Brooklyn's Night Owls
Chairman Meow sat on the newly borrowed couch I had placed in my lounge room. I had gone for a modern sleek look today. I couldn't stand having the same surroundings every day. It made me feel constricted and tied down. I hated the feeling. As the high Warlock of Brooklyn I was entitled to borrowing furniture for the day or week. Usually it was only a day. I got bored of a particular look quite abnormally fast.
I sat down on the white leather lounge, yawning. I had been up through the early hours of the morning, watching the light come over the city of Brooklyn. I had been translating and reading through books brought to me by the other Downworlders of this city. I had different jobs to do for many of them and had a lot of research to do.
The one upside? I got to see my beautiful Alec today. Smiling, I scooped up Chairman Meow and held him, purring, to my chest. I wanted to hold Alec like this, him to my chest, maybe I would play with his dark hair or we would sit down and merely talk. I could take him somewhere, somewhere amazing he wouldn't forget.
"Alexander comes today Chairman Meow." I informed him happily, standing and moving to the glass wall facing the city in my apartment. The couch faced a large plasma screen, a shag rug on the floor and a glass coffee table sitting on it. Resting on the coffee table sat many cups and books not to mention notebooks filled with neatly written and organised notes.
I hadn't found much of what I needed, in all honesty it was starting to get on my nerves. I really needed to relax for a bit. Staring down at my cat I chuckled, "Calming people is your job, is it not?"
Of course he did not answer, as expected. I let him drop from my arms, brushing off the hair left on my clothes. I plucked the hair off of my grey sweater. The garment was rather boring and plain, but I was fine with that today. I had long pants on as well, the season was drawing closer, the season of hot chocolates by a fire, the smell of pine and charred wood that seemed to permeate the air… It was halfway through November, and I was going to face yet another Christmas.
When you have lived for a few thousand decades, Christmas does not become all that special. I have spent many of them alone, and many more with partners who have grown old and died long before I ever met Alexander.
Alec… He had a thing about these other partners of mine. He seems to think I will move on after he dies. I love him, I really do, but I cannot bear the thought. This was as before. I fell in love with many mortals, and was always with them until they passed, before living many years mourning over them. I finally realised I must go on with my life instead of dwelling in the past.
Alexander may be immensely insecure with our relationship, I know that. But I hope to show him one day, I hope to be able to get him to realise just how much I love him. I don't think he understands, and that is what really breaks me. The thought of not being able to love him enough. Not being able to make him understand.
Sighing, I moved past the dining table. That too had many books and notes over it. A few plates littered amongst the scrunched up paper and stacked books. Some were almost as ancient as me. I laughed silently. Almost as ancient. And I was dating an eighteen year old Shadowhunter. Well, no. I wasn't dating an eighteen year old Shadowhunter. I was dating Alexander Lightwood. He wasn't just any other warrior that took his place in the battle lines the Clave shoved them in. He wasn't just another warrior the Clave posted and could expect him to follow orders.
Smiling proudly I noted mentally that this was in fact Alec Lightwood, the boy that followed his heart and mind rather than the orders of those above him. In times this set him up for the worst, for the world was a cruel place with its traitors and liars, those who seek betrayal and vengeance. Alec and those who are stationed in the Brooklyn Institute always managed to get themselves into a mess.
A mess I would have to clean up.
Not that I minded all that much. I would really do anything for Alec. Jace Wayland knew it too. How many times had he used that against me? How many times had he trudged into my apartment yelling because again because Alec had missed training? He was a large pain in my ass that young man. He always tended to get between Alec and I. That combined with the matter of Alexander loving him when I first met him.
Scowling, I headed to the kitchen, padding barefoot to the fridge. The kitchen had too been remodelled, of course it matched the rest of my home now. It happened when I was bored. I could never however put multiple styles in one go. Just the thought made me shudder.
Just as I was contemplating the untidiness of my apartment I heard the doorbell ring throughout my home and immediately saw Chairman Meow ran for it and paw at the wood, meowing for attention before glancing back at me.
His tail glided through the air impatiently as I rolled my eyes and strode forward, picking him up and looking through the peep hole. Frozen eyes looked back at me and I smiled again, flinging the door open, "Alexander!"
Alec looked up at me in nervousness before his eyes travelled over me once more and he bit down on that smile I knew he wore just for me. He knew he could relax around me. Alexander tended to keep the strong image in front of the others.
Even when his brother had died, he was staying strong. He never once cried where the others in his family could see him. It had been an awful time for his family, his father unable to come back from Idris, his mother breaking down, Izzy had been torn apart. But never once did he allow them to see his pain. He came to me. He was their protector, or so he believed.
Alec put a lot of pressure on himself to be perfect for his ungrateful mother. To be perfect for the Clave. To be perfect for Jace. He used to follow orders without thinking, but now he cannot. He follows what he feels is right, even if the consequences the Clave hands out are horrible and fearsome.
I pulled him close as he muttered a quiet greeting. A soft good morning I had not meant to come out sounding sad. It did though, it sounded so sad. Looking at the boy in front of me I realised that it was my job to make him comfortable, to protect him. He didn't need to protect me, he needed a protector. Someone to go to, just as the others had gone to him.
I hug him close, arms around his waist and my face is buried in his neck. He is relaxed against me, pulled close so our chests pressed together and his hands on my arms comfortably. I did not say anything for a while, merely standing there, breathing him in.
Alec must have thought something was wrong because his thumb stroked over my arm, and I eased back, seeing concern bright and clear in those ice blue eyes I adored.
I smiled at him and his eyebrows came together in a frown, his gaze flicking from one of my eyes to the other. Only a few moments later I heard the words I had known were coming, "Magnus, is something wrong?"
Was something wrong? No, but I was upset that he put so much on himself and had so much responsibility. Shaking my head I smiled, "No, absolutely nothing is wrong."
He deadpanned and dragged me inside, closing the door before turning back to me. I could tell from the way he looked at me he knew very well that I was in fact not okay. How he did that, I would never know. He always seemed to be able to tell what I was feeling, even if it was not quite clear.
But I refused to have him worried about me. He didn't need to be. He had others to worry about. I watched him before getting dragged to the kitchen and scolded quietly, "You haven't done the dishes since last time I was here, have you?"
"You don't come often." Was my answer, and I let him take from that what he wanted. Alec picked up the kettle, filling it with water. He struggled a bit to get the dishes out of the way enough that he could fit the kettle under the tap.
He manoeuvred the kettle away once more, his face scrunched in concentration. I stood quietly, leaning on the bench and watching him struggle. I found it quite amusing, not that he was struggling but that he was trying so hard even if it was merely making a coffee.
"You are aware that you have to turn it on at the wall Alexander?" I bit down on a laugh as he sent me an embarrassed look, obviously he was scared of looking incompetent. In his fear he was making small mistakes. Even as he thought of how foolish his actions were, I was thinking how cute they were. He tried so hard in everything he did.
He need not ask whether I wanted tea or coffee, he knew me too well. I kept my eyes on his movements the entire time he was making the warm breakfast drinks. Silence ascended on us before he handed me the coffee.
I pulled him close, "Alexander, you have forgotten something."
Alec's eyes flashed with panic as I chuckled. His expression changed to that of confusion. Obviously he realised I was finding this amusing because he turned indignant,"What? Are you kidding or not? Magnus!"
This only made me laugh more, smiling as I slipped hands into the back pockets of Alec's jeans. The cup of coffee had been put back down on the bench, "You forgot the sugar, my sweet."
Alec closed the door of the Institute behind him, yawning from tire. He adjusted his hoodie, shoved his hands in the dark pockets of the garment and walked to the elevator.
Magnus and he had been sat on the couch for the past three hours. He had helped him clean up without magic, and put stick it notes between book pages and helped him neaten it all.
Sometimes Alec believed that Magnus purposely left his apartment messy, just to get him to stay longer. It worked too. Not that he minded helping him. Blushing, Alec thought of the light touches Magnus gave him here and there, making him want to be held.
He purposely did that too. Alec loved it as well. Magnus knew what he wanted, he knew how he liked being treated and he loved filling that part. He did it effortlessly. He never really had to try to do it.
"I guess that's why I love him…" he muttered out loud before the elevator dinged and he jumped in surprise. He had been too lost in his thoughts about Magnus.
He mentally scolded himself before lifting his eyes from the floor and stepping out. He hadn't really missed anything, well nothing that was expected. Who knew what Jace had put the Institute Shadowhunters through?
"Alec."
The voice, the deep voice that had whispered to him in his dreams so many times in the past countless years spoke to him, making him turn in shock, hand moving to his side where his knife was. He sighed, relaxing again when it was Jace. He straightened and took his hand away, running fingers through his hair.
There stood Jace in all his glory. His arms crossed over his chest and his back to the wall. As usual he wore the grey shirt and black jumper he had always had. It was as if the clothing items grew with him, Alec thought with amusement. Jace's black jeans were tight on his legs, his black combat shoes laced up over his feet.
"Jace." Alec said clipped back. His parabatai sounded angry, as if Alec had in fact missed something important. However, when Jace next spoke he had pushed off the wall and was not angry, more concerned. A new tone to Alec's ears, he thought sourly. He doesn't care for me in any other way except as a soldier to his deployment.
The grey shirt he wore made Alec think of Magnus in his sweater. For once, he wasn't thinking about Jace, even when he was with Jace. He smiled, guess he was hit hard.
"Where have you been? You disappeared, I didn't know where you went. Izzy and I were going to meet Simon and Clary at Taki's. I thought you would want to come-"
"Why? So I can be the third wheel to your double date?" Alec cut him off, spitting the words of venom at him, "You guys are always hanging out together and I fade to the background. I hate it."
Jace stood there, eyebrows furrowed in disapproval, "I don't understand why you are angry. We wanted to go for lunch…"
"Don't worry, I had lunch at Magnus's place," he muttered angrily, fists clenched, "I don't need to spend it where I get to watch you in your accepted relationship."
He pushed past, angry at his own jealousy and taking it out on Jace. It just wasn't fair how Jace and Clary could openly have a relationship but he and Magnus couldn't simply because the Shadowhunter world hated gays.
Alec stormed down the hallway, jaw clenched as he mulled over his hateful thoughts. He hated it at the Institute. All the time he would see Clary and Jace being happy together and openly flirting. They could do what he couldn't. It was stupid and unfair. Merely because he loved Magnus, he was to be shunned. Yet it was worth every glare and every snide remark. He loved Magnus, but sometimes, seeing the others together made him sick. Simon and Isabelle had it pretty bad as well, since he was a Downworlder, but even Downworlder and Shadowhunters were more accepted than Magnus and he.
Slamming the door to his room was unintentional. The pent up anger, jealousy and sadness rolled over him, making his actions more forceful and his tone sharp. His breathing was short as his fingers curled once more into a fist and he tried to regulate his breathing and calm himself.
He looked to his bathroom, he really needed to calm down. A shower, a cold shower is what he needed. Alec moved to his bathroom after he had locked his bedroom door, his anger still rolling off of him in waves.
As he pulled his shirt over his head, again, the mental reminders of Magnus's light touches and Jace's playful shoves competed with each other. This happened often, but he knew for a fact Magnus was the one he loved. The need for Magnus tended to overwhelm anyone else's. He no longer dreamt of Jace, he no longer wished for Jace. He had accepted himself as others could not, or would not.
He didn't treat him like just another soldier in an endless, raging war. He didn't need to keep strong around Magnus. Magnus was the one who let him cry against him, who let him mourn his brother freely. He was the one who made him hot chocolate and shared stories. He made him feel better. He made him laugh and feel like he wasn't a warrior, rather a free willed person.
The tight feeling in his chest changed to that of a light giddy feeling slowly. Something hit the bathroom tiles, and he looked down. A key had fallen out onto the tiles from his jeans pockets.
He smiled, that was why Magnus had put his hands in his back pockets. Sneaky Warlock he was. Alec laughed, crouching and picking it up. The key was a carbon copy to the one he had seen Magnus use many times before.
He turned it over in his hand and ran fingers through his hair, his thumb sliding over the cold metal. Offer accepted Magnus Bane.