Work Text:
This wasn’t Alec; it couldn’t be. This person had to a fake. Someone sent to throw them off of their search for the real Alec, but Magnus knew that wasn’t true. This was Alec and this was real. And had hated it with every fiber of his being.
The hatred Magnus had for Valentine was outright abhorrence now. Whatever he did to Alec, his Alec, would be nothing compared to what Magnus would to do him. Magnus swore to both himself and to Alec.
Alec just sat there, not moving, staring at Magnus like a complete stranger. It was painful to be looked with such indifference from the person who just two weeks ago was talking about moving in with him. The memory made his eyes sting, but Magnus just shook his head and went back to work. If there was anyway to undo what Valentine it was Magnus’s job to find out.
For the most part, Magnus worked in silence. He took his time to carefully read through the Book of the White, his own speelbook, and everything in between he could get his hands on. Anything that he thought might hold some answer to helping Alec Magnus read and tried. But nothing was working. Just like when Valentine took Jace and Alec tried to use their bond to find him. Only this time, Alec was fully conscious and watching him like a hawk.
It unnerved Magnus more than he wanted to admit the way Alec just kept watching him. He silently sat there not saying word or making a sound. Even when Magnus went to stand next to him, in an attempt to try another spell, Alec didn’t move. Just continued to sit there and stare at him like he knew it wouldn’t work. Magnus wished he would stop, if only for a moment, so he could think clearly. But that wasn’t going to happen any time soon.
When Jace came in with another handful of books Magnus had asked for, neither of them said a word. They didn’t need. Jace could tell by the way Magnus was currently leaning against the wall, faced way from Alec, that nothing was working. And Magnus could tell by the way Jace had just thrown the books down the table that he was getting more and more frustrated with the situation. Nothing was working and neither of them had a clue how to change that.
Jace stayed in the room with them for awhile, wanting to be closer to his brother, hoping it would help somehow. Magnus was thankful for that. He didn’t feel so alone now and Alec was now looking at him instead, but he still wasn’t saying anything. Jace spoke to him though, knowing it wouldn’t do any good, but still trying. He talked about missions they had been on, stories from when they were kids, even about the time Jace walked in on Alec while he was jerking off.
Magnus smiled briefly; hearing stories about the man he loved was somewhat relaxing. It gave him a renewed energy and hope to figuring out how to help Alec. Something in one of these just had to have the answer to bringing Alec back to them. Back to Magnus. And he would do whatever it took to make that happen.