duplicitymemes | TDM #17

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«tdm

TDM #17

« « « TEST DRIVE MEME » » »

« « « ALL ON DISPLAY

It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. Yet, solace is found in the lies we tell each other, comforted by the peace of knowing that we're not alone in our depravity, and once on this path, sin itself becomes the lesser of two evils masked in a cloud of normalcy.

This is how Duplicity has functioned since the beginning. The divide of power and social standing is overt in that Dominants influence the decisions made both publicly and privately while Submissives cater to the rules presented to them. It is the way of Duplicity to assign random designations at birth with no leeway in altering what has been given. Climate in the Up is far stricter than that of the Down; violating outlined personas for a Dominant or Submissive while in full view of others is punished by degree of infraction. In the Down, many tend to turn a blind eye to these sorts of offenses.

To counteract the discovery of the Deceit Gene – a natural "negative" response to all stimuli – the L.I.E.S. program was founded. The program had been designed to introduce new subjects to the current environment and test for the Deceit Gene through immersion in Duplicity's standing society. Sexual impulses and encounters increase the chances of detecting the gene within these individuals. Participants are typically released from L.I.E.S. after a year; however, results have remained unsatisfactory and testing still continues.

... and you're here! Finally! Welcome to Duplicity.

After choosing a door and stepping through to the other side, the first thing that greets you are the enthusiastic faces of people in medical scrubs and pristine lab coats. Their enthusiasm translates to eagerness as they strip you of your clothes to perform a thorough examination—you will be healed, bathed, and given a clear plastic top and pants along with clear plastic boots to wear until your items can be processed and delivered to your residence later in the evening. You are also given a device that accesses the network as well as the time and location of orientation.

If you enter Duplicity into the Up, congratulations! You're a Dominant, which means you are immediately picked up by a limo after processing and taken to your high rise. Here, it is two Dominants per floor with separate apartments. If you enter Duplicity into the Down, congratulations! You're a Submissive, which means you are directed towards public transportation with the address of the motel you'll be living in. Here, it is two Submissives per room with a shared common space for all rooms.

Enjoy your free time until orientation! Participation is mandatory by all new and old arrivals.

The weather is rather wet and rainy. Very, very rainy.

» » » ALL ABOARD

It's time for the monthly Duplicity train tour. Seats are in pairs and randomly assigned to Dominants and Submissives alike. Traveling from Fiddler's Square, the train journeys through various parts of the Up, showcasing society and examples of lifestyle. Along the way, frequent stops are made; a variety of passengers can be seen exiting and entering the doors. A Dominant with a kneeling Submissive takes a seat near the front of the train at one stop. A small group of Submissives board and sit closer to the LIERS at another, all seemingly content in their roles. As the tour continues through the Up, the train passes close to the Market and White Wall Bridge and zips by North Park before heading into the Down and bypassing Red Wall Bridge and South Park.

The train makes a "final" stop at Riddler's Square, where inhabitants of the Down are instructed to return to their temporary housing. Those who live in the Up are permitted to stay on the train and revisit the same locations while returning.

« « « RAIN RAIN GO AWAY

(cw: aphro, dub-con, violence, marking)

Ice and chilly weather have begun to give way to rain instead, with overcast skies and dark clouds a seemingly constant sight. While the overabundance of rain is an annoyance and comes with the usual series of problems, such as leaky ceilings, mold growth, and gutters or storm drains overflowing, this time the rain carries with it another problem altogether. A weather advisory warning is broadcast to every device, as well as on news networks and radio. The rain, at least for a few days, is not ordinary rain. Whether you're in the Up or the Down, when the water hits clothing it eats away at it. The more water it absorbs, the more the material disintegrates until the wearer is left naked.

When the rain comes in contact with skin (or is ingested) the effects seem to differ depending on where you are in Duplicity. In the Up, it's relatively harmless and merely has an aphrodisiac effect, leaving individuals feeling hot and bothered, more sociable and touchy feely.

Those in the Down, however, are not so lucky. As the rain seeps through the soil from the Up, it ends up laced with toxins, causing a range of less pleasant side effects for anyone unfortunate enough to come into contact with it. Aside from the aphrodisiac, those who get caught in the rain may develop an uncomfortable, itchy rash, leaving them looking rather spotty for a few days. Those who can't resist scratching at themselves will find a newfound pleasure to the relief it brings and start to crave the feeling or sight of similar marks. In worst case scenarios, individuals will become addicted to marking themselves and others, perhaps even to the point of breaking skin.

Effects may last for several hours after exposure and will stack with repeated exposures. In all cases, getting off will bring temporary relief but will not alleviate the symptoms entirely.

Plastic coverings seem to be unaffected by the rain and, as word spreads, the Natives in Duplicity form a mad rush buying up umbrellas. Unless a character is lucky, they may find themselves unable to purchase - or even borrow - one. Theft of umbrellas becomes widespread in the Down, often escalating to violence, and even the Up isn't safe from thugs trying to steal and resell this suddenly hot commodity.

There's another side to all of this, however. Due to the shortage of umbrellas, it isn't uncommon to see Dom/Sub pairs sharing umbrellas together. If anything, it's encouraged as a means to strengthen their bond. Enterprising Subs and Doms alike may even sell their "services" to escort individuals who would otherwise end up soaked.

« « « SUPPLEMENTAL INCOME

(cw: substance abuse, altered states, coercion, fluids, physical body changes)

A new "holistic" pharma company named SQuIRT is opening up in Duplicity and is paying a pretty penny for people to trial run their new line of supplements. These supplements are supposed to increase a person's vitality and energy levels, but the side effects are what the company is really looking out for.

Some of the side effects aren't so bad and could include:

Prolonged erections
Lactation in both men and women
Size enlargement of breasts or genitals
Copious amounts of ejaculate or sexual fluids
Sudden interest in previously unexplored kinks

While others might find their own reaction to be a little more severe:

Shrinkage of breasts, genitals, or entire being
Inability to cum
Uncontrollable hair growth or hair loss
Temporary loss of one or more senses
Spontaneous weeping

Subjects must take the supplements for at least a week, otherwise they'll receive no compensation for their troubles. All new arrivals will find themselves automatically enrolled in these trials, whether they want to be or not, and expected to report to the clinic. Of course they don't have to take the supplements, but the payout is certainly enticing, especially for those unfortunate enough to be branded Submissives.

« « « STICKY FINGERS

(cw: violence)

Crime runs rampant in the Down as always but now, with the nastier side effects of the rain creating an ongoing problem, some unsavory types are sneaking their way into the Up where the effects aren't so hazardous.

The result is an uptick in crime in places that are usually considered safe. Be careful how you carry yourself - and your valuables. Those who look like easy pickings may find their pockets empty. Cameras in public areas are being vandalized as well, while homes and businesses are seeing a rise in graffiti. Most of the graffiti is merely obscene, but some is outright seditious. Good luck explaining the latter to the authorities if you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

One of the smaller gangs that has a presence in the Down is taking particular advantage of the rain's disruption to expand their territory into the Up. Known as the Bulldogs, their members are young men and they have a reputation for violent muggings and assaults - mainly targeting Submissives. They loiter in groups near the train and the elevator between the Up and the Down to ambush the alone and unwary. At night, they also prey on those walking home from bars or clubs who may not fully have their wits about them.

In addition to beating up their victims for money, some of the Bulldogs are engaging in an informal competition over who can steal the most umbrellas - with bonus points awarded for whatever else they feel like. LIERs are worth double points by default, so watch out!

« « « MOD & OOC NOTES

Please read carefully.

On each Test Drive Meme, there will be a section noting character roles; these will vary each TDM. On an IC level, characters will still have gone through the doors but assignments OOCly are still randomized. When applying, there is a section of the application that denotes whether the character chooses "left" or "right". When participating on the TDM, there will be a third option. Players may link either a top level or a thread (five or more comments from their character) from the TDM and title the link as "Door Pass". This means that the player is choosing to take the designation that they were randomly assigned on the TDM, rather than taking the designation of a door. If the player decides to select a door rather than use the pass, then they are trying their luck; they may get the same designation they had on the TDM or the opposite. Once the application is submitted, players can't change their choice.

To assign roles to characters for this TDM, use the following guide:

Players can choose whether to assign their character as a Dominant or Submissive on this TDM for the Door Pass for March Applications only. For May's Application round, threads started here may be used as samples however they will not be eligible for a Door Pass in May. Characters will need to use a thread from May's TDM, using those Door Pass rules, for an application after the March round.

To Note: Characters can only swap their designation for one of the following reasons: an event occurs that allows it or there are OOC reasons that make it a necessity. Any swap always requires mod approval and each character can only ever switch once. Characters that are being reapped will keep their previous designation but players can choose to use new TDMs with different designations for fun!

THERE WILL BE NO APPLICATION ROUND IN APRIL

Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have a good time!!

» » » MAIN NAVIGATION « « «

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Jace's face was red and he greatly appreciated that Alec was keeping his eyes up above his neck. He didn't think he'd ever been so grateful that Alec was taller and broader across the shoulders.

"Not okay. Very not okay, Alec." He hadn't realized how cold he was until he actually got in out from the rain, and he shivered, even though he felt flushed. Great. He was probably going to catch a cold. Jace looked up, studying Alec, and noticing the same mark on Alec's throat that was on his. "Well fuck. You got the mark too?"

Jace shook his head. "Izzy? Are you kidding me? Is she okay?"

Alec's face was still red, but he wasn't looking, and he relaxed a notch when Jace was covered with the jacket at least.

He winced slightly. "Yeah. That's ... kind of how everyone feels when they get here. I'm sorry." Alec reached up to to touch the mark at his throat. "Yeah. Izzy too ... I guess Duplicity isn't crazy about Shadowhunters."

He sighed inwardly. "She's fine. She hasn't been here long. I got here about six months ago, she's been here a few weeks. She's still getting used to how it is, but she's safe. We stay with Magnus Bane, if you know him. He's my - Dominant." There's a faint hesitation before the word, easy to miss.

Jace snorts. "Yeah? Did everyone get sedated because they tried to fight off the labcoats, too? Or get stuck in weird rain that is... kind of itchy, actually?" He frowned a little, rubbing at the back of his hand.

He sighed, seeing Alec's mark and shaking his head. "I mean. I guess? This place is all kinds of odd, Alec, I still have a hundred new rules I'm supposed to follow in my head."

He blinks at that news, but if he was expecting Jace to be horrified- either by the implication Alec has a relationship if some kind with Magnus, or that he's living with Magnus, he's sorely disappointed. "Well. I mean, you canceled your wedding and walked off the altar to go kiss him, you've been dating for mont-" He stopped, pausing, rewinding the conversation. "Wait. Six months? But I just... talked to you on the phone like... today." He sighed and reached up to rub his temples.

"Alec. This place is giving me a headache."

"Yeah," Alec said. "The rain, no. But the sedation. And there were weird mushrooms everywhere when I showed up." And monsters that arose from their own psyche and clawed Alec and chased Magnus. But nothing like that was happening right now, so Alec could keep that quiet.

"It takes time to get used to. And sometimes the rules change and then change back. It's a lot to take in Jace. But I'll help you. Magnus can help too," Alec promised.

Alec stilled at that, face going blank. Wedding? Dating he'd guessed a bit from Isabelle. But all of that together made no sense. Who was he supposed to marry? "Time can be different here," he explained, a little woodenly as he processed. "Isabelle remembers things from home that I haven't lived through, I guess you're the same way."

He half smiled. "What room did they give you? You can shower off whatever's in the rain and change and then I'll take you back to Magnus'." It was going to get crowded at this point.

Jace looked a little wide-eyed and panicked still, finally pulling the hood down off his head and trying to shake the water off, without getting it on himself or Alec.

"Alec. We don't need to get used to it, we need to get out of here, and get back home!" He didn't want to stay.

He saw the way Alec went still though. He knew his parabatai. That was the whole, trying to process face. "Apparently. Clary is from before I am. From the look on your face, yeah, so are you. It's fine, Alec. I swear. It's fine. We're fine."

He checked his network device again and showed Alec his room assignment. "I just want my stele, honestly. Okay, and clothes." He made a face. "Awesome. Living with Magnus again. At least this time it's not because I got kicked out of the Institute."

Alec grimaced. "Six months, Jace," he repeated. "Magnus has been here two and a half years. You think if there was a way to get home he wouldn't have found it? There's hundreds of powerful people here. None of them have found a way to come and go when they want. It's all just when the city takes you or when they let you go. No one knows how it happens or why. We all get the same story when we show up, and all Submissives get sent here. Dominants get sent to the Up."

Alec looked at him. Jace apparently knew he was dating Magnus ... which he guessed he was doing at home. After walking out on a wedding to who knows who. And he didn't seem to care, which ... Alec expected. Deep down he hadn't really thought Jace or Izzy would turn on him for liking men. It was more complicated than that.

But knowing that was a world away from knowing what Duplicity was like, or what Alec was like in Duplicity. He'd started to forget to be ashamed here, but Jace showing up, more than Izzy, reminded Alec that in the eyes of most people he'd ever known - he had reason to be.

He put off talking about any of that in favor of a question. "Who the hell is Clary?"

He glanced at the room and nodded. "This way," he said, turning to lead Jace toward his room. He couldn't help asking though. "... you lived with Magnus?"

Jace just stopped and stared at Alec mid-step, the reality of it slowly starting to actually sink in. "We can't go home?" he whispered. "I'm... supposed to live like this? Obey anyone who doesn't have a mark, do whatever depraved thing they tell me to do, worry about getting drugged every time I eat or drink or walk in the fucking rain?" Jace asked, the horror rising in his expression. "Angel, Alec, how do you stand it!?"

Jace was distracted from his horror when Alec asked about Clary and he groaned. "Great. Fuck. You don't know about... any of that. It's a long story, Alec. You don't like her, turns out she's my sister, oh and Valentine is back and he happens to be my dad. Surprise," he said grimly.

He made a face at Alec. "Not like that, he doesn't like me... like that, and you'd probably stab me if I tried. I got kicked out of the Institute by the current Director, who is up to some shady shit, Alec, let me tell you. I don't exactly have a lot of friends in the Downworld. Magnus let me stay with him. Don't worry, I stay out of you and his way."

Alec shook his head. "Someday, maybe," he said quietly. "But if so, it probably won't be just because we want to. Unless someone suddenly figures it out after all this time." He grimaced. "No, not always. I - it's not all bad. There's good people, some of them Dominants. Once you have one, they'll mostly be able to protect you from anyone else trying to give you orders, and your contract can be written so you can get a job, buy things, move around the city." He could stand it because he liked it. He didn't like that the system was inherently abusive. He didn't like that there were times you had no options and no warnings. But he liked the freedom he had to be himself. He liked the people he had IN his life here. He liked sex and he liked that the Clave wasn't looming behind him like a responsibility he was always doomed to disappoint.

But he shouldn't be able to stand it. To Jace, it was all horrific, and Alec would be part of the problem.

He didn't answer, taking the change in topic.

"Why wouldn't I like your sister? And Valentine is your - what?" None of that made any sense.

"I didn't mean like that!" Alec protested quickly. Because he never would have implied it. Alec might think Magnus was beautiful enough for anyone to want, but Jace had no interest in men. Magnus was definitely a man. "Maybe you're not just from a different time, maybe it's a different reality. That happens too. Ragnor Fell is here, and he's from a different reality." Not that it seemed to matter when it came to how well he and Magnus knew one another. "It would explain why nothing you say makes sense."

Jace did not look like Alec was convincing him of anything. "Wow. I get permission to live my life, how generous," he said sarcastically. "I just have to suck up to someone for the duration of a contract during which they have complete control of my life, and who I sleep with. Sounds fun." It did not sound fun. It sounded terrifying, because Jace was pretty sure they'd made him a submissive because they knew him, and knew his secrets. Secrets he didn't need Alec and Izzy and Clary and Magnus knowing. This was terrible.

"You don't like her because she's Valentine's daughter, mostly, from what I can tell." He grimaced. "Also, I didn't know she was my sister at first, so that got awkard when we found out." He sighed. "Yeah. He lived a double life. Valentine, and Michael Wayland."

Jace gave Alec a weird look. "I know that? I mean, don't get me wrong, Magnus is hot and all, but he's yours, and he'd probably set me on fire anyways." He frowned. "Maybe? Mostly it seems to be time, but I guess it doesn't matter either way in the long run. My rune still reacts to you? So does that mean you're my Alec, or it doesn't know the difference?"

Alec didn't visibly flinch, but he looked away. "They have to have contracts too, Dominants. And you're allowed to see it and read it before you sign, so you know what you're getting into. Sometimes they need a Sub and you figure out something that works for both of you and they don't ask you for anything. Magnus can help you find someone, or if he can he can take you on too until you do. He's not going to tell you what to do."

Valentine's daughter. Jace's sister. Valentine and Michael Wayland were the same person. It all sounded like half-formed ideas from a story Alec had never heard. And he didn't like any of it.

Alec did flinch a little at that, but caught himself quickly, teeth gritting. "I don't know, maybe it's close enough to be similar so we can still feel each other. But I'm pretty sure it's not the same."

They got to Jace's room and Alec steps aside to let him open the door, then hovers in the doorway behind him, letting him find his clothes and stele.

Jace opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped, because Alec looked... off. Like he was uncomfortable with Jace. Instead of this place.

When Alec denied it, implied that they weren't really parabatai though, that shut Jace up completely, and he deflated visibly. "Oh," he said quietly. "Well. I guess I shouldn't bug you with my whining then. Sorry."

He looked around the room. It was fine. It was plain and worn, but it was serviceable. He'd probably be fine here. He could just hide out in his room, and avoid any Dominants. It would be super. He sure as hell wasn't going to accept charity.

Jace found his clothes, and his stele and sword. And the damn ring, sitting on the table right by the bed, making him grimace. "I'll... uh. Shower. Be right back." He grabbed his clothes, leaving his stele and other things behind. Alec wouldn't let anyone mess with them. Even if it wasn't. His Alec.

Alec hadn't meant that. Jace was still Jace, still his parabatai, he could still feel him. It didn't matter if he was from a universe one door down. But there just ... had to be a little bit of difference.

He gave Jace a baffled look. "What are you talking about? Tell me whatever you want. You just got here, you're going to have questions and be pissed off. I get it." It just reminded him that he wasn't angry enough, probably, and Jace would disapprove.

He nodded. "I'll be here. The hot water doesn't last long in this building, just a warning." Alec remembered that well enough.

Jace tilted his head. "Why? If we're not really each other's parabatai, why would you want to listen to me? I'm not a charity case," he said stiffly.

He shook his head and shrugged. "Cold shower would probably do me some good right now," he said bluntly, and headed into the tiny bathroom to clean up. He washed up, scrubbing all his skin carefully, and then rinshed the rain gear off and left it to drip dry in the bathroom over the drain. He shrugged into his clothes, and then stepped back out to the room.

He put his stele in his pocket, and the ring in his jacket, and the sword hilt in the belt that had still been in his jeans. Finally, he felt a little more like himself, and slicked his hair back, sitting on the bed heavily, and putting his head in his hands for a long minute. "Alright. Tell me what else I need to know," he finally said.

Alec made a dismissive sound. "You're my parabatai. I felt the minute you showed up. You just might be from a slightly different universe. You're still Jace. Just maybe a difference or two."

The bald statement had Alec blushing, but luckily Jace had already left, so he didn't see.

Alec texted Magnus and Izzy while he waited and hesitated, but didn't text John. It was a longer conversation than he wanted to have in texts.

When Jace came back, Alec pockets the device and watched him, frowning as he cradled his head. "You've got the basics from what they told you. What else do you want to know? The food they serve here in the cafeteria's usually fine - makes the Institute seem gourmet though. But anything at an event or on the street, be careful of. Talk to people if you don't end up contracting with Magnus. Find someone who you can get along with." Alec sighed. "And don't bother trying to keep anything secret. This place knows everything, and once in a while it just puts it up on the network for you."

Jace blinked at Alec, confused all over again. "So. Wait. We are, or aren't, because you're making it sound like it doesn't matter and now it does?" He grimaced. "I felt it as soon as I woke up here. It's why I fought them so hard. I couldn't tell if something was wrong with you or not."

Jace sighed. "So the food, air, water, almost anything can be drugged, especially if it's an event put on by the city, which I'm guessing is usually mandatory in some way anyways? Besides the required... quota," he said, making a face. "I'm pretty sure Magnus is not going to want to contract me, he doesn't like me THAT much. Also, wouldn't that bother you?" Jace asked, confused a little that Alec was so casual about Jace being contracted to Alec's boyfriend. Lover. Dom. Whatever.

The last bit though, made his face go white and his shoulders tense up. "What? What do you mean? What secrets?"

"We are, or we wouldn't feel each other. I just think it might be ... I don't know. Slightly different realities. Things like that happen here. It's not enough that you're not still Jace and I'm not still me, or we wouldn't be bonded." Alec shook his head. "I'm fine. It's been ... I couldn't feel anything but I could feel where you weren't. Like always reaching for you but never finding you. Magnus helped dull it until you showed up, but I still felt it."

Alec shrugged. "Not the air, usually. And not all the city events are mandatory. Some are." Alec looked just to the left of Jace. "You don't have to sleep with someone you contract with. Most people do - it makes quota easier. But you don't have to. Ragnor is contracted with Magnus and he doesn't. Izzy too." He didn't answer the second part.

Alec saw that pale tension. "I don't know. You never know what they'll pick. Some people, it outs that they're not human. Some people get their histories plastered on the network. I-" Alec stopped and then sighed, since Jace obviously knew if he was somehow dating Magnus at home. He wondered who else Magnus was dating there. "It told everyone I was attracted to men when I hadn't told anyone that before. Not out loud, Izzy had figured it out once. You can't really know what it'll pick up on or say."

Jace frowned slightly. "So. Do we act like we are, or we aren't?" Jace knew which he would prefer. It felt like Alec. Maybe from different times in their lives, but it was still Alec. But he wasn't going to force it, either. He unconsciously let his hand move to hover over where his bond rune was, but left it alone for the moment.

Jace wasn't stupid. He'd known Alec nearly his whole life. He maybe didn't catch every single clue about everything all the time, but he knew an evasive, shifty Alec when he saw one. He narrowed his eyes a little as he listened to Alec talk. "But you do," Jace finally said quietly, as he strung things together. "You don't mind it here," he finally said, his tone oddly flat.

Jace shrugged a shoulder. "It wasn't exactly... a surprise. At the wedding, I mean. It was kind of a relief, actually, you were marrying Lydia for all the wrong, very stupid reasons, so Izzy and I were both glad about it. Your mom was more pissed about it being a Downworlder than Magnus being male."

He swallowed, hard, running a hand over his face. "So. What. Confess your secrets before the city does it for you? Fuck."

"We are," Alec said. "We'd know if we weren't. There just might be a few differences." Like this Jace being less than straight, unless he was just ... talking.

Alec went stiff, expression shutting down into the kind of stony disapproval he tended to default to when he was feeling too much and didn't know how to shut it down well enough. It wasn't a face he made often here anymore, but Jace didn't know that. It was one he'd seen a lot around Clary, in the early days of meeting her, in Jace's timeline. "I didn't say that."

He wanted to ask why Jace was so surprised or dismayed that Alec slept with Magnus here, if he was dating him, had turned down ... Lydia Branwell for him? (He couldn't add on thinking about how his mother reacted right now. That was for later anxiety.) But Alec didn't.

He just shrugged. "That's what most people say to do. You can take your chances, you might get lucky. The upside is that no one here really cares. They've all seen what gets said. Mostly they just say the people who write it are dicks and are ... nice to you about it."

"Okay." He took a deep breath, some relief obvious on his face. "Okay. Good. Because I honestly don't know how to act around you otherwise. You're... the one constant in my life right now. Even back home."

Jace arched a brow and then he smiled a little, seeing that stern stupid look. His smile was gentle, not mocking, the one he saved just for Alec. "No. But you're not denying it either, and you're going all stiff and starchy, so." He tilted his head. "Why? Are you worried I'm going to be mad or something?"

It wasn't about like men, or sleeping with men. That wasn't Jace's issue. It was being drugged into it, tricked into it, ordered into it. Hell. Jace liked sex. He liked sex a lot. He liked sex more than he thought was normal, actually, but that was another issue.

"Fuck," Jace said, under his breath. "So if I don't tell. It'll come out. And you'll see it anyways? You. And Izzy? And Magnus? Pretty much anyone I know here?" Jace bit his bottom lip, rocking a little in place, clearly freaked out by that idea.

"You've known me since we were kids. You know how to act around me," Alec said.

Alec grimaced, arms folding over his chest. "You hate everything you hear about this place. I didn't think you'd exactly love that I didn't feel the same way." He had reasons. And there were things he hated about it. He just didn't know how to exactly explain. Or if he should.

"We can try not to look. But sometimes it's hard not to. Someone will mention it, or you'll look upset and we'll want to know why ..." Alec shrugged. "If you tell me not to look at something, I won't."

"Yeah, but not with this whole, different timeline, different universe bullshit? Ugh. It makes my head hurt. So I'm going to ignore it. Don't care. You're my parabatai, period. Problem solved," Jace said firmly.

Jace made a face and sighed. "Alec. I literally just got here, got stripped down, got told I am going to have to let someone control my life within three months, and I have to have required sex with people on a regular basis or I get punished." He spread his hands out, looking helplessly at Alec. "I haven't found anything to like yet." He scrubbed his hand over his face. "If you have? Okay. That's... it sounds odd to me, but you're not stupid, and you have excellent judgement. So explain it to me. Maybe it will help me? Or don't, if it's too private." He had no idea how he felt about hearing about Alec's maybe sex life. He had a feeling the answer is complicated.

Jace smiled wryly. "Thanks. But I mean, once it's out. It's kind of out, right? Even if you don't read it, someone's probably going to be like, oh hey, I heard you're best friend likes to be used as-" he stopped and cut himself off, and shut up quickly. "There was definitely something in that fucking rain, Alec."

"Yeah. That's easiest. Magnus and Ragnor are from entirely different realities and if you spend five minutes in a room with them, you'd never know it," Alec said dryly.

"I know," Alec said. "I'm not expecting you to to just drop in and love it. No one does. I didn't either. I still don't. Most people hate the rules, the system." He shrugged uneasily. "The reasons I like it aren't really going to help you out, Jace."

Alec straightened from where he leaned against the wall, more for something to do than anything else. "Yeah. It's worse in the Down. In the Up it's just a little ... it'll just turn you on a little if you're out in it for too long. It won't eat through your clothes." He wondered how Jace had been about to finish that sentence, but at the same time he didn't want to know, because it wasn't his right to know, and he was better off not.

So Alec wasn't going to tell him. Great. Jace made a face at him, because he wasn't stupid either and he knew that Alec wasn't telling him things for a reason. He just didn't know the why and he didn't like it. He also wasn't really in a position to ask. So, he hesitated for a minute and then shrugged. "Okay. But do you want me to find out from you? Or the city?"

Jace rubbed at the backs of his hands, where the water had hit the most, and frowned. "Is it supposed to itch?"

"I'm not hiding anything. I'm trying not to throw you into the city when you just got here," Alec said defensively. But he grimaced, going quiet a minute before speaking again.

"The set up is crap, everyone knows it. No one likes it, no matter how they're assigned. I don't like it either. But when I got here, there was no one from home but Magnus. And I'd never met him until I got here. No Clave, no Lightwoods. No one knew me or expected anything of me. No one cared what I did or didn't do or if I failed, except for the city caring if I didn't follow the rules. The worst things about me weren't anything to anyone here. I could want things. People. And the people I wanted wanted me back." Alec shrugged again. "I missed home, Izzy, you, Max. But I liked that part of it. I might have had to sign a contract and I might have a mark I didn't put on myself. But I had freedom I never had at home, for a while. And I met people I care about." He looked away at nothing in particular, uncomfortable. "So that's what I like. It doesn't mean I like everything."

He looked back, frowning a little. "I don't know. The rain is pretty new. We can get you back to Magnus, he can look at it."

Jace stared at Alec for a long minute. "Okay?" He blinked, and realized that Alec was maybe expecting him to be disappointed or angry at him. "Alec. You get to do what you want, and no one's judging you for it, so there's nothing wrong with that? I'm more concerned with the whole getting drugged into it, or someone ordering you to do something you don't like? Magnus and uh, whoever else... is good for you? You're happy? Then I'm happy for you." Jace had no idea really, because he was still new, but what Alec was describing didn't seem too extreme, either.

He made a face, taking a deep breath. He felt flushed and oddly inclined to just blurt things out. Things he had no business telling Alec. "I think that's why they made me a submissive. They figured out my secrets."

He sighed. "Alright. So how do we get back without losing my only change of clothes? You sure Magnus wants me back there? I can stay here, Alec. I don't want to be in the way of... whatever you've got going."

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