Alec Lightwood had been drawing a fresh set of underwear, some socks and a towel from his dresser when his cell started vibrating. He digged it out of his pockets and scanned the message. His lips twitched at the corners; it was Magnus. Judging himself by his reaction, it appeared he'd just caught himself sort of hoping and waiting for this to happen.
7:38 pm
Are you still up?
7:43 pm
Very funny, Magnus. Seems so, I've just come from training and am wide awake. Although…reason tells me to go to bed early if New York is letting me. So, I probably will. Is something the matter? Did you manage to get any sleep since last night?
7:53 pm
No, I had to work all day the rest of the day - busy day (boring). And now I'm not up for bed by far. So…What if I tell you don't listen to reason? Are you in the mood to join me? I could always provide nice incentives…
7:54 pm
I can be there in 40 if you want me to. Meet you in the loft?
7:55 pm
Or I'll portal myself right over to you in 5. ;-)
At this point, Alec intervened.
He dialled quickly. With regard to his clients, Magnus worked rigorously within the mortal 24-hour concept of time; with regard to Alec, he didn't stick to it quite so well. What are 5 minutes to a Warlock?
Exactly. Whatever he wants them to be.
"Hey Magnus, what's up? I thought I'd give you a quick call, ah, before you set off the new security we've only just installed today. Because, actually, I don't want the whole Institute at my doorstep."
"Good evening, Alexander. It's my security system. I can slip through it whenever I want. Into your room, at least."
"I see. Okay." Alec took a deep breath.
How should he phrase this? It was a topic Magnus evaded and he didn't want to hurt his feelings. But neither could he allow this, it was too dangerous. He took heart.
"We've had that before with Valentine. If somebody else had control over your body again or forced you to give them access to the Institute… Look, I wish it was different, but we can't have a loophole like that. At least not one that is so obvious. I'm all for well-controlled emergency passages, but this is something we need to fix. No unapproved portals until Valentine is gone. Or ever. It's my rules."
He sighed. "You know I have to say that, you know best what happened to you, you know that only recently Luke tried to kill Valentine. You also know we don't know who helped him yet. As the head of this Institute –"
"You carry full responsibility for whatever happens regarding internal safety. I know. And I understand. I just wanted to maintain a way to get to you if a situation came up." Magnus frowned. Then he added on a lighter note: "But maybe I'm not the problem here. I heard rumors about something that happened at the Seelie Court. Maybe you should tell Jace and Clary to be safe instead of me."
"I… I feel flattered, Magnus," Alec started, "but I'm glad you agree it's for the best. We'll work this out first thing tomorrow morning – to both our satisfaction." Then he stopped. "What?"
"Oh yes. I'll tell you all about it. Apparently Simon turned down the Seelies and payed the price the fairy way." Magnus returned to the original topic. "Alexander, I'm sorry. We'll rework the safety spells until you feel good about them. You're truly right." For a brief, horrific moment, Magnus thought he could feel the agony rune pervading his every fiber again. He shook it off. Well, he tried to.
"Right, thank you. Apart from that," Alec span around in a circle and carelessly threw clothes and towel through the already open bathroom door, "all of what you've just said now is Greek to me. I don't understand. Explain?"
"Would you like to go to Greece tonight? We haven't been yet. Or have we? Well, there's always someone dancing a sirtaki in Greece. They're great fun, the Greek. And the food is delicious."
"Magnus, I –. Would you slow down a minute? Give me a chance to think!" Alec sighed again and disapprovingly sniffed the air. "I still need to shower. And I've got a lunch meeting tomorrow where we'll prepare and perhaps even go through with Valentine's transferal. I can't say anything definite, we haven't decided yet so that nobody can ambush us."
Alec sat down on his bed and pulled off his gloves and trainers.
"Not Greece then, alright. By the way, am I allowed, by the Head of the Institute, to slip through my loophole tonight? Since it's already there… And I'll fix it once I'm in the Institute. I won't even charge my after-office-hours prices."
Magnus grinned at Alec's reaction and knew better than to elaborate further. He continued.
"How I'd like to put that mouth of yours to use when you're staring… no, I see you're even smiling, probably about to pretend to be annoyed on the phone, but since you are alone, your face gives away that you're asking yourself how I can be such an adorable nuisance. You look cute smiling at thin air like that. Just… Am I right or am I right, Alexander?"
"Hey!" Alec said defiantly. "Maybe it'd be best for either of us to get some sleep tonight. For you, anyway. I, for my part, was about to get ready for to bed."
"I don't see you wearing your night sweats..."
"That's because I haven't showered yet. I told you. You know I always wear them unless it's like, frigging hot. Wait again! What do you mean you don't see me?"
Magnus, at the other end of the line, rolled his eyes. He counted for Alec to get it in 3…2…1…
"Magnus are you looking at me right now? For real?!"
"Would you like to go to Paris again? A friend of mine is throwing a big downworlder party tonight."
He wasn't going to be distracted so easily.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" Alec requested.
"Alexander," Magnus laughed, "one. The middle one. Have you no shame." He crossed his legs and sank back in his favorite blue armchair.
"I can't believe you're doing this! Look, right now I'm showing you in how many minutes you're wanted here," Alec snorted, three-quarters pissed, one amused. "And you should know I'm not usually one to go to downworlder parties…"
"But you're not raising any fingers…" Magnus feigned innocence.
"Damn right. You mustn't spy on me like that." It was a statement and Magnus took note of how serious Alec was. He swished the image away with his spare hand.
"You're right, I'm sorry. I'm not going to do it again. It's just hard to resist when you say you've come from training. Really. Let me make it up to you. What about London?"
"Why do you want to leave this continent so badly? Are you in trouble? Is something or someone other than I coming for you? Why can't I just come to your place and we spend the night together. Don't you want me to?"
"You can always do that afterwards. Come on, Alec! The evening is young, we are a fabulous sight people deserve to see! Do me a favor. I'll buy you dinner, or breakfast. Whichever you prefer. Or both. I've wanted to take you to London for a while, actually. There's a place I think you'd like to see. Or better said one you should see."
Alec was intrigued. Also, London was a convenient place to go, he had business there. Plus, he couldn't describe it, but it always made him feel something, some sort of pleasant fuzziness, when Magnus told him he was making plans for them even when he wasn't around. Once when they'd talked about how it was likely for Alec to die young and unexpectedly – he'd surprised Magnus with freshly made, non-stolen coffee in the morning, had just come back from a very delicate mission – or that it was always possible that a situation might come which would not allow either of them to see the sun rise again, Magnus had said he would take Alec around the world. Immediately. That, if he wanted, they could travel with the sun. That for them, for those few moments, it would always rise. Yes. So that deep down they'd have this one bright memory to remind them that they'd tricked fate already, and so they would know that even if not for them, for someone somewhere the sun was always rising.
"Okay," he agreed, "let's go to London then. I haven't been in a while, and I could verify something. I just need to wash. Meet me in my bedroom at…," Alec checked the clock, "well, half past?"
"Or I join you in the shower…" Magnus smirked, contend with himself.
"Or you meet me in my bedroom at half past. Dressed. Or whatever you call that thing you like to do with, how do you call it? Ah, right, clothes." Alec accentuated the last word.
"You're so feisty tonight," Magnus noticed. And he looked forward to spending time together even more. "Can I at least have a glimpse of you in your towel so that I have something to think about?"
Alec shook his head in disbelief. His intestines clenched. "Just, please, however you get here, make it your priority not to set off the alarm. See you in a bit." Then he added, a little breathless. "Love you."
Why was he such a terrible, incompetent flirt?
Before Magnus could continue to unsettle him, Alec hung up. "Focus," he thought, shook his head, got up and made for the shower. He ordered his stuff on the end table by the bathroom door and hurriedly got going, because he very much doubted Magnus would wait 20 more minutes. Obviously, part of him didn't want him to either.
It was a hasty shower, but it fulfilled its purpose.
London was a nice place, Alec recalled. He'd visited a couple of times. Once or twice with his parents, mostly with his siblings. They'd stayed at the London Institute – many Institutes had some sort of exchange program for young Shadowhunters –, but he'd seen a little of the city, too. Too little. And practically only during hunting trips. He wondered what time it would be there. Although there was always someone working or coming back from a mission in every Institute, so he'd be able to speak to a fellow Shadowhunter. No doubt about that.
Half-dry, he combed through his wet hair with his fingers and scrutinized his reflection. He contemplated whether he should shave. Did Magnus like it when he had a bit of a shadow on his cheeks? He decided that yes. Perhaps it made him look a little more mature, too. "Feisty," Magnus's words echoed in his mind. Alec grinned.
The knock on his door came when he was brushing his teeth. "At least he's knocked," Alec thought and looked up at himself again, involuntarily, kind of embarrassed by the expression on his face. It was something between giddy excitement and fear.
"C'm in," he said as best he could, spat out foam and proceeded to rinse his mouth with water. Suddenly nervous from the tips of his toes to the tips of his hair, he checked his reflection once more before turning around to greet his boyfriend. As always, Magnus was a startling sight. He was the sort of person you'd find your eyes looking at constantly and unconsciously, without wanting them to. However, by Magnus's standards, the Warlock seemed underdressed. Alec found it kind of suited him.
Pretty much anything suited Magnus.
He wore simple black shoes, gray washed-out jeans and a dark green shirt. He'd rolled up the sleeves up to his elbows. At first view, the glittering buttons of the shirt as well as the many slits that spread over one of his legs escaped the eye. At second, they captured it. To Alec's satisfaction, he hadn't toned down the jewellery: a variety of leather, silver and brass bracelets was dangling at the Warlock's wrists and some of his weird rings adorned his fingers and – Alec was really pleased to see – ears.
"You look great," he said. And he meant it.
"Alexander Gideon Lightwood," Magnus smirked, leaning against the door frame with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, "please, let me return the compliment."
"Thanks, but – shit." Alec froze. He hadn't put on any clothes yet. And his towel was lying happily on the floor, beneath his feet.
"Easy," he thought and told himself to relax. He gestured towards his boxers and earned an appreciative nod and a set of 'go ahead, what's stopping you' eyebrows from the Warlock.
Well, Alec decided, nothing Magnus hadn't seen yet. He went over, picked them up, and put them on. Nothing half-hard to be ashamed of either. "Pretend you did it on purpose and go get the rest," he silently told himself as he tried to get past Magnus. Of course, he knew fully well Magnus was aware he had been caught off guard, and he was sure it had both their heads filled with ideas. He wasn't overly surprised Magnus didn't let him pass with a quick welcome kiss.
"Thank you," Magnus mumbled against Alec's lips, "that was more than I had hoped for. It'll keep me distracted all night." With that, his mouth melted into Alec's again.
Alec wondered why his head felt so hot from just a few kisses, but it all became very clear when he, scratching his scalp, noticed his hair was suddenly dry.
Magnus's voice was playful. "You're welcome," he said.
Alec laughed nervously, "yeah, yeah," and lifted his other hand off Magnus's hip so as not to accidentally find a way underneath the shirt. He'd been obsessed with Magnus's stomach ever since that night when they'd kissed in the loft – when, after helping to save Luke's life, he'd stayed for a little longer. They'd talked a bit. Alec had thanked Magnus again for the time he'd saved his own life. That had also been around those annoying days when he'd still had to babysit Clary, he remembered.
Those kisses had been the only ones he and Magnus had shared before all the trouble with Lydia and their marriage. Magnus had properly shaken him that night. Alec knew he had been acting on many impulses, already knowing, thanks to his sister, that his parents were going to make him marry. Magnus had called him for the first time ever that day, hadn't he… They'd toasted and Magnus said he had wanted to see him again. He'd told him he felt something for Alec, something special. Then Maryse had called. He'd had to leave. Still, he agreed to have one more drink (or had it been two?), and Magnus had somehow managed to tickle out much of the sad truth about Alec's love life in no time. He had a way of talking to Alec that made him want to speak. Magnus made conversation easy. Well, easier. And Magnus himself always had a fitting story to tell, too. When Alec really had to leave, Magnus had gone to the front door with him. "Never kissed anyone?" He had asked. "No one at all?" "No," he'd repeated, ashamed, "not a real kiss –" He had barely registered Magnus's "Come here." Next thing he really remembered was being taken by the elbows and being kissed by the Warlock. His first kiss. Magnus had pulled him closer and closer, had kissed his neck. They'd touched each other for the first time, and it had felt strangely perfect for Alec. Meant to be. Good. It had been so confusing for him, he'd meant to leave then and there, but he couldn't help going back in for a second kiss. After all that happened between then and now, it felt like as if that had been ages ago.
And, yes, ever since, his hands automatically went to the Warlock's stomach. He just couldn't help that either.
"Now," he said when he finally stood in front of his drawer, "did you check the weather? And should I take additional gear, just in case? And what time is it in London?"
Magnus had let himself fall down on Alec's bed and looked up at the clock at Alec's wall.
"Count five more hours…that makes it half past 1 am. The best time if you ask me. Aaand you're a Shadowhunter," he said, "you lot never go anywhere without gear. Bow and quiver should suffice though. The stele's a given I take it… And it's nice, warm-ish. Just stick with long sleeves. You're more prone to feeling cold than I am. – Alec?"
"Mh?" All the while feeling Magnus's eyes prick into him like little needles, he'd donned a relatively light, coal sweatshirt and was about to put on a pair of black trousers when the Warlock swished up to him and pointed at something in the drawer.
"Are those blue jeans?"
"Sure," Alec shrugged, "why?"
"Exactly. Why do you never wear them?" Magnus was way too excited for Alec's taste.
"I dunno, Izzy got them for me. I guess black is less noticeable and more my thing."
"Typical Shadowhunter. But we're going on an adventure in the mundane world. Put them on! I want to see what they look like when you wear them!"
"Okay," Alec said. Not that he cared much. Maybe he cared that Magnus cared. "Why in the mundane world?" He asked, stepping into the jeans. They were quite tight; to drag them up took a bit of time. The fabric and shape were nothing to go on a mission in. Inconvenient, impeding fluid movements.
"It's our world, too. Just a different layer. À propos different layer… your butt looks superb in those."
Magnus slipped a hand into his back pocket. "I kind of want you to take them off again," he added and beamed up at Alec's confused face. The young man was wondering whether and how he meant this, not sure what to do. Alexander rarely payed much attention to his clothes. What he cared for was practicality.
"Mh," Alec made and chose to ignore Magnus's last statement. Instead he said: "Let's drop by the London Institute first, I have to find out about something."
Magnus gave him his special face. The one which signalled he'd be compliant, but was also annoyed.
"It'll take 15 minutes, no more, I promise," Alec added quickly and rewarded the Warlock's sulking "okay" with a rough peck on the mouth.
"By the way, I sealed the 'loophole' right after I got here," Magnus informed Alec, "so, I'm afraid, we'll have to go outside first. No more portalling possible in here at the moment. Set?"
"Set," Alec echoed, sticking with the trainers on the floor since they were within reach, "thanks, Magnus. My phone will work there, won't it?"
"Sure," Magnus gave him a wink. Alec noticed how the gadget went all weird in his hands for a second. He raised an eyebrow. Magnus shrugged. It was better not to ask. Stolen SIM card or illegally changed contract – where was the difference?
It took Alec even less time than he'd said it would to find out what he'd needed to know. Nobody had even met a Sebastian Verlac in the London Institute. The guy he spoke to had mentioned that he thought there were Verlacs in Paris and that one of them was missing, but he'd repeatedly emphasized that he wasn't at all sure. Suspicious and none the wiser, Alec stepped back out on Fleet Street.
"Magnus," he looked around, "Magnus, where are you?"
Well, he was early. Magnus would show up soon enough (of course, all of a sudden, he'd had to 'run an errand', too). He sat down on the steps of the church and took out his phone again. Alec considered texting his sister. Then he decided against it; he needed to sort out this new piece of information before giving it away. But then again, what if Sebastian was dangerous? What was Izzy up to tonight? At the very, very, very, very back of his head, a voice told him she'd said something about having a girls' night in with Clary.
Now, that was an activity he wouldn't be able to make up, so he trusted the voice.
Sebastian Verlac. Who was this guy really? And what did he want? Maybe, just maybe… Maybe he'd had to do with Luke's assault. He'd need to be very careful around this person tomorrow. Even more careful than he'd already been.
"And, is it working?" Magnus's soft voice wanted to know.
"Yes." Alec got up and shoved the phone away. "Damn it, these pockets don't deserve the name. Whatever… Now I'm all yours."
"Did you get what you came here for?"
"Not sure, but it was worth a try," Alec cocked his head, "are you hungry? You offered me food?"
"Starving," Magnus exclaimed.
"Do you know somewhere in particular where you'd like to eat? At this time? I'm up for anything that doesn't involve stealing."
"I do. Let's go, it'll take a bit to walk there. Well, actually, I can give you some options," Magnus started listing: "Asian, Indian, Italian, American, English – but let's not do that –, German –"
"German?" Alec interrupted. "Like sauerkraut?"
"Alexander! No!" Magnus almost burst out in laughter. It annoyed Alec. In a pleasant way.
"What? That's the only German dish I know."
"Why would I want to eat something as bizarre and thready like sauerkraut with you, voluntarily and without feeling miserable in the first place? More like types of wurst and rolls, burgers and fries. Not sure if that's less stereotypical but who cares. You know what: I'll give you a nice massage if you go in and ask for sauerkraut. Screw it, I'll give you one anyway. You're just too good to be true. We should visit Germany soon, so that you may learn more about traditional German dishes."
"Your lips seem to be moving, Magnus, but I can't hear any-damn-thing. Perhaps you should tell me all you know about Jace's and Clary's mission instead. You didn't earlier. What happened between the Vampire and the Queen?"
Magnus's face became a tad more serious. "That would be because I know little more than what I already told you. She offered Simon an alliance, but Simon declined it. Probably out of loyalty and love for Clary – my guess. It's something we could bring up for discussion during our next council meeting… Next guess: The Queen showed her gratitude by forcing Clary to reveal her feelings for Jace, she's that sort of trouble. I'm sure she wanted Simon to see he chose the wrong woman."
"Wait," Alec interrupted again, "why would she want an alliance with Simon? What's he good for?"
Magnus took a deep breath. "Get your head outside that box and think," he said. "He's a vampire capable of walking in sunlight without suffering harm. That makes him extremely special and much more powerful than, I reckon, the boy can fathom he is – or ever wanted to be, for that matter. I think it will give Rafael a hard time, too. The other vampires will want to follow Simon and profit from his powers. I suppose the majority of them longs for becoming daylighters just as well. Can you imagine? A flock of Vampires out during the day? Now go figure what the Queen must be thinking."
"Such an army could be a deciding factor," Alec concluded, lips tight, "but you don't think Simon would turn against the Shadowhunters because of hurt feelings, do you?"
Magnus looked up at Alec questioningly. "Alexander. Who knows what anyone does because of hurt feelings? Or because of Clary, huh. Shadowhunters are a peculiar folk. You're the only ones who actually, successfully tricked yourselves into thinking you never act without control over your emotions, ever. That's a weakness, not a strength, by the way. First off, it doesn't help you to understand people who are not willing to exert such self-control. Second off, in my opinion, emotions often are essential motives for any deed in any person, be it a Shadowhunter, a Warlock, a Seelie, a Werewolf... it doesn't matter." He fell silent for a what seemed a long second. Then he said: "Simon is a good kid, let's hope for the best. Amorous love is a very powerful, very human emotion. It can help root a fledgling like him, help shut out the dark side. Now he's been dumped, I suppose, and that means we wait. His urges will become stronger, I think. I promise that I'll see what I can do for him."
"That's good. Thank you. So Jace and Clary," Alec said. Magnus wasn't sure whether he was being ironic, humorous, or just sarcastic.
"I know. What a surprise," he played along. He had no doubt Alexander was over Jace. But he also knew that Clary had been the girl who'd ruined Alec's first ever crush. A long-term crush. A lifelong one? Magnus was aware that he had no right at all to jealousy, so he pushed jealousy away. What remained was sympathy.
For a while they said nothing and walked in silence. Alec tried to postpone further thoughts about the Seelies, Simon and Sebastian. He was about to go eat dinner with his boyfriend. They were in London, they were having a stroll through the streets. It was oddly relaxing if you allowed yourself to get into it. Of course, at night Alec couldn't see much of the city. But it had a nice feeling to it, London. He heard the mundanes speak lots of different languages. In that sense, London wasn't so different from New York.
"I guess this could be a place Clary might like to go and visit one day," Alec remarked when they went past the University of Arts.
Magnus took his hand and squeezed it. "You're sure right about that," he said. And looked strangely happy.
"What?" Alec asked again. He felt he should make it his motto.
"Nothing."
"No, seriously. What?"
"It's just that you don't even like her much, yet you're attentive. It's charming. Also, it tells me you see her for who she is both as a Shadowhunter and as a person, as a mundane, you might want to say."
"Uhm…," Alec said, saying nothing. Instead, he concentrated on getting used to the Warlock's hand in his. He'd been waiting for Magnus to take it. It still amazed him how big things like that were so easy for Magnus.
"Oh, how come I haven't realized there's a new Harry Potter," Magnus unexpectedly said.
Alec cut him short. "Who is this Harry Potter exactly? Some sort of Warlock politician or ambassador? I've heard mundanes talk about him and seen them queue up for him, even the occasional Shadowhunter. But he isn't in our database. And they all make him seem like he's a saint or something."
"Alec! It's enough now. I may be immortal but I swear you're trying to kill me," this time Magnus burst out laughing for real. He raised their entwined hands and pointed toward a bookstore behind them. In the shop window hung a poster. It showed the cover of a book and read "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".
"Oh," Alec looked embarrassed. "Oh. Okay. It's a novel?"
"Oh?" Magnus kept cackling. "Oh? Have you been hiding under a rock or something?"
"Come on, Magnus," Alec grinned sheepishly, "get a grip. Jace is the only one of us who ever mentions books. And even so he's not really talking about reading."
"Come on? Harry Potter is not a Warlock, he's a wizard! I mean, to some of us that's the same thing, but still. Every child knows it, it's common knowledge! 'Harry, yer a wizard!' '- a what?'" Magnus made weird voices, was shaking with laughter, folding in on himself. Alec could only stare at him in wonder. "Anyway, more like come here!" Magnus drew him into his arms and got on his tiptoes to kiss Alec, full-on. "You're impossibly unspoilt. I love you," he breathed into his mouth.
"We're in the middle of the street, Magnus," Alec said, kissing back only in a very reserved way.
"Oh, that's true," Magnus agreed and let his tongue brush against Alec's lower lip. Alec's wondrous staring intensified. "Welcome to Soho," Magnus chirped.
"Soho? Oh right, I know Soho." Alec took a step back and re-established what he considered a decent amount of distance for the public between them. "It's a like a quarter, a part of this city. Like our Soho, right?"
"Yes and no, not quite, but it sure is an excellent place to go to late at night when you want nice food but are on a budget. Which we aren't, but there's more to Soho than just the food."
"Like what?"
"Like you'll find out soon. Allow yourself to be open-minded. We might spot or run into some downworlders here. Plus, I hear it's been gaining popularity among your kind as well."
Magnus started walking again. They turned right and stepped into a street which was pretty crowded. It was full of little restaurants and shops, and just as many bars and clubs. Because it was relatively warm, people were standing and sitting outside in front of the many places. They were eating and drinking, talking. Having fun. There was a lot of noise, much laughter and the almost rhythmic sound of glasses clinking. Alec was glad that Magnus appeared to be knowing where he was going. To his surprise, some people were being driven around in tiny bike-drawn carriages.
They were threading their way through the crowd on the pavement, still holding hands. With so much people, so much hustle and bustle around them, Alec's grip on Magnus's hand became a little tighter without him realizing it. The other hand was ready to reach for his bow. It was an automatism; any place this crammed was a ticking time bomb to a Shadowhunter. They were trained to think like that.
"All the things you hear. It baffles me," he said and paused. He couldn't spot another Shadowhunter, but that was fine with him. The people around them chiefly were mundanes. That much he could make out in passing. Then, in the corner of his eyes, he saw two men walking by, also holding hands.
It was cause for him to start to properly look around, always keeping step with Magnus. Here were some girls in quite daring outfits walking towards a club. Not relevant. Although it was possible that the doormen of the club were Vampires. A den, perhaps? Then, there was a group of ordinary guys standing in front of a bar. They were prime examples of the typical male mundane to be out and about late at night: drunk and loud. Not necessarily dangerous, but potentially so. At the door of the bar hung a flag which sported all the colors of the rainbow. Alec had seen it before and knew what it meant in the mundane world. "Coincidence," he quietly wondered, doubtful. "Probably not."
At second glance, Alec realized that a lot of the women and men in this street gave the impression that they were here with other women and men. Not only as friends, but also as dates. It was the aura that had him catch on to it. Some were leaning their heads on the other's shoulders or standing in each other's arms. They were stroking each other's heads, backs, exchanging telling looks or even randomly made out. He could also hear noises from the side alleys. For a moment, he forgot about his shame and about how it wasn't polite to stare like an idiot.
The one thing that slipped his attention was that Magnus was observing him carefully. Whenever and wherever they went, Magnus always noticed how Alexander's regard was fixed on other couples. Briefly. Never long. Additionally, Alec was still extremely uncomfortable when Magnus touched him 'too much' (to Magnus, it was impossible to touch Alec too much) in public. It had taken the young man a while to get used to the idea of walking hand in hand, and if it was foreseeable that they might run into someone who knew Alexander (other than his family), it wasn't uncommon for Alec to block Magnus's efforts. Magnus understood he had grown up in a homophobic environment. They both had, and much of the world still was. Yet, Magnus had had much more time to become comfortable with his sexuality. Plus, he'd never had to care about his career or about what his family might think. Warlocks were more tolerant in some, and more restrictive in other ways. Sexuality was a minor issue.
Magnus knew Alec didn't envy other couples as such. Well, he didn't really know it, he just thought it wasn't like Alec to envy other people their happiness. Alec usually tried to firmly ignore them and look away. "A bit too firmly, somehow…" thought Magnus, who was the kind of person who'd risk to look and openly share a smile. Love was one of the most heavenly things in this godforsaken world.
The couples might cuddle up together on a picnic blanket and feed each other food, or might have an emotional reunion at a bus stop, they might give each other a casual kiss to say hello in the middle of the street that – maybe – lasted a tiny bit too long. It might be no more than some naughty noises sounding from behind a window, a door, from the inside of a car. Something about it made Alec feel something. It might not be unhappiness, but it wasn't happiness either. It wasn't a positive emotion, and Magnus wanted to get to the bottom of things. It was almost as if Alec forbade himself to experience something. In the end, Magnus guessed one of the reasons why Alec still didn't feel too comfortable showing affection in public or going to clubs with his siblings was that he still felt he couldn't be himself the way his brother and sister and most other people did. Right now, he could literally see Alec thinking. Not much longer till he'd say something.
"What is this place," Alec had lowered his voice and had shifted closer to him.
"It's a bit like Greenwich Village, I suppose," Magnus answered. He knew Alexander was tempted to voice premature disapproval, so he kept talking. "It's also where we will eat. I used to go to a lot of Pandemonium parties here. When I still lived in London, I mean. Which was, by the way, in the 19th century. And although I was with Camille back then – who cheated on me with some Russian and left me here – I am very fond of this city. Ragnor used to be London's High Warlock prior to teaching at the Shadowhunter Academy. So I very much look forward to making good memories here with you, Alec."
He realized that Alec probably wasn't going to be very enthusiastic to hear about Camille.
"Point is, Alexander, Soho is a nice place. One I still like and where I enjoy going every now and then. Naturally, I wanted to come here with you. You know, many of the people here are, even if only for the night, without prejudice. Young people like you. And some older people, too. I find it to be liberating."
"It's a bit much, to be honest," Alec said.
"Eat with me. And if you want to, we'll leave." They had arrived.
"Herman ze German," Alec read out loud. "Well, Magnus, they're closed. They've closed hours ago."
"Oh." The Warlock said. "In that case –"
He started to fumble elegantly with his hands behind his back. "Very sneaky," Alec thought. He easily recognized the tell-tale blue sparks. When Magnus retrieved his hands again, he'd conjured up two bags from a fast-food chain even Shadowhunters went to.
"Do you at least put money in their cash desks when you do these things?" He asked, arms interlocked behind his back, raising his eyebrows.
"What do you think, Alexander," Magnus answered shrewdly. He looked around for a place to sit down and chose a small set of stairs nearby. Alec joined him. They unpacked their food and started eating.
"And do you read a lot of mundane literature?" Alec asked out of nowhere. Magnus picked up on his heedful tone. Was Alexander exited? Interesting.
"It's an old habit." He said. "But I'm not always sure it's so mundane. I've problems with calling people that, anyway. When I say it, I don't ever mean it in a negative way. Why are we always so displeased with them? They're just people. It's not their fault that they don't know many of the things we know."
"True," said Alec. "It makes me feel pretty bad when you put it like that. I'm not really sure what to say now. I'm sorry? I guess I'm a person who naturally prefers to be sealed off and that, in fact, it doesn't matter whether you're a mundane or someone from the Shadowworld. I don't know."
It had not been his intention to make Alec feel bad. For the sole reason to lighten the mood again (obviously), Magnus snatched Alec's hand and bit off the fries his boyfriend had been about to eat.
"Everyone has their own troubles." He chewed. "Mundane lifes and problems may seem trivial compared to Shadowhunter and Downworlder lifes and problems, but everyone is dealt and no one choses their hand in the great game that we're playing – involuntarily –, and therefore I always try not to judge other people according to my own standards. At least not when it's really not fair."
"You are right. But you eating my fries isn't fair either."
"I got them for you in the first place," Magnus exclaimed dramatically.
"Yeah. The Angel knows under what circumstances. Do not," Alec made a face and ducked, "touch me with those greasy fingers!"
Two girls went past them and giggled. Apparently, they'd overheard their conversation. Alec's focus shifted, his posture stiffened.
"Here, everyone automatically assumes we're together, don't they?" He said in a tone Magnus found hard to classify.
The Warlock kept it straightforward. Reaching for his third burger he said, "Yes. I think so. They probably thought I was the dashingly cute and you the ill-behaved one. You know, the one who's always uptight and serious and grumpy and who must be wooed extensively in order to be persuaded at all. A nearly impossible quest – were I not so accomplished and irresistible." He tried to smile at Alec who looked back at him, eyes wide open. Magnus couldn't decipher what remained – "For now?" – an unspoken question. And that was that.
After a while of silent munching he said: "It's eerie how many mundanes get on the track of our world. More than once an author had me convinced that they must be of Seelie, Vampire, Warlock, Werewolf – even demonic or angelic – origin. The things they are able to imagine are more than close to the truth sometimes, and I wouldn't say it's unlikely that some of them really do descend from us, whether they're aware of it or not. We are very good at tricking others. Demons are experts at it – I would know."
He pushed away the memory of his father. Always an unwelcome thought.
"What's the most interesting with regard to their stories is the perspectives they have. They see all of what we deal with on a daily basis with very different eyes. Some write as if they were afraid that, one day, it could all come true. Some downright yearn for it all to be true. Both might be because they somehow just know it is." Magnus made a funny gesture with his hands. "Certainly, on the other hand much of what I've read was plain nonsense. Some people think vampires sparkle in the sun. Although… there are Warlocks who do and, mh, by itself the idea of Daylighters isn't a far-fetched one. Just think of Simon. Also, mundanes figured that, should Vampires be real and wanting to survive in the 21st century, they couldn't possibly kill a person every single time that they were thirsty. That they'd have to find a more 'civilized', feasible way to feed. Have you ever been bitten?" He asked Alec.
He got a prompt answer. Apparently, Alexander had been listening. "No. Have you?"
"Indeed, I have."
"Camille?"
"Too, but long before and after her as well. I'm neither an angel," he grinned at his own words, "– I run nightclubs and throw the most fabulous parties in the US as you know – nor a lightweight. Gladly, I'm not prone to addictions… So yes, I've done my bit… What I'm trying to say is that there are many mundanes who've been bitten by Vampires and suffer the aftermaths or become addicted. Their hallucinations allow them insights. I think I've read a few books of yin fen addicts, or former yin fen addicts. And there are, for example, quite a few 'mundane Werewolfs' who turn every full moon but never remember, it all seems like a bad dream to them. Before we find them or before they are killed, that is. Well… back to the initial question: the short answer is that, yes, I read mundane literature with about as much enthusiasm as I read our own literature. Perhaps because my mother used to read to me in the evenings. At the time I was born, it was very rare for a woman to be able to read, but she could and she did. Sometimes, she also just told me stories. It's one of the few things I can do that remind me of her in a nice way." He'd tried to keep his voice light, but the last few had been heavy sentences.
"I see. It sounds nice, too. I don't remember my mother doing anything like that. Well, our parents taught us Shadowhunter history and stuff. They were more likely to ask us to identify five runes ere we were allowed to close our eyes." Alec looked up at nothing in particular, his handsome features beautifully accentuated by the mixture of darkness and light. If Magnus were a poet, he'd dedicate this sight alone a few lines. Alas, he wasn't. "I was quite good at that, though," Alec continued, "so I often fell asleep listening to mom's and dad's words of pride and encouragement."
"That's great." Magnus said. "You deserved nothing less."
"Yeah, but what about Izzy? I think I gave her a hard time. They compared her to me, and rune studies or Shadowhunter history are not her favorite topics. Jace… well, he's a different case. He already knew many things when he came to us… But Isabelle – she's more selective than I am, keeps track only of the runes or generally things she chooses… because they are what she feels she needs to know. That never sat well with my parents when we were younger. Still doesn't. But now I'm the gay big brother, and that changes things. Ah, well, mom's opened up a bit."
"And what about Max?" Magnus asked, genuinely interested.
"I think he is more like Isabelle. Or Jace. But, you know, there can only be one Head anyway, and throughout our lifetimes that, hopefully, will be me. If nothing comes inbetween."
He bit his lip and shot Magnus an uneasy look. Magnus tried to signal he understood. He reached out and put a (recently cleaned) hand on Alec's upper thigh. He gave it a squeeze. Alec, who seemed to have forgotten about all the people around them, started to speak again.
"It's nothing they want to be, anyway. It's more like they, too, always expected me to be up for that job. It's the Lightwood birth right, and I am the firstborn… You can believe me when I say I think it's awesome that Isabelle, Jace and eventually Max have different strengths. We'll do a great job as a team. We already do most of the time, don't we," Alec firmly nodded at his own words.
"No doubt about that." Magnus smiled. Alec was just as proud of his siblings as he was protective. And to Magnus's contentment, Alec learned to see and voice his own worth. He was far from being in Jace's shadow these days.
"Your mom, Magnus, what was she like?" Alec asked. He caught Magnus by surprise.
It was Magnus's turn to look up now. Between the clouds and the stars, her image formed. A blurry shape only.
"She had long, black hair. It was thick."
Alec saw that Magnus's fingers had begun to move. He wasn't sure Magnus was conscious of it. It seemed as if he was rubbing something between them. "He's twisting a strand of her hair," he realized, stupefied. These were sad memories for him. He should have guessed. Slowly, Magnus lowered his head again and turned to face Alec; his hand was now clenched into a fist.
"You know, I think she looked at lot like me."
Alec saw Magnus's glamour flicker, shaken with a very intense rush of emotion. Something unspeakable – Alec had no idea what it was, but he felt it, felt how it obstructed his throat, how it burnt in in his eyes, heard it buzz in his ears – clicked between the two of them. They looked at each other for a very long, mesmerizing moment, switching from eye to eye.
"Which makes perfect sense," Magnus finally said under his breath, "because demons cannot pass on race or anything like that. They don't have any. As to how she was, you would have to ask her. I –"
But Magnus couldn't finish.
He couldn't say it, not right now. He thought it, though. He'd thought it many times already. "Alec, I found her dead on the porch. She'd stabbed herself pretty much the second she found out what I was. And I think my father had a hand in it, too. Did she love me at all? Am I so frightening? Am I not worthy? I was a child. I'd done no wrong. I was just a child. I was a child and she stabbed herself. I was just a child. Alec, she stabbed herself and I was a child and I miss her and if my mother couldn't, how will anyone ever be able to love me? How could you? When I am but a filthy Warlock. I was a child. A little boy with the eyes of a cat. A little boy with no belly button. But still a little boy, waiting for his bedtime story. I burnt down the man I thought was my father. He tried to drown me. They hated me, they hated me… and I was but a child." It was the same old downward spiral. It had caught up with Magnus and sucked him back in when he'd been caught in Valentine Morgenstern's body. Shadowhunters had cruel ways of getting at the truth.
Worried, Alec shoved the long-emptied paper bags down on the pavement and shuffled closer to Magnus. He looked at their knees, he looked back up to him. Magnus gaze was fixed on Alec, but somehow it also wasn't. Then the Warlock looked down at the carelessly discarded McDonald's bags. He looked pained. Alec felt strongly reminded of the first few hours after Valentine… after Magnus had been restored to his body. And he felt just as insecure with respect to what to do, too. He pressed his lips together, licked them. Bit them. Opened his mouth, didn't know what to say, closed it again. He frowned. He squinted. He put his elbows on his knees and supported his head with his hands.
He heard Magnus draw a heavy breath. It shook Alec to the core.
He shuffled even closer and hesitantly, shyly touched Magnus's back. Magnus looked at him again.
"Alec," he started.
Alec shook his head and drew him closer, guided Magnus to put his head on Alec's shoulder. "It's okay," he said, desperately wishing it were true. He didn't know what else to say. Of course, it wasn't okay. Magnus was more than four hundred years old. He had long outlived his mother. Alec searched for Magnus's hands and put them both in his own. He remembered that Magnus had been calling for her under the influence of the agony rune. Maybe she was one of the reasons why Magnus was so adventurous lately. Like he'd said, he wanted to make new, happy memories. "He must be haunted by sad ones," Alec thought and felt very sorry. And very much in love.
Some of the people who walked by looked at them with pity. Some seemed angry. Alec overheard them mutter things like "Do you think he took something? He looks pretty rundown, don't you think?", "Did they just break up?", "Well, they could at least throw their shit away before…". A few even seemed to contemplate whether they should ask them if everything was alright. Alec mouthed a silent "It's fine, thanks." at them and shook his head.
"Don't you want to go home," he asked the other man after a long while, pressing Magnus closer to him. "We can come back another time. I mean, I don't think either of us is up for entering the fray."
Magnus sat back up and straightened himself. He disentangled his hands from Alec's and lead one of them up to his chin, rubbed over his mouth. Then he reached out for Alec's face and cupped Alec's cheek. Magnus watched his bejewelled thumb glide over the young Shadowhunter's cheekbone. The skin beneath the stubbles was soft. His fingertips enjoyed the contrast. It was, in a nutshell, very much like Alec.
"Aku cinta kamu, Alexander," he whispered.
They locked eyes. Before Alec could ask what it meant he said "I love you, too."
The corners of Magnus's eyes softened.
"You're dashingly cute and I'm ill-behaved, mh?" Alec said. Magnus lips curled up. Alec was relieved.
"Try to prove me wrong," he said, "you'll fail."
"I'm sorry, Magnus," Alec said, "if you ever want to talk about it, you know I'm here for you."
"It's alright. I'm fine. I just had a moment." Magnus smiled reassuringly at Alec and patted his cheek.
"Let's go then," Alec said and stood up. He reached out a hand. Magnus took it and let Alec pull him to his feet. "Can we portal from here?"
Magnus nodded. "Theoretically. But I'd rather we didn't do it in the middle of the crowd."
"Me neither," Alec said. "What I meant is: is this a zone in which portals work. Come. Ah no, wait. We should at least throw away 'our shit'." He bent down, fetched the – disgustingly greasy – bags and threw them into the nearest trash.
Where he now stood was, to his side, a dark alley. He waved Magnus over. Alec found that, going by the appreciative expression on his face, the Warlock looked like his old self again.
"I'm going to take off these jeans of yours very, very – excruciatingly – slowly," he purred into Alec's ears.
Alec was a little confused. Being confronted with violent mood swings upset him. "I thought this side street would be a good place to portal to the loft from?" He said, uncertain.
"True," said Magnus, and dragged Alec right into it. He shoved him against the wall. Alec's breathing quickened. "Magnus, what's –" One look at Magnus was enough for him to get it. His eyes glowed green and gold in the dark. The pupils were wide. Anxiously, Alec stared back at where they'd come from.
"Let them watch," Magnus said huskily. "You don't have to hide. Not here. Not ever."
Alec's heart was racing. Magnus didn't understand. He was confused. Too flooded with way too many impressions. "Go ahead," he said in the end, voice low.
"Interesting," Magnus stated. He stepped closer and touched his lips to Alec's. Alec's eyes fell shut. He almost sighed out loud.
It was Alec's tongue who lured Magnus's mouth into opening. Sensually, it parted the soft lips and brushed against Magnus's teeth. Then – not without a slight electric shock – it collided with its playmate. For a short moment, Alec felt almost queasy. Both men shuddered. Living the moment, Alec laid his hand over the Warlock's. Next, he proceeded to smack and grope his own butt, controlling and guiding Magnus's movements.
"Admit it," Alec growled into Magnus's ear.
"What?" It was not without satisfaction that Alec heard those words coming from Magnus.
"This is the reason why you wanted to come here in the first place."
"Interesting," Magnus whispered in return – to Alec's frustration.
Alec opened his eyes. "I knew it!" He called out. "It's not like I can't feel the pulling, Magnus."
"Oh, come on. Don't fib."
Alec raised his eyebrows.
They were standing at the wall next to Magnus's front door. Not for much longer.
"There you are," Alec said, pulling his shirt over his head.
Magnus hadn't been next to him when he'd woken up. Alec had got up to look for him, and found him sitting at the table in the living room instead, with a cup of coffee. In front of a small mirror. Now, Magnus was quite narcissistic. But not that narcissistic. "I think she looked a lot like me," it echoed in Alec's head. It made him feel uneasy.
Magnus, upon hearing Alec's voice, turned around on his chair.
"Good morning," he said. He always said it like as if Alec was the most pleasant surprise possible.
"I'd say the same," Alec replied, "but it looks like you haven't slept." Again.
Magnus came up to him. His face looked cheerful. Questioningly, he lifted a finger off his cup and said: "Should I be insulted by that?"
Alec snorted. "No," he shook his head, "I love that face… This is like the fourth morning in a row that I've woken up to an empty bed. Is there something bothering you?" He silently willed Magnus to tell him that, yes, something was bothering him. Alec thought of how they'd sat on the stairs last night. He knew the answer to his own question, and he also knew Magnus was going to play it down.
It was Magnus's turn to shake his head. "Nothing is bothering me," he answered and grinned, "I've even gotten used to your adorable little snores." He put a hand on Alec's shoulder.
"Hey," Alec defensively cut in. "I don't snore." Well, all the more reason for Magnus to imitate him.
"Look," he said, paying no attention to Magnus's ridiculous 'little snores', "I know you well enough to know something's going on."
"Alexander. I'm fine." Magnus leaned in to give Alec a good morning kiss. His left hand touched Alec's right cheek.
He thought of last night again. About how broken and hurt Magnus had looked. And about how he'd made the same gesture, saying the most special words in a foreign language. Words that he had, nonetheless, understood.
He was certain they both knew Magnus was lying.