Potty Training Talk

Magnus suddenly realized what it was like for Alec to come home and find something amiss in his house. Chairman Meow was sitting in front of him with a miniature tie on with a faux white collar, like a business shirt. The tie was blue and green and stood out against his fur. "This is your dad's way of getting back at me isn't it?" He dropped his bag and picked up his cat, "Horrid little thing isn't it?" he poked at the tie, "You want it off, my baby?" Magnus went to remove the tie but Chairman batted at his hands then jumped down, running off in the direction of the toddler giggle. Magnus had to give him that one if Chairman wanted the horrid little tie on then he would allow him. He decided his cat was overly dramatic for Alec's attention.

Magnus froze from his grand entrance when Alec's strained voice saying Jace's name then his caught his ears. Eavesdropping wasn't a good idea but he was curious.

"Jace, Magnus is anywhere from 400 to 800 years old, he's a bisexual warlock so, he's had a few lovers in his time. If I huffed at everyone I met or read about, then I wouldn't have much else to do with my time. There have been lovers before me and there will be lovers after me. This is not my first encounter with someone from Magnus' past and nor will it be the last. It was a problem before and it almost broke us up, so I had to get on board with it and get over it, or I would lose everything I have. I'm not willing to lose Magnus that way again. I realized that after Camille played me for a fool." Alec looked across the room at Max, playing quietly with the Chairman, who had just run up to Max with his little tie swaying back and forth with the agile movements, they were going back and forth crawling to get a ball. It was the innocents of a child that Alec adored about Max. "The best part of having Max is knowing that when I'm gone, he'll be here for Magnus. They will be a family and Max will show him love forever. Until the end of time. No matter when I go, I'll be okay because I know my boys are taken care of." Alec looked at Jace again, "Magnus will always have someone to love him and he'll always have someone to love. In time I know he'll move on and I'm okay with that because I know he'll always have a family. I can die in peace knowing that I gave Magnus what he really wanted in life. I gave him a family. Its kind of terrifying to know to my boys will be here without me, but they have each other. They aren't alone."

"Alec, it has to be odd."

"It's not, not really." Alec shifted to be more center on Jace, "Magnus has a life around my life, it's only natural, he's immortal." He wanted to frown but he couldn't, he had done a lot of thinking about his family after death. "He's going to live forever; our son is immortal. When I looked at Max when he was just sitting there in Magnus' arm, making those baby noises of a miserable baby but not full on crying, I felt so sad because I knew he would live forever without someone to love him. But then I held him in my arms and he stopped, he became this silent but happy baby. I knew he was mine. I knew that he was my son. I felt at peace to think I found my family without even trying."

"Daddy," Max came up to the couch.

On instinct, Alec bent down to pick him up on his lap, "Yes, baby."

"Change the color of Chairman's tie." Max had pointed over to the cat that was now sitting on top of the toy bin, outside of Max's reach.

"It's time for Uncle Jace to go home," Magnus called from the entryway, he heard enough and wanted the Shadowhunter gone. He had a few things he needed to straighten out with his husband-to-be and he wanted to be alone with his family when he did it. The sight of Alec holding onto Max always caused his stomach to flip and do funny things.

"Papa." Max pushed his way to the floor and over to Magnus who knelt down to pick Max high up in the air. "Change Chairman's tie."

Magnus shook his head at the look on pure panic on Alec's face. He could mentally see Alec making a dive for the cat to protect him from Magnus' magic. "Max, we talked about this. We can't keep changing Chairman; your dad might have a heartache or divorce me." He pinched Max's side for the distraction then walked to the couch, where he sat Max on Jace's lap. "Say goodbye to Uncle Jace; he has to leave."

Alec frowned at him, "Magnus?"

"We need to talk, Jace needs to leave." He gave Alec a pointed look than actually pointing at Jace, "Goodbye, Shadowhunter."

Alec looked at Jace with a shrug, "Max, say goodbye to Uncle Jace."

"Uncle Jace, change Chairman's tie." He asked in all of his innocence, unaware of the tension around the adults, "Daddy won't mind."

"I'm sorry, what?" Alec gripped Max underneath his arms and pulled him back to his lap. He started in tickling him, "Daddy will mind. Leave my cat alone, child." He leaned into him, tickling and kissing.

Jace smacked Alec on the back of the head as a goodbye and went to Magnus, "Are you mad at me?"

"No," Magnus didn't take his eyes off his family, "I'm mad at him."

"Magnus-"

"He's far too okay with being dead and gone without us." He did look at Jace, "Goodbye."

"Want me to take Max with me?"

"Goodbye, Shadowhunter." Magnus went to the couch then, draping his coat over the back of the sofa as he sat down to rescue his son from Alec and his eardrums his son's screaming laugh. He tucked him into his side and forced Alec to kiss him when Alec leaned over to get to Max. He smiled as Alec grinned, both forgotten about Jace.

Jace watched the scene play out before; Max was squirming and giggling while his parents smiled and kissed a few times before bringing their focus to their son. He had honestly never seen Alec as a parent before; he was a natural leader and a natural parent. His skills kicked in the second he saw Max before he was named Max and they never turned off. Both Alec and Magnus stayed hundred percent themselves; they just added Max into the fold as naturally as breathing. He watched a second longer as their cat joined the fray and snuggled into Alec's vacant lap. The cat was not to be left out especially if it was Alec's lap that was free. The Chairman was all Alec even if Magnus was his original owner, Chairman had stolen Alec as his human, and there was no going back. He sighed with the want of that family portrait with Clary. He knew it would happen someday; it was just days like that where he wished it would happen sooner rather than later.

"N-A-P," Magnus looked Alec in the eye and tilted his head to the giggling mess in his arms.

"Yes, you wanna do the honors?"

"No, the Chairman down with him." Magnus shifted Max back to Alec earning himself a disheveled look from the cat in question. "We need to talk and I want to change."

Alec frowned but did as Magnus wanted, Max hated naptime but it was easier if they got the Chairman to stay in the room with him, his purring would put Max straight to sleep. Alec went and got a white noise machine to help but nothing worked like the Chairman's purrs, and it was only naptime. Bedtime was a breeze. Brush his teeth, snuggle up with him, and read a book. Max was usually got before you made it half way and he almost always slept through the night.

Twenty minutes later, Alec came back to the living room to find Magnus on the couch with a book in hand. Sitting down with him, he looked over the book and had no idea what language that could even be in, "Uhm, what's that?"

"Ancient Greek. Looking for a client." Magnus shut the book with a snap and tossed it onto the coffee table with a little too much force and the book slid across the table, hitting the edge, and going off the other side to land on the floor.

"I think its time to start potty training Max. He's been sitting on his little potty and hiding when he goes to the bathroom; my book said that's a clear sign they might be ready. I have all of next weekend off, so I think it's a good weekend for you to stay home so we can do this together. Izzy got him these little undies with cats on them."

Magnus arched an eyebrow, "When I told you to call me all those years ago I never dreamed you actually would it was more of a dare to you. Then when you showed up, I knew I wanted to take you to my bedroom and have my wicked way with a Shadowhunter. You were the first one I actively wanted to see in my bed. Never in a million years did I think it would lead all the way to having potty training talks about our child."

Alec snuggled into Magnus a little closer picking up his hand and grinning, "A dare huh?"

"Oh yeah, I knew you wouldn't call me, the scared look on your face told me everything I needed to know. You were terrified. Then you showed up here. We kissed and it was electric. I could have taken you right then. After our first date, I definitely wanted to take you. When we finally did take it further, it was a dream."

Alec licked his lips, "We were a dream. I never thought I would get to live my life the way I wanted. I thought for sure I would have to be forced into a marriage and live a lie while trying to produce a child." He didn't know where this line of talk was coming from but it was always nice to talk things out with Magnus. Alec put his other hand over the hand he was holding.

"Now, here we are. Talking potty training about our two-year-old."

"I want you to marry me."

Magnus sighed, "Alec, you know-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Alec let go of Magnus and stood up, "Are you hungry? It's almost lunchtime."

"No," Magnus pulled on Alec's wrist, "Sit down with me. We still need to talk." He waited for Alec to comply, "I will rearrange any client meetings, next weekend will be all about Max and potty training."

"It's time for a big boy bed, We have to take the railing off and get a mattress but if we are potty training, then it's time for an upgrade."

"Don't you think that's a lot of change?" Magnus questioned, turning to bring his leg on the couch and face Alec.

"Nah, I've been talking to Max for two days about wanting a big boy bed and it gets excited because his bed will be like ours." Alec grinned, mimicking Magnus' position. He put his hand on the back of the couch to get even more room.

"I overheard your conversation with Jace and I'm disappointed." Magnus frowned, there was really no other way to say what he felt then just coming out and saying it.

Alec frowned, sitting up straight, "What?"

"How can you possibly think I'm okay with thinking of you gone? How can you say you want to marry me but talk about my life without you?"

Alec sighed, "I do want to marry you, I'm sad that I can't marry you now. I understand why you keep telling me, no but that doesn't mean I don't want it so badly it hurts. But let's speak in truths, I will die and you and Max will not. I'm a Shadowhunter, my job is dangerous. I will die someday, maybe in battle, maybe of old age but it will happen. You and Max will be left behind without me. It's a fact, Magnus."

"I know that." Magnus frowned, he had a sudden image of him with an adult Max crying over the loss of his father. "It doesn't mean I want to talk about it. Or hear about how okay you are with it."

"Not talking about it doesn't change the fact that it will happen." Alec reached for Magnus, taking the sides of Magnus' face in his hands, "I promise you I will do everything in my power to keep that from happening for a very long time. I don't want to leave my family any time soon."

"I still won't marry you until we can marry in gold." Magnus pulled back slightly but Alec wasn't letting him go. "You just talked about it so easily. I will never be ready for you not to be in my life. It breaks my heart to think of you not here with us."

"It breaks mine too." Alec kissed him.

Magnus allowed himself to be pulled into Alec's kiss. His hands had a mind of their own and reached for Alec to pull him in close, twisting and bringing Alec to his lap. Alec went with the pull, straddling Magnus' lap.

"What do you say we break this up and head to the bedroom? We have at least an hour of Max being out and there are so many things we can do in that hour." Alec smirked.

Magnus matched his smirk, "Can it include a certain Shadowhunter's tongue on a certain hard body part?"

"Yes, I think my tongue is up for the challenge."

Magnus stood up, twisting, so Alec was leaning back on the couch with Magnus standing above him. "Well, what are you waiting for, fiancée? Let's go."

Alec laughed and his eyes followed Magnus' walk out of the room, he wasn't far behind him. They hadn't really finished their conversation but Alec felt fear of talking about it in the light of day. It was a dark topic and he thought it was a topic for the dark of night. The thought of leaving his boys killed a part of him but he was safe in the knowledge Magnus would always have Max and vice versa. Magnus had the family he was dreaming of since forever and Alec could be happy in that knowledge that he gave it to him. The thought never crossed his mind when he brought Max into their family fold but it was an ensuring one now that they were an extended family.

"Let's go, Alexander."

Alec shook himself out of his haze and went after Magnus.

b.The End./b