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"Be careful!" Jace shouts after him as he ran in the opposite direction, towards the building. A hoard of Dragonidae demons surrounded an apartment building. Jace, Clary and Simon battled together, spinning in a circle and protecting each other, catching blows moments before one of them would be hit. One of them jumped at Clary, it's long claws outstretched and wings wide, but before it could reach her, an arrow hit it in its chest and it veered off course.
"Thanks Alec." Clary called up to where he was perched on a nearby building. He ignored her, concentrating on killing as many demons as he could, but Kit caught the quick upwards hint of a smile on his lips.
Jace had told him to evacuate civilians off the street and underground, away from the demons, under the guise of a gas leak. When Kit had protested, Jace had insisted that it was the safest place for him and the most important job. Kit had agreed, and hurried to the other side of the street.
The tower buildings loomed above him, casting a shadow onto the makeshift battle field in the middle of the street. Kit told people to get into the underground, and dodged in between the crowds, guiding them. He ducked into an apartment building, as the security guard dashed out, to glamour himself, and heard him turn people away from the door because of the 'gas leak.'
As he was about to leave, there was a loud groaning from the building. He looked up, and watched, in shock, as the walls began to crack and crumble. He could still hear the great roars of the demons but they sounded much closer now, as if they were knocking the building down.
Without a thought, Kit rushed towards the door, but his foot caught on a loose bit of carpet and he went sprawling to the ground, just a couple metres from the door. Scrambling to his feet, he looked up through the glass, and saw Jace running forwards, towards him. He burst through the doors, just as the building fell, trapping him underneath.
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The second Kit had disappeared from Jace's sight, he pushed him out of his mind. Kit was a promising Shadowhunter; Jem had trained him well, and then, he had continued to fluorish under Jace's guidance. In a situation like this, he would thrive. If there was one thing Kit respected more than hunting demons, it was protecting innocent lives.
Jace loved the thrill of a fight. Falling into the familiar rhythm, with Clary and Simon on either side of him, and Alec raining arrows down onto the demons surrounding them, he felt in control. The splash of ichor burned and the scratches from the claws felt like fire, but Jace fought through the pain, long since dissensitised to it.
After a short while, more Shadowhunters arrived on the scene, and Jace spotted Isabelle arrive with Magnus, her electrum whip glinting as it cut through the air. With the extra help, they dispatched the remaining demons quickly, with only a few minor injuries amongst them. He turned and saw Clary drawing an iratze on Simon's arm, and watched as a large cut healed, along with the burns and scratches.
"There's more!" Someone shouted, and Jace spun, twisting the sword in his hand to get a better grip, his other hand at his belt, reaching for a seraph blade. The remaining dragonidae demons were on an apartment building, and with a jolt, Jace realised that Kit had ran that way.
He lurched forwards, sprinting as fast as he could, ignoring the shouts behind him, though he did hear Clary following him. Giving her no time to catch up, he kept going, but the dragonidae demons were attacking the tower. With every thud, and scratch, it shook, and seemed to crumble. The building was going to collapse, and Jace could only hope that Kit managed to get free.
The closer he got, the more frantically he scanned the area. The demons were attacking the tower full force, and if Kit was in there, there was no way he could get out in time. With a loud bang, the doors burst open and Jace felt relief stronger that he had ever felt before, as he watched Kit run out. However, it was short-lived. In horror, and helplessness, he watched as the tower fell, breaking into blocks of concrete that landed on Kit.
He might have yelled, or gasped; he wouldn't know. There was a ringing in his ears, everything seemed far away. The only thought in his mind was "Kit" over and over. He knew he had to get there. Stumbling forwards, he staggered towards the rocks. He felt a hand on his arm and he looked to see Clary there, her face pale and eyes wide. Together, they reached the concrete, and began to sift through, moving whatever blocks they could.
Jace didn't know how long had passed. To him, it was hours, thought he supposed it could have only been moments, before the others joined him. Without a word, Izzy, Simon and Alec began to help moving the rubble. Magnus stood back, and after warding the area from Mundanes, used his magic to remove the heavier pieces, one at a time, and carefully piling them elsewhere.
They were talking around him, but he was underwater. He couldn't hear a thing, and the longer he went without knowing whether Kit was okay, felt like he was losing oxygen, and if they didn't find him soon, he would drown. He cursed himself. Kit was his responsibility, and instead of protecting him, Jace had sent him away. Now, he could be dead, or buried alive under rubble with no idea that Jace was trying to save him.
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Kit gasped, inhaling a moutful of dust and choking. There was a stabbing pain in his head, and his chest, and maybe it was everywhere, but he had to be alive. He couldn't move at all; but his brain still worked, and he began to panic. Trapped under a building, with no one to help him, his brain started to play every possible scenario, but none of them ended well. If he stayed there, he would run out of oxygen, but he couldn't move at all to free himself.
His breaths started to get more shallow and he wheezed, pitifully. He allowed himself to to think of one last apology to his family, before he ran out of air, black spots in his vision.
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"Kit? Can you hear us?" Simon called, as he pulled the rocks away, and strained his ears for an answer. Jace didn't know why he bothered; Kit wouldn't have the oxygen to talk.
Izzy bit her lip, worriedly, and her eyes were glistening with unshed tears, as she moved every slab of concrete she could. Clary was a short distance away from him, pulling things out of the way, determinedly.
"Here!" She cried, revealing a hand poking through the debris. Magnus used magic to lift the rocks, and revealed a body. It wasn't Kit. It was a woman, maybe in her thirties, brown hair grey with dust, and she was dead; her neck snapped at an odd angle.
Jace stepped back, images of Kit in that position brought to the forefront of his mind; bony limps snapped, blood trickling down his forehead, his neck hanging to the side. He threw up in the road, away from the destruction, and Alec was there at his side within seconds.
"Jace. Pull it together; we need to find Kit. He needs you, okay?" Alec's hands gripped his shoulders, bringing him back to the situation. He nodded, and they went back to the collapsed building. Mundanes were starting to gather around, but they couldn't see Magnus lifting the rocks with magic. Simon and Clary had removed the woman from the wreckage, and laid her metres away, with a sheet laid delicately over her body.
With the realisation that Jace had to find Kit before he ended up in the same state, he moved forward and removed the rocks with more vigour. The longer they were there, the less hopeful Jace become, but the more energy he put into digging through the rubble.
He moved one from the pile, and gasped. The familiar blonde of Kit's wavy hair was revealed, and he threw the rock to the side.
"He's here!" He shouted, as he pulled the rocks away from his body. Kit didn't stir, but as soon as the rocks were removed from his chest and stomach, he leant down, desperately trying to find a breath, whilst Clary checked for a pulse.
"He's alive." She murmured and he nodded, feeling a slight breath on his cheek.
"He won't be for long; we need to get him to the Infirmary." Jace said. Magnus came forward, placing a hand on his shoulder, and lifted Kit using magic. It enveloped him in a purple mist, preventing him from being jostled or injured further. Together, they stepped through a portal and into the grounds of the New York Institute.
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When Kit next awoke, the first thing he noticed was the lack of rubble on his body. The crushing weight was no longer there, and he blinked open his eyes, to see the arched ceiling of the Infirmary at the Institute. He had been there often enough to recognise it at once, and he sighed with relief that he was alive.
In a painful movement, he looked to the side, to see Jace in the chair beside his bed. His head was in his hands and it looked like he had dozed off. Kit grinned, then winced slightly. The weight may have been gone, but he was still sore and aching. A groan left his lips before he could stop it, and immediately Jace shot up.
"Kit?" He asked, blinking sleep away.
"Hey. You missed me?" Kit joked, laughs turning into coughs. Jace frowned, passing him some water.
"Take it easy. The iratzes couldn't take care of most of the damage, so Magnus helped, but you're still healing." Kit took a sip, through the straw, gratefully.
"What injuries did I have?" He asked, as Jace took the water back and placed it on the bedside table.
"Where to start?" Jace said, though there was the lack of his usual humour in his voice. "A cracked skull, broken ribs, broken arms and legs, you inhaled a lot of dust so that wasn't fun for your lungs, oh and you died. Catarina managed to bring you back with some electric shock thing they do at the hospitals."
"I died?" Kit repeated, eyes wide. Jace placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"The important part is that you're going to be okay now."
"Were you worried?" Kit grinned.
Jace considered it for a moment. "Yes. I was worried that you'd pull through and I'd have to deal with you following me around forever."
"Don't worry, if I die, I'd still do that, just as a ghost." Kit smirked.
"Well, I'm glad I can't see them." He paused. "Seriously, kid, I'm glad you're okay."
"Thanks." Kit blushed, and Jace gently smoothed the hair from his forehead.
"Now it's time for you to entertain your family for a while; they've been waiting for you to wake up."
"You called them." Kit groaned, "I'm fine! They didn't have to know."
"It was touch and go for a while, Kit. I had to tell them." He sighed. "Don't ever do that again."
"What? Doing what you told me to do."
"Yes." Jace said, leaving the room.
"No problem." Kit called, leaning back on his pillow, a soft smile on his face.