you Part 2:

***

It was just after midnight when Alec strolled into the entryway to the old warehouse converted into apartments. Standing in front of the door, he reached into his jacket pocket for his key, then swore softly when he realized he'd left it in a drawer in his bedroom. Annoyed, he lifted his hand to press the only marked buzzer. He was answered by a crackly voice on the intercom.

"WHO--" Magnus started to bellow his usual greeting to people who asked for him late at night.

"It's me," was all it took to cut him off.

The intercom cut off. Alec waited for a minute as Magnus made his way down the stairs from his apartment.

The door flew open.

"Alec?" said Magnus happily, peering out of it. "Why didn't you--I mean, you have a key."

"Forgot it at home," said Alec. "hh'knngxxt'chuh!"

Magnus narrowed his eyes at this. "Allergies?"

"I guess," Alec shrugged and followed his boyfriend inside.

"heh'mph'shuh! hih'nktt'chuh!" Alec failed at stifling yet again as he climbed the stairs behind the warlock. He hoped Magnus wouldn't notice.

"Don't think I haven't noticed that, Alexander," Magnus said ahead of him.

So much for that, Alec thought, annoyed at his inability to successfully stifle a sneeze. Still preoccupied by this when the pair made it in into Magnus's apartment, it was a surprise when Magnus pulled him up into a kiss.

At first stiffening in surprise, Alec's lips softened against his lover's, deepening the kiss until Alec tensed again and wrenched himself away.

"heh'knggt'shiuu! huh'pnng'tschuh!"

Magnus was staring at him in shock and almost fear as he straightened up.

"Magnus?" The sound of his name seemed to act as a stimulant, jerking the warlock out of his reverie. "What's wrong?"

"How--when did--who put a Pestilence on you? And how did I not notice it?" Now Alec understood the fear in Magnus's expression. The warlock wasn't afraid of him, he was afraid for him.

"A Pestilence?" Alec was confused. He wasn't sure what it meant, but if Magnus was this scared...

"You haven't heard of them before?" asked Magnus in surprise. Alec shook his head. "Well, I suppose you might not have. They're very rare. And strictly against the Covenant.

"A Pestilence is a usually fatal and always extremely unpleasant illness caused by demonic energies. They have to be created by something with influence over demonic magic--"

"--like, maybe, an Empusa demon?" asked Alec in trepidation. He felt another sneeze sneaking up on him and fought to not let it out.

Magnus looked up sharply. "Yes. Very much like an Empusa demon. You've fought one recently?"

"Today. With Jace," Alec was scared now. And the urge to sneeze was growing stronger.

"The Pestilence enters your body as a black smoke. Was there any? Did you inhale it?"

"hiih'NGXXT'chuuh!" the sneeze finally escaped Alec. Magnus's eyebrows creased with worry. Sniffling, the Shadowhunter answered his lover's questions. "There was this huge cloud of black smoke. I accidentally inhaled a bit of it through my nose."

Magnus groaned at this. "That--"

"Wasn't smart, I know. Jace already lectured me about it," Alec said tiredly. "So is there anything else we know about this Pestilence thing?"

"Each one is different. They kill in various unpleasant ways. I once saw one that made the victims cough until their lungs gave out. There were some that made you lose all your senses one by one until the sensory deprivation made you go mad. Or the ones that inflicted intense pain on one part of the body and had it slowly spread. Believe me, there are endless sadistic ways to kill people with one of these things."

Alec was well and truly afraid now.

"But," Magnus continued, "yours seems to be less powerful. Sort of...incomplete."

"Could that be because Jace killed her halfway through finishing the ritual?" Alec looked hopeful.

"Yes," now Magnus looked relieved. "If you let me, I can try to find out more about it. Its target, for instance."

"Target?" asked Alec, then ducked his head in another bout of sneezes. "huh'nkkt'chuh! hehh'pnngtt'shuh! hih'kngxt'chah!"

"Bless you," said Magnus for the first time. "Anyway, a pestilence can be targeted at a certain group, like, for instance, homosexuals."

Alec grimaced at this.

"It can also be targeted at a number of people, contagion stopping after five, fifty or five-hundred are infected," Magnus finished the explanation. "Now sit down so I can get a good look at you."

Alec sat. Magnus proceeded run his hands in the air about an inch from Alec's body, blue sparks of magic flying from them, bouncing off the Shadowhunter and being reabsorbed back into the warlock's hands. After about five minutes of this he straightened up.

"Well, originally it was supposed to kill you by infecting your entire respiratory system, which would have made breathing kind of difficult. In its current weakened state, however, it can't do much more than make you sneeze and tire you out."

Magnus started to continue but was cut off by more sneezes from his boyfriend.

"huh'kmph'tchuh! heh'pnngt'shiuu! hh'kffnxt'schu! Ugh..." Alec sniffled again.

"As a matter of interest, why do you always try to stifle them even though you know you're going to fail?" Magnus asked curiously.

"Oh, uh, I don't know," Alec blushed. As a matter of fact he did know. Alec's allergies had shown up around the time Jace had come to live with them, and he'd quickly become embarrassed about being unable to stifle when Jace could so successfully. He tried to cover up his loss of control but never quite managed to.

Magnus didn't look as though he believed him but let the matter drop and continued with the explanation. "In its weakened state, the Pestilence will stop after three are infected. Oh, and the target is males. With angel blood."

"So male Shadowhunters?" Alec asked.

"Males with angel blood," Magnus repeated firmly.

"Okay," Alec sniffled yet again.

"Here," said Magnus, handing him a handkerchief.

Alec raised his eyebrows as he accepted it and blew his nose.

"Hey, I'm eight-hundred years old. I can be old-fashioned," he said indignantly. "Besides, they're surprisingly useful."

"How long will it last?" Alec asked.

"A week at most," Magnus reassured him. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you," he said in response to seeing Alec's shoulders slump at a week of being condemned to constant sneezing. Speaking of which...

"hh'kmp'shsh! heh'kgtt'chuh!" Alec stifled into the handkerchief. He moaned as his headache, which had faded on the way over, started to return with a vengeance.

Magnus noticed this and led him into the bedroom. Alec crossed the room to the dresser Magnus had cleared out for him. He dug around until he found pajama pants and a t-shirt, then quickly changed and practically dived into the waiting bed, burrowing under the canary yellow comforter. When Magnus joined him he curled up against him and fell asleep with his cheek on his lover's shoulder.

***

TBC...

[obsessed]

Cute:)

[VividBubbles!]

:heart: Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!! More more more! I'm so excited! Update ASAP!

BYE!

[Ciuty80]

this is soooo awesome!!! :drool:

please more!

[Scion]

Aha, that is very true. You have characterized him quite nicely. I did notice how Clare seems to give him the short end of the stick development/exploration-wise, but I see this has not stopped you!!! Which goes to show what a good writer you are. I'm in love with the Magnus x Alec pairing, though. I mean, they're total opposites, so it works in a weird way.

[EmeraldThread]

I love this! I was pretty excited that you have this centered around Alec - it's been quite a while since I read the series, but he was definitely my favorite character. Your writing style is fantastic, I love your characterization and spellings, and can't wait to read more!

[SneezeyLove]

Aww, this is really cute! I love anything to do with TMI or TID. I can't wait to read more - three males with angel blood... does that mean Jace is going to get it?

[PaperThings]

EEEEEEEEEEEP Alec is my favorite along with Simon and the ID boys (never will be a Jace fan, unfortunately for me) and you write him so perfectly and beautifully and this is getting me super psyched for the CoLS release!

[Black_Blade]

This is such an awesome story Alec is my second favorite character from TMI! Magnus is my first haha. I have to admit, I was slightly disappointed that Magnus couldn't catch it. Alec is totally awesome though, and I love his pairing with Magnus.

Please continue

[Akahana]

SO FRIKIN' CUTE!!!!! (so much fangirl...so little time~) <3333333 AHHHHHHHH!!! Ohmaigod they are just so precious and I can't wait to read what happens next because OMG YAOI!!!! Thank you so much for writing this and PLEASE continue!! HOLYSHITINEEDTOCALMDOWN!!! XD Thumbs up~

-Akahana <3

[VividBubbles!]

TBC...

LIAR!!!

Okay, okay. That was a little uncalled for, but still! You haven't updated in like 2 weeks! And I've been just sitting here (SITTING HERE!) waiting for more! Are you ever going to continue, or is this a lost cause? Because I really don't want it to be. I don't care if the muse has left you; you must continue on! You can email me and I'll beta you again. I'll give you advice and help you along your writer's block. I really don't want to see this story given up on. Please continue it? PLEEEEEAAAAASSSSE?!!!!!!!!!!!! With Jace and Simon and Alec and Jordan and Fang and Dylan and Sam and Dean and Cas and a cherry on top?! Come on, you know you want the cherry (at least, rarrrr). I'll even give you my ninja! And my dragon! And my jet! And my Spiderman! I'll even smurf you my smurf. JUST PLEASE CONTINUE THIS!

BYE!

P.S. No pressure.

BYE! Again.

[DogLover]

Ahaha, I'm really sorry Bubbles!, school is eating my life . I haven't had any time for writing in like a week! Actually, I haven't slept more than five hours a night in a week either Or played guitar, which is pretty much the only thing apart from this forum that makes me not go insane, so also Plus, my family moved, so I didn't have internet access for a while either.

As you can see, I have good excuses But seriously, I'm really, really sorry. I will definitely write more once I have a life again.

As a peace offering, I give you this smiley <--see, that's you! Ahaha...

[VividBubbles!]

Haha! Yay! Well, it's a good thing you had good excuses! I'm so happy you're going to continue this! It's just too good to give up on! Send me an email when your ready for me to start ing!

BYE!

[VividBubbles!]

And I have officially become.... DESPERATE! Because I'm on my iPod and can't use smileys unless I remember how to type them, there will be only a small amount of smileys in this complaint. However, I still am extremely furious (not at you, just at the incompleteness of this fic) and am ready to... well, I don't know. But trust me, it'll be bad! Please continue this DogLover! I miss this! I miss you! Please?!

Bye.

Edited June 19, 2012 by Bubbles!

[DogLover]

I have updated! I would reply to all the comments, but I gotta go to sleep now, so...

(Apologies, this was kinda rushed and probably not good.)

***

Part 3!

The pale blueish light of dawn shone faintly through the window, illuminating the bare room and the plain white sheets that covered the blond boy sleeping fitfully on the bed.

Jace stirred slightly as the light from the window grew stronger, piercing his eyelids and forcing him out of his sleep. He peeled open his eyes, surprised to feel a certain crustiness that wasn't usually there. Sitting up and stretching slightly brought the soreness of his muscles to his attention. He frowned at this. Obviously he had a good excuse to be tired from the fight yesterday, but he didn't think he'd worked that hard. He took a deep breath through his nose to clear his head.

Or tried to, anyway. Instead of the inrush of air he was expecting, all he got was a shifting feeling and a change in pressure as some of the liquid that had taken up residence in his sinuses was moved backward and down into his throat by his attempt to breathe. He swallowed, noting that his throat felt dryer than usual.

Jace sighed. The sensation was unfamiliar, as he had no allergies to speak of and hadn't been sick in over five years, but he knew what it was. Impending, or actually already present, illness. Great.

The last time he'd been sick...

The ship's hull was made of burnished metal. It was cold against his burning skin. He shook. People came, trying to talk to him, comfort him, get him to eat something. To take his temperature, clucking their tongues at how high it was. One hundred and four. That was bad, wasn't it? He turned away from them, burying his head in the pillow to muffle a sneeze.

They tried console him about the death of his father. The loss of his home. He ignored them. What could they possibly say that would make anything any better? He stayed where he was, curled up in his bunk, the cold metal of the hull pressed against his burning cheek.

It was days later when he finally got up, and that was only because the ship had docked in New York. He was supposed to be going to New York. He'd never been to New York. He wondered what it looked like.

He wondered what he looked like after days without getting out of bed, or showering. He probably smelled terrible. That wasn't good; he was going to be living with whoever these people in New York were. He wanted to make a good impression. To show them he was strong, like his father had taught him. Not a pathetic little sick boy.

A few hours later, tucked into a bed in the New York Institute after a bowl of chicken soup, he felt he needn't have worried.

***

Jace was jerked out of his reverie by his nose.

"heh'ischuuh! hah'tshsh!" he grimaced, annoyed at his lack of control over his own body. It was this annoyance that led Jace to habitually stifle his sneezes when he was around people. Alone now in his room, however, he had no problem with letting them out. Holding back a groan as his sore muscles complained, Jace dragged himself up off the bed and out into the hallway.

As Jace progressed down the hallway to the kitchen, he regretted not wearing shoes. The stone floor was colder under his bare feet than the wooden floor of his room had been. It was making his nose itch.

"heh'ngkt!" he stifled the sneeze between pinched fingers as he walked into the kitchen.

"Bless you," said Isabelle from where she was perched on the counter. Jace ignored this. Isabelle took in his appearance. Fair hair slightly disheveled and dark circles under his gold eyes, but that could be explained by the fact that he just woke up. More worrying, however, was his air of exhaustion and unalertness; Jace was always tense, kinetic. Not slumped over like someone dropped a ton of bricks on him. As she watched, he stifled another sneeze.

"heh'kggtch!" he contained the explosion into his fist, leaving it next to his nose after the sneeze so he could rub at it, sniffling a bit.

"Are you sick?" Isabelle asked incredulously. Jace was never sick. Well, except five years ago, but he'd had a damn good excuse then.

"What does it look like?" said Jace grumpily. Why now, of all times...

At that moment, Isabelle's phone rang.

"It's Alec."

***

TBC...(for realz this time!)

[VividBubbles!]

I LOVE YOU! I must go because it's time for dinner (Chinese! Yummy!), but I just want you to know that I am so happy you're continuing this and Jace is super adorable! (I mean hot. He probably wouldn't like me calling him adorable.) Anyway, I can't wait for you continuation for realz this time!

BYE!

[EmeraldThread]

This is so awesome, I love this fic! It's been a really long time since I've read The Mortal Instruments, but Alec is still my favorite - I love how you put the focus on him in the first couple parts, and now it's Jace and I can't wait for the next part! Your spellings and story line and everything about this just makes me wanna read more as soon as you can possibly write it!

[Akahana]

ADCAUTFSYVIUKILHANUOIH Yay~

[Emily]

CONTINUING THIS ONE? -HAPPY-

[LeadaAlexys52]

GEEEEE! So awesome! I read this when you started it and at the time I had no idea what The Mortal Instruments were, but I have almost finished 'City of Bones' now and it means so much more to me now. I love this!

Please keep going!

[SneezeyLove]

Yay! The first couple parts were so cute, and Jace is my favorite Mortal Instruments boy, so I'm doubly excited for the next part! I'm in the middle of City of Lost Souls right now! (So warn me if there are spoilers please! )