Summary:

The thing is… Their plans have a history of not going accordingly so when they finally do, maybe they build a confidence a bit too quickly. Breaking Magnus out turns out to be indeed a formality. Selling the ruby, too. So what could possibly go wrong now?

In which our team of misfits has to deal with the consequences of messing with a dangerous man and again, everything goes according to plan. Or not.


My precious cupcakes,

Here it is, part two of The Avengers Initiative!
You all voted for Tuesday with a large majority and I'm strongly suspecting that it's just because you didn't want to wait any longer but I won't say anything because I love you anyway.

Some of you asked if the second arc of this story was going to be about breaking Magnus out, well this first chapter answers this question.

Finally, before I let you go so easily, if you are going to live-tweet my fics (because apparently, this is a thing now), please either tag me ( _L_ecrit) or use the hashtag #lecrit so I can see it because I think it's hilarious and I don't want to miss it :)

I'll let you go now, I'm sure you can't wait.

Happy reading!


Magnus didn't sleep much the night before.

Even the painkillers weren't enough to appease his excitement so he had just lain in his bed, fiddling with the phone, sometimes texting, sometimes reading the news on the apps Simon had uploaded for him (he would have to remember to thank him for that, later). Alec had said today was the day they were breaking him out and he had no idea what to expect. Now that he could move without wincing in pain, he had also been wandering around his room, observing the whereabouts of doctors, nurses, patients or visitors going back and forth from the parking lot to the entrance by the window. The only other thing he could see was the highway and it had quickly bored him. He liked watching people moving like ants, almost running in circles, much better.

He trusted the team fully, but he had to admit that he was getting a bit nervous about the whole thing. Alec had assured him that their plan was solid – if not a bit bold – but if their recent history was anything to go by, their plans tended not to go accordingly. It was past noon already and Magnus knew he was going to be taken to the police station soon and there was still no sign of a familiar face and he couldn't help but let the creeping feeling in his stomach get to him. Maybe they had changed their mind. Maybe they were just going to let him rot in jail after all. Maybe they had been found and arrested too.

He sighed, shaking his head to clear his mind. No. Alec had said they were breaking him out so they would. He decided with a nod to himself that his remaining doubts were attributable to the medicines that were still running in his body, making his head a bit foggy. It was much better than the first days, though, and he felt mostly conscious and not like he was drifting between reality and a wonderful dreamland. He had liked the dreamland, if he was quite honest. Alec was never wearing many clothes in his dreamland.

The door of his room opened slowly and he pushed on his elbows to sit on his bed, barely suppressing a disappointed sigh at the sight of the two police officers who barged in.

"Come on, John Doe," the taller one said, gesturing for him to get out of bed. "Rise and shine. Time to go to the station."

Magnus rolled his eyes but obliged, slowly getting out of bed. He took a look at his outfit, wiping them in an effort to gain some time. The hospital had lent him a pair of sweatpants and a grey shapeless t-shirt that was too big for his frame. His clothes from the night of the heist had been damaged beyond saving and thrown away but he wondered if he wouldn't have worn these ones, with the dry blood and all, rather than the tasteless outfit he was wearing now. He felt like a hobo.

"Can you walk on your own?" cop #2 asked sternly, albeit not unkindly.

They were the cops who had been all but camping in front of his hospital room for ten days now and if they hadn't been friendly, they hadn't acted like complete assholes towards him either. The taller one, who looked like he was in his late twenties, with bright red hair and a face full of freckles, had even been nice at times, bringing him a coffee when he was getting one for himself. In his head, Magnus had decided to call him Ron Weasley, because deep down, he was a bit of a dork himself and he saw no logical reason why Simon should have the monopole of stupid code names. The second one was not as nice, but he wasn't bad either. He was just grumpier. Raphael would have liked him. His hair was a dark brown but his eyes were clearer, almost grey. He sported a nicely trimmed moustache that was all kinds of ridiculous. He had thus been dubbed Tom Selleck in Magnus' head, which never failed to make him giggle internally.

Magnus nodded and leisurely made his way to them, reluctantly holding out his hands when the redhead showed him the pair of handcuffs in his hand. He was just fastening the second bracelet around his wrist when Raphael and Clary barged inside and Magnus had to fight the urge to burst into laughter at the sight of them. Clary was wearing a brown wig, blue eye lenses and she had even dyed her eyebrows. She was barely recognizable. It wasn't really Clary who made him want to laugh so badly, though, it was Raphael. He sported a fake beard and it looked very real but it also looked completely ridiculous on Raphael, who had never been able to grow facial hair once in his life. He was wearing glasses as well and his dark eyes were his own but his nose seemed somehow bigger. They were good disguises and Magnus was elated at the prospect of teasing Raphael about it until his death… which would probably arrive soon if he teased him too much because Raphael didn't like being mocked and was certainly not a patient person.

"What is going on here?" Clary asked sternly, gazing between Magnus and the two cops with a frown.

"Please move away," Tom Selleck said.

"Where are you taking our suspect?" Raphael butted in.

Magnus did his best not to smile. The drama classes Catarina had advised him to take when he had still been a teenager were proven useful because he really, really wanted to do a victory dance right then, although the wound on his stomach might have made it difficult.

"Your suspect?" Ron Weasley echoed.

"Yes," Raphael said. "Didn't your captain warn you?" He turned to Clary, dropping his voice albeit not enough for any of them not to hear it. "I hate working with local polices," he growled. "They're incompetent."

Clary smiled at him, gently patting his shoulder, before turning her gaze to the bewildered officers.

"I'm Agent Rogers and this is my partner, Agent Morales," she said, a confident spark lighting up her green eyes as she showed them an awfully well done fake FBI card. Simon would never cease to amaze him. "The suspect is our case now."

"What do you mean your case?" Ron Weasley protested. "And how did you even know about him?"

"We read your public report, saw the suspect's picture and figured out it was our man," Raphael retorted with a complacent smirk.

"Stop saying your suspect! We arrested him!" the redhead exclaimed.

His colleague turned towards him. "Damn feds always taking over and claiming our success as theirs," he mumbled confidentially. "First, that freaking weird agency, now this."

"You arrested him, but do you know who he is?" Raphael asked conceitedly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"No, our witness, the butler, didn't know his name. That's why we need to take him to the station to take his fingerprints and interrogate him," Tom Selleck replied, his voice rising with irritation. "He refused to tell us his name and he has been out of it for most of the week because of the painkillers!" he added, pointing accusingly at Magnus, who fought back a proud smirk. "They didn't allow us to take his fingerprints before. The doc said the chemicals we use might interfere with the medication they had to inject in his body to prevent any risk of infection."

Raphael snorted, making a show of rolling his eyes. Magnus wondered if he actually acted like that on his job every day. It wouldn't have surprised him. Raphael was not made for polite interactions. Or human interactions. Or animal interactions. Or any interactions in general.

"You arrested David Blaine, congratulations," Clary said, her voice much kinder. Magnus had to wonder if they were playing some kind of cliché bad cop/good cop. Not that he was complaining, it was all very entertaining.

"David Blaine?" the redhead repeated, brow furrowed in confusion. "Who's David Blaine?"

"He's the main suspect in a corporate fraud that cost a lot of money to the Pentagon," Raphael replied sternly, in a tone that suggested that they should have known that much. "They want to judge him there, in D.C."

Magnus wondered if Raphael had himself taken drama classes behind his back. He totally deserved an Oscar for that performance.

"Look, man, I should probably check that," Tom Selleck said, sharing a confused glance with his partner.

"I don't have any more time to lose!" Raphael snapped. "We don't have all day. We have a plane waiting for us."

Clary stepped forward, shaking her head exasperatedly. "Call your station," she offered with a gentle smile. "Have them search your servers if it helps but make it quick, please. We are waited in D.C. tonight."

Tom Selleck nodded, eagerly rummaging in his pockets to get his phone. "Give me fifteen minutes."

"You have ten," Raphael retorted sternly.

The officer nodded, an almost scared look in his eyes and stepped away from them until he was out of earshot to make the call. Ron Weasley stayed there, firmly holding Magnus' arm as if he was afraid he would just try to run away. Magnus wasn't in constant pain anymore but he didn't feel like he could run a marathon right then so it was kind of pointless.

Two long minutes passed before his colleague, still on the phone, gestured for him to come closer. He gave one long warning look at Magnus before he joined him, leaving him alone with Raphael and Clary.

"Simon, is it working?" Raphael immediately whispered, his gaze fixed on Clary.

There was a silence and Raphael rolled his eyes. Magnus had no trouble guessing Simon's answer. It was definitely something along the lines of "Who do you think you're talking to? Of course it's working."

"What's going on?" he asked, dropping his voice.

"They think they're on the phone with the central station but they're on the phone with Luke," Clary responded with a proud smirk. "Simon intercepted the call. How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright. I'll be even better once I'm out of here," Magnus murmured. "I don't want to step one foot in a hospital ever again."

Clary gave him an apologetic smile but quickly straightened up when the police officers walked back to them, still looking puzzled.

"So, is it settled?" Raphael asked coldly. "Can we get this over with?"

"We're just waiting for the station to send us a copy of the arrest warrant," the redhead said with a frown. "We can never be too careful. We don't want you to take him if we're not sure he's the guy you're talking about."

Magnus had to resist the urge to laugh when Raphael let out a long, annoyed sigh. As if on cue, Tom's phone rang loudly. He opened the message and showed it to his partner, whose frown deepened.

"Seems legit," he groaned, obviously reluctant to admit it.

"Great," Clary exclaimed. "Can we go now?"

The redhead grumbled and grabbed Magnus' wrists to unlock the handcuffs. Magnus absentmindedly massaged the sore skin but he didn't have the time to register what was happening as Raphael immediately closed his own pair of handcuffs around his wrists. Right.

"Looks like you're in real trouble, Blaine," Tom Selleck said, giving him one of these looks cops sometimes sported when they had caught a bad guy, both proud and a bit mocking.

Magnus shrugged. "It was bound to happen one day," he sighed dramatically. "I couldn't get away from the police forever."

The two police officers gave him a quick nod, shook hands with Raphael and Clary and promptly left.

"We should wipe the furniture in here," Raphael said as soon as they were far enough. "Just in case you left fingerprints everywhere."

Magnus rolled his eyes but watched in silence as Raphael quickly got to work, using the pillow sheet to wipe the bed, the night table and every potentially incriminating solid surface in the room. They were out in five minutes.

"What now?" he asked, when they both settled on each side of him to escort him outside.

"We have about half an hour before they get to the station and realize the arrest warrant Simon sent is a fake," Raphael said lowly. "We'll be long gone by then." He paused and rolled his eyes, making Magnus frown in confusion. "Shut up, Simon," he growled and the confusion was gone.

They took the elevator and Raphael and Clary guided him to the underground parking lot.

"Where is the van?" Magnus asked when they pulled him towards a black car.

"There are cameras around," Raphael replied quietly. "We couldn't get you out with the van. Simon is going to erase the tapes but we have to get out of here first."

Magnus nodded and squeezed in the back of the car when Clary opened the door for him. Raphael settled behind the wheel and it wasn't until they were out of the parking lot and driving away from the hospital that he allowed himself to release the deep breath he had been holding.

Clary turned around in her seat to glance at him, showing him the key in her hand. "Want me to –"

Magnus snorted, showing her his free wrists with a wink. "Biscuit, I learned how to break out of handcuffs when I was sixteen."

She chuckled, rolling her eyes fondly.

"Whose car is this?" he inquired, leaning back in his seat and clenching his teeth not to show the pain that suddenly hit his stomach. It was the most he had moved since he had been shot and he was already feeling the consequences.

"Alec and Jace stole it this morning," Clary said with a grin. "You okay?"

Magnus nodded, not trusting his voice not to sound strained.

"You look like shit," Raphael blurted as gently as ever, his dark eyes scanning him in the rear-view mirror.

"It might have to do with the fact that I've been shot two weeks ago, asshole," he huffed indignantly. "And I'm wearing these horrible clothes and no make-up. I know why you're grumpy now. It must be how you feel every day."

Raphael rolled his eyes and snorted, shaking his head fondly. "Dick."

Magnus simply smirked. Raphael turned right at the next traffic light, then left and pulled over in a deserted parking lot.

"We're dropping the car here," Clary informed him. "The others are on their way to pick us up."

Magnus beamed and got out of the car, leaning against the hood, his heartbeat speeding up at the prospect of seeing Alec and Ragnor (and the rest of the team too, of course, he had to remind himself).

The last two weeks he had spent in the hospital had seemed to last months but it was finally over – and he was not going to say anything about how horrific their plan had been. Now, all he wanted was to get back to New York and forget about this whole thing, leave it all behind and never think about Valentine Morgenstern ever again. He knew that was impossible because he had a nasty scar on his stomach that would remind him of everything that had happened for the rest of his life but also because his mind was still plagued with the memory of his cruel smirk before he had pulled the trigger.

Raphael made a quick work of wiping the car of any potential fingerprints and came to join him against the car, ripping out his fake nose and beard with a relieved groan, as Clary stepped away to make a phone call.

"You okay?" he asked, now that he didn't have to hold the exasperated façade in front of Clary. If Magnus had learned to trust his team in the past two months and a half, Raphael was comprehensively nowhere near that. He sometimes allowed himself to appear vulnerable in front of Magnus because it was just them and Magnus knew him too well not to decipher his true feelings anyway but he would never allow it in front of people who were as good as strangers to him.

"I'll be better once I've seen everyone," Magnus admitted, because to Raphael he could. "I'm never stepping foot in California ever again," he added, dropping his head against Raphael's shoulder with a sigh. Raphael chuckled, wrapping a comforting arm around him.

"You don't like it here anyway," he said.

"I really, really don't," Magnus confessed. "It has not enough Catarina and not enough you. It's boring. Also, too many fake boobs."

"I think you mean Los Angeles, not San Diego."

"Don't contradict me," Magnus whined. "I've been shot."

Raphael heaved out an indignant scoff. "You're going to be insufferable about it, aren't you?"

"Everything I do is insufferable to you anyway," Magnus countered with a smirk.

"Especially when it's stupid shit like… getting shot, for example," Raphael grunted gruffly.

"I know, I know," he sighed. "But to be fair, there was no way I could have known Valentine knew about me."

"I know," his friend admitted reluctantly. "Just… Don't do that again."

"Do what?" Magnus echoed with a frown. "Get shot? It's not like I did it on purpose!"

Raphael smirked, pulling him closer by the hold he had on his shoulders. "You sure about that?" he taunted mockingly, but it was too fond to be offensive. "You're such a drama queen, I'm not sure you didn't do it for the attention."

Magnus chuckled. "Busted," he mumbled under his breath and Raphael laughed, a clear, pure sound you didn't get to hear very often but that Magnus cherished deeply.

They fell into comfortable silence, and Magnus only moved away from Raphael when Clary walked back to them, a light bounce to her steps. He smiled fondly.

"They'll be here soon," she announced cheerfully.

Magnus perked up when the van finally pulled in the parking lot a minute later, quickly followed by Luke's car and he barely resisted the urge to leap up and down excitingly.

It must have shown on his face, though, because Raphael rolled his eyes and gently knocked his shoulder against his with a playful smirk.

"Eager, are we?" he taunted.

"Fuck off, Raphael."

Raphael laughed, throwing his head back. "Oh, this is priceless. Cat is going to love it!"

"I hope someone took a picture of you with that ridiculous disguise," Magnus countered, narrowing his eyes threateningly at Raphael, who visibly deflated. "Because that is priceless and that, Cat is definitely going to love!"

Raphael rolled his eyes but Magnus ignored him, his grin widening as the van parked and Alec all but jumped out by the back door. He walked straight to Magnus and pulled him into a hug, dropping a kiss in his hair and taking a deep breath. Magnus buried his face in his neck, partly to breathe in his cologne, to ground himself and partly so that Raphael wouldn't see the love-struck expression on his face because he would never let that go.

"I missed you," Alec murmured, his lips brushing against Magnus' ear.

"I missed you too," he replied, his words muffled by Alec's shirt.

They stayed like that for a while, gripping one another almost desperately, breathing against each other's skin, finding comfort in each other's scent.

"Boys, I'm sorry to interrupt your reunion but we have to move quickly," Hodge chimed in.

Magnus pulled back reluctantly but smiled again when Alec took his hand, squeezing it gently. He turned to look at Raphael, who was glancing back at him with a smug smirk and Magnus narrowed his eyes at him in warning, with the full knowledge that it was pointless.

"Shut up," he groaned.

Raphael chuckled and raised his hands up in defense. "I didn't say anything."

"I know you. I know what you were thinking."

Raphael laughed and walked towards Luke's car with Clary on toe, waving at him over his shoulder.

"They're going with Luke and Hodge," Alec answered his silent question, softly pulling on his hand to guide him to the van. "You're going with us."

"Where are we going exactly?" Magnus asked, following him easily.

"Las Vegas, baby!"

Magnus raised an eyebrow at Simon, who was sitting in the back of the van and had an overenthusiastic expression on his face, a wide grin softening his features, making him look like a child on a Christmas morning. He would have answered, at least to greet them but he didn't get a chance.

"Magnus has a bad history with Vegas," chimed an awfully mocking voice and he could have recognized the British accent anywhere.

"You didn't tell me that one," Alec chuckled, letting go of his hand to step into the van, oblivious to Magnus' disarray.

He stood there, completely frozen in shock and he stopped breathing altogether. He had known Ragnor was alive, had heard his voice on the night everything had gone mental, had been told time and time again by Alec and Raphael that he was indeed there and that he was fine. However, nothing had prepared him for actually being in front of him. He had known it was coming but he had just assumed it would go smoothly, a perfect mirror to how their relationship had always worked. Now that he was actually seeing it with his own eyes, witnessing the presence of his long lost friend, he was excruciatingly speechless.

His heart was throbbing in his chest and he was fairly certain he had gone paler than he had been when he had been bleeding out on the floor of the Morgenstern manor. Ragnor was here. Ragnor was alive. And he couldn't even think of something to say.

Probably understanding his sudden panic, Ragnor moved, coming closer and Magnus had to resist the urge to step back because it was like seeing a ghost, like enduring a live version of the nightmares that had plagued his nights for two years. It was like all of a sudden, all the buried pain, the excruciating ache, the repressed tears were rising to the surface to taunt him and he was overwhelmed with the force of it. It knocked the air out of his lungs and he was left with no other solution than to stare, trying to convince himself that it was real.

Ragnor stopped right in front of him and smiled, that smile that had always warmed Magnus' heart, made him feel welcome and valued and oh so esteemed. He raised trembling hands and trapped Ragnor's face between his fingers, taking in his features, relearning the color of his eyes, a peculiar shade of dark green sprinkled with blue. Ragnor let him do so in silence for a while. Magnus could see he was affected too. He was tearing up and Magnus realized just then, as he was contemplating how it felt too real to be a trick of his mind, that he was choking up on a sob himself, the lump in his throat blocking out the actual tears.

"You look like crap," Ragnor said tearfully, in that teasing tone that Magnus had missed more than anything. "It's almost like you had been dead for two years."

That was definitely real. His mind could have never supplied such a terrible joke. That was 100% Ragnor.

"Good to know you're still so painfully unfunny," he choked out, throat tight. "That would have been terribly unsettling."

"You should hear what happened to me two years ago, darling. It's actually quite hilarious," Ragnor replied, a small smirk growing on his lips. "Some might say it's to die for."

Magnus laughed, loud and happy and completely carefree just as a few traitorous tears ran down his cheeks. He shook his head fondly and pulled Ragnor into a hug, holding on for dear life. Ragnor slid his arms around his waist gently, careful not to hurt him but Magnus wouldn't have cared if he had because right then, tugged into the warm embrace of his best friend, he felt invincible.

Magnus sniffed and pulled back to wipe at his tears-drenched cheeks with a breathless chuckle. Ragnor smiled and grabbed his face to drop a wet kiss on his forehead.

"Good to see you, old friend," he murmured softly. "I'm sorry I haven't been around lately, I had a bit of an impediment."

"I'm sure I can forgive you," Magnus retorted.

"Come on," Ragnor said, stepping back. "Let's go."

Magnus nodded and followed him inside the van, taking Alec's outstretched hand to climb, careful not to put any pressure on his left side. He slid into the seat next to Alec who didn't let go of his hand, gently stroking it with his thumb.

Ragnor took the booth in front of them, spreading himself on the two places and he winked at Magnus before closing his eyes, his head against the window.

"It's like we don't even exist," sighed a dramatic voice to his right and Magnus turned to smirk at Isabelle, blowing her a kiss.

"We spend ten days figuring out a way to break you out so your ass doesn't end up in jail and what gratitude do we receive?" Jace stated just as theatrically, letting go of the wheel with one hand to wave exaggeratedly. "None!"

"You know I love you all," Magnus said lightheartedly and Isabelle's red-painted lips twitched with the beginning of a grin. "So, why Vegas?" he asked after a pause. "I thought we were going to the airport and straight to New York?"

"We can't take the risk," Jace chimed in, his eyes never leaving the road. "We're not taking the plane yet. We're going on a mini road trip to Vegas first."

Magnus groaned, barely repressing a pout. "Someone please tell me you brought me some decent clothes at least."

"I packed your stuff," Alec said. "It's all in Luke's rental car."

"Thank you," Magnus replied softly, a fond smile on his lips that Alec reciprocated.

They shared a glance that was probably embarrassingly sappy but Raphael wasn't here so Magnus didn't really care at all. Not that he would have anyway. Raphael could shove it.

"You two can kiss, you know," Simon butted in from his seat next to Isabelle, a wide grin on his features. "We all know you want to and the tension is just killing me."

Magnus didn't waste another second. He grabbed Alec by the collar and drew him closer, smashing their mouths together. Alec protested for half a second before he melted into his arms, cupping Magnus' face between his hands. Magnus inhaled deeply, pure content making his heart flutter in his chest. He lightly nipped at Alec's bottom lip and Alec gasped quietly, opening his mouth to give Magnus the opportunity to slide his tongue in. His hands moved to the back of his neck, pulling Magnus closer, huddling him against his chest.

"I said kiss, not have sex," Simon grunted, almost pleading. "I've already been scarred for life once, thank you very much."

Magnus pulled back reluctantly but his disappointment vanished into thin air when he took in the besotted look on Alec's face.

"What are you talking about?" Jace blurted out, his eyes never leaving the road.

"I walked in on them doing the do the other day," Simon confessed, visibly suppressing a shudder.

"Gross," Jace groaned with a grimace.

"I can assure you, there was nothing –" Magnus started with a mischievous smirk but Alec clamped a hand over his mouth, giving him a warning glare.

"Don't."

Magnus pouted, giving him his best pleading glance. "You're no fun."

Alec didn't reply. Instead, he leaned forward, bringing their mouths together again. It was a chaste kiss, just a brush of their lips but it was a hint desperate too, slightly too frantic to be innocent. Alec poured all his being into it and Magnus could almost feel the relief pouring out of him as if it had been his. In a way, it probably partly was because he was indeed relieved to be out, to know that he was back where he belonged, alongside his friends and his boyfriend. But he couldn't begin to understand what Alec had gone through, watching him as he was dying, being the one who had prevented him from bleeding out and then spending hours not knowing if he would make it with no way to reach out to him.

Alec pulled back only to bury his face in Magnus' neck, breathing heavily and Magnus could feel his hands trembling lightly as he held him close, like he was afraid he would just disappear altogether. Magnus leaned his cheek against Alec's head, softly stroking his hair.

It would have been a good time to confess his undying love, but Magnus didn't, awfully aware of the presence of their friends around them. The moment was already intimate enough and they had too many witnesses, he didn't need to add to the solemnity of it all. If he was quite honest, he wasn't sure either of them was really ready for that anyway. They had fallen quickly and their relationship had been out of the ordinary every step of the way but maybe they needed to let it fall back to a regular pace now that no one was in mortal danger. Or maybe they didn't. He didn't think there would ever be anything regular about their relationship. Alec was different from everyone he had been with before.

However often Raphael made fun of him for letting himself be ruled by his heart so easily, for his ability to be controlled by his emotions and fall hard and fast, Alec was more than that. Alec was everything. And Alec would probably be everything for a very long time. So, really, he had all the time in the world.

"I hope you packed the scrubs too," Magnus murmured teasingly for his ears only. "I wasn't kidding about needing a nurse."

Alec laughed against his neck, his warm breath sending a wave of shivers down his spine and Magnus felt his stomach twist almost painfully, every nerve in his body tingling from that simple sound.

"It's a good thing you didn't get married to that cactus after all," he mumbled, finally pulling back from his hiding spot, his shoulders shaking with mirth and his eyes radiating with mischief. "I'm sure it would have made a terrible nurse."

Magnus gaped for a moment before he turned accusatory eyes to his sleeping best friend.

"Ragnor!" he snapped loudly, causing the later to open his eyes and jump in surprise. "I can't believe you told him about Peru!"

Ragnor and Alec shared a quick glance before bursting into laughter. Magnus huffed indignantly, feeling utterly betrayed.

"Oh babe," Alec muttered when he calmed down, his voice smooth like velvet, "he told me much more than just Peru," he teased, a smirk playing on his lips.

Magnus' mind blanked for a second at the pet name, a fluttering feeling in his chest but he quickly recovered, narrowing his eyes at the both of them.

"What else?"

Alec gazed to the side at Ragnor and they both looked like two kids planning their next shenanigans. Magnus was objectively terrified.

"Something about you getting arrested for public indecency?" Alec offered.

Magnus groaned, running a hand in his hair before turning towards Ragnor, realization crossing over his features. "You weren't even here!" he exclaimed accusingly. "I was with Raphael!"

"Modern age and all that," Ragnor retorted, far too amused for Magnus' liking. "News travel fast."

"I need new friends," Magnus sighed.

"Hey!" Isabelle exclaimed disapprovingly.

"You're a new friend," he argued, "and you're flawless."

Isabelle seemed to think about it for a second before she nodded in agreement. "Hell yeah I am. And if you want, I can tell you all the embarrassing stories about Alec."

"Izzy!" Alec protested.

"Oh, how the tables have turned," Magnus muttered dramatically, a roguish smirk spreading on his lips.

"I have embarrassing stories too," Jace chimed in loudly from his seat behind the wheel, "and Max too. Three siblings equal triple the embarrassing stories."

It was Alec's turn to groan loudly, crossing his arms over his chest petulantly. "Betrayed by my own blood," he grumbled but it was lightheartedly and a small smile was playing on his lips.

Magnus was sure he sported the exact same expression.

This, right there and then, was all he needed. That, and Alec's lips against his again.

So he just grabbed his collar once more and pulled him against him, kissing his teasing smile away. Alec did not complain.


So, cupcakes,

What did you think? Any favorite parts?
Let me know :)

You know that first episode of Game of Thrones where all the characters were happy and then they were never happy again? This is the same thing…
I'M KIDDING, PLEASE DON'T HURT ME.

Have a cookie to make up for this terrible joke:
"The only thing you should be worried about is me dying of sexual frustration!" he protested.
"Magnus!" Alec called out disapprovingly, his cheeks reddening even more just as Isabelle laughed loudly, throwing her head back.
"Don't worry, big brother," she uttered playfully. "I have no illusion about your innocence. Or lack of, more accurately."

Next chapter will be posted next Tuesday, since y'all chose Tuesday.
But I can give you another cookie this weekend to help you wait.
So let's play a game: you can give me a word, either in the comments here, on my tumblr (onceuponasourwolf) or on twitter and I'll give you a cookie of the next chapter that contains the word that's been asked for the more often!
One rule: First names do not work because I got fooled once but not twice haha.
The cookie will be posted this weekend both on tumblr and twitter.

A huge thank you, as always, to my extraordinary beta (pynchie on tumblr).

Girls don't want boys. Girls want reviews and more Malec kisses.

All the love,
L.