Janeway: all hands, this is the captain speaking. I would like to address a rumor that’s making its rounds again. I’ve been hearing whispers about our crew NOT being a perfect family, that we DID abandon some of our own at one point, that some “poor lizards” deserved better.
Janeway: I would like to remind the crew that no incident involving myself and a certain other crewman, who shall remain nameless, ever occurred, let alone resulted in three mutated/highly evolved human-salamander offspring. Nor did we leave such offspring on an alien planet, defenseless, to fend for themselves.
Janeway: …but if we had, it would be entirely Commander Chakotay’s fault
Janeway: But no such event ever occurred. Ever. Nor shall it ever be spoken of again.
Janeway: we are a perfect Starfleet family.
Janeway: anyone who disagrees will be assimilated by Seven of Nine.
Bringing this back because
Additionally
Tom:Pepperoni!
Janeway: I will never not be able to cringe at the word, Mr. Paris
Janeway:…
Janeway: Go to the brig
Chakotay:(snickers)
Janeway: (angry conflicted tears) And you DOUBLE go to the brig!!
I can’t help myself
Bridge:
Janeway: (ugly crying, eating a pint of coffee ice cream out of the carton)
Janeway: (waves spoon) Yknow you two could’ve had THREE siblings if Commander Tattoo over there had half a heart
Seven and Icheb: (exchange a disturbed glance but remain silent lest they also be banished to the brig)
Chakotay: (over the ship’s comm) Kathryn, how long do Tom and I have to stay down here?
Janeway: Until ONE of you learns your lesson!
Tuvok: (loving being acting Commander)
B’Elanna: … My husband’s gonna be stuck there till we reach Earth, isn’t he?
Tom: (teary) At least I have company this time
Chakotay: KATHRYN, I AM BEGGING YOU LET ME OUT OF HERE
Well actually, a better word would be that he was enraged, and on the verge of mutilatingthat little liarwho thought she could pawn herself off as hisboyfriend’s girlfriend.
What a - pardon his language - harlot.
And she even had the audacityto say that Damian, himself was fightingwith his belovedover a pathetic specimen like her?
So it made Damian feel particularly victorious when Adrien ignored the liar when she beggedhim for help.
But obviously, for a furiousassassin like him, that wasn’t enough.
So,obviously, Damian couldn’t resist Tim’s offer to be the one to inform Lila’s parents of her actions.
If they werein fact, aware of Lila’s actions (but they probably weren’t, considering the fact that they were two well-known government figures, not foreign diplomats), Damian would have great pleasure in slaughtering them verbally if not physically.
He even flew down to Paris with Adrien (certainly not making out on the way, in celebration), with a clear, unedited video clip of Lila’s exposure in front of everyemployee in WE, as proof of what he was going to inform them of.
Although, Alya’s blog did more than enough.
Damian smirked cruelly as he watched Lila’s father’s face slowly turn purple with anger and her mother’s hands start to shakewith fury.
“Lila!”
Her mother’s voice shrieked shrilly and scarily through the house.
After a few long moments, the girl came down the stairs, eyes cast down low as a failed attempt to look innocent and demure.
“Yes,mama?” she asked, still not looking up.
“Your father and I have a visitor here, mio caro,” her mother said with false sweetness. “He says his name is Damian Wayne.”
Lila’s head shot up, panic evident in her eyes.
If Damian put his assassin skills to use and listened hard enough, he could hear her heart beating muchfaster than normal.
“He showed us an…interestingvideo and website, shall we say,” her father picked up from there. “I think it’s time we had a chat.”
As Damian slipped out of the room, hearing Lila’s parents scream at their daughter, he didn’t forget to put a littlebug on their sofa.
He could come and collect it later, and keep it for personaluses, obviously.
Certainly not to spread it to everyone who was involved in the planning of Lila’s exposé and have a laugh about it later.
Even the mildly disapproving Bruce couldn’t help but chuckle over it.
That made Damian feel even better about himself, no matter how much Bruce tried to stop it.
“During prehistorical times, the value or disvalue of an action was derived from its consequences. In the last ten thousand years, however, it is no longer the consequences but the origin of an action that one allows to decide its value.”
—F. Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, §32 (edited excerpt).
Some magic systems become more realistic if there is a consequence brought onto it’s user. Sometimes this can be as simple as balance— if you heal a life, another life must be given. Here are some ideas to get your mind churning on what consequences your magic could cause to its user.
1) Pain. If the magic is brute and aggressive (fire, lightning, mind control in a negative manner) the user feels all of that same pain they exerted onto someone else.
2) Emotional disconnection. The more the user plays with their power, the less emotion they can feel. Eventually, this could lead to complete disconnection from everyone they love and a decay into pure evilness.
3) Headaches. If the user has a mind-related power, giving them headaches could be a simple yet effective consequence. The headaches could make their power unstable, chaotic and truly dangerous.
4) Years off their life. Every time they use their ability, it slowly takes days, months and years away from their life. If they’re immortal, they risk mortality.
5) Slip into madness. The power either gets to their head or it has an evil origin thus causing them to become mad and insane overtime.
6) Freedom. The power is actually an entity of its own and while the user thinks they have control over this awesome ability— it’s really controlling them. Over time, it forces them into doing things or hurting people and one day they just become a soulless puppet. (Makes me think of a parasite )
7) Increased aging. The speed at which you age is increased, but the user doesn’t realize it until they start seeing grey hairs or wrinkles.
8) Blood loss. The magic draws upon the users blood and they have to wait for it to restore before using their abilities— if they don’t, or use a large surge of their ability, it can drain them of blood.
9) Memory loss. The wear and tear on the users mind causes them to slowly forget their lives until they have nothing left to remember. Alternatively, maybe the power needs to use these memories as source of energy.
10) Decay. The users body slowly begins to wither. Nails rotting, skin peeling, eyes drooping, knees weak… mama’s spaghetti.
11) Extreme exhaustion or tiredness. The power keeps them up at night and takes a ton of energy to use. This renders the user constantly exhausted which can lead to death either from exhaustion, or from making fatal mistakes because they’re so tired.
12) Sacrifices. The power requires some sort of sacrifice to the gods or else they take their power back. An animal, a conjuring of different herbs and items, blood… a life.
13) Addiction. Similar to foods or drugs, magic can become addictive and deadly at high dosages.
14) Bad luck. The magic brings upon bad luck. The more magic you use, the worse luck you’ll receive.
Some interesting power + consequence combinations (from the top of my head and from literature/movies):
The healer who is constantly bleeding internally.
The rebelled servant who has finally gained his freedom but becomes slave to the magic itself.
A magical ring that brings someone back from the dead. Every time this person comes back from the dead, they lose their compassion and humanity bit by bit. (The Vampire Diaries)
A witch brings someone back from the dead and as a consequence, the person begins to see dead people and can interact with them. (The Vampire Diaries)
The power induces OCD— after using their power they feel a compulsion to do something. Sometimes it’s as small as drinking a beer and other times it’s as intense as breaking their own bones. (Darker than Black)
Magic gained from a celestial source (the moon, a star, etc) causes earth to become painful to the magic users. In extreme cases, they are pulledtowards that celestial body and need to weigh themselves down/tether themselves to something or else they will drift upwards. (The Anubis Gates)
Pt. 2 — Coming Soon! Because it’s really fun to just sit here and brainstorm and research magical consequences! I feel like the possibilities are endless!
Chills. I can’t imagine my own high school showing up like this less than a decade ago to protest disgusting legislation like Florida’s Don’t Say Gay bill. The support Gen Z shows for the LGBTQ community is breathtaking.
The fight goes on. Keep it up.
I think you all need to know the consequences of this brave action.
The kid who started the walkout at the original school was indefinitely suspended, even though he had permission for the demonstration (their excuse is that he got permission for the walkout, but not for the little Pride flags he handed out). Other participating kids at other schools have similarly been punished.
Teachers who supported students walking out are also being punished, fired, blacklisted from working at other schools.
Homophobic kids are ratting out their fellow students and teachers for supporting the walkout to get them in trouble with school administrations.
The consequences are continuing.
So yes, applaud this - this is great, and it’s brave, and it’s inspiring. But be aware of what the reaction has been.
Remember there are always consequence — doesn’t mean don’t to the thing but be aware of and plan (as best you can) for the consequences
Rating: E 18+ (scenes of a sexual nature ~ canon typical violence ~ rated E for later chapters)
Pairings: Simon Lewis x Jace (insert chosen last name here) / minor Magnus Bane x Alec Lightwood / minor Simon Lewis x others
Chapter summary: Alec was expecting to walk into the institute to a sickening display of affection and most likely having to pry Simon and Jace apart to make sure the vampire left for London on time. What he got though was Simon on edge, acting like he was waiting for an axe to drop and Jace nowhere to be seen and he was struggling to work out what exactly had gone wrong.
He had expected to find Jace and Simon being disgustingly romantic now that they had gotten their acts together. When he had come down to see Simon off he had assumed he would find the vampire practically vibrating with how happy he was, a wide smile in place and constantly touching and kissing Jace like he was trying to make up for lost time. He had also expected to find Jace huffing and rolling his eyes, insisting it wasn’t a big deal whilst also smiling fondly at the vampire’s antics and giving into his every demand for affection.
Personally Alec couldn’t see the appeal. Simon was too chaotic, unable to stay still and constantly talking about things that Alec didn’t know or care about. He was the complete opposite of Jace and yet somehow they managed to work well together. Jace had been a mess when Clary had been made a mundane, though he had tried to hide it from them, insisting he was fine when they all knew he wasn’t. Simon had been the only one able to get through to him, something Alec had been grateful for yet also irrationally annoyed about. The friendship that had come out of it had been a surprise though but no where near as shocking as the first time he saw Jace flirt with Simon, the vampire flirting right back. Now that had been a surprise but Jace had just shrugged it off, insisting it was nothing except it just kept happening, again and again and it didn’t take long for anyone who spent any time with the pair to realise what was actually going on. The only two people who didn’t seem to realise were Jace and Simon, both of them adamant that they were just friends but Alec had never known friends who looked at each other’s asses as much as they did when the other wasn’t looking.
The point is that Alec had expected to be greeted with a horrendously happy couple who couldn’t keep their hands off one another. What he got instead was Simon looking like he was waiting for an axe to drop on him and Jace nowhere to be seen and he was struggling to work out exactly what had happened.
When he had left Jace his parabatai had been nervous but otherwise on track to pull his head out of his ass and actually admit to Simon that their ‘friendly banter’ had actually been flirting and that he wanted to be a lot more to Simon than just friends. Yes he had lost track of Jace at some point, having gotten pulled into a rather lengthy conversation about the power imbalance between certain downworlder factions and then he and Magnus had done the rounds, making sure they spoke to everyone so as not to foster idiotic notions of favoritism. By the time he had caught site of Jace again he had been hand in hand with Simon, smiling widely as they made their way from the hall and disappearing towards the stairs. He had been able to feel Jace’s happiness through their bond, the feeling bleeding into Alec’s own and leaving him smiling and though there had been a spike of panic it hadn’t lasted, their bond going blissfully quiet and leaving him able to concentrate on the rest of his evening without grinning like a mad man.
Across the other side of the ops table Simon nodded, his face blank and eyes dulled as he listened to Izzy give a rundown on the London institute and it’s rather extensive size as well as the shadowhunters in residence there. He was lucky Evelyn had retired the year before or he probably wouldn’t have been allowed to set foot in the place despite Alec’s insistence. Luckily enough Dayton was much more open about downworlders and working alongside them. Now if only the vampire clans were as willing to work with the shadowhunters as they were with them. Hopefully though Simon would be able to make some sort of headway in fixing that if not resolving the issue all together.
He had been reluctant at first about sending Simon. Not because he believed he would mess up and make an already tense situation worse but because it was his first major assignment and there was always the possibility this was to much to soon for the daylighter. Though to give Simon credit he had taken the challenge head on, even going as far as to hold preliminary one on one interviews with the shadowhunter in charge and the clans second in command. Simon seemed determined to prove himself and Alec was more than willing to admit that he had been happy with his work so far. He even looked the part, having ditching his normal hoodie and jean combination and was instead wearing smart black slacks with a white shirt and black skinny tie, a light black leather jacket overtop and finely polished black oxfords. He looked smart, though not as formal as last night and thankfully there was no sign of the eyeliner he had been wearing the night before either. Now if only he would stop looking like an empty shell of his usual self and he would be good to go.
“Dorian is going to meet you once you get there, as well as Dayton.” Izzy handed over a tablet as she spoke, Simon taking it with a hum and fingers moving quickly across the screen as he looked through the other shadowhunters files. Alec scowled at his rather subdued response. That was another thing that he was finding a little unnerving. Simon normally had to fill every silence with inane chatter but this morning he had barely said more than he had to. Everything about this seemed wrong, almost like he had walked through the door and ended up in some strange parallel world that was almost the same except all the little things had been changed, leaving him feeling uneasy and on edge. And where the hell was Jace? Simon would be leaving in a matter of minutes and yet he was nowhere to be seen. Considering how he had reacted when Alec told him about Simon’s assignment he would have thought Jace would be down here fussing with the rest of them, clinging onto Simon for as long as he could. Maybe he should excuse himself and go look for his parabatai, just to make sure that everything was okay because he had the growing feeling that it really wasn’t.
“Dorian is going to…” Izzy started but Simon cut her off, sighing loudly as he handed back the tablet. “He is going to run through any new developments before taking me to the Averard Hotel where Elizabeth will formally introduce me to the heads of the vampire clans before giving me the rest of the evening to settle in before we get down to business tomorrow. We’ve been over this a hundred times already Izzy, I know.” His sister pursed her lips, folding her arms over her chest and looking at Simon with mild annoyance. Simon had already been there when Alec turned up, Izzy going through the exact same information and Alec found it easy to believer that he had in fact already heard that particular information a hundred times today.
“Fine, I’ll go check if Magnus is ready for you then,” Izzy huffed, flinging her hair over her shoulder as she turned and striding purposely from the room. Simon groaned, one arm wrapping around his waist as he pinched the bridge of his nose with the other hand, his eyes closing and a frown pulling his lips down. It was the first real show of emotion Alec had see from him all morning and though he had been looking for some sign of life he had been hoping for his normal dorky rambling, not for him to be so tense and angry. “She just wants to make sure you’re ready. This is a big deal Simon and there is a lot that could go wrong,” Alec stated, feeling like he needed to defend Izzy’s constant fussing. They all just wanted him to do well with this and it helped ease her worry over the vampire being so far away. If anything should happen none of them would be on hand to help him and though Alec trusted the shadowhunters at the London institute Simon did have a tendency to find trouble and there was a genuine concern that he would yet again get himself into a situation he would need rescuing from.
“I know,” Simon snapped, “you don’t have to keep reminding me.” Alec jerked back at the sudden outburst, staring at Simon like he had grown a second head. He had seen Simon snap at Jace before, at other downworlders and shadowhunters but never him. Honestly he had thought that Simon was still a little scared of him but he either wasn’t or was so stressed that he just didn’t care at the moment. Alec wanted it to be that Simon was no longer scared of him. If he and Jace were a thing now then it meant there would be a lot more interacting with one another and if Simon was scared of Alec that would just make things awkward and uncomfortable. Though he did have every intention of letting Simon know that if he broke Jace’s heart he would break Simon’s legs and then set fire to his stupid collection of plastic statues he was so attached to.
Groaning loudly in a mix of what sounded like frustration and anger, Simon went to shove his hand through his gently styled hair, his fingertips just sinking into the strands before he seemed to think better of it. His hand dropped to his neck, his nails scratching at a spot just above his collar. Simon’s eyes seemed to glaze over once more, staring unseeingly across the room as he continued to scratch at that same spot, leaving behind red lines that faded just as quickly as they appeared. He sucked in a deep breath, holding it for a few seconds before letting it rush out of him along with the tension he had been holding in his shoulders, his hand finally falling away from his neck to hang limply at his side. “Sorry, I’m just a little nervous and I get you guys are trying to help but constantly telling me how important it is that I don’t screw this up isn’t helping me right now.”
Alec winced slightly at that. It hadn’t been his intention to stress Simon out or make him feel like Alec didn’t trust him with this but it was rather important this matter got settled. London was the biggest institute in Europe and some of the most high profile vampires across the world were part of the London clans or at least had dealings with them. If a deal could be struck there then others would follow and Alec would hopefully be able to spread the downworlder and shadowhunter alliance across the world.
He had offered to go himself but Dayton had declined, insisting that a vampire would go a long way to helping ease tensions and considering Simon was currently the only vampire representative for the clave Alec had had no choice but to ask the daylighter to go instead. Not that Alec though that was a bad thing per se but he probably would have felt more comfortable if he was handling the matter himself. He had put his trust in Simon’s capabilities to talk rings around people though and if he did end up failing to make any progress Alec could always go in after and try his luck with the clans.
“You’ll be fine,” Alec tried to reassure him but from the way Simon scoffed he didn’t think he quite pulled it of. “Really,” the vampire mumbled sarcastically. He seemed agitated, crossing his arms over his chest only to uncross them and cross them again. Though Alec often found this sort of behaviour irritating he actually welcomed it now. It was familiar, Simon’s natural self finally coming through instead of whatever it was he had been doing before. “Yes really. If I didn’t think you were capable of this I wouldn’t be allowing you to go in the first place.”
Simon stared unblinkingly at him for a long few awkward seconds, the silence between them dragging on. Alec was only a few seconds away from snapping at Simon to stop when he finally spoke, sounding genuinely surprised. “Wow. I think that might have been the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” Alec’s natural scowl deepened. That couldn’t be right, could it? But even as he frantically searched back his mind came up blank. There had been a lot of sarcastic comments and blatant annoyance, Alec not really having even been that nice to Simon when he had asked him to go to London. He had been polite enough but mostly just professional, not that Simon had seemed to care though, to busy rambling on and on about how he wasn’t going to mess it up. If he and Jace were dating now that would have to change, Alec needing to make sure he treated the vampire better, especially if he and Jace ended up being a long term thing witch knowing how Simon was with relationship that was probably a given. Oh. Oh no. Alec was going to be best man at their wedding and have to listen to Simon cry about how amazing Jace was. Though he supposed that was preferable to having to listen to Jace talking about how hot Simon looked in a suit again.
“Don’t get used to it,” he deadpanned, dropping his gaze down the the tablet in front of him and effectively ending the conversation, though he makes sure to let a small half smile curl up the corners of his mouth, just so Simon would know he didn’t mean anything by it. “Yeah, wouldn’t dream of it,” Simon mumbled, looking confused by the whole exchange. Out the corner of his eye Alec watched him fidget, shifting from one foot to the other before lifting his hand up to once again rub at that spot on his neck, his thumb pressing down on the spot even as he tugged at his collar with his other fingers, as if he was trying to pull it up to hide the red mark he was leaving behind. Alec kept his head down but his eyes remained trained on Simon, watching with a frown as he went back to staring unseeingly across the room, his whole body still except for his twitching fingers. Alec knew Simon had a lot of nervous habits and ticks, the constant fidgeting being the most prominent one but this was new and a little odd even for him. Was it the spot he had gotten bitten by Camille? That had been a couple of years ago now though and surely if he had some sort of twitch related to that Alec would have noticed before now. Something was going on, Simon acting more neurotic than normal and Alec didn’t like it.
That uneasy feeling started to grow, Jace’s absence just making it that much worse but before he could demand some sort of explanation Simon’s head snapped up, his eyes wide and full of panic as he stared at the doorway like the hounds of hell were coming to drag him away. Frowning Alec lifted his gaze up to look in the same direction, concerned about what would have the vampire looking so terrified, especially whilst in the institute. Dodson rounded the corner with quick, sure strides, his head down and completely focused on the tablet in his hand, not even acknowledging them. Simon’s body slumped forward, his gaze falling back down to the table as he let out a sigh of relief. Bracing his hands against the edge of the table Simon hung his head between his arms, his eyes falling closed as he pulled in one steady breath after another. His knuckles were white with how tight he was gripping the table, his whole body seeming to tremble.
Something was definitely wrong.
Concerned for Simon and by his obvious distress Alec moved quickly around the table, placing his hand on Simon’s shoulder, his concern evident in his voice. “Simon?” The vampire startled, jerking out of Alec’s light hold and stumbling backwards, looking up at him with absolute terror in his dark eyes. Alec took a step back, holding his hands up to show Simon that he didn’t mean him any harm, not that he ever would intentionally hurt Simon. “Hey, it’s just me,” Alec said slowly, keeping his voice as calm as he could. Simon’s eyes darted around the room like he was looking for an escape, his breath ragged as he struggled to pull in air and his whole body shaking. “Look at me,” Alec took a step forward, keeping his eyes on the vampire as he spoke. Simon’s eyes finally managed to settle on him as he got closer so that he could reach out once more, placing both hands on the vampires shoulders in an attempt to ground him. His hands shot out instantly, his cold fingers wrapping around Alec’s biceps and his nails digging in slightly. He would likely have bruises but as long as his hold didn’t get any tighter he would be fine. “Breath with me, in and out, in and out.” He slowly pulled in a breath, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out just as slowly. Simon looked like a scared animal, his brown eyes wide and full of panic but Alec maintain eye contact, breathing in and out slowly and soon enough Simon’s own ragged breathing fell into rhythm, the shaking finally coming to a stop to a stop as his breathing evened out.
Simon’s eyes darted off to the side almost as soon as he had calmed down but he made no move to let go of Alec. The vampire’s natural coldness was seeping into his skin everywhere they were touching, even through the layers of clothing and Alec had to fight the urge to shiver. He never did like being cold. “I…thanks,” Simon mumbled, finally unclenching his fingers and pulling his arms back. He wrapped them around himself, shoving his hands under his armpits. He looked so small and fragile like that, clinging onto himself and head ducked down like he wasn’t a vicious and blood thirsty predator and was still just a scared mundane boy who had followed the girl he loved into a dark and abandoned church. “It’s fine.” Alec squeezed once at his shoulders before stepping back to give the vampire some space, folding his arms behind his back and trying to discreetly rub some warmth back into his hands. Simon nodded his head slightly, still refusing to look anywhere even remotely close to Alec.
“What happened?” Simon’s eyes snapped up, quickly flickering over Alec as if he was trying to gage if he was being genuine or asking out of some social obligation. Alec did genuinely want to know though. He may not be Simon’s biggest fan but he still considered the vampire a friend and he was concerned about his current state. It was more than nerves about London that he was sure of. “I just,” Simon paused, his eyes darting between Alec and the doorway. He sighed, a look of resignation flickering across his face but it was gone as quickly as it appeared, the blank mask from earlier slipping back into place. “It’s nothing,” he said flatly, uncrossing his arms to let them fall limply at his sides.
“Don’t lie to me,” Alec growled out, glaring at the vampire. Of course it was something, Simon had had a bloody panic attack because Alec had touched him. There was no way that was nothing and Simon could lie to himself all he wanted but he should know better by now to think that Alec wouldn’t try and find out what the hell was going on after that show of neuroticism. Simon glared back. “Fine, it’s nothing to do with you or Izzy or Magnus or anyone else in this bloody room,” he hissed, clenching his hands into fists and looking at Alec like he might try and hit him. Alec would like to see him try, even with his vampire speed but at the moment there was something else that took priority and especially if it involved his parabatai because there had been one name Simon had missed and there was no way that was a coincidence.
“But it is to do with Jace.” Simon went stiff, his whole body tensing. His eyes lit up with panic as they snapped to the door, like Alec just saying his name would summon the other man to them. That wasn’t right. Even at the beginning Simon had never out right been scared of Jace. Sure he had been angry, jealous and suspicious but never scared and that really didn’t sit right with Alec. “What happened last night?” he demanded because that was the only time something could of happened between the two of them. He couldn’t understand what though because Jace had looked so happy, had felt it to, clinging on to Simon like he had won a prize but now he really thought about it Simon hadn’t looked as happy as the blonde had, had almost seemed a little uncomfortable about Jace’s attention. Alec had just chalked it up to him being a little uneasy about the rather public display of affection but maybe that hadn’t been the issue at all.
Maybe all of them had in fact been wrong and Simon had turned Jace down. He couldn’t imagine Jace would have taken that well. It was clear to see how enamoured he was with Simon and to lose yet another person he had given his heart to would have hurt him more than he had been ready for. Alec’s mind flashed back to that moment of panic he had felt from Jace just after he and Simon had left the ballroom. He had put it down to Jace worrying about having to admit his feelings but what if it had actually been because Simon had turned him down, denying Jace the love he craved from the brunette.
Simon’s hand went back to his neck, his fingers rubbing at that same spot again. His eyes brimmed with tears and he looked up at Alec with such pain and sorrow that Alec could swear he could feel it himself. He had never been good with emotional people, had no clue how to comfort a grown man who was on the verge of crying and looked like his whole world had fallen apart. “Jace, he,” Simon’s voice cracked, the first few tears falling, “he doesn’t…”
Whatever Simon was about to say was cut off by Magnus, the warlock striding into the room like he owned the place. “Right. Let’s get this show on the road shall we?” There was a blur of movement, Simon moving quicker than Alec could track but when he stilled his tears were gone though the sadness remained in his eyes, Simon smiling up at Magnus but it was clear to see it was forced. Alec loved his husband, truly he did but sometimes his timing was way off. “Ready?” Magnus asked, his eyes flickering between him and Simon as he came to a stop next to Alec. He wanted to say no, wanted to demand answers from Simon because that wasn’t the look of someone who had broken a heart but someone who had had their heart broken and Alec couldn’t understand how that could have possibly happened. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” Simon grinned, stepping away from the table and bending down to grab up his satchel, slinging it over his shoulder. Magnus gave him a questioning look but Alec shook his head slightly, giving his husband a look that he hoped said he would explain latter. Explain what he wasn’t to sure but Magnus probably would have some idea. He often did about these kind of things.
A dull ache began to form in his chest and Alec absentmindedly lifted his hand to rub at the spot.
With his usual confidence Magnus moved further into the room, Simon, Alec and Izzy following closely behind. “I’m going to open up the portal into Dayton’s office like we agreed. Are you sure you have everything?” Magnus spun on his heels as he came to a stop, turning to look at Simon expectantly. The vampire huffed, rolling his eyes but there seemed to be a genuine if small smile tugging at his lips. “I have all my notes and laptop here-” Simon patted his satchel, “and you insisted on packing my suitcase because I apparently can’t be trusted so I’m going to go ahead and say yes, I have everything.” Magnus rolled his eyes, completely ignore Simon’s pointed look as he waved his left hand out in front of him. Blue light danced between his fingers before he snapped them and it disappeared, a smallish black suitcase now sat by Simon’s feet and a matching suit bag draped over his arm. Simon eyed the sudden additions suspiciously, lifting his eyes up to Magnus and raising an eyebrow. “Don’t worry there’s nothing to ostentatious in there,” Magnus waved off his concerns though his idea of outlandish definitely differed from everyone else’s and Alec knew for a fact that there was at least one highly patterned shit in there that Simon would never have chosen to wear on his own but Magnus had insisted when Alec questioned the choice and considering he knew relatively little about fashion he had chosen not to argue the matter. Well that and he wanted to avoid another hour long lecture on silk and cotton quality.
“Best not to keep them waiting any longer, Dayton’s probably already counting the seconds of his precious time we are wasting.” Before Magnus had even finished talking Izzy was rushing forward, wrapping her arms around Simon and pulling him down into an awkward looking hug. Simon wrapped his free arm round her waist, holding the suit bag out with the other so as not to wrinkle whatever was inside. Izzy buried her head in his neck, talking lowly so only Simon could hear. Whatever she said had that flash of pain lighting up his eyes once more but by the time they pulled away from one another it had gone, Simon smiling softly down at her like nothing was wrong. He stepped up next to Magnus, taking a deep breath and looking ahead with a mix of determination and nerves. “You’ll be fine,” Alec stated, stepping up behind Simon, placing his hand on his shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly. “Remember to stand your ground and don’t let them intimidate you. If you show even a fraction of uncertainty they will try and exploit it and just because their older than you doesn’t mean they know better. You have every resource the Clave has at your disposal so don’t be afraid to utilize it and if anyone at the institute gives you any trouble let me know and I’ll have them on weapons cleaning duty for a month.”
Simon huffed in amusement, that small but real smile back in place. “Where were you when i needed you in high school,” he mumbled and Alec would have told him that he was off killing demons and keeping mundane’s like him in blissful ignorance but before he could even open his mouth that dull ache in his chest began to grow, turning sharp and bitter. Alec let go of Simon’s shoulder as he took a step back, digging his palm into his chest and wincing slightly at the pain. It reminded him of the feeling he got when Magnus had left him after the whole mess with the soul sword and that was not something he was eager to re-live. He automatically turned his head to look at the doorway and out towards the stairs as if he was expecting to find someone stood there. He needed to go find Jace.
There was a flash of light, the distinct hum of magic in the air and when Alec turned back round a portal stood before them, the gold circle shimmering in waves as the room beyond became distorted. “Deep breath and think of nothing but the London institute, don’t want you getting stuck in limbo for all eternity now do we.” Magnus gestured towards the portal, flashing Simon a quick smile as he patted him on the back before he stepped back to stand next to Alec. He frowned as Alec winced, continuing to press at the ever growing feeling of pain and loss in his chest. It was almost too much, Alec grabbing at Magnus’s arm as the feeling of utter hopelessness began to press down on him. Simon stood there for a few seconds, completely unaware of what was going on behind him as he stared at the swirling mass before. It was almost like the vampire was in a trance, unable to look away and unable to step forward. He pulled in a deep breath, lifting his head up as he seemed to find his confidence. “This better not take me to the Aperture Science Enrichment Centre,” he mumbled before taking a confident step forward into the swirling void. “Text me when you get there,” Izzy yelled after him but Simon was already gone, the portal shimmering briefly before closing.
Alec instantly turned to Izzy, his hand darting out to grab at her arm. “Where’s Jace?” he rushed out. He had to find him, now. Something was wrong and his parabatai needed him. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen him all morning.” Alec groaned at her words, fighting the urge to snap at her about keeping better track of her subordinates. “Alexander what wrong?” Magnus fretted, placing a hand on Alec’s back and holding onto his arm with the other. “Jace, there’s something wrong i can feel it.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth the other two seemed to snap into action. “I’ll go check his room, you get Alec to my office.” Magnus nodded at Izzy, trying to move Alec towards the other end of the room as she began to stride quickly towards the stairs but before she made it even half way across the space Jace came stumbling around the corner and all three of them froze as they took in his appearance.
He was still in last nights outfit, his black shirt crumpled and his tie pulled to hang loosely around his neck. He didn’t have his shoes on, his belt unbuckled and hanging from his suit trousers. His hair was an absolute mess, sticking up in all directions, his eyes rimmed red and his normally glowing skin pale, almost sickly looking. He was a mess, his normally well maintained appearance completely ruined but that wasn’t what held Alec’s attention. On his jaw and cheek was a large bruise, the skin a dark purple and swollen, his lip split and dried blood clinging to his chin.
“Simon,” he croaked out. He sounded as bad as he looked, his voice catching slightly as it quivered. When no one answered he took a few stumbling steps into the room, his wide panic filled eyes darting around as if he was looking for someone and it didn’t take a genius to realise who he was after. “Where is he?” he rushed out, sounding as desperate as he looked. “He’s gone,” Magnus spoke softly but in the almost empty room it sounded like he had shouted it and Alec felt that pain in his chest intensify tenfold.
Jace staggered backwards, his back hitting the wall and instantly he sank to the floor, burying his head in his hands. Alec was across the room in a few large strides, sinking down onto his knees in front of his parabatai. Gently he pulled Jace’s hands away from his face and placing them in his lap. Jace didn’t even flinch as Alec gently cupped his neck and cheeks, turning his head to face him and trying not to agitate the tender and painful looking bruise. “What happened?” he pleaded with him, his own feelings of worry and fear mixing with the echo’s of Jace’s own. The faint smell of whiskey still clung to Jace, stale and unpleasant as he puffed hot air against Alec’s jaw, making him want to wrinkle his nose in disgust. It had been almost a year since Alec had seen him like this, almost a year since he had tried to drink himself into an early grave and Alec concern only grew. What had gone so wrong that Jace would do that to himself?
“Alec I…I,” tears welled in his eyes, Jace stumbling over his words as they caught on a strangled sob. He looked up at Alec with wide grief filled eyes, the guilt and pain so evident in them that Alec felt like they had been etched permanently into the other mans soul. “I messed up.” Alecks spine straitened at that, a lot of things starting to click into place. How on edge Simon had been, his anger and Jace’s absence, the way he had been constantly looking over his should like he was afraid of his own shadow. “I messed up and now he’s gone and he thinks that I…that I,” Jace cuts off on a sob and Alec doesn’t hesitate to pull him against his chest, wrapping one arm around his back and soothing at his hair with the other. Jace cries, his sobs muffled against Alec’s chest and his whole body shacking. He grips tightly at the back of Alec’s shirt, his nails digging in even through the fabric but Alec makes no move to stop him. All he dose is hold Jace whilst he breaks apart in his arms, shushing his parabatai softly as he mumbles out a stream of ‘it’s all my fault’ and ‘he hates me’.
Alec doesn’t know what to do. It should have been easy, a sure thing. All Jace had to do was apologize to Simon and explain how he felt. They could all see how far gone Jace and Simon were for each other, the two practically in a relationship already. He had been so convinced that all they needed was a gentle push and then they would be as disgustingly cute as he and Magnus were but something had gone wrong, horribly wrong and Alec didn’t know how to fix it. Jace had been through so much in his life, had suffered through one loss after another and after Clary Alec had thought that Simon would provide the stability that Jace needed along with the open and honest affection that he deserved. Instead all there was was more heartbreak, another loved one lost and he couldn’t help but feel guilty over that. Alec had been the one to push Jace into confessing when he hadn’t wanted to. Alec had been the one to send Simon away when clearly he was needed here to help fix whatever had happened. He may not be responsible for how things had gone between the two of them but he still had his fair share of the blame to shoulder and he couldn’t even begin to start apologizing for his actions.
A gentle hand on his shoulder pulled Alec away from his thoughts and he turned his head to look up at his concerned husband. Next to him Izzy gracefully sunk to her knees, wrapping her arms around Jace and pressing her face against the back of his neck. The three of them were huddled together on the floor, Jace nestled between the two of them in a protective cocoon just like they had used to do when they were younger and Jace still had nightmares about the abuse Valentine had put him through. Pulling in his own shaky breath Alec turned his head back round and pressed his face into Jace’s hair. No one said anything, the only sound in the suspiciously quite room Jace’s ragged breathing and pained cries.
Alec didn’t know how to fix what was broken between Simon and Jace but what he did know was that they would help the blonde shadowhunter through it as a family. Jace was their brother, as much a Lightwood as he was a Herondale and Alec would do everything within his power to make Jace happy. Even if it meant dragging Simon back from London kicking and screaming or keeping him there for as long as he could. Whatever Jace needed Alec would give him because they were brothers, parabatai, family and Alec always took care of the people he loved.
In the aftermath of the battle with Psyschopathor, Ashfall enters the scene to save the day and enrage Ortega. Cyrus walks away, still shocked by Ortega’s kiss.
——————————
“What are you doing?” you manage to ask for some sort of explanation to this.
“What does it look like I’m doing? Words have always abandoned you every time someone decided they wanted to learn what your lips tasted like and today is not the exception.
Why does this keep happening? You know perfectly well what happened the last time a human kissed you, and yet you’re not pulling back, because some stupid part of you wants this, ever since he ‘taught you how to smoke’ properly in that alley…
Stupid and careless, tossing caution into the wind.
It won’t end well now, you know that, but…
…but he saved you. Psychopathor was about to kill you and he saved you… and this kiss is different. Delicate? Gentle? Something you’ve never felt.
Are you deluding yourself? Is this how humans kiss each other?
He’s holding you in his arms, and you feel yourself drift away. Your arm holds onto his shoulder, pulling closer to him while it lasts, even when you know it has to stop.
“Are you really ok?” he asks, worried “For a moment I thought I had fucked up and that you…”
“I’m alright, It’s nothing. It’s not even broken…” You interrupt, gasping as you receive a wave of despair from the victims around your crushes your shields. “The landslide! There are people trapped, we have to help them!”
“Mierda!” he is startled, and let’s go without warning, making you scramble not to hit your head against the rubble. “I don’t see them, how are we going to find them?” he asks, trying to pierce through the dust cloud and devastation that surrounds you.
“Leave that to me,” you say, pulling down your mask quickly.
“Can you even walk?”
“I’ll have to” you answer, standing up with his help and taking a few steps just to see if you can. The pain is about what you expected, but you can still do it, which means there’s work to be done, so you pull your mask back down.
“There! A woman!” you point to a nearby spot, and he immediately sets to work on it, digging with both hands, pushing heavy pieces or rubble and wreckage away.
“Where is he?” Steel barges in, ready for combat, armor smoking but somehow reactivated. “The Psycho is out” You explain, “We need to help the survivors!”
A single nod and he immediately starts helping the Marshal. Between the two of them, they manage to dig her out, still alive.
“There’s more” you mumble, trying to focus.
“How many? Where?”
“Everywhere! A lot of them a lot”
Victims in every direction… which one do you help first?
“Someone’s coming” you blink, noticing the new presence as you scan. “There!”
“Once again the Marshal bites more than he can chew!” the newcomer says, hopping down next to you. “Look at the mess you’ve made, Charge!”
“Who are you?” you ask, confused.
“Yopu can call me Ashfall” he winks “I’m here to take down the old monster and all that jazz. So if you gents would point me towards him, I’ll do what the Marshal keeps failing to and…oh, shit” His speech is interrupted as he notices Psychopathor, passed out, his armor still smoking on the ground.
“Psychopathor ya está jodido.” Charge yells. “Stop being a pendejo and help us rescue the victims already!”
“Victims? Did you ruin everything again, Ricardo?” Ashfall asks taking a second look around.
“Enough. People are buried. If you are going to help it needs to happen now.” Steel interrupts their showdown.
“Alright alright! I’ll do it… geez. Where are they? I can’t just…”
“There’s one right there” you point at the nearest one.
“Eh? And how does he know?”
“He just knows,” Steel says in a tone that leaves no room for questions. “So do your thing already.”
“Fiiine… I’ll do my ‘thing’ since you ask so nicely.” he says, mumbling some curses against the rangers.
He raises his hand… and the mud and ash on the ground trembles, becoming almost liquid and running to the sides, freeing an injured PharmaCore Soldier underneath.
“My ‘thing’ he calls it.” Ashfall scoffs as Charge and Steel pull the man out, making sure he’s still breathing
“Another one there… and there.” you start pointing them out, and he nods, using his power (power over dirt? Ash? Mud?) to free each and every one. Steel and Charge take turns to take them to safety, joined by the soldiers and locals alike, suddenly joining forces. You’re already freeing the tenth victim when you hear the ambulances approaching in the distance.
It seems impossible, but no one dies. Thanks to Ashfall, all you need to do is scan, point, and a human is saved. Almost too easy.
“We make a good team” he smiles, releasing one of the guardians. “Want to come work with me? You’d be more than second fiddle with me, unlike with that guy”. Ashfall says pointing at Ortega with his thumb.
“Thanks, but I like where I am right now…” you say, trying not to get distracted and not miss anyone that needs help.
“Really? I’ve seen your work, you’re too good to be in his shadow all your life!”
“Don’t you even think about stealing my Sidekick!” Charge says as he carries a furious Aegis towards the ambulances.
“What makes him YOURS?” Ashfall asks. “Besides, you let him get his leg messed up.”
“I’m warning you!” He replies, infuriated.
“Seriously, thanks, but I’m not looking to jump ship,” you say
“Really? Pisses me off… you’re too good to be working with these losers.”
You manage to untangle yourself from Ashfall with an excuse, helping one of the victims come back to his senses because he’s asking too many questions.
Reporters have gathered already, taking pictures of the three of you working along with first responders, civilians, and the Pharmacore forces. The Guardians are utterly furious as the pictures have Ashfall and Charge digging their whole team out off the ground. Looking into their minds, it’s clear they’re, humiliated at having their rivals save them from Psychopathor’s plot.
The Guardians walk towards one of the standing buildings, out of sight as the reporters ask them if the mayor sent them to help kick people out of their homes for PharmaCore instead of fighting Psychopathor.
Charge approaches you as the reporters move back towards you, now that the last survivor is rescued.
“Hey, I think this is all going to end well… we just need to have a small press conference to explain what happened, so you have to leave. Slip through the back while I talk to them” Ortega says, pulling you to the side.
“I knew it! You know, you’re real scum, Charge! I won’t stand here and let you steal Sidestep’s cover, you ass! You want all the fame while he walks away with a fucked up leg?” Ashfall jumps in front of you.
“Get off my face, right now!” Charge threatens.
“It’s ok” you smile weakly. “I don’t like interviews anyways”.
“Shit, you can’t let his scumbag get away with this!” Ashfall protests. “You helped take down the villain as much as he did, you don’t owe him shit!”
“Seriously, It’s better this way!” you say, starting to walk away as Ashfall keeps arguing with Ortega.
Reporters flock towards Charge and Ashfall like a pack of Vultures, but you’re a good distance away by then, enough for your stealth aura to keep you from being focused on.
Without all the enemies and danger in front of you, it’s only a few moments for you to walk away and head back to your…
Oh.
You don’t have a home anymore… the landslide washed the building away like a house of cards, along with several others.
Looking back, the damage is catastrophic. Even if they were humiliated, PharmaCore or someone like them will likely take the neighborhood anyways since many blocks have become unlivable now. You fought everyone and everything, but that didn’t prevent the damage…
Did you make any difference at all?
Yes.
Yes, you did.
“No one died” you try to convince yourself. “That’s got to count for something”
Still, a lot of people are homeless.
Just like you.
You’re not sure where you’re going, so you just keep walking. As you pass through an electronic’s store, you notice several people standing next to an electronics shop, watching the TV sets showing the Marshal is giving his version of the events on the live news.
You can’t help running the tip of your finger over your lips, before shaking your head and walking away into the night.
This can’t happen ever again.
——— My Fanfiction:https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181692759294/my-fanfiction-for-fallen-heroDISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the setting of the Fallen Hero: Rebirth and upcoming Fallen Hero: Retribution games written by Malin Riden. I do not claim ownership of any characters from the Fallen Hero world. These stories are a work of my imagination, and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. These works are intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. I am not profiting financially from the creation of these stories, and thank the author for his wonderful game/s, without which these works would not exist.
