I've honestly had this written and published on Ao3 for over a year but kept forgetting to publish it on here as well. Oops? Anyway, it's a sort of sequel to an earlier fic of mine Open My Eyes which was about Maryse's POV on the Hall of Accords Scene.
Enjoy my lovelies xx
Magnus felt an odd mix of nerves and excitement. Here he was, about to meet the parents of his boyfriend officially, who, before their rather obvious display in the Hall of Accords, hadn't even known Alec was gay.
It had been a long time ago had been last interested in meeting the parents of his current lover, but Alec was different. He had never thought he would find a shadowhunter that he'd be interested in, and one that was interested back, yet here he was. With a Lightwood, of all people.
Life was ironic sometimes.
Magnus distracted Alec with sparkly scarves and jokes, but even with it, he could see he was nervous, eyes darting around every few seconds. Magnus kissed his cheek and smiled reassuringly, mentally reveling in being able to do that in public.
Alec's cheeks coloured ever so slightly as he smiled back, briefly squeezing his hand. The warlock opened his mouth, ready to continue his reassurances verbally when a voice interrupted him.
"Alec! There you are." It was Maryse.
Both of their heads snapped up towards the voice, pulling them out of their own private bubble. Alec's hand spasmed around his before he took a deep breath, gently squeezing Magnus' hand once more before letting go. He hadn't instantly yanked his hand away so Magnus counted it as a win.
Alec's parents approached with the gait of someone going to war, faces blank and unreadable, but Magnus figured that was just how all shadowhunters seemed to walk. When they came to a stop before them, Maryse held out her arms for her son.
Magnus hadn't pegged the Lightwood family for one of easy affection but perhaps losing their youngest child had changed that.
Alec stepped forward and awkwardly accepted her embrace, cheeks reddening as she kissed them. Next, Alec turned to his father, he looked more coiled up then a spring. They stared at each other and Magnus watched carefully. He knew this was what his boyfriend was most worried about.
Rejection by his strict and demanding father.
But after a moment, Robert clapped a hand on Alec's shoulder and nodded once. Just like that the tension bled drained out of Alec, and by extension Magnus. The young shadowhunter grinned at Magnus and moved to stand in between his mother and Magnus. Magnus unconsciously stood up straighter, all thoughts on sparkly scarves vanishing from his mind. He had been looked down upon by shadowhunters many times, he refused for this to be one of them.
"Mother, Father, this is Magnus. My boyfriend."
Magnus stuck out his hand, he felt like he was meeting them for the first time. In all the ways that counted, he supposed he was.
From the moment in the Hall of Accords every moment Maryse had to spare had been spent considering the relationship between her son and the warlock. She would accept her son, no matter what. But that didn't mean she didn't have her reservations about them.
After all, what were the chances that the High Warlock of Brooklyn's interest in her son was anything but a passing fancy? Plus, with his age and experience what's to say Alec wouldn't feel pressured into something he wasn't ready for? Alec was always desperate to prove himself after all.
This was not to mention that her son was in a gay relationship with a downworlder. They would get dirty looks, and words too, judging by the whispers she had already heard floating around. It would be hard, very hard, were either of them prepared to deal with all of that?
She couldn't be sure, so she decided to continue to observe them, much like she had in the Hall of Accords. When she and Robert approached the couple where they were standing a little way from their friends while they waited for them to arrive, she noticed their hands clasped together, as they curled into each other's space.
Alec looked finally comfortable with himself, and until now Maryse hadn't even realised that he hadn't been before. It made a slight smile grace her face, while beside her Robert frowned.
"Be nice." She reminded him sternly. "We've already lost one son, there's no way I'm letting you cause us to lose him too."
Robert seemed to struggle for a moment, she knew he had a problem with the fact his son was gay. It had to do with something in his past that Maryse knew would never be revealed to her. Then, his face smoothed out and he nodded.
Maryse nodded back and called out to Alec.
Wrapping her son in her arms was slightly uncomfortable for both of them, but the reassurance that he was still here in her arms was worth it. When he stood fearlessly in front of his father, and got his much desired approval, Maryse wondered when exactly her little boy had grown up.
Then Alec was grinning at Magnus and introducing them and it was all Maryse could do not to gasp out loud. It hit her hard in that moment that she couldn't remember the last time she had seen her eldest child smile.
He had been such a happy child too. Always giggling and smiling at everything and everyone around him. But as he had grown up the giggling stopped, the smiles diminished and he became the stoic shadowhunter she had come to see for the past couple of years.
Now here he was looking more relaxed and happy than she thought possible. All because her son had found something special in the warlock. Something she wasn't sure anyone realised was missing in the first place.
At once she found most of reservations on them fade away.
Maryse was so caught up in her mind that she almost missed her husband step forward and shake Warlock Bane's hand. When he turned to her to shake, she held his hand for a moment longer than necessary, trying to convey her much seeing her son happy meant to her.
When she let go, there was a moment of awkward silence as they all sort of shuffled back and forth, unsure on how to broach the subject and start the conversation.
"You're probably wondering when all of… this" Alec broke the silence, waving a hand at him and Magnus, "begun. Am I right?"
"There are… questions." Robert said stiffly.
Alec seemed to steel himself for a moment. "First, I want to tell you that I've always been gay. It wasn't anything anyone did or didn't do. It's how I was born and nothing is going to change that. Before now I've always been too afraid to tell you because I was scared that I'd get my marks stripped, or that I wouldn't be welcome at the institute anymore."
Maryse's eyes pricked with tears at the thought of her son afraid and scared of being abandoned. "I love you Alec. Nothing is going to change that."
Alec smiled weakly. "That means a lot, but I didn't know that then. I denied it adamantly to pretty much everyone, and Magnus stayed with me through that, even though I knew it hurt him."
Magnus inclined his head slightly to agree. "When Alec kissed me in the Hall of Accords it was as almost as much as a surprise to me as it was to you. We have been arguing recently about it. I wanted him to tell you but I would never do something that might accidentally out him."
"That's why you were standing so far away in the Hall of Accords" Robert surmised, "not for your sake, but ours. That's why you stopped him from continuing when he told us he was seeing someone at Lucian Graymark's house."
Oh, of course. Maryse remembered that. Where her son had stood fearlessly in front of them and informed them quite bluntly that he was seeing a downworlder. However, Magnus had cut him off before he had had a chance to say more, despite, wanting Alec to tell them, he would let it be under Alec's own terms.
Maryse had dismissed it at the time, too worried about the troubles with Jace and Valentine. But there was no going back to fix past mistakes, however, she could do her best to ensure there would be no need to go back and fix this.
"Yes." Magnus looked surprised that Robert had put it all together so fast. "I knew what I was getting into from the start, but it seemed worth it."
Alec blushed and but his lip, looking shy but content.
"But why do think it seemed worth it?" Maryse couldn't help but ask, she had been wondering this since she saw them first kiss. "What interest does the High Warlock of Brooklyn have with a shadowhunter who's barely legal, at that?"
Alec's content look washed away and was replaced by narrowed eyes and lips pressed tightly together in agitation.
"It's all right love, she's your mother, she's allowed to ask invasive questions." Magnus soothed, running a gentle hand over her son's back. He must have been expecting this question.
Turning his attention to Maryse, he stared her straight in the eyes. "I know thoughts must have crossed your mind, considering my age and… reputation. I have been with many people in my life time, yes, but not one of them has measured anywhere near how much I care for Alexander. Maryse, I have only known your son a couple of months but I know that he is brilliant and gorgeous and incredibly talented and I just…" He swallowed. "I love him."
Alec's past expression dissolved back into being shy and pleased.
"Thank you, Warlock Bane." She said, surprised by her own sincerity.
He blinked. "Call me Magnus, Warlock Bane is normally what my clients call me." He said immediately, then added. "And your welcome, but I'm not sure what for."
"For giving my son someone to care for, and to have someone to care for him in return. Alec has never put himself first," When Alec looked like he was going to interrupt she focused briefly on him before turning back to Magnus. "You know it's true Alec, don't try to say it isn't."
Alec frowned, but remained silent.
"It's nice to see that there is someone who does put him first." She finished.
Magnus looked speechless, clearly not expecting the compliment. "I… I hope to continue to be able to do it for a long time." He finally said, staring into Alec's eyes as he did.
Maryse felt her breath catch in her throat and beside her she could tell even Robert was taken aback. In that moment they looked utterly in love. Not the sort of relationship that you enjoyed for a while, all the while knowing it wasn't made to last. No, the way they were looking at each other…
There was nothing temporary about that.
She watched as her son flushed and smiled, embarrassed and touched by Magnus' words. "I like the sound of that." He said quietly.
"So do I." Robert spoke up.
All three of them blinked at him. Maryse knew her husband's stance on their son's relationship, they had spoken about it in private. Loudly. To say this was unexpected was an understatement.
Robert remained blank faced but elaborated. "If you are set on continuing a relationship with a downw… with a war…" He stumbled over his words for a moment. "with Magnus, then it won't be easy. A lot of shadowhunters will not like this, and they will tell you that. You should at least have someone who will stand with you."
Alec gaped at him for a moment, then visibly composed himself and intertwined his fingers with Magnus'. "I can handle it."
"I would not have expected anything less." He said stiffly. "Maryse I will meet you back at the house." Then Robert gently clapped a hand on Alexander's shoulder, nodded at Magnus and left.
"He's not angry right?" Alec asked hesitantly, like he just had to be sure.
"He's not angry." Maryse confirmed, even as her mind wandered. Truly, she had no clue as to his actions. She hadn't for a long time if she was being honest. Maryse sighed, then pushed the thoughts away. Those were not something to be worrying about now.
When both Magnus and Alec didn't look completely convinced, she added, "When we all get back we can all have dinner together and I can hear more about how the two of you got together. And you won't have to sneak about as much." She added wryly.
"Dinner would be lovely." Magnus said, leaning over to kiss Ale's cheek.
Maryse pretended she didn't see the fleeting looks they both gave her, checking to see if she was okay with their casual affection. "And I suppose I should change your curfew."
At this, they both turned an interesting shade of red and she narrowed her eyes when neither would meet her gaze. "What?"
Ale coughed self-consciously. "I haven't just been umm… sneaking out during the day."
Her eyes narrowed further. "How late are you talking about?"
Her son begun to impersonate a stuttering tomato, Magnus sighed and rescued him by answering instead. "What he's trying to say is Alexander has spent the night before. And he will do it again." He said, holding his head high and meeting her eyes. He then ruined his false bravado by mumbling, "if that's all right with you."
Maryse was speechless for a long moment. Her son… was spending the night at the house of his older boyfriend. Multiple times. All without her knowledge. On one hand she wanted to forbid him from leaving the institute again without her explicit consent. On the other hand, she knew that meant he'd still be spending the night at Magnus', he'd just be feeling guilty about it.
She took a deep breath and considered, taking in their embarrassed and anxious expressions. Her son was almost fully grown much to her dismay and she trusted him to be responsible. She refused to be the reason he started feeling like he had to lie again.
"You have to spend at least three nights at home. I want to know whenever you are staying over at Magnus'. You phone must be fully charged in case of an emergency at all time and make sure to always pack your fighting gear just in case." She stated, leaving no room for arguments.
Maryse watched as her words slowly sunk in. Alec's grin was blinding and he wrapped her in her second hug of the night. "Thank you." He whispered into her ear.
Magnus looked utterly shocked, but ultimately pleased. "Thank you." He echoed.
Maryse nodded, then fixed her gaze on the warlock. "You better take care of him. And if I ever hear of you pushing Alec for something he doesn't want or isn't ready for-"
"Mother…" Alec hissed
"I would never." Magnus cut in, looking the most serious she had ever seen him.
She watched him closely for a moment before nodding. "Good." She said. "Now if you ever want to change the three nights at home rule I expect both of you to come talk to me, deal?"
Alec worried his lip. "What if father-"
"He'll listen to everything I tell him." She interrupted, though she felt more arguments with him in her future.
Ale and Magnus exchanged looks again and it held no less love than the first one. "Okay." They agreed.
"Can I… spend tonight with Magnus?" Alexander asked unsurely.
Maryse would love to have him under her roof where she could be sure of his safety. Especially after recent events. But being a mother didn't mean making the easy choices. "We're heading home tomorrow."
"Oh." Alec said eyes downcast.
"I expect you can bring him back to the institute sometime tomorrow afternoon?" She addressed Magnus.
He blinked at her, uncomprehending then, "Of course! I was hoping to take him back to New York with me tonight, if that was okay with you."
She smiled, leaning forward to pull Alec into one last hug. After a moment of hesitation, she did the same to Magnus. "I'll see you both tomorrow for dinner."