Author's Note: Written for the tumblr prompt: fuck or die, dizzy - this turned out longer and a good bit sappier than the short PWP I planned at first. 🙂
Title from Dizzy Miss Lizzy by The Beatles.
***
When Jace entered the Hunter's Moon, it immediately became clear why Maia had called him. Giving the bartender a grateful nod, he walked over to where his parabatai was standing. Alec was propped up against a counter, holding himself upright, and the look in his eyes as he noticed Jace approaching was unfocused and dazed.
"Jace! Jace, parabatai, I missed you!" he called out, voice slurring, heedless of the people surrounding them. He pushed himself off and took a couple of stumbling steps towards Jace, who managed to catch him just before his legs gave out.
Now Jace was really worried. Despite Maia's concern that something was seriously wrong, he'd more or less expected to find Alec drowning his sorrows over his recent breakup, but this was very obviously something else. "Alec, talk to me - what's wrong?"
"Nothing’s wrong. I'm fine, you're fine, everyone's fine," Alec mumbled almost sleepily, resting his head against Jace's shoulder, his breath wafting hot and moist against his neck. His parabatai's not inconsiderable weight threatened to throw Jace off-balance, and with a curse he shifted them around so he could wrap an arm fully around Alec's waist while fishing for his stele with his free hand. Alec was no help whatsoever, but activating his strength rune helped, and Jace ran his stele over Alec's iratze for good measure.
However, instead of the familiar gold, the rune glowed red before returning to its normal black, confirming Jace's suspicion that some sort of magic was being worked on his parabatai. Sighing, he signaled Maia, who’d been watching them carefully, and asked her to call them a taxi, taking the time to thank her warmly for her help before hefting his parabatai into the car.
When they were in, Alec draped himself over Jace and seemingly nodded off immediately. Jace was about to tell the driver Magnus’s address, only to hesitate. Would his proud parabatai thank him if he involved his ex in what didn’t seem to be a life-threatening situation? Coming to a decision, Jace told the driver to wait a moment and took out his phone in order to make sure Caterina would be at home and not at work in the mundie hospital. The warlock sounded reserved, probably because she’d heard of the breakup, but she told Jace she’d be waiting for them.
The drive across town felt like an eternity. Jace kept prodding Alec and asking him questions, but his parabatai seemed barely conscious, sliding sideways until he was draped across Jace. When he did speak, it was unrelated to Jace’s increasingly worried promptings, his voice so low it rumbled through his chest. Jace could hardly understand him, but it appeared to be mumbled expressions of relief that Jace was here, repeating his earlier assertion that he’d missed him.
It made Jace’s heart clench painfully. Of course he’d known that Alec was glad when he’d returned with Clary and they managed to get rid of Jonathan and Lilith for good, but hearing it stated outright made him want to wrap himself around Alec and never let go. As it was, he settled on gently moving his parabatai’s hair out of his sweaty forehead, noticing that his entire body was radiating with heat. Sighing contentedly, Alec turned into his touch, pushing his face into Jace’s palm blindly and mumbling, “Do that again, feels nice.”
Although rationally Jace knew that this was just another symptom of whatever was wrong with Alec, he couldn’t stop a tender smile from spreading on his face as he repeated the gesture. Whatever was going on, a part of him was happy he got to have this moment, this proof that Alec still trusted him unconditionally, even when he wasn’t quite himself. They’d been spending more time together since they were both single again, but Jace knew he’d been holding something of himself back - not just from his parabatai but from everyone, ever since Lilith and the owl.
Before his thoughts could wander further down paths he didn’t particularly care to follow, they arrived at Catarina’s and he had to heft a loose-limbed Alec out of the cab and into the house. The warlock greeted them somewhat stiffly, until taking one look at Alec’s flushed face, when genuine concern replaced her formal politeness. She waved her hands over Alec’s body, tracing glowing lines of magic in the air around him.
Jace hesitated to interrupt her examination, but felt the need to explain, “When I tried to activate his iratze earlier, it glowed red. Maia, the bartender at the Hunter’s Moon, said she didn’t see anyone interfering directly with him, but something must have happened.”
“Someone slipped him a potion,” Catarina concluded, lowering her hands. Not that Jace had expected a simple solution, yet he couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed when there was no visible change in Alec’s condition. He remained semi-conscious in Jace’s grasp, only occasionally fidgeting slightly, usually to try and snuggle closer, if that was even possible.
Catarina took in the sight with a raised eyebrow, and Jace had to fight the urge to blush. Smiling wryly, the warlock nodded decisively and said in a way that struck him as disproprotionately casual, “Unfortunately the outcome can be fatal - and magic won’t help.” Jace’s heart dropped, but his protests were forestalled: “Fortunately, it seems the antidote for your parabatai’s condition is right here.”
“What do you mean?” Jace asked sharply, not in the mood to play games, not when he could feel Alec burning up in his arms. “Tell me what it is, I’ll pay any price you demand.”
“Oh, I don’t have the antidote,” Catarina replied cryptically. “All I can offer you is a room.”
“I… don’t understand. Just tell me what Alec needs!” As much as he tried to keep his composure, Jace was unable to keep his rising concern for his parabatai out of his voice, and the warlock’s eyes softened with something like pity.
Still, when she answered it was with business-like calmness: “If untreated, Alec will soon go into shock. You might have noticed that he’s been seeking physical contact from you - but he needs much more if he’s to recover.”
“Physical contact?” Jace stared, first at Catarina then at Alec, realizing what he should have suspected from the start. Such potions were rare but not unheard of, and Jace fought a surge of nausea. “You mean sex . Someone… someone wanted to… to rape Alec?”
“Possibly. Or maybe they wanted him to suffer before he succumbed to the effects.” Catarina winced, her professional mask cracking slightly as she laid a comforting hand on Jace’s arm, making him aware how tense he was, a mix of rage and terror threatening his composure. He almost missed Catarina’s next words: “We have to act quickly, but there should be time for me to contact Magnus - it would be awkward, considering their history, but I’m sure he’d be willing in order to save Alec’s life, if you can’t...”
“ No .” The word was out before Jace had time to think, and Catarina looked as taken aback by his emphatic denial as Jace felt. He couldn’t explain it, didn’t dare to waste time in analysing the reasons behind his instinctive reaction, but he knew he couldn’t stand the thought of someone else taking his place. Saving his parabatai was his responsibility, no one else’s, and everything else could wait until later, once Alec was safe. Tightening his hold on Alec’s limp form, Jace squared his shoulders and met Catarina’s thoughtful gaze head on. “I’ll do it. Just… show me where to take him.”
Still, despite his determined words, once the door to one of Catarina’s spare bedrooms closed behind them, Jace hovered uncertainly in the middle of the comfortably furnished room, until a groan from Alec brought him back to his senses. Setting his parabatai down on the bed proved to be something of a challenge, however, because the moment he attempted to detach Alec from his body, Alec suddenly shook off some of his stupor and clung to Jace with a strength that belied his state of semi-consciousness.
“Shhh…” Jace attempted to soothe him, but Alec’s grip remained vice-like, and his face distorted in a painful grimace, distressed noises escaping him. Finally, Jace resigned himself to half-falling onto the bed, pulling Alec with him. A sound that was half-chuckle, half-groan escaped him as his parabatai’s not inconsiderable weight ended up pinning him to the mattress. “Patience, patience, let me just…”
Rolling them over, he sat up, straddling Alec in the hopes that this was enough contact to satisfy this… curse, poison, or whatever it was. It did seem to do the trick, because after he’d pulled his sweater over his head, he realized Alec’s eyes were open and focused. Relief flooded Jace, much stronger than the unsettling realization that his parabatai’s gaze was roaming over his skin with a burning hunger Jace had never seen before. At least not so openly, although he half-remembered a much younger Alec quickly averting his eyes when they’d had occasion to change in front of each other. In any case Jace found he didn’t mind, not when it meant that Alec was alert, was getting better.
Still, he had to take a steadying breath before quickly unbuttoning Alec’s shirt. His fingers grazed bare skin, grinning helplessly when even that bit of contact made Alec sigh and arch upwards. Jace’s next touch was more purposeful, traveling over Alec’s chest as he pushed the fabric aside, wiry black curls catching between his fingers. This caused Alec to actually moan, and it was intoxicating, to affect another person so strongly.
No, not just any other person - it was Alec, the one person Jace had always known he could count on, who was staring up at him with blown pupils, flushed cheeks, teeth digging into his lower lip as if he wanted to eat Jace alive. Rubbing his thumbs over Alec’s peaked nipples, Jace noticed a not-inconsiderable length harden against his butt, making him realize he was also half-hard in his jeans.
The last of Jace’s qualms evaporated, and he leaned down to kiss his parabatai.
The moment their lips touched, it was as if a switch had been flipped, all passivity leaving Alec as they fell into each other. Strong arms wrapped themselves around Jace, and it was his turn to groan as Alec coaxed his mouth open with his tongue. They kissed hungrily, ravenously, and Jace tasted whatever Alec had been drinking. Dimly he wondered whether there were remnants of the potion there, too, only to dismiss the thought immediately. Catarina would have told him, he was sure of it, and anyway, he didn’t want to stop kissing Alec, especially since his parabatai’s large hands were currently traveling over the bare skin of his back. It was as if even in this Alec could read him like a book, as if their bodies recognized each other the way their souls did.
“Shit, Alec,” Jace gasped, tearing himself away. He needed a moment’s clarity, and much to his surprise his parabatai let him go, although his hands remained firm on Jace’s hips. Balancing himself with a hand against Alec’s chest, Jace could feel that his skin wasn’t quite so feverish anymore, and under his palm, Alec’s heart was beating, fast but steady. Worry lifted like a weight from his shoulders when Alec actually smiled up at him, and he heard himself saying softly, “Hey, hey, there you are.”
He didn’t expect a response, but Alec startled him by raising an eyebrow in wry amusement and replying in a near-normal tone, “Of course. Where else would I be?”
“So you’re not surprised to be half-naked in bed with me, in Catarina Loss’s house?” Jace laughed, feeling giddy with relief. Alec was obviously recovering - and he still hadn’t let go of Jace, the weight of his palms holding him securely. Warmth spreading through him, Jace leaned down and nuzzled his parabatai’s cheek. “Because I am.”
“In a bad way?” Alec inquired with a lazy smile, still completely relaxed. From this close, Jace could see that his eyes weren’t quite clear yet, which probably explained his unfazed attitude. A small knot formed in Jace’s stomach as he began to wonder whether this would last. However, he found himself shaking his head, and this time it was Alec who nuzzled him affectionately, murmuring, “Good.”
This time when their lips found each other, the kiss held little of their earlier frenzy. Instead it was warm and slow, more of an exploration, and one that Jace lost himself in with an ease that should worry him. He didn’t want to worry, though, didn’t want to waste this moment, this closeness that felt more intimate than anything he’d ever experienced before. Alec had always been his anchor, his light when he’d been trapped in the darkest places, and with every kiss, every caress of their bodies sliding against each other, Jace could feel their connection burning brighter.
It was sappy as hell, but while Jace had had quite a bit of sex, only with Clary, during their intense but shortlived relationship, had it ever felt like making love - and he wasn’t even having sex with Alec yet. He really, really wanted to, however, especially when Alec’s nimble archer’s fingers found his zipper and the flesh straining behind it. Groaning, Jace buried his face against Alec’s deflect rune and rocked into his parabatai’s grip. The motion caused his ass to rub over the hard line of Alec’s cock, and the noise Alec made sent shivers of anticipation over Jace’s skin.
Lifting his head, he stared intently into Alec’s hazel eyes. His parabatai’s pupils were blown, but his desire seemed natural, unclouded by artificiality. Alec met Jace’s gaze without wavering, and Jace found comfort in the familiarity of his parabatai’s presence, solid and warm. He relaxed into it, felt a smile curve his lips, one that Alec responded to after only a moment’s hesitation.
Alec’s fingers around Jace’s dick had stopped moving, but he didn’t move away, and Jace realized that Alec’s other hand had found the parabatai rune and was tracing it lightly. Somehow it was this small gesture that gave Jace the courage to ask, “Do you want this, Alec?”
“Of course.” The promptness of Alec’s reply was gratifying, as was the naked love shining in his eyes. “I’ve only wanted this since we were barely more than boys.”
“But not anymore?” Jace’s voice wavered uncertainly, but he forced himself not to look away, which was why he didn’t miss the blush colouring Alec’s cheeks.
It was already an answer, but Alec squared his jaw and said almost ruefully, “Always. Jace... I never stopped, although I tried - believe me, I tried.”
They shared a wry smile as years of history unwound between them. Then they were kissing again, and this time there was no stopping except to rid themselves of the rest of their clothes. Once naked, Alec covered Jace’s body with his, long limbs forming a cage that Jace never wanted to get out of. Slinging his legs around his parabatai’s slim hips, Jace rocked upwards, feeling their erections slide against each other clumsily, making them both gasp into each other’s mouths.
“Have you ever…” Alec’s voice was raspy and low, distracting Jace for a moment, before he managed to shake his head.
He fought back a blush, feeling uncharacteristically bashful. “I’d like to, though.”
This earned him another kiss, Alec seemingly intent on taking Jace’s breath away, literally as well as figuratively. When they broke apart, Alec tenderly pushed aside a lock of Jace’s hair that had fallen into his eyes.
“Me, too. Obviously.” Alec accentuated this with a slow roll of his hip and a smirk, before adding more seriously, “But maybe not in Catarina Loss’s spare bedroom, with Madzie down the hall.” Nodding, Jace pushed down a twinge of disappointment, only for Alec to grin and tease, “That doesn’t mean I want us to stop.”
With that Alec began to purposefully make his way down Jace’s body, eyes shining with amusement when Jace choked on a laugh. He loved this playful version of his parabatai while simultaneously being almost painfully turned on, even before Alec reached his destination. With a grin that bordered on triumphant, he pressed one last kiss to Jace’s parabatai rune, making him hiss. Maybe it was just Jace’s imagination, but the mark connecting them seemed to intensify every sensation, and when Alec wrapped his lips around Jace’s hard cock, he barely managed to suppress a shout.
Twisting his hands in the sheets, Jace tried to regain enough equilibrium to stop himself from coming embarrassingly quickly down his parabatai’s throat. As with all things, Alec was completely focused on the task at hand, lavishing his erection with attention while using one hand to fondle Jace’s balls and tease the skin behind them. His other was holding Jace down, for which Jace was grateful, not wanting to choke Alec when he relaxed his throat and took Jace in even further.
“Fuck, Alec ,” Jace breathed almost reverentially, causing Alec to chuckle, sending tingles shooting through Jace’s entire body. Suddenly he couldn’t stand being passive anymore, and he tugged at Alec’s shoulders. “Wait, wait, want you, too…”
Alec’s brow furrowed in confusion, but he pulled his mouth away obediently and remained hovering above Jace. Grinning, Jace began scooting around, manhandling Alec to his side. Understanding dawned, and Alec snorted in amusement, “Really? You don’t do things by half, do you?”
“And that is news to you?” Jace teased, twisting around to catch Alec’s gaze before positioning his hips by Alec’s head while blowing softly against the erection that was now right in front of him. It twitched slightly, and Alec moaned when Jace leaned closer, licking away a drop of pearly fluid. “Now, let’s see how this works…”
It took them a while, both prone to being distracted by the other’s attentions, but in the end they found a rhythm, their bodies falling into sync. It was exhilarating, similarly to a successful sparring session, except so much better, and Jace knew he’d never get enough.
Having to focus on sucking off Alec helped him to last longer, but he could feel his orgasm building and pulled off long enough to warn, “Alec, I…”
Predictably enough this didn’t deter his parabatai - on the contrary, he moved one hand from where it had been gripping Jace’s hip. Jace could feel two fingers move along his cock into Alec’s mouth, but the sensation lasted only a moment before Alec swiftly slid the moist digits down Jace’s cleft. Gasping in anticipation, Jace dug his fingers into Alec’s skin, and he dimly hoped he wasn’t hurting his parabatai.
Then Alec breached him, and all thoughts fled Jace, the pressure along with Alec’s renewed efforts to suck his brains out being more than he could stand. Jace was no longer in any shape to return the favor, and he rested his head on Alec’s thigh as he rode out one of the most intense orgasms he’d ever experienced.
Although it couldn’t possibly be comfortable, Alec kept his lips firm around Jace’s cock, swallowing quickly, and when he crooked his fingers, Jace swore as bright spots of pleasure zinged through the haze of his climax, so intense it was almost painful. Finally, the aftershocks subsided, and he winced slightly as Alec removed both fingers and mouth from Jace’s body, cold air hitting the heated flesh of his slowly softening cock.
Feeling boneless, Jace rolled over onto his back, closing his eyes as he struggled to catch his breath. Alec remained where he was, pressed against Jace’s side, his hands gently caressing his overheated skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. Once again he kissed Jace’s parabatai rune, and when Jace forced his eyes open, he found Alec gazing down at him with a tenderness that was almost overwhelming.
“I love you, parabatai.” The words escaped him before he could stop himself. It wasn’t the first time he’d said them, but they both knew what they meant now, and that changed everything.
Luckily, Alec didn’t keep him waiting, his lips curving in a smile like the sunrise after a long night. “I love you, too.”
His voice was soft but sure, and Jace’s heart fluttered. Sitting up, he scooted around, and Alec met him halfway for a hug that felt as comfortable and familiar as always - like safety, like coming home, like love . A sigh of pure relief escaped Jace, the last of his worry evaporating that they had somehow changed, ruined what they’d had. Of course it wouldn’t. Alec and him, they were unbreakable, and Jace closed his eyes and breathed in.
After a long moment, Alec shifted slightly without letting go, and Jace chuckled as the blunt head of Alec’s erection brushed his thigh, reminding him of the blowjob his orgasm had interrupted. Turning his head so he could nibble on Alec’s ear, He grinned when his parabatai stiffened, his breath stuttering on a half-swallowed moan.
“Let me take care of this,” Jace whispered huskily and inserted his right hand between their bodies. Wrapping his fingers around Alec’s not-inconsiderable length, he began to jerk him off, mirroring what he himself liked. Already he could feel precum pearling at the end, and he used it for lubrication, teasing Alec closer to the edge. Still, it was rather dry, and he switched hands so he could offer his right hand to Alec.
Understanding immediately, Alec proceeded to thoroughly wet his fingers and palm, making Jace groan and his spent cock twitch. Releasing his hand with a wet plop , Alec raised an amused eyebrow, and Jace determined that his parabatai was still entirely too coherent. Wrapping his hand firmly around Alec’s erection, he did his best to change that, licking and kissing along ears and neck when he remembered how Alec had reacted to his earlier nibbles.
His strategy succeeded. Alec’s breathing became more erratic, his embrace tighter, and when Jace tilted his head sideways and bit down at the base of Alec’s neck, he swore and bucked into Jace’s touch. Smirking, Jace continued his ministrations for a while longer, until he could feel that Alec was close.
Wriggling out of Alec’s arms, he quickly pushed his parabatai onto his back. Having the breath knocked out of him, Alec opened his mouth, doubtlessly to protest, but whatever he’d planned on saying, it turned into a loud “Fuck, Jace!” when Jace dove down and, with one last twist of his wrist, pressed his mouth against Alec’s parabatai rune, sucking hard enough to leave a mark.
As he’d hoped, this pushed Alec over the edge, his entire body stiffening and arching as he spilled himself over Jace’s fist and his own hard abs. His eyes were tightly screwed shut, a flush coloring his cheeks that went all the way down to his chest, as Jace noticed with fascination. He kept his right hand loosely around Alec’s cock, with his other he found one of Alec’s, entwining their fingers and smiling when Alec squeezed back tightly.
His eyes were open again, and when he tugged gently, Jace lay down obediently, their mouths finding each other in a slow, lazy kiss, the best kind of exhaustion spreading through them both. Still, Jace made himself get up long enough to wet a tissue in a basin with warm water that had mysteriously appeared on the nightstand, cleaning Alec gently while his parabatai watched him with tired eyes.
He was awake enough to admonish Jace when he wanted to drop the soiled tissue to the floor, but Jace didn’t mind, although he made sure to stick out his tongue and call Alec “an old fussbody.”
“Just being polite,” Alec corrected him without bite. “After everything, Catarina really shouldn’t have to clean up after us, magic or no.”
This reminded Jace of the reason for all of this, and he deposited the tissue in the rubbish bin with exaggerated care before joining Alec in bed. They owed the warlock a lot, but that could wait until tomorrow...
“Tomorrow we’ll have to hunt whoever dosed you, but there’s one thing I’m no sure of.” Jace drawled lazily, shifting until he’d found a comfortable resting place with his head on Alec’s shoulder. His parabatai hummed questioningly, and Jace gestured between them in way of explanation. “Whether we should punish or thank them. Because I might never have had the courage to do something about this otherwise.”
“I like to think that we would have gotten there - eventually,” Alec replied sleepily, and when Jace looked up, his parabatai was already drifting off, probably feeling the last aftereffects of the potion. Smiling, Jace grabbed a blanket from the foot of the bed. However, instead of covering them both as he'd planned, he hesitated before focusing inwards. Immediately the power inside of him answered his call, the world bathed in the by now familiar golden hue.
Looking down to where his hand was resting against his parabatai’s left flank, Jace assured himself that Alec’s iratze had taken on the warm glow that promised that the poison had truly dissipated, all signs of the unhealthy red gone. The warmth spreading through Jace, making him feel almost dizzy, could not solely be attributed to relief, however:
Beneath his palm, the parabatai was glowing softly, its light pulsing in time with their heartbeats.
